Wealth (free and completed)

Chapter 14 - Passion Over Mind

Janus

Instead of responding to Gabriella’s vulgar words, I called security. I didn’t look at her during the call, but I could imagine she was red in the face. Why she was there at all was pretty clear. She wanted me back because I was finally wealthy.

“There’s someone making trouble here. Yes, please. Thank you.”

After I replaced the receiver, I faced my ex. I could not remember why I found her attractive in the first place. She was beautiful, but there was something so plastic about her. Unnatural. Her lips were too full, and her lashes were fake.

Why didn’t I see it? I was young, naïve, and loved how a beautiful woman gave me the time of day.

“You shouldn’t be here. You know that. If you need some money, I can give you a check.”

“What do you think of me, Janus?” she shrieked.

“You know you don’t want me to respond to that.”

The building’s security officers arrived just on cue. Gabriella raised her arms in surrender.

“I will go. There’s no need for you to drag me from the office. I will go right now. But I know you, Janus. I know how you used to look at me. You were looking at that girl who could well be your sister the same way.”

She did not receive a response. However, her words made a mark on me. Was it painfully obvious?

Gabriella, followed by the two guards, went past my door. I caught her glaring at Valerie, who looked pale in her wheelchair.

“Why are you here?” I asked, my voice colder than I intended.

“I wasn’t here for you,” she answered just as coldly.

I strolled towards her. I knew she hated when other people handled her wheelchair, but I moved her more inside my office. Then, I closed the door.

“Are you here for Andrew?”

“Yes, I’m here for Andrew. You made it clear that you don’t want to be with me.”

“Did I?”

She should not be aware of the tug of war inside of me.

I want her. I may more than want her.

“Yes. You did everything you could to avoid me. I was waiting for you in my room the rest of the weekend.”

“You know that I couldn’t come to you.”

“Do I know that Janus?” she asked, pain on her face. She was so innocent. Her feelings played before my eyes, naked and unmasked by pretensions.

“It’s not right. It doesn’t look right.”

“So, which one is it? Are you afraid of your reputation? Shouldn’t that be my problem as a woman?”

“It does not sound ethical.”

“I’m twenty-four, not a minor that you are in charge of. Do I need to move out of Briar Hill? We didn’t grow up together.”

“How many relationships have you been in, Val?” I asked.

It was probably a cruel question because I saw her visibly flinch. She even moved her wheelchair a little further away from me. It should be the way it was.

“One. It was short. Fleeting. He couldn’t handle this,” Val said, nodding her head, but I knew she was referring to her wheelchair. “Is that what this is about?”

A shadow had fallen on her face. She was not telling me everything.

“No. It’s never about your wheelchair.”

“Then, what is it? Tell me what’s bothering you. Is it Gabriella? Do you still love her?”

I approached her and kneeled right in front of her. I wanted to let her see me in this vulnerable position because that was how I felt inside. Vulnerable. I looked her in the eyes. Her eyes had gone misty. At least they were blue, not grey. Not Sangster grey. But you could never tell with genetics, especially with a man like my father, who had apparently been around.

“I don’t love Gabriella. You may think it’s a lie, but I had never loved her. She was a habit, instead. She was beautiful, and she noticed me.”

Valerie’s face softened then.

“Of course, she noticed you. Haven’t you looked at yourself, silly?” Val teased.

Then, there it was again – that strong desire to kiss her. I didn’t want to do it to her, not when I suspected things she didn’t seem to know about.

“I – I want to tell you something,” I began.

I didn’t want to play games with her. She needed to know what I suspected before she committed to me. If she knew and still wanted this – whatever it was – we would be on the same side.

There was a knock at the door. I quickly rose to my feet and stepped away as far from Valerie as possible.

“It’s open!”

“Hi, sir. Oh, Valerie! I was worried about you. I checked the hallways and the vending machine. I couldn’t find you.”

“I’m alright. Some woman was bothering Janus over here. Did you see her?”

“Oh, the woman on stilettos?” Andrew asked.

Then, he looked at me and blushed deeply.

“Don’t worry about my feelings, Andrew. That was my ex. She wants to come back.”

“Oh.”

I was telling Andrew too much, perhaps because I was guilty that I was close to pulling Valerie closer to me. I was close to making her my accomplice in the crimes of the heart. It felt like a pail of cold water had been emptied on me.

“I’m sorry, Andrew. TMI. Do you want to show Val around again? Or do the two of you have other plans?”

It pained me to ask those questions. In an ideal world, I should be the one taking her out and around. Valerie’s eyes plead at me. I could almost hear what she wanted to ask me aloud.

What were you about to say, Janus?

Her voice was so clear in my head, but I knew that I had to let her go. At least, this time.

“Yes, I’ll show you a few things I’ve been working on for Tristan James before your brother sees them,” Andrew said enthusiastically.

“O-kay,” Val answered hesitantly.

Andrew stepped back to let Valerie wheel herself out. I should be happy that at least she was dating a gentleman. I could not see anything wrong with Andrew, except perhaps he needed a confidence boost sometimes.

“I will bring Valerie home unless you two have plans,” I managed to choke out.

Valerie glanced back, her eyes lighting up a little. For some reason, I knew that she would make up excuses and come home with me. Suddenly, I felt my throat constrict and my body heat up at the thought.

The other night, I could barely sleep after she kissed me. I did not know if it was the fire she woke up in me or the guilt that seemed to envelop me after what happened. I tried imagining ways of telling the rest of the family that Val and I had somehow become involved. I could already imagine Joseph’s stern face, Emilie’s lewd one, and possibly Rafael’s confusion. It would not be easy even if we weren’t blood-related. So much was riding on the idea that everyone else had accepted the whole lot of us as a family unit.

I tried to get my mind focused on my duties for the day. It was hard. Gabriella ruined my day, and Valerie had taken over the rest of my thoughts.

My older phone lit up. I checked my messages.

“You don’t want to fight me, Janus. I will make your life hell.”

Tsk. Gabriella. As for me, why had I not disposed of this phone yet? I guessed that I still somehow hoped I could get in touch with some people who used to be part of my life. But if it had to be Gabriella…

It did not make sense to get rid of the phone. My ex would still find a way to contact me. I would just ignore it. What happened to her man? Wasn’t he so awesome when I did not have more than twenty dollars to my name?

Thankfully, I went into a rhythm after a while. Work had become smoother, and I was able to accomplish more than I thought I would. I forgot about the day’s early issues. My work rhythm had been so smooth I was glad that I had grabbed a sandwich with cold cut ham earlier. I stayed inside my office. Tara brought all the papers I had to sign and directed clients to the room.

At the end of the working day, I completed everything that needed to be done. I wondered if I should stay in longer but then remembered Valerie. It was past five. She probably went with Andrew. A mixture of relief and disappointment engulfed me.

“It was all for the best,” I muttered.

Then, I heard a whirring sound and metal hitting my wooden door. Val. Suddenly, my whole body went rigid. I almost sprinted to the door to open it. There she was, with a slight smile on her face.

“I told Andrew I don’t feel that well,” she said, proud of herself.

I wondered if it was all a game to her. It felt like a diversion for a young woman, who was almost always cooped up in Briar Hill.

“I’ll get everything ready. Wait,” I said, placing a few folders into my briefcase. I had a few things I wanted to double-check at home.

We headed to the parking lot in silence. The only thing one would hear would be my leather shoes hitting the pavement and the faint whirring of Val’s wheelchair.

When we reached the car, we went through the motions of getting Val in. I had to carry her onto the passenger seat first. She held onto my neck extra tightly, trying to look me in the eyes. I refused to look at her yet because I knew I would lose the last vestiges of self-control I had. I folded her wheelchair and placed it in the trunk.

“You’d be a wonderful dad, Janus,” she murmured while I was buckling up for the drive.

“Why’d you say that?”

“You’d be good at folding strollers.”

I chuckled at that. I had not thought about having a family yet, even when I was with Gabriella. With Valerie crowding my mind, I had not allowed myself to think of such complex and dangerous things.

“So, tell me. What’s the big secret?”

“Let me drive you first.”

“Don’t tell me we’re going straight to Briar Hill?”

“No. Were not.”

I drove her to the same route we needed to take to get home. Anyone who saw us would think we were only on our way home. Then, a few kilometers before we reached, I made a slight diversion to Roseville Park.

“Oh, are you trying to get me alone, Janus?” Valerie asked in a tone meant to be teasing, but I heard a tremble in it.

“Yes, I guess I am.”

“Will you kiss me some more?” she asked, lips parting for me and staying that way. An invitation.

“You’ll have to listen to what I have to say first.”

“Okay.”

This time, there was hesitation. Worry.

“I don’t know how to say this without affecting how you remember your parents.”

“Go ahead, anyway.”

“Have you ever wondered why my father took you in?”

“All the time. They said that he was a fan of my mother’s.”

“Who’s they? Never mind. I kind of have an idea. Well, your mother and my mother were in school together.”

“Oh.”

Her eyes widened.

“Yes.”

“Is this way you don’t want me, Janus? Were they – were they at odds? Were they enemies?”

“I don’t think so. My mother found yours to be very beautiful.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

“She said that there were rumors that you weren’t your father’s daughter. That you were not really a Matthews.”

“Huh. I’d heard some allusions to that, yes.”

Val did not look upset at all.

“W-what if you were Mr. Sangster’s biological daughter?”

“What? No! He would have said something.”

“Would he have?”

“Yes, he would. Or else you wouldn’t have known about your paternity. He likes tying loose ends.”

The two of us looked at each other. I knew that Valerie was merely assuring herself, and I – I wanted to believe her. It made sense. Mr. Sangster – dad – would not just tell one biological child about his identity and deny the other the truth.

When she licked her lips, I could not take it anymore. I pulled her into a kiss. This time, she was the one who responded. Willingly. I went over to her side and pushed her chair to a leaning position so that she could get her back to rest.

For the next few minutes, we focused on that one kiss. Tongue and lips and heat. I nibbled her soft lower lip, and she moaned. I molded her breasts through her blouse, squeezing. Kneading. I was trembling all over, and I was out of control. I knew she was, too, as she pressed herself on my growing erection. There were too many clothes between us. It was too much.

I pulled her blouse up, revealing a modest cotton bra. Valerie unclasped it behind her, revealing full breasts with pink t**s. She was perfect. I massaged her breasts as she threw back her head in pleasure.

“I thought you wouldn’t feel,” I said, not realizing I did so aloud.

“Everyone else thinks so,” she purred.

Then, I could not help it anymore. I greedily suckled a n****e, its hardness perfect on my hot tongue.

“Please, Janus,” she moaned.

I continued to suck as she unbuckled my belt, quickly freeing my hard length. She held my d**k in her warm hand and made quick up and down movements. I wanted her to feel what I was feeling. So, I slipped my hand under her skirt, which already bunched up her thighs. I rubbed her through her panty, and I knew it wasn’t enough. She was hot and wet and ready.

“This isn’t how I imagined taking you, Val. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“So, you imagined it, too,” she murmured. “Yes! Of course, yes.”

Sliding her panty to one side, I entered her with one finger first, reveling in how hot and moist she was. Then, I slipped another finger, stretching her. She moaned again. I moved my fingers in and out until I felt her clench a little.

There it was.

I slipped my fingers out. Valerie gasped, holding on to my shoulders for dear life. Then, I replaced those fingers with my rigid length. I could feel her slowly envelop me, tightening around me. Then, I started to thrust. At first, it was slow. Gentle. I knew that she would not be able to do it herself. I had to make the movements and just hold her tight. Make her feel in her core even if her legs were still numb. Even if some parts of her spine could not move on their own.

“Suck me again, Janus,” she begged. “I feel more up here.”

“W-what? Can’t you feel me?” I panted.

“I can. But it will take a lot – a lot,” she said through ragged breaths.

So, I complied. It was then that I started to feel her clench around me again. I licked her chest and n*****s and sucked her hard until finally, I felt her tremors around me. Even as her back remained motionless. Then, I let myself come.

Later, a little in shock, I realized that we had not used a condom. I assured her that I was safe, but she needed a morning-after pill.

How could something that felt so good also make me fear the future? For what it had in store for us.