Daring, Charming , Real

Ch. 21

Thomas and I decided it would be best if I didn't attend Michael's funeral. I was kept locked away in the house for my own protection after word got out to Polly that her son had been murdered by my one and only employee. Niccoli came by to say his goodbyes and informed me that Thomas was sending him back to Italy. He had more than enough money to support himself along with his husband but I couldn't help but cry when he broke the news. I didn't want to loose my bestfriend.

Finn stayed home with me instead of going to the service. He said he'd rather look after me anyways, considering the hell Michael had put all of us through. Part of me wished he had gone just to look good infront of the others. But his stubborn attitude didn't falter when I asked him to go. He was growing to be a lot like Tommy. We played cards inside the green house for several hours until Mary retrieved us for dinner. I knew better than to ask her to wait for Thomas. He had already said that they had business to attend too after the funeral. He also wanted to personally see Polly back to her home and ensure her safety. There was no telling how badly she was taking it. I was almost certain I would find out the next time I saw her , she wasn't good at hiding her hatred for me.

"Do you think Thomas would allow me to start working in the office?" Finn asked between bites of his supper.

"Why ? You have school."

"School is boring. I want to make money." He whined.

I shook my head and toyed around with the corn on my plate. He took my silence as the end of the discussion and I was grateful. There wasn't much more I had too say and none of it was things he'd like to hear.

After dinner I paced the halls for awhile before retreating to my little hidden office behind the small doorway in the hall . Slipping into the swivel chair I looked down at the black type writer before me and cracked a smile. It was the second time I'd swiped one from the office. It wasn't like I couldn't afford my own type writer, it was just more fun to give Thomas a hard time every now and then.

It became a game. Which Thomas always loved.

In the beginning it was small insignificant things such as a pen or whiskey glass. I would swipe them when he was hung up in a meeting or distracted by the paperwork. But then it grew to something more. Thomas would tease me about it and tempt me even. Naming different objects in his office and offering a point system. The typewriter was something he hadn't named yet but it was a very big ticket item that Im sure he'd notice first thing when getting back to the office.

I laid my fingers over the keys and started typing. This had started as my outlet about everything that had happened in my life up until now and that's what it continued to be . A miserable diary for myself and anyone who cared to read it . Not that I had any intention on letting someone read it. But every so often I would remove the paper and set it aside in a neat stack. Then I would bring in a new fresh piece that this time would not hold the burden of my sad story but of something different.

A fiction.

Between two characters I completely made up from the figment of my imagination but lived ferociously through those ink blotted lines. I wrote happy and thrilling things. But I also wrote romance and very lust filled moments. Moments that would leave my palms sweating and my face blood red. It sent spikes over my nerves and settled a heat roaring low inside me. The thoughts pushed through and I lavished every single syllable. Until ultimately Thomas's footsteps passed by summoning me to bed.

Tonight his footsteps didn't draw me out but instead the closing of the front door. When it clicked back into place I jumped up and quickly made my way to the stairwell where I stopped abruptly looking down into the foyer.
There stood Thomas, his overcoat and hat soaked from the rain outside and beside him was a woman I had never seen before.

She was incredibly young, couldn't be much older than 19 , with dark brown hair that sat in ringlet curls around her face. Her green eyes peered up at me and she gave a warm smile.

"Emilia, this is Angelica . She will be staying with us for awhile." Thomas looked up at me with his hands deep in his pockets.

"Its a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Shelby." Her voice was smooth.

"And may I ask why?" I questioned.

"No, you may not." Was all that Thomas said to me before ushering Angelica towards our guestroom.

I watched as he and Mary escorted her down the hall and out of my view. My heart sunk deeper before bottoming out in my stomach and I felt horribly sick. The bile was already creeping up my throat when Thomas's footsteps started to return. But before I saw his face again, I spun and rushed straight to our bedroom, throwing open the door with two outstretched hands. I stumbled to the bed where I finally sat and just waited for him because it was taking everything inside me not to have an outburst.

He walked in not long after with a ciggerate hanging loosely from his lips. Closing the door behind himself he stripped off the jacket and hat before he turned his attention to me. The expression he held didn't move as he clenched his jaw slightly at the obvious hurt in my eyes.

"Who is she?" I asked barely above a whisper.

"She needs somewhere to stay." He deflected.

"So my husband shows up at an ungodly hour with another woman and I'm just supposed to sit quietly ?" I scoffed, "Thomas don't be ridiculous."

"Listen, I know it doesn't make sense but I need you to just trust me."

"No, Thomas I need you to explain to me what is going on!"

He shook the ashes off the ciggerate into a clear ash tray on the dresser beside him before taking another long draw of smoke. I watched as he mulled over his words.

"She is someone important. I cannot tell you anything else. But you cannot tell anyone she is here, do you understand?"

"Oh for christ sakes, Tommy." I rolled my eyes and turned towards the wall, "Hiding your fucking mistress infront of me."

He gripped my jaw and softly jerked my head back over to look at him, forcing my eyes to meet with his. The focus in his eyes beamed down on me like a spotlight and I sat frozen in his gaze.

"Don't you ever acuse me of having an affair , Emilia Shelby. There is not another woman that walks this earth as good as you, understood ?"

"Can't you understand what this looks like?" I sighed.

"And can't you understand that I love you unconditionally ? More than any fucking thing in this world. I would kill for you , Emilia, just say the word. I would die for you if that's what you asked of me." He leaned closer , huffing a bit of air across my cheeks, "I would run to the ends of the world to make you happy."

"Then tell me who she is."

"I can't do that right now. But I can promise you she is not anyone you need to worry about , okay? Just please trust me." He pressed his lips into mine mixing the taste of whiskey and ciggerates across my mouth. I savored in his flavor before pulling back slightly.

"Fine."