Tony succeeded in getting through the three hours of lying down beside Kate and not jumping her bones. The last time he was this attracted to a woman was many years ago, on the same evening he met Agnes.
The sun was already rising in the sky and Kate was still asleep. Tony wondered if he should leave now or wait for her to wake up.
She was sleeping on her right side, facing him. He studied her peaceful face, admiring those perfectly curved eyebrows. Her full eyelashes spread out above her cheek like a curved hand fan.
Her nostrils flared slightly as she inhaled deeply in her sleep. Tony’s eyes traveled down to her lips. Hmm… would he ever get to kiss them?
Kate’s eyes fluttered open and they met Tony’s. He became a bit embarrassed to be caught staring, so he smiled and quickly started to get up.
“Good morning,” Kate said sleepily and yawned.
“Good morning,” said Tony. “I only just woke u
Fredrick greeted them warmly at the front door and ushered them into a silver Bentley that was waiting in front of the mansion.“He’s not getting fired, is he?” Kate asked Tony softly in the backseat. She didn’t want the driver to overhear her.“I don’t want to,” Tony admitted. “He’s practically a member of my family. He has been here since my children were little.”“Do you trust him?” Kate asked Tony.“More than I trust the others,” he answered.Kate nodded and relaxed in her seat. That was that then. Fredrick would not lose his job. She couldn’t have that on her conscience too.They drove up to Willowbrook where one of Tony’s restaurants was located. When they arrived, the head waiter showed up promptly to take them to their table in a secluded VIP section. It was curtained off and unavailable to anyone else as long as Tony and Kate were there.
It took Kate only a couple of minutes to pack a bag for her trip to Brazil with Tony. Fortunately for them, they didn’t run into Athena or Adonis during their brief stopover at the house.Tony had already made all the arrangements for their trip, so when they got to the airport, his private jet was waiting for them. They boarded the jet immediately and within minutes, they were in the air.Kate savored this experience. She felt like she was in a dream, a beautiful, extravagant dream. She took a few selfies with her phone and sent them to Wendy via email.Meanwhile, Tony was busy on his laptop, sending and responding to emails. He made a few calls to his assistant, his lawyers, and his human resource manager.They had lunch together and watched a wild life documentary afterwards. Halfway through the flight, Kate took a nap and woke up two hours later with a severe morning sickness.She spent the rest of the flight going back and forth between
Kate knew that Mama Gabriela’s reaction must be a result of Tony introducing her as his wife.Mama Gabriela asked Tony a question and he responded to her in a level voice. His answer seemed to have pleased the old woman because she started smiling again.She motioned to them to follow her and she led them to the main entrance of the house. She opened the big black double doors and let them into an absolutely stunning front room.Some domestic staff showed up to greet Tony and Kate. The people looked as if they’d been woken up from sleep. They quickly went outside to get Tony and Kate’s bags from the courtyard where the golf cart driver had dropped them.They followed Mama Gabriela up a windy staircase that led to a beautifully furnished living room. The old woman led them past the living room to a wide corridor with doors on both sides.She turned to face them and said something to Tony. He nodded and responded to her.&ldq
Kate woke up in the morning feeling very refreshed. To her surprise, Tony wasn’t in bed. She assumed he was in the bathroom but after waiting for several minutes and not hearing any sound from there, she called out his name.There was no response. She got out of bed and went to knock on the bathroom door. Still no answer.Kate went into the bathroom and noticed that the shower stall was wet and smelled of the same soap she’d used last night.She wondered where Tony must have gone to. After freshening up, Kate went back to the bedroom to get dressed.The sun was already rising and Kate suspected it was going to be a warm morning. She put on a short-sleeved cotton dress and her leather sandals.Kate stood in front of the dressing mirror and silently debated what to do with her hair. It was overdue for washing but she wasn’t ready to deal with it right now.She untied her hair and fluffed it out with her fingers. It was the be
“Now, I see why you married her so quickly,” Tony’s mother said with a smile. “She is a very beautiful girl.”“There’s more to Kate than her beauty,” Tony told his mother.“I don’t doubt that,” she replied and winked at Kate. Tony was right. His mother did have a great sense of humor.“Mȃe, allow me to officially introduce my wife to you,” Tony began dramatically. “Meet Katherine Analise DaCosta, formerly known as Kate Harrison.”“Your names are as beautiful as you are,” said Tony’s mother.“Thank you, ma’am,” Kate replied brightly.“Kate, this is my mother, Senhora Adele DaCosta,” said Tony with a flourish.“Please, call me Adele,” said Tony’s mother. “We’re family now, so there’s no need for titles.”“Of course,” said Kate.&ldquo
“Girl, those photos were fire!” Wendy squealed excitedly. She was on a video call with Kate who has returned to Chicago with Tony.Even though the magazine interview and photoshoot happened weeks ago in Brazil, it had only been recently published in print for the world to see. The article had quickly gone viral, making Kate and Tony the hot topic all over the country.Even Kate’s parents have seen the article and called her on the phone to congratulate her on it. Now. She was on the phone with Wendy, reliving the experience.“It’s like a modern fairy tale in real life,” Wendy gushed. “Every picture ate!”“Thank you,” Kate laughed. “Every inch of that island looked like something out of a storybook. I loved it there.”“I can imagine,” said Wendy. “Also, I loved the cover story. I like the fact that you and Tony didn’t lie about how you met or how quickly
As soon as Duchess saw Kate approaching, she rose to her feet and smiled broadly. She was dressed impeccably as before and her makeup was flawless as usual.“Good afternoon, Mrs DaCosta,” she greeted Kate formally. “Thank you for agreeing to see me.”Kate wasn’t having any of the other woman’s fake congeniality.“What can I do for you?” She asked Duchess flatly.Duchess chuckled and said, “Well, I deserved that. But please, allow me to express my most sincere apologies for how I conducted myself the last time I was here. It was not my intention to insult you.”“Yet, you did,” said Kate.“I am very sorry about that,” Duchess apologized somberly. “I have also spoken to your husband earlier today and he has forgiven me.”“So?” Kate demanded with a raised eyebrow.“Darling, can we please bury the hatchet between us?&rdq
“Oh, shoot!” Kate muttered irritably.She had stubbed her toe against the metal leg of the serving table where she was passing out food to recipients of the ongoing outreach program organized by her church. Even her thick boot couldn’t protect her from the stinging pain of that unexpected collision.Kate had tried so hard to remain focused all day but her troubled mind kept getting in the way. Now, she had a throbbing toe to remind her to get her head back in the game and stop drifting off mentally.Kate scanned the crowd of volunteers going about their tasks to see if she would spot a familiar blond hair with a faded undercut among them, but she didn’t. Her heart sank with disappointment. Where on earth was Kevin?“Do you need some help here?” A rich male voice asked near Kate, bringing her back to the moment.She looked at the man who had spoken and found herself looking into a pair of warm brown eyes belonging to a good-looking male specimen from another generation. The man was dre
As soon as Duchess saw Kate approaching, she rose to her feet and smiled broadly. She was dressed impeccably as before and her makeup was flawless as usual.“Good afternoon, Mrs DaCosta,” she greeted Kate formally. “Thank you for agreeing to see me.”Kate wasn’t having any of the other woman’s fake congeniality.“What can I do for you?” She asked Duchess flatly.Duchess chuckled and said, “Well, I deserved that. But please, allow me to express my most sincere apologies for how I conducted myself the last time I was here. It was not my intention to insult you.”“Yet, you did,” said Kate.“I am very sorry about that,” Duchess apologized somberly. “I have also spoken to your husband earlier today and he has forgiven me.”“So?” Kate demanded with a raised eyebrow.“Darling, can we please bury the hatchet between us?&rdq
“Girl, those photos were fire!” Wendy squealed excitedly. She was on a video call with Kate who has returned to Chicago with Tony.Even though the magazine interview and photoshoot happened weeks ago in Brazil, it had only been recently published in print for the world to see. The article had quickly gone viral, making Kate and Tony the hot topic all over the country.Even Kate’s parents have seen the article and called her on the phone to congratulate her on it. Now. She was on the phone with Wendy, reliving the experience.“It’s like a modern fairy tale in real life,” Wendy gushed. “Every picture ate!”“Thank you,” Kate laughed. “Every inch of that island looked like something out of a storybook. I loved it there.”“I can imagine,” said Wendy. “Also, I loved the cover story. I like the fact that you and Tony didn’t lie about how you met or how quickly
“Now, I see why you married her so quickly,” Tony’s mother said with a smile. “She is a very beautiful girl.”“There’s more to Kate than her beauty,” Tony told his mother.“I don’t doubt that,” she replied and winked at Kate. Tony was right. His mother did have a great sense of humor.“Mȃe, allow me to officially introduce my wife to you,” Tony began dramatically. “Meet Katherine Analise DaCosta, formerly known as Kate Harrison.”“Your names are as beautiful as you are,” said Tony’s mother.“Thank you, ma’am,” Kate replied brightly.“Kate, this is my mother, Senhora Adele DaCosta,” said Tony with a flourish.“Please, call me Adele,” said Tony’s mother. “We’re family now, so there’s no need for titles.”“Of course,” said Kate.&ldquo
Kate woke up in the morning feeling very refreshed. To her surprise, Tony wasn’t in bed. She assumed he was in the bathroom but after waiting for several minutes and not hearing any sound from there, she called out his name.There was no response. She got out of bed and went to knock on the bathroom door. Still no answer.Kate went into the bathroom and noticed that the shower stall was wet and smelled of the same soap she’d used last night.She wondered where Tony must have gone to. After freshening up, Kate went back to the bedroom to get dressed.The sun was already rising and Kate suspected it was going to be a warm morning. She put on a short-sleeved cotton dress and her leather sandals.Kate stood in front of the dressing mirror and silently debated what to do with her hair. It was overdue for washing but she wasn’t ready to deal with it right now.She untied her hair and fluffed it out with her fingers. It was the be
Kate knew that Mama Gabriela’s reaction must be a result of Tony introducing her as his wife.Mama Gabriela asked Tony a question and he responded to her in a level voice. His answer seemed to have pleased the old woman because she started smiling again.She motioned to them to follow her and she led them to the main entrance of the house. She opened the big black double doors and let them into an absolutely stunning front room.Some domestic staff showed up to greet Tony and Kate. The people looked as if they’d been woken up from sleep. They quickly went outside to get Tony and Kate’s bags from the courtyard where the golf cart driver had dropped them.They followed Mama Gabriela up a windy staircase that led to a beautifully furnished living room. The old woman led them past the living room to a wide corridor with doors on both sides.She turned to face them and said something to Tony. He nodded and responded to her.&ldq
It took Kate only a couple of minutes to pack a bag for her trip to Brazil with Tony. Fortunately for them, they didn’t run into Athena or Adonis during their brief stopover at the house.Tony had already made all the arrangements for their trip, so when they got to the airport, his private jet was waiting for them. They boarded the jet immediately and within minutes, they were in the air.Kate savored this experience. She felt like she was in a dream, a beautiful, extravagant dream. She took a few selfies with her phone and sent them to Wendy via email.Meanwhile, Tony was busy on his laptop, sending and responding to emails. He made a few calls to his assistant, his lawyers, and his human resource manager.They had lunch together and watched a wild life documentary afterwards. Halfway through the flight, Kate took a nap and woke up two hours later with a severe morning sickness.She spent the rest of the flight going back and forth between
Fredrick greeted them warmly at the front door and ushered them into a silver Bentley that was waiting in front of the mansion.“He’s not getting fired, is he?” Kate asked Tony softly in the backseat. She didn’t want the driver to overhear her.“I don’t want to,” Tony admitted. “He’s practically a member of my family. He has been here since my children were little.”“Do you trust him?” Kate asked Tony.“More than I trust the others,” he answered.Kate nodded and relaxed in her seat. That was that then. Fredrick would not lose his job. She couldn’t have that on her conscience too.They drove up to Willowbrook where one of Tony’s restaurants was located. When they arrived, the head waiter showed up promptly to take them to their table in a secluded VIP section. It was curtained off and unavailable to anyone else as long as Tony and Kate were there.
Tony succeeded in getting through the three hours of lying down beside Kate and not jumping her bones. The last time he was this attracted to a woman was many years ago, on the same evening he met Agnes.The sun was already rising in the sky and Kate was still asleep. Tony wondered if he should leave now or wait for her to wake up.She was sleeping on her right side, facing him. He studied her peaceful face, admiring those perfectly curved eyebrows. Her full eyelashes spread out above her cheek like a curved hand fan.Her nostrils flared slightly as she inhaled deeply in her sleep. Tony’s eyes traveled down to her lips. Hmm… would he ever get to kiss them?Kate’s eyes fluttered open and they met Tony’s. He became a bit embarrassed to be caught staring, so he smiled and quickly started to get up.“Good morning,” Kate said sleepily and yawned.“Good morning,” said Tony. “I only just woke u
“The police are on their way,” Tony announced as he came to join her in the living room. “I took an extra precaution by binding Bryan’s arms with a pillowcase. If he wakes up before the police get here, he won’t be able to get up.”“Who is he?” Kate asked Tony.“Bryan? He’s one of our oldest staff,” Tony explained. “Agnes hired him specifically because of his exceptional culinary skills. One of her favorite dishes was oxtail stew, and no one else made it like Bryan did. That’s one of his specialties.”“I see…” said Kate. “So, he was going to carve up my head tonight and make stew out of it for Agnes’ spirit?”“I am deeply sorry about this,” Tony apologized. “I’ll fire all the staff in the morning. I can’t trust any of them after this incident.”“Thirteen people shouldn’t los