Scarlet couldn’t argue with his theory. Look where the idea of love had gotten her. “Some people believe in it.”
“But you don’t, Scarlet.” Richard made it more of a statement than a question.
“I used to,” she said honestly. “I used to think one day a man would come and sweep me off my feet, and everything would be brilliant in the world. I’d have a couple of kids and be the wife who stayed at home baking bread and cookies.”
“What changed that ideal?”
“What some young girls and kids don’t realise is that life sucks. Not all of us are destined for a fairy tale.”
Scarlet soaped his body, and they finished their bath in quiet. No words needed to be spoken.
He helped her out of the bath, and she was shocked by how easy it felt to be with him. Together they walked hand in hand to the bedroom.
“I brought the phone so you could phone Harry. I’m going to go and make both of us some breakfast.”
Her heart melted. He’d thought of her son. Did this mean anything more? She didn’t know but dialled the number he’d left on the bed into the mobile.
Lily picked up first.
****
Richard pulled out a saucepan and placed it on top of the hob. From the fridge he gathered some butter, eggs and bacon. He thought about what she’d said in the bathroom. Every woman deserved a fairy tale. At least every young girl needed to know there was good in the world. He put the coffee machine on, broke the eggs into a bowl and began to beat them up with a fork. The bacon he placed into the sizzling hot pan while some butter melted in the non-stick pan. A bit of salt and pepper added, and he beat them again before adding them to the butter.
He didn’t want to think about what he’d seen on her thighs and leaking out of her body. Through the night he’d forgotten to put a condom on. He knew cleaning her the way he had wouldn’t guarantee anything. Shit, I should have remembered the f**king condom. His seed had been everywhere.
Scarlet came out and handed him the phone. Richard listened to Lily’s excited chatter while he finished up breakfast and thought about the woman next to him. Something big and dark had happened in her past, big enough to make her afraid to open up and live her life. He was pleased to find Lily liked her. Lily kept going on and on about double dating and getting to know each other.
“You know, Richard, it’s nice to see you with a real woman and not one of the horrible stick-thin people you seemed to like so much.”
He chuckled. “I’m pleased you find my tastes have improved.”
“Very much so. And let me tell you her son is so adorable, but he’s got a nasty cough about him. Poor guy.”
“I hope I can deal with all of that,” he said.
“Excellent. Ohh, I’m so excited. So this double date?”
“Goodbye, Lily. Say hi to Wayne.”
“Okay, have fun for now.” They hung up, and he served breakfast to Scarlet.
Scarlet inhaled appreciatively. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
“One of the many perks of being me. I don’t like going to restaurants all that much. Besides, I’m usually expected to have a date, and sometimes I just want a quiet meal.”
Richard enjoyed seeing her appreciation. The eggs he’d made sure were fluffy, and the bacon crisp but not burnt.
“This is really good.” She nodded her head and took a sip of her coffee.
“Do you cook?” he found himself asking.
“I’ve got a son. Yes, I do, and I enjoy it, too.”
“I’d like you to cook me something sometime.” To have a romantic meal cooked for him was part of his fantasies. Bloody hell, I am turning into a woman. Next I’ll have love songs playing on the stereo.
“If you want,” she said.
They finished their breakfast off, and Richard went and gathered a newspaper from the reception area. The place was similar to a hotel, but most of the clients purchased rooms for longer periods; and it had a small shopping area on the main floor.
Around the store he picked up some chocolate and snacks. He’d brought a movie for them both to watch. A week was all he had of her attention, and he intended to use it how he saw fit. Spending the entire week screwing might sound like fun, but he wanted more than her na**d for memories when she went on her way.
He passed a stand with notebooks. The object that took his attention wasn’t just the notebook but the entire collection. A small blue dolphin design was decorated on the cover, and there was a paperweight with a group of dolphins surrounded by the ocean, each design more beautiful than the next. The cost was irrelevant, and he couldn’t resist. He picked up each one. When he got to the till and the prices were rung up he didn’t bat an eyelid. Money never concerned him. On his way up he deposited his purchases in his safe and went to search for the woman whom he hungered for more than food.
Richard found her on the veranda overlooking the city below. “Of all the places you could live, why do you live above the city where you work?” she asked even before he made his presence known.
He moved to her side and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I live near my offices, and it’s easier to get to work.”
“But at the weekends you could be anywhere in the world. Why here?”
“Maybe I like seeing where I am?”
“What? Sort of master of your city theory? You look over all of your subjects going about their daily lives?” she said with a laugh.
“No, not really. Being in the country would just make me realise who I truly am,” he said. Every second he spent in this woman’s company the more he opened up and began to realise how cut off he’d become.
“And what would you realise?”
“That no matter how much money I spent I’m already lonely.” She stroked his hands where they lay on her body.
“You can fix that,” she said.
“I know, but I don’t want to.” He didn’t want to get into the horrible situation with his parents. Where Wayne’s were away, drunk on some distant island, and Tony’s accepted everything he did, Richard’s expected to be updated on any potential Mrs. Shaw. They’d tear Scarlet apart. His father would say the woman was mistress material. And coming from his father that was a compliment. Last time he checked, his dad treated his mistresses and any children from those unions better than he treated his own wife and son.
A wife is the face of your life you put as a front to the world. The mistress is the true woman you want to be with but can’t ever really be with in the public eye.