She woke up with the sunshine greeting her from the panoramic windows of her bedroom.
She felt disoriented for a while, wondering how she got home. Her curtains and blinds were always drawn closed when she was sleeping. Who let the light in?
Then her sluggish neurons went back to their right channels.
She bolted up in a sitting position.
Oh. My. God.
She looked down her front and grabbed the comforter to cover her nakedness. She groaned and covered her face.
She lay down again as memories of last night came back. Vivid, raw flashbacks of her and Ray.
She closed her eyes tighter.
Was it real?
Did they really make love?
Her broken heart didn't want to believe, but her body was telling her otherwise.
She could feel the telltale signs.
Her muscles ached. Her entire body felt so sensitive and yet there was a languidness in her bones that wanted her to sleep all day in satiety.
And right there, between her legs, she felt the nagging tenderness.
It was real.
They made love last night.
But where is he?
She caught sight of a pink tulip lying at the foot of her bed. It was her favorite flower. Her room had vases of colorful tulips everyday. One of her caprices.
Her heart filled with a tidal wave of joy she was almost overwhelmed by it.
She knew he had placed it there.
He had not forgotten last night.
He was thinking of her.
Her tears welled up.
Oh God.
Her heartache the past month felt like heavy chains loosening around her heart. "Oh Ray," she whispered and picked up the tulip, kissing it.
Where the hell is he? Why isn't he in bed with me?
She checked the time from the wall clock and knew why. It was almost noontime and it was Monday.
Ray must have left for work.
She on the other hand had missed her morning classes.
But she didn't care.
Today was a brand new day.
Another chance for her and Ray to start over again.
Feeling like she was given a new lease of life, she bounded from the bed, ignoring her sore muscles and hit the shower.
She needed to be with him.
Oh she would drag him out of a board meeting if she had to!
For the first time in his life, Ray wanted his mother to shut the fuck up and never open her trap for a fucking decade.
"You've been putting too much attention to your army you're forgetting your base camp, Ray."
For the first time, too, he didn't want to share his thoughts with Karina. Especially his happy thoughts today. It felt like he'd be desecrating something so precious, even though his mother would be ecstatic to know the very thing he was keeping to himself. It was Karina's most fervent wish.
"I have you to guard the base camp, mother. Your intel alone will rival the CIA's. I got nothing to worry about when you're around. Besides, have you forgotten that army is the source of all your fucking designers? Do you want your expensive supplies to get cut off?"
"She's been going out with that Harry Goldwyn for a month now and you're doing nothing! What, you're just going to watch them parade all over town like a lovey-dovey couple?"
"I'm gonna take care of that asshole, don't worry."
"You'd better! Reputation is everything, Ray! We cannot let people get used to the idea that Serena is in love with that boy. It's about time you planted the idea that she's in love with you and you're in love with her!"
He sighed harshly. "We're not robots, dammit! We cannot rush things like that! I need more time. We need more time for that to happen. "
"It will happen sooner if you want to!"
"Mother, will you cut me some goddamn slack? I can't do it! Not like that!"
"What do you mean you can't do it?!"
"You know any day now Baron will recommend me as the new CEO to the board. I have enough backing from the other shareholders. I'm guaranteed the position. I don't need this shit with Serena. Not yet anyway."
"Oh really? Can you predict her behavior? That kid has gone wild, I tell you. What if she suddenly gets married? What if she marries Harry?! What if he knocks her up? Where would your ass land then?"
The very idea sent violence coursing through him. If there was somebody who'd knock her up, it was him. Nobody else. Her womb was only good for his children. He didn't use protection last night, too. It felt too good to put any barrier between them. He had to face the possible consequences of that recklessness. But he didn't regret it. Not one bit.
"My ass is fine, mother. It's your ass you're so worried about."
"Shut up! I did not sell my body to every John along Hollywood Boulevard to get you to Harvard just to be treated like shit in the end!"
"Christ, will you quit talking like that? I have Baron's backing. That should be enough."
"It's not enough! You need her to solidify your position. She will inherit her mother's share when she turns twenty-one and you already know how much that is. Thirty-five percent, Ray! A controlling share! Baron and Cassandra had no pre-nup! We have a fucking pre-nup! How will that solidify your position in the future? You cannot rely on Baron's share alone! You need her and you know it!"
He sighed harshly. "Alright, alright! Can we drop this now, mother? I have to go-"
"No, I'm not dropping this until you've got this drilled through your stubborn skull, you fool! You cannot afford to delay our plans at this point. You need to do it and you need to do it now! NOW, Ray! Seduce her. Make her fall in love with you. She's halfway in love with you anyway, I can tell. I don't care what you have to do but you have to marry her as soon as possible, before that Goodwyn boy beats you to your good fortune!"
He gave out a laugh full of irony. "Good fortune. Funny you would say that."
"It belongs to you. Everything that Baron owns belongs to you, including Serena. She's rightfully yours. Take her. Claim her!"
"I will, alright! I will. Now, drop it. I need to go."
