SILENT DESIRES

Dash called again at dinner that evening from Rome. She picked the call, feeling subdued and just plain not up to arguing with his mother or sister about taking the call. Then she stood up and left the table.

“Hello, Dash. Was there something you wanted?” she asked in a voice that sounded dead to her own ears.

“Yes, Tess, I want many things, but I called to apologize for my behavior when you told me about the baby.” He sounded tired. “I want our baby, honey. I am sorry I was less than enthusiastic when you told me.”

She dismissed the apology as too little, too late. Perhaps if he hadn’t been treating her so hurtfully for days beforehand, it would have been enough. “Don’t call me honey. You don’t love me and I don’t see any reason why you should. I don’t ever want you to use that word with me again.”

“Tess, I…” He hesitated.

Strange to hear her super-confident husband hesitant.

“If that’s all, I’m tired and want to go to bed. Suddenly I’m not hungry anymore.”

“I want to go to bed also, but with you, not in solitude.” he replied.

For once his sexy voice had no affect on her whatsoever. “I don’t want to sleep with you anymore.”

He said something low and forceful. “You are not leaving my bed.”

“Really? How are you going to stop me?” she asked with little more interest than she had felt for the rest of the conversation.

“You are my wife. You sleep in my bed.”

“I don’t like you anymore, Dash.” She said, She didn’t say she didn’t love him because it was not true. She did, more fool her. And it hurt.

“Honey-”

“Please, Dash. I don’t want to talk anymore. I don’t know why you married me, but I can see now it was a huge mistake.”

“You know why I married you,” he said.

For the sex? She asked herself. He went on when she remained silent.

“Even so, it was not a mistake. We can make our marriage work. We will talk when I return from Rome.”

He wanted to make their marriage work now? “I can’t deal with this. You just keep hurting me and I don’t want it anymore.”

“That is over. I will not hurt you again, honey.” he said.

Was there something significant about the fact that he kept calling her honey even after she had asked him not to? It was such a tantalizing thought that she rejected it immediately. She had believed too many times things would work out only to discover they would not.

“We’ll talk when you get back,” she said, repeating his words.

What form that discussion would take she did not know.

When he called again the next morning to check on her, she was in a stronger frame of mind and prepared to discuss her marriage with Dash. He had said he wanted to make their marriage work and he had apologized for being such a toad when she told him about the baby. Men like Dash didn’t say sorry easily and if he was willing to work on their marriage, she was too.

Minutes after she hung up, her father called.

“What the hell is going on over there?” he demanded in a voice that had her pulling the phone a few inches from her ear.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” she hedged, wondering if Dash had called him after she’d hung up the night before.

“There are pictures on the internet of your husband eating dinner with a woman in a swank New York restaurant. That woman is not you.” he replied.

Tess felt the words like multiple body blows. Dash had promised. No mistresses. But he’d also promised to treasure her love and he’d broken that one.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she answered truthfully.

“Could be his secretary I guess, but where were you when he was having these business dinners?”

“At home, I guess.” She said, Dash had been furious with her when he left. Would that fury have translated into actions that would destroy their marriage? Yet, the idea of a series of business dinners was not so far-fetched. She knew what his secretary looked like after visiting his office yesterday, but she didn’t want her father to worry. Maybe it was stupid, but her pride forbored her from airing her marital troubles to either her family or Dash’s.

“What else would it be besides a business dinner?” She forced a laugh. “Surely you aren’t implying that Dash would have sought other feminine companionship so soon after our marriage.” She asked.

“Stranger things have happened, girl.”

“Not with a man like Dash.” Until the last two weeks, she would have sworn she could trust him with her life and everything in between.

“There are things you don’t know.”

Dread snaked through her at her father’s tone.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“What do you mean?”

“That’s not important. Ask Dash about these pictures, Tess. Communication is important to a healthy marriage.”

Coming from her father, who considered asking if she wanted more wine at dinner a foray into personal conversation, that was laughable. Only she didn’t feel like laughing.

She hung up. Soon she searched on her phone and she found pictures her father had mentioned. The article mentioned Dash’s name, but failed to identify his companion. She didn’t need the information supplied to her.

The dark, exotic beauty was very familiar to Tess. The woman in the photos was Olivia Baker and she was not wearing the expression of a woman discussing business.

Tess barely made it to the bathroom before she was sick.

Fifteen minutes later, she was in their bedroom with the door shut. She needed to talk to Dash, to hear a rational explanation for his dinner dates with Olivia. Or to hear from his own mouth that he had broken this promise too. Could she trust him not to lie to her? She just didn’t know.

It rang three times before being picked up.

“Hello.”

Olivia? Olivia had answered Dash’s phone.

Tess’s stomach did another somersault. “Ms. Baker, I would like to speak to my husband.” She said,

“This is Tess?” Olivia’s voice rose in surprise.

“Yes. Where is Dash?”

“He is in the shower.”

Tess gasped, feeling ripped in two by the answer. “I’m surprised you aren’t with him. He likes sex in the shower.” She said, The crude sarcasm just slipped out, but even if it wounded Olivia, it hurt Tess more.

“I was not in the mood.” Olivia replied. Far from sounding wounded, Olivia’s voice was laced with innuendo.