to do anything sexual. Mortimer had a live-in loverâJefferson, a handsome black ex-modelâwho wasas jealous as a wildcat guarding its young, so Mortimer never laid a hand on Dexter, leaving him free to sleep with whoever he liked. And he did. Every night was supermodel nightâeach girl more gorgeous than the next.
For two years Dexter fulfilled every sexual fantasy heâd ever had, but deep in his heart he wanted more than transient sex. He desperately craved a real relationship with a woman who cared about him. His main desire was to get married, have babies and be forever happy like his parents, who were still together after forty-five blissful years.
One night he met Rosarita at a party. She wasnât supermodel pretty, but she was attractive and seemed to be caring and sweet, and best of allâshe hung onto his every word. Since he never had much to say, this was extremely flattering. He liked it. He liked her. They started to date.
Over several dinners she talked about family values and how she loathed the whole New York social scene. He couldnât agree more.
She chatted about her sisterâs children, and how one day she hoped to have children of her own. Several. She was full of all the old-fashioned virtues heâd been searching for. What a girl!
A month later he asked her to marry him, and she said yes. Six weeks later they did the deed. And on their wedding night they had sex for the first time and it was quite something. Dexter was sure that marrying Rosarita was the best thing heâd ever done.
After theyâd been married a few weeks, Rosarita informed him he was far too smart to continue being a model, and she arranged for him to go see an agent at William Morris. He did so, and the agent assured him they could make him a star and immediately began sending him out on auditions.
Dexter was elated. So was Rosarita.
Over the next two months he almost landed a Clint Eastwood movie. Very nearly got cast in a Martin Scorsese masterpiece. Just missed being Gwyneth Paltrowâs lover in a Miramax film. And then, on his agentâs advice, after several months of no auditions at all, he signed for a one-year stint on Dark Days.
âDo it,â his agent insisted. âOnce you get the experience behind you, theyâll all be chasing after you.â
From the moment he signed on for the soap, Rosaritaâs attitude changed. From sweet she turned to sour, complaining about everything, including the fact that they were unable to go out most nights because he had a 5:00 a.m. call every day. She nagged him continually. Nothing he ever did was good enough. Until finally, six weeks ago, sheâd started muttering about divorce.
Dexter could not believe it. Divorce! Theyâd only been married eighteen months. Divorce was unthinkable. Not in his family. For a start, it would kill his parents. Besides, he was quite happy with the way things were.
So after much thought heâd devised a plan to calm her down. When they were first going out heâd taken her home to meet his mom and dadâMartha and Matt. Sheâd loved them, and they her. The only other time sheâd seen them since was at their weddingâwhich had turned out to be an enormous affair. Fortunately, Rosaritaâs father had paid for the lavish event, and bought them a large apartment in Manhattan, plus a sleek Mercedes as a wedding presentâwhich they hardly ever got to drive because it was too difficult finding a parking spot in the city.
Martha and Matt Cockranger were Dexterâs secret weapon. He was flying them in to New York for a surprise visit. Heâd already instructed the maid to prepare the guest bedroom, and heâd booked a limo to meet them at the airport. They were arriving tonight, hence the smile on his face.
If Martha and Matt Cockranger couldnât talk some sense into Rosarita, nobody could.
CHAPTER
3
A NTON C OUCH GAVE GREAT PARTY . A stickler for