Authors: Natasha Rostova
The Naked Truth (5 page)
‘Maybe I’m
tense
because I can never get you to talk to me,’ Callie said.
tense
because I can never get you to talk to me,’ Callie said.
‘We’re talking now, aren’t we?’
‘Yes, I just . . . oh, never mind.’ Callie grabbed an apple from the basket and split it open with a knife.
‘I’ll be going to Boston next week for a couple of days,’ Logan said. ‘I think you scheduled a dinner with the Andersons, but I won’t be able to make it.’
‘I’ll cancel, then.’
‘There’s no reason why you shouldn’t go without me.’
‘I said I’ll cancel. I can’t stand the Andersons anyway.’
‘You’ve been rather disagreeable lately, haven’t you?’ Logan asked.
Anger suddenly seared through the ice inside Callie, overflowing with a sudden, tumultuous energy.
‘Yes, well, have you given any thought to the reasons why I might be disagreeable?’ she snapped. ‘That maybe it has something to do with the fact that you never listen to me, or that you make love to me as if I were a goddamn statue?’
Logan levelled an even look at her. ‘Well, this is new.’
‘It’s not new. It’s been like this for three years, and I’m tired of it.’
‘Callie, if you want something, all you have to do is ask.’
‘Logan, the only thing I want is for you to – to express yourself.’ As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Callie wished she could take them back. They hung in the air, sounding stupid and trite.
‘Whatever your sister has told you, I wish you’d ignore her.’
‘This has nothing to do with Gloria!’ Callie cried. Her blood pulsed furiously, intensified by his sheer unwillingness to respond. ‘Why do you always blame her? You can be such a fucking idiot sometimes, Logan. This has to do with you and me. No one else.’
‘Callie, I don’t like scenes. I wish you would compose yourself.’
‘Dammit, maybe I don’t want to,’ Callie snapped. ‘We are not the most communicative couple on the planet, in case you haven’t realised that.’
‘Is there something you want that you don’t have?’
‘I said no. I only want our marriage to work.’
‘Are you unhappy?’
‘You’ve given me everything I could possibly want except one thing.’ Tension squeezed her so tightly she felt as if she might crack.
‘What is that one thing, then?’
‘You, Logan! Don’t you get it?’
Logan’s expression hardened. ‘Callie, I don’t appreciate these childish displays.’
Callie’s frustration exploded. She slapped him as hard as she could, unable to prevent her emotions from taking a desperate, physical outlet. Logan’s head jerked slightly before he stood and walked away from her, his eyes as cold as ever. The air thickened between them like acrid smoke. Callie knew then that she had to leave or suffocate.
As Callie closed and locked her suitcase, she couldn’t believe she was actually doing this; that she was leaving Logan Waterford. At the same time, she knew it couldn’t be any different. The tight, confined space of her husband’s life was squeezing out her spirit like toothpaste from a tube.
She picked up the suitcase and descended the stairs, hating the tomblike stillness, the eerie shadows. She had no idea how Logan would react to her departure, but then she had never been able to read his emotions or predict his responses. She possessed no deeper knowledge of him now than she did when she first spoke her vows.
After calling a cab, she hurried outside. The night air was hot and slightly thick, laden with moisture from the Savannah river. Nerves clenched in Callie’s stomach as she hurried outside the mansion gates to wait for the cab. Even though Logan was hundreds of kilometres away on business, she half expected him to come after her there and then.
‘Where to, miss?’
Callie climbed into the car with her suitcase. ‘Taylor, please,’ she said.
The driver nodded and headed through the historic centre district in the direction of Gloria’s home. Callie stared out of the window at the darkened streets, illuminated by the ghostly yellow tinge of the streetlights.
The driver pulled up in front of Gloria’s renovated Edwardian home. Although it was past midnight, squares of light burned in the windows. Callie tensed at the thought of her sister’s reaction, since Gloria had always considered herself to be responsible for Callie.
Callie paid the driver, then used her key to enter the house since she didn’t want Gloria to cause a scene on the doorstep. And Callie suspected that a scene was imminent. She found her sister in the study, curled up on the couch in a ruffled silk robe with a box of Belgian chocolates by her side and a martini in her hand. As Gloria watched an old James Bond film playing on the television, her fingers eased up the filmy material of her gown and began stroking her inner thighs.
Callie cleared her throat. She really didn’t want to know how far her sister’s obsession for James Bond went. ‘Hello, Gloria.’
Gloria blinked and quickly pushed her gown back over her legs. ‘Callie! What are you doing here?’
‘I’ve left Logan.’ Callie put her suitcase by the door and approached her sister. Saying the words aloud suddenly made them seem real. ‘I’ve actually left him.’
Gloria sat up, her perfectly plucked eyebrows shooting almost to her hairline. ‘You must be joking.’
‘No.’ Callie sat down, twisting her hands in her lap. Adrenaline surged through her blood along with a sick feeling at the thought of what Logan would do when he discovered she had gone. ‘He’s out of town for a few days. I didn’t leave during the day because I didn’t want the help to know about it.’
‘Well, this is so very modern!’ Gloria’s sprayed hair fairly quivered with shock. She reached for the martini shaker and poured herself a refill. ‘I didn’t think you were serious the other day. I mean, I knew you two weren’t entirely compatible, but you can’t possibly leave him.’
‘Gloria, I already have,’ Callie said. ‘I can’t live with him anymore.’
‘Did you have a fight?’
‘No. Logan never really fights. He just dictates.’
‘What does that mean?’ Gloria downed her martini and plucked out the olive with her long fingernails.
Callie gave an exasperated sigh. ‘You know Logan, Gloria. He’s so . . . so controlled. I never know what he’s thinking.’
‘And that’s why you’re leaving him?’ Gloria chewed on the olive and began to pace the study, waving a hand in front of her face as if she were about to faint. ‘Because you never fight?’
‘No.’ Callie didn’t even know how to explain her reasons for wanting to leave her husband.
Gloria stopped and put her hands on her ample hips. Her lips curved upward. ‘Don’t tell me he’s not passionate enough for you. I’ll bet that man could make me come just by looking at me the right way.’
‘Well, he certainly isn’t very adventurous. Sex is always the same with him. He touches me as if I were made of glass.’
‘Did you discuss this with him?’
‘I tried, but it’s not exactly the kind of thing you can discuss with Logan.’
‘This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,’ Gloria said. ‘You must be going through some sort of phase. You need a drink.’
‘I don’t need a drink.’
‘You can’t leave your husband, Callie! What will people say?’
‘Probably “Thank God she finally left him so I can snatch him up for myself,”’ Callie replied wryly.
She was only half joking. The ladies of Savannah society had never made a secret of their admiration for Logan Waterford, nor their surprise over the fact that he had deigned to marry Callie Bennis.
‘And you’re going to let them?’ Gloria screeched, throwing her hands up. She reminded Callie of a rather plump, rather drunk bird flapping her wings with impotent fury.
‘I don’t care about them,’ Callie replied. ‘Besides, I was only acceptable by my association with you, and they never really thought I was appropriate for Logan. After all, he’s one of Savannah’s most reputable citizens.’
‘That’s my point!’ Gloria went on. ‘And he married
you
! You can’t possibly walk away from him now.’
you
! You can’t possibly walk away from him now.’
Callie leant her head against the back of the chair and let out her breath in a long sigh. ‘I know I’m doing the right thing, Gloria. I know it.’
‘The right thing according to whom?’
‘According to me, who else?’
Gloria’s lips tightened into a thin line. ‘That’s selfish of you, don’t you think?’
‘Gloria, I don’t know the man I’m married to!’ Callie said in exasperation. ‘I don’t even really like him.’
‘Well, what about me?’
‘What about you?’
‘This doesn’t bode well for my reputation, either, you know!’ Gloria snapped. ‘After all, I’m family, too. I even introduced you to Logan.’
‘Good, now you can go and marry him,’ Callie retorted. She scowled and plucked at a loose thread on her jumper.
‘Well, now what are you going to do?’
‘I don’t know,’ Callie admitted. ‘I haven’t given it much thought. I just knew I had to leave.’
‘When did you make this momentous decision?’
‘Last week. I’ve been thinking about it for some time, though. I swear, Gloria, I was stifling in that marriage.’
‘Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Callie,’ Gloria said. ‘You’re just feeling sorry for yourself right now. You’ll soon realise that you can’t leave Logan. Your reputation will take a beating, but not his. Everyone will pity him, but they’ll think you’re either crazy or a tramp.’
‘I don’t care what people think. I need to think on my own for a change.’
Gloria shook her head, biting down on a lavender-tipped fingernail. ‘I can’t believe this.’
Fatigue settled like dust in Callie’s bones. ‘Gloria, can I stay here for the night?’
Gloria sighed. ‘You can stay here until you come to your senses.’
‘No, just for one night will be fine.’ Callie had already made arrangements to live in the flat above Nebula Arcana. No one knew about her job there and certainly no one would find her. She didn’t even want Gloria to know where she would be staying, since Logan would probably go to her sister first.
‘Then where are you going to go?’
‘I’m not sure yet.’
‘Callie, I’m not going to let you leave if you don’t have a place to stay!’
‘Gloria, I’ll explain everything tomorrow. I’m really tired.’
Gloria tugged the filmy robe of her gown over her large breasts. ‘All right, come upstairs. You can sleep in the guest room. We’ll discuss this tomorrow when you’re feeling more like yourself.’
Callie didn’t even bother to argue. She followed her sister upstairs and into the guest room. ‘Where’s Ted?’
‘He’s in our bedroom, sleeping.’ Gloria turned down the eiderdown and went to open one of the windows. She shot Callie a sly smile. ‘I wore him out.’
Callie wasn’t surprised to hear that. Gloria had always possessed a voracious sexual appetite, and her recent marriage apparently hadn’t curbed it. Against her better judgement, Callie asked, ‘Doing what?’
Gloria laughed. ‘Let’s just say that I have a new, little toy I decided to try on him.’
Callie raised an eyebrow. ‘A dildo? On Ted?’
‘A dildo on Ted. Believe me, he loved it.’
‘I thought men were squeamish about that kind of thing.’
‘At the beginning he was a little nervous but, once he got used to the idea, he thoroughly enjoyed it. He even begged for more.’
‘Really?’
‘Mmm. Men are much more adventurous than you’d think.’ Gloria put her hand on her hip and surveyed the room. ‘I think you’ll be comfortable here. There are clean towels in the bathroom.’
‘Thanks. I appreciate this.’
‘Well, I’m helping you out because you’re my sister,’ Gloria said. ‘But I’m not happy about what you’ve done. I do hope you’ll come to your senses soon.’
‘Goodnight, Gloria.’
With a little sniff, Gloria turned and swept out of the room.
Callie went to the window and stared out at the moonlit night. A heavy, knotted oak tree stood in the garden; a tree that looked as if it were growing from the very centre of earth itself. Constant, immovable, dependable, unchanging. Just like someone she knew.
Gloria closed the door to her bedroom and flipped on the light, ignoring the sleepy protest of her husband. He shifted in bed amidst a tumble of pillows, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the light.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Callie is here.’
‘Callie?’ Ted yawned and rubbed his eyes, flopping back against the pillows. ‘What’s she doing here?’
‘She’s left Logan.’ With a little grunt of indignation, Gloria sat down on the side of the bed. ‘Honestly, Ted, that girl is so capricious sometimes.’
‘Why did she leave Logan?’
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