Page 40 of Passion and Deception

Maggie thought about it for a moment, then sighed and nodded. “You’re right,” she sighed and looked at the sparkling pool, the flowers blossoming in the gardens, at the lemonade someone had brought out. Maggie’s eyes drifted anywhere but at him. In the end, she had no choice. She lowered her lashes, staring at her linked hands in her lap. “I’m terrified of you, Ramit.”

Ramit leaned forward, his own hands dangling between his knees. “Can you tell me why?”

Maggie fiddled with the folds on her dress, then sighed and looked directly at him. “Because last year, when we were first together, I…fell for you pretty hard.”

Ramit shifted his body, looking at her intently. “And that’s a problem?”

Ignoring the fold on her dress, she lifted her eyes and looked directly into his. “Yes. Because when I realized that you’d li…that I was wrong about you,” she quickly corrected, “I was devastated. The pain I felt, the feeling of betrayal that hit me when I realized that you were ‘one of them’ as we call the wealthy club members, was difficult to recover from.”

“Maggie, I honestly didn’t realize you thought I was…” He paused, smiling slightly. “Normal? Is that your word?”

“Average,” she replied with a twisted smile. “I’ve been thinking a lot about our few days together.” She sighed and looked out at the distance. “You didn’t try to deceive me.” She looked at him again. “However, that merely reinforces the fact that I don’t really know who you are.”

He lifted his hands, spreading them out wide. “I’m eager to let you get to know me now. No subterfuge from either of us.” He leaned forward slightly. “And no hiding.” When Ramit leaned back again, he asked, “Does that sound fair?”

She considered that for a moment, then nodded her head. “Yes. That sounds…very fair.”

He nodded. “It’s not like I can hide who I am to the world or to you this time around. We’re already married.”

She laughed, then looked down at the diamond ring and platinum wedding band on her finger. “That’s a good point.”

“You don’t like the ring?” he asked.

She chuckled, rubbing her finger over the diamond, still amazed at the way it sparkled in the sunshine.

“I know that I should be embarrassed by the enormous diamond.” Her thumb brushed against the stone as her lips twisted slightly. “I should be humble and say that I’d prefer something smaller.”

“But you like it, don’t you?” There was intense satisfaction in his tone now.

She smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Coming from a background where we didn’t always have food, and I definitely didn’t have jewelry,” her lips twisted again, “the ring is nice.” She looked at him. “We lived in a trailer, Ramit. Growing up, I was so poor, we didn’t even have a real home. Just one of those pre-fab places, and not the nice ones. The ceiling leaked when it rained. The oven didn’t work so we used a microwave. The door didn’t lock, but,” she laughed, “no one would bother breaking into the trailer because our neighbors knew there was nothing worth stealing.”

“I’m sorry that your childhood was so rough, Maggie.”

She shrugged. “My childhood plus my experiences with the members at the club, the way that the wealthy men were so entitled, obnoxious, amoral and unethical adds to my whole distrust of wealthy people, Ramit.” She looked off into the distance, not sure what else to say. So when she looked at him this time, there was sincerity in her gaze. “I hope that helps you to understand why I’m so untrusting of rich people.”

He covered her hands with his. “Maggie, you are one of those rich people now.”

That statement startled her so much that she jumped. “I’m…” she stopped, then looked down at the ring on her finger. As much as she wanted to deny his assertion, the ring, her outfit, her surroundings all pointed to the opposite. “That’s…frightening.”

He considered her for a moment, his head tilting, but he pulled his touch away. “You’re worried that your morals and ethics are going to change now that you have unlimited wealth?”

Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open in horror. “No! Absolutely not!” She stared at him, but he merely lifted a dark eyebrow. “I’m not wealthy, Ramit!” She huffed a bit. “I’m just a waitress with a baby. Nothing more.”

He laughed, his eyes twinkling and Maggie knew that she wasn’t going to like whatever he said next.

“I set up a bank account for you. And one for Nadia. I’ve changed my will so that both of you will never want for anything for the rest of your lives if anything happens to me.”

Maggie stared at him, too stunned for words. She opened her mouth to say something, then shook her head. For a long moment, they simply stared at each other. That’s when her manners kicked in and she very primly said, “That’s…very generous of you.”

Ramit laughed again, shaking his head at her obvious dislike of his wealth. Her wealth now. “You’re my wife, Maggie. It’s not generous, it’s necessary.”

Maggie sighed, nervously twisting the ring on her finger. “Ramit, it’s going to take time to get used to all of this,” she explained, gesturing to the pool and the expansive sitting area. Well, the whole palace, actually. “And I hate to sound ungrateful, but…,” she paused, looking into his eyes. “Actually, I’m painfully bored. I don’t have to cook or clean. My primary job is to take care of Nadia and that doesn’t take up all of my time. I don’t have anything to look forward to, nothing to anticipate other than her next feeding.”

“What would you like to do?” Ramit asked, leaning back in his chair and watching her carefully.

That question startled her and she paused. After several moments, she shook her head. “I don’t know,” she replied. After a huff, she pushed her hair out of her eyes and slumped down slightly in the chair. “I’ve never had the opportunity to explore some of my latent interests.”

He shrugged and smiled at her. “Well, now you do. So, if you could do anything, what would your dream job be? What does your heart say?”

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