Free Reads!! Wednesday Briefs – Innocence & Carnality Part 26
Welcome to the next part in my Wednesday Briefs flash fiction serial, Innocence & Carnality! Each chapter has to be between 500 and 1,000 words and this week I skipped using a prompt. I couldn’t figure out how to fit it in and this chapter had to be specific.
Rother comes to see Nathan after the incident.
Click here to start from the beginning
Part 26
“What the hell?”
Rother stood in the hall, starring at the disconnected door. His face was stoic, revealing little, yet every ounce of his natural fluidity was gone, his stance rigid and tense. The short time we’d spent together taught me enough of his mannerisms. He was furious.
Stepping into the room, Rother’s words quick and clipped. “I’d like a private word with my husband.”
Blythe snorted. “Or at least as private as it gets with the door off its hinges.”
The glare Rother threw his way made the enormous bodyguard snap to attention, schooling his features.
“Right, boss.”
Rother turned away, eyeing the lock innards as Blythe stepped out into the hallway. He paused for a second and met my eye, smirking while tapping a giant finger to his left temple. Then he was gone, leaving me with my husband.
Striding into my personal space, Rother grabbed my chin, turning my head to peer at the growing bruise along my cheek. I jerked out of his hand.
“Please, I’ve been manhandled enough for one evening.”
“Are you injured?”
“No, thanks to Blythe’s timely intervention.”
As open to the world the bedroom currently was, I felt safer here in its newly gained familiarity. My hands no longer shook, but unease filled me as I recalled the incident in the pantry. One could only guess the direction it could have taken without Blythe’s arrival. The thought made me shudder. If Rother was relieved I came out of it relatively unscathed, he gave no sign. His jaw was set tight as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“I can’t tell if you’re more angry at me, or Mr. Lorings’ trespass,” I said.
“I can’t either.”
His response left me vexxed and… disappointed. My husband wasn’t displaying concern over my well being enough to overpower his annoyance over my breaking a rule. It wounded me. Shouldn’t I be more of a priority? Or was this more Franincian culture nonsense I would need to accept?
“What took you so long? I’ve been out of the room for quite some time.”
“One, I wasn’t excepting to need to look out for you. Two, I was dealing with client accounts. I came as soon as Samantha found me.”
I challenged his annoyance with a level of sarcasm that would make my mother proud. “Thank you for coming.”
“I shouldn’t have had to.”
“I’m so sorry to have interrupted your precious meeting. I can see how important they are to you.”
“I can’t believe you couldn’t follow a simple instruction.” He motioned to the splayed out lock mechanism parts. “Or did this.”
“You shouldn’t have locked me in the room without my permission.”
Rother brushed his knuckle along the tender spot on my cheek, making me hiss. “And look what happened when you let yourself free.”
“You should have told me about your business practices.”
“Yes, because once you found out, you handled it so well.”
“I would have been better prepared—”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Nathan. You’ve lived your whole life sequestered in a cage of Victorian morality. For all your intellect, the differences in Francinian life are enough to have you off your center. I didn’t explain because you weren’t ready to know.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. “For fuck’s sake, you can’t even call it what it is. Business practices. You cringe at the words, brothel and casino, as if the sound could physically do you harm.”
I hated that I did exactly as he said at each vulgar word. “That’s not fair.”
“It’s the truth. I’m sorry you don’t like hearing it.”
And I didn’t like it. It stung my ego worse than the burn across my cheek. Even so, it hardly seemed fair to leave me in the dark and expect me to be a doting spouse who did what he was told. Our marriage was rushed, but whatever gave him the idea I would be so passive?
Rother stepped over the side table along the wall, pouring himself a drink from the brass and crystals decanters. He rubbed his temple, sighing as he took a stiff draught.
“You are my husband. Your protocol skills will be a great asset once you learn how to acclimate.”
“You make me sound like an employee.”
He narrowed his gaze at me.“My employees do as they’re told.”
I was tempted to note how as his husband, I had more intimate knowledge of him than his employees, but given the nature of his business, I didn’t need to be proven wrong there either. “I’ll remember that.”
My vigor began to flee me. The entire evening was filled with too many harsh events, it left my motor unwound. I began to pace in a slow circle as I tried to collect my thoughts.
I pushed down my hostile tone, assuming I’d get better answers if I adopted a calmer voice. “Can you explain this to me?”
“Which part?”
My shoulders gave up, and my body followed. I slumped down to sit on the edge of the bed. I could learn to accept the gambling, as distasteful as I found the practice. But the other half of his vice den…
“The…”—I took a deep breath—“brothel.” My face had to be crimson. The idea left me so offended, and saying it out loud was an effort. But if Rother was going to take me seriously, I needed to learn to get past my reservations.
“What requires explanation?”
I shook my head, disbelieving he didn’t understand me. “Of all professions…” I rubbed my face, trying to not to shout out how horrific I found all of this. “You’re far from penniless. How could your fortune be embroiled in all this?”
Rother downed the last of his drink and faced me with a cocked brow. “How could it be embroiled? Nathan, I’m assuming to protect your fragile sensibilities, you’re failing to realize the obvious. My entire fortune is based on all this.”
Check back next Wednesday for the next installation… Be sure to take a read at the other briefers free reads this week here: Wednesday Briefs
