Chapter 59

DORIS

Miss Sanchez brought us dinner another night when we were working on the Lego castle.

"Look at what you’ve got here, mijita. A castle fit for a princess."

"When it's done, I'm going to live inside," Mia said.

We all laughed.

Arthur and I were in bed 11 PM on Saturday night. Cathy called again. Arthur didn't answer.

Then Cathy sent a text saying she wanted to talk to Arthur. He texted her back that it wasn't a good time. She sent a text of her in a sexy dress with a big smile. I assumed it was a publicity photo because there was a microphone next to her. She didn't say anything inappropriate to Arthur, but it still made me insecure.

Before I could say anything to Arthur or Arthur could say anything to me about Cathy, she sent another text saying she would like to talk to Mia. How much she enjoyed her visit with Mia, and that she'd like to have more of a relationship, so she would love to be able to talk to her and send her some presents.

I gritted my teeth.

"Doris, don't worry about it. I'll have a talk with her in the morning. I'm sure this will pass. I'll find out what she wants, and I'll make sure she's not too invasive, don't worry."

I couldn't help it. It bothered me.

It made me feel guilty that I didn’t tell Arthur that Dr. John paid for Noah's surgery and Jeff paid for the medicine. I know Cathy’s call and my secret weren't related, but because of the timing, I felt like God was punishing me for keeping such a big secret.

Even though I felt a strain on our relationship between the secret I was keeping and Cathy's attempted call, Arthur obviously didn't. But he sensed something was wrong, and he wanted to reassure me with sex.

ARTHUR

I saw how much Doris was disturbed by Cathy's call.

"Perhaps I can distract you," I said. When I saw the lust in her eyes, I got hard.

"My pleasure is your pleasure," she said.

"I bet my pleasure is a thousand times more than yours," I said, "but I will try to bring yours at least a little bit close to mine. I promise I'll do my best."

"You can try,” Doris said. “Give it your best shot."

I rolled over onto her. I pinned her wrists above her head.

"I love you like this, you vulnerable and soft and wanting."

"Good, 'cause I feel like I'm like this every time I'm with you." Doris closed her eyes and gave a little wiggle.

I kissed her mouth and then her jaw. Then, giving into some primal instinct, licked her neck. I must’ve tickled her because she giggled a purely feminine sound.

"I think I could lick you for hours."

"Go for it."

"And not just your neck."

She shivered.

She let out a breathless little sigh. "That sounds good. I want that too."

I didn't waste any time. I let go of her hands and pulled her blue nightgown over her head. Again I felt a sense of power with her bare to me and me still having my pajama pants on.

Doris was beautiful, and I wanted her.

My body ached with how much I wanted her, but I could hold off. Her pleasure came first.

I wanted to talk dirty to ratchet up her excitement, so I did.

"Imagine me opening you up like a flower. I'm going to devour you, Little Dove."

I licked her everywhere until she climaxed, and I knew she'd forgotten about everything except us.

I kept going past when she was sensitive until she came again. I gave her little love bites on her thighs until she was primed and begging.

Only then did I plunge into her. Only then did I make her scream my name.

It had to be behind my hand covering her mouth, but it was sexy as hell.

I rocked and thrust into her until she melted under me, more than satisfied.

I knew she had adrenaline coursing through her veins like lightning because of the way her eyes were blown out with lust.

And I felt the same.

I felt a tingling start in my feet. It raced up my spine, and then I climaxed hard.

I could barely contain my roar.

Then suddenly, I was exhausted, sated and content, and filled with so much love for Doris, I knew she couldn't possibly imagine.

"You're the most beautiful girl in the universe, my dove."

She gave me a happy smile and closed her eyes.

And I would do anything for you, I thought.

DORIS

I had lunch with Nina. She tried to put me on the spot by asking for specifics on how my sex life was going with Arthur. But I didn't give her any details. I wasn't the kind of woman to kiss and tell.

Just as we were finishing lunch, Nathan called her. Nina's responses were flirty, and her smile big. I could tell from Nina's expression and the little bit I overhear of the conversation when Nathan asked her on a date. Nina's answer is long, inconclusive, and drawn out. Her maybe definitely sounds like a yes.

Finally, she said, "If you can decide on a unique and perfect date, then I'll go. Let me know when you come up with something creative." Then she hung up.

"Whoa, girl," I said. "You got some game."

"Well, you gotta keep them guessing."

The waitress came over and asked us if we wanted dessert. Nina looked torn but finally said no.

"I've been eating these wildly, good fried mozzarella sticks and fried potato skins at The Tavern. I think I've gained ten pounds since I started working there again. I'm beginning to look like a Michelin Man."

I laughed.

"If I'm going to date Nathan and rock his world, I'm going to have to start going on a diet."

"I think you could rock his world at any shape and size," I said.

"You have to say that. You're my best friend," Nina said, repeating what I had said to her a few weeks ago.

That night dinner, Arthur told me he found two hockey teams he was interested in buying. He'd begun to talk to the owners about possibilities. They both looked good, depending on negotiations. He was sure one or the other would work out.

Arthur also told me about a new deal he has in the works acquiring a company in Spain. “It's one of the largest companies in the world: pharmaceutical research, virtual reality development, finance, and telecoms.”

If it went through, it'd be a huge success, but Arthur would have to sell off and leverage some of his small subsidiaries in exchange.

I had never really been one to understand the ins and outs of business deals, but the way Arthur explained it was exciting and easy to understand.

"That's great," I said, "But are you sure you want to take on such a big endeavor? I thought you would try scaling back some of AmeriCapital's works."

"If I get the Spain deal, it'll be a huge triumph. Nathan can handle managing it once I get it running. I'm excited about it. I haven't been this excited about a business deal in a long time."

"Then I'm happy for you. Obviously, I don't know anything about it yet, but if there's anything I can do, let me know. "

Arthur's smile made it all worth it.

Jeff Wasserman started leaving me daily messages, both voicemails and texts, complimenting me and asking me out for a date. I didn't respond, and pretty soon the messages got more pushy.

Then Jeff's messages started repeating over and over that the drugs that went with the surgery were developed by his company and Noah never would've woken up without them, that l least owed him the courtesy of going out with him for a date.

I didn't want to respond, but Jeff kept calling.

I didn't know what to do. Finally, I called Jeff back, and I asked him to please stop calling.

The pressure was getting too much for me. I almost caved. I began to feel like I would get sick again from the stress.

Arthur’s kisses and Mia’s hugs kept me sane.

Every day Noah got better, had more clarity and became more and more with it. Noah still didn't remember the accident or understand how much he did for me. But he was getting better. The nurses had him up and walking around.

It was a miracle.

I just hoped it wouldn’t be a miracle with a cost.