Caesar opened the front door, saw her and his mouth suddenly went dry. Standing in the light of an overhead chandelier, Selena looked breathtaking. She made a striking picture, dressed as if she was in an armless white blouse, a black pants and boots. .
“Hey!” He said, aware that his voice had become husky. “What are you doing here?”
She looked at him, then her eyes, uneasy and watchful, went past him into the house, then it returned to his face.
“I needed to tell you something,” she said in a hushed voice. “Can I come in?”
“Sure, sure!” He beamed at her, trying to hide his nervousness. What the hell is she doing here? He wondered. What does she want?. As she walked past him, the smell of her lavender perfume made him feel weak. God! She smell so fucking good. .
She walked through the hallway, and into the vast living room.
He waved her to a couch.
“Would you care for a drink?” He asked, trying to steady his voice.
“No, it’s too early.” she said, and gave him a smile that made his heart racing.
“Well, I need one to get all my emotions in place.” he admitted, and feeling so awkward, he gave a hard barking laugh and went to the drink cabinet. He fixed his drink and came to sit on the couch beside her.
Selena shifted away from him so that they were sitting facing each other.
“Where's Marianna?” She asked him. “I would feel safe discussing this with no one listening. Is she here?”
He narrowed his eyes on her.
“I don’t know, probably somewhere in the house,the garage,” he shrugged indifferently. “Hell, she could be with that damned cat,” he said angrily, then remembering that she had been the one who had informed him of Selena’s arrival, he called out. “Marianna! Marianna!” A deafening silence was the response he got. He turned to Selena. “I don’t think she’s inside the house. We are alone,”
Eavesdropping behind one of the doors in the house, Marianna smiled wickedly.
Selena watched his face for some moments, then she inclined her head.
“Alright. Here’s the thing.” She moistened her lips with her tongue. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about us and I’ve come to a decision.”
Caesar sat up on the chair instantly.
“What’s the decision? Selena what is it?’ His face was flushed with anxiety. “You can tell me anything, sweetheart.”
Selena’s eyes darkened. Though it pleased her to see him all jittery and needy for her, but yet, that forlorn fear whenever she was with him or thinking about him was entering her body like the slow thrust of a knife and it irritated her.
“Please be calm, Caesar,” she said shortly. “I will definitely tell you. Don’t interrupt me. Just relax.” She said, sensing his urgent desire for her.
Caesar nodded. Just recovering from his surprise, he suddenly realized how beautiful she was, how perfect they looked sitting together like this, facing each other, how much the room looked nicer, that she was in it. She was a sharp bright contrast to the dark, noir aesthetics of the room, a flower of light in the field of darkness, he smiled to himself, remembering Johnny Cash famous lines.
“Alright, I’m relaxed. And I’m not going to interrupt you.” He said with a solemn expression on his face.
“It’s not easy for me to make this decision. You’ve got to understand that” Selena went on. “But I’ve thought and thought about it and for me, this is the best thing to do” she paused, staring at him for a long moment, and went on. “Caesar . I want you to marry me. I’m ready to be your wife.”
Caesar's jaw dropped. His body turned hot then cold. He wanted to jump up from the couch and hit the room, but he stilled himself. Even at that, he was having difficulty sitting still like that, pretending to himself as if the conversation they were having was centered around the weather of the day.
"I truly believe I made the right choice," Selena began, her voice gentle. "You've shown yourself to be a worthy man, Caesar. That night, when you saved me from those... creatures," she shuddered, recalling the horror of Conan transforming into a werewolf. Pausing to gather herself, she continued, "I've thought about everything you've done for me, how you protected me from that beast, how you've tried to prove your love despite my attitude towards us. You've shown your best qualities, Caesar. And I think marrying you now shouldn't be a problem for us, right?" She looked at him, her eyes searching. What she didn't mention was that it was the tragic death of Bill Castle and his family that solidified her decision. With rumors of werewolf attacks looming over the town, she felt safer with a man who could provide protection and security, among other things.
Caesar’s face broke into a wide grin, making him look more attractive to her than ever. Deftly he closed the gap between them, and held her hands in his. Then he began to knead them between his big palms, letting her feel the warmth of his hands. She sighed and he knew she liked what he was doing.
“Selena,” He said breathlessly. “You’ve made me the happiest of all men today. And I will forever be grateful for that.” He brought her hands to lips and brushed his lips against it. A moan escaped from her mouth and he saw her shiver. Right that moment, he knew she was his and nothing, absolutely nothing! would take her from him. He dropped her hands, placed his hands on her shoulder and pulled her to his chest, his face nestled comfortably at the nape of her neck.
Selena held him close to her.
His body became rigid with a strong, sexual tension he never knew he could possess. He started to sniff her neck, brushing his lips softly against the soft flesh. She nearly bolted off the couch. Unable to control herself any longer, she took his face from her neck and brought his lips hard against hers.
They began to kiss hungrily.
Caesar kissed her hard and fast with raw urgency and when he pulled back from her, she was panting, her breasts rising and falling.
“You’ve always wanted me,” he said, leering at her. “But you're just too stubborn to admit it” her lips moved to speak, but no word came out. Caesar grinned knowingly. “I know, Selena. You don’t have to say anything. And that’s why we are going to rush things up. No wasting of time.”
“Rush things up? What things?” She asked bewildered.
Caesar took a sharp, shuddering breath.
“I’m getting married to you today, Selena.” He confessed. He wasn’t taking any chances.
Her ear against the door panel, Marianna’s face twisted into a deep frown.
Selena's eyes gaped at Caesar in total disbelief. Nothing in this world could have prepared her for what he had just said.
“Caesar! Are you mad?” She gasped. “Do you realize what you’ve just said?”
Caesar inclined his head.
“Yes I know what i'm saying.” he replied affirmatively.
“Then you know what you are saying is bullshit right?” She asked, still looking at him as if he was crazy or something.
“It’s not bullshit, Selena. Think of it this way. You want us to get married right?” He held his breath, waiting for her reply, when she nodded, he breathed easily and went on. “Good! We should have been married all these while. We’ve wasted enough time. So why continue to waste time?The marriage is going to be a short and quick one. All we need is some few folks from the town, the church and the blessing of father Rupert. That’s all. I can order a wedding dress sent to you in the next few hours. I myself have some badass suits for things like this in the closet. It’s just going to be a small wedding but it’s gonna be lit. The honeymoon is going to be in this beautiful mansion of mine but the real celebration will come when we do our wedding anniversary. Trust me, we're gonna rock this town. And I will take you to anywhere you want in this world.” as he talked, he noticed the look of shock on her face as it changed to a dreamy, delightful expression, she was swallowing everything he was saying hook, line and sinker. Women! They really are suckers for shit like this, and he smiled to himself. By the time he was done talking, he could see on her face the conviction. He had won.
“This is so good! But there’s a little problem, Caesar,” Selena wailed.
He lifted his eyebrows.
“Problem? What problem?”
“It’s my dad! He’s not going to be there.”
“Why? What happened?” He asked, still trying to understand what she was getting at.
“Dad doesn’t like you, Caesar. You already know that?” When he nodded, she went on to tell him the conversation she had had with Sam, by the time she was done, She could see a dark growl on his face.
“That old sod can go to hell,” he snorted. “ We don't need him. If he’s not going to give me his blessings, then he can keep it.” He took her face in his hands. “What matters is us! us baby, us! No one else matters,” and he kissed her hungrily on the lips for some moments and pulled back. “Oh God! I’m so fucking happy. You’ve made me the happiest man on earth and for this I would give you the world,” and there was genuine happiness on his face, happiness that Selena thought she could never give to him. “We mustn’t waste time, darling. You go home now. I will send your dress to you and send one of the ladies in the town to help you with your dress. We're gonna get married by six o’clock this evening. We mustn’t waste time.” and he lifted her from the coach, and they both held each other.
“Are you really sure we are not rushing things?” She asked and he could sense a trace of worry in her voice.
“We are not! This is the best thing to do. Time is never on anyone's side. Don't waste it.” he answered simply. How could he bring himself to tell her that the main reason he was rushing the wedding was because he was terribly scared that Selena would change her mind. “We’ll get married this evening. Nothing will change it.” And he led her to the front door. He brushed his lips softly against hers. “Expect your beautiful wedding dress. We mustn’t waste time. Go my love, go.”
Selena smiled, blew him a kiss and sashayed away.
Caesar watched her go, his face glazed with sexual delight. He hated to see her go, but he had no choice. You are finally mine, Selena. Mine! He smiled to himself. Then he locked the door and turned around. He strolled into the living room and came into an abrupt stop.
Marianna was standing in the living room.