Desperately, she wriggled her body, and he heaved a resigned sigh, then reluctantly loosened his hold and gazed down at her tear-streaked face. Her makeup had run, and she had black tracks down her cheeks.
“You look like a clown.” He smiled slightly as he brushed his fingers down her cheek in a light caress and took a step backward. “I’ll order some coffee while you clean yourself up.”
Rebecca did not move. She silently reminded herself that she had to give him time to adjust to this new situation, but she was determined to have him behave differently toward her now than how he used to in the past.
Becky would have obeyed his order without question and would now be hurrying toward the washroom. Well, she was not going to docilely do as she was told.
Determination flashed in her eyes as she raised her right eyebrow. “Are you giving me an order Dominic?”
For a moment Dominic was puzzled by her question then he realized she was objecting to his suggestion that she might like to tidy herself up and it surprised the hell out of him.
“No Ma’am,” he drawled mockingly. “I wouldn’t dare.”
Rebecca threw him a disgusted glare. “Oh, very droll. I’m laughing myself into hysterics.”
Retrieving her handbag, she crossed to the washroom and closed the door.
Dominic frowned as he watched her walking away from him. He had noticed her reaction to his calling her Becky and was puzzled by it as he had always referred to her by that name, but he decided not to comment on it.
A feeling of unreality stole over him as he stared at the closed door. He felt as if he was in some macabre world where everything was turned upside down.
For the past five years his arms had ached to hold her so badly at times it had been almost painful, but somehow, when she had been in his arms a few minutes ago it had felt wrong. She had felt wrong. Her hips were more rounded, and she appeared to be more muscular than he remembered.
When he had first met her, she had been gaunt to the point of emaciation. She had steadily gained weight with Aggie cooking her nourishing meals, but she had never been as full-bodied as she was now.
She was his wife. He knew her more intimately than anyone else on this earth, but conversely, he did not know her at all, and the absurdity of that thought was making him question his sanity. It just did not make any sense to him at all.
His last memories of Becky were of a disheartened, traumatized girl. This new Becky was a self-confident, independent woman.
At that moment he was not sure he could handle this bizarre situation or that he even wanted to try. It was like walking through a minefield. You never knew what your next step would bring.
He shook his head to clear it of his jumbled thoughts and decided to take it one small step at a time for now.
To begin with, he would have to remember never to call her Becky. It was obvious she did not like it, but he could not figure out why and did not intend to ask.
He also decided to be careful how he worded any suggestions he might make to her in the future.
If they had any kind of a future together.
That thought drew his brows together in a fierce frown. It was obvious she was not here to discuss a divorce so why was she here?
Well, there was only one way to find out and that was to ask her why she had suddenly decided to walk back into his life after five years of silence.
With a resigned sigh, he pushed the intercom button and ordered a tray of coffee from a very curious Meg.
Rebecca tidied her hair and washed her face then applied fresh lipstick to her lips, but she did not replace any of her other makeup.
She was eager to call Emma to explain the true circumstances of her miscarriage but when she pulled her mobile out of her handbag, she was disappointed to see she had no signal in this room.
Oh well, she sighed in resignation it would just have to wait until later. Perhaps it would be better in any case if she waited until tonight to call. Then she would be able to tell her the outcome of her meeting with Dominic as well.
Dominic! She shook her head unable to believe the difference in his appearance. Mike had warned her that he had changed but she had not expected those changes to be so noticeable or severe.
He appeared to have lost his zest for life, as if there was no purpose to his life anymore.
Before, his blue eyes always had a sparkle in them, now they were lacklustre. His mouth once always wore a quirky smile, now it drooped at one corner.
According to Mike, he had not acquired or built a new hotel during the past five years whereas before that time the number of hotels he owned had increased steadily.
Her eyes darkened in anguish. It was no good fooling herself; she knew she was solely responsible for his wrecked life.
Well, she had returned to Sydney to clear the slate so to speak, perhaps she could ensure that he was able to make a fresh start as well.
When Meg knocked on the door, Dominic walked across the room and pulled it open then motioned for her to enter the room.
She halted in surprise when she noticed the room was empty except for Dominic and he smiled sardonically at her confusion as he returned to the desk and sank into the black leather executive chair.
What did she think he had done with Rebecca for crying out loud? Thrown her out the window?
He choked back a laugh as he watched Meg place the tray onto the desktop. Curiosity was written all over her face and he knew she desperately wanted to ask him what had been happening in this room.
“I’m sure you’ll have no problem cancelling my afternoon appointments,” he drawled and glared at her accusingly until she blushed guiltily. They both knew there were no appointments.
“We did what we thought was right for you,” Meg stated, holding his gaze defiantly.
“I’m not complaining Meg,” he murmured quietly, and her eyebrows rose in surprise.
Hot damn, she chuckled gleefully to herself as she walked out of the office with a huge grin on her face. Maybe, just maybe things would work out all right after all.
Dominic poured himself a cup of coffee and glanced across the room when he heard the washroom door click open.
As he watched Rebecca walk toward the desk, he noted that she had tidied her hair and her face was scrubbed clean of makeup. But he wondered why she had replaced the red lipstick she had been wearing when she arrived with a paler shade of pink.
“Better,” he murmured as she resumed her seat in the visitor’s chair, and when she glanced at him confused, wondering what on earth he was talking about, he added. “You’re much prettier without that heavy makeup.”
He was surprised when she laughed and raised her right eyebrow. It appeared to be a habit she had acquired whenever she asked a question.
“Who was it who bought me a makeup kit worth many hundreds of dollars?” she asked drily.
“Who stated they did not need it?” he countered.
Rebecca smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgement. “Touché.”
"Help yourself," he instructed, gesturing toward the tray.
She gasped in surprise when she saw the cream on the tray and wondered who had remembered that she always had plenty of cream in her coffee, Dominic or Meg? Dominic drank his coffee black.
Leaning forward, she poured herself a cup of coffee and added a generous measure of cream