Zachary & Ciara Ch. 07

"I wish you had talked to me before deciding to leave," Zach said.

"I would have if we were really married," Ciara said. "But we're not. Emilee and I are temporary members of your family. I do not expect nor do I want you to ruin your relationship with your mother over us. When our agreement ends we'll go our separate ways then you and your mother can come together again."

"How would your coming back here accomplish that?" Zach asked.

"I figured if she didn't have to see us every day or worry about her friends or other family members seeing us she would relax," Ciara said. "You know out of sight out of mind."

"You're right about our marriage," Zach said going over and turning Ciara around so that she was facing him, "but pretend or real you and Emilee are my family, my responsibility. I'm not going to allow anyone to hurt the two of you family included to hurt either of you."

"I know that," Ciara said. "You're and honorable man but you should save that fight for if you actually marry someone who your mother doesn't like not waste on me and Emilee."

"It isn't being wasted," Zach said. "I love you..."

Ciara's heart almost seized up and her breathing almost ceased upon hearing Zach's words. There was something in his eyes and the tone of his voice that seemed to say to her that there was something more to his words. 'He can't mean what I think he means,' she thought to herself. 'Don't be ridiculous,' she told herself.

"Are you alright?" Zach asked when he saw Ciara tense up.

"I'm fine," Ciara replied when she could finally breathe again. "My mind just wandered for a moment. What were you saying?"

"I was saying," Zach said returning to their conversation, "I love you for thinking of me and for trying to ease the tension between me and my mother but you and Emilee didn't have to come back here to achieve that."

"Us being here will work better for everyone," Ciara said. "Maybe Emilee and I being here instead of in your home will help your mother to see there is nothing between us, that this marriage really is one of convenience. Maybe she won't worry so much about one of use developing real feelings for the other."

"If that were to happen that would be between the two of us," Zach said. "My mother would have no say in the matter. Besides it might not be your feelings my mother is worried about."

"What do you mean?" Ciara asked.

"Since you and Emilee have been gone my mother, friends and even my employees think that I've turned into some sort of ogre," Zach said. "It seems they all think I've suddenly become irritable and short tempered. My secretary commented that I've lost my smile since my family's been away."

"Really?" Ciara said.

"Yes," Zach said taking hold of Ciara's hand. "I think the main reason for my being so short tempered is because I was thinking about my wife being in this penthouse with a handsome, muscled-bound man who I thought was gay, who isn't as gay as he led me to believe."

Ciara raised an eyebrow at the growl she heard come from Zach's throat as he spoke.

"You sound as if you're jealous," Ciara remarked.

Emilee came into the room before Zach could respond to what Ciara said tears running down her face.

"Mama," she cried.

"What is it sweetheart," Ciara asked making her way over to her daughter her voce filled with concern.

"Zach has to talk to Aunt Brie," Emilee said pulling on Ciara's blouse. "He has to tell her not to go into the parking garage. If she goes in the parking garage she's going to get hurt really bad."

"Alright, baby," Ciara said holding Emilee tight against her chest trying to calm her. "I'll tell your Aunt Brie not to drive home."

"No, mom," Emilee said. "Zach has to tell her. She won't listen to you."

Ciara knew Emilee was right. Brie would not listen to her. If she told Brie not to drive her car home she would drive it home as a way of letting Ciara know she didn't tell her what to do. Now that she was married to Zach, she might go so far as to accusing her of lauding her money over her.

"Are you sure baby?" Ciara asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Emilee replied. "I'm sure. If Aunt Brie goes into the parking garage a man is going to hurt her really bad."

"You have to do it, Zach," Ciara said turning to Zach.

"Why would she listen to me?" Zach asked. "We barely know each other. The only connection we share is her being your sister and me being your husband."

"You're a man," Ciara replied, "and she thinks that you and I are together. She is dying to know all about us. Since my return from London Brie has been slyly asking questions about how we me, when our relationship began and if my being pregnant is the reason for our surprise marriage. If you're suddenly friendly to her, she won't think to question why. She'll be too excited about having a possible way for her gain access to my new life."

"I don't think that your sister will take another way home simply because I ask her to," Zach said.

"I think I've come up with away that'll get her to listen to you," Ciara said.

Zach arched an eyebrow wondering what was going on in his wife's mind.

****************

Brie was sitting behind her desk in her office dreading the thought of the long drive home.

'I bet Carl is sitting on his ass waiting for me to come home and cook him dinner,' Brie thought to herself.

The thought of going home and slaving over a hot stove wasn't something she was looking forward to, not after the tiring, stressful day, she'd had. Brie reached over and pressed the intercom button on her desk letting Sue, her secretary that she could go home.

"I'll be leaving right behind you," Brie told her.

"Thank you, Ms. Walker," Sue told her. "I'll see you in the morning."

Brie picked up her purse out of her desk drawer, stood up from her desk and made her way over to her office door. She opened the door and was surprised to see Zach standing on the other side.

"Mr. Collins," Brie said after getting over the shock of seeing him, her voice unable to hide her surprise.

"Good evening, Ms. Walker," Zach said making the tone of his voice as neutral as possible upon seeing the gleam that appeared in his sister-in-law's eyes as she stared at him. "Are you leaving for the day?"

"Yes, I am," Brie told him the gleam in her eyes dimming just a little, a little defensiveness seeping into her voice. "I've been here since six this morning and it's now seven o'clock."

"I didn't come here to reprimand you for leaving," Zach told her. "I came down to tell you what a wonderful job I think you're doing managing the hotel."

"You did," Brie said the gleam in her eyes returning even more intense than before. "You do?"

"Yes, to both questions," Zach replied chuckling a little at her reaction to his compliment. "And to show my appreciation for all your hard work arrangements for you to be driven home this evening."

"Thank you, Mr. Collins," Brie said, "but I drove to work this morning."

"I know," Zach replied. "But I thought that having someone drive you home would help you relax after the hectic day you surely must've had."

"I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your offer," Brie said, "but how would I get to work in the morning without my car?"

"I've arranged for you to be driven to work tomorrow morning also," Zach replied.

"Wow," Brie said. "I hope your generous gift won't cause a problem between you and my sister. She can be a very jealous person when it comes to her boyfriends being nice to me."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Zach said smiling down at Brie. "I'm not Ciara's boyfriend, I'm her husband. I'm sure she knows how I feel about her. She knows this is just a gesture of appreciation and nothing more."

"I'm sure you're right," Brie said swallowing the disappointment she felt upon hearing his words.

"Let me escort you to your ride home," Zach said holding his arm out for Brie to grasp.

"Thank you," Brie said slipping her arm around Zach's thinking about all the tongues that would start wagging as she and Zach made their way through the hotel. 'I might be able to shake things up in my big sister's life, starting with my boss's generous gesture.' She thought to herself.'

When Brie arrived home, Carl was just where she expected him to be sitting in front of the television waiting for her to come home and cook dinner.

"You're early," Carl said turning his eyes away from the television long enough to send an air kiss in Brie's direction then giving the television his full attention once again. "How was your day?"

"Better than I expected," Brie replied thinking about Zach and the way he helped her into the limo that was waiting for her in front of the hotel.

"Oh, yeah," Carl said turning and giving Brie his attention once again. "What happened?"

"My boss/brother-in-law in appreciation for all the hard work I've done managing the hotel arranged for me to be driven home in a limousine and I'll be driven to work the same way in the morning."

"You're bullshittin me," Carl said.

"No, I'm not," Brie said. "I was getting ready to head to the employee parking garage to drive home when I opened the door and saw Zach standing on the other side. I thought he was going to get on my case and accuse me of leaving early but he came down to tell me what a wonderful he thought I was doing and to thank me he arranged for me to be driven home and picked up tomorrow morning in a limousine."

"Why is your boss suddenly offering you rides home in a limo?" Carl asked.

"I just told you why he did it," Brie replied. "It was his way of thanking me for the wonderful job I'm doing at the hotel."

"Are you sleeping with him?" Carl asked getting out of his chair making his way over to Brie.

"Of course not," Brie told him. "I would never do anything like that. The man's married to my sister for Christ sake."

"I was trying to get with Ciara when you came on to me," Carl said. "What's to keep you from making a play for him?"

"Why would I make a play for him when I have a man like you to come home to?" Brie said walking over to Carl, slipping her arms around his waist. "He's not even close to being as sexy as you are," she told him as she stretch up on her toes and placed a light kiss on his lips.

"But he has the one thing you've wanted all your life," Carl said placing his arms around Brie's waist.

"And what is that?" Brie asked placing butterfly kisses on Carl's chin and on his neck.

"Money," Carl replied.

"I'm not going to deny that having money to live the way I've always dreamed of is something I'm hoping to achieve in my lifetime," Brie said bringing Carl's lips down closer to hers, "but I don't want it bad enough to ruin what you and I have together."

"I'm glad to hear that," Carl said as his lips met Brie's in a slow, passionate kiss. "Because the thought of losing what you and I have isn't something I even won't to think about."

"I'm glad you and I are on the same page," Brie said. "How about we go in the bedroom and seal the deal?"

"I think that would be a wonderful idea," Carl said kissing her again. "After you cook dinner. I'm starving."

"Why do you always wait for me to cook dinner?" Brie asked. "Your mother taught you how to cook. Why don't you fix yourself something to eat?"

"I work hard every day Brie," Carl said. "I don't think it's too much for me to expect you to come home and prepare dinner for me not when you've been sitting behind a desk all day."

"Your job has you sitting behind a desk all day too," Brie pointed out.

"Look, I don't want to argue with you," Carl said. "Just go into the kitchen and prepare me something to eat. It's what a woman does for the man she loves."

"And what does the man the woman loves do for her?" Brie asked.

"He shows her how much he appreciates what she does by cleaning his plate, and complimenting her on her efforts to please him," Carl replied. "Now please go prepare dinner."

Brie grumbled as she made her way into the kitchen. She mentally kicked herself for the day she learned that Carl had the hots for Ciara and her decision to draw his attention in her direction before Ciara could sink her claws into him.

"I can't believe I found that jerk to be attractive," she mumbled to herself.

"What did you say babe?" Carl asked from the living room.

"I didn't say anything," Brie replied. "You must be hearing things." 'I've got to get myself out of this situation,' Brie told herself. 'I was meant to have a better life than this. I was meant to have a better man than that idiot sitting in my living room staring at that damn television.'

A smiled stretched across her face as she thought of the courteous way Zach treated her when he escorted her to the limousine that would take her home. The way he opened the car door and helped her inside made her feel special and ladylike.

"That's the way I want to be treated all the time,' Brie thought to herself. 'That's the way I will be treated. Enjoy yourself while you can you lazy pig,' Brie thought to herself as she prepared dinner for Carl, 'because pretty soon you're going to find yourself hungry and alone. Maybe my big sister will let you cry on her shoulder because she too is going to be alone. Hurricane Brie is on the move and she's going to shake things up.'