Aftermath

Wanda woke to her alarm going off . She reached for it, only to find that her phone was in her pocket. She was fully clothed and…

"Aaah!" she yelled, falling off the couch when he sat up in shock. She scrambled up, throwing off the blanket on her shoulders. "What are you doing here?"

"I stayed the night in case you wanted to talk," he yawned. "What time is it?"

"It's… It's six-thirty," she groaned, checking her clock just to make sure she wasn't having a nightmare. "It's six-thirty in the morning. I am so late!"

"How are you late? It's only-"

"This alarm isn't to wake me up! This alarm is to remind me to drink my morning soylent! By now, I'm usually at work for a half-hour already. My God, they're going to think I'm dead!"

"Calm down. Relax," he reassured her. "Things are going to be a little different today, that's all."

"No, you don't understand! These companies rely on me being unchanging. In at six, out at ten. Taking the time to personally review complaints and proposals. It only works because I push it to work this good."

"Then you need a different strategy," he said. "You can't keep this up forever, Bliss. You barely sleep. You don't eat. You spend all your free time preparing for the next meeting. What does the rest of your staff do?"

"They-" She stopped, coming up with no answers. What did her staff do while she worked so hard?

"Exactly. You need to start delegating, Bliss. You don't have to do it all yourself."

"If I do it, I know it'll get done," she said, reciting her work ethic.

"It won't get done if you drop dead from exhaustion." She was silent at that, and he pressed his advantage. "So, you'll be a little late today. You'll be well-rested and happy. You had a date yesterday. Everyone moves a little slower after a date. Go get dressed, Bliss. You can call your limo afterwards." She did as she was told, disappearing up the stairs just as her housekeeper showed up.

"Good morning, Esperanza." She slapped him hard, yelling at him in Spanish.

"I didn't sleep with her, Esperanza! See? I'm still dressed," he protested, relying on their old system of him walking around naked after sex. She had never been able to cure him of this habit and it served as proof now.

"If you didn't sleep with her, then why are you here?" the woman growled, still willing to be violent if that's what it took to keep her young charge safe.

"I… we made out a little last night. I didn't want her to wake up alone." he blushed a little at his admission.

"So, you're starting to corrupt her," the woman growled again. "She's not like your other women, Tyr. Wanda is a special girl. Old-fashioned. I won't let you-"

"I'm not corrupting her," he said, sitting up from his protective crouch. "Wanda and I are in a relationship. These things happen in relationships. I just didn't want her to wake up feeling abandoned or cheap. I loved her tenderly last night and stayed to honor that."

"Tender? You? You've always been a-"

"I've changed," he said. "I used to be a bastard. I hope I'm proving that I'm not anymore. I need her to trust me, Esperanza. For that, I need to be trustworthy. Please, she's late for work."

"Are you?"

"I'm not due in until nine o'clock. Can I have one of your famous breakfasts? I'll fill you in over the meal." He ushered her into the kitchen as he talked, knowing that his woman would be coming out of the shower soon.

Esperanza thought the offer over carefully. Like most people, she was convinced that this was some sort of con on his part. But Wanda was so happy lately that she'd adopted a 'wait and see' stance on the budding relationship. This though… Wanda would need guidance, someone she trusted to talk to.

"I'll do it. Only for Wanda's sake, though. She deserves better than to be treated like some cheap whore."

"Exactly. She's precious to me. She needs to know that."

"Know what?" Wanda asked from the doorway. She was fully dressed and looked ready to go. She'd calmed considerably during her morning routine.

"You need to know how precious you are to me," he said, smiling at her blush. "You have become the most important thing in my life, Bliss. I won't give you up and I won't lose you to some imagined fear." He looked at Esperanza with a smile. "We'll discuss this more at lunch."

"Okay," she said happily, grabbing a couple of soylent portions out of the fridge. Apparently, she made them in bulk, there were 2 shelves full of them. "Are you staying for breakfast? Esperanza makes a mean omelette."

"I think I will. Esperanza and I need to talk."

"Um… Okay. I'll just-" The limo driver's distinctive horn sounded just then. "I'll see you two later then."

"See you later, Bliss," he said, walking her out the door before coming back and sitting at the table. "Now, how do I prove to you that I'm a changed man, Esperanza? What do I have to do to earn your trust?"

"You just did," the woman blinked. "I've never seen you act like a gentleman to a woman before."

"She's my lady now. How else am I supposed to treat her?" Tyr asked in annoyance. The housekeeper looked him over with a stern eye. Then her look softened as she saw his sincerity.

"It never used to matter to you," she grumbled. She started pulling things out to make a proper breakfast for Luwanda's houseguest. It felt good to cook for someone besides herself this morning. She hummed as she prepared a feast for two; fluffy omelets, crispy bacon, and perfectly golden toast. She knew her guest had to go, but she'd be damned if he left on an empty stomach.

"So, what are your intentions for the little one?" she asked as she served him his food. He took the food gratefully, having missed home cooking. His mother's cook made things too bland. Digging in with gusto, he waited until he had cleared his plate before answering the woman.

"I plan to make her my wife. She's been lonely and faithful all these years. She deserves a man that will honor that."

"What she deserves is a man that's not gonna leave her. That'll help her run these companies of hers and support her!"

"I don't make as much as she does, so I can't support her financially, Esperanza. But I have been supporting her emotionally as much as she allows me. You have to have noticed that she's been happier than she's been in years these last couple of months."

"Hmph! Two and a half months of happiness can hardly make up for a lifetime of misery at your hands, mi hijo."

"Give me time," he said sagely, relaxed with her interrogation. "I've only interacted with her for two and a half months. I think I've been doing well for the time I've been given."

"She shouldn't be eating that gross soylent of hers. You should be trying to talk her into eating real food. She's suffered enough without killing her taste buds."

"It'll likely take time to get her up to eat to your satisfaction. I doubt coming off a liquid diet is easy, but I'll talk to her about it. I promise."

"Good. She's a good girl, Tyr. An angel. She seems happy with you right now, but that'll change if you mistreat her. There are a great many people that wouldn't mind putting you in your place if that happens. And a good girl like her deserves good food to eat," the woman added.

"I believe you," he laughed, hugging the woman. "She does deserve your good food. I should get going. I have to go if I want to get to work on time."

"Yes. The traffic is pretty bad this time of morning. Not to mention the number of people that may cut you off for being in this part of town this early in the morning. I'm not the only person that is going to be upset with you, Tyr."

"I realize that. And I can take it. She did for years."

"Take care of yourself, mi hijo. And remember what I said."

"I will," he grinned boyishly, kissing her cheek as he used to before taking off for his car.

The older woman had been right about people cutting him off on the way to work. It seemed that the airwaves were clogged with people talking smack about him, calling him any number of names for sleeping with 'that poor innocent girl'. Wanting to make sure that none of this talk reached his woman, he called into a phone line to set the record straight.

"WKCL you're on the air."

"I've never been accused so viciously for something that I didn't even do," he growled.

"This is Tyr Anasazi?" the radio hostess asked.

"The one and only," he said.

"So you're denying having sex with Luwanda even though several people saw you leaving her residence this morning?"

"I'm not denying leaving her home this morning. After our date yesterday, she and I talked about our relationship until late. She invited me to take the couch so I wouldn't have to drive home so late. She slept in her bed and I was on the couch all night. Not that it's any of your business whether we slept together or not. Luwanda isn't a public figure; some people need to mind their own business."

"The public has a right to know. You never used to mind, Mr. 'Live-Out-Loud'."

"That was before I died. Consider that version of me dead and buried. I only live to please my lady now. She doesn't want the attention, so neither do I."

"That's so romantic! So would you say that you're dating officially? Because a few weeks ago sources say that she was seen at The Lounge looking fierce with the young and adventurous Erick Fuushiro."

"Did your sources also report that she left within minutes of arrival? Without Erick on her arm? Stop inciting the public, Sandra. She wouldn't want to be sensationalized like this."

"Keep us in the loop and there'll be no need to sensationalize her. The Christian CEO is quite a phenomenon, especially lately. She feeds the poor, donates to charities, keeps two different corrupt Boards at bay…. No wonder we all want to know more about her. She's been the talk of the town for a long time. Then you come along, the reformed bad boy, and sweep her off her feet… That is if you truly love her and aren't just playing with her heart. All of Queensdale wants to know."

"I'm not. Stop making this a big deal. She's a good woman. She deserves better than to be some media tool of yours. Leave her alone."

"Well, that's all well and good, but-" *click* "You heard it here first, folks. Former bad boy Tyr Anasazi professes his love and defends his love against those who would do her harm. We'll see about getting a confirmation from the Christian CEO herself later today. Normally, I wouldn't count on it, but with getting the Prince of Queensdale himself on the line, you just never know!"

Tyr switched it off, furious with the nosy woman. He did notice that traffic wasn't as aggressive against him after that though. Small miracles, he guessed.