Marriage of Convenience (3 page)

Denzel smiled at her and raised his hands up, palms out, deferring to her judgment. “I’m all ears, dear. You’ve got this banged out already. Tell me how it works.”

Gloria smiled back, grateful their marriage had developed into such an understanding partnership.

“Well, we have several issues to address.” She paced their bedroom as she spoke. Denzel stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom attached to the master bedroom. He’d showered after their workout and was dressing for the evening. “Do you mind if we push our reservations?” She was intent on solving this problem, and she had yet to take a shower. Admiring his naked back, she was disappointed she’d missed an opportunity to shower with him; she’d been too preoccupied with Malcolm’s situation to consider the possibility. She’d have to rectify that soon.

“Not at all. We can do something here instead.”

“You’re a doll.” Gloria winked at him and turned back to the bed. “Now, we don’t know of any prospects, and we don’t have much time. Even once we have prospects, we still need to make introductions, get to the heart of things, and then make wedding arrangements.” Gloria sat on the edge of the bed, nibbling her lip. She was talking more to herself than to him.

“All right, first things first. We need candidates.” Inspired, Gloria rolled across the width of the bed to her bed side table and pulled out her telephone book. She had an iPhone that could carry all her personal information, but she was old school and preferred to keep her contacts on paper. Flipping through the pages, she lay on her stomach, her brow knitting together as she considered her options.

“Shall I cancel our reservations altogether?” Denzel leaned out of the bathroom door. “I don’t want to get dressed if I can enjoy pizza at home.”

Gloria glanced at the clock on the side table and then back at her address book. She rolled onto her back, put her hands behind her head and pulled her knees up, regarding her husband to the side.

“Would you mind?” She smiled wide. “How about we open a bottle of wine, order a pizza, and play matchmaker? Who knows? Maybe all the talk of Malcolm getting lucky will lead you to getting lucky, too.” She fluttered her eye lashes at him and let her knees fall open, welcoming him between her legs.

Denzel whistled wolfishly and threw the hand towel to the floor. Crossing the room in three strides, he climbed onto the foot of the bed and crawled between his wife’s legs. He kissed her calf. He kissed the inside of her knee. He kissed her inner thigh. He gently bit her crotch. Denzel nuzzled her left breast and gently nibbled her bottom lip. Slipping his tongue between her lips, he felt her warmth.

“Shower with me,” she said against his mouth.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Denzel lifted her from the bed and carried her to the bathroom, stepping out of his pants and underwear as he went.

In the bathroom, he slid Gloria down his body till her feet touched the floor. The air was still moist and warm from his own shower. Pressing her against the wall opposite the double sinks, he raised her shirt above her head. She’d already shed her sports bra, leaving her breasts free and ready for his touch. Holding her gaze, he cupped her left breast in his hand and let the tips of his fingers rub gently across her hardened nipple. Gloria closed her eyes and gasped at the pure pleasure of her husband’s touch. He was good with his hands. Very good. She sank her fingers into his shoulders to steady her weakening knees.

Wedging his knee between hers, Denzel slid his left hand between her legs even while his right hand continued its exploration of her breast. He pulled gently on her nipple at the same time he pushed down her pants. She stepped out of the pants, careful not to discourage either hand from its mission.

Her stomach began quivering with a need that was as intense as anything she’d ever felt.

Denzel lowered his head to her breast while slipping his hand insider her panties. Leisurely stroking the beaded nipple with his tongue, Denzel eased his fingers into her sensitive flesh. Blood pounded in her ears as he began to stroke her intimately. She wasn’t sure what was sending her over the edge faster, his mouth or his hand. She released a soft sigh as he raised his mouth to hers and intensified the tempo of his stroke.

She tightened her grip on his shoulders and called out his name when a shudder ran through her, shaking her to the core. She could barely stand, and her mind was void of any conscious thought except the intense pleasure rippling through her.

Malcolm? Malcolm who?

Her breath ragged, she protested his abandonment as he stepped away from her.

“All good things come to those who wait.” Turning the knob on the shower faucet, he pulled her into the shower to stand in front of him. He brought her close and lifted her off her feet.

“Wrap your legs around me, love,” he said in deep, husky voice. “I love holding you, touching you. I can’t get enough of you.” Denzel nuzzled her ear and pressed wet kisses to the side of her neck. Gloria smiled, enjoying his attention. He cupped her bottom and pulled her more firmly to him. A soft moan escaped her lips as she enjoyed his touch.

She did what he asked, and before she could register what he was about to do, he swiftly entered her. Water poured over them, blurring their vision and soaking their hair, but nothing could have stopped him from backing her up against the tile wall and pumping in and out of her like a man pushed over the edge.

He grabbed hold of her hips as they cradled his pelvis and drove deeper into her as his body exploded, forcing himself to hold still while feeling her muscles clench around him. She dug her fingers hard into his shoulders and arched into him.

Though he was totally drained, he clearly wanted his body to remain connected to hers. He braced his legs apart to keep her pinned to the wall.

As the water cascaded down over them, Gloria wrapped her arms around his back and held him to her. Holding him this way, and sharing these moments always made her feel warm, loved. There was no place she’d rather be and no one else she’d rather be with.

She felt his body getting hard inside her again. He reached over and turned off the water. With her body still joined to his, he stepped out of the shower.

Grabbing a thick towel off the rack, he wrapped it around them as they left the bathroom. He reached the bed, and they tumbled onto the covers. Holding his gaze, Gloria waited for him to settle between her legs. She raised her hips to encourage him, and he began moving inside her, thrusting in and out of her with long, leisurely strokes. He leaned closer and mated his tongue to hers. A hot flare raged through her, uncoiling in her stomach as he increased his rhythm. Gloria heard herself cry out his name as he tilted his head back and bucked harder, bringing them to their climax simultaneously. She kissed his shoulder and nibbled his neck as he slowly lowered himself onto her.

“You’re wonderful,” Gloria said, tracing the curve of his spine with her fingertips, enjoying the little shudders that rippled through his body. She let Denzel roll her onto her side. He molded her backside to the front of his body. Spooned together, she snuggled into his body and let her thoughts wander.

Shivers passed through her body. Her husband had always been an attentive lover. He thought of her need first and followed with his own. Snuggling closer, pressing her bottom against his hips, she appreciated this to no end. She smiled at the thought and fell asleep to the soft, snoring rhythm of Denzel’s breathing.

“What were we talking about before we got distracted?” Denzel looked genuinely puzzled as he perused the pizza menu.

They’d risen only a half hour after making love and were famished.

“I feel like it was important, but I’m drawing a blank. Cheese and mushrooms, please.” Having placed his order with Gloria, he waited for her to finish entering the information into the order form on the computer.

“Really?” she asked, smiling as she hit the order button. “Malcolm has to be married by Sunday.”

“Wow. That totally escaped me. So what do we do? I know you have this solved.”

“I wouldn’t say solved, but I have a few ideas.”

“Spill it. Wait!” he said before she could start. “I can’t pawn my brother from another mother out on some woman I probably don’t know without some liquid courage.” They sat at the island in the kitchen. He reached above their heads to the wine rack and selected a Shiraz. Gloria gathered two glasses from the other side of the hanging display and placed them in front of him.

Denzel tugged on the cork and poured a taste into the glass. He swished the liquid and smelled its aroma. Tipping his head back slightly he allowed it to run around his mouth. Satisfied with its body, he poured two glasses.

“All right, ready. Shoot.”

Gloria smiled at him over her glass.

“I have identified some women I think are great. We set these women up on a quick run of getting to know you dates, and he chooses the best one.”

Denzel studied his wife’s face. She seemed pretty sure of herself.

“But let’s say he chooses the one he likes best, but she doesn’t want to get married. She wants to take it slowly, blah, blah, blah. Then what? We haven’t solved the problem.”

“Well, there’s the kicker. When I invite the women to meet Malcolm, I will have to tell them what’s really going on. As far as his having to get married. Now whether he tells them the whole story or not is up to him. But at least we’ve expanded his pool of potential wives exponentially.”

The door bell rang, and Gloria excused herself after commanding him to think it over.

She returned with pizza in hand.

“Well?”

“I guess, sweetheart.” Denzel reached for the box, opening the lid to expose the steaming pie. “Let’s do it.”

“I don’t know. It sounds … desperate.” Malcolm paced his office, his head cocked to the side holding the phone to his head as his hands flipped through a chart.

“You are desperate!” Gloria exclaimed on the other end. She’d explained her idea to him, with Denzel offering peanut gallery comments from a second handset, but Malcolm was hesitant. “What’s the problem?”

“What happens if I don’t like any of them? Then I’ve put all my eggs into this one basket and still have nothing to show for it come Monday morning.”

“Well, at least you would’ve had some eggs and a basket to put them in! At the rate you’re going, you won’t even have made it to the market. What do you have to lose?” Gloria let out a low exasperated hum.

“Besides, man, it’s not like she’s going to set you up with just anyone. It’s a risk, but you couldn’t ask for a woman with better judgment or with cuter friends.” Malcolm rolled his eyes and thanked the universe Gloria was involved in this charade so he didn’t end up with a woman simply because she was tall, blonde, and buxom.

Malcolm had spent the better part of the afternoon ignoring his dilemma and organizing files. He was now faced with an option. No, the option because there were no others. He sank onto the couch and stretched out his legs. Why not?

“All right. What do I need to do?”

His question was met with a shriek of excitement.

“Leave it to me! Join us for a late dinner tonight, and I’ll outline the details.”

Malcolm wasn’t sure if the sinking feeling in his gut was from the cold leftover pizza he’d consumed or from the prospect of having to meet and marry a woman he didn’t yet know in seven days.

Gloria had presented him with a small stack of manila envelopes as he’d come through the door. The prospects, she’d called them. He was instructed to preview them and provide feedback.

He’d knocked out two based on age. He didn’t think he wanted to be confused for his wife’s father. He eliminated another because he couldn’t identify any areas of commonality. They say opposites attract, but there were complementary differences and then there were awkward silences. The awkwardness of the situation already concerned him. He’d struck out number four due to what Gloria called physical incompatibility. Denzel had expressed disbelief. Didn’t every man enjoy a D cup? No.

Down to the last two, he wasn’t sure he should limit himself further.

“Perfect,” shouted Gloria. “It’s Monday. You’ll have time to see each one at least twice before you propose. That won’t leave much time for a rehearsal, but it will probably have to be small, and lots of people skim right over it anyway, so Saturday will be the big day. Perfect,” she said again.

Perfect? How about disastrous? Overwhelming? Definitely frightening. But Malcolm smiled and nodded his affirmation of the plan. Perfect.

They’d been sitting around the kitchen island, sipping wine as they’d discussed the matter. Malcolm stood and stretched his long, lean legs. The drive from the City to Connecticut hadn’t been busy. He’d left after rush hour. Nevertheless, he felt cramped and tired. He walked to the sink and leaned against it, looking out the window letting in the setting evening sun. He didn’t see the lush green grass or the oaks shading the patio. He looked passed the gazebo and the sparkling pool water to the hedge on the backside of the property. He felt cornered. He wanted, no, needed, the inheritance. He had a dream to fulfill. It weighed on him as an obligation. No one put pressure on him—he did that well enough on his own. But the issue was of the utmost importance. More important perhaps than much of his day-to-day work at the hospital. He needed to follow through.

But if he didn’t take this seriously, would he be creating a home life reminiscent of the one he experienced growing up? Would he be placing a woman in the same situation his own mother had been unable to escape? Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of his mission?

Shaking his head, he made a decision. He turned to Gloria. “I appreciate what you’ve done for me. You know that. I knew when we first spoke that you’d be the one to help me see through this. But I can’t do it this way.”

“But you haven’t—” Gloria slumped in her chair, and her face fell.

Malcolm held up his hand to stop her words. “I think it’s important that whomever I marry have an opportunity to express herself and make decisions as well.”