THE CEO'S GORGEOUS MULTITALENTED WIFE

CHAPTER THREE

MIA POV

The next morning, I awoke when I fell to the floor with a loud thud. I had forgotten I was laying on a couch and attempted to roll over, promptly landing on the floor and knocking the wind out of myself.

I groaned, bringing my hands up to cover my eyes. "Ugh. Such an awful start to an awful day", I mumbled.

Last night, after my dearest husband had left unceremoniously, I had found the blankets in the closet like he'd directed. I had half expected to find nothing but fine dust there, given his behavior. Stealing some pillows from the vast bed he refused to share with yours truly, I made a fluffy pillow fort on the thankfully long couch. Sometime during the night, most of the pillows and blankets had fallen off. I'd landed on one of them after my fall, the soft pillow cushioning my head against the hard floor.

"Is this a habit?", A voice above me said.

Fast as lightning, I pulled my hands away from my eyes and stared up at the looming form of my husband over me.

"What do you want?"* I asked hostilely. He couldn't really expect me to be nice after what he'd done to me the night before, could he?

His brow furrowed. "Why are you in a foul mood?"

Yes. Yes, he could.

"I am not in a foul mood, Julian", I retorted. "Why are you standing over me?"

I looked him over quickly and discovered he was already dressed for work. So he was a morning person? Another reason to dislike him entirely.

"I'm standing in my room", Julian said. "You happen to be lying beneath me."

I let my eyebrow quirk at the double entendre in the statement and he blushed.

"That is not what I meant, and you know it", he said.

"I didn't say anything."

He rolled his eyes, then fished something from his pocket and held it out to me. I examined the platinum card carelessly outstretched between his fingers.

"Is there a reason you're handing me your credit card?", I asked.

He looked pained. "It's for you."

My brow furrowed. "I haven't lost any of my cards. It's not mine."

He gave a quick exasperated sigh. "I know that", he snapped. "The card is mine. I'm giving it to you. For purchases."

I frowned from my spot on the floor. "What purchases?"

"How should I know?", He demanded. "Whatever you might need."

He kept holding the card out to me.

Slowly, I righted myself, then stood, drawing myself up to my unimpressive height of five foot seven.

"Let me get this straight", I said slowly. "Just yesterday, you accused me of being here for your family's money and basically told me never to ask you for anything. And now, you're giving me a card to fund my purchases."

He nodded stiffly and I nodded back.

"Hold on a minute", I said, turning and walking away from him, towards the closet, painfully aware that I was standing in front of Julian in pajamas while he was already dressed in a suit.

Ignoring that thought, I stalked into the closet and fished my purse from the cabinet I had left it. I took what I wanted from it, and returned to where Julian still stood, waiting impatiently. I shoved what was in my hand at him.

"Here."

He stared quietly down at the four cards I had just pressed into his palm. One master card, one Amex, a platinum, and a black.

"What are these for?", He asked me.

"Those are my cards", I replied. "Pick one and you can use it for purchases."

He glared at me. "I have no use for your money!"

"And neither do I have a use for yours!", I spat viciously. "Never insult me like this again, Julian. I do not need you!"

He stared at me for a moment, nostrils flaring, and I glared right back.

"Are you going to take the card or not?", He finally demanded.

"What do you think, genius?"

I stormed into the bathroom after that, furiously brushing my teeth and taking a quick shower. When I returned into the bedroom, I expected to find Julian gone. He sat on the couch, looking stiff. The blankets and.pillows I'd used to bed down were nowhere to be seen.

"Do you not have work?", I demanded, when he just sat there, staring at me.

He nodded slowly and I noticed he'd placed my cards in a pile on the other end of the sofa. His was nowhere to be seen. Good.

"I do." He kept sitting.

I resolved to ignore him, and walked into the closet with my towel clutched tightly in my hand. With my rotten luck, it would probably fall off right at the moment I let go of it, branding me with disgrace in front of Julian Anderson forever.

I selected a dress from my suitcase which I had yet to unpack and quickly changed into it, doing some light makeup and straightening out my hair. I picked stilettoes that matched the dress and a purse, before walking out the door. To my surprise, Julian still sat on the couch. He stood when he saw me and I slowed down, staring questioningly at him. The man looked bloody delicious in a charcoal suit.

"Is there a problem?", I inquired.

He looked pained, as though he would rather not do whatever it was he wanted to do.

"I would like to accompany you to...the mall?" He posed it as a question.

"The mall?", I repeated. "Why?"

"I thought you would like to get some things you might have forgot to bring. I'll go with you."

What?

I forced a small smile at him. "Thanks, but I like to do my shopping alone."

"Breakfast, then?", He asked. "I know a place."

My eyes narrowed. "What's your game, Julian? I'll eat breakfast at home."

"What do you mean what's my game?", He demanded. "I'm trying to do the right thing here."

I raised an eyebrow. "The right thing being breakfast with me?"

His eyebrows drew down in an adorable frown. I killed that thought immediately.

"We're supposed to try to make this work", he said.

"Make what work?"

He scowled at me. "This...marriage", he bit out.

"After all you've said to me and after making me sleep on the couch?", I asked.

"I won't be sharing a bed with you anytime soon, so just get that out of your mind", he told me.

I scowled. "So why didn't you sleep on the couch?"

"Because the bed is mine."

I rolled my eyes and stepped past him.

"Forget it, Julian. I'm not interested in any olive branch you attempt to extend."

Julian's hand suddenly found my arm and held. He turned me to face him, and his face was once again that unreadable hard mask.

"I asked the driver to ready the car", he said. "We're going for breakfast, then I'm accompanying you shopping. After that, we will have fulfilled a quota for the day and we can go out separate ways."

I paused. "Quota?"

He avoided my eyes and understanding dawned. I barked out a short laugh.

"Your mom put you up to this, didn't she?"

He said nothing, only stared at me again, broodingly. I laughed again.

"So the big bad Julian Anderson can't bear to tell his mother 'no', he'd go on a date he doesn't want for her? This is priceless!"

Julian scowled at me and let go of my arm as if it burned him.

"Be downstairs in five minutes", he said under his breath as he stalked past me, slamming the door behind him.

Shaking my head, I followed him down, walking at a more leisurely pace. Thankfully, I didn't run into either Melissa or Christopher as I went out into the courtyard to find Julian.

He sat inside a sleek black car, looking furious. Smiling to myself, I approached and instead of getting in, knocked on the passenger side window.

Scowling at me, he pushed a button and the glass slid down. I grinned at him, happy that he found the situation as annoying and inconveniencing as I did.

"Aren't you going to come hold the door open for me?", I asked.

He pushed another button and the door began to slide up. I stepped back with an "oh!" When I scowled at him, I thought I caught the ghost of a smile hovering across his lips.

The ride to the breakfast place was uneventful and I passed it by fiddling with the dials and buttons of the car's stereo system.

The same cloud of silence followed us into the cute cafe he choosed.

"Did you choose this place, or did your mom do it?", I asked, partly curiously and partly because I wanted to push his buttons.

He rewarded me with his trademark scowl over his menu. I hid my wicked smile behind mine. We remained silent until we were served. The silence was broken by me when I saw the mountain of sugary food he'd ordered.

"You're going to eat all that?" I gaped.

He looked up at me and raised an eyebrow, the very picture of immaculate disinterest. "Yes. And?"

I gestured at the sugary confections. Even his drink was something with lots of sugar and even sprinkles.

"Where does all this go?", I asked curiously. "I mean, you don't look like you're soft anywhere. It's all muscle."

I bit my lip as I realized what I had just said and he looked questioningly at me.

"And you know this how?", He asked.

I gestured vaguely, bringing my espresso to my lips and blushing hotly. "Well, you know. You don't look soft."

He stared at me. "Right."

I filled up my mouth with my pancakes and proceeded to keep my mouth shut for the remaining duration of our meal. Julian, however, had other plans.

He licked the icing of a doughnut off his finger neatly and our eyes met at that moment. I averted my eyes, raising my cup to my lips again.

"So", he began, "what do you like to do?"

My gaze shot to him. "What?"

"Hobbies", he clarified. "Do you have them?"

I nodded. "Yes."

He stared at me, and I stared back.

"Are you going to tell me what they are?", He finally asked.

"Oh." I laughed nervously. "I like to run."

"Run"* he repeated. "You like running."

I nodded slowly, slightly confused. "Yes?"

"I see", he said,. digging into another doughnut.

"Is that what you're having for breakfast? Doughnuts?" I looked at his drink. "And whatever that is."

"A pumpkin spice latte", he supplied.

I fake gagged and he glared at me.

"What?", I asked. "Pumpkin spice? Just..." I shuddered.

"Not everyone can live in black coffee", he retorted.

I shrugged, taking a sip of my less sweeter drink. "Touche."

We ate the rest of our meal in silence and I threw some bills on the table to cover our meal before he could. He either looked away guiltily or I had a very vivid imagination.

We walked out of the cafe and I turned to him, forcing another smile.

"This was fun", I said. "Let's not do it again. Is your mom going to make us?"

His brow furrowed. "She asked you to call her mom too, didn't she? Why do you keep saying 'your mom'?"

I shrugged. "It escapes me. Thanks for the company. I'll get going now."

"I'll drop you off", he offered. "Where's your office at?"

I barked out a laugh. "Yeah, I'm not telling you that."

"Why not?", He demanded.

"Why?", I countered.

"So I can drop you off", he said.

I smiled. "I'll call an Uber. Don't worry."

He scowled at me. "Fine. Have a good day."

With that, he turned and stalked towards his car. When he got in, he slammed the door and drove off without even looking back.

I rolled my eye. Just when I thought we were making progress.