Project Whores

Chapter 24

Earthquake. Kyle put his face in his hands. He did not want to look at Joice but he had no choice but to face her. This was definitely not how he wanted to tell her. She had not moved since he got out of the bed. As he was trying to figure out what to say, her phone vibrated. It was a text from Dante and it said 911. Joice was trying to gather her wits about her when the phone rang.

"Oh god, I hope everything is OK," she whispered, and pressed the button. "Hello," she said, cautiously. "Oh lord!" she exclaimed, and slapped her forehead. "No Dante, I'm fine. No, please don't be upset. I, I couldn't find the hotel you booked for me so I got a room here at the...." She looked at Kyle and shrugged. He gave her the pamphlet that was on the desk and she told Dante the name of the hotel. "Prudence booked it for me so no, you wouldn't see the charge. I am sorry for making you worry...I was just so exhausted..." Joice hung up with her fiancé and called Prudence. She got up and grabbed the pamphlet. "Prue, Dante is about to call you and ask about the hotel I am staying at in Dubai. No, but you know he will insist on putting the money back in my account." She read from the pamphlet. "Go online and book me a room here, like this instant. He's already calling? Well, book the room first, then call him back. Thank you, Prue."

Joice sat down on the bed and Kyle stayed at the desk.

"How in the world could I forget to check in to that hotel?" she said, more to herself than to Kyle.

They were both quiet for a long time, the impact their relationship was having on their other relationships starting to sink in. Finally, much to Kyle's surprise, Joice said, "Between you and me, we just told fifty lies to people who don't deserve that from us." She was about to say something else when her phone rang.

"Yes, Prue. OK, room number 415. Alright, I have it. Yes, I'll go check in right now. Well, just don't answer. I am about to turn my phone off, but I'm fine. Just email me if you need me. Thank you."

Kyle came back to the bed and sat down. "I kind of suspected you were married or had a girlfriend when I didn't hear from you while we were home," Joice said, sadly, her head bowed. Kyle drew a deep breath and said, "I had every intention of telling you but I... I just couldn't, I don't want to lose you, Joice. That's probably the most selfish thing I could say to you, but it's also the most honest."

Joice nodded. "So, that was your wife," she said, softly.

"Yes," he replied, more softly.

"I am an adulteress!" Joice proclaimed loudly, enunciating each word as though she were making some important announcement. Kyle looked at her, he noted her head was still bowed low. An adulteress? Who talks like that? He was about to say something, when Joice repeated somewhat louder, that she was an adulteress.

"Joice listen to me. I didn't tell you I was married. I take all the blame for this, you did not know," he said, touching her shoulder.

"And now that I do know? What do I do now?" she asked, pleadingly. Kyle was quiet. Good question. What could he possibly say to make this any better? "Mrs. Brewster is the only innocent person in all of this, Kyle. And what can be done now? What?" Joice was out of the bed and heading for the bathroom. Kyle could hear her crying and he didn't know what to do. All he knew was she had become an important part of his life and at least for now, he was going to try to keep it that way. He went to the bathroom door and knocked. Joice opened the door and Kyle put his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Joice, I, I know I should have told you... What do you want me to do?" he asked her. "Just tell me and I'll do it," he said, terrified of what she might say. She took his hand and led him back to the bed.

"Lie down please," she said, still sniffling. Kyle did as she asked. She turned off the television and all the lights and took off her tee shirt. She wants to have sex now? Joice lay on top of Kyle and positioned herself so that her head was on his chest, her mane of long black hair tickled him. He put his arms around her and she put them back at his sides. She turned her head sideways so her ear was directly on his chest and said, "I need to hear your heart and I need to feel it beating." Of all the things, Kyle had done with women in bed, this was by far the strangest. Then he thought about the woman that was lying on top of him, and it probably was not strange for her. She adjusted her body again, and Kyle began to get an erection. She looked up at him, squinting her eyes and frowning. "Stop it, Kyle," she said, sternly.

"Joice, I'm not doing it on purpose. What do you expect? You're lying on top of me naked," he said, incredulously. "I am not doing it for sexual reasons. I feel weak and vulnerable and for some reason, hearing your heartbeat has a calming effect on me," she explained, quietly. "You know, of all your body parts this," she took her finger and pointed it in his chest, "is the only part God is concerned with. The heart cannot lie. It can only feel what it feels." Joice put her head back down on his chest. "I do this all the time, it's just that you're usually asleep when I do it," she said, matter-of-factly.

"You lay on top of me naked when I'm sleep?" Kyle asked, totally baffled by this woman.

"No, I just lay my head on your chest and listen to your heart beat. You look like a little boy when you're sleep," she added, and smiled up at him. Kyle shook his head. Joice rolled off him onto the bed and once again, lay her head on his chest. "I would like to leave you alone... I most certainly should leave you alone. I should go and check into the room my daughter booked for me," she declared, on the verge of hysterics. Please don't, he thought, but dared not utter. They were both quiet for a long time after Joice's declaration, neither of them sure of what to say after she spoke such truthful words.

"But can I?" she asked desperately, breaking the silence and climbing back on top of him. Joice hugged him tightly, then pushed herself up until her face was aligned with his. "Can I?" she whispered, looking in his eyes and rubbing his forehead with her hand. She put her mouth on his, then raised her head and hypnotized him with those piercing eyes, like a cobra doing her dance. Joice kissed him again and lay her cheek on Kyle's so that her mouth was on his ear. "I'm in love with you," she whispered. He loved her honesty; there was just no game in her. She put everything on the line and opened her heart to him, even though she knew he had not been honest with her. But she seemed to sense he meant her no harm, and that even though this was turning out to be way more complicated than either of them bargained for, he would not hurt her.

Kyle put his arms around her and said, "Hmmm... What are we gonna do about this?" He rubbed her back and whispered just as she had, "See, this presents a serious problem, because I'm in love with you too." She began to whimper. "But I'm married, Joice," he said, struggling to control his emotions. "If I was really honest with you, I would tell you I've been in love with you since the first time you came to my room." More like when I first saw you at the PX, he thought to himself. She rubbed his face and kissed his forehead, then began to cry again.

"I am not usually an emotional person," she said, tearfully.

"I meant what I said earlier," Kyle said, hating what this was doing to her, but knowing he could no more leave her alone than he could stop eating food, "whatever you want me to do, I'll try to do."

Joice lifted her head so that she was looking down at him, and in the absence of words, her expression conveyed what his heart hoped she would say. Relief flooded his soul as he held her tighter and murmured, "Thank you, I need you, Joice. I need you so much..."

When the tears finally stopped, Joice lay back on the bed next to Kyle. "You are so fine; you know that?" she asked, sniffing. "I could just look in your eyes and rub your face for the rest of the day." She grabbed her phone and took a selfie of the two of them lying in bed. Kyle wondered how in the world he let this happen. He was lying next to the sweetest, kindest woman he had ever met, and she'd just entrusted him with her heart. She had his from day one. He would just have to find a way to work this out, but no matter what he did, all of them would be hurt...

She took another picture and said, "I better go check in before Dante is on a plane headed to Dubai."

"I'll go with you," Kyle said, getting out of bed.