CHAPTER 3
1594 Words
Samantha dropped Laura’s bag in the closet and hurried out, leaving Luther and Laura alone in their room.
Even though Laura tried to hide it, she was amazed at the extent Luther had gone to make her feel welcome in his home.
First, it was the decoration in the living that caught her attention, then on getting to the bedroom she saw a whole closet filled with clothes that Luther had just told her were hers. Laura now understood why Luther had asked her to come with only a light bag.
She hated to admit it, but Luther was a very meticulous man.
As if he could see through the façade that she was putting up, he asked. “Hope you like them. I had your brother give me some of your clothes which I handed over to my designer to make all these for you.”
She remained silent, more from pride than anger.
Luther stared at her for a few minutes before leaving her alone in their room.
She was being overly stubborn right now and he didn’t want to lose his cool a second time.
***
Luther descended the stairs as he headed for the living room. He still couldn’t explain what came over him a while ago.
Yes, she was his housekeeper but she meant more to him than a housekeeper. Samantha’s father, Mr. Chris, had worked for the Castros a couple of years back. They had both been close while growing up with Luther promising to always protect her as a big brother would. He was just 17 at the time and she was only 7. One day, Luther came home from school to hear that Mr. Chris had suddenly quit his job and left with Samantha.
Now fate had brought her back to him again. How mysterious, he thought to himself.
He had been surprised when he saw Samantha at his door, eight months ago, looking for a job.
He had never felt such rage, not in a long time. It felt like something had exploded inside of him when he saw Laura shoving Samantha.
He knew he had gone overboard when he warned Laura but a deep part of him couldn’t bear to see any kind of hurt come to Samantha, not even if it was coming from his new wife.
“But I see her as not just my housekeeper but a friend and a sister,” he told himself, trying to silence the confusing questions that had begun to erupt in his heart.
“Oh, I think I need a drink,” he whispered, finally giving up on explaining his motive to himself.
Luther rarely drank, but at that moment he really felt the need to.
“But why had Laura been acting so cold towards him”, he asked again.
His dad, Mark Castro, had never known his mother, Cynthia, before he married her, yet they eventually fell in love with each other and lived happily until she passed away. His father had told him the story of how they got married severally.
The Castros and the Randalls, Luther’s ancestors, had been arch-enemies for generations and the reason had long been forgotten. Rumors were that the Randalls had betrayed the Castros in a farming partnership. Another story attributed the family feud to an accident by the Castros that had taken the life of one of the Randalls. So, Mark and Cynthia’s parents decided to end the feud once and for all.
Both families came to the agreement that they would put the past behind them by uniting Mark and Cynthia in marriage.
At the time, the decision didn’t go down well with Luther’s parents but they eventually respected their parents' wish and got married.
Luther had gone ahead to marry Laura because he believed their union could be as beautiful as that of his parents and he was willing to try if Laura was also willing.
His phone rang, shaking him momentarily from his thoughts. It was Officer Vance, his friend. He had recently been posted to another city and was on an important case that had prevented him from attending Luther’s wedding.
“Hey bro, I hope congrats are in order. How did it go?” He enquired excitedly but Luther’s response was less enthusiastic.
“It was not bad I guess.”
“What do you mean by not bad and why do you sound this way; trouble in paradise already?” He asked laughing.
He had cautioned his friend about marrying Laura, a lady he had hardly known but Luther had been adamant, carried away by the assurances of Andrew and the beauty of Laura.
“I hate to say but I did warn you, remember!” He continued.
“I think she just needs some time, besides she is well aware of what will happen if I change my mind. I had her sign a prenuptial agreement stating that she gets nothing if we divorce before our twentieth anniversary.” Luther interrupted him.
Vance laughed uncontrollably. “You never leave any stone unturned. I should have guessed you would do something like this. Remind me never to try outsmarting you.” He said still chuckling.
Luther couldn’t help laughing too. Vance had a way of making him feel better, he thought.
“You know I’m no fool. How is your fiancée, please give her my greetings, he added as Vance told him he had to go.
Though Luther felt grateful for his friend’s call, he still needed a drink as he reached for the intercom.
Samantha! He called out through the intercom.
She responded, “Yes Luther, do you need anything.”
“Please get me a glass of whiskey, thank you.” His voice was polite yet powerful.
“Whiskey,” Samantha repeated as she got off the intercom.
She had never seen Luther drink, not since she got here.
“Was he alright?” She wondered.
Maybe it had something to do with the way Laura had behaved.
Samantha had not expected Luther to defend her that way.
Even though she enjoyed the feeling it stirred up in her, she didn’t want any more trouble from Laura.
She went into his study and fetched a glass of whiskey for him.
As she approached him she couldn’t help staring at him.
He had taken off his suit and unbuttoned the top of his shirt, revealing his well-built chest.
It wasn’t until he cleared his throat that she realized how lost she had been.
She couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to spend a night in his arms.
Luther’s voice pierced her thoughts, bringing her back to reality.
“I am sorry again about the way she treated you earlier. I’ll make sure it never happens again.”
“You didn’t have to speak to her that way. I am only your housekeeper and she is your wife.” She protested.
Luther placed his tumbler on the table so he could hold her hands.
“You are more than just a housekeeper, you are…” His voice trailed off.
“No one has the right to treat you that way.” He sounded more emotional than he had intended.
“Admit it, man, you are falling for this woman,” he told himself.
He reached for her lips, brushing them with his in the most sensual manner.
But Samantha suddenly pulled away from him.
“I’m sorry but you are married now,” she said, in a voice that was slightly above a whisper as she dashed off.
***
Laura struggled with her zipper until it gave way and her gown dropped from her shoulders. She had succeeded in getting him upset so, she would have an excuse to deny him of her body on their wedding night.
“How long could she continue making up such excuses?” She pondered.
Luther was a smart man and soon he would realize what she was doing and then what?
What would her next play be? She wondered.
Andrew had really screwed her this time. He always had a way of getting either of them out of trouble but she wasn’t sure he could do anything about her present predicament.
“She needed to see him soon before she ran out of ideas herself,” she reasoned.
Right now, she was going to put all her problems behind her and take a walk around her new home.
It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy the comfort Luther provided; she just wasn’t in love with the man.
She slipped into one of the expensive outfits that Luther had gotten for her and examined her frame in the mirror. She smoothed the fabric with the palm of her hands, enjoying the way it clung to her body, bringing out her feminine curves.
Laura was fascinated by the beauty and size of Luther’s home. She went from room to room, taking in the view and the rich fragrance that had now registered in her senses. After her walk, she retired to the bedroom.
She found Luther already in their room.
“Hey, I’ve been looking for you. I had Samantha prepare something for you to eat; I figured you must be hungry.” He said, observing her closely.
“I know we hardly know each other but I would need your cooperation to change that. In the meantime, I promise not to touch you until you are…”
Before he could finish his statement, he heard the door slam. Laura had walked out.
- Writer
