Chapter 31: Proposition

ALICE

“Gideon, please,” I moaned, lost in the sensation Gideon was creating within me. His manhood was doing delicious things to me, torturing me to a blissful end.

“Not until I’m satisfied,” he said, thrusting deep inside me.

“Satisfied about—about what?” I asked breathlessly, barely repressing another moan.

“That my agenda has been met,” he replied, pumping into me.

“What agenda? Wh-what are you tal-talking about?” Why couldn’t he just let me come?

“My agenda is that I want you to know who you belong to once I’m done with you, and I want you to never forget it,” he ground out, screwing his sex into me, causing a whirlwind of sensation to overtake me.

“I already know,” I moaned out.

“Do you, little peach? Do you know who you belong to?” Gideon tweaked my nipple.

“Yes.” Another moan escaped.

“Who? Tell me who you belong to!” Gideon gritted out. I could tell he was close.

“Y-you.” I closed my eyes as pleasure washed over me with the force of a tidal wave.

“Say it again. Louder,” Gideon commanded, thrusting more forcefully.

“You!” I screamed.

“Say my name. Scream my name, little bird,” Gideon ordered.

“Gideon!” And finally, he allowed me to fall into the pit of utter bliss. Pleasure exploded inside me; my toes curled and my back arched as the orgasm raced through me. I shuddered in sexual delight as wave after wave of pleasure drowned me in carnal bliss.

“My little fairy.” Gideon stilled on top of me as he came, riding his own orgasm.

He rolled on his side, taking me with him, and both of us lay there, basking in post-coital bliss. I snuggled next to him as he tightened his hold on me.

One of his hands made its way into my hair, while the other kept me securely in place next to him.

“Tell me you love me,” Gideon commanded softly, kissing me.

I blushed. “I-I love you,” I stuttered.

“Say it again, and this time, don’t stutter,” he ordered.

“Why? You already know I feel. Why do you want me to say it again?” It wasn’t like he’d told me he loved me, and that thought always managed to create a fissure in my heart.

“Say it,” he commanded more forcefully.

“No.” I hid my face in the crook of his neck. I felt so vulnerable when telling Gideon I loved him. He had my heart, and I was afraid he would break it.

Gideon’s hand, which was resting on my waist, slowly glided south until it reached the apex of my thighs. And then, slowly, two of his fingers entered me, causing me to gasp in surprise.

I was already sore and tender down there due to three orgasms, and now Gideon’s penetrating fingers were back to torturing me.

“Tell me you love me,” Gideon stated, pumping his fingers in and out.

“I already did,” I moaned, trying not to give in to him.

“No, tell me without stuttering,” he ordered.

“Why?” Stars exploded in front of my eyes as I neared another orgasm.

“Because I said so,” he replied.

“Gideon, stop,” I pleaded, my sex highly sensitized.

“Not until you tell me you love me,” he said.

“I-I—” I stopped myself just in time.

“Stubborn, are we? Well, I’ll just have to use other means.” He inserted another finger and latched onto my left breast. Instantly, my senses evaded me, and I was left with nothing but the feel of Gideon’s lips and fingers.

“Tell me you love me and I’ll give you the reprieve you so desperately seek.” He knew that I was close, and he was holding me on the edge. Damn him!

Not having the support of my common sense, I gave voice to the words that my husband was torturing me for. “I love you,” I said softly, not stuttering.

“Say it again.” His fingers hit my sweet spot, and I was lost.

“I love you.”

“One more time, little dove.”

“I love you.” And that was when I was, once again, allowed to bathe myself in the pleasure of a mind-numbing orgasm.

“You will always love me,” Gideon whispered before capturing my lips in a searing kiss as my body shuddered with the sizzling bolts of my climax.

~And you will never love me.~ The thought was painful, but it was the truth. If Gideon loved me, he would’ve told me by now. I had bared my soul to him. Shouldn’t he do the same?

We lay there, lost in the feel and warmth of one another. Gideon began lazily trailing his fingers over my skin, while I kept my face hidden in the crook of his neck, inhaling his masculine scent.

“We have a lot to do today, don’t we?” Gideon said.

“Yes. The caterers and the decorators will be arriving soon, and I need to take out Nico’s outfit for tonight,” I stated.

“What kind of cake is Nico going for?” Gideon asked, getting up from the bed.

“Ice cream cake. It’s his favorite,” I told him, eyeing Gideon’s naked form in obvious approval.

“All right, why don’t you change as well?” Gideon suggested.

“How many orphans have you invited?” I questioned, watching Gideon disappear into the walk-in closet.

“Five hundred and fifty. Is that okay, or should we invite more?”

“No, five fifty is fine.” Jeez, he had a lot of contacts.

Taking a deep breath, I removed myself from the bed and dragged my naked body into the bathroom. I turned on the shower to medium heat and instantly got under the warm spray, letting the water soothe me.

I stiffened as arms encircled my waist but instantly relaxed knowing that it was Gideon behind me. I leaned into him as the water cascaded over us.

“You decided to join me,” I said.

“Can’t let you have all the fun, now can I?” He kissed my neck sweetly.

“What fun?” I grinned at him.

“This, taking a shower,” Gideon replied.

“You’re kidding, right? How is taking a shower fun?” I arched my eyebrows in question.

“What I meant was taking a shower with you is fun,” he corrected before dipping a finger into my heat, and I was lost once again.

^***^

“Do you think they’ll come?” Nico asked nervously, eyeing the empty grounds, which were decorated with balloons and streamers.

There were a few tables with an assortment of snacks, and one table was reserved for goodie bags that Nico himself had filled with exciting things.

“Of course they’ll come,” I assured my brother, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

“What if they don’t?” he queried, looking at me.

“They will, don’t worry.” It was Gideon who replied, coming up and standing next to me.

“You okay, little peach? My baby isn’t giving you any trouble, is he?” he whispered. Gideon was dressed to kill. His suit fit to perfection, and not a hair was out of place.

“No, the baby is behaving, and stop saying he. It could be a she,” I pointed out.

“It’s a he. My mum might’ve escaped the family curse, but that doesn’t mean you can,” he stated.

“I can, and speaking of your mum, you still have to tell me about Elizabeth,” I reminded him.

“Yes I do. How about tomorrow?” He didn’t look nervous at all, much to my surprise.

“All right. Yeah, tomorrow. You’ll tell me everything, right?” Finally, Gideon would tell me about his sister.

“Yes, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know,” Gideon replied.

“They’re here. They are here!” Nico said excitedly. I followed Nico’s gaze and saw three buses arrive.

They parked before the door was opened, and numerous children filtered out, wearing colorful clothes. More buses followed in their wake, and more children piled out.

“Wow, that’s a lot of children,” I commented as I eyed the hundreds of children running around.

Nico hurried over to them, and soon enough he was mingling with kids his own age.

Gideon and I walked about, watching as some of the kids were being entertained by a clown, while the others helped themselves to snacks and juice.

“This is nice, isn’t it?” I said to Gideon.

“Yes, having these children here is nice.” Gideon was eyeing someone at a distance. I followed his gaze to see he was looking at a baby boy, no older than a few months, sitting in the lap of one of the caretakers.

Without saying anything, Gideon walked toward the baby, me beside him, and in a few seconds, we reached the baby. The little boy gave Gideon a toothless smile, and Gideon smiled back.

The baby looked to have blond hair and had dark blue eyes and the most beautiful smile I had ever seen on a baby.

His chubby cheeks had pink splotches, and he was dressed in a red shirt and blue pants, with a blue cap to match.

“May I hold him?” Gideon asked the caretaker, a sweet lady with light brown skin and dark, curly hair. She nodded, and Gideon wasted little time in picking up the boy from her lap.

I watched as Gideon interacted with the little boy. He looked like the epitome of fatherhood. He was treating the little boy as if he were his own son.

Seeing Gideon like this had my worries evaporating. I knew Gideon would make an excellent father.

“What’s his name?” I asked the caretaker.

“For now, his name is Abelino. It hasn’t been finalized yet.”

“Abioye,” Gideon said, causing both of us to look up at him in surprise.

“What?” I asked.

“His name should be Abioye,” Gideon clarified.

“Why?” I inquired, watching the baby playing with Gideon’s hair.

“It suits him, don’t you think?” He kissed the baby’s chubby cheek.

“I guess.” To be honest, I thought the name was strange.

“How long has he been with you?” Gideon asked the caretaker.

“Since the day he was born. His parents died in an accident while he was still at the hospital. He was a preemie, you see. They were coming to see him when they got into an accident and died,” she informed us.

“And you haven’t decided on a name yet? All this time?” Gideon inquired, holding the baby’s tiny hand.

“All the kids call him different names, so it’s kind of difficult for us to pick one.” She smiled.

“You should name him Abioye,” Gideon stated.

“People have the right to change a baby’s name if they choose to adopt him,” the caretaker told us.

“Do they now?” Gideon frowned.

“Yes, since this one doesn’t have a birth certificate yet. We’ll have his certificate made in a few days,” she replied.

“And why haven’t you had his birth certificate made until now?” Gideon queried.

“We were hoping somebody would adopt him. We sometimes wait it out in case the babies get adopted, but now we’ll have his birth certificate made,” she answered.

“Can you wait for a few days, if it’s not too much to ask?” Gideon questioned, smiling at the baby. I looked at him in confusion, wondering why he was making such a request.

“May I know the reason why, Mr. Maslow?” the lady asked.

“Well, you’ve waited this long. I’m sure you can wait a few more days, can’t you?”

“Yes, but you have to give us a reason, sir,” she persisted.

“Can you or can you not wait a few more days?” Gideon dodged her question once again.

“We can, but—”

“Perfect. That’s all good.” Gideon tried to hand the baby over to the caretaker, but he started to cry. Without thinking, Gideon hugged the baby to him, and instantly he stopped crying.

“Well, would you look at that. He likes you, Mr. Maslow,” the caretaker said with a smile.

“Does he? I like him, too.” Gideon kissed the baby’s head affectionately. He whispered something in the little boy’s ear before reluctantly handing him over to the caretaker. Taking my hand, Gideon led me away from the baby.

“What did you say to the baby?” I asked once we were a safe distance away.

“I made a promise to him,” Gideon answered.

“And that is?”

“That I’ll never let a tear escape his eyes,” Gideon responded.

“I don’t understand,” I said honestly.

“Wait for this party to be over, and I’ll tell you then,” Gideon replied, and that was the end of our conversation regarding the little baby.

The rest of the evening passed with smiles and laughter. Nico did not stop smiling for even a minute as he talked to every kid that was present.

Nico personally thanked all of them for coming to his birthday party, and when he cut the cake, Nico had the biggest smile. The maids were responsible for making sure that every kid got cake and a healthy serving of snacks.

When it was time for all the kids to head back, Nico made sure that no one left without a goodie bag. He even gave goodie bags to the caretakers and thanked them for coming.

Only when the last of the buses drove away did Nico go inside. Gideon instructed the maids to clean up and bring Nico’s presents to his room. Then Gideon took my hand and led me to our room.

“So now will you tell me about the baby?” I asked as soon as Gideon closed our bedroom door.

“How would you like it if we adopted that baby?” Gideon asked me, taking me by surprise.

“Seriously?” Why did he want to adopt a baby when he was going to have his own child in just a few months?

“Yes,” he replied and sat down next to me.

“Gideon, are you sure you want to adopt a baby when you’ll have your own child in just a few months?” I shifted closer to him.

“It’s not about having my own baby, little fairy. Did you see the smile on his face? Did you see the innocence sparkling in those blue eyes?

“I don’t know about you, but I won’t be able to live with myself knowing that innocence and smile will be no more once he grows up and faces the harsh realities of this world, not when I can do something about it,” Gideon stated.

“But are you sure you want to? I mean taking responsibility for a child isn’t easy. And will you be able to treat him just like your own son, even when your own baby is born?” I asked.

“Yes. I may not be a father yet, little peach, but I do know that I want that little boy to be my son. I want to protect him from the evils of this world. I want to keep my promise to him and make sure that no tears escape his eyes. And just like I’ll protect my real child, I’ll protect my adopted one, too, so what do you say?”

I didn’t have to think much; the answer was staring at me in the face. Gideon was right. Taking care of a child who had no one in this world was the right thing to do. I mean Nico was an orphan, and no one was there except me.

Nico did not get the love he needed and deserved because our parents had died. But now, when there was a way that a little boy could get the love of parents, why shouldn’t we take it?

What was the point of all this wealth if we couldn’t use it to help people in need?

“All right. I’m with you. If you want to adopt that baby, then you have my full support, and I’ll love and treat him like my own son,” I told Gideon, who beamed at me in response.

“Thank you, little bird, thank you so much. We’ll go in a few days and adopt him,” Gideon stated.

“Why not tomorrow?” I asked.

“Are you kidding? We have to buy clothes and toys for him. And I have to inform Dad and my brothers about this, so we have to wait for a few days.”

I chuckled before Gideon leaned down and kissed me tenderly. His kiss told me all I needed to know.

That everything would be all right.