Secrets of a Gigolo

16

Brianna stood alone in the study kicking herself. She wished she had kept her temper in the parking lot. But meeting that horrible woman in person had been too much for Brianna. Something inside her snapped. She’d never hated anyone before, but she hated that woman. That woman was a big part of why Zachary was broken. When she figured out who Joyce was, she had wanted to rip her bold bleach hair out by the roots.

She’d screwed up, and worst she had done so in front of Eliza. Zachary had tried so hard to keep Eliza sheltered from that part of his life, and in the heat of the moment, Brianna had outed him in front of his niece. She felt terrible. And Eliza must have been so confused.

She was upset that Zachary had left, but he hadn’t thrown her out which she hoped was a good sign that he might blow off some steam and forgive her. So, she’d stay here and wait for him to come home.

Brianna had played with Eliza, and they had dinner together. Then they watched some TV until Eliza fell asleep. It was after midnight when Esmerelda picked a sleeping Eliza up and carried her up to her bed for the night. Brianna sat on the couch cleaning up the popcorn they had been eating. She couldn’t believe Zachary had been gone for so long and it had even begun to rain. She carried the half-empty bowl into the kitchen, and as she passed by the door, she saw the Jag in the driveway.

Was he sitting in the driveway?

Brianna put the bowl on the counter and walked back through the house to the front door. She opened the door and through the dark and the rain she thought she could make Zachary out in the driver’s seat.

Brianna took her coat from the closet and pulled it on then stepped out into the rain. She rushed over to the passenger door of the Jag and opened the door getting in quickly and out of the rain. She pulled the door closed and shivered. The short jaunt to the car had left her soaked and cold. She shivered and looked over at him. Zachary sat in the driver’s seat both hands on the wheel staring straight ahead out the windshield. He didn’t acknowledge the fact that she had gotten in the car.

“Zac, how long have you been out here?” She asked.

“Before the sun went down.” He confessed. He’d been out here for a long time.

“Why didn’t you come inside?” He didn’t answer. “Is it because of me? Do you want me to leave?”

“No.” He hung his head. “How can you know and still want to be with me?” He asked meekly. She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. “How can you know what I’ve done and still want anything to do with me?” He finally turned his face to look at her. “You read my journal. There are things in my journal, things I’ve never told anyone. Dark things that I’m ashamed of. How can you know them and still…?”

Brianna smiled warmly and brushed his dark hair out of his bright, sad eyes. “When I came to you for the interview I just thought you were another gold digger praying on vulnerable women. But then I got to know you. I realized you were doing this because you didn’t value yourself because every woman in your life has betrayed you. Your mother forced you into this lifestyle; she sacrificed you to satisfy her own selfish needs, that’s unforgivable. She uses your sister’s safety to control you to this day, that’s unconscionable. Then there is Joyce. What that woman did should be criminal. She took a scared, confused, despite kid and manipulated him, abused him, degraded him until he didn’t believe he deserved to be treated like a human being; and then she gave him to her friends. That was so wrong. I know you feel like it’s all your fault because you went along with it, but it wasn’t your fault it was theirs, they were the adults.”

“Maybe in the beginning but nobody makes me do it anymore, and I still do. I’m a bad person.”

“No, you’re not. You still do it for other people. You still take care of people who never took care of you. People who don’t deserve it. And that little girl in there loves you so much. A bad person would not have taken her in and given a good life. A bad person would not make time for her. That little girl is bright, happy, and talented; and that’s because of you. Eliza is a testament to your love. She is going to grow into an amazing person because of you. The man you are when you are with those women is an act. The man you are with that little girl is who you are. That’s the man I love.”

His gaze lifted and met hers. “You love me?”

Brianna pulled her hand back. She hadn’t meant to say that it had just slipped out. Did she love him? Brianna looked into his questioning eyes, and she realized she did. Somewhere along the way she’d fallen for Zachary. She wouldn’t think it possible to love someone so quickly, but she did.

She would have never pictured herself with someone who did what he did or had been with as many women as he had, but she did love him. She believed he could change. “I do love you.” She confessed.

He looked so confused. “How could you love me?”

She smiled at him. “Because you’re worth loving.”

“But I sleep with other women.” He reminded her.

She frowned. “Yeah you do, I won’t lie I’m not in love with that aspect of our relationship. I try to be ok with it, but it’s hard. To be honest, I wish you wouldn’t, but I understand why you do.”

“I don’t want to do it.” He confessed. “When those women touch me, it makes my skin crawl.” She was so happy to hear that. “I want out, but I don’t know how to get out. I don’t know how to do anything else.”

She took his hand in hers and smiled. “Maybe we figure it out together.”

Zachary twisted in his seat, so he was facing Brianna. “I’ve never said this to anyone but Eliza, but I love you, and for you, I’ll change. No more women, just you.”

She smiled. “I am so glad to hear that.” She put her hand on his thigh. “What do you say we go to bed?”

“Right now?” She nodded. “Ok.” They got out of the car and ran to the door.

Once inside he shut the door, snapped the lock in place, and set the security alarm. Brianna took off her coat and hung it up in the closet. When she turned around Zachary ambushed her backing her up against the closet door as his mouth found hers in a despite hungry kiss.

Brianna slid her hands under his jacket and pushed it off his shoulders as she returned his fevered kiss. Zachary shrugged out of his wet jacket and let it fall to the floor as he pulled Brianna harder against him. She could feel him growing against her belly. He lifted her off her feet bracing her between himself and the closet door. He hiked her skirt up around her waist and shifted her panties out of his way as his mouth ate at hers. He skillfully pushed his pants down enough to free himself from the confines of his restrictive garment. Seconds later he buried himself inside her and Brianna’s head fell back against the door.

His mouth worshipped her neck as he took her right there in the foyer. It was heaven in his arms again, and he was all hers from now on. Soon they were both moaning lost in each other. It wasn’t long before Brianna trembled as he brought her to completion seconds later Zachary shuddered with his release. His forehead rest against hers as he caught his breath. He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. “I love you.” He whispered. His confession made her smile. Brianna framed his face and kissed him softly. She would do everything in her power to deserve his love.