An Affair With My Husband’s Brother

4. Karaoke With Him

Cielle’s POV:

The next day arrived all too quickly, and I found myself preparing with my husband for his business trip. I was his trophy wife and so it was expected that I followed him around especially since I knew that other members of his team would be there and it was important to maintain a certain image between us.

The act of playing the perfect couple in public was a well-practised one, and as I waved him goodbye at the airport, we shared a kiss that concealed the loathing that lay beneath the surface. It was vital to maintain the facade that everything was perfect in our marriage.

As he boarded his flight, I pretended to be sad about his departure, my eyes damp with fake tears. With a final parting kiss, he was gone, leaving me with a feeling of relief and excitement.

“Take me to this address, please.” I said to the driver, showing him the card that held the address and once he confirmed, I settled into my seat and let my thought run wild.

I had genuinely enjoyed my time at the social club yesterday but if I was being honest, that wasn’t the reason I was so eager to go back. Maybe it had something to do with a certain grey eyed man and only the thought of him was enough to make my stomach churn with excitement.

“You can leave Darren, I’ll let you know when I’m ready to leave.” I said to the driver, making my way into the building as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Cielle!” The blonde receptionist called in greeting, it made me smile how she called out to me like we were long-time friends.

“I’m not sure I got your name yesterday,” I said when I got to her and her smile widened.

“It’s Freya. You left early yesterday” She answered and I nodded.

“I had to attend to some other things, but I’m back now.”

“I’m glad.” She responded and I gave her a small smile and made my way to the second floor.

By the door, I contemplated it again. What if he didn’t show up? Was this even worth giving any sort of chance? Maybe it was best if I just went home and forgot I ever had an encounter with him.

“You made it in time.” I shivered slightly at the voice, turning to face the man that had somehow refused to leave my head from the previous day.

“Hi,” I called out shyly, berating myself at how low my voice sounded.

“I didn’t get your name yesterday.”

“It’s Cielle,” I said my voice barely above a whisper.

“Cielle. It’s a lovely name, it suits you.” He said and I wasn’t sure why the simple compliment made me blush to the tip of my toes.

For once, I was glad about the warm lighting in the hallway.

“Come on.”

The door was pushed open before I could say another word and I was shocked when we were instantly surrounded by a group of people. Turned out they all wanted to speak with Aiden but seeing as he had my hands held tightly in his, I was forced to stay in place while he discussed with his group of people. It made me feel safe and distracted me enough from the small crowd of people that had gathered around us. I couldn’t hear what they discussed above the roaring in my ear, but thankfully, it was over almost as soon as it started.

Most of the room was gathered in one corner, and only very few people were away from the large group huddled together in the corner, very unlike yesterday and when I looked closely, I saw how they surrounded a TV and although no one was singing yet, I knew the karaoke would start any moment now.

“So, what did you do yesterday? There’s a lot of activities here and I’m sure something must have interested you.” He said and I nodded.

“I mainly observed, I did interact with a couple of people yesterday though.” His intense eyes were still focused on me but I refused to meet them.

“Alright, come on we’ll start with karaoke first. Would you like to sing?” He asked and I shook my head rapidly, causing him to laugh a deep-bellied laugh that made me blush, he gently pulled me to the corner where the rest of them were gathered.

True to his words, he was a really good singer. I could feel the hair on my skin rise when he caught my eyes and threw me a wink, making the people around me holler and scream in excitement while I blushed and almost melted into the seat.

The song was over way before I wanted it to be, but it had my stomach swimming with butterflies, Aiden approached me when he was done, and after taking my hands he pulled me to a different part of the room, it was the side with the paint and brushes and after we were settled with our canvases we began talking.

I found out quickly that It was easy to talk to him, and it helped that he didn’t ask personal or uncomfortable questions too. I found myself laughing with him and it felt like such a breath of fresh air from the monotony that mostly ruled my life.

Aiden was so carefree and the way that he laughed, a deep belly laugh never failed to make me smile. I could almost see myself in him, or at least the woman that I used to be, if only for a brief moment. We shared stories too and I would laugh whenever he would make a particularly hilarious comment and the way that he grinned proudly when I entertained his jokes made me feel good.

We talked about the movies and shows that were out and we were both pleasantly surprised to discover that we loved watching the same kind of things I couldn’t help but admire his ability to find a topic so interesting that he wouldn’t let it die down while we were still speaking and he didn’t make it awkward too.

Finally, I turned to him and asked the question that had been burning in my mind since I had met him the previous day.

“Why are you here?” I asked and he looked at me with furrowed brows.

“What do you mean?”

“Sorry, it’s just that you don’t fit the profile of most of the people here. It’s almost like you don’t belong here and I don’t mean that in a bad way.” I said hurriedly.

“It’s okay. Well, I own the first floor of this building but it’s mostly active at later hours of the day so I spend most of my day here.” He explained and it made a lot of sense.

It sparked my curiosity though.

“Why does it only run at night? Is it a club?” I asked

“Well, kind of, but it’s different from the clubs you might be used to or from this one. It’s an exclusive club accessible by invitation or to members only.” He explained, but his explanation only made me have more questions.

“I could give you a tour if you want.” He said as if reading my mind and I agreed instantly.

We cleared up the space and the items we had used and Aiden led us out of the room, we took the stairs to the first floor, and the sign on the first door that we came to read:

BLUE HEDONISM

When Aiden pushed the door open, the sight that welcomed me, it felt like my heart stuttered to a stop.