The silence from the other end of the phone annoyed Kelvin. He needed to know what happened to his wife. Sparing one last glance at his beautiful sleeping wife, he reluctantly stepped out of their bedroom.
Leila had been talking in her sleep. The first time since their marriage. Whatever happened with her yesterday triggered the nightmare and he needed to know what or who triggered her. She was excited until he turned.
What did she see?
A cry from the room had Kelvin running back inside. He rushed to the side of his wife, she struggled in his grasp like she had done last night. Her reaction to his touch hurt him but he knew it wasn't because of him. It had to be someone else. Someone he must find. He stroked the side of her face and she froze.
His lips met her temple in a chaste kiss. "It's me, Kev."
"Kev." Her hand reached out for him and Kelvin drew close enough for her to caress his face. His knees hurt from kneeling on the cold tiles but he didn't mind. Her eyes were still closed when she sighed. He flicked a strand of hair from Leila's face. "Don't hurt me, okay?"
Her breathing evened out before he could reply, she mumbled something and rolled to the other side. His heart ached from watching his wife suffer in silence. God forbid he would hurt the flesh of his flesh. Asking her about it would only push her away, so he was determined to figure it out himself. Without her help.
"I'll never hurt you," he whispered to her sleeping frame. He pulled the cover to her chin, she whined and kicked it off. Kelvin chuckled when she hugged a pillow. She must be missing him. It was only an hour past midnight and it would grow cold soon. "You're my wife, Leila." Whoever hurt her must suffer. "It's my duty to protect you."
Maybe Freya could help him decipher this mystery. He pushed those thoughts away. As friends, he couldn't go behind his wife's back or it would break the little trust she had on him. Freya would be a last option.
Getting into the bed was not an option for him, he opened the cabinet in the bathroom holding his cigarettes and allergy drugs. Leila didn't like smokers. She didn't have to say it but her expression the day he mentioned being a recreational smoker stuck with him. He didn't smoke except under pressure and this lack of knowledge was more pressure than normal.
He went to the balcony and lit the cigarette. The flame at the butt of the cigarette flickered. Kelvin took a deep breath and puffed out smokes in rings.
Smoking helped to clear his head, right now, he was hoping it would do the same. He already asked Amara to check the CCTV cameras from the office. Leila was at the office throughout yesterday. So it must have happened there. Or, was it the way he reacted in the elevator that made her break down? It couldn't be. Kelvin scratched the back of his head and lowered himself to one of the single sofas on the balcony.
The guilt was brief as he picked his phone to dial his assistant. He already kept her up late by making her comb through the videos for anything out of place but this was important. Amara picked on the first ring.
"Nothing yet, Sir," she answered immediately.
Her voice sounded tired. Kelvin rubbed the back of his eyes and yawned. He was fucking tired too. He had another meeting to attend tomorrow. Kelvin had been preparing for a short meeting when he saw his wife with that riffraff.
A smile sprung to his lips when he remembered Leila's words. She didn't like Mike. And she would never like anybody as long as they were married.
What did that say about her loving him though?
"Watch it again," he ordered like it would change the outcome. Kelvin got a small yes in response. What was the point of having this much money if he couldn't protect his wife? He massaged his forehead. "Send me the video."
Kelvin ended the call and his phone beeped with a link to the CCTV footage from his office. The video had no sound but he followed the events closely. He laughed when Leila dropped the files. She was so nervous and he was so snappy because of how smug Mike looked holding her. He was still recovering from her rejection only for that to happen. It hurt his bruised ego.
Most of that night was spent wanking to the pictures of his wife in lingerie and the next morning was spent with him regretting his actions. It was that shame and guilt that made him skip breakfast and forget to send her flowers. Kelvin couldn't look his wife in the eyes knowing he violated those pictures of her.
The video showed another scene. He tensed when she entered the conference hall. It was the only hall without a camera. The sponsors went in, an hour passed before they came out. But one person was missing. Kelvin fast forwarded it and paused when Charles Black stepped out. His movements were calm but his eyes weren't. Charles scanned his environment as if expecting someone or something to jump him. Kelvin frowned when Charles turned to the door. He adjusted his suit and walked away.
Charles Black was the richest of the sponsors and CEO of Contra Tech. His distant cousin. One of those many cousins he couldn't explain how they were related. He only agreed to including sponsors because of the ideas Charles bounced off to him. Charles wasn't his favourite relative but business wise, he was as savvy as Kelvin.
A yawn escaped Kelvin, he disposed his cigarette, brushed to rid himself of any smell and snuck into bed with Leila. He smiled when she relaxed in his arms. If awake, she might have protested but he enjoyed the moment and the peaceful feeling that overcame him.
* * *
By 5 am, Kelvin was awake. He finished his morning routine at the gym, got ready for the office and Leila was still sleeping. He almost called in to take the day off on her behalf but he knew better. Doing that would annoy his wife.
Breakfast was ready and Leila wasn't out yet, he went back to the bedroom and saw Leila in front of the mirror. She was all dressed up. Her eyes lighted up when he walked inside to hug her from behind.
She smelt lovely, of coconuts and strawberries. Without meaning to, he tucked his nose behind her ear and sniffed her. Leila placed a hand on his, they shared a glance in the mirror and he pecked her. Her smile grew bigger, it made him want to do more to keep the smile on her lips.
"Good morning, you slept well?" Leila's smile fell but she nodded. Again, he wished she would learn to trust him with all her fears. Last night, her noises ceased when he cuddled her. "I slept well, thank you very much for asking, Leila."
Leila laughed, he frowned slightly when she stepped away from his hug. "I was about to ask." She adjusted his tie and Kelvin made a note to leave it askew every morning so she could fix it. "You never gave me a chance." Her eyes raised to his face. "You slept well?"
"I did," he replied. The proximity was affecting him, more than he thought possible. "Breakfast is ready."
Leila walked ahead of him, pausing when he called her. Her hips swung in that sexy innocent manner that always gave him a semi hard-on. If they ever consummated this marriage, he would explore every inch of her body.
Kelvin took one step forward and another until there was no distance left between them. She smacked her lips and his groin twitched. His heart jumped from remembering the feel of her lips on his. Her delicious sound when he slipped a finger between her legs. He couldn't wait for her to fully trust him, to have sex with his wife.
"Yes?" Leila whispered. Kelvin hid a smile. He liked knowing his presence affected her as much as she did him. Leila punched him slightly when he continued grinning. "What is it, Kev?"
He wiped the sheepish smile on his lips and ran his hand over the black ink on the base of his neck. His tattoo was placed there so only a few people could see it. It was his first and only tattoo.
"I want to kiss you." He wanted to give her a real kiss like the one of last night, with tongue and hands involved, not those chaste pecks on her cheeks. Leila blanched. He fixed his error by saying, "Are friends allowed to kiss each other?"
Because of yesterday's experience, he understood more than ever the importance of seeking her consent. One day, when they were at that stage of fully trusting each other, he would steal kisses from his wife without needing her permission.
"I guess it depends on how close they are."
Kelvin noted the slight intake of her breath, the blush that appeared on her cheeks. "How close are we?"
His head lowered, his thumb traced the outline of her red lips. She looked the sexiest with red. He could not get the image of her in that red lingerie. She was hot.
"I don't know," she replied in a whisper.
"Close enough for us to kiss?" he teased.
Leila swallowed. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and his groin twitched. "Breakfast will get cold," was her quiet reply.