Fail to Love by Maci Dillon

 

Mislaid Plans

 

“Better a broken promise than none at all.” ~ Mark Twain

 

 

RAVEN

 

I stepped off the plane from a three-day trip to Melbourne for a business management seminar. I couldn’t be happier to be home. I missed Sean immensely, and it was ten degrees too cold for me down south, even in the summer. I much preferred the tropical weather in Queensland.

Sean was waiting in the pick-up zone for me as promised and rushed to my side to help with my bag as the light mist turned to torrential rain. Even in the night sky, angry storm clouds were evident.

Once in the car, out of the elements, Sean mauled my mouth. His hand caressed the inside of my thigh, seeking out every inch of me. “I’ve fucking missed you, Raven.”

I chuckled into his mouth, not wanting him to stop kissing me. “It’s only been a few days.”

Sean pulled back with a look of disappointment.

“I missed you too.” I laughed, reaching across to palm his face and plant another kiss on his lips.

A month ago, if you’d asked me to imagine having a man to come home to, I’d have laughed in your face. Today, I’m beside myself with excitement, a rush of pure love inciting my every move. While our relationship was still new, the familiar pattern we’d fallen into so quickly would ordinarily have my mind spinning out of control.

This was such a different experience for both of us, but I couldn’t deny I’d never want it to be any other way now we had taken this step.

Coming home to Sean was better than any romantic movie could ever portray it.

It’s too early to tell him yet, and I didn’t want to jinx us, but I’m head over heels in love with this incredibly successful, unbelievably sexy surgeon of mine.

When we arrived back at Sean’s place, he carried me up the stairs and placed me in the center of his bed. Teasing me with tantalizingly slow movements, he stripped me of my clothes, covering me in sweet, passionate kisses as he went until I lay naked before him. His eyes thick with desire, my core hot with anticipation, we devoted the next few hours to loving each other.

Before we fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms, we had committed every curve, every muscle, scar, and freckle to memory.

 

 

I kicked back the sheets and stretched out like a starfish.

What time is it?

The room was bathed in darkness. I stumbled out of bed to pull up the blinds. Daylight overwhelmed my light-sensitive eyes. When they adjusted, I focused on the wall clock. It was eleven thirty-five.

Checking my phone, I wondered how much longer until Sean would be home. I vaguely remembered him waking me to say he had an emergency. Something to do with twins and early labor.

Maybe it was a good thing work whisked him away from me, as apparently my body needed sleep. Not hard to do in Sean’s gigantic bed and superior mattress. Once we finished making love in the early hours, I was out cold.

I found my overnight bag in the closet and took my time in the shower and moved to the beat of some R&B tunes streaming from my phone through the surround sound system.

Sean’s room was nothing short of exquisite, filled with blacks and reds and a matching ensuite with black marble countertops. It was larger than most main bathrooms with a deep claw foot bath on one side with built-in seats at each end and an open shower with a waterfall in the corner. On the other side of the room was a sauna big enough for a group of ten.

With the flexibility of his schedule, we tended to spend more evenings at my apartment, but I had considered bringing this up with him. I think I should be the one to make the trip to him more often. That way, he’d be closer to his patients in case of an emergency, and we had so much space and privacy here. I’m sure Gloria wouldn’t mind me being around a little more, and Wednesday would lap up the extra attention.

Finishing up in the bathroom and still no sign of Sean, I made my way to the kitchen for some coffee and whatever was available in the refrigerator. On the counter was a note from Gloria, his housekeeper.

 

Raven,

Dr. Mathers requested I brew some coffee for when you woke.

You will also find a breakfast tray waiting for you in the fridge.

Gloria

 

Because I overslept, it was closer to lunchtime now, but I appreciated it all the same.

I opened the fridge to find a red serving tray complete with a glass of fruit juice, a small pitcher of milk, a croissant with ham and Swiss cheese, a mini bowl of vanilla yogurt, and a dish of mixed fresh berries.

“Unbelievable,” I marveled to myself. This is some brunch.

Plucking the sticky note from the top of the croissant which read, ‘Toast Me,’ I looked around for the toaster.

When brunch was ready to devour, I walked out back to the deck. I was met by an overly excited Wednesday, Sean’s Golden Retriever, who was now much larger in size than when I first met her by the river a few months ago.

Maneuvering around her to place the tray on the table, I was lucky to set it down safely before Wednesday made another leaping attempt at stealing my attention.

“Hey, girl, you remember me? You’re such a big girl now,” I chimed, giving her back a solid rub. “Where were you when we arrived home last night, huh?”

I heard the front door open and raced inside to greet Sean. My face fell when Gloria came into view. “Miss Raven, hello.” She smiled, popping a few shopping bags on the counter. “I’m sorry, I take it you were expecting Mr. Sean.”

“Gloria, hello. I’m so sorry.” I hoped she didn’t take offense to my expression when I realized it wasn’t Sean.

“I arrived early this morning as he was leaving for the clinic. He told me to prepare breakfast for you. I’m between jobs, and Mr. Sean says I can relax in his home with Wednesday as I wish.”

I waved my hand at her. “Of course, Sean has mentioned how fond he is of you, and he loves you being here for Wednesday.” The truth is Sean pays Gloria, a middle-aged Filipino woman, a weekly salary to clean the house he barely lives in.

She has a family, many young grandchildren back home who she provided for, sending most of what she earned to them, and Sean was happy to contribute. I also think he enjoyed the idea of somebody making use of his grandiose house.

“If you don’t mind me saying, Miss Raven, Mr. Sean is very fond of you also. He’s a very different man than he was only months ago. You mean a lot to him, I can tell. I have an eye for attraction, you see.”

I laughed at Gloria’s expressions and the way she spoke with her hands. “Thank you, Gloria. It’s very kind of you to say. I’m equally as fond of him, I assure you.”

A few hours passed before my anticipation of Sean’s pending arrival home turned to irritation. I had stayed in all day, worried if I left, he’d arrive home. It was mid-afternoon, and I hadn’t heard a peep from him.

Not that I expected to, don’t get me wrong. His job wasn’t one where he sat idle at a computer with easy communication to the outside world. The fact he was not home yet caused me to worry for his patient, who was experiencing difficulty with her twins.

I tapped out a message letting him know I’d be leaving shortly. As planned, I was heading home to the Gold Coast this afternoon to prepare for the week ahead and spend a night with Miah. Kassidy left while I was away for her business trip to Prague. The lucky bitch will be away for a few weeks, then stopping for five nights in London on her return.

I struggled to type the message, unsure whether I should stay in case he needed emotional support after a hard day.

Convincing myself he was used to hard days and returning home to an empty house, I sent Miah a message and received an immediate response.

 

Miah: I can be there in less than an hour if you want me to come get you. Say the word, and I’ll be on my way.

 

I sighed loudly. I hated depending on others. I could’ve arranged an Uber to the train station, but honestly, I couldn’t have been bothered. This wasn’t at all what I had envisioned for my day off when we drifted off to sleep in the early hours of the morning.

I answered Miah, but I needed to know where the hell I was for her to pick me up. Generally, I knew, but I wasn’t sure of the exact address as I had always been with Sean when I arrived here.

I wished Gloria was still here so I could ask her, but she left an hour or so ago.

I bounded up the stairs and into Sean’s office, looking for any trace of mail that would indicate the street address. Skimming over some business cards and loose pieces of notepaper near the computer, a card for Brisbane’s elite BDSM club caught my attention. On the back was a note written in pink ink.

 

See you Wednesday at 10 xx

 

I sat back in the chair, assessing this new insight into Sean’s life. It both intrigued and concerned me. Uncertainty about how I fit into his world of kink bubbled from within. I slipped the card into my pocket. Something he said to Chloe when they first met, the Shibari wall feature above the piano, and now a card with a date and time were all coming together now.

My phoned beeped with another text from Miah, a reminder of why I came into the office in the first place. There was a pile of papers in a tray on the filing cabinet, and thankfully, a local council rates notice was amongst them.

Quickly I responded to Miah with the address and set about gathering my things. Before leaving, I left a brief note on Sean’s pillow.

 

Thank you for picking me up last night.

Call me when you get home.

If you feel up to it. xx