SHADOWS OF TRUST (treachery)

"Philip, come to bed, you must be tired." A soft voice drifted out to him as he entered the bedroom.

Philip looked at his wife. Nothing in him stirred when he was near her, not even a little bit. He knew she married him for his wealth but that was their agreement. He would deposit money into her account every month and at the end of a year, he would let her go with a nest egg. She agreed and said the wheelchair didn't bother her, but she was lying through her teeth. Twenty-Five thousand per month for a year and then one Million when they divorced. She would never make that in her lifetime.She thought Philip didn't understand her but he did. He placed cameras all over the house and she never knew. He would sit in his office and watch her move around the house doing nothing. She went into his personal belongings, searching for what he didn't know."I'm not tired, go to sleep without me." Philip said in a flat tone."What's wrong Philip?" Kate asked sweetly but her stomach churned as she thought about spending yet another restless night with this man beside her. "I have work to do, go to bed.""Does it always have to be like this?" Kate asked softly with a strange look on her face."Like what?" Kate sighed and Philip felt her frustration but there was nothing he could do."I know our marriage was an agreement, but don't you like me even one bit?" Philip frowned. He did not expect this."I'm sorry Kate, we never should have gotten married, and I feel I have wasted these few months of your life.""Well, I feel I took your money and gave nothing in return, we don't have sex, you don't even look at me with an ounce of want, we don't spend any time together. Hell, we've never been out on a date. Why do you hate me? Have I done something to make you feel this way towards me?"Philip smiled."It's okay Kate, there is no animosity towards you, I know I haven't even tried to get close to you and all of this is my fault, don't lose any sleep over it.""We could try again, I'm not a bad looking girl." Kate smiled."You are very beautiful, but I... I'm not in a good mental place and I'm sorry I have neglected you." Philip chuckled at her expression and for the first time, he felt comfortable being in the same room as her."Don't worry, one day you will find someone who will love you the way you deserve."He turned and wheeled his chair out and closed the door. His personal assistant stood up immediately, awaiting his orders."Andre, take me to the club.""Sir?" Andre let out a surprised response. Philip ran several night clubs in the most active parishes in London. They all operated under the name Kilox. In Christ Church was the Kilox Gold club for the mature crowd, in St. Stella was Kilox Silver for teens, twenties and thirties and Kilox Platinum St. Peter was for the very elite. Philip never visited the clubs; he paid well to have them managed and they were all successful."I know Andre let's go to St. Peter tonight, I need a change of atmosphere."Andre arranged Philip into the car, and they headed out. "Andre?" Philip sounded from the backseat."Sir?""Kate will be leaving soon.""Best thing. Does she need to be watched?""No, I don't feel I'm in danger, she isn't a bad person, she just doesn't need me."As they pulled up to the club... Philip decided to enter through the main door. He was greeted with disdain."Sir, no wheelchairs allowed."Andre made a move to intercept, Philip stopped her. Philip looked up at the camera he knew was aimed at the entrance and nodded slightly. A few moments later two of the biggest bouncers in the club came to greet him. "Sir, follow us please." They ignored the protests of the man guarding the door and lead the duo into the noisy den of the elitist.There were men in suits, and women dressed as if they were going to meet the queen. Philip always believed in separating the sheep from the goats. Some hated this mentality but if you think about it, sometimes you need to keep apart from one another. This club was exclusively for the rich and powerful, it was membership by invitation only. You made an application online, security checks were conducted and if accepted, you paid one million dollars upfront. Then, a Kilox Platinum VVIP Card was hand delivered to you. For the next year, you were afforded privileges fit for a king and you had access to all the other clubs under the Kilox brand. Only one other club on the island offered such treatment but that was a car club operating under the name of Rapid Drift Car Club and funny enough, the owner was a friend of Philip's.She gave him the ideas and he tweaked to suit the club and ran with it.As a member, you could visit the club 24 hrs. per day, you had access to the best dishes and premium drinks on the island. If you wanted to sleep off drunkenness, a room was provided, if they were fully occupied, a driver would take you home safely. Philip also provided on-call lawyers, doctors, construction, insurance agents, you name it he had access to it.This club had thirty thousand members. Philip did not tolerate drugs, prostitution, or any kind of illegal activity. Any member who violated the rules, was kicked out and the value of the balance of their membership was calculated and half of it was donated to a charity. Philip referred to it as administration expenses.Andre pushed Philip to his private room and got him settled. She turned on the screen that allowed him to watch the show on the stage without subjecting him to the looks and scorns of the people who made Philip rich. They didn't even know who he was, but the wheelchair made them brush him off when they saw him. Philip smiled often when he heard the comments from his club's members. He didn't care, every million-dollar deposit that went into his bank account was worth the ridicule. They, came to him. As he got comfortable, something on the big screen TV caught his eye. There was a dark and sexy woman dancing on the stage in an extremely exotic pole performance.Immediately Philip felt his entire body stiffen. Philip stared at the woman dancing on the pole. His reaction was instant and shocking. He almost grabbed the front of his pants to ease his discomfort. What the hell?The woman was agile, skilled, well trained and she was sexy. Every part of her needed his touch. He motioned to Andre, pointing at the screen, to send the woman an invitation to his private room. Andre looked down at his face and she wondered what he was thinking. It was not like him to pick up strange women to take home before thoroughly vetting them and many nights, Andre ended up getting a taxi to take them home before anything happened. She shrugged and decided she would let him play this out. Maybe he just needed to let off some steam, he was a man after all.Andre left the room, headed out to the main stage, and waited until the woman finished her set. As the woman came backstage, Andre motioned to her and a whisper to her ear, was softly delivered."Miss, the club's owner would like to have a private meeting with you, please follow me."She blushed, nodded and silently followed the tall sexy female bodyguard. Yes, Andre was a woman, and she could throw you farther than she could see you. When Andre pushed the door of the private room, Maddy immediately inhaled. The room smelled of a fragrance she loved as a child. Eternity for Men by Calvin Klein. She always said if she could find a man who wore it, she would love him forever."Thanks Andre, Maddison, take a seat please." Philip motioned to the seat opposite him as Andre swiftly closed the door and left. Maddy looked at the leather seats and decided to stand. She quickly took in the man she came to see. "Good evening, Sir, it's nice to meet you. If you don't mind, I just finished a set and I am rather... sticky, I don't want to dirty the seats."Philip smiled "The pleasure is mine Maddy, I can afford to have them cleaned, it's okay, sit, do you need anything?" Philip wheeled to a cupboard and pulled out a soft blanket and handed it to her."Just some water, thank you."Philip pointed to an ice bucket with several bottles of water chilling. Maddy walked over, took one, put the bottle on the coffee table, spread out the blanket and sat down."Now, let's get a few things off the table, I need you to answer me honestly, then we will go from there, agreed?"Yes sir."Philip is my name, for now, there is no Sir here." "Okay." Maddy whispered."Why do they call you Maddison?""Probably because my mother's name is Mallison; she loves to watch me dance." "Are you involved with anyone?""No.""I have two more questions for you, and they will determine if you leave or stay. Remember, I require honesty, don't worry about offending me." "Okay.""Does me being in a wheelchair bother you? If yes why, if no, why?""Yes. You wear it like a suit of armor. People fear your mental strength not your physical. No, because the chair is not who you are."Philip smiled."Last question. If I asked you to be my girlfriend, what would you say?" "No."The smile on Philip's face faded a bit. Her answer bothered him yes and for some reason, her rejection kneed him in the gut."Can I explain Philip?" She asked quickly, not wanting the feeling that flittered across his face just then to remain."You may.""It's clear you are wealthy since you own three clubs and whatever other investments. I am currently a nobody, dancing in a club so I can help support my family. People will talk and say I am only after your money. I don't know you. The only way I would say yes, is if we spent some time together, talked. I would need you to know the real me and not who you see now, and I would need to know about you and why you use your chair as an excuse to be alone."Philip sighed. How did she know?"Thank you, Maddison. You now have two choices, either stay and spend some time getting to know me or leave and forget this conversation ever happened.""How about I finish my second set, come find you and take you up on that offer." She smiled and her eyes twinkled."Deal. Do you have a car? I can take you home if you like when we leave here.""My brother usually picks me up but thank you anyway for asking. My set is in a few, I have to go." She stood at the door and paused, looking back. "Promise me you will be here when I get back." She said hopefully."I promise."For some reason Maddy believed Philip, she didn't understand it, but she trusted herself. Maddy smiled and left.

Philip let out the groan he had been holding. He was hard as a rock and needed release bad. This was the first time since the accident, that he had an erection. Nothing his wife did affected him, and she was a sexy woman but yet, nothing. Many nights he lay in bed willing himself to get hard, as he thought about women he had been with before, p*rn he watched when he was a teen but nothing. She tried a few times and after no response from him, she gave up and went to sleep. Philip never made any attempt to ease her frustration either.

Several times when she thought he was in a deep sleep, she touched herself and tried to muffle her groans but he knew.

The mood was just not there, and he had no intention of forcing it. He saw many times how she looked at him when she thought he couldn't see her but he understood, what wife wants to put up with no sex in her marriage, even if it was a business deal.Philip decided he would go out to watch Maddy's second set, then he looked down and the tent in his pants and groaned again. He wheeled behind his desk and called for Andre. The door opened and Philip's fists clenched."Sir, is something wrong? Are you in pain?""It happened Andre." Philip groaned out loud this time. It took a few seconds for Andre to register what he was referring to and then it clicked when she saw his discomfort."Is that why you called her in here?" Andre asked with a grin on her face. It was her job to know everything about the man in front of her. When Andre needed a job and a home, Philip was there for her, she owed him her life."All this time, I thought it was me, Kate never brought this out in me but when I saw Maddison dancing, I...""She is a beautiful girl, curves in all the right places. I'm not surprised at your reaction."Philip chuckled at his long-time friend."You going back out? She is on again and some heavy hitters are throwing US hundred-dollar bills at the stage."Philip chuckled."Who says London is a poor country? All of them throwing money at her aren't even from here, they are staying at one of my Villas nearby.""Why am I not surprised, well are you?""I can't, haven't recovered from the second time yet." Philip laughed at his own situation."Jesus' boss. Need me to get a drink for you?""Yeah, a club soda and a bottle of wine to chill, oh and some wings, two different sauces, salad and you can relax for a bit. Maddison wants to get to know me before she agrees to be my girlfriend.""Boss...""Kate is on her way-out Andre; I can't wait much longer. I'm unhappy, you know this. If I felt anything towards her, I would try to work it out, I would stay. I just can't bring myself to touch her. The document she signed said I can terminate our marriage anytime I see fit and this is the time. The whole time Maddy was here... I felt like I was back in my teen years." Philip chuckled. He looked up at Andre and frowned. "What are you not telling me Andre?" Andre sighed."I think Kate and Mike are sleeping together." No frills or sugar coating.Philip's fists clenched. "Where are they now?""If I told you, promise me not to have them killed when you see them." "I promise.""Second floor, room 35B." Andre stepped back as her boss immediately wheeled himself out of the room."Go get the stuff ready for Maddison, make her comfortable until I return." "Okay. Philip, You promised." Andre only called him Philip when she was worried about his reaction to something awful."I know Andre. Get me the master key."Andre handed his boss a key from his pocket. Philip laughed. "What would I do without you? Get going."Philip, went to the elevator that led to the rooms over the club. He didn't care who used them, as long as they paid and didn't cause trouble. As he reached 35B, he swiped the key card in the lock and turned it. He could hear the loud moans and skin slapping as he approached the bedroom. Philip felt cold as his eyes landed on his wife and his brother. He knew she was cheating, he accepted that he could not fulfil her needs but his brother? His brother's betrayal cut him deep. This he did not expect at all."Harder Mike!" Kate screamed as her lover pounded into her from behind. Spanking her ass with one hand.Philip, reached into a hidden pocket in his chair and pulled out his gun and rested it on his lap. He wasn't going to shoot either one of them but if they made a move, well..."Take it, you can't get this from my crippled brother, can you?" "Shut up Mike!" stilled. Did they have sex? He needed to know."Did you two have sex?""That is NONE of your business, he has never been unkind to me, we just aren't compatible. Look if you can't give me what I want, you can leave!" "Aww baby come on, you know I get jealous when I see you with him, knowing how inside you feels." He shoved into her roughly, making her cry out."MIKE!""Yeah that's how you like it, I bet Philip never even sniffed you.""Jesus, what the fuck are you on, leave him out of this!" Kate yelled as Mike used her like a stuffed toy.A voice from behind them sounded, stopping them in mid-stroke."I find it funny, that you are screwing my wife's brains out and me the man who is in a wheelchair, still makes you jealous.""Philip! OH MY GOD! Mike, get off me!" Kate flopped onto her stomach and scrambled to get away from Mike."Don't stop on my account. Kate, I understand why you did it, but Mike... anyway. Kate, we will discuss this the next time we see each other. Mike you are fired."Philip wheeled himself out and headed for the elevator. Getting in he made his way back to his private room. When he thought of who was waiting for him, anticipation kicked in and he got hard again, this time he grabbed himself and squeezed, trying to ease his tension. It was useless.As he entered the room again, the scent of Exclamation invaded his nostrils. She was here. "Hello Philip." Philip froze. Gone was the made-up, dressed up dancer, standing in front of him was the sexiest woman in the world. She was dressed so simple in apair of washed-out jeans and a navy blue off shoulder top. Philip felt like a lusty teenager again. He squeezed his eyes together and tried to calm his body down. He groaned and turned away from her."Are you okay? Do you need me to get Andre?" Maddy asked softly as she moved toward Philip and stood behind him. Philip groaned again and adjusted himself."I'm sorry, I... I thought I could do this, but I can't.""Oh. I'm sorry I wasted your time. If I can keep my job, I would appreciate it." She moved to head to the door. Philip turned quickly, reached out and grabbed her wrist gently."Maddy, I'm not rejecting you, quite the opposite. Sit, have some food and wine and we will talk.""Tell me what's wrong with you first, in case I have to get Andre and explain what's happening."Philip sighed. How do you tell a stranger that just seeing her made you so hard, you could pound nails. "It's embarrassing." Philip said as he shifted in his seat."Philip, I work in an elite club, your clients try to pay me thousands of dollars just to see me naked, ain't much I haven't seen.""I've been married to a woman for over five months, she has never managed to turn me on. I saw you dancing, and I've been having erections ever since." He said everything in a rush.He took a deep breath and waited for Maddy to call him nasty names and leave. "Is that all?""I want you Maddy, not because of my reaction but something about you calls to me, I need to find out what it is if you let me." "I see." Maddy sat down on the sofa and sneaked a peek the food she knew was under the bell cover. "Mmmm wings, my favorite and with Sausa's special sauce.She dipped her finger in the sauce and licked it off with only her tongue."Jesus Christ Maddison." Philip gripped the wheelchair arm, and his body shook as he fought his desires. She was doing this on purpose."Philip." Maddy's voice penetrated his thoughts. He opened his eyes slowly and saw her watching him intently. "Let's make a deal."She said in a low tone that sent needles and pins through Philip's body. She was killing him. "Tell me, hurry before I embarrass myself further.""Divorce your wife, I will be the girlfriend, I don't want anything from you but loyalty. I've been cheated on, lied to, verbally and physically abused all my life. I don't need that from you. You asked me for honesty, I am asking you for fidelity and simple respect. I don't need your money; I work hard for what I want. I will devote myself to you as long as you need me.""No." Philip said firmly as he looked her dead in the eyes. Maddy stood straight, waiting for him to continue."There is no way, you will have the title as my girlfriend and I not share my wealth with you. I was raised by a good woman, she knew her self-worth and if she found out that I had a woman as lovely as you and didn't spend money on her, she would skin me alive and call me luggage. If we don't work out, you have to be able to see rewards for your effort. It's not up for debate." "Do I have a choice?""No. Next issue.""I hate when people yell at me. I will let you be the man you need to be but I need to be the woman I am. I don't need saving; I am quite willing to work for what I need in life. Fancy cars, clothes are not important to me. What I care about is how people treat me 24 hours a day and not just when they want to look good to their peers." "Honey, I understand you quite well, look, I have some serious issues to deal with on my end, I am not saying it will be easy but all I really need from you is to believe in me, pay attention to my needs as a man. If something is wrong tell me to my face, don't hide things from me. Hurt my feelings with the truth if you have to.""Okay then, anything else popping up we have to promise to deal with it together." Maddy said softly as she sat down and smiled at Philip."Agreed. Next thing, I took a glance at your Resume, why are you in a club dancing when you should be the one running it?"Maddy sighed loudly and covered her face with her hands. Could she trust this man with her story? Yes."I had a crush on my next-door neighbor from the time I knew what a crush was. He was my Prince Charming, he taught me so many things as he was very intelligent, but what I didn't know was that because I wanted to get married before I had sex, he cheated on me for eight years. I was clueless. I thought he loved me. I found videos on his laptop of the women he was involved with. When I compared them to myself, I kept wondering why was he with me? They were beautiful, most of them well-off. I got up the courage but when I tried to break it off, he tried to kill me twice. Told me he didn't groom me all those years for someone else to benefit." Maddy let the memories flow through her as the tears fell. Philip gripped the wheelchair handle hard. His heart ached for the woman in front of him. He wanted to tell her that she didn't need to say anymore, as he could see how painful it was for her to tell him, currently a stranger to her but he waited."I ran from here, went overseas to study, got my degrees in Human Resources Management and Business Marketing. I stayed in touch with my family, I had gotten scholarships for all my studies, Summa Cum Laude when it was all over. I achieved all my parents wanted for me at that point, but I was scared to come home. I sucked it up and flew back here to find work and help my parents, within a few days, Dave found me. Told me if I didn't come back to him, he would kill me this time.He was sleeping with all kinds of women, spreading STDs and having unwanted babies, threatening the women so they would have abortions. Fortunately for me, one of the women he was involved with found out about the life he lived and she... killed him. I honed my dancing skills when I was away, trained in every area but my fear of being involved with anyone, kept me in the dark. I wanted to be a part of the background, so I applied here and started working. Seems I can't stay out of the limelight anymore since you set your eyes on me. People don't recognize me when I leave here, I am a completely different person. When I am on stage, I pull out all the stops, when I get home, I feel alone, useless and unwanted."Maddy finished and wiped the rest of her tears away. "I think I better go."She got up to leave and Philip reached out and grabbed her hand gently.She was thinking Philip wouldn't want her anymore but when she looked at him. She saw... desire. It was soul searching for her."Thank you for sharing that with me, I know it was hard for you. I maybe in a wheelchair but I will do my best to protect you from all the bad things out there, including me.""You are harmless to me Philip." She smiled."Oh honey, you have no idea. The food must be cold, let me get Andre to heat it up." Philip looked at the door to yell for Andre, but Maddy stopped him as she lifted the food cover. "Nope, it's still warm and the wine is nice and chilled, let's eat."Philip's heart picked up, this woman was meant for him, he knew he had to give his best shot at making her happy. His only issue was how she would react to his scars when they were intimate. He shook off the negative feeling and watched as Maddy started to eat. She pushed the plate so he could have access and then poured wine into his glass. She looked up at him and licked her fingers."What?" Maddy asked as she saw him looking at her."Nothing much, being here with you makes me feel appreciated.""I'm glad I could make you feel that way. Can I ask you a question?" She let her eyes fell on his legs."My brother and I got into a fight, he tripped and was about to be it by a car and I pushed him away, the car hit me instead, I have no feeling in my legs for the most part." Maddy gasped."Oh Philip, I'm so sorry. How long where you in the chair? Can't the doctors do anything?""Over a year, had a few operations but the result was the same, I gave up. I'm still alive, that's what counts.""Fair enough. I want to ask you something very personal Philip, you don't have to answer." "Ask me.""You haven't had sex since the accident?" "No, my urges were buried under rage, depression and self-loathing and 20- hour work days. I don't want anyone to see my scars."why did you get married then?""I was lonely, Kate had taken an interest in me, I knew she just needed the money but at least I would have someone there when I came home. I never touched her."Philip frowned."When you were doing your set, I went upstairs and saw her and my brother having sex." "Oh my god Philip, I'm sorry.""It's fine, I never loved her, she never loved me, I fired my brother, and my divorce papers are already being prepared, so no worries. You on the other hand, I find myself wanting to be with you, needing that smile to be aimed at me. I'm not sure if I can even..., or how to." Philip sighed in frustration. He felt Maddy cup his face and tilt his head to look at her."One step at a time Philip, we just met, let us grow our relationship, make assessments along the way. I have a feeling we will be just fine."

"Thank you, Maddy. Come on, I'm tired, I need to get home and deal with Kate. I will wait with you until your brother comes to get you."

"Oh! I forgot to tell you I messaged my brother and told him I would get a ride. I should have asked you first.""It's not an issue and I think the first order of my day tomorrow is to take you to pick out a vehicle, don't even start, we are getting it."It was three in the morning when Philip reached home and as Andre pushed the door they heard shouting from the main bedroom. Philip raised his hand for Andre not to push him any further."Leave me alone Mike!""I love you Kate, what do you see in him?""Are you CRAZY? He has always been kind to me, all you want is a roll in the hay and now he found out, I feel awful!" Mike frowned."Do you love him?" Mike asked with a weird look on his face."In a way yes, he is not a bad person, he will make someone a good husband someday and I know that won't be me but I'm not a robot!""Come with me, he fired me but I still have my house and some savings." "WHAT? NO! I need to get myself in order, so this doesn't happen again. Every time I see you, I will see his face and remember what WE did. I know we hurt him even though he hid it well. I can't stay here, and you and I are OVER!" Kate yelled in tears.Mike calmed down a bit."I do love you Kate and I know I hurt him, he hates me now." "We shouldn't have done it.""Yeah well, too late. I'm leaving, I will give you some time to re-think about being with me. You know how to find me. I need to go before he gets here." "I'm already here." Philip said as he appeared in the doorway."Don't worry, I'm leaving." Mike said as he walked past his brother without a word."Andre, you can head home, I will call if I need anything." Philip said."Sir." Andre said in a warning tone. She was afraid Kate would try something and hurt Philip."I'll be just fine; Kate and I will have a nice chat." "Okay.""I'm sorry Philip." Kate said as she sat on the bed, still shaken from her shouting match with Mike."It's okay Kate, I can take some of the blame for this situation. I made it easy for you and my brother, it was quite convenient. He isn't bad person but I won't be able to forgive him for this for a long while.""I will pack my things in the morning and get out of your hair. Can you give me some money to get a cab, the new bank card hasn't arrived yet and I don't have any cash on me."Philip pulled an envelope from his chair pocket and handed it to her. She took the envelope and opened it. Her eyes widened and more tears fell. "Are you sure about this?"Philip smiled."I'm sure, as I said, I share the blame, think of this as my apology for making you suffer for these months.""Not suffer Philip, you were always kind to me, the money you gave me helped with my parents, so I am grateful.""Your parents are ill?" Philip frowned, why did he not know this? "Yeah, both have cancer, but they are fighters.""Come to me next week, I will give you some more." "No! Thank you but no, I've taken enough." "Kate, come see me next week."Kate smiled."Thank you, Philip, for everything and I believe I can trust you with this bit of information and I know you won't harbor any ill will against me."Philip looked at Kate and guess it. "You are pregnant." Philip smiled.Kate nodded and the tears began again."This is wonderful news for you, I wish you a good pregnancy. Will you tell Mike?""He said he doesn't want children so that is a no." "Bastard.""Don't blame him, I should have protected myself. I have to get a job and sort myself out.""I will set up a trust fund for the baby, you can message or email me with updates and if you need help with his care.""You would do that? You don't even know if the baby is his.""Well, either way, you and I were in a relationship, that has to mean something. So even if the child wasn't Mike's, I would still help if you asked." Kate got up, made her way over to Philip and bent down to hug him. He stiffened and she flinched."Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." She pulled away and stepped back. "It's okay, it's a reflex, don't take it personally." Philip smiled genuinely."I need to get some sleep; I will take the guest room. For the record, you really are a good person, find the woman who is for you and love her hard. Good night Philip."