Page 58 of Now and Forever

Chapter 18

Gisele

Twenty minutes later, all freshened up and ready to go, I came downstairs to meet Wyatt in the kitchen. Thomas had taken it upon himself to make sure Wyatt was properly taken care of. Wyatt had quite a savory spread before him as he casually sipped on one of my father’s vintages.

“The gift is well received, I take it?” Thomas asked, his innuendo lost on our guest. He was fond of Wyatt, but he was team Jared through and through. In his eyes, no one could compare.

Neither did they in mine.

A small smile played on my lips as I sat across from Wyatt at the six-seater breakfast table. “Very well received, as you can tell. Thank you for being so generous, Thomas.”

“I’ll leave you, madam. I’m enthused your birthday wishes are coming along quite splendidly.” He portrayed the stuffy butler, but he was such an adorable gem. “It’s good to see you again, Mr. Rinaldi.” He made a firm nod before retreating to his office.

Bantering with Thomas had become one of my favorite highlights of living at home. But with father gone, we all felt the loss. The liveliness of the staff had somewhat drained. Though Thomas appeared composed and trying his damnedest to appear his usual self, the strain in his eyes had become apparent. I wondered how well he was coming. Maybe this could be the perfect opportunity for him to take a break and worry about himself more. The man’s loyalty deserved an all-expenses paid vacation for a few months. This could be the great start of cheering him up. He could visit as many countries as he wished. He surely wasn’t getting any younger. I made a mental checklist to call my father’s lawyer so it would be immediately taken care of.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Wyatt’s eyes rested on my face before they generously traveled to my ample cleavage then lingered on my mouth as I bit into a strawberry. The tip of his tongue curled on his bottom lip, aroused at the sight of me.

I mockingly glared at him, amused at his reaction. “You’re such a pervert, Wyatt.”

Such opinions only thrived when it came to the likes of Wyatt Rinaldi, grooming himself to be a notorious playboy, closely following his father.

“You’ve teased me for weeks on end. When will you properly have me, hm?”

I threw him a mocking look. His roguish grin grew wider. I rolled my eyes before feigning a frustrated groan. “You say it as if you’re not nursing my rejection with your usual sort of disposable ladies.”

He leisurely sipped on his champagne before looking across the table with incredulity. “Because you insisted on it. Tell me why again?” His dark, fathomless eyes stayed grim.

Taking a steady breath, I plucked up the mother of pearl spoon, scooping a great amount of Sevruga gray caviar before I carefully placed the savory beads on my middle finger and slipped it into my mouth. Pressing my tongue against the ceiling of my mouth, each flavorful bead exploded like ambrosia on my taste buds. I moaned with gusto. But before I indulged in another, I sat back and gazed at the man sitting humorlessly across from me.

“I told you about my disastrous fling with Jack and my feelings for Jared. If I wanted to enter another relationship, I want to be sure this time, Wyatt. I’ve stressed this on many occasions. It’s also why I unfailingly remind you we should keep dating other people. You’ve been around the block several times over, while I’m new to this whole scene. It’s fair to say it’s my turn to explore the dating pool.”

“I understand all of that, I do, but your obsession with Jared is so unhealthy. What are you hoping to gain? He’s your guardian, and I doubt he’s going to see you any differently even if he partially lives in the same house as you. I get it. Maybe it’s your pride or the idea of being rejected fucks with your head more than it should, but you have to know when enough is enough, Gisele. It’s really stupid when my sister and Vivienne encourage you, too. It’s fucking hopeless.”

Damn it, Wyatt. His lectures were becoming so tedious. “I’ll get there when I get there, okay? Pressuring me to be with you isn’t helping this at all.”

He shrugged. “All I’m saying is…there are a lot of guys like me out there, Gi. You have no idea how many guys want to come knocking at your door to ask you out, but are reluctant to. That time will eventually come, and I don’t want to be at the back of the line.”

Like I cared about any of it. “Wyatt, you’re worrying over nothing. We have to go. Blair hates it when I’m late.”

I was about to push my chair back when Wyatt directed a curious glance at me. “What?”

“You’re still going to tell Blair tonight, right?”

My best friend would flip her shit. The thought of it already made me antsy. “Yes, I’ll definitely try.” I wasn’t sure how it would unfold. But one thing I was definitely sure of was how I couldn’t go on keeping my friendship with somewhat of a benefit with Wyatt secret for long.

With Wyatt by my side, we strode out of the house. My mind immediately drifted off to Jared and what he might be doing at the moment. I could still feel him inside me, throbbing as he angrily penetrated my untouched depths. He yielded to his body’s desires even though he was against it. Why tonight of all nights?

Was it the jealousy that drove him to succumb to me? I truly believe jealousy was one of the main pivotal points, but there was more to it. Jared hid a lot of himself. Deciphering his intentions proved to be futile. And even though a newfound hope surged within me, the uncertainty of my future with Jared remained as sinister as ever. Taming him was out of the question. The man would only yield when he willed himself to do so, but until the time came, he was satisfied leaving me to my own devices while he observed from a great distance.

Was that the kind of man I wanted for myself? The kind whose loyalty shifts whenever his body hankered for a different kind of thrill?

The grounds were filled with students from Stanford dressed from Romy and Michele to Star Wars’ Jar Jar to Dracula’s mistress. The variety was astounding, and it seemed everyone was enjoying themselves. On top of celebrating my birthday, Blair intended for this shindig to introduce herself to the rest of the business law students. Our first month had been a success, and although I hadn’t seen Blair and Vivienne on campus often since my schedule differed from theirs, our friendship remained as strong as ever.

“You’ve been spending a great deal of time with Wyatt lately.” Vivienne cornered me on the lavishly decorated patio (in a brilliantly gruesome kind of way). She clasped a hand on my hip, ushering me to the side the second she saw Wyatt heading to the bar, quite ready to hear me dish out whatever secrets I’d been hiding from her.

Both of our gazes followed towards Blair’s brother at the bar. “He’s fond of me.” Fond? Was that the best I could do? Wyatt was beyond fond. He had been relentless in pursuit of me. Diverting my gaze back to my curious friend, I tried to muster a smile. “Has she said something to you?” She, meaning Blair. If she was suspicious, she sure had been taking her time in confronting me about it.

“She noted it, but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal since you’re secretly married to the unattainable CEO. We both know where your heart lies. Has there been any progress with him?”

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