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“Okay, I get it. You want your space back. We’ll take off, but you’d better call us if there’s anything at all that you need. Do you understand?”
“Yes, of course, Mom. I’m going to head up to bed. Let me know when you get back home, okay?”
He gave his mother a hug, then managed to walk up the stairs without flinching. As he tugged off his shirt he winced. His shoulder felt like it was on fire. Sam hadn’t realized he’d been shot a couple weeks ago, and had landed a punch in the exact wrong place. Rafe had seen stars for a moment, and Mickey had called the fight, then proceeded to lecture Rafe for the next fifteen minutes about being a stupid idiot.
Rafe didn’t allow many people to call him an idiot, but he made an exception for Mickey. He’d know the guy since he was in grade school.
After a hot shower he felt far more human and decided he’d survive. He also got his appetite back, so made his way downstairs to grab a sandwich. After he finished, the doorbell rang. His staff was already turned in for the night and he didn’t want his parents to be woken up, so he rushed to the door to find out who could be rude enough to come calling at almost midnight.
Rage filled him when he saw who his unwelcome visitor was.
“Good evening, lover. It looks like I got here just in time. You look to be in need of some tender loving care. ”
Chapter Thirty
“What in the hell are you doing here, Sharron?”
“Now, is that any way to talk to your wife?”
“You haven’t been my wife for several years. Get the hell off my property before I have you arrested. ”
“But, baby, I miss you so much. ” She dropped her coat, revealing a skimpy red teddy, and not much else. Before he could slam the door in her face, she grabbed ahold of him.
Rafe quickly gripped her arms and pushed her away, not wanting to have her touching any part of him. When she realized seduction wasn’t getting her what she wanted, the waterworks began.
“Oh, Rafe, I need you. I thought I wanted something different in my life, but I just can’t seem to live without you. Please, don’t be so cruel,” she sobbed as she reached for him.
“So for the past three years, you’ve done nothing except cry over our broken marriage?” he mocked.
“No, of course not. I tried to live my life, attend parties, smile for the cameras, but all of that was nothing but a show. Once a woman’s been with a man like you, there’s no going back. I need you, Rafe. Please. You used to love me so much. I know you still do,” she sobbed.
She was a great little actress. She’d really missed her calling in life. Rafe didn’t know if it was vindictiveness, or just because he’d had a hell of a day, but he invited her in by opening the door wide.
“Oh, thank you, baby. I knew you missed me, too,” she said as she once again threw herself at him. He brushed her off and started moving down the hallway.
“Follow me. ”
Her five-inch heels clicked on the hardwood beneath her as she practically ran to keep up with him. He imagined her modified br**sts were about to spill from her lingerie. Nothing about her manufactured body did a thing for him, anymore. When he’d met her, she’d been real, not some plastic Barbie Doll. He really should’ve known who she was. She hadn’t tried to hide her greediness all that carefully.
He’d just assumed she appreciated the finer things in life. There was nothing wrong with that. When he discovered she loved his money a whole lot more than she loved him, he’d been grateful she’d shown her true colors.
“Sit down,” he commanded.
She sauntered over to his couch and sat, arranging herself in the most appealing way she could. He gazed at her, wondering if there would be even the slightest of sparks inside him. After-all, he was incredibly sexually frustrated.
As his gaze traveled from her expertly made-up face, over her br**sts, and then across the top of her thighs – he felt nothing, not even the barest of sparks.
Interesting.
“Why don’t you sit with me, Rafe? Better yet, why don’t you take me to your bedroom – I’ve learned a few things over the years that I think will make you a very happy man,” she promised.
“I have a better idea,” he said as he reached for the file he was looking for and slowly approached her. Triumph sparked in her eyes when he leaned down. She really thought she had him fooled.
“What’s that, lover?”
“Why don’t we talk about you,” he said, his tone not giving anything away. She still thought this was a pleasant chat.