Open Door Marriage (22 page)

* * *

Tori ran to the bathroom and braced herself against the cool edge of the porcelain. It was one thing to know that the two of them made love, but seeing it was …

“
Tori?
”

She looked at his reflection in the mirror.

“
Dallas, I can
’
t talk right now.
”
She shook her head.
“
So y
’
all are fucking every single day now? Whatever happened to building a friendship first?
”

“
Done,
”
he said simply. And the sound of finality was like a hammer blow to her heart. He stepped closer to her.
“
I
’
m so sorry. We
’
ve tried to be careful. I thought you wouldn
’
t be home until later.
”

She turned and glared at him.
“
I got off early.
”
She struggled to keep more tears from escaping. If this was her idea, and she knew they would be making love, why did it hurt so much?

“
You told me you loved me. When you accepted my proposal, you said you loved me.
”

He was quiet for a minute, then,
“
I did. I mean, I do.
”
He pulled his robe tighter around him.
“
It
’
s just not the way a man should love a woman when they
’
re getting married,
”
he admitted.

“
When did it change for you?
”
she asked softly.
“
When did I no longer matter.
”

He sighed heavily.
“
You always mattered. It
’
s just that
. . . well, when you started planning for the wedding, it opened my eyes. With everything with your mother
—
shit, I felt like I was in a threesome already. I want
ed
the old Tori. The Tori who knew what her life was all about and didn
’
t need some bitter woman to tell her what to do.
”

Tori let the tears escape freely.
“
Dallas, the way you are with Alicia …
”

“
I
’
m sorry you had to see that,
”
he whispered.
“
But the schedule said you weren
’
t supposed to be home until four hours from now.
”

“
I told you, I got off early.
”

“
You do that a lot, you know,
”
he said.

She whirled to face him.
“
I don
’
t know what you mean.
”

“
You give Alicia one time to put on the schedule, but I
’
ve noticed that lately you come in at a totally different time. Almost like you
’
re trying to catch us doing exactly what we were doing.
”

Tori
’
s lips parted and closed, and a flash of something lit in her eyes. Finally, she looked up at him.
“
W
hat it is about being with her
—
I mean, besides sex
—
that appeals to you so much.
”

That wasn’t a real answer
, but Tori was too hurt right now for him to call her on it.

“
W
hat could you possibly have in common?
”
She didn
’
t wait for him to answer.
“
Sometimes I think that you
’
re just hanging on to her to teach me a lesson.
”
]

“
That
’
s not it at all.
Why can
’
t you just believe that I love her?
”

Tori shook her head as if that were impossible.

After a few silent moments, Dallas asked,
“
Are you sure about this, Tori?
You can call it off at any time
...”

“
No,
”
she said before he could finish.
“
We
’
re going to do this.
You and I are going to be married.
I
’
m fine,
”
she said as she turned away and stomped out of the bathroom.

Dallas waited a couple of seconds wondering just how much more would Tori be able to take?
How much more would any of them be able to take?

Chapter 23

Thursday, December 20
—
6:07 p.m.

“
We need to talk,
”
Dallas announced as he slipped into the space across from Tori at the dining room table in their condo.

James Mitchell
’
s gaze swept over him, and Dallas met the old man
’
s look measure for measure. The man had no right to judge him. He could blame Bernice all he wanted for their financial problems, but James had also committed his own mistakes. The man had a
major
gambling problem and that was the reason Tori
’
s family was in serious debt.
So he wasn
’
t going to take a dressing down from James about something that didn
’
t concern him. Especially from a man who kept inviting himself to this home, flying to Dallas as if it were just down the street from Chicago.

Tori
’
s eyes narrowed in Dallas
’
direction, but it was Alicia who stretched a hand across the smooth ebony surface of the dining room table and placed it on his arm and asked,
“
What
’
s wrong?
”

He removed her hand from his arm and clasped it within his hand.

“
Bernice called my agent,
”
he answered with a pointed look at Tori.
“
She wants a million or she
’
ll sell a story about us to the press.
”

Tori jumped up from the table nearly knocking over the vase of flowers.
“
What?
”

James grimaced as he let loose with a string of curses.

Tori rested her fingertips against her temple. Her perfect white teeth held her bottom lip prisoner.
“
But I gave her
—
”

Dallas
’
head whipped to her, his left eyebrow raised. Tori quickly clamped down on the rest.

James sighed with impatience.
“
I guess we shouldn
’
t be surprised. She
’
s losing a husband. She
’
s been cut off from spending Dallas
’
money
…
”

Dallas smirked at Tori, who quickly averted her gaze.

“
And she doesn
’
t have a place to live anymore.
”
James shrugged as though the issue was of no serious consequence.

“
What are you going to do?
”
Alicia asked.

“
I
’
m filing a police report,
”
Dallas
replied
.
“
Blackmail is a felony.
”

James helped himself to an apple from the fruit bowl that Alicia made sure stayed on the dining room table.
“
Do what you gotta do. She brought it on herself.
”

“
Please, don
’
t,
”
Tori said, reaching for Dallas
’
other hand.
“
Let me talk to her first.
”

“
She never listened to you before,
”
Dallas replied evenly.
“
What would make her change this time?
”

“
Why can
’
t you just give her the money so she
’
ll go away?
”
Tori asked.

Dallas looked at her for a long while, pissed that Tori would be so cavalier with his money.
“
If I give her a million, next time she
’
ll want more. You know how these things go.
”

“
But what about me?
”
Tori snapped, looking at each person sitting around the table.
“
Suppose she does talk? Do you know what
’
s going to happen when people start talking about the fact that you chose an older woman over me?
”

“
Seriously?
”
Dallas said, frowning down at her.
“
That
’
s all you
’
re worried about?
”

“
Well, I meant, chose my own aunt over me.
”

Dallas leaned back in the chair.
“
Let
’
s say I do pay. There
’
s no guarantee that Bernice still won
’
t run her mouth after
she gets the cash
.
”

“
Don
’
t turn her in.
”
Her soft brown eyes pleaded with him.
“
Just give her a little something, and she
’
ll be all right.
”

“
What do you think?
”
he asked Alicia, whose wry twist of the lips showed exactly how she felt about this turn of events.

“
Don
’
t ask
me
a question about saving
her
,
”
Alicia answered.
“
If she was on fire, I
’
d toss in some lighter fluid to keep it going.
”

Dallas let out a low whistle.

James cleared his throat, clearly holding back harsh words, but keeping his focus on Alicia.

“
But she
’
s my mother,
”
Tori shrieked when no one said anything for a while.
“
You can
’
t send her to jail!
”

“
And she
’
s trying to hurt you
—
for money!
”
Alicia shot back, staring Tori down.
“
The way her old trifling ass ran through James
’
money, even a million more wouldn
’
t last. Dallas has sense enough to realize that. And she doesn
’
t care about that cash you
’
re slipping her under the table,
”
she said.
“
She
’
s already hurt you in front of your family and now, she
’
s ready to do it in front of the world.
”

“
And you
’
ve done a hell of a lot worse,
”
Tori countered.
“
But you don
’
t see us putting
your
‘
old trifling ass
’
out to pasture. Now do you?
”

Seconds ticked by. The silence between the two women was unsettling. Then there was a sudden movement. Dallas was out of the chair and intercepting Alicia before she made it to the door.
“
Alicia, you
’
re not going anywhere.
”

Alicia snatched away.
“
I
’
m not doing this shit, Dallas!
”

“
Baby, don
’
t,
”
he whispered so only she could hear.
“
You can
’
t keep running.
”

“
So, I need to stay here and endure this?
”

“
It won
’
t be much longer.
I
’
m sure we
’
re going to find a house that you like soon.
And who knows, maybe she
’
ll was
h
her hands of this before then.
”

Looking over her shoulder, Dallas didn
’
t miss the flash of envy in Tori
’
s eyes, but what concerned him was that he also saw a spark of something cold in James
’
eyes.

Dallas escorted Alicia back to her seat at the table and said,
“
So we
’
re in agreement?
”
He looked first to a stone-faced Tori, then to Alicia.
“
Bernice doesn
’
t get paid.
”

Alicia nodded.

“
I didn
’
t agree to that,
”
Tori replied with a haughty lift of her chin.

“
Two out of three is the majority.
”

“
But I
—
”

“
Might want to get used to it, Tori,
”
Dallas said, causing her to pout.
“
Majority rules in an open relationship. Bernice doesn
’
t see one dime of that money.
”

Tori sulked as she slid down in the seat.

James glared at all of them but lingered on Alicia as he said,
“
I think I need a drink.
”

Tori made a beeline for the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels and two glasses as Dallas grumbled,
“
Man, don
’
t get them started.
”