Paradise Wild (17 page)

Corrine woke with a splitting headache. Rain was blowing into her room through the open windows. She jumped out of bed and raced to Michael’s room. But his windows were closed against the downpour, obviously Florence’s doing.

Michael was still asleep, so she quietly closed the door and moved sluggishly back to her own room. She shut her own windows, then pressed her palms to her temples and grimaced against the throbbing pain.

Too little sleep, she reasoned, and too many upsetting thoughts—that’s why her head ached. Why had she let her meeting with Jared upset her so?

She had forgotten how handsome he was. She had lain awake much of the night, recalling his touch, their wedding night, the wild pleasure he had given her. Most disturbing, she knew that if he had walked into her room last night, she would have welcomed him.

Florence knocked on the door and poked her head inside. “You’re up? Good.” She came into the room without invitation. “I wanted a word with you before Michael woke and demanded your full attention.”

“Yes.”

“Maybe you will tell me now what was the matter with you and Russell last evening?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. You both came home and both went to your separate rooms without a civil word to me. Did you have an argument?”

“I’m not really sure.” Corinne shrugged. “You see, we met Jared.”

Florence frowned and took a deep breath. “And?”

“To be sure, it wasn’t very pleasant. Jared and Russell almost came to blows. But fortunately, I persuaded Russell to leave.”

“Well, don’t stop there,” Florence said with impatience. “Did you and your husband fight?”

“Yes, and I’m afraid I lost my temper.”

“I was afraid you would.”

“Well, how should I feel about Jared after all he did to me? And last night he called me a whore.”

“What did you expect, my dear? You deliberately made everyone think you were a—” Florence faltered and grew red, unable to say the word. “—an immoral woman,” she compromised. “Did you believe he wouldn’t think the same?”

“I never really considered what he would think of me, only that he would be humiliated by what others thought,” Corinne admitted, her eyes troubled.

“It bothers you, doesn’t it?”

Corinne’s chin came up stubbornly. “Why should it? I’ll never see him again, so his opinion isn’t important.
I
know the truth about myself, and that’s all that matters.”

“Then why did you lose your temper?” Florence demanded, a wise look in her hazel eyes.

Corinne bit her lip. “I guess I was stung by his bitterness. And surprised. He had no right to condemn me after all he’s done. I was only getting even with him.
He
was the one who started the whole thing. He used
me for revenge, then left me to face the shame of desertion. The blackguard underestimated me if he thought I would let him get away with that!”

“Cori, you’re losing your temper again,” Florence warned. “If you don’t lower your tone you will wake Michael.”

“Oh, Jared just infuriates me so!” she said in exasperation. “He had the audacity to demand I call it quits and leave here. He didn’t ask me, he told me! He didn’t say one word about being sorry for what
he
did. Not a word of apology. He only criticized me for what I’ve been doing—what he thinks I’ve been doing.”

“Well, I hope you told him you will be leaving,” Florence replied.

“No!” she snapped. “I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. I told him I like it here.”

“Cori, enough is enough.”

“I know,” Corinne answered in a subdued voice. “I had already decided to leave. In fact, I will check out of the hotel today and withdraw my money from the bank. I was just too angry to tell Jared that. Let him be uncomfortable a little longer, while we wait for a ship.”

“Thank heavens you’ve come to your senses!” Florence exclaimed.

Corinne smiled. “Besides being bored with the whole affair, I just can’t handle the pretense anymore,” she admitted finally. “I keep running into the men I’ve taken up to that hotel suite, and they keep pressuring me to fulfill my promises. I can’t put them off anymore.”

“The Lord knows it was a dangerous scheme to begin with,” Florence reminded her. “You could have found yourself with an ardent rogue not willing to wait. Then what would you have done, my dear?”

“Screamed for help, what else?” Corinne laughed, then added, “I was never worried about that, Florence.
Everything went smoothly. I would waltz through the lobby of my hotel with the gentleman of the day, take him to my room and ply him with wine, avoid his advances, and then make my excuses. I always promised he would find his wildest pleasures the next time. It was really so easy. Each man left with a smile of anticipation, and anyone who saw him leaving would assume he had already gotten what he wanted. Men being men, not one of them would admit defeat and say they had struck out.”

“Men being men, it’s lucky you were able to pull it off,” Florence told her sternly.

“Well, I did,” Corinne said smugly. “Now I can go home. I just hope I can avoid those men I used when I check out of the hotel today. I have really run out of excuses for why I won’t see any of them a second time.”

“Should I go with you?”

“No, you have to watch Michael. I’m not about to let him be seen by anyone. He has too many of Jared’s features, and I can’t take the chance of someone jumping to the right conclusion about him and spreading a rumor that Jared has a son. If I run into any of my so-called lovers, I will just have to hope further excuses will suffice.”

“Take Russell with you, at least,” Florence suggested. “Then there won’t be any problem.”

“Russell will drop me off at the hotel. But then I want him to go and see about a ship. Now that I’ve made up my mind to go, I want to get it over with quickly. I’ll just hide out here until we sail. No more parading. No more taking the chance of seeing Jared again. Once was enough.”

Florence looked closely at Corinne’s expression. “He frightens you, doesn’t he?”

“When he’s angry, yes,” she admitted grudgingly. “But only because he’s so damned unpredictable.”

Florence understood a bit too clearly. “You underestimated him before. You should have remembered that before you came here. It pays to learn from past mistakes.”

Corinne wondered. Did she have good reason to fear Jared? She mouthed a silent prayer that the big man’s rage would remain dormant until they had sailed.

The young Hawaiian attendant in bright floral shirt and flappy white trousers hailed a waiting carriage and put Corinne’s few things inside. He sheepishly avoided looking at the beautiful
wahine
who tapped her foot impatiently. He knew who she was—she was the talk of the entire hotel. But the young boy didn’t believe half the things they were saying about her, she who always had a smile of thanks for him whenever he helped her.

He knew her husband, too, had seen him this morning when he came to the hotel. So he knew why the lovely white-skinned lady was not smiling now, why sparks were shooting from her dark green eyes. Why did he have to be the one standing idly in the lobby when the manager ordered her bags taken out? He somehow felt personally responsible for her anger.

Corinne sat stiffly on the edge of the seat in the enclosed carriage. Her hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly in her lap. She was at a complete loss.

She had walked through the expansive lobby of her hotel, overly crowded today because of the rain. The commotion she caused amused her, women stepping well out of her way as if she were diseased, men trying to catch her eye. She had been on her way to her suite
to pack the few belongings she kept there when the hotel manager stopped her.

Before she could tell him to prepare her bill, he informed her quietly that her suite was no longer available. Corinne’s green eyes opened wider with every word the manager spoke. He explained that her luggage was already packed and waiting for her, that her bill had been paid in full, and that she was no longer welcome at the Royal Monarch.

“And what is the reason for this?” she had demanded, daring the cowardly little man to tell her that her scandalous activities had warranted this action.

His reply was the last thing she expected to hear. “Your husband has threatened to wring my neck if I allow you to stay here another day.”

Now Corinne glared out the carriage window at the pouring rain, not really seeing the swaying palms lining the streets, or the elaborate houses. She had come to look with delight on the profusion of color everywhere, each house with its own unique garden—not formal, but with flowers and plants everywhere, framing houses and walkways, covering porches, hanging from roof edges. Bright colors were everywhere, but today Corinne wasn’t seeing anything.

She was not aware that they had reached the center of Honolulu until the carriage stopped before her bank, the destination she had given the driver. Her eyes still blazed as she approached a teller, and she was too preoccupied to notice the surprise on the man’s face when she handed him her account book and asked for her money.

“There must be some mistake, Mrs. Burkett.”

The middle-aged teller with the gold-rimmed spectacles had her complete attention now. He had called her
Mrs. Burkett. How did he know she was married? She had opened the account as Miss Corinne Burkett.

“What mistake?” she asked with growing alarm. “I have come to withdraw my money.”

The man’s surprised look turned to one of consternation. “But we don’t have your money any longer, Mrs. Burkett. It was withdrawn this morning.”

“By whom?” she demanded, though she needn’t have asked. She knew.

“Why, by Mr. Burkett,” the man explained.

Corinne tried to control herself. She pointed a trembling finger at her account book.

“Do you see his name on that book beside mine? How dare you release my money to him!”

“He is your husband,” the man said lamely.

“How do you know that?”

Now the poor man began to sweat. “I had no reason to doubt his word. We know Mr. Burkett quite well here. He is a competitor of ours. He and his uncle own a Savings and Loan down on Fort Street.”

“I don’t give a damn what he owns!” she stormed, not caring anymore about the attention she was getting. “You had no right to give him my money!”

“If he is not your husband, then we have indeed made a mistake and I assure you the law will be called in. But if Mr. Burkett is your husband, then your money is also his, and he has the right to withdraw it.”

Corinne turned abruptly and stormed out of the bank. “Take me back to Waikiki, and quickly!” she shouted at her Hawaiian driver.

“Da hotel we just come from?”

“No. There is a new one being built on the beach. Do you know where it is?”

“Sure t’ing, lady,” he grinned. “I got one cousin
work dere. Plenty work he says. Long time ’fore dat hotel finish.”

She ignored his comments and got back into the carriage for the long drive back to Waikiki. A few blocks past the hotel that had evicted her was the shell of a new hotel under construction. By the time her carriage stopped there, it was already late afternoon. The rain had stopped and the sun was out. But the effects of the storm were still on the ground, and Corinne had to trudge through wet sand to reach the building.

Corinne stopped to look about the area for Jared, but she didn’t see him. A monstrously tall Hawaiian of slim athletic build appeared to be in charge. She had never seen a man so tall before, and was almost reluctant to approach him and interrupt his work. She became even more reluctant when whistles and lewd remarks came her way. Construction came to a standstill. All the workers watched her approach.

The tall Hawaiian turned to see what was distracting his men and scowled when he saw Corinne. He noted her rich dress of copper silk, the matched parasol opened to block the sun, the dark-gold hair under a stylish hat, the pale whiteness of her skin. A
malehine
, probably lost, and a stunningly beautiful one at that.

He moved towards her and blocked her way. “This is a restricted area, miss.”

Corinne had to raise her head to look into the Hawaiian’s dark eyes. “I’m looking for Mr. Burkett—Mr. Jared Burkett. Is he here?”

The Hawaiian was a bit surprised. “Jared didn’t come in this morning. I’m Leonaka Naihe, his foreman. Perhaps I can help you.”

Corinne showed her disappointment. “Only if you can tell me where I might find my husband, Mr. Naihe.”

His brows raised. “Mrs. Burkett?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” she answered bitterly. “Do you know where he is?”

“You might try his office on Merchant Street. Or his home on—”

“Yes, I know where his home is,” she cut him off impatiently. “Thank you.”

Leonaka watched her leave and let out a slow whistle. So that was Ialeka’s promiscuous wife. Why hadn’t he brought her home with him when he returned from the mainland? And why did she come here to flaunt her lovers in his face? Leonaka wished he knew what was going on. But he just couldn’t bring himself to ask.

The red-orange glow of the setting sun lit the sky on the leeward side of the island as Corinne’s carriage pulled off Beretania Street into the private lane of Jared’s large, impressive house. She had already gone to his office, only to be told by an Oriental clerk that she had just missed him. Her temper was at fever pitch.

Her breasts, swollen with milk, were very painful. She pressed her palms to them to keep the milk from dripping as it sometimes did when she went this long without nursing Michael. Fortunately she wore a tight binder, but she wasn’t taking any chances, and pressed harder to be sure the flow stopped before she stepped carefully out of the carriage.

For the fifth time that day, she asked the driver to wait for her. If Jared were not at home, she would have to give up for today. She hurt so badly that she almost considered doing that anyway. But her need to vent her anger was greater than the pain in her breasts or her exhaustion. Florence would have fed Michael anyway by now.

Before Corinne could pound on the front door of Jared’s house, the door opened and she stared into the blue-gray eyes of her husband. He gazed at her with a
triumphant gleam. A slight mocking curve to his lips incensed her beyond caution, and she took a step closer to him and raised her hand to strike.

Jared caught her wrist and held it in an iron grip. “I wouldn’t try that again if I were you,” he said in a deep drawl. “I just might hit back.”

Corinne tried to get her hand loose, but he pulled her into the house and shut the door before releasing her. She turned to look at him. She had so many vile names to call him that she hardly knew where to begin.

Jared laughed. “I expected to see you much sooner today. Couldn’t you find me?”

He didn’t wait for her to answer but walked past her to a long bar in the living room and poured himself a tall glass of punch, then added a generous amount of rum. He was dressed in cream-colored pants and a white shirt, opened halfway down his chest. His casual attitude was making Corinne livid.

“Cur!” she hissed, coming further into the room.

Jared chuckled deeply. “You’re a fine one to be calling anyone names, dear wife.”

“You’re despicable!” she gasped, her face turning redder as she looked about for something to throw at him.

How she needed to hit him, to hurt him. But Jared anticipated her intent when she went after a vase of flowers on a nearby table.

“Oh, no,” he said warningly. “Either you behave yourself or I’ll have to restrain you.”

Corinne ignored the threat and hurled the vase at his head. Flowers and water were strewn across the room, but the sturdy vase crashed harmlessly against the wall behind Jared. She didn’t see the fury on his face as he started after her. She was too busy looking for another weapon.

Before she could get her hands on a potted plant in a window nook, Jared had grabbed her from behind. He threw her down on the sofa and stood with hands on hips looking down at her sprawled form, silently daring her to get up.

“I should make you clean up that mess, damn your green eyes!” he growled at her. “Now, you came to me this time. If you’re ready to talk, do so. Otherwise I will lock you in a room upstairs until you decide you can behave decently.”

“You can’t do that!”

“When are you going to learn that I can and will do anything short of murder? You should have realized that by now.”

The rascal really would, she thought furiously. She sat up, straightened her dress, then fixed the hat that had tilted to the side of her head.

Jared moved back to the bar. “Would you care for a drink?” he offered, as he picked his up and leaned his back against the bar. “You really should have listened to me last night, Corinne. You could have avoided this.”

“What have you done with my money, Jared?” she asked in a calm tone.

“It’s in my account.”

“Where?”

“That doesn’t matter, since I made sure you can’t draw on the account,” he replied smoothly.

It was all Corinne could do to keep the rage out of her voice. “You had no right to do that. You
stole
my money!”

“What’s yours is mine. Or have you forgotten you’re my wife?” he taunted her.

“You swore you wouldn’t touch my money!”

He shrugged. “So I lied. You should have remembered that I don’t always play fairly, Corinne.”

“But you should have remembered the signed paper I possess, stating that you will not at any time exert your will over mine or interfere with anything I do You’ve done just that today.”

“So?”

“So?” She couldn’t understand his calm. “If you think I won’t take you to court over this, then you don’t know me at all, Jared Burkett!”

“Oh, I think I know you well enough,” he grinned “You’re just like me. You can’t stand to let someone get the best of you.”

“Jared, I—”

“That ridiculous paper you had me sign isn’t worth a damn here.”

“What?” she gasped.

“Find yourself a lawyer and see for yourself. You’re in Hawaii, Corinne, and though we’re near to bursting with Americans and they have been conniving for year to have us governed by the United States, we are still a sovereign kingdom with entirely different laws.”

Curse it all! Why hadn’t she thought of that?

Suddenly the full meaning of what he said sank in and she shivered. The extent of his power over her was frightening. He could probably do anything he wanted to her, and the law would protect him because he was her husband.

Jared watched her changing expressions closely an grinned. “You do understand now, don’t you?”

He was lording it over her. God, how she hated him.

“I understand, Jared,” Corinne said coolly as she stood up and raised her chin proudly. “I understand you are beyond contempt. Keep my money if you want
it so badly. I still have enough cash and jewels to last me until my father can send me more.”

Jared sighed. “You have missed the whole point, Corinne. I don’t want your money. I never did. I want you off this island. As soon as you decide to give it up and go, you will have your money back.”

Why couldn’t she tell him that was what she wanted too? Why did she have to feel such defiance?

“I won’t be forced to leave, Jared,” she said stubbornly. “I won’t be forced into anything.”

Jared’s eyes darkened to a dusky gray. “That’s too bad, because I have had quite enough of your whoring about town, no matter what your reasons are. You’re going out of circulation, Corinne, one way or the other.”

“And you’re going to hell!” she yelled furiously. Realizing she had no control over her temper, she whirled and ran from the house.

If he thinks he’s going to put a leash on me, he has lost his mind, she thought angrily as she ran along the walk in front of the house. He can’t tell me what to do! He can’t!

Before Corinne reached the waiting carriage, Jared caught up with her and swung her around to face him. She was still too angry to be frightened and struggled to get away, losing her parasol and purse in the process.

“Let go of me!” she screamed, beating at his chest with her free hand.

“You’re staying here, Corinne, until I decide what to do with you,” he said coldly.

“I will when you’re in hell!”

Corinne tried kicking at him, but only succeeded in losing a shoe. Her hat fell off and her golden hair tumbled down into her face, momentarily blinding her. In the next instant, she found herself tossed up over Jared’s
shoulder, her glorious long hair hanging down to drag on the ground. Her breasts had hit against his hard back and the pain from the tender swelling was excruciating.

“Help!” she suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs. “Help me!”

“Be quiet, Corinne, before I really give you something to scream about,” Jared hissed. “No one is going to come to your aid.” To the driver who sat watching the scene in amusement, Jared ordered, “If my wife left anything in your carriage, bring it inside and I’ll pay you for your trouble. She won’t be needing your services anymore.”

Jared started back to the house. Corinne sank her teeth into him. She heard his yowl of pain and her satisfaction was so great that she didn’t care what he did—until he tossed her to the floor.

She fell just inside the door, bruising her shoulder as she landed. Jared stood over her with one hand pressed to his wound, his eyes smoldering.

“You damned bloodthirsty vixen! I ought to thrash you for that!”

“Go ahead,” she cried defiantly. “It doesn’t matter. You are already the lowest, vilest beast. Go ahead and beat me. See how much more I can hate you!”

But when Jared reached down, she shrank away. He grasped her wrist and yanked her to her feet, then dragged her up the stairs.

She held back with all her might when she saw the blood soaking the back of his shirt where she bit him. He would beat her for that, she knew he would. Was she really at his mercy because a piece of paper said she was his wife? Could he do anything he wanted to her and get away with it? The answer was terrifying.

At the top of the stairs was a long corridor. Jared opened the door of the second room he came to and
pushed her inside, then slammed the door shut and locked it from outside.

Corinne pounded on the door. “You can’t do this, Jared!” she screeched and pounded again.

But he had done it. She heard him walk away. Swinging around, she looked at the room she found herself in. It took a few moments for her to calm down. She located a lamp and lit it.

It was a large room, masculine in appearance, done in dark blues and browns, suede, leather, and heavy brocades. Jared’s bedroom? She inspected further, carrying the lamp with her. A large armoire revealed a man’s wardrobe—suits, shirts, robes, and shoes and boots along the floor. Another door led to the newest kind of bathroom, with a carved marble tub and a sink with crystal faucets.

She caught her reflection in the mirror that covered one entire wall and gasped at her dishevelled condition. Her dress was wrinkled terribly, she had lost two buttons at the top of her bodice, her hair cascaded down her shoulders in a mess of tangles, and she wore only one shoe.

The pain in her breasts was unbearable, and the pressure Corinne applied to stop the flow didn’t help anymore. She hobbled back to the bathroom and locked the door from the inside.

Every movement made her breasts throb and she slowly removed the top of her dress to let it hang to her waist. Gently, she squeezed the milk from her breasts. What a waste, she thought bitterly. She should be home with Michael, feeding him this abundance of milk.

The process was long and tiring, but eventually she found some relief, though not enough. She still needed Michael. By morning, she would need him desperately.

Corinne bound her breasts tightly again and fixed her dress, then went back into the bedroom, taking the lamp with her. It was completely dark outside now. A cool breeze blew in through the open window. She went to stand there and let the fragrant air refresh her. Carriages passed on the street before her, filled with unknown people unaware of her plight. She suddenly felt sick with apprehension and exhaustion.

Hours passed. Corinne sat in a comfortable stuffed chair by the window and waited. The headache she had had that morning returned. Her stomach grumbled, and her shoulder hurt. The longer she waited, the more she forgot her fear. Her anger grew to near bursting.

When the door finally opened, it was all Corinne could do not to race at Jared and scratch his eyes out. He stood there with a tray of food in his hands, her lost shoe tucked under his arm, an unreadable expression on his face. “Are you hungry?”

She didn’t answer, but he brought the tray into the room anyway. “I would have come sooner, but I had a difficult time explaining that mess in the living room to Soon Ho.” She showed no curiosity, but he explained anyway. “Soon Ho takes care of me here. He cooks, cleans the house. He’s really remarkable.”

Corinne remained silent, seething. She watched his every move through narrowed eyes. After he set the tray down and tossed her shoe on the floor by the bed, he faced her, frowning sternly.

“Are you just going to sit there killing me with your eyes, or will you come and eat?”

Her sudden peal of deep, throaty laughter played on his nerves. “I wish to God my eyes could kill.”

“I’m sure you do,” he said curtly and moved to light another lamp.

Corinne stared at his back, noticing that he had
changed his shirt. She also saw the faint outline of a bandage beneath it. She hoped the wound pained him. Better still, she hoped it would get infected. Perhaps he would die of blood poisoning. The thought brought a wry smile to her lips.

Jared sauntered back to the cherrywood table and picked at some fruit pieces in a bowl on the tray. Corinne frowned. Was he going to ignore her now?

“You know you really can’t keep me here, Jared,” she said in a calm, practical tone.

“Yes, I know,” he answered coolly. “But you won’t mind staying here just one night, now will you?”

“What’s the point, if I can go in the morning?”

“You’re not going in the morning. I agree I can’t keep you here in this house. You would have to stay locked in this room indefinitely. In the morning, we will leave for the country.”

“The country?” she asked in alarm. “You mean the other side of the island?”

“Yes. I can at least leave you there without worrying about you causing any more scandal. It’s far enough from Honolulu to keep you out of trouble.”

“I won’t go!”

“I’m not giving you a choice, Corinne,” Jared said calmly.

She began to panic again. He was taking her away from her baby!

“Look, Jared.” She tried to keep the fear from her voice, but he could see it in her eyes. “I lied to you last night when I said I liked it here. I had already decided to leave. I was just too angry to admit it. Russell even went to the harbor today to see about a ship. The first one that sails, I will be on it.”

“It’s too late for that, Corinne.” He came to stand
before her, his eyes inscrutable. “You had your chance to leave, but you refused.”

“What do you mean?”

He smiled down at her. “I have decided I want you to stay after all.”