Page 44 of Wanted

Washing and ironing.

Polishing his shoes.

Packing his suitcase.

And, of course, making him something to eat for the trip.

Also, I had to be ready to go to bed with him at any evidence of fatigue. The truth is that I was exhausted. That week it rained almost every day, so I had to make sure my bees were dry, as well as making sure they ate enough by providing them with white sugar syrup and water. I also needed a back massage, a good fuck, and a good night’s sleep.

I waited for Lionel to devour everything on his plate and give me a few pecks too. After that, with another beer in hand, he sat in the loveseat we had in our little room to watch an episode of America’s Got Talent recorded on the device that he insisted we get. One more thing that would have to go. It was a luxury, after all.

It annoyed me when he put his feet up on the coffee table in front of the sofa in that carefree way. After all, we had bought it a short time ago, taking advantage of the fact that one of my mother’s friends from her prayer group had given me all his VIP points in a well-known department store.

It had counted as a wedding gift. It was pretty plain, rustic wood, but I loved it.

But I decided to shut up. Give in a little for the sake of triumph in the end.

“Come sit with me, Stella. I missed you this week,” he requested while he kept his eyes on the screen in front of him. We were newlyweds so hearing that he had missed me made my heart skip a beat. I was a woman in love. “And bring another beer with you.”

Kral brand romance, I thought. At least that’s what I discovered as soon as we returned to Carrollton with the signed marriage license in our hands. My mother almost had a heart attack, her only daughter married without warning and worse than that, it was a civil ceremony instead of in the church, presided over by Pastor Moore, her lifelong minister.

After taking another bottle from the refrigerator, I headed back to him, ensuring we were sitting close together, well, not that the two-seater sofa allowed for much space between us, but the proximity helped my purpose.

I ran my hand through the strands of his blond hair, enjoying the way it unraveled between my fingers.

“That’s it, babe,” he groaned. “Follow that path and I will take you to heaven later.”

And I didn’t hesitate for a second. Lionel was excellent in bed, generous, and passionate, so I knew he could keep that promise.

“Lionel, there is something I want to tell you…” I had to hurry up to give him the news before I regretted it. I knew myself well, I was going to end up making an excuse unless I spilled the beans at that exact moment.

“It better not be to ask for money to buy junk, you know the answer is no. We have to wait.” By junk, he referred to everything I had to buy to make our house a livable place, new sheets, pillows, and many other things like that.

“Don’t look at it as an expense, but rather an investment,” I said in a mellow voice. “An investment for our future.”

My hand went down to his neck. There I found two knots and began to massage them with both hands, relieving the tension. He was clay between my fingers, things were going according to plan.

“It’s about the hive.” Lionel wasn’t interested in the bees, the only thing he cared about was how much money it made.

“How many damn bees did you kill?”

“None, everything is fine, that’s why I want to talk about expanding the business, maybe trying some new things.” Beneath my fingers I could feel his muscles tense, so I put more pressure, trying to stay on track. “You see, a lot of the time I have problems with the weather and other things which makes it hard for me to sell, so I think it would be good for me not to have all my eggs in one basket, you know, I could go to school and learn…”

He moved so fast I couldn’t stop him, the massage, the dinner, and all the other preparations had been in vain, Lionel was furious, his face made it clear to me.

“What are you saying?” he asked with a frown, his brown eyes burning with fury. “Why do you want to study and all that crap? Why do you want to waste your time in such a stupid way?”

I looked at him with my mouth open. My plans were solid and I trusted that it was more than an expense, it was an investment for our future. For our future, together.

“Lionel, we’ve talked about your plans to buy the vineyard and all that. Now I want to tell you about my plans and the future of my business.”

I didn’t think it was possible but his brow furrowed even more, at the same time he pressed his mouth into a thin line. Troy was about to burn because I, too, was ready to go to war. Giving up wasn’t part of my plan, not when something as important as my heart’s desires were at stake.

“What plans for the future?” he asked me as he got up from the sofa. “How are you going to take care of the house, our kids, and run a business?”

There goes another one of his obsessions, getting me pregnant as fast as possible. He had told me how sad his childhood was, growing up in an orphanage, so he dreamed of starting a family, and the sooner the better.

“I’m not pregnant yet, Lionel,” I said quietly, trying to calm my already heated emotions. “Why not wait a little longer? I’m sure that everything will go as planned, and we’ll be more comfortable. I will be able to help you pay for the vineyard’s improvements and all that.”

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