Chapter 10 Regina

Spending the rest of the day with Regina turned out not as bad as he thought. Albeit that the connection between them was missing, the silence was rather relaxing. It took the weight of everything off his shoulders.
Regina crossed her legs as she sat on the sofa in the living room reading. He noticed that she cut her hair short, and had straightened her hair with a curling iron. She wore a long summer dress that covered her knees, one he had not noticed her wear before. The chiffon material was sheer to begin with, and left nothing to the imagination.
With their years of being together, he knew all her likes and dislikes. When she was lounging at home, she didn’t like wearing bulky clothes or tight undergarments. The scene before him reminded him of the conversation they shared just before she departed on her last trip.
“I won’t be long this time.”
He had his hands on her hips and leaned against her in a very close angle. “I can’t wait to have you.”
But soon afterwards, she was on her way, waving goodbye to him. That very day when she left, it was three months ago. He received news of his retrenchment hours later when he entered the office. He could say that was the worst day of his life.
And now, he had her all to himself, but he couldn’t feel an inclination to have her like how desperately he wanted to three months ago. Her ‘I won’t be long’ had lasted for three months, but now, she was here to stay.
Unfortunately, his heart had other plans. He couldn’t stop thinking of Ari Donna, so listening to relaxing music definitely was his best option. It calmed his nerves, which seemed to be so jumpy all the time, and it allowed him to think properly.
Regina lifted her bottom off the sofa and trod towards him softly. It had been five hours since he returned home to find her safe and sound, but he hadn’t spoken to her. He feigned that he was engrossed with reading the self-improvement book in front of his face. Regina fathomed how much of a bookworm he was. If not for his love for books, how would they have even met?
He adjusted his librarian-like spectacles on his nose and tried to focus on the text, but they kept swimming before his eyes. He pulled up his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Then he heard Regina whisper sensually as she took the book from him.
“It’s time for you to take a break, honey.”
Honey? Though Regina was a sweet soul, how her words were honeyed was beyond him. Was he hearing her correctly? Or was she right in her mind?
“Regina…” he mumbled her name. She leaned towards him seductively, exposing a tiny bit of her cleavage as she cast him a coquettish smile.
“We’ve been together all day, but you haven’t spoken to me yet.”
He cleared his throat, thinking carefully about what he was about to say to his fiancee.
“It’s been a long day at work. George has been chasing me for some jobs to be done, and we are terribly understaffed.”
This was a lame excuse, but she ought to understand that for him to support her and pay the bills, was no easy feat. Now that she had resigned from her job, the burden was on his shoulders. Escorting paid well, but it wasn’t enough. He hoped that it would all change after he became that woman’s exclusive gigolo. He didn’t think he had any dignity left, but he had to do it.
“So, are you saying you aren’t into these curves and this…?”
She pulled off her dress and exposed herself before him. He looked up at her slowly, admiring her hourglass figure and her brilliant assets.
But there was a tinge of hesitation inside him. He felt like he was watching a pornographic film, where he saw the features of the actress clearly but possessed no urge to taste them for himself. He wasn’t excited like he was three months ago, to have her beneath him. Although, he still felt the care he had for Regina. After being together for a decade, it was impossible for him not to be concerned for her.
“Nat, don’t… don’t you want me?” She seized his hands and placed them on her chest in a bid for him to grope her. His hands hung loosely, instead of wandering her body like how he always loved to in the past.
His mind was instead lost in Ari Donna’s perfect image. Thinking of getting between her legs granted him hardness again.
Regina let out a pleased cry. She reached for his belt, but Nat’s words made her freeze suddenly.
“Regina, I’m sorry. I’m… I’m just not in the mood.”
It wouldn’t be fair for her if he used her to satisfy his desires. He needed to take a break from her, even if it was for a moment.
“But you were…” She reached for him, but he got up and backed away from her.
“Hard.”
She pronounced the last word miserably as he closed the door to their room. No, his room. Every time she left on a trip, he would be alone in that room until she returned. But when he became an escort, it took his attention away from his loneliness.
Regina didn’t know it, but he had needs that she had trouble satisfying. Becoming an escort wasn’t what he planned to do, but he didn’t know that when he turned twenty-five, that unusual part in him would manifest. It was arduous for her to understand the secrets his family carried for generations. Or even for her to believe him at all.
With his increasing sex drive, and her inability to take his extended durations of intercourse, how could they even come to a consensus?
Nat didn’t want to think about all this anymore and lay flat on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He was sure Regina was still outside, wondering what in the world just happened to her fiance.
He fixated his mind on the quickie they had earlier and pondered what Ari Donna had in her that made her so unique. Every part of her was so irresistible that she was some otherworldly creature. Like a character that existed out of a book. It had to be a mystical one, for sure.
An object was beeping in his pocket, and he took it out to check up on who was looking for him at this awkward time.
“George?” He answered the phone immediately. Nat had a hunch that his best friend had something to tell him about AD Systems. Not only was George an expert in many areas, but he was also adept at hacking, something Nat never took on due to him deeming it unethical in one way or another.
“Hey, buddy.”
George was in an optimistic mood. In contrast to how he was earlier today, this was a good improvement. He listened to what his friend had to say about the progress of uncovering more ‘secrets’ about the covert CEO that had retrenched them. Nat was assured that his friend was determined to expose the female CEO in revenge for the ‘damage’ she had done unto them.
“I’ve found she hangs out at a bar after working hours and wears a disguise. It would be beneficial to us if we could track her down and reveal her as the tramp she is deep inside.”
He didn’t agree completely with his friend’s plan, but he didn’t disagree with George’s intention. After all, they had nothing to lose, but nothing to gain, either. Like George, he wanted justice. He had been slogging off his butt for the company, only to be tossed aside like waste paper. He had to get what he lost back from that whore of a woman!
“Are you in then, Nathaniel Underwood?” George inquired.
He smiled and answered, “Right you are, George Blackwell. We’re in this together!”
George didn’t press further on whether he was sure about this decision, and just said, “I’ll see you on Thursday at the bar. Surely we can get some hot photos of that tramp and which unlucky man she decided to get laid with. She’ll be in the news soon!”
He almost swallowed hard hearing George’s comment about the ‘unlucky man’. Luckily, George didn’t know about his other job, otherwise, it would be hard for him not to see him in a different light. He would keep his secret hidden as long as he could. He didn’t want random neighbours coming over to him and taunting him about his ‘price’.
“I’ll send you a photo so you know what you’re expecting to look out for.”
George ended the call abruptly, like he always did, and Nathaniel heard the beep as an image file popped up in their chat screen. He didn’t think much of how slutty the CEO would appear to be, since he never had any love for the top management of his former company. But when he saw the photo George had sent, he had to blink his eyes twice to ensure he was not seeing things.
It was a blurry photo, but his heart stung when he recognised the visible resemblance.
Nah, it couldn’t be her, he told himself repeatedly. She can’t be her. Looking alike is just inevitable in this modern society!