" Come in," Lucas permitted.
A sunflower blonde hair coloured lady walked in.
Her porcelain skin glimmered and it matched her hazel eyes flawlessly.
She closed the door behind.
Jackson muttered under his breath.
" Speak of the devil... and the devil appears."
Lucas glanced at her.
" Jane?"
" Welcome back."
" You... you.. you look different," he stuttered; her red sleeveless short gown made her irresistible - not just to him, Jackson found himself salivating too.
The gown complimented her curvy figure so well.
She drew nearer ( swaying her hips from side to side) to the desk Lucas rested upon.
" Won't you offer me a seat in your office?" her melodious voice jolted him from his ungodly thoughts.
Lucas chuckled softly - exposing his white set of teeth.
He looked up as she rattled on.
"... my bad. Please have a seat.
" Jackson, please leave us."
Reluctantly, he left the office.
Lucas coughed to regain composure and rubbed his hands in anticipation.
" So... what do I owe this surprise visit?"
Jane crossed her leg over the other and placed her purse on the desk before she glanced at Lucas over her long lashes.
" How can you ask such, Lucas? I thought you would be in need... especially after you returned."
Lucas smiled broadly ( in a deceitful manner.)
He raised the sleeves of his suit slowly and stood up.
He paced around the office and walked towards Jane ( he bent over and placed his head close to her ear.)
" Is that so?" he whispered softly.
Jane shuddered under his breath touching the lobe of her right ear.
His scent wafted through her nose and she found herself wanting to smell his chocolate brown hair.
" Why did you come here then?
" You should have phoned me... that's what phones are for. But, you're here already and I feel the need.... so we meet tonight at the usual place."
Jane smirked.
" Your choice."
" Foreplay first."
" You're the man.... whatever you want. I'll be at the usual place," she whispered and pulled her purse, and out of the office she went away.
****
Cassidy sat on the couch with her eyes wide open.
Sleep deluded her.
She gazed at the clock and wondered where her husband could be at 11pm.
" Oh God," she whimpered in pain.
Was this what being married meant?
Was this how other married ladies suffered - did their husbands abandon them like hers?
The abrupt turn of the door knob sent her heart scrunching.
Lucas walked in looking wild.
She stood up from the couch immediately and walked towards him.
She covered her nose with her right hand when she reached him.
" You've been drinking?"
" I'm not drunk. Now, leave the way."
Cassidy's eyes widened and her breath hitched when she saw something on his bare body.
His shirt was open and she could see through his toned beige broad chest.
" Are those lipstick stains on your body?"
" I owe you no explanation. It's my life."
Cassidy turned away as her eyes welled up with tears.
Those eight words hit her hard.
It pierced her soul.
How could he say that?
" What life?
A wife is supposed to be close to her husband and know him... but I don't understand my husband. I don't even know who he is. First, you left home before I could get out of bed, then you went out to drink, and you've slept with a woman who isn't your wife. I'm not blind. I can see the lipstick stains on your body.
" Despite the fact that we're married, I still feel like we're distanced from each other. What happened to our marriage? Each time, I try my best to make sure things work out for us...you only seem like you don't care. I thought this marriage was built on love."
Lucas clenched his fists tightly.
Veins in his neck stood out in livid ridges.
His metallic gray eyes brimmed with intensity and aggressiveness.
His mouth thinned with displeasure and it pinched shut as though holding back what he really wanted to say.
He wanted to say a lot to her.
Lucas wanted to tell her that they weren't in love.
He wanted to tell her that they shared no stories but there was something in her eyes.
Those blue eyes held him ( they took him beneath the sky.)
But he was running out of time.
' Nooooooo,' he yelled in his head.
He wanted to push it away but it kept pulling him in - it tempted him.
He won't wait for the truth to come and blind him.
Lucas violently shoved her aside and walked away.
Cassidy fell to the floor and wept.
" This isn't my husband," she cried and choked on her breath.
She wanted someone to remind her how it felt to hear his voice.
To her, Lucas, her husband and only being she loved, was faded. He had become a shadow to their light.
Her aim, their aim, was out of sight.
***
Lucas felt her whimper pierce his soul. This confused him totally ( the fact that he was losing control and sight of his aim.) First, he had been having disturbing dreams since he abducted her, now she had lost her memories ( worst still, claimed she was his wife) and she was under his care.
She wasn't supposed to undergo stress of any kind ( especially emotionally)... the doctor had demanded that from him.
" These shallow waters never met what I needed," he muttered inwardly.
Lucas winced when he felt his back pain endlessly.
Those scars had been there since he was a child.
They reminded him of the worst injury he had ever suffered; it also explained the reason behind his making use of his left hand more.
That fated Friday, the Draco had attacked and killed his father in his presence.
The Draco had also forcefully taken his mother in his presence.
He had also made sure his guards threw him into the fire.
The gory sight remained with him even in his sleep.
He had dreams about it and each time this happened, his back ached.
These dreams used to happen a long time ago, but Cassidy triggered it by her presence.
Fury consumed him.
All this was driving him crazy.
Cassidy's arrival in his life weakened him day by day.
Being in love with a particular woman wasn't something for him.
It wasn't meant for him; it was never meant to be for him.
He had been so afraid of love ( so afraid to love.)
Love like he said was for the weak. Love made people cry.
Tears wasn't his thing. He only loved to frolic around with his women because they were only meant for the bed to feed his demons.
But Cassidy made him feel weak tonight... she did so much to him in just a night.