9781631054631ChoiceAffairsSalisbury Page 6

I knew by now not to question how things got from point A to point B. Between Apolo and Jacob, there was a well-oiled machine that went to work behind the scenes. Actually, I didn’t mind. One less thing for me to worry about.

  Comforters and other items I’d purchased prior to the wedding had also been delivered and waited for me in what seemed to be the holding room. While I couldn’t wait to get started, I knew that everything took a back seat to the two of us spending time together. Time was going to be a precious commodity from here on out. But Apolo and I would muster through it, taking each day as an adventure.

  “I’d forgotten how spectacular a view this place has,” I remarked looking out one of the living room windows.

  “Yes, that was one of the first things that sold me on this place,” Apolo replied, nuzzling my neck from behind. “Spectacular, especially at night. Great party conversation and back drop.”

  “Hmmm,” I replied, leaning into him, enjoying his touch. “Have you anything planned this evening?”

  “No, not a thing. I took the liberty of having Renee stock the kitchen for us. That way we don’t have to go out to a restaurant and risk blowing our cover.”

  “Our cover?”

  “Yes, you know, coming back early. This is just as much a part of our honeymoon as the island.”

  “Then, husband I suggest we do just that. Before you find an excuse.”

  “I’m all yours, darling. Really. What would you say to us doing some incognito sightseeing?”

  “I’d love it, if we can pull it off. What did you have in mind?” I asked suspiciously.

  “I thought perhaps we could take a drive one evening, see the sights lit up. Then, if you’re up to it, we could even take a drive to the Virginia coast or go inland.”

  “Sort of get to know the area? The countryside is beautiful around here. Perhaps go to Mount Vernon?”

  “Yes, that would be a great trip. You see, there’s so much to do here, I’ll not think of business at all.”

  “Well, if you’re a good boy, I’ll show you what no work will get you.”

  “Will you now?” A mischievous grin crossed his face. I could tell by the way his mouth was moving along my neck that he was up to no good.

  “How about I go see what Renee left for us to make dinner? Then afterwards, if you’re up to it, we can take that ride.” I turned around, fully intending on doing just what I’d told him. Instead, he stood next to me, so close I believe I could have seen sweat drip off him.

  He leaned down and covered my mouth with his. A soft, but intimate kiss. “Are you hungry, or is there something else you’d like?” He kissed me again, beginning another round of passionate love-making.

  Afterwards we stayed joined for what seemed like forever. I didn’t want to break the connection, but finally I spoke, “I don’t know about you, but if we’re going to do that again, I think we’d better eat first.”

  A chuckle came from somewhere deep inside him. Biting my lip, I slowly raised off him, which only made me want more. He was still hard.

  “I think you’re right, because I don’t know how long I’m going to last if I stay inside you.” He gently moved me aside and stood.

  I went to the bathroom to regain my composure. That man made me abandon anything and everything sane in my being. But that’s one of the things I loved about him—his ability to make me lose my inhibitions.

  When I entered the kitchen, I found Apolo digging through the huge Sub-Zero. He didn’t seem to know I was there, so I stealthily moved toward him before asking in a louder-than-necessary voice, “Find what you’re after?”

  He jumped, just like I had wanted. It was good to see him act like a normal man. A very hungry, sexed man.

  “Damn, don’t sneak up on me like that!”

  “Sorry, you looked like a starved man rummaging through there. Come on, move and let me see what I can find.”

  “Well, don’t make anything too difficult. I’m hungrier than I thought.”

  “That’s only because you just had sex.”

  “You certainly are a smart ass today, aren’t you? I may have to find a way to get that out of you.” He chuckled, removing his body from the opening.

  “Yes, promises, promises, and all that.” I spied two small steaks. “What about these? Too heavy for you?” I pulled them out of their drawer and passed them to him.

  He examined them as though they were foreign objects. “Hmmm, yes. These will do nicely. Do you want me to take care of them, and you do the rest?”

  “Yes, that would be nice, thank you.”

  * * * *

  We spent our remaining time quietly. Quietly, but busy. I had something mapped out for us to do every single day until we had to return to Atlanta. Mop up, as Apolo called it. I dreaded it, too. It meant returning to reality and having to share him.

  In the meantime, I had us on the road exploring. Outside of Washington, where he wouldn’t be recognized. One day it was to Mount Vernon. Neither of us had been to George Washington nor Thomas Jefferson’s residences. It was amazing to see them firsthand. More Americans needed to see their heritage in person, not just in a book.

  The last day of our honeymoon, we were off to the Norfolk area. Apolo wanted to see the naval ships without having to be that close to D.C. He seemed to have a fascination for the huge vessels. Like a little boy. I remembered his brother Anthony had been given an opportunity to attend a military academy and made sure he had failed so he wouldn’t have to.

  “Do you ever wish you could have pursued a career?” I asked as we stood watching a large ship of some sort steam slowly out of the bay toward destinations unknown.

  “No, not really. I don’t think I would have been too good at following orders. Then again, I never had the opportunity to make the choice. That was taken from me.”

  It was the first time he’d made even a veiled mention of having his life altered by his brother’s selfishness. I wasn’t sure what to do. Pity was something he didn’t want, nor could he stomach. He’d made do with what had become his destiny and done it remarkably well. Instead, I said nothing, deciding that, if he wished to ask for my opinion, he would. Otherwise, I would listen. He seemed to need to talk.

  “How about we pick up some crab on the way home? I think I’d like our last dinner to be something private and fun.”

  “You sure?” The change of subject matter seemed to be what he wanted. He didn’t need to go down that dark rabbit hole. It wasn’t one he ventured into often, and now was not the time. “I had thought of taking you somewhere fancy, memorable.”

  “I’m quite sure. I’m also sure cracking crabs and drinking beer with you in the privacy of our new home will be much more fun than some stuffy restaurant.”

  “You’ll get no argument from me. Beer, crab, and newspapers it is then.”

  “We can lay the newspapers out on the table on the balcony outside. Enjoy the evening. It’s going to be cooling down, you know.”

  “Hmmm, yes. Not that I’ll miss the stifling heat, but I don’t relish the cold.”

  “It’s supposed to be worse up this way,” I added. “Not sure I’m ready for that. But we’ll muster through it.”

  “Which is exactly why you won’t be driving around in it. You don’t know how, and I’ll not worry about you.”

  “Apolo, you do know that I managed just fine before you?”

  “So you say.”

  I balled my fist up and hit him in the upper arm, just to get my point across. “Come on!”

  He opened the car door for me, and I slid across the leather seat. He sat in his, making sure everything was still to his liking before he backed out of the parking spot and headed back toward our new home.

  We stopped at a local fish market just on the outskirts of town. Apolo and I walked through once, checking out all the vendors and their catch. He finally selected a fish monger and carefully chose our dinner, haggling good naturedly over the price.

  “Why don’t you stop at that liquor stor
e to pick out some beer? You know, the one about two blocks from the penthouse.”

  “Yes, good idea,” he replied, smirking, as he drove off. He always did that when he knew he’d come out on top of some deal. Which was almost always.

  A few minutes later, he was pulling into the parking lot of the liquor store. Turning off the engine, he turned to me. “Do you want to join me or wait here with our crabby little friends?”

  I tried not to laugh at his attempt at humor, which was better than I’d ever admit. Apolo’s wit was quirky, sarcastic at best, and lost on the average person. I still found myself doing a double take at some of his jokes.

  “No,” I tried to reply with a straight face. “You go. You’re the beer expert. I’ll keep our soft-shelled friends company.”

  Chuckling, Apolo shut the car door and walked toward the building. I instinctively hit the lock and sat back, closing my eyes to relax. The vehicle was so well insulated that the noise of the outside world was nearly impossible to hear. So, by the time Apolo returned, I had fallen asleep.

  Grim faced, he threw a magazine across to me. I caught it, barely, and peered down at the biggest selling weekly publication. On the cover? That’s right, you guessed it—Apolo and me, during our wedding ceremony. And obviously taken with a cell phone.

  How do I know that? Because our photographer was the son of a longtime friend of Apolo’s, and he was chosen because of his discretion. Judging from the angle and everything, if I were a betting woman, I’d have to say my mother was the traitor.

  I glanced across at Apolo, who had started the car after storing the beer. “Look inside. There’s more, a lot more. Pictures. A play-by-play of the entire afternoon.”

  “Mother?”

  “Who else?” He said nothing further, but put the vehicle into motion. I set the glossy-paged magazine in my lap, deciding it might be better to wait until we got back to the penthouse before reacting to another one of my mother’s publicity stunts. Apolo was on the verge of doing that enough for the both of us.

  I took both sacks from him when we stepped inside the penthouse. Apolo grabbed the magazine from me and proceeded through the apartment. As I watched him I shook my head at the mere thought of my mother and her meddling. Though, she wouldn’t think of it as meddling. She was on the verge of a point of no return with Apolo, and unfortunately, she had no one to blame but herself.

  Entering the kitchen, I grabbed two beers and placed them on the counter. I opened the Sub-Zero and placed the remaining, along with the sack of crabs, inside. Then, shutting the door, I picked up the bottles and went in search of my husband.

  He was standing in the living room, staring out at the landmarks that were beginning to illuminate in the fading daylight. His hands were shoved deep inside the pockets of his jeans. The offensive magazine was open on the glass and metal coffee table.

  I quietly walked up next to him and passed a beer in his direction. He accepted it, removing the cap effortlessly. He held it for a moment before taking a long drink.

  “That bad?” I inquired, uncapping my own bottle.

  “Go look. How she managed to snap those pictures with no one knowing…” He shook his head.

  I touched his arm and headed toward the couch. Sitting down, I took a drink of beer before studying the scene my mother had caused. “I won’t say the usual.”

  “Which is?”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. Yet. I will find out. I’m going to put a call into my attorney in Atlanta. And to Jacob.”

  “It’s Friday evening, Apolo. We’re leaving for Atlanta tomorrow.”

  “No matter. The attorney is kept on a hefty retainer, and I need to put Jacob on notice, if he hasn’t seen this mess already.”

  I sighed loud enough for him to hear. “Well, don’t be long, we have all that crab to eat.”

  “How about while I’m tending to business, you set out some newspaper and bring me another beer? That is, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course, I don’t mind. Just don’t take too long, please. This is our last evening here. The next time we’ll be here semi-permanently, your time will not be your own.”

  “Has it ever been?”

  “You’ve done remarkably well making sure our honeymoon has been private. Both on the island and here, and I thank you for that. Now, go make your phone calls, before I get riled up about my mother and try to find her.”

  He flashed me an odd look before he walked past me.

  “On the phone, Apolo. On the phone. Though seriously, I’m so mad at her right now, nothing would suit me better than for you to sic your dogs on her.”

  He laughed as he exited the room. “I won’t be long, I promise. And don’t forget my beer, Caiti.”

  * * * *

  Apolo

  The time I’ve shared with Caitlyn these past weeks have been some of, if not the best, times of my life. For the first time in years, I’ve been able to relax and let my guard down. Not that I hadn’t already let my guard down with Caitlyn. But to be able to take her to the island and act uninhibited was pure magic.

  Though I did get caught doing business, we made an unofficial truce about how I would handle that while on our honeymoon. However, the further we got into our time away, the less need I saw to do business of any sort.

  Until we got back to Washington…

  We’d gone there to make sure things were getting moved into our new home. I also wanted to explore the area with my new wife. I knew once I began my new job as senator our free time would not be our own. There would always be something, whether it be a fundraiser, a picnic, or so on.

  Then, the last afternoon, I’d gone into the liquor store, and there it was at the checkout. One of those weekly gossip rags, with none other than Caitlyn and myself on the cover. We were the main story, and where the photo came from…well, I had my ideas.

  Fuming, I tried desperately not to bellow like a raging bull. Instead, I tossed my bride the magazine and, immediately, she knew who’d planted the photo. The woman had no shame.

  With Caitlyn taking care of our fresh catch at home, I got Jacob on the phone. I needed to find out what, if anything, he knew. And I was quite sure he was on top of the matter.

  “Jacob, everything set for us tomorrow?” I decided rather than start out ranting, I’d at least make sure our flight was still on schedule. I’m quite sure the old boy didn’t need me treating him as though he were incompetent.

  “Yep, everything’s right on target, just like you asked for.”

  “Good.”

  “But that isn’t the entire reason for your call. You’ve seen the magazine, I take it.”

  “Yes, and I want to know how she did it. I’m afraid I’m going to have to get tough with her, legally. Perhaps then she’ll cease.”

  “Or go screaming to the press that her billionaire son-in-law wants to enforce a gag order or whatever melodrama she can fabricate.”

  “You’re right, of course. Damn her! Haven’t you still got someone on her?”

  “We did, Apolo. She snuck right by them. Don’t ask me how, I just got the tapes from her building.”

  “And what of my brother? Is he behaving, or has he gone mad as well?”

  “Interestingly enough, he caught a plane bound for Spain.”

  “What? When?”

  “Three days ago. There was nothing we could do. He was already gone. A friend of mine in customs over in Madrid gave me the heads up. Recognized the name.”

  “And?”

  “And it appears harmless enough. Evidently, he’s gone to one of the islands off the coast for a little vacation. I’ve got someone who should be arriving about now.”

  “Anthony just takes off on a vacation? Leaves his restaurant high and dry? If I know you, Jacob, you’ve already called out there.”

  “Yep, I did. They knew nothing until the morning he left. Said he’d be back next Tuesday.”

  “So, Susan and Tony have both managed to slip right under you. Don�
��t tell me—”

  “Hold it right there, Apolo. You know your brother. He’s well aware we keep an eye on him. And as for your new mother-in-law, well I don’t think Alcatraz could hold her. Not unless you pamper her like a goddess.”

  “Like we did before the wedding. Which did absolutely no good at containing her.”

  “The woman’s a regular con-artist. Like I said, I’m going to look at the tapes, along with one of my guys, and see if we can’t pin down when she left. Then, we can go from there.”

  “She’s probably back in Ireland, safe and sound by now, Jacob.”

  “No, I seriously doubt that. Um, this goes no further, because I know Caitlyn probably isn’t aware of any of this…”

  “What? Tell me, man.”

  “Her parents had one hell of a knock-down blow-up the night of the wedding. Everyone was just about gone, but Caitlyn’s dad was hot about something and told Susan she had done enough and was going back to Ireland with him.”

  “I take it she told him no.”

  “In no uncertain terms. Told him it’d be a cold day in you-know-where before she went back to live with him.”

  “I can imagine the rest, and I don’t want to hear. Just find her, and update me on my brother when you have him in your sights. Damn relatives!”

  “I’ll do that, and I’ll see the two of you in Atlanta tomorrow.”

  “Yes. I’m going to leave a message for my favorite attorney. Get him off his ass. Just let me know, Jacob…”

  “You know I will. Now, go enjoy your lovely bride, and be sure to tell her I said hello.”

  Damn relatives indeed! Anthony is no more on a vacation than a cow is green, and Susan, well, that one is slippery. Like an eel. A moray eel. Ugly buggers. Both of them.

  Chapter Six

  The next afternoon, Jacob met us at the small, regional airport where Apolo kept his planes. I was trying my best to stay out of whatever mess my mother had made with the sellout to the national gossip rags. I left the two men to discuss it.

  Instead, I settled into the backseat of the limo and pulled out my phone. Powering it on, I noted Izzie had left me two text messages. One welcomed us back to reality, and the other asked me to call her before Apolo and I left for D.C.