So the third chapter. . . Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy and please R & R.
Chapter Three
She had the most eccentric case of confusion that tossed her back and forth—like a battered dime being used in a timeless contest of heads or tails. Confusion, itself, had a distinct talent for leaving her in a depressed mood that she had eventually learned to deal with as yet another obstacle to overcome in the battle of shining… and outshining all others who dared to challenge her in a game that was very well her own. Winning wasn't the gratification it was made to be. On the contrary, it was obligatory and tiring, and so wholly dissatisfying to a degree often tempting her to turn and seek peace in an eternal hideaway.
Her husband was once thought of as an overcoming victory, one won in a challenge with no contestants. Himself, he presented a challenge, a shady one at that. So foreign to her familiarly confined world, he had been an endeavor she'd flaunted before her parents, simply because he'd swept her off her feet and because there had been the slightest chance her father wouldn't approve. Her mother had felt faint upon hearing the abrupt announcement, all but pleasing Sheridan. As for Alistair, she'd practically seen the steam flaring from every pore on his massaged, polished, and fit body.
She'd known that he had an unconcealed desire to marry her off to Matthew Laurence who'd also expressed the same desire to her on more than one occasion. It wasn't that she'd minded Matthew, but he'd failed continuously at charming her, of course not overlooking the fact that Matthew was her father's choice. Even if she'd really wanted to marry him, she wouldn't have. It was simply cruel, seeing as her father really did care about her—his only daughter, the one and only heiress to the Crane Empire and inestimable fortune. Plainly put, she hadn't wanted to be the perfect daughter who married the right man and did all the right things. That night, at the bar, where she'd met Luis, she had discovered her being the same exact person she never thought she'd be. The realization and his undeniable dark charm led her to his apartment and later on to his side at every social event.
Understandably, Matthew had been hurt. After all, before he'd left on an extended business trip to Switzerland, they'd gotten rather—involved—again. It had been only natural for her to seek him after breaking up with Aaron Green, and that usually led to their spending the night together and him getting attached to her… again. She'd finally admitted then that she didn't want Matthew. Going back to him after every disappointment had been a resort to finding someone who would always want her—a lost puppy that mingled around her feet. Sheridan Crane hadn't wanted to get a man she could pick up whenever she pleased; she'd wanted someone with character, someone headstrong, dashing, someone with the ability to make her want to change his mind—not a man who would simply do what she'd asked for.
She'd gotten that.
In her rearview mirror, a pair of incandescent headlights flashed irritably. She frowned, annoyed to be shaken away from her fruitful thoughts, and confused as to where she actually was. A quick look around reminded her that she was in the black Mustang she'd chosen to drive earlier that morning, and that the dreadfully expensive car was parked in the middle of the road leading to the Crane Mansion, luckily the road belonged to the estate. Realizing that, Sheridan poked her golden head outside the window to find out who was stopped behind her. The silver BMW Z8 was Matthew's, and he smiled when he caught sight of her. A teasing horn followed accompanied by the distinct laughter she could clearly hear.
She wasn't amused at all, but she had an alarming hope that the drive to the mansion would allow her to fake some pleasantry when actually facing him. Close to two minutes later, she was parking the car in the enormous garage. And a few seconds after that, Matthew was at her side, kissing her cheek and walking with her up the path to the mansion's front door.
"Married life agrees with you." He observed, still smiling as his hand touched the small of her back in an action so familiar it never seemed odd.
Sheridan laughed, a convenient sound not meant to reveal any glee, and she raised a reluctant hand to push at the gleaming golden button. "I feel like hell." The confession intended to set his compliment aside and to sound as truthful as it was. She did feel like hell. The night before had taken its toll on her, and the weekly ritual of a visit to the Crane Mansion was more of a despised chore than it usually was.
Matthew's smile only widened and even as the pattering of hurried feet was distinctly clear behind the rich, wooden door, he leaned dangerously towards her, his breath a shocking sensation against her ear. Just as the door was pulled open, he hissed vehemently in her ear, "You look like heaven." Appearing to be unaffected by his surprising behavior, she walked into the mansion, her high-heeled boots clicking against the marble floor as she issued a hurried greeting to the unfamiliar maid. He wasn't far behind, and when she entered the empty living room, his smile became that of a suggestive nature. The scowl that overtook her face then was incidental. "You smell like it too." The words seemed to echo, but he did look unusually handsome in his none too formal blue sweater; the color of his eyes made much more vivid by the enhancement.
"What are you doing here?" She hadn't meant for her tone to be so menacing or curt, but it came out like that and she wasn't ready to regret anything.
He shrugged, crossing the room to settle in one of the peach-colored couches with golden imprints of Iranian designs. "Your father sent for me." Another smile curved his lips when a look of cautious curiosity passed across her face. "I wouldn't worry about it, though. It's business-related; I could tell."
"Didn't he go to Crane Industries today?" She couldn't conceal the surprise in her voice.
"I'm afraid not. He said he's feeling rather ill, and that he has engagements here, at the mansion." Matthew trailed off thoughtfully. "I can't imagine what he has to do here."
She could, especially now when her mother finally made an appearance in the living room with her doting husband beside her. When she saw him, she was more shocked than surprised. Luis had never been so… at ease with her family. But she smiled to cover up her disturbance, to not give away the little detail that she hadn't known he was going to be there.
"Hello Mother," Sheridan greeted politely, too occupied to show any fondness towards her.
"Katherine, you look absolutely wonderful." Matthew complimented, kissing the older woman's cheek and basking in her obvious liking to his charming character. He shook Luis's hand with a polite nod and glanced back at Sheridan, trying to figure out if she had been expecting his presence. It wasn't quite clear, but she didn't seem taken aback.
"Hello Matthew… Sheridan, darling, you look splendid. Is that the Dior coat I bought you from Paris?" She smiled fondly, pressing a kiss to her daughter's cool cheek.
"Yes, it is. I thought I'd wear it today. My old coat has long since lost its luster." A smirk Luis didn't particularly warm up to curved her lips upwards. He was right too; a moment later, she grabbed his hand and drew closer to him. Matthew bristled even as Katherine smiled in an ignorant knowledge at the couple. "Darling, I didn't know you were going to pass by here so early." She looked at him sweetly, a false twinkle in her blue eyes.
"The matter couldn't wait." Luis explained, smiling at his own accord when he followed the game she was playing. Catching him off guard, she leaned upwards and gently caught his lips with hers in a chaste kiss. He kissed her back, sliding an arm around her waist beneath the confining white coat. Matthew looked away, disgusted at the display as he settled on an armchair before Katherine who was sitting on the couch and busily scribbling something in her agenda.
"I'm sure it couldn't." She whispered against his face, relieved that they weren't being watched any longer. Her hand cupped his cheek, rubbing against the black stubble covering his dark skin. Sheridan was startled when his hand closed over hers, dragging it away from his face and surprisingly enough to his lips. He kissed her palm, smiling darkly, a slight smile that didn't reveal his gleaming white teeth.
His voice was so low when he finally spoke to the extent that she had to strain to hear him over Matthew's insistent tapping against the carpeted floor. "I'll take this as a promise that my request is being met."
A humorless laugh slid past her lips when she finally found enough strength to pull out of his arms, setting a safe distance between the two of them. She recognized the hazard of being close to such an unpredictable man. Luis frowned then, obviously not expecting such a reaction.
Matthew's brisk: "I'm going to see Alistair" drew a smile and a nod from Sheridan and nothing at all from Luis who was still staring at her, appearing very engrossed in figuring something out. Unlike Matthew, he wasn't unusually handsome, he was devastatingly handsome… breathtakingly handsome in a black turtle neck defining his torso and black denim pants covering his long legs. Clearly, he didn't have any meetings because that would have called for a suit and a tie.
"Stop staring." Sheridan warned flatly, turning away from him and looking at her mother who was still analyzing something about her upcoming engagements. "Mother, I'm going to step out for a while." Katherine nodded distractedly, then again when Luis excused himself and followed her daughter outside the warm mansion and into the biting cold. "What do you want?"
"Let's go inside. It's cold out here." She sensed that he wasn't asking, just merely imposing his demand.
"I don't mind the cold, besides I didn't ask for you to join me." She snapped angrily, trying to remember why she was so mad at him. Last night's events hit her like a ton of bricks. The bastard deserved nothing short of a slap on the face.
"Is that a way for a wife to speak to her husband?" His sounding so serious both amused and angered her further. She had to at least admit that he had gall.
"If there was anything normal about our marriage, I'd tell you." An icy smile conquered her lips as her blue gaze, made colder by the piercing weather, slid to his. He crossed his arms against his chest, meeting her eyes with an intense stare that almost made her look away.
"Stay away from him." He threatened, looking well fit for the posture as the clear words slipped past his lips.
"I think you made that request clear last night, and I haven't changed my mind either. I'll do what pleases me, and if that includes me being around Matthew, then I'll do just that." When his hand suddenly grasped her upper arm tightly, she let out a frightened gasp. His wrath was almost tangible if not visible.
"Don't play games with me, Sheridan." He jeered, angrier now than he was before as he pulled her towards him, his other hand grasping her chin. Forcing her eyes to meet his wasn't as easy as he'd originally thought, especially with a woman as stubborn as Sheridan Crane. She would even close them if she had to, but she didn't—thankfully. For the brief moment he caught them, he managed to pass on his serious misgivings concerning the issue. He didn't trust her, and rightfully so. The sentiment certainly existed in her manual for him. But he was openly cheating with his so-called relative and God knew who else. She, on the other hand, only gave him food for doubt when he'd witnessed her kissing Matthew Laurence the night before. Their cases were incomparable, and she would've told him just that even if he didn't abruptly release her with a thrust of anger. He said nothing else as he stalked off down the path leading to the garage. Thinking of it now, she'd seen his black Porsche Carrera parked somewhere amidst the myriad of cars. She hadn't identified it as his, not at the time.
Hearing the screeching of tires as he sped off drew her out of her somehow shocked state. She reentered the mansion, making her way again towards the living room. Her mother was giving one of the maids some orders, something about a dinner invitation and the governor's wife. She still hadn't found out why Luis was there in the first place. He wouldn't tell her, that was for sure, but she fully intended to find out if not from him, then from her father.
Luis was up to something, and her instinct told her it wasn't good.
