'I know how I'm supposed to act; I don't need a contract to tell me what to do.'
'Perhaps I do!'
'Then that's your problem, not mine,' she said with a shake of her head. 'And if you don't eat all of the steak I made, I'll be offended.' 'I don't cook for just anyone, you know,' she teased, desperately attempting to lighten the mood between them.
'It's exactly how I like it,' he stated emphatically.
'Of course,' she sneered. 'I remember all of a man's preferences,'
'Do you also know all of Daveson's preferences?' he rasped.
She exhaled a sigh. 'Have I asked you about any of the women you've dated since Lora's death?'
'I haven't touched another woman in a long time,' he said angrily.
'Had Lora been dead for a long time?' she inquired softly.
'Two years,' he says.
'I had no idea...' She smirked. 'Sarah could have only been a baby.'
'She has no recollection of her mother,' Raphael confirmed.
'How tragic!' To hide her emotions, she expressed her regret before she had time to think. 'For you all, I mean,' she added hastily, not wanting Raphael to guess at her pain at the thought of Sarah going so long without a mother; Raphael no longer credited her with any of the softer emotions.
'Yes,' he said, biting his lip. 'But it was the most difficult for Hugh.'
'As well as you.'
'Of course,' he stated flatly. 'Would you like to go out for dinner after dinner?'
Sophia frowned as she was taken aback by the abrupt change in subject. 'You were late getting home from work; are you tired?'
'Are you so desperate for my body that you can't wait?'
Her surprised gaze flew to his, surprised to see the humour glinting there as he threw her mockery of the previous evening back at her. 'If you take me dancing, I think I'll be able to wait.' She joined in on his witty banter.
With his fingertips, he gently touched the slight swelling on her bottom lip. 'It won't happen again,' he assured her softly, and she didn't need an explanation—or an apology—from him.
The nightclub he took her to was the most fashionable in London at the time, its patrons the rich and famous, and Sophia was surprised by how little some of the other women wore. Raphael, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice the women's obvious charms, moulding her close to him as they danced, his cheek resting against her hair.
For Sophia, it was a time out of time, with the loud music and noisy surroundings preventing them from talking, allowing her to fantasize that Raphael was enjoying being with her as much as she was, his caustic tongue silent for this brief moment.
It was nearly two a.m. when Raphael suggested they leave, and Sophia agreed with sleepy satisfaction.
'Nightcap?' he suggested when they arrived at his house.
'Only if you want one,' she says. As they stared across the lounge at each other, the tension returned with a vengeance.
'No.' His gaze was fixed on hers.
She swallowed forcefully. 'Should we then proceed to the bedroom?'
'Yes,' he replied abruptly.
When Raphael politely offered her first use of their bathroom, she realized there was nothing she could do to change Raphael's opinion of her. He didn't consider them strangers; he just happened to be interested in her body.
Tonight, as he caressed and kissed her, there was no savagery in him, but there was also no warmth. She could have been any of the women he met that night and casually invited home to share his bed. Except for one obvious exception! No stranger could have known the sensitive areas of her body as Raphael did, or played with her senses as he did. She knew they had both reached the pinnacle of satisfaction tonight as they lay spent and exhausted but apart from each other.
'You were correct,' he rasped into the darkness. 'You hadn't overlooked any of my preferences!' As he prepared to sleep, he turned his back on her.
Sophia lay on her back, feeling more alone than she had ever felt, wondering if she would ever be able to break down the wall of resentment Raphael had built up over the course of five years.
The next morning, they dressed in silence, Sophia unwilling to speak and Raphael unwilling to listen.
'What do you have planned for the weekend?' he inquired as they ate breakfast together in the kitchen.
'What are you doing?' she inquired, her face puzzled.
He nodded with a cool nod of his head. 'I'll be leaving in about an hour to visit Hugh and Sarah, and I was wondering if you were going away as well.'
She was aware that she had paled, despite the fact that she had managed to keep the majority of her pain inside. Raphael was effectively demonstrating to her that she was not welcome in any aspect of his life involving his family.
'I believe I mentioned that I go to see my children on weekends,' Raphael continued as she remained silent. 'And it's especially important this weekend because Hugh returns to school on Monday.'
She stood up to clear away the breakfast items, shielding herself from how much he continued to hurt her. 'You owe me no explanations for your movements, Raphael,' she said distantly. 'I'm your paid companion; I'm there when you need me, not when you don't.'
His lips were clenched. 'That's right, you are,' he rasped as he stood up. 'I'll be back tomorrow night,' she says. Late.' He walked out of the room.
He hadn't added 'be here,' but he might as well have because the command was already there! All her strength left her in a shuddering sigh, desolate at the prospect of being separated from him for two days.
An hour later, he left her with a curt nod, the apartment suddenly very empty—and lonely.
Until the doorbell started to ring!
First, the florist arrived with a van full of flowers, far more than Sophia had requested. Then came the bright cushions and paintings, cushion chairs, and, finally, the television and stereo. Each order was written in the name of Raphael Mcklerin.
The fact that he had re-ordered everything he appeared to dislike gave her hope. When she greeted him the next evening after a lonely weekend at the apartment, that hope was quickly dashed.
As you can see, everything arrived safely,' she said cheerfully as she handed him a cup of coffee.
'As far as I can tell,' he said flatly, not seeming to notice how lovely the apartment looked once more.
She sat at his feet on the carpet, not touching him, his solemn expression not encouraging intimacy. 'Did you have fun with Hugh and Sarah?' she inquired.
His eyes had hardened into green ice chips. 'I believe we established what your role is in my life yesterday,' he bit out coldly. 'My children are not up for discussion in this relationship.'
Sophia flinched as if he had physically struck her, standing up. 'Then I'd better go to the place I am allowed some part of your life—I'll be in bed waiting for you!' She ran from the room, her tears blinding her.