Be a Doll(40)
I rolled my eyes and turned around, shaking my head with annoyance. I could kiss my composure, poise and nonchalance goodbye. Having guests had me more nervous than I would have expected, but upon hearing the nerves in my husband’s voice early that day had conveyed the importance of tonight. Even if I didn’t value my marriage, I didn’t want to screw up such a simple task that any woman should be able to fulfill, not just a woman trained at Carter Manor.
“Good,’’ he said behind me as he walked in the vast room where the table was set. “And the food?’’
I faced him then and shrugged. “I called your mother so she could refer me to a good caterer. I didn’t pick a wine as I’m sure you’d rather do that yourself.’’
“I must admit that seeing you so compliant is very odd,’’ he said and left the room for the open-floor kitchen where his wine cave waited for him in the pantry.
I glanced back at the table and bit my lower lip, not caring if it’d take off some of my lipstick. Two parts of me were going off inside me. One part — the wild one — cursed me for doing exactly what was expected of me while the other one — the tame and polished — praised me for a first task well done.
Mathis’ dress shoes announced his return, but I didn’t turn around to face him. Instead, I went to the huge windows opening to the city outside where lights made it appear as if stars were shining in a dark sky. The view was very different from the darkest streets where dumpsters and rats lived among lost souls.
“No comeback? I must admit I’m almost disappointed.’’
“What do you want me to say? I can’t fight with you when you want me to behave for your guests. You can’t possibly have it both ways, Mathis.’’
He walked closer to me until his warmth basked my back. He didn’t have to touch me for me to perceive his all encompassing presence. He sucked the air out of me without doing much of anything.
“Something on your mind?’’ His voice, rough, trailed down my spine.
“Why?’’ My shoulder tensed further.
“I’ve seen you trying to act all proper and polished and I’ve seen your fire burning, but this is different,’’ he whispered close to my ear. His breath swiped over my skin on my neck and collarbone. I didn’t fight off the shiver that shook me.
The doorbell rang, saving me from answering him, from getting more lost to that new sort of teasing he was offering. I turned around and sidestepped him without looking at him. My eyes stayed fixed on the perfect knot of his tie.
“Ready to play act?’’ I asked my husband as we both walked to the door and I didn’t have to look at him to perceive the tension that rose in him.
“I’m good at it,’’ he replied and didn’t give me the time to process his words or the dark way he uttered them as he opened the door to face a couple his parents’ age.
LILA
“It was delicious, Lila,’’ Mrs. Moran said after finishing her last spoonful of crème br?lée. Her praise made me smile genuinely for the first time that night and I risked a glance at Mathis who was already watching me with as intense a look as he always had when staring at me.
“Thank you, Mrs. Moran. I’m afraid that I don’t merit any praise as this is all the caterer’s work.’’ I laughed daintily. I dried my mouth with my napkin and took a sip of chardonnay. “I will make sure to thank my mother-in-law for her referral of the caterer, though.’’
“My mother always has the best contacts,’’ said Mathis with a smile that barely stretched his mouth in a move that was obviously not usual for him. His face was well-practiced for smirks and cold masks that could freeze the strongest.
“She must be delighted that her son has finally settled,’’ Mrs. Moran said with a soft smile adorning her heart-shaped face. Small wrinkles in the corner of her soft brown eyes deepened, rendering her even more sympathetic. But I didn’t let her appearance fool me. One of the things the Manor had taught me was to decipher people. It’s something I was skilled at even though I seemed to be lacking when it came to my spouse, but with the Morans I easily picked up on a few things.
Mrs. Moran was certainly nice, but also playing a part to dig up some things regarding my and Mathis’ relationship. She used her nice behavior to try and make me and Mathis so relaxed that we wouldn’t be on our guard. It wasn’t exactly difficult to pick up on, fortunately.
Mr. Moran on the other hand was the epitome of the shrewd businessman who wanted to get the upper hand, more so when the one with the power was a man young enough to be his son. I had yet to see Mr. Moran smile. With his snow white thick hair combed back and his thick black eyebrows and equally dark eyes, I was reserved and expected a frontal attack at any time. I especially didn’t like the way his eyes seemed to follow me around, taking into account my every move toward Mathis. As a result, I believed that we had touched each other a lot more than we thought we would, with barely there touches on his shoulders, his fingers briefly caressing my hand and forearm and the lingering stares that were supposed to be enamored.
“When I announced to her that Lila had agreed to become my wife she almost rendered me deaf in one ear,’’ Mathis said good-naturedly, a wry smile on his face and he made a point staring at me as if sharing a fond memory with me. He was a very good actor, so good that it made me wonder what else he had been acting about since I had met him.