Married Yet still a Virgin

Chapter Three (continued)

They had developed a routine. Peter worked mostly nights and she did mostly days unless she had been call out to the hospital for some emergency. She surrounded herself with work and when she came back to the house that she did not consider to be hers she would spend time in the suite reading or trying to make sense of her life. it had been a month since she had been married and she was still a virgin! If it was not so pathetic it would be laughable! She went out with him at functions and she would put on the clothes that had been purchased for her along with the accessories that in ordinary circumstances she would have been thrilled to wear but it was all a sham! She had accepted the congratulations and seen the envious looks of the women at the various functions and would feel her heart aching and heavy as lead. Her ring shone brightly telling the world how expensive it was and how rich her husband was but she would have settled for a wire around her finger and rags to wear and have a husband who thought the world of her. They were pretending, playing a part and she played along with it. She avoided his father as best as she could as well as his mother. it was not difficult because they were never at home. She had cried herself at nights and had finally decided that she had done enough crying. When he came home she was fast asleep and when he woke up she was gone to work. She went out with Diane some weekends when she was not required to do her wifely duties and go somewhere with him.
She had tried calling Michael but he was not responding and she missed him!

"Have you heard from Michael?" She asked her friend casually as they walked the mall one late Saturday afternoon towards the end of July.

He birthday was coming up in August and she was wondering what to do about it. She was sure that Peter did not remember but that was fine!

"A few weeks ago," Diane looked at her friend curiously as she took up a snazzy looking dress in deep coral. "He said hi."

"He is not answering my calls." Camille ran her hands over a few colorful blouse disinterestedly. She certainly did not need clothes.

"And you know why."

"No I don't know why," Camille gripped the teal blue blouse tightly and then let go. "We are supposed to be friends. He knew beforehand that I was in love with Peter and would be marrying him."
"That does not make it easier," her friend told her gently. "He is staying away and not answering your calls because it is hard for him. Give him the space."

"I miss him," she said with a shrug.

"And something has been bothering you for a very long time and you are not telling me." Diane pulled her out of the grossly expensive store and made her way over to a table at one of the eateries. "What is going on?"

"Peter works all the time." she laughed shortly. "Being married to a doctor is not all its cut out to be."

"You have been married a month now maybe you guys need to take some time to go away and rekindle."

Rekindle what? Camille wanted to ask.

"People depend on him."

"And you are his wife. You need him, he needs to see that."

"He is such a brilliant surgeon Diane you should see him at work!" her eyes were bright as she said the words.

"I am beginning to think that you are more in love with the surgeon than the man." Diane said contemplatively.

"They are one and the same."

"Are they?"

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Peter put his clothes on hastily. He had not meant to spend so much time at Jerome's apartment but time had gotten away from him. He was constantly being needy and whining about the time he spent with his wife. 

"What the hell do you want from me? I have not touched her! I am with you physically and not her. What do you want from me?" he had asked him furiously.

"I want all of you," Jerome told him succinctly. "I love you and I know you are in love with me. You need to tell her it is over."

"Not going to happen." he said with quiet force.

"What are you trying to prove Peter? That you are a respectable surgeon who is as straight as an arrow? Don't you think that ship sailed long ago?"

"You have nothing to worry about ruining your career because you are nothing but-" he broke off and turned to the window.

"Why don't you say it Peter? I am nothing but a back up dancer for a group and not an esteemed doctor like yourself! But who have you moaning and calling out my name over and over again?" Jerome taunted him. "This lowly dancer who have you on your knees time and again."
"Shut up!" Peter said furiously and before he could stop himself he had slapped the man across the cheek with a stunning blow that had him falling to the floor.

"Jerome," his heartbeat quickened as he dropped to his knees and looked down at his lover who had blood trickling from the side of his mouth. "I am so sorry," he whispered as he pulled him into his arms. He opened his eyes and looked up at him.

"I love you," he whispered. "I cannot be angry with you."

Peter gathered him into his arms and rocked him, feeling as if his life was crumbling around him!

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"Where are you going?"

"Do you really want to know? Or are you just asking?" Camille asked him coolly as she buckled the belt that she had put around her denims. She was off today and she could not bear to be in the same place as him. She had resigned herself to him not touching her and them sharing the same bed without anything happening and was a little at peace with herself.

"You are my wife so I want to know." he told her tightly as he looked at her. She really was a beautiful woman. it was a pity he was not into women! Camille went to the mirror to look at her face with a satisfied look. She had seen the looks men gave her. Peter might not be interested but other men were.

"Don't make me laugh Peter?" she said coldly. "I am your wife in name only. I spent a lot of time agonizing over the fact that I was not attractive enough for you that maybe you were turned off by the thought of me being a virgin and you would have to teach me the ropes but it has nothing to do with me does it? It has everything to do with you! I am too much woman for you and you are afraid you will not be able to come up to scratch, isn't that it?" she taunted.

"You bitch!" he snarled as he came towards her with his hand lifted. It was a Sunday afternoon and for once he was not working.

"Do it!" she told him heatedly, her hands on her hips. "You are not screwing me like a man is supposed to so why don't you do the next best thing and beat me?"

He dropped his hand and stood there staring at her. "Go to hell!" he told her and without another word he walked out.

Camille took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She had won that round but the victory felt hollow!