Lahat ng Kabanata ng Step Too Far: Ruined By Him: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

Katherine“It’s insane.” I spin around the gallery, my head as far up in the clouds as it can possibly be. “I can’t believe I’m seeing my work on the wall, in a real show.”“Believe it,” the gallery director says. “There has been a lot of interest in you.You are an up and coming star, Katherine. You have such talent.”“I’m just glad you were able to keep the gallery open,” I say. Three months ago, this place was under threat of going under, and given the gallery’s long history in this part of the city, that was tragic.“Cheers to the angel investor that saved the gallery,” she says.“You don’t know who it was?”She shakes her head and shrugs. “He apparently prefers to do his good works anonymously,” she says. “Anyway, my dear, there’s a reporter here who wants to interview you.”I groan. “Not about my personal life.”She shakes her head. “Entirely about your art.”“But...why?”“I told you that you’re talented,” she says. “Why do you think I’ve spent the last two months cajoling you i

KatherineWe’re in Bali.Just when I think things can’t get any better, Dorian goes and does something like this. A surprise trip to Bali.It’s crazy and wonderful. But so is my life now. I have a life that’s better than I could have ever dreamed. It turns out that the gallery exhibit three years ago was just the beginning. My sketches and paintings have been selling well. I’m not exactly making millions of dollars, but I’m making enough money to do art full-time now that I’ve graduated from college, and that makes me indescribably happy.My father wasn’t thrilled about the whole art thing, but he’s come around. We’re cordial, and that’s good enough. He’s decided not to run for President, after all.He’s even been talking about retiring from politics altogether.I guess sometimes people do change.Dorian and I are both living proof of that. Dorian isn’t the person he was when we fell in love...and hate...that summer in New Hampshire. He’s grown up, into someone I’m proud to stand besi

KATEDorian laughs. "If I'd had known how hot this would be, I would have tried to knock you up a long time ago.""Classy," I say, the word more of a murmur than anything coherent as he slides his hand over my chest, cupping my breast through the fabric of my shirt."What's that, Angel?" Dorian asks. He runs his thumb across my nipple. It comes to attention underneath my bra, the response immediate. "If you think that was classy, you're going to love your gift."I inhale sharply through my teeth as he slides his finger underneath the top of my bra. "We said no gifts," I remind him. "The wedding…and the baby…""Yes?" he asks, looking at me as his finger continues to work its magic, stroking my nipple. He loves to tease me, knowing that my breasts are even more sensitive as the pregnancy goes on."We agreed…those were our gifts…" My breath is short, my words punctuated with little inhales as he continues to touch me. He smiles knowingly, aware of the fact that I'm wet for him, knowing t

"Nice chair." Her words break the stillness between us."Do you agree now that it's a classy gift?""Something like that," she says."Classy as fu –" I start to say, but she interrupts me."That's going to wind up being the baby's first word.""We're in the bedroom," I say. "It doesn't count.""Mm-hmm," she murmurs, her breath long and low."You know, this chair is good for lots of other positions," I point out helpfully."Oh, is it, now?" she asks.Since she asked, I take the opportunity to show her.Later, Kate breathes in deeply, her head snug on the pillow next to me, my hand lingering protectively on her belly. We're supposed to be at a cake taste-testing appointment in twenty minutes, something that's apparently uber-important, but Kate fell asleep after we broke in the new chair twice. With how exhausted she's been lately, I felt like it was better to be late to the appointment and let her sleep.The past few weeks, she's been tossing and turning at night, more and more uncomfo

DorianI'm surrounded by parts and pieces that go to baby furniture – crib railings, nuts and bolts scattered haphazardly across the surface of the hardwood floor – and thinking I'm this close to losing my shit."I think it's admirable that you're trying to put the furniture together yourself, Dorian," Ella says over the phone. The phone is on speaker, and I curse under my breath as I look at the directions to the crib."These are the worst fucking directions I've ever seen," I growl. "They make no sense. And there are no words. Only nonsensical pictures.""You've never assembled anything before, Dorian," she says. "You should call for someone to do it.""It's baby furniture, Ella," I say. "It's not rocket science."The pieces I'm trying to screw together clatter as they fall onto the floor."Does Kate know you're putting everything together yourself?" she asks."It was supposed to be a surprise," I tell her. "She's getting her wedding dress fitted, and I thought it would be nice if a