Simply Complicated (18 page)

“Are you okay? I apologize for getting you so upset,” he said.

“It is not your fault—can we just go?”

He paid the bill and they left the restaurant. During their drive back to her hotel, he told her that being with her in Chicago were the best moments of his life.

“I’m falling for you and I’m not sure what to do with my feelings. But I don’t want to add to your confusion,” he told her.

She could tell that he was sincere and therefore decided to tell him the full story about why she was involved with Jake again.

“I have something I need to tell you. I didn’t reveal the real reason Jake and I started seeing each other again. Everything I told you at the restaurant is true. I just didn’t tell you that he proposed to me and I accepted.

“I’m so sorry for not being forthcoming with you earlier but I wasn’t sure how or when to tell you,” said Camille.

Paul didn’t know what to say. “Do you love and trust him enough to marry him?” he asked.

“I do love him but I’m not sure if I can trust him to be faithful,” she replied.

“If that’s the case, why did you agree to marry him?” asked Paul.

Camille hesitated before answering. “At the time I said yes, I trusted him to be faithful. Since then, I’m starting to have some doubts.”

“So wait a minute. You mean to tell me that you’re engaged to him and he stood you up for someone else.” Paul said.

“He assured me that he wasn’t out with another woman,” she said unconvincingly.

“And you honestly believe him?” he questioned.

“No I don’t,” she replied.

“Then why are you still making plans to marry him?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I guess I am foolishly in love,” she said.

Paul turned and looked over at her.

“I know the feeling. I’ve been in love with you since we first met. The moment I looked into your eyes, I knew we were meant for each other. I would never treat you like he does. You are a queen and should be treated as such. You don’t deserve to be treated like this. I hope one day you will realize that you deserve to be happy and respected,” Paul said, gazing deeply into her eyes.

“Paul, I don’t know what to say. I know Jake does not treat me right and I know I should have never agreed to give him a second chance,” Camille said as tears filled her eyes.

Paul gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, “Don’t cry, baby. I promise you things will work out. When you’re ready to leave, I’ll be here waiting for you.”

“You are a wonderful man and I’m so glad you’re in my life,” she said, smiling despite her despair.

“How do you feel about packing your things and coming to stay with me at my house? I want to show you how a lady should be treated. If you’ll allow me, I want to please you in every way possible. Can you trust me?” he asked.

“Yes, I can trust you.”

“Good. Now let’s go and get your luggage. I promise if you trust me you will experience feelings you’ve never felt before. I want to take you to a place of ecstasy. I want to give you pure unadulterated pleasure beyond your imagination. I want to totally and completely please you.”

Just the thought of what he had in mind turned her on. She started getting sexually aroused. She began imagining what he wanted to do to her, with her. She wanted and needed to feel loved and wanted again.

When they arrived at his house he took her by the hand and escorted her into his bedroom. He told her to lie down until her bath was ready. He then prepared a bath for her and lined it with small white candles.

Once the tub was filled, Paul went into the bedroom and started gently undressing her. As he slowly pulled down her stockings she cooed in anticipation. He then unhooked the clamps of her garter and began inching down her panties. She sighed deeply, which started getting him aroused.

“Are you okay, baby?” he asked.

“Mmmmm…yes I am,” she moaned.

Once he pulled down her panties and skirt, he gently unbuttoned her blouse and began to lightly caress her breast. After removing her blouse he unsnapped her bra and she gave a slight sigh.

After she was completely undressed he began caressing her, starting with her inner thighs, then her stomach, all the way up to her neck; he touched every part of her as he worked his way up her body.

Once he made it to her lips he kissed her passionately and then picked her off the bed, carried her into the bathroom, and placed her in the steaming tub.

As she reclined in the bath he began washing her, starting with her back and ending with her toes. As he caressed each part of her body, he gently kissed it, which made her coo and moan even more.

After bathing her for thirty minutes he helped her out and carefully toweled her dry. He then carried her back into the bedroom and laid her across the bed where he continued to take care of her.

As he rubbed oil across her body he expertly massaged every inch of her. Camille could not help but make sounds of pleasure and enjoyment.

When he started rubbing her inner thighs and the surrounding area, she experienced a sensation she had never felt before; she moaned louder and sharply inhaled.

“That’s it, baby, relax and let go. Let me please you,” Paul said.

“Oh Paul, something’s happening to me,” she said as she involuntarily sighed.

“That’s it, let it go. It’s natural. Go ahead and release it. It’s okay. Wow baby! That’s it,” he said as he watched her flow.

“I’m so embarrassed. That has never happened before. I don’t know what’s going on,” she said shyly.

He smiled broadly, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Come here baby. Let’s get under the covers. You are a queen and you need to move to a spot that’s not wet.”

Once they were under the sheets, he made love to her in ways she never imagined. She knew that the next few days in Los Angeles with him were going to be the most amazing days she had ever experienced.

For the first time in years she felt special and loved. She could tell by the way Paul treated her that he was in love with her. And to her surprise, she was starting to fall in love with him as well.

Eventually, Camille had to return to Chicago. Paul told her that he didn’t want to see her leave. He asked if she could stay a few more days. She really needed to get back although she desperately wanted to stay.

When they arrived at the airport, she kissed him goodbye and thanked him for giving her the best three days she had had in a very long time.

“If you’re willing to give us a chance, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure every day is special. Remember, you are a lovely and attractive woman and you deserve to be treated with respect,” he said as he hugged her.

“Thanks again, Paul—for everything. You really are special to me and you’ll always have a place in my heart,” said Camille as she kissed him passionately before stepping out of the car.

He got out to help her with her luggage and reminded her that she deserves to be treated like a queen.

After checking her luggage and getting her boarding pass, she realized that she had not checked her voice messages. She wondered if Jake had called. She was surprised that he had called her three times. All three messages were left the first day she arrived in L.A.

“Hey baby. I miss you. I’m just calling to see if you arrived safely. Give me a call,”
he said in his first message.

“Hey Camille. I’m just checking to see if you had received my earlier message. I guess you’re staying at your usual hotel so I’ll try and reach you there,”
was the second message.

“Hey Camille, give me a call. I called the hotel and they said you had checked out. What’s going on? I hope you’ll call,”
he said in his last message.

Camille wasn’t sure what she was going to tell him, if anything. She decided that she would call him once she returned home. While flying back to Chicago, she had a lot to think about.

She felt foolish for believing that Jake had changed. And yet every time she was ready to give up on him, he would say something to change her mind.

When she arrived home, she checked her answering machine and there were several messages from Jake; the last message was from Paul.

In all of Jake’s messages, he asked what was going on. He left a lengthy message telling her that he was sorry for not appreciating her and promised to get better. He asked about the engagement party and told her to call him.

He didn’t know that she had cancelled the engagement party. They were supposed to finalize everything the evening he stood her up. She decided that she would call him back later.

Instead, she called her girlfriend Candace to see how she was doing and to talk to her about Paul. She asked Candace to come by her place later so they could continue talking. After speaking with her, she called Paul to let him know she made it home safely.

When Candace arrived at Camille’s house, she wasted no time drilling her about what she was going to do. “So Camille, what is going on with you? You need to get your head straight. I’m starting to worry about you going back and forth between relationships with Jake and Paul,” she said.

“I assure you that I won’t get serious with Paul until I’ve figured out what I’m going to do about Jake. Paul is a wonderful man and I don’t want to hurt him.

“While I was in Los Angeles, he catered to me and took such good care of me. I’m starting to fall for him,” she confessed.

“And I repeat. What’s going on with you? What is this hold that Jake has over you?” demanded Candace.

“I don’t know. Don’t you think I’ve asked myself that very question a thousand times?” she said.

“Okay. Let me ask you this. Is he being faithful to you?” Candace questioned.

“Don’t get me started on that. Before I went to Los Angeles, we were supposed to go out to dinner to finalize the engagement party. He stood me up,” she said, trying not to cry.

“What? You didn’t tell me that. I can’t believe this. Is that why you suddenly left for Los Angeles?” Candace asked.

“I wanted to tell you but I knew what you would say. I wasn’t in the mood to hear you say I told you so. And yes, that’s one of the reasons I left for Los Angeles. I needed to get away,” she replied.

“Camille, when are you going to wake up? He only treats you this way because you let him. You need to stop letting him disrespect you like that.

“When you finally took a stand and left him, you were feeling better about yourself. You were more focused and damn sure weren’t crying all the time,” she said in a scolding tone.

“I know you’re right. That’s the same thing Paul told me. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I never thought I would stay with a man who treats me this way,” sobbed Camille, tears rolling down her face.

“Come on girl, don’t cry. Everyone has one relationship at some point in their lives in which they find it difficult to let go. Love does have its blind side,” she said.

“What do you mean?” Camille asked.

“Think about it. When you meet someone and fall in love, you are unable to see their faults or you choose to ignore them because you’re so in love.

“When those faults start creating problems for the relationship, you’re so blinded by your love that you fail to see the obvious—that the situation has become unhealthy because those very faults now outweigh the relationship.

“In your case, you love Jake so much that you are unable to see that his unwillingness to be faithful and treat you with the respect you deserve has become very unhealthy for you,” said Candace.

Camille couldn’t stop crying. She knew what she needed to do but she felt she wasn’t strong enough to do it. Candace spent most of the evening consoling her friend, reassuring her that everything would work out at the end.

Meanwhile, Jake was at home trying to figure out why Camille hadn’t called or tried to see him. He suspected that she was back in town and thought she had forgiven him for standing her up the night before she left for Los Angeles.

He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to call her again but didn’t want to seem desperate. Just when he was about to call one of his many female friends, she called him.

“Hey. What took you so long to call me back?” he asked.

“Candace came over to talk to me about something very important and it took longer than we expected,” she replied.

“How was your trip?” he asked.

“It was great,” she said.

“So, what time is the engagement party this weekend and how many people are we expecting?” he asked.

“What are you talking about?” she said snidely.

“What do you mean, what am I talking about?” asked Jake.

“Don’t you think it’s strange that you don’t know any of the plans for our engagement party? The date was changed and it was scheduled to take place in two weeks. Anyway, it doesn’t matter because I cancelled it the night you stood me up,” she replied.

“I didn’t know the date had been changed and I definitely didn’t know it was cancelled. Why didn’t you tell me? I told a few of my friends it was going to be this weekend,” he said with an attitude.

“What exactly did you tell them, considering you and I never talked to finalize anything? You knew that the evening you stood me up we were supposed to go over all the details. It wasn’t important to you then, so why is it so important to you now?” Camille retorted angrily.