Coming Home

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"There is no way I'd wear that," she exclaimed.

Max stared at her with laughing eyes. "I think this would suit you well."

She eyed the lace set while her cheeks warmed at the idea of wearing it in front of him. She immediately shook the idea aside. "There's no need for me to buy that. I wouldn't use it anyway."

She left him standing there as she headed to the cotton underwears; hand stuck halfway between the hangers, as her whole froze. He'd teased her. It was the first time he'd ever done that. She didn't even know what to think nor how to react when he'd pointed out the lace set; her mind wandered off to dangerous grounds, forming a certain thought she should never have, while her boss stood a few feet away from her.

Casting a glance toward his direction, Venice risked another look at the mannequin and stared at the ebony underwear. For one crazy second, she thought about trying it on, letting the lace fabric fit around her breasts like second skin. Her face reddened as she tried to hide the embarrassment from showing on her face.

She almost jumped in surprise when Max appeared beside her. "What are you blushing about? You look like you saw someone naked."

She placed a hand on her chest. "Don't scare me like that!"

He crossed his arms, brows pulled together into a scowl. "I saw you looking at the underwear, Venice. Why don't you just buy it?"

"I already told you. I don't have anything to use it for."

Mischief glinted back at her. "You could use it in bed with me."

She rolled her eyes in disbelief, grabbing whatever her hands touched and made her way to the counter. As soon as she paid, they went back to the car until she realized she didn't get a good look at her purchase. She glanced at Max, whom had his gaze fixed forward, not paying attention to her at all.

She took a tentative peek at her bag and found something red and satin. Did she pick a nightgown by mistake? She bit her lower lip, wanting to take a good look at it so she could ask him to turn the car around, and swap it for her usual underwear. But her embarrassment won and she ended up worrying about it on the way home. When they'd finally reached his penthouse, she quickly locked herself in her room, and opened the bag.

She almost had a heartattack at what she saw. Venice picked up the negligee that was so thin and see-through, that every skin would show through the visible fabric, and fell back on the bed, clutching the seductive nightwear to her chest. It cost her $200 dollars for a single garment that she'd never even use. This was why she'd never bothered with sexy lingerie before; it was too expensive. Besides, she didn't have a lover or a boyfriend to wear it for, so why of all things, did she even pick this?

A sudden knock on the door brought her out of reverie. "Venice? Are you in there?"

"I'm here!" she called out.

Silence. Just as when she'd thought he was gone, came another knock. "Well, let me in. I want to see what you got from that store."

She looked back at the red negligee before pushing it back into the bag. "There's nothing to see. I made a mistake."

"A mistake on what?" Max asked.

"I chose the wrong underwear. I'll have to come back tomorrow morning and swap it for something else."

"What?" he returned quizically. "You don't like the negligee you chose?"

What? He'd seen what she picked out in the shop and didn't bother to tell her? She rolled off the bed and thumped toward the door, throwing it open in a tantrum. "You saw what I picked out and didn't even tell me?"

Max was perched against the wall, that infuriating smirk on his face. "You've been looking at it for the last couple of minutes, so I thought it was what you wanted."

She blinked. "I was?"

He nodded. "While you were looking at something earlier, you were fingering the negligee as if a naughty thought just crossed your mind."

Her whole face heated as she fought back the urge to close the door on his face; something she knew he wouldn't appreciate, and tightened her grip around the wooden door instead. "Well, like I said. I picked out the wrong undergarment."

"You should try it on," he stated simply.

She looked at him in utter shock, not expecting to hear such thing from him. Although, Max oozed out s*x appeal and had been with numerous women; she never doubted that he could demand any woman to strip and try on the sexy nightwear. But not her. She'd vowed to keep her heart to herself; to never get involved knowing that it would only cause her heartbreak, which was something she wasn't after. Not when she was getting paid to stay as his wife.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she said after a moment.

He pushed off the wall and walked into her room, scanning the way she'd decorated the walls without her permission. She stood her guard. She didn't need to apologize for not asking him for the go-sign. He'd been the one to push her into doing whatever she wanted, and she wasn't embarrassed for taking his word for it.

"Who is this?" he stood by her bedside table; his back so huge and muscly that she could barely look over his shoulder, seeing the picture frame he held in his hand. In the photo, she stood with her aunt, her arms wrapped around the older woman. They'd been happy then; both of them smiling as if there was no tomorrow. Venice remembered that day very well. Her aunt had just gotten out of a sickness that she'd thought would eat up her body system, but had managed to pull through after going through medication for a certain amount of time.

She took the frame from him and placed it back gently on the bedside table. She averted her gaze as she spoke, "that's my aunt. That was our last photo together."

After she'd graduated from college, her aunt had put aside a will for her to inherit. It wasn't much, but it had helped her through the roughtimes she'd had during the last couple of weeks after she'd settled in her new home. Although, Max was dead-set on providing for her every need, Venice had been against the idea of letting him pay for everything. She couldn't let his power and money get in her way of thinking. She didn't want to be spoiled by him, not now and not ever.

"You never really had a family, did you?" Max asked as he sat down on the edge of her bed.

She shrugged, pretending she didn't care. "My aunt was the only family I had."

He turned to her, eyes sober as he regarded her silently. "Where did your parents go?"

"I don't know. I've never met them before. They left me to my aunt while I was a baby and never came back, forcing her to raise me instead."

"She sounds wonderful," Max answered.

She gave him a small smile. "She was."

"I would have liked to meet her if she'd been alive." His next words surprised her. "I also want to thank her for raising a beautiful, kind-hearted woman who agreed to marry me in spite of my attitude and behavior."

She barely held back the laugh that racked her whole body. "I don't know what came over me, anyway. If it weren't for Jill, I don't think I'd have taken your offer."

"Sometimes you have to make sacrifices," he said.

She stared at him; dark tendrils of hair covered his forehead, eyes surprisingly dark with emotions she couldn't fathom. She wanted to ask him what was inside his mind, but quickly pushed it aside. Even if they grew closer every day, Max would never bring himself to open up to her. So she merely sat there, listening to their breathing until he left her room.

***

"What? You have two days before the wedding?" Jill exclaimed.

Venice had decided to visit Jill's grandmother in the hospital whom had wanted to thank her in person for helping out. She'd almost cried when she saw the state of the older woman. The grandmother she'd known for years, now laid in her bed, thin and eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, skin pale as if she hadn't seen the sun in months. But determination kept the tears from falling down her face.

"Time flew by so quickly," Venice answered as she pushed a bowl of soup toward her friend. They were in a small Italian restaurant Max's mom had brought her to, after they'd looked at wedding dresses, since she'd gotten her salary a couple of days earlier than expected.

"Have you got your dress yet?" Jill asked.

She nodded. "The dress came yesterday. It was made by this famous designer I once watched on TV and it fit me perfectly."

"You've already tried it on?" her friend squealed. "Isn't it bad luck if you try it on before the wedding?"

"I didn't try it on," she answered, exasperated. "I just held it up against my body and that's a myth! I only heard about grooms are not supposed to see their brides a few hours before the ceremony. They said the wedding would be called off."

Jill chewed slowly, her fork midair, a thoughtful look on her face. "That's also a myth. But it doesn't hurt to believe in them. You never know, the wedding might not happen after all."

For a mere second, disappointment settled in her chest. It quickly faded as soon as it had come. There was no room for disappointment in her life. She'd agreed to marry him in exchange for the money that Jill's grandmother had used for her surgery, which had gone greatly after her friend had told her the news.

"I don't have the money to pay him back," Venice said, twirling her own fork around the spaghetti noodles, taking a bite and moaned quietly as the rich flavor of tomatoes hit her taste buds.

"Is that the only reason you have for staying?"

She glanced at Jill who stared back at her. "Of course. I owe her a lot, Jill. And you know I'll never back out on my word."

"Well, as long as you're happy with your decision, then I'm all for it. Although, I will forever be grateful for what you've done for my grandma. She wouldn't be where she is now without you, Venice."

Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. What was happening to her? She'd never been an emotional person; she'd always been strong and kept her feelings deep within her. There was no place for sadness, not when she had what most women wanted in life.

"You guys are like family to me, Jill. Your grandmother became like mine as soon as I first met her. I'd never forget that."

Jill avoided her gaze; her head cast down as if sobbing quietly but her shoulders didn't shake. Venice had a feeling she was gathering herself, collecting her thoughts before her friend could answer. She'd been family-less for years now, and spend the majority of her Christmas and holiday seasons with Jill's family. They accepted her with open arms, never once making her feel like an outsider.

"You're supposed to save your tears for my wedding," Venice teased.

Jill's body shook, but not from sadness, but happiness. "There's no way I'd cry in your wedding. But I'm warning you, though. You should direct the wedding bouquet towards my way, all right? I'd like to get married next."

"As long as I get to be the maid of honor."

Her friend grinned. "Deal."