Perfect Strangers

Running her hand cautiously through her hair, she rolled her shoulders back and climbed from the car, slamming the door behind her. Her mother gracefully began to start her descent down the steps towards them. The way she carried herself made Myla feel as though she was royalty and herself the lowly peasant trespassing on her property. Her mother’s face remained bland, with no emotion showing and Myla stood statuesque, looking like a rabbit caught in the heads lights. Please trip and fall.

“Myla, my darling. How are you?” She spoke regally as she stopped in front of her and air kissed each cheek awkwardly.

“Mother,” Myla replied curtly.

“Well, where is he then? This elusive Rhett of yours,” she asked looking around.

“I’m here, nice to meet you Mrs. Fox,” chimed Kai as he dashed to Myla’s side from the other side of the cab.

She looked at Myla then back to Kai before turning back to Myla again, “Oh, so he is real then? I was starting to think he was a figment of your wild imagination,” she said, dryly.

If only you knew how right you are, mother! Kai cleared his throat, “I can assure you, Mrs. Fox, I am very real.”

“Please, call me Victoria,” she replied. She looked him up and down before throwing her hand his way. Kai took it and kissed the back of it, forcing Myla to roll her eyes at his gentlemanliness.

“So, you are the man my daughter has betrothed herself to? I must say, Rhett, I’m disappointed to only be meeting you now, after two years of your being with my daughter.”

Sliding his arm around Myla’s shoulder he forcefully yanked her closer, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Yes, that is me,” he beamed, “please accept my humble apologies on that matter, Victoria, but in my line of work and with a firm to run, it has proven impossible to meet you until now.”

“Very well, better late than never.” She replied with a curt nod before turning her atte

ntions back to Myla. Victoria grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her from Kai’s arm so she could look her daughter up and down. “Have you put on weight? You seem a little plumper than the last time I saw you.”

Mortification crashed over Myla like a tidal wave at her mother’s words, and a strangled gasp reverberated in her mouth. She bit on her tongue and silently glared at her with disdain.

“Do you think so, Victoria? I can’t say I’ve noticed, in my eyes Myla looks more beautiful now, than the day we met,” Kai said as he took a step forward and took her hand in his. Slowly, Myla turned to look at him with a grateful smile, but his eyes were firmly boring into her mother’s, his head cocked to one side and his jaw firmly clenched. He looked pissed off already.

Victoria looked away first and knotted her hands together in front of her. “Well, let’s see your ring then,” she ordered.

Releasing Myla’s hand, Kai slipped his arm around her waist and rested his palm on her hip, keeping her close to him in a protective manner. Raising her hand, she shoved it in her face. “Isn’t it beautiful, mother?” She sighed and feigned excitement purposely for her mother’s benefit.

“Yes, it looks, uhm, old,” she replied flatly. Myla felt the simmering of anger begin to churn its way through her veins. Much like yourself then!

“It was my grandmother’s ring, if you must know. My mother kept it for me, and when I found the woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with, it was given to me to propose with.” Kai stated, keeping his heated stare in Victoria’s direction.

“I see, well that’s wonderful. Keep it in the family. You will be able to pass it on to your own son or daughter, should you eventually have any children.”

“Oh, we are having children, Victoria. We are just enjoying all the practice of making them, for now,” smiled Kai. Myla let out a bellowing laugh and her mother’s mouth gaped open, her face flushed completely red in embarrassment.

“Where is father?” Myla managed to ask once her laughter had subsided.

“Your father is out running wedding errands with Grace. Come, I’ll show you to your room,” she ordered and turned on her heels, leading the way towards the front door.

“You’re right, Myla, she is a fucking witch.” Dropping his hold on her waist he moved towards the back of the cab, where he started removing their cases from the trunk.

“I told you,” she whispered, coming up next to him and snatching one of her cases from his hand.

Standing upright as he removed the last case and slammed the trunk shut, he looked at her, “I feel sorry for you, Juliet. No wonder you don’t like coming back home.”

His eyes glanced behind her towards the house where he spotted Victoria out on the steps, stood stoic and glaring in their direction. Time to put on a show, Kai. Leaning closer towards her, he tilted her chin with his finger and his eyes locked on hers. “What are you doing dick head?” She growled.

“Your mother is watching, we have to make it look real so I’m going to kiss you now,” he stated matter of fact. Without giving her time to answer, he leant in closer and lightly brushed his lips over hers several times, before pulling back slightly. “I can see this week is going to be much more fun than I anticipated,” he said hoarsely.

“What do you mean by that?” Myla asked as she took a step away from him. She ran her tongue over her lips, trying to rid them of the tingling sensation his lips had left on hers.

“You’ll see,” he smirked with a gleam dancing in his eyes and he walked off in the direction of the house, pulling two cases behind him.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN