Purchasing My Husband's Mistress

Chapter Seventeen: Tension in the Air

That evening, Bianca cooked the Stantons dinner, as she usually did. However, this particular evening held a lot of awkwardness. She added a turtleneck to her standard uniform ensemble to cover the hickey that so prominently shined from Brian. She certainly wouldn't want Olivia to notice. That was not part of the arrangement and she knew if Olivia saw it, she would instantly question it.

As Bianca continued to cooked in the kitchen, she also prayed silently to herself. She prayed that Olivia would stay in the room and continue reading her book in the breakfast nook, as she had been doing when Bianca had started to prepare dinner.

Brian kept popping into the room frequently and each time he did, Bianca would cringe under her skin. She knew full well that he very much wanted to discuss what happened earlier, but he just couldn’t get her alone.

At one point Olivia did get up from her book and start to head towards the living room.

Bianca began to panic at the thought of herself now being vulnerable. She could feel the sweat begin to form in her hands.

Brian had just been in on his third trip to the kitchen, pretending to grab a small snack.

“Mrs. Stanton,” Bianca blurted out towards her boss as Olivia began to leave the room.

Olivia turned back around in confusion as she furrowed her brow slightly at her husband and then at Bianca.

“Brian, stop snacking. Dinner won’t be that far off,” she warned him. She then addressed her attention back Bianca.

“Yes,” Olivia stared at Bianca, as she was still cooking and staring her way.

“My hands are full. Would you be so kind to keep stirring the soup? I wouldn’t want it to burn,” Bianca made an excuse, any excuse to stop Olivia from leaving her alone with Brian.

“Olivia smiled back at her. “Sure. It’s the least that I could do,” she happily walked towards the stove.

Brian scowled at Bianca. He could see that she was clever. She had been avoiding him all day. When he went to her room earlier, she had locked the door and pretended not to be there. It was childish. However, he also knew how mortified she had been earlier. So he would let it slide.

"Bianca's, you made such a beautiful meal tonight. You should join us," Olivia stated!

"No, Ma'am; it's for you two," Bianca added.

"Nonsense, I insist," Olivia demanded, as she stopped stirring for a minute and grabbed another bowl and plate down from the cabinet for dinner.

Selfishly, Olivia wanted to hear about her date from the other night. She hadn’t had time to ask her how it went, or she supposed she had just not found the right time, as she was engulfed in a new book that her old boss had written all day. This seemed like the perfect time to Olivia.

Bianca knew that she had no choice at this point. She didn't want to face the man, but she couldn't defy her boss’s order either. Bianca knew she had lost the battle with this one.

Dinner was now done. Bianca picked up the third plate and bowl. from the counter that Olivia had taken down for her and set another place setting at the dining room table.

In an awkward shift of silence, the three of them sat down to dinner. It was all very quiet for a while, until Olivia, who couldn’t take it any longer, finally broke the ice.

“Is your stomach finally filled after that busy round of snacking,” Olivia playfully teased Brian.

Brian, however, wasn’t in the mood for games. All he could do was think about Bianca and what she had been feeling. So, he did as little as possible to appease his wife.

“Almost!”

Not getting much from him, Olivia was adamant for conversation, so she shifted her focus to Bianca.

“So how was your date with Mr. Hottie the other night,” Olivia asked almost instantly?

“Fine, I suppose,” Bianca said blankly and turned her discussion back to her food.

Olivia truly didn’t like silence at the dinner table. And oddly enough, no one but her was really speaking anything of substance.

Brian gave his wife a dirty look in regards to her question that she posed to Bianca.

Olivia sensed his irritation and decided to address it. She wondered why he cared at all.

“What? He was cute!” Olivia asked unknowingly?

She had no idea that he had picked Bianca up from the bar, but instead assumed he was jealous over the, “Mr. Hottie” comment that she had made to Bianca.

“Sorry, Babe. Certainly not as cute as you,” Olivia shrugged her shoulders.

“Give her some privacy, Liv,” he responded back.

Brian cared less that Olivia found the guy attractive, but more so didn’t want to Bianca to have to relive the date from hell.

“Stop. She was so excited to talk about it before. I’m sure she doesn’t mind’s Olivia addressed Brian and then over to Bianca. So..” Olivia now stared at Bianca?

“It wasn’t worth a second date, that is for sure,” she said softly and put her head down further as she sipped her soup spoon slightly.

“That’s unfortunate, Olivia still tried to continue the small talk.

Bianca, however, wasn’t giving her much. All she could say was, “Not really.”

Sensing Bianca’s uneasiness, she thought maybe a change of topic was in order.

"So how was work today, Babe," Olivia asked Brian, who still looked a little annoyed?

"Well, actually, it was a little stressful but exciting as well," he explained to the ladies.

"Oh, why is that, Love," she eagerly wanted details now?

She had always liked when he had exciting news where she could boast of his accomplishments to her friends and family. She had hoped it would be one of those scenarios.

She was wrong.

"Well, I'll be working on a new add campaign all next week," he explained.

"Oh, that sounds fun," Olivia doted! "I know that is your favorite," she followed up!

"Yes, it will be fun. It will also be demanding. Five whole days in a conference room," he looked directly at his wife.

"Conference room? Does that mean that you have to go to Boston," she asked a little surprised.

"Yes, unfortunately," he explained.

"Well, that won't be so bad. You have so many friends there that you can catch up with," Olivia stated. "You'll at least be able to be occupied in the evenings after a long day in the conference room," she reached for his hand encouragingly.

"That's not the stressful part, Liv! It actually involves Bianca here," he stated.

Olivia, surprised more now by his statement, began to now stare at Bianca. She wasn’t sure what his work had to do with Bianca, but she was certain she wanted to know immediately. She was also sure that she wouldn’t like it.

Bianca looked up from her plate and made eye contact with Brian and then back towards Olivia. She didn't know what he would say!

“Will he tell his wife that I confessed my love,” she feared?

"Next week starts Bianca's three day ovulation cycle," he added!

Bianca, who had been holding her breath, now let out a sigh of relief.

“He didn't out me, thankfully!” Bianca breathed a huge sigh of relief. He had kept her secret.

"If I go... I'll miss it completely," he added with a devastated look. "I don't want to miss this opportunity, but I can't not go either," he said as he leaned back in his chair.

In that very moment, Brian realized that his concerns were very much less about the potential of starting a family and way more about the opportunity to get Bianca alone for a conversation. To him, that mattered most. The family stuff could wait. It was now blurry anyway. He wasn’t even sure if it were wise to continue with the feeling he was having for Bianca and the opposite feelings he was having for his wife, the woman who stared this whole ordeal.

"Babe, I know having kids asap is so important to you. You have waited so long for me to agree," she explained. "Why don't you just take Bianca with you; It seems like that is the only solution to this problem," Olivia explained... not fully sure that she wanted them alone together for five days and nights.

However, she had already suggested it now so she couldn't very well take back her words now. No, that would show jealousy, and that wasn’t anything she shared with anyone. Those feeling are meant to be buried, Olivia felt strongly.

“I would come also, but I have clients, and being that my practice is so new, I'd hate to cancel on them this early on," Olivia followed up matter-of-factly.

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” he gave his wife an encouraging glance.

Brian was happy with his wife’s suggestion. He knew they were putting Bianca on the spot, but he didn’t care the slightest.

"What do you think, Bianca? Will you join me for 5 days and 5 nights in Boston," he now shifted his attention from Olivia and gave her a soft smile?

Bianca didn’t respond. She didn’t want to. Instead she just looked down again and continued eating her food.

“Bianca. Mr. Stanton asked you a question. Did you not hear him,” Olivia became a little unsure of what had been going on. She couldn’t fathom the lack of disrespect either.

"Yes, sorry. Since it's part of my job," she stated firmly to Olivia, not looking at all at Brian, before she went back to eating.

She wanted to be out of that situation as quickly as possible.

“Are you opposed,” Olivia questioned sincerity? “You don’t have to,” Olivia now thought that Bianca’s lack of enthusiasm could be an out for her initial approval.

Brian ignored his wife’s last comments and stated Bianca in the eye. She had finally made eye contact with him for a brief moment.

"Good. We will leave at 2 pm on Sunday," he explained and he left the conversation at that.

....

The next few days held a lot of tension in the Stanton Household. Bianca did her best to avoid Brian. Even that night after dinner, he went out to the guest house to see her. However, she wouldn't respond to him. He banged on the door and pleaded for her to talk to him, but instead, she turned up the music and cried on the bed. She desperately wanted him to love and hold her during her breakdown, but she knew better than to allow him to do so. It would just complicate things more.

Brian had even tried texting Bianca several times, but she didn't respond to those either. If it wasn’t work related, she knew she didn’t have to and didn’t feel guilty about avoiding him.

She was embarrassed by her behavior, but she was more embarrassed by what she had said. She should have never done that. He caught her in a moment of weakness! Even the thought of quitting her new job had crossed her mind. It was one way to be able to avoid him. However, with her apartment being gone, technically she had no place to go. So, instead she would keep on the avoidance route.

Bianca had been working hard not to be alone with Brian after that night. Normally, she cleaned opposite Olivia, but now, she only wanted to clean in her company. She couldn't bear to face the man.

Olivia didn't seem to mind having Bianca around, though. She just thought that Bianca was becoming friendlier and more open to her. They talked about silly things with no meaning, and they enjoyed each other's company more and more.

...............

The next night Bianca knew that the man would visit her room again, so she purposefully got into her car after she made them dinner and took off for a drive. She didn't care where she went... anywhere was fine, as long as she wasn't back home at the Stanton's. Tomorrow was the day that she would need to leave with him for five whole days, and she dreaded the thought of it!

When Brian saw her car leave, he immediately got worried. He had asked to be excused from the dinner table and went to the restroom to use his cell. He tried both to call and text her. However, Bianca still wasn't responding to either. He felt helpless. He cared for her deeply. He had hoped that she wouldn’t just drive off and not come back. He also didn't want anything bad to happen to her. He would never forgive himself.

Brian began to wonder what his life would be like without Bianca. And truthfully, it wouldn’t be what he wanted. She brought out the best in him and he would feel lost without her presence. She was becoming his best friend.

“Wow.” Brian rationalized the thought of that. It was heavy. He had grown feelings for her that he never thought he could again.

After driving in circles for a while Bianca ended up going shopping at one of the local outlet stores that night. She decided to buy a few things for her trip. She even went over to the lingerie section and fingered through some more risky selections. She ultimately decided to buy a few. She did need to have s*x at least three days on that trip, she knew, so she wanted to look her best!

As she walked out of the intimates, Bianca walked smack into an old friend of hers.

"Collin, what are you doing here," she asked excitedly?

Collin had gone away to college and was living in New York, she had heard. She followed him on f*******:, but she didn't know he was back in the area.

"I'm up visiting my parents," he added! "What are you doing, you little Cat," he looked in her bag, revealing her sexy new apparel?

Bianca blushed. "Oh... just stocking up," she chuckled!

"It's so good to see you, girl! We need to catch up! What are you doing this weekend? Can we hang,” Collin asked?

"Sorry Collin, I have to go out of town tomorrow afternoon for the next week," she explained.

"Ooooh... sounds fun," he joked with her!

"What about tonight," she asked? " Do you have plans? We can do movie night and popcorn like the old days," she bribed him! She knew he was a sucker for that.

"Oh girl, you know I can't pass up movie night with you," he smiled! "Let me just cancel my Uber," he added!

Collin pulled out his cell, and with a click of a button, he was now free for the night.

“Let’s go get some snacks, my treat,” she grinned at him.

Bianca and Collin proceeded to the grocery store and gathered a bunch of junk food and popcorn before heading back to Stanton's house.

As they drove into the driveway, Colin was impressed.

“I see you’ve got some new digs,” Colin complimented her new surroundings!

“Not mine, just my employers,” she set him straight. “They just let me stay here.”

“Lucky girl you are,” he grabbed the groceries and followed Bianca into to the guest house.

Brian got excited when he saw Bianca's old car pull up to the guest house. He had now finished dinner and went to work in his office, as so he could watch to see when she would return. Immediately, he went to rush outside to catch her before she could run inside the house, but instead, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Collin get out of her car.

“Who was this man," he wondered?

They had bags of groceries, too! He then also noticed her lingerie bag.

“Oh my God," she's going to sleep with this guy that she just met to get back at me,” he instantly thought!

Brian began to text her like crazy, but she had turned off her phone, so his stream of messages went straight to voicemail.

“Should I go interrupt them,” he wondered? “No, she would hate me for doing that.”

However, the thought of her in the arms of another man made Brian insanely jealous! He knew he shouldn’t be. He had no right to be. She wasn’t his. But he wished she were.

“I’m going to hell,” Brian thought to himself!

Clearly distracted,instead of snuggling up to his wife before he left for a week, Brian pretended to work in his office, where he could partially see into Bianca's room. Mostly shadows were all that he could see, but it was enough for him to keep watching feverishly!

Olivia, longing to be near her husband that night, was lonely without him. She even went downstairs to his office to try and entice him to bed noticing that he didn’t come up in his own.

"You don't want to come to bed, Love," Olivia asked in her sexiest voice? She tugged at his arm a little to get him to do as she suggested.

Brian looked up from his work, which he desperately tried to distract his mind with.

“Sorry, Babe," he kissed Olivia’s arm that she had now wrapped around him. "I have so much to do to prepare for tomorrow," he lied!

Olivia pouted and went back up to their bedroom. It was clear that tonight, the only action that she’d be getting was from her imagination.

.........

Meanwhile, Collin and Bianca snuggled up in a fuzzy blanket with an array of junk food and a scary movie playing on the large screen tv. Collin also shared her love of scary movies!

"So what were you doing at the lingerie store," Bianca asked curiously? " Buying stuff for Ken," she probed?

Bianca knew that Colin had a boyfriend and that the two were more on the risky side in the bedroom, based on Colin’s stories in confidence.

"Yes, Bianca! You know he likes me to wear the skimpiest stuff," he chuckled!

"What about you, girl," Collin asked?

"I'm just preparing for my future Prince Charming," she joked and played it off!

She definitely couldn't talk about Brian to Colin, or anyone for that matter. Even if she wanted to, her contact forbade it.

............

The next morning, Brian woke up from sleeping in his office. At some point, he moved from the desk chair to the couch in the corner. He remembered being up at 2 a.m., and no one had left the guest house. Brian was exhausted and not himself. His heart ached for Bianca.

“Ugh,” he murmured angrily at the thought of the mystery man still being in his guest house. He wanted to barge in and kick him out.

Groggy, sore, and a feeling of emptiness and anger inside, Brian figured now it was time to go pack for his trip. However, when he walked upstairs, he found that Liv had already done it all for him!

Brian went and snuggled up to Olivia, as she was still asleep in bed. A few minutes later, she woke to him kissing her.

“Thanks for packing for me, Babe!"

"I figured you stayed up late working, that it was the least that I could do," she explained as she rubbed her eyes.

Brian suddenly got a guilty feeling in his stomach. If only she knew what he had really been doing all night. He knew that he was a terrible husband last night. Plus, he was now too emotionally invested to stop, which was the worst part.

This could ruin them.