Brandon spent the next three months recovering, working out and eating. Or trying to. Due to two weeks of being unresponsive, his appetite had taken a huge blow. Thankfully, he had a loving family and fiancé to shove food down his throat. Literally. And they all did it with healthy smiles on their faces.A week before the wedding, Jasmine and Byron surprised Elizabeth with a forty-thousand-dollar dress. The mere sight of it alone had Beth gasping and sputtering. It was absolutely stunning. With short and lacy, off shoulder sleeves, an equally exquisitely designed lacy sweetheart neckline, a fitted bodice and a rather modest skirt—that is until the back was seen, which displayed a fifteen-foot-long train, the dress didn’t belong on earth! Coupled with the stones that were intricately placed around the bottom of the bodice, the top of the skirt and scattered all around the train, it was an absolute no. Beth began shaking her head.Jasmine frowned worriedly and Byron ros
A week later, Brandon took Beth on a drive round town. Later that evening, they appeared at a large mansion of Spanish revival architecture. At first glance, Beth’s mouth fell open. Brandon pulled her round the huge tree in the center of the compound and into the house. Eight bedrooms, a movie room, art room, sound proofed room, game room, cozy lounge, laundry room, a kitchen that was nothing short of a chef’s dream with a garden right behind it, two ridiculously sized living rooms, a wonderful pool out back, a modest sized changing room—considering the size of the rest of the house—a shaded veranda on the second floor, and a gym. All complete with warm, radiant lights and—no doubt—expensive furnishing. Beth was floored, stunned and every other word that there was to describe shock. What a house! She began to fan herself with her hand. Brandon took her back to the front of the house where she spotted a shed nailed against the far-right wall which served as covering for a delectable
Standing in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection, Beth huffed.Three. Days! It had been three days since their agreement in the kitchen, and Brandon still hadn’t made a move. He had to know she was going crazy with anticipation. Even she was curious about how she would react. Yet, he did nothing. No stray winks, no cryptic smiles, no intense stares when she wasn’t looking, nothing. Even his occasional stolen kisses and caresses had stopped. As shameful as it was, his sudden hands-to-myself behavior frustrated her. Why put the idea in her head and get her thinking, if he wasn’t going to do anything? She hated how it made her wait and feel ashamed when she caught herself. But why should she feel wanton? He was her husband! There was no shame there. None, whatsoever. Then again, his usual touches had seized. Was he angry about something?She heaved out a sigh loud enough to interrupt her train of thought, and stared into her eyes in the mirror. No more. No more thoughts. Whate
Sherlie crossed her arms and nodded once. “As a matter of fact, I have.”Beth’s brows shot up. Her eyes widened. “You have? When?!”“Two days ago.”“And you’re just telling me this?”“I—”“And you accused me of forgetting you.”Sherlie pursed her lips and looked away guiltily.Beth scoffed. “Wow.”“Why haven’t you?”“What do you mean why haven’t you? It took you over a month!”“That… that is true. Still aren’t ready?”Beth sighed and shook her head.“Okay. I can’t fault that. Take your time, B.”Beth nodded.“Although!” Sherlie rose a sharp finger and Beth reared back like the finger was right in her face. “Whenever you are ready, you have to come to me.”“Why?”“So that I could give you a few tips,” Sherlie finished with a smug smile.Beth's gave her an unimpressed look. “You’ve had sex, what, a handful of times in the last two days and you already consider yourself a pro?”“Compared to you? Yes.”Beth rose a brow.“Promise to come to me when you’re ready and in need of advice.”Beth
The next day… Stepping out of the shower, Beth stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. Really looked at herself. The phases of her life flashed before her mind’s eye like a slideshow, going from her happy moments to her sad ones, over to her joyous and ugly ones, and in all those moments, one thing remained constant. Though it shone brighter at certain times, it was always there. An ever-present friend and ally. Determination. There through thick and thin and rough and smooth, her determination had always remained steady. Standing out like a beam in the midst of all the gloom and ache, it never deserted her. Always present. Much like it was present right then. Elizabeth took a deep look into her eyes and smiled a small smile at herself. While there was doubt, gut folding anxiety and the borderline traumatic fear of embarrassing herself, there was also willingness, interest, excitement and a great desire that far outweighed the fear. It had been over a mo
Brandon was beside himself. Emotions and feelings more then he could name swamped him, but the most familiar and strongest one was disorientation. While he was surprised and excited… he was also lost.“No.”“Why?”“I’ll flop.”The side of one lip curled up. “If it’s any consolation, I’m also confused.”He saw her frown.“Confused?” He nodded.“Oh.” He was confused. Confused. Meaning he didn’t know what to do either. Beth sat back, stared into nothing, blinked, clasped her hands together… and began to smile.Brandon chuckled lowly.Beth snorted.Brandon burst into laughter and Beth followed, and they laughed till their heart’s content.“That actually made me feel better,” Beth admitted on an easy sigh moments later. “Thank you.”Brandon’s hand found one of hers and rose it to his mouth. He placed a gentle kiss on the back of it and met her eyes.“Also,” his thumb began a lazy rhythm on the back of her hand, “I think you look very sexy in this dress.”She perked up visibly. “You do?”
The next day was claimed by work, bright and early. While that was a damper, Beth took it all in good stride. After all, she was a firm believer in doing anything to get what you want.While Brandon sat at his desk in his newly incorporated home office receiving calls, sorting faxed files and taping away at his laptop, Beth was with him every step of the way, being the perfect distraction. When she wasn’t helping him sort through his papers, she was playing with Lola, bending over, taking off items of clothing—because of the terrible heat—whispering in his ear what she could just say out loud, laughing softly, or just plain staring, and whenever he caught her, she would hold his gaze, smile and turn away.2 p.m. rolled around and deciding that he needed to see some people in person and get other things sorted, Brandon announced that he was making a quick trip to the office. Now, what kind of a wife would Beth be if she didn’t tag along? After ensuring that Lola had enough food and wat
Looking at the door, she bit her lip in contemplation and, finally making up her mind, pushed the door open. The sound of water pelting the floor reached her ears and she paused, staring at the closed shower glass. He was taking a bath? Not knowing whether to stay or go, in the next few seconds, Beth just stood there and twiddled her thumbs in thought, deciding to be brave at the last second. Creeping to the closed shower doors, she glanced behind her once to check that the door was still open just in case she needed to bolt, then rose a small fist and knocked the glass. “Brandon?” Water kept pouring. Being able to make out his blurry form through the thick, wet glass, she waited and watched, squinting her eyes to catch a reaction. Resisting the urge to press her face against the glass, she relieved her eyes of the strain and settled for waiting. No response. Pulling and biting on her cheek wall, she glanced around and knocked again. “Brandon?” She counted down the seconds, but