Zack. I groggily opened my eyes before looking up at the white ceiling. Apart from Elaine's soft breathing, I could hear birds chirping outside and the gardener's scissors snipping away at something. I turned to face Elaine. She was still asleep and some strands of hair were in front of her face. Reaching out, I gently removed the hair from her face and she mumbled something before moving closer to me. A chuckle escaped my lips. Unlike her usual defensive personality, she looked pretty vulnerable right now. Yesterday's argument came into my mind and I felt a sting of guilt in my chest. Elaine looked so upset with what I had said and I could tell that - for whatever reasons - she was conflicted. I sat up and tried to shake the guilt off. It wasn't as if I said anything wrong. She wasn't behaving the way we agreed and I had to tell her to take things seriously so that our cover wouldn't be blown. Why did she react that way? And so what if it was a real wedding? There wasn't any othe
Elaine. I looked at myself in the mirror as I practiced different smiles. The big day had finally come and saying that I was nervous was an understatement. My hair was beautifully done in a plaited bun bedazzled with white pearl hairpieces. My makeup was thankfully light and I wore fine diamond jewelry from Zack's company. We were at Zoe's house and despite me being alone in the guest bedroom upstairs, I could hear the activity downstairs. Giving the mirror one last smile, I stood up and walked to the chair where my veil was. Following Zoe and Audrey's advice, I wore a beautiful mermaid dress with a long train. It had transparent sleeves and beautiful pearls that decorated the bust and waist. "You're done?" Audrey asked as she opened the door and walked in. She wore a beautiful, peach dress that was flared and almost reached her knees. It had a sweetheart neckline and a golden necklace complimented the outfit. The more I looked at the accessories that Zack's company made, the more
Elaine. I walked into the bathroom and paused in my steps when I noticed how dazzled up it was. Rose petals were spread on the floor and scented candles were lit and put on the window seal. I took a few steps back and looked into the bedroom. It had white walls and a large bed with white sheets and red pillows near the large window. Rose petals laid on top of it and on the floor around it. The couch was white and a large, red rug lay in the middle of the room. It was so romantic that I wondered how I didn't notice the atmosphere and surrounding when I came in earlier. My eyes landed on Zack, who was beginning to undress, and as he was about to pull his pants down, I moved back into the bathroom. My face heated up and I put my nightgown on the sink before giving my cheeks a light tap. Just because Zack and I were in a room filled with sensual innuendo, it didn't mean that we had to respond to it. I quickly changed into my nightgown and waited for a moment. After I was sure that Zack
Zack. I leaned back into the headboard of the bed as I went through the document that I was working on. After trying my best to convince Mrs. Brookes, she sent me one piece of work that I had no problem finishing. The mid-morning sun shone brightly and it was the perfect weather to think. This was the second day that Elaine and I had been here and while I waited for her to finish preparing herself for the day, I decided to busy myself. We had decided to go to the beach for a picnic and I wondered what took her so long in the bathroom when she was only required to wear a swimsuit. My thoughts drifted to our wedding night and I rose my gaze to the bathroom door. Elaine was more bold than I thought. Considering how she behaved at my parent's house, I didn't expect her to seduce me so expertly. But at the same time, she was in a field of playing pretend for who knows how long and who knew what other things she was hiding behind her bubbly exterior. Things moved on as normal but none of
Elaine. I slowly opened my eyes and let out a soft sigh. The sunlight was dimmed by the closed curtains and I felt tired but mildly refreshed. I looked at Zack, who slept on with his arm around my waist, and untangled myself from his naked body. Reaching to the nightstand, I grabbed my phone and looked at the time which showed that it was half past ten. I stretched my arms above my head with a yawn and winced slightly at the mild soreness of my throat. I got out of the bed and made my way into the bathroom to freshen myself up from the dry sweat that coated my body. Zack and I slept after a wild night of coupling and I was sore in more places than one. After taking a pee, I stood in front of the sink and rested my hands on it as I looked at myself in the mirror. Hickeys and bite marks were spread over my shoulders and chest. A shiver ran down my spine when I thought of how demanding his movements were last night and I bit my lip at the memory. I couldn't deny that Zack and I had
Elaine. "Hey, ma'am," a young man greeted as he smiled down at me. I squinted my eyes at him, failing to see him properly, and laughed. "You're pretty good looking, dude." His smile widened. "You look divine as well." "Well, thank you." I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. "Do you need something?" "Nope. I just want to ask you to dance." I hummed. "That sounds nice but I'm married," I said as I showed him my ring. Without looking at it, he said, "That's okay. It's not like you're here with your husband so, let's have fun." "I am here with my husband and let me correct my answer earlier; I'm happily married." He's gaze dropped to my neck and with a smirk, he persisted, "I don't mind playing with you and your husband though." When I realised that he was literally gawking at my hickeys, I felt taken aback. This man was actually serious. I couldn't see if Zack was on his way back since this man was standing right in front of me and I began to feel uncomfortable. "We're no
Elaine. The car stopped right in front of the house and I looked at it through the window. We were finally back home and to be honest, I missed it along with the people found inside it. I opened the door and stepped out before pulling my handbag over my shoulder. Zack got out of the car as well and instructed the maids, who came to welcome us, to take the rest of the luggage inside. I hoped that our honeymoon settled things between Zack and I in the sense of comfortability and hopefully, trust. We had obviously progressed during the past few days in plenty of ways and I hoped that we would continue to do so. Zack suddenly looked at me from the other side of the car and I flinched in surprise. "Ready to go in?" He asked with a soft smile. "Ah, yeah," I answered and walked ahead of him. The only thing that changed significantly was the way my heart fluttered whenever he said or did something out of character. Zack was a serious man who liked to remind others of the cause and the p
Zack. "You cheated!" Levi fumed as he stomped towards me with the ball in his hands. "I didn't," I argued. "You tricked me into not focusing on the ball!" "Isn't that what basketball is about?" I was currently at Levi's, playing basketball with him at the back of his house. Since Mrs. Brookes once again made me stay home because she didn't want me to work immediately I arrived, I decided to come along with Zoe when she came to pick Isaac up. I found it unfair that I had to stay home while Elaine left for work considering that we were both self-employed. But knowing Mrs. Brookes, she'd throw me out the moment I stepped foot into the building. After we arrived, Zoe and Isaac went out and I stayed with my brother-in-law, who was quite the sore loser. He groaned. "I know that you're the basketball champion in the entire Dobre family-" "And Hudson family," I quickly added and he gave me a sarcastic look. "Come on, say it." "And Hudson family," he admitted and I nodded in approval
Cassidy."Cut!" The director yelled and everyone on set let out a relieved sigh. "Well done. Take a 15 minutes break and let's get back to work."We were shooting a scene for a popular book that was adopted into a television series near central park. It was a hot day and the director was more intense than usual.Walking to my station, my assistant ran to me with an umbrella and she carried it over my head."That shot came out so cool!" She exclaimed. "It's great to see you back in action."I laughed. "Thank you, Sera. Although I would lose my job if I didn't do anything for a long time.""I doubt that. You're a star!""Thank you. Please get me some water before I lose any more energy.""Already got it." She handed a bottle of cool water to me."Thank you," I said as I got it from her and look a long gulp.She gave me a towel and I used it to wipe off the sweat from my neck and foreh
Elaine.I sat in the bathtub with my back leaning on its now warm surface. Zack hadn't said anything since our conversation in the car and I was scared. What was he thinking? How did he feel about what David said?I wasn't proud of the things that I did in the past and now that Zack heard about it, I couldn't help but feel so dirty. It was one thing to be a lowlife and another thing completely when your loved ones find out about it.When I was going to meet David, I thought that I would just drop the money and leave, but to have him try to force himself on me... I was so stupid. I was thankful that I had jeans on but thinking of him touching me sexually made my skin crawl.Of course, we messed around in the past. We were a gang of criminals who went about swindling people. Having no one to trust I had no problem sleeping with him or anyone to blow off some steam. It was just sex. What harm could it bring?That's what I thought then bu
Zack."That's all for today. If you have any additions later on, contact my assistant and she will let me know," I said as I leaned into my chair and stared at the people in front of me.Some nodded and we gathered all of our papers before standing up. Handshakes were exchanged and I smiled to myself as I thought of how this business deal would work in my favour.I walked out of the conference room and made my way to my office. Memories of this morning suddenly rushed into my head and my joy faltered.I didn't want things to turn out the way that they did but it all went out of my hands before I could notice it. The hurt in her voice was still loud in my ears and she failed to look me in the eye. Was I that incompetent to her?My anger rose and I stopped in my steps. I was so irritated! Why couldn't she see that I was worried about her? How could she get angry over me trying to help her? She made me feel like I was troubli
Elaine. The bedroom was silent as Zack and I prepared for work. We had just taken a shower together and Zack was looking for what to wear in the walk-in closet while I stood in front of the mirror and admired my reflection. I was in a really good mood this morning. I wore a black turtleneck that was tucked into some jeans and a gold necklace hung around my neck. My hair was up in a neat bun and I put on some minimal make-up. Because of my job, I couldn't wear accessories on my hands. There were also times when I would have to remove my wedding ring just to be safe. My gaze dropped to my ring and I laughed at myself. I never imagined that I would ever value my marriage this much, especially with the circumstances that brought us together. My thoughts were interrupted by Zack walking into the bedroom. He had a black suit on and his hair was gorgeously ruffled up. He looked as amazing as always, but I could not help but notice that he had something on his mind. He's actually been lo
Zack. I hummed a soft melody as I made my way towards Elaine's shop. She has been acting strange for a while now and despite our late night talk, she was even more out of it this morning. She didn't even talk to me much before leaving for work. But all that was going to end today. I prepared an evening date for us and I restocked her card with cash. I hoped my gifts would lift up her mood and the thank you text I got from her was really cute. I cleared my throat as I stood in front of the door. The last time I was here, I had an argument with Elaine and I was embarrassed by my jealousy towards her employee. I had to trust her. Also, I was much better than him in every aspect so, I let it not worry me. There was nothing to argue about now so, I pushed open the door and stepped in. The interior of this shop never ceased to impress me. I looked at the counter and saw Ethan staring at me. "Welcome, sir," he said nervously when
Elaine.David and I entered a cafe a few blocks down and found seats by the window. Taking our seats, a waiter rushed to our table and took our orders. Another perk about being Zack's wife was that service came fast and easy. I didn't have to wait in line or wait for my turn.I couldn't talk to David in an empty ally or a totally private place because I did not trust him. A part of me felt like there was something up his sleeve and I was not willing to find out what it was. This cafe wasn't too crowded but it had enough people to stop him from doing anything stupid.The waiter came back with our coffees after a few minutes and I began to slowly sip mine. I looked up at David and he just stared at me while not bothering to touch his coffee. This man was threatening me a few minutes ago and now that we are alone he's quiet?"What do you want?" I asked. "Depending on how high your voice is, we are in a private place."He chuckled. "Of co
Elaine.Zack drove a little faster than usual and the cool, evening air filled the car. Judging from the direction of the wind, the front windows were probably opened midway and it felt amazing after being closed up at that woman's wedding.I was itching to see the view since the lights always looked magical in the dark, but this blindfold deprived me of that. I wondered where Zack was taking me. He didn't look like the type of man who did such things and I didn't know what to expect.I could not think of anything bad because of the nervous smile that he had on his face when he asked me to put on the blindfold. But at the same time, I couldn't think of any special occasion currently or any coming up. Whatever it was, I hoped that his mother wasn't there.The car suddenly came to a stop and Zack gave me a soft peck. "We're here," he said and I pouted."That's cheating, Mr. Dobre," I protested and he chuckled."Give me a moment."
Zack.Elaine and I got out of the car as we stared at the beautiful reception building in front of us. I was expecting a lot of paparazzi flashing photos but the security did a good job keeping them out.I did notice a few, more composed, photographers roaming around and I was glad that people didn't come to my face with a camera.Elaine wore a long, peach, off the shoulder dress with a slit reaching the middle of her thigh. Her hair was in a braid and a beautiful diamond pin held her bun together.I was in a black bespoke suit with a peach shirt and black bowtie. Since this was a special occasion, I gelled my hair back and made sure to look my best.Being the gentleman that I was, I skipped the church ceremony and came directly for the after-party. I had more interest in listening to her explanation than her wedding vows.I held the small of Elaine's back and guided her inside. I could tell that she was nervous and I couldn't
Elaine.Soon, we entered a new year and things seemed to have settled down. The festive decorations reduced by the day and shop owners were back to business.Since we were still in the cold season, people were moving around in warm clothes and to me, it still gave a festive vibe. The sidewalks and loans were coated in light dew as people navigated their way through the morning."That's the last of it," Ethan said as he approached me with a box in his hands. "We're ready to open."I looked up from the box that I was sealing up. "That's great but we need to sweep up.""Really?" He looked at the floor to inspect it. "If the small strings bother you so much, I can just pick them up."I laughed. "Are you looking forward to working that much?""My family's been smothering me since we went on holiday so, I'm happy to be out of the house. Besides, I'm treated like a handsome prince here.""I'm happy that you feel th