Dilemma

The door to the bedroom swung open and the rich smell of sandalwood and cinnamon filled the air. Allyson didn't know when she slept off, waiting for her husband Roderick Chester. She knows he's been trying to avoid her after the fight. She heard light footsteps and she knew he was headed towards her.

"Hmm..." Allyson stretched, and turned towards the opposite direction.

"Where have you been?" She asked in a sleepy voice.

"Where else? I've been working" He sounded irritated.

She slowly moved towards the end of the bed, and she wrapped her hands around Roderick, in an attempt to make him feel better, she kissed his neck. He was resistant at first but he reciprocated the gesture. He grabbed her waist, and drew her closer to his chest, roughly.

A wave of unease surged through Allyson's chest and reflectively she attempted to withdraw.

"Don't move," Roderick's rich voice rumbled in her ears, sending chills down her spine. It was a command, not a request.

For a moment Allyson's body tensed, caught in a struggle between resistance and submission. She closed her eyes, and submitted to his touch. The strong smell of oud filled her lungs.

Roderick's eyes darkened with desire, the hunger in his eyes were evident. He yanked her shirt off, and he took her bosom in his mouth, with his hands slowly making its way down her cookie, she moaned, making his actions bolder and less restrained.

"You're wet," he whispered in her ear. "I want to taste you," slowly, he released her bosom from the warmth of his mouth. He moved down, slowly kissing every part of her body as he made his way down her already runny cookie. Gently he teased her with his touch, while staring back at her, Allyson clenched her fist, the sweet tingling sensation and the pleasure building in-between her, was intensifying.

"Don't stop." She moaned.

Almost immediately, Roderick withdrew himself, just when she was about to have an orgasm. He quietly stepped out of the bed, and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Allyson laid back in bed, raw, aching and confused. She didn't understand what just happened. She heard the shower running, she got up and began to put her clothes back on.

Few minutes later, Roderick stepped out of the bathroom, got dressed and headed towards the door. His movement betrayed none of the ardour that had engulfed him just moments before.

"Roderick it's late, where are you going?" Allyson's voice was masked with concern. She had a confused look on her face.

"Go back to bed." Roderick responded. His tone was breezy and dismissive, he looked at her and then strode out of the room, without a single backward glance. Roderick always had this detached look on his face whenever he was around her and tonight his eyes told her everything she needed to know, and everything she already knew.

Allyson's eyes lingered on the empty bed, and her heart sank. She held back the tears, trying so hard to remind herself the reason why she was here in the first place.

Roderick never loved her, and their marriage has always been transactional. All she had to do was be a compliant wife to Roderick Chester, and her father's company would be redeemed from going bankrupt.

Deep down she knew she wasn't the woman he loved, and she couldn't deny the fact that she learnt to love him. Being together for over a year now, she saw something in Roderick that no one else could see, and the sad reality is that he's still not over his last relationship. And this was her reality too.

The memory of how her marriage began was still something Allyson wished she could forget. Her father was her only family and she couldn't bear to see him lose everything he's worked his entire life building. He got into business with the wrong people, he incurred enormous debts, and he knew if he didn't do something to salvage the situation, his company was going to hit rock bottom.

Malcolm Chester, the grandfather of Roderick, and the retired president of Novaspire, a multi million dollar tech company. Malcolm was a ruthless business mogul and he agreed to invest in ZenithForge, but he agreed on an explicit condition. I have to marry Roderick.

Roderick at the time, was going through a messy breakup. His relationship with Hazel Bennett, a runway super model and influencer, was considered a match made in heaven. They were referred to as the power couple of the one percent. Months after they announced their engagement, Roderick and Hazel called off their engagement and this news made headlines. Hazel vanished without a trace.

At that critical juncture, with Roderick poised to secure the position as chairman of the board and in dire need of a compliant wife, Allyson known for her unwavering devotion to her father and ZenithForge, became the ideal candidate.

For the past year, Allyson has been a typical trophy wife, docile and irrelevant. She was expected to make appearances at dinner parties and gatherings looking all glammed up.

This was not the life she envisioned for herself. She was lonely and miserable and was engulfed in a whirlpool of thoughts when she drifted off.

She was startled by the sound of her phone, she turned around and noticed her husband's side of the bed was still empty. She looked up at the clock and it was past midnight, whoever was calling better had a good enough reason to do so.

"Hello," her voice sounded hoarse.

"Ally, I missed your calls. Are you okay?" The voice at the other end of the phone sounded worried. Pete was Roderick's friend and they've been friends since highschool.

"Owww..." realization hit her. After waiting for almost an hour, she was worried sick about Roderick, so she called Pete. Allyson wanted to know if he's aware of Roderick's way about. She's called him a dozen times but there was no response and this aggravated her anxiety.

"Roderick left the house, and I haven't heard from him. Are you guys together?" She asked in a calm voice, masked with concern.

"Oh yes, we stepped out to get drinks and since it was late, he agreed to spend the night here. He's fine." He sounded convincing.

"Alright then. Goodnight." She hung up and stared at the empty space on the king size bed.

Pete was lying.