*For those who aren’t aware, this is the sequel to Velvet Roses. So if you haven’t read it yet, I recommend that you do before beginning this story.
And for those of you who have read Velvet Roses, I’d like to thank you for your continued interest. Hopefully you’ll find this sequel as entertaining as its predecessor. :)*
The stately French Chateau at the corner of El Camino Del Mar and Sea Cliff Avenue stood majestically on impeccably landscaped grounds, exuding a palpable aura of elegance and European grandeur.
With spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Pacific Ocean, and China Beach, the mansion was situated in one of San Francisco’s most prestigious neighborhoods.
Overflowing with anticipation, the newly engaged twosome held hands as they climbed the steps to the beautiful residence. Flanked by limestone columns, the mahogany double doors seemed to indicate that the interior was just as impressive as the façade, but the opulence on display went barely noticed by the couple who were approaching the entryway.
The air surrounding them was charged with their excitement, and as they came to a stop in front of the entrance, they both turned their heads to look at one another.
“Any last words before we do this?” Dane asked with a smile.
“We’re not being put to death.” Jeneda ran her fingers through her shoulder length hair, which had been freshly pressed out from its naturally curly texture. “We’re just announcing our engagement.”
“I know. But once we tell my parents that you’re my soon to be wife, It’ll really be official.”
“Yeah…” Her voice trailed off, and as she looked into his nearly black eyes, she found herself lost in the beauty of them. “Soon to be wife, I like the sound of that.”
“So do I.” Dane leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on her full lips, then pulled away to gaze at her heart shaped face. “But Mrs. Takahashi sounds even better.”
“I agree.” Jeneda said it breathlessly, and with a look of pure adoration, allowed herself a moment to admire his features.
With his razor-sharp cheekbones, hooded eyes, and pale skin, Dane was undeniably gorgeous, and had a magnetic personality that only added to the sex appeal that oozed from his every pore.
His just above shoulder length hair was jet black with an incredible shine, and slightly tousled with a hint of waves. Jeneda noticed it was a bit unruly from their drive along the coastal highway, but that only made her want to run her fingers through it even more.
Her eyes drifted downward to check out his tall, lanky figure, and as they came to rest on the crotch of his black jeans, she lifted an eyebrow.
“You remember what happened the last time you did that,” Dane said as he saw where she was looking.
Her lips pulled into a smirk, and her body heated up at the memory of their roadside encounter. She and Dane had shared plenty of erotic moments over the past eight months, but having sex in his car in broad daylight had definitely been one of the most deliciously naughty experiences she’d ever had.
Only thirty minutes ago, he’d been balls deep inside her, and as she recalled how gratifying their erotic rendezvous had been, her inner muscles twitched.
Along with being easy on the eyes, Dane was also an incredible lover, and he never failed to surprise her with his adventurous approach to sex. And yet, although she was indeed staring at his crotch, it wasn’t out of lustful desire.
“Unless you’re planning on flashing your parents, you might want to check your zipper,” she said.
Her words enticed Dane to glance southward, and as he saw that his boxer briefs were in fact partially exposed, he quickly pulled up his fly.
“Don’t know how I missed that.” His lips tugged upward, and he lifted his hand to ring the doorbell.
A pleasant chiming noise emitted from within the mansion, and after a few moments passed, there came the sound of approaching footsteps. Expecting to see Dane’s mother, Jeneda was surprised to see that the doors opened to reveal his father instead, and as the handsome Japanese man rested his eyes on the couple, he broke into a smile.
“Dane, Jeneda. What a wonderful surprise.” Naohito gestured with his arm to welcome them in, and once they’d crossed the threshold, he shut the door behind them. “If I’d known you two were stopping by, I would have called Kitty and told her to come home early.”
“Don’t tell me she’s still taking those golfing lessons,” Dane said.
“No, she gave those up weeks ago.” Naohito led Dane and Jeneda out of the foyer and into the formal living room before motioning for them to take a seat on a cream colored chaise lounge.
“I didn’t know Kitty was into golf,” Jeneda said.
“She’s not.” Naohito took a seat on a sofa situated directly across from Dane and Jeneda, then crossed his legs horizontally so that his ankle rested against the knee of his khaki pants. “She only did it to spend more time with me.”
“Anything my dad does, my mom türkçe bahis wants to try, as well.” Dane explained to Jeneda, and with more than a touch of amusement, he said to his father, “So I guess those custom golf clubs you bought for her will be collecting dust in the garage.
“Twelve hundred dollars right down the drain.” He shook his head, then gave a sigh before pulling his shoulders into a light shrug. “Ah, well, what can I do? I never could say no to that woman.”
“My dad doesn’t like to admit it, but when it comes to my mother, he’s a big softie,” Dane said to Jeneda.
“The love of a good woman will do that to you.” Naohito looked pointedly at Dane before averting his gaze to Jeneda, and gave her a wink.
She smiled, then turned her head to look at Dane, who offered her a loving glance before looking back at his father. “So, where is mom?”
“Playing tennis with Bridget. She should be home in the next half hour.”
Dane nodded, then stretched an arm over the back of the chaise lounge. “No rush, we can wait.”
A freckled, brown haired maid carrying a tray of iced teas and finger sandwiches entered the living room, and after setting it down on the coffee table, she addressed Dane’s father.
“Will you be needing anything else, Mr. Takahashi?”
“No thank you, Susana. We’re all set.”
She nodded her head, then turned on her heel and left the room. Both Dane and Jeneda leaned forward to grab a glass of iced tea from off the tray, and after taking a few sips, helped themselves to a watercress finger sandwich.
“It really is a pleasure to see you two,” Naohio said, “but I’m guessing you’re here for a special reason.” He looked from Dane to Jeneda, and then back again. “You’ve got news, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but I’d rather wait until mom gets home, that way you’ll both find out at once.”
He gave his son a long, hard gaze, as if hoping that his prying eyes would somehow extract the information he was so curious to hear. “Not even a hint?”
“Sorry dad, you’re just going to have to wait.”
Naohito retrieved an iced tea from the tray, then took a long, slow sip while looking over the rim of his glass at Jeneda. After quenching his thirst, he placed his beverage on the table, and with an inquisitive expression still on his face, he said, “Not sure if you’re okay with drinking alcohol, Jeneda, but the iced tea has a bit of rum in it.”
“Oh, I don’t mind. I love mint julep.”
“Just thought I’d give you a heads up, in case you’re sensitive to liquor.” He politely smiled, but continued to closely study her, as if searching for clues that would confirm his suspicions.
Jeneda returned his smile with one of her own, then quickly tucked her left hand beneath her thigh so that her engagement ring was hidden. She wasn’t certain if he’d noticed it yet, but from the way he was still curiously eyeing her and Dane, she guessed that he hadn’t.
And then suddenly, as she sat there nibbling on her mini watercress sandwich, she came to a realization. Dane’s father was eyeing her a lot more than he was his own son, and although he had attempted to be sly about it, she’d noticed that he’d taken a few lingering glances at her stomach.
At the time she’d found it strange, and even a little concerning, but now that she thought it over once again, she found that only one conclusion was to be made.
He was under the impression that she was pregnant.
What other reason would he have for warning her that the iced tea had rum in it, and why else would he cast suspicious gazes at her belly? He obviously didn’t know what else the announcement could be, so her being knocked up by Dane probably seemed the most likely possibility. Curious to know if he was still watching her, Jeneda lifted her eyes to see that he wasn’t, and had chosen instead to focus his attention on his son.
“So, how are things coming along with your new graphic novel?” Naohito asked.
“Great. I’m nearly finished with it.” Dane popped another finger sandwich into his mouth, and after taking a gulp of his iced tea, he said, “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to have you take a look at it. Just to see if you think it needs any improvement.”
“Sure, I’d be honored.” Naohito casually sipped his beverage, then started to say something else, but his words were cut off by the sound of someone opening the front door.
All eyes drifted towards the foyer, and after a brief moment passed, a tall, blonde woman with a slim shape strolled into the living room. Her outfit, which consisted of a pink racer back tank, white tennis skirt, and Adidas tennis shoes, was the perfect combination of style and practicality, and her makeup was minimal, yet skillfully applied to highlight all of her best features.
Her brows rose at the sight of the couple seated on the chaise lounge, and in a tone that conveyed her surprise, she said, “Well hello, there. I didn’t know you were stopping by for a visit.”
“Hello, mother.” Dane rose to his feet iddaa siteleri and gave her a hug.
“Hello, darling. How are you?”
“Couldn’t be better, and you?”
“I may have mildly sprained my ankle playing tennis,” she said as they parted from the embrace, “But other than that, I’m very well.”
With a look of concern on his face, Dane directed his gaze towards her feet. “Did you sprain the right ankle, or the left one?”
“The right, but It’s nothing to fuss over, dear. I’ll live.” She directed her eyes to Jeneda, and with a nod of acknowledgment, she said, “Hello, Jeneda. It’s nice to see you again.” Her blue eyes, however, told an entirely different story.
“It’s good to see you too, Kitty.” A smile tugged at her lips, and although the greeting she’d given would have normally been less than genuine, this time she truly *was* happy to see her.
Kitty took a seat on the couch next to Dane’s father, and after giving him a peck on the lips, she crossed her legs and fixed her eyes on Dane.
“So, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?”
“They have an announcement,” Naohito said.
“Really.” An inquisitive look crossed her fine features, and with more than a hint of anticipation, she asked, “What kind of an announcement?”
Dane shared a look of excitement with Jeneda, and after taking hold of her hand and slipping his fingers through hers, he began to speak. “Mom, dad, Jeneda and I are engaged.”
Brief silence followed, during which Dane’s parents exchanged a glance that conveyed utter astonishment. Then, averting his eyes so that they were fixed back on the couple, Naohito suddenly broke into a genuine smile.
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting this. Congratulations.” He averted his gaze back to his wife, and in a voice that was clearly meant to coax her, he said, “This is fantastic news, Isn’t it, honey?”
She gave no indication of having heard him, only stared with wide, shocked eyes at the couple sitting across from her. “You’re engaged?” She said it dumbly, as if caught in a daze, and after darting her eyes back and forth a few times between Dane and Jeneda, she focused her attention on her son. “When did this happen?”
“Yesterday evening.”
“Where did you propose?” Naohito asked.
“Grace Cathedral. Not inside of the church, but in the gardens out back.”
“Good choice,” Naohito said. He glanced at Kitty, as if expecting her to speak as well, but all she did was continue to stare at Dane and Jeneda with a wide eyed expression. “Cat got your tongue, Kitty?” He lightly chuckled, then patted her thigh to get her attention.
“I’m just surprised, is all.” She blinked a few times, as if struggling to process what she’d just heard, then briefly lowered her gaze before looking back up at Jeneda and Dane. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” the couple said simultaneously.
“So, show us the ring.” Naohito eagerly leaned forward in anticipation.
Without a moment of hesitation, Jeneda held out her left hand and proudly displayed her ring, which was fashioned from twists of white gold that flowed into a stunning round diamond.
“Very nice.” Clearly impressed, Naohito leaned in even closer to check out the virtually flawless gemstone. “Excellent choice, Dane. You really know how to pick out an engagement ring.”
“Guess I got lucky,” he said. “There were so many different choices at that jewelry store, I really wasn’t certain which one to pick.”
Kitty adjusted her body so that she could check out the ring as well, and after a few moments of studying it in silence, she finally spoke. “It’s beautiful.” Then lifting her gaze to Dane’s, she said, “Must have cost you quite a bit of money.”
“She’s more than worth it.” Still holding his fiancee’s right hand, he tenderly stroked the back of it with his thumb while lovingly gazing into her eyes.
Jeneda looked back at him with equal affection, nearly blushing as her lips curled into a demure smile.
Naohito watched them with a pleased look on his face, but Kitty stared at them with a strained expression, as if she found their display of adoration distasteful.
“If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’ll just change out of these tennis clothes and freshen up.” Her lips pulled into a barely visible smile and she rose to her feet, then quickly made her way towards the foyer, which contained stairs that lead up to the second level.
Seemingly embarrassed by his wife’s sudden departure, Naohito gave Dane and Jeneda an awkward smile, then took a sip of his mint julep before offering an explanation. “She’ll be back in a bit. She just needs a moment to be by herself.”
Jeneda glanced at Dane, and he tried to offer her a reassuring smile in return, but the corners of his mouth refused to move even a fraction of an inch. So instead, he lightly squeezed her hand to express empathy.
“We didn’t even get to tell her our other news,” Dane said to his father.
“What other news?”
“Jeneda is coming with deneme bonusu veren siteler me to Japan.”
“Wow, how exciting. Will this be your first trip overseas, Jeneda?”
“Yep. First time out of the states.”
“Well Japan is a great country to visit, so I’m sure you two will have a wonderful time.”
“Dane tells me he spent his gap year out there,” Jeneda said.
“Yes, he did. He loved it so much, he almost ended up staying for good.”
“Really?” Jeneda looked at Dane. “You didn’t tell me that.”
He lightly shrugged. “Yeah, well…it was a long time ago, and I was young and idealistic.”
“What stopped you from staying there?”
“I got homesick. A full year of living in Japan was an amazing experience, but I’ve never felt more at home than here in San Francisco.”
“His return home may have also been spurred by me and Kitty refusing to fund his stay any longer,” Naohito said.
“That’s not true.” The embarrassment on Dane’s face was clear. “The money wasn’t an issue. I would have stayed regardless.”
“And done what?” His eyes twinkled with humor. “You were barely eighteen years old, and had no prior work history. What would you have done to support yourself?”
“I could have gotten a job somewhere. And, I actually had a plan to do some solid, constructive things. I wasn’t just going to screw around and waste my time out there.”
“Well I do remember you saying you wanted to attend a special school to train to become a manga artist. But that would have taken quite a bit of money.”
“Like I said, I could have gotten a job.”
He said it with such conviction that Jeneda couldn’t help but smirk, and as she looked at Dane’s father, she noticed that he was watching his son with a look of utter amusement.
Naohito lightly chuckled, and after taking a brief glance at Jeneda, he said, “Alright, Dane. I believe you.”
“Now you’re just being condescending.”
His face split into a wide grin. “Seriously, Dane. I was just giving you a hard time.”
“So you *were* purposely embarrassing me.” A hint of annoyance crossed his features. “And right in front of my fiancée.”
“I only do it out of love. You’re a grown man now, and well on your way to having a family of your own. Soon I won’t be able to tease you anymore.”
“Yeah, well enjoy it while you can. “Dane tried to keep a serious look on his face, but as his father continued grinning at him, he eventually caved in and smiled. “Just letting you know, you will *not* be giving a speech at our wedding.”
“We’ll see about that,” Naohito playfully said, and he finished off the last of his mint julep. “So Jeneda, have you already told your parents that you’re getting married?”
“Not yet, but I’m planning on calling them tonight.”
“How do you think they’ll respond to the news?”
“My mom will be really surprised. But I think she’ll be happy for me.”
“And what about your dad?”
The mere mention of her father filled Jeneda with a pang of sadness, and although she was trying very hard to keep a poker face, she knew that her distress was apparent to both Dane and Naohito. “To be truthful, I’m not all that close with my dad, so I’m really not too sure if I’ll even be able to get a hold of him.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that.” Naohito’s brows knitted in concern, and in a voice that conveyed genuine worry, he said, “I don’t mean to pry, but do you think you’ll be able to build a closer relationship with him fairly soon? Because it really is important for a father to give his daughter away to her future husband.”
Jeneda shrugged, and as her eyes grew moist, she blinked a few times to discourage any tears from falling. “I don’t know, maybe. But he’s made it pretty clear that he wants to keep his distance from me, so I don’t think It’s going to happen.”
Dane was focused intently on Jeneda, and seeing that she needed his emotional support, he wrapped his left arm around her waist, then placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.
“She’s estranged from her dad,” Dane said. “So It’ll take some time and effort to make things right between them again.” Guilt flashed across his face as he said it, and his shoulders slightly sagged as he lowered his gaze to the floor.
“It makes me sad to hear that.” A look of compassion overtook Naohito’s features, and he lightly sighed before continuing to speak. “As Dane has probably already told you, he and I went through a rough patch as well. I was very disappointed in him…so disappointed that I refused to call or visit during his entire stay in prison. Looking back on it now, I can see that was a mistake. But at the time, I was angry and eager to punish him in any way that I could.”
He momentarily paused to look down at his hands, then lifted his eyes back up to focus on Jeneda. “Seems silly, doesn’t it? Trying to punish someone who was already being penalized.” He briefly paused before continuing. “Anyways, the reason I’m mentioning all of this is because I want you to know that there is hope. I don’t know what led to you and your father being estranged, but if Dane and I could rebuild our relationship, there Isn’t any reason why you and your dad won’t be able to as well.”
She exhaled shakily, then said in a wavering voice, “I hope you’re right.”
Ben Esra telefonda seni bosaltmami ister misin?
Telefon Numaram: 00237 8000 92 32