One Night Stand (New Yorker III) (5 page)

Rich
knew what that look meant. Her desire hit him so hard he thought he would crumble
to his knees. “Give it half an hour. If you feed me, I will get my strength
back a lot faster.”

He
lifted her and set her on her feet. Rich frowned when he realized she still had
her underwear on. Her full breast was hidden away from him, and her panty
grasped the same ass that was in his hands a moment ago.

“How
did you manage to have sex with me when I still had my panties on?” She
chuckled as she walked past him.

“You
were demanding. I didn’t think you would appreciate the extra second it would
take to take them off.” He slapped her ass. “Dear God, that body is going to be
the death of me.”

Catalella
chuckled as she bent over.

“Don’t
move.” Rich hissed. He imagined himself sinking inside her from behind. He
shivered from the thought as his shaft begun to show signs of life.

“I
don’t want you passing out on top of me. I don’t think I could move you.” She
smiled at him as she picked up his T-shirt. “I’ll feed you then you can show me
what else you have in your hat of tricks.”

“You
promise?” He gave her a devilish grin as he pulled his pants up.

She
slipped the shirt on then walked back to him. She rose to her tiptoes and
placed a kiss on his neck. “I promise.”

“You
look so sexy in my shirt.” He groaned as he pulled her against him.

* * * *

They
lay on the floor, their breaths labored and their bodies spent and drenched in
sweat. Catalella laid her head on his shoulder as he held her hand.

“Dining
table, kitchen counter, sofa, shower then the carpet,” she tallied. “There’s
only one place left—the bedroom.”

“Uh-huh.”
Rich breathed out. “I’ve been saving that for last. I thought we could end this
suicidal sex marathon in bed and we could easily fall asleep after.”

He
realized he had invited himself to spend the night—actually the rest of the
morning—in her bed without asking. Rich didn’t want to be away from her. It was
nearly three o’clock and they had been at it for hours, and yet it didn’t seem
like it was enough. Was it wrong of him to want to spend every single night
like this, next to her, inside her and just holding her?

“I want
to hold you while you sleep,” he mumbled as he kissed her forehead. “I don’t
ever want to leave you. I want to spend the rest of my life like this. If I
could I would hold back the sun.”

“When
the sun comes up, you’ll find that you don’t want to be here anymore,” she said
as she sat up. Catalella grabbed his T-shirt and pulled it over her head.

“I do
not
lie
, my little orchid. I try to be honest with
everyone around me because I expect the same from them.” He sighed. “Sure, I
may leave some aspects of my life out, but that doesn’t mean I want to
intentionally hurt someone.” She didn’t seem to respond to him so he went on.
“You are beautiful and smart and sexy and wild and gentle all at the same time.
I can’t promise you much, but I can promise you that there isn’t anywhere else
I would rather be.”

“I’m
not wild,” Catalella
said,
a hint of despair in her
voice. “I used to be great company. But life happened. I stay away from
everything emotional. It’s better for me that way—I’m comfortable.”

“How
about we take it one step at a time?” Rich pulled her back in his arms and lay
down with her. “What is the one thing you have always wanted to do but kept
yourself from doing it?”

“Dance.”
Her response was fast and sure.

“But
you danced last night.”

“That
was the first time in years.” She chuckled.

“Do you
mind dancing for me now?”

“Like
what…
a strip tease
?”

“I
already got you stripped, but something like that.”

Catalella
stood up and rushed to the sound system that she never used. She'd only bought
it because the entertainment system filled a gap in the wall that left the room
unbalanced. The music CDs that she bought also served for decorative purposes.
She sat in front of the CD stand, staring at the music that seemed to stare
back at her. She hadn’t kept up with the latest tunes—she only bought stuff
Darcy or Lisette said was good.

“Beyonce,”
she mumbled to herself. “You can never go wrong with Beyonce.”

“That’s
true,” she heard Rich say.

She
grabbed the CD and scrolled through the list and, as if fate had intervened,
the song stared right at her…
Dance for
you
. She let it play as she ran into her bedroom.

“Where
are you going?” Rich shouted after her.

Minutes
later, Catalella already had the tune pegged and the lyrics in mind when she
stepped out.

* * *
*

Rich
had pulled his jeans back on, leaving his boxers off. He didn’t know what
exactly Catalella was planning, but the song itself already had him riled up.
When the lights suddenly dimmed his interest peaked and he took a seat in the
armchair, directly in front of the bedroom door. He sat up immediately
Catalella walked out of the room, her hips swaying from side to side. She
leaned on the wall as her hands moved up and down her hips, lifting his T-shirt
high enough for him to get a glimpse of the red lace. Catalella moved to the
lyrics, dropping and swaying.

She
moved towards him, light on her feet as if she were floating. Catalella sat on
his hips and began grinding on him. Rich dug his fingers into the leather
chair. He didn’t trust himself to let go once he had a hold on her. She seemed
to enjoy her seductive dance and he didn’t want to ruin it for her. But when
she pulled his shirt off, and the red lace that held her full breasts in place
was in plain sight, he couldn’t restrain himself anymore.

He rose
with her, holding her in his arms as he made his way to the bedroom. Every
single encounter before then had been rushed, but right now he wanted to take
his time.

“I know
we rushed the first few times. But I want to take my time now.” He set her on
her feet as he kissed her. But then he pulled back in a panic.

“What
is it?”

“Oh
shit, I don’t believe I didn’t think of this before. I’m such an idiot.”

“What
is it?”

“We
didn’t use protection.” He swore, angry with himself.

“Is
there anything I should be worried about?” Catalella asked, his worry beginning
to get to her.

“Except
getting pregnant, nothing,” he promised.

Catalella
sat on his lap and lifted his face so that he could look at her. She couldn’t
help but laugh. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I’m barren.”

“What?”
Rich was overwhelmed by the feeling of loss. He had just met this woman, had
mind blowing, incredible sex with her, a few seconds ago he was afraid that he
had knocked her up and now knowing that she couldn’t have his kids broke his
heart.

“You
don’t have to worry. The other reason my husband left me is because I’m half a
woman.” She laughed once again.

Rich
could hear the despair in her tone. The laugh was meant to hide all the pain
she was feeling. It was like she was laughing at herself and her misfortune.
“I’m sorry.”

Rich
froze when she kissed him. The desperation in the kiss was staggering. He
didn’t know whether or not he should kiss her back or talk to her. But when she
pushed her body against his as her kisses deepened he realized that she needed
something else from him. She wanted to forget and he was the only one who could
help keep her pain at bay at the moment. He laid her on the bed and took it
slow, making love to her till the early hours of the morning.

Chapter Four

Catalella
watched Rich as he watched her. His fingers doodled on her back and she could
tell he was waiting for something. Probably for her to spill her guts, but she
couldn’t handle any signs of pity.

“Don’t
feel sorry for me,” she mumbled.

“I’m
sad but I’m not going to pity you. I can’t stand it when someone pities me, so
I wouldn’t subject you to that.” He pushed her hair away from her face. “You
want to tell me what happened?”

“I was
eighteen and in love. So I married Michael. Four months later I found out I had
leukemia. The drugs fried my eggs and any chance of me becoming a mother, the
end,” she spat out.

“I want
the long version,” Rich insisted.

Catalella
sighed in defeat. She turned around and lay on her back, avoiding his eyes. She
pulled the sheets over her breasts and felt the bed dip as he also shifted.
What would be the harm in telling him? “I had to have a bone marrow transplant
and my sister volunteered. Everything seemed to be going great. I was in
remission and everything seemed to go back to normal. But I barely made it a
year before it was back, this time with a vengeance. The treatments became more
aggressive and I was getting sicker and weaker each day. That was when I
noticed that Michael had started growing tired of the whole thing. The doctors
asked if I wanted to freeze my eggs and have Michael fertilize them but he said
no.”

Catalella
dug her fingers into her hair as a tear rolled down her temple. “He wasn’t
interested in making any more plans with me. He thought I was going to die
anyway, so why bother? My brother finally returned from his ‘saving the world’
trip to save his little sister, but Michael dumped me before the transplant and
I decided to kill myself.”

She
felt his body tense and waited for him to give her the same sermon she had
heard a million times. But he said nothing. “Anyway, I got the transplant and I
decided to live my life for me. I poured myself into law school and became the
youngest senior partner in the firm. They gave me a fifty percent chance of
living, a one percent chance of conceiving a baby and that gave me a zero
percent chance of ever finding an emotional connection. I avoided any sort of
relationship and now, after six years of no sex, here you are in my bed.”

* * *
*

What
was Rich supposed to say to that? This girl was in no frame of mind for any
sort of relationship. She had to work on whatever demons she carried around in
her head and heart first. He noticed the scar next to her armpit and pressed
his finger on it.

“That
was where they had the chemo-port,” she said. “After weeks of poking and
prodding, my veins were too weak for anything so they administered all my
medication through a tube they put in there.”

“Did it
hurt?” Stupid question he chastised himself.

“Every
single second of every single day.”
She laughed. “But the pain reminded me that I was alive.
Sometimes the pain was the only reason I let myself fall asleep.”

“So if
you were so afraid of dying, why did you try to slit your wrists?” he asked,
surprisingly angry.

“I didn’t
slit my wrists. I’m too much of a coward for that.” She cleared her throat, and
he knew she was trying to rid herself of the emotion that was there. “I took an
overdose because I thought it would have been better for everyone if I wasn’t
around to hold them back.”

“You’re
an idiot,” he barked out.

“So
I’ve been told.” She chuckled once more.

“I
think that is what you should tattoo on your scar,” Rich said. He had always
tried to find meaning in everything. Maybe he could get her to do the same
thing. “Or you could write something like ‘I survived’.”

Catalella
turned to face him. She had tears in her eyes. Rich opened his arms and she
moved into them. He held her as tight as he could. His heart wrenched as he
listened to her sobs and her hitched breathing. He wanted to squash the pain
away with a single kiss, or stomp out the ferocity of the hurt that she lived
with each day, but he knew he didn’t have that power. All he could do now was
hold her.

“I
can’t do that because it would be a lie.” She gasped. “I try to make everyone think
that I’m all right. That I’ve moved on, but every single day I feel like I’m
trapped in that weak body at the mercy of some disease, at the mercy of
Michael’s hatred. I haven’t survived. I’m further from being alive now than I was
when I almost killed myself.”

“Hush,”
Rich said, unsure of how much of the pain he would be able to take.

Rich
woke up hours later when the sun came up. Catalella had cried for what seemed
like a solid hour. He felt sore all over…his body, his arms, and mostly his
heart. Rich wanted to stay with her but he knew all too well what grief could
do to a person. So many years had passed and she was still at the beginning. He
watched as she slept. She felt so natural in his arms but, as much as he told
himself he should stay, he knew that he should leave. She needed time to heal,
and being in a relationship that she wasn’t ready to accept would only hurt
them.

He
quickly pulled his clothes on and looked for a piece of paper and a pen. Rich
scribbled a note, hoping that she would forgive him, and she would see that he
wasn’t abandoning her. He was giving her time to heal.
Alone.

* * *
*

Alone.

That’s
how Catalella woke up when the afternoon rays broke in through her curtains.
Her hands reached out for Rich, expecting to find him there beside her, but her
hand came up empty. His side of the bed was cool, giving her the impression
that he’d been gone for a long time. She pulled the sheets around her and
peeked into her bathroom. It was empty and so were the kitchen and the living
room. His clothes were also
gone,
every single sign of
him disappeared.

Catalella
leaned against the wall and let her body slide to the ground. She pulled her
knees to her chest as she rocked herself back and forth. She was alone once
again, and what had possessed her the previous night wouldn't change anything.
Her head rose just in time to see a piece of paper fly across the room, pushed
by the slight wind coming from her open window. She dove for the piece of paper
and held onto it for dear life.

She
wiped the tears from her eyes and begun to read.

My little orchid,

I love watching you sleep. I
could wake up next to you every single day of my life, knowing the first thing
I would see is your face. But you have too much pain inside you. I can’t help
you with that, only you can do that. Don’t give up on yourself.

Survive.

Survive!
How was she supposed to do that? It wasn’t like he had left a survival guide by
her bedside table. Rich was gone and he hadn’t even left his number, just a
stupid note that asked her to survive.

Catalella
swiped the tears from her cheeks and she hardened her heart. She wasn’t going
to let him get to her. It was a one night stand and nothing else. But, if she
ever needed him, she knew where to find him. Plus he knew where she lived. But
there was this gnawing pain in her heart that told her he wasn’t coming back.
She had scared him off, given him too much information too soon. Just as she
made her resolve the phone rang. Hoping against all hope she dove for it, her landing
not as graceful as a gazelle, and hit her head against the bed post.

“Hello!
Hello
.” She wished she could hide the
desperation in her voice, but she couldn’t.

“Catalella,
is something wrong?”

Catalella
fell back on the bed when she heard her sister’s voice. “Nothing is wrong,
Lisette. What’s up?”

“What’s
up is that it’s almost one o’clock and you aren’t here yet.” Her sister’s
reprimanding voice pierced through the phone. Catalella held it a few inches
away from her ear. “You are supposed to be bringing Mama’s flowers and making
the tortilla’s.
Por
favor,
Catalella, you promised to stop
using work as an excuse for coming late. The weekends are for your family,
remember.”

“
Si hermanita lo siento.
I’m sorry,
Lisette. I’m on my way.” Catalella hung up before Lisette said anything else.

Catalella
shoved some clothes in a bag. She had already ordered the flowers and they would
be delivered to her apartment. She took a quick shower and donned a simple pair
of shorts and T-shirt. She stood in front of the mirror and groaned—a bruise had
started to form on her cheek and she didn’t have time to cover it up, so
instead she put on her sunglasses. She put a head band on her head to hold back
her wild hair. There was no time to tame it.

She
thanked God that her father had left his SUV behind. She hadn’t taken her BMW
to be serviced yet and the last thing she wanted were more delays. She met the
florist at the door. He had brought the bouquet of daisies for her mother and
roses for Lisette too.

She
drove to the Hamptons, pushing the car as fast as it would go without breaking
any limits. By the time she got to the estate everyone but Catalella seemed to
have already arrived. Even her doctor brother had managed to save a life and
get there in time for her family luncheon.

As
usual, her mother met her at the door with a blessing and a kiss.

“What
is this?” Her mother pressed her finger on the bruise and Catalella jumped back
with a yelp. “Did someone hit you? Have you been fighting?”

“That’s
your other daughter, Mama.” Catalella said with a kiss to her mother’s cheek.
“I bumped my head on the bedpost when Lisette called.”

“What
were you doing sleeping until this hour,
mija?”

Here
come the twenty-one questions. Catalella thought up her best lie. It hurt to
lie to her mother but she didn’t think dear Rosalinda Ross would want to know
what her youngest child had been up to the previous night.

“Rosa.”
Catalella smiled when she heard her father’s deep voice. “Can you interrogate
the girl when she’s inside the house?”

“Yeah,
Mama, it’s not like she was having sex.” Lisette snickered.

“Papa!”
Catalella hadn’t seen her
sister and hadn’t anticipated her attack.

“Lisette,”
her father said sternly.

“What,
Papa? All she does is work,” Lisette said as she winked at Catalella.

Catalella
groaned in frustration as she stomped into her father’s waiting arms. It was
like they were kids again. Lisette would pick on her and their father would
intervene. Adrian Ross was over six foot three with dark chocolate skin. AJ,
her brother, was the only one who resembled him, while Lisette resembled their
mother. Lisette and AJ were both children from different marriages and it was
Catalella who brought the family together. She looked like both her father and
mother. She often wondered how her parents had been able to merge this family,
especially with AJ, who was six at the time, and Lisette, five, being so headstrong.

“Peanut.”
Catalella chuckled when her brother’s booming voice bounced off the walls of
the house. He was the only one who called her that, because she was apparently
the smallest baby he had ever seen. That included his nephew and niece, both
from Lisette.

“If
it isn’t the soon-to-be groom.”
Catalella let her brother pick her up off the floor. “Where
is the unlucky lady?”

“In the
back with Lisette’s unlucky husband,” he chuckled.

“I need
to tell you something.” Lisette’s face took on an odd expression of regret.

Catalella
could almost hear the words her sister was about to say. She braced herself for
the painful punch in the gut they were about to administer. You would think
having gone through this twice before she would have gotten used to it. But
soon AJ would be announcing the birth of his own children and she would have to
go through the pain of that too. She needed a stronger backbone.

“Catalella.”
Lisette began tearing up. It
was harder for her to say the words than it was for Catalella to hear them.
“I’m pregnant.”

“Of
course you are.” She hated how hateful that sounded. Catalella smiled to hide
her pain. “When are you ever going to take a break?”

“This
is my last one. If Reno wants more babies he’ll have to carry them himself.”
Lisette laughed, wiping away the tears.

“Come
on, group hug.” Catalella bit back the tears as she waved in her family. “When
is the unlucky one joining this terrible family?”

“About
eight months.”

Catalella
felt her bottom lip tremble and they tightened the circle to give each other
hugs. She could feel her mother and her sister’s pain and to some extent their
pity. She bit down on her jaw to keep herself from crying out and cursing the
world at how unfair it had been. Instead, she let the her family's arms hold
her up as if they knew that all she wanted was to collapse on the floor,
broken. She had been broken every single day of her life.