No Promises: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance by Michelle Love (8)

“David,” I murmured. While my eyes scanned hungrily down his body, I noticed he carried a bag. “Is it another present for me?”

He liked buying me presents. Not really a terrible problem for me to have, but I didn’t want him to think he had to or anything. They were all thoughtful and sometimes extravagant, but all things I genuinely loved.

“In a way,” he murmured, and his eyes were alight with something like mischief, but also arousal. He looked somehow like an animal on the hunt—a predator— his eyes fixed on me as though he might just devour me.

It was incredibly hot and I shifted in bed, feeling myself getting slick between my thighs. It took so little for him to get me going, it really wasn’t even fair. I’d gone my whole life, right up until I had met him, without feeling this overpowering, overwhelming desire.

Slowly, he pulled something out of his bag. I squinted at it, trying to see what it was. Definitely black and leather, but beyond that …

He held it up and I saw it fully then. It was a corset. It was followed up by a pair of fishnet stockings, and then he handed me a box with sexy, black stiletto heels inside.

“What?” I asked somewhat stupidly. I was fairly certain I had never seen those sorts of things in real life, but I wasn’t naive enough not to know what they were. I shifted and my thighs slid over each other, already slick with desire.

He smirked, and at first he didn’t answer me. At least not with words. Instead, he reached into his bag of tricks and pulled out what was unmistakably a leather collar, black like the corset, and a chain leash to attach to it.

I stared, trying to figure out why my breathing was suddenly so fast. It didn’t feel like nerves or fear. It felt like lust—even more powerful than what I’d felt with him before, which was saying something,

“David?” I asked, and I couldn’t raise my eyes away from the silvery chain in his hands. It called to me. I was inexplicably drawn to it, and before I knew it, I was actually moving over the bed to get closer to it. To get closer to him.

“I have a secret,” David announced, with this little grin on his face. “I’m a member of a club.”

I waited. Surely the secret wasn’t something so …unsurprising. Of course he was a member of a club. He had grown up wealthy. He was probably a member of many more clubs than I could even conceive of.

“A very exclusive, private club,” he continued. “Kaye, I couldn’t tell you about this before we were married. I didn’t feel safe revealing it. But now you’re my wife, and I want you to share in everything I do.”

Well, it sounded good to me. I forced my eyes from the chain and collar and up to him as he laid the black corset and stockings on the bed. His eyes were focused on his task, and I took a second to just admire him.

My gorgeous husband, who was maybe just a little bit nervous in that moment. Well, so was I, but I didn’t want him to think he had anything to fear from me. I was becoming more and more certain of one simple fact. There was not a thing on the planet that he could do that would make me fall out of love with him.

“You’re safe now,” I assured him. “Tell me.”

“You can probably guess by the clothes,” he gestured to them. “But I’m into BDSM. Remember how I said I want to share everything with you? Well, this too.”

I took a deep breath, struggling with some pretty significant conflicting emotions. On the one hand, this was all so incredibly new to me and it was a bit overwhelming to look at those clothes, obviously hand picked for me. On the other, it was exciting. Deeply exciting.

What did he want from me? It was a good question, and one that I found myself fairly eager to find out the answer to. Whatever he wanted, he could have. I couldn’t think of much I would deny him.

“Share it with me?” I wondered if he wanted to get a little bit kinky in the bedroom. Maybe tie me up. It wasn’t the sort of thing I had ever done before, of course, but I would be willing to try.

“I want you to put on the clothes,” he said, and he somehow seemed to stand up taller and straighter. His voice deepened and became more dominant somehow. It sent little tingles of apprehension and lust through my body. I was way out of my depth and I knew it.

“And then we’re going out to that club I mentioned.” When he continued, there was no hint of hesitation in his voice. He wasn’t asking me, he was telling me, and his high handedness made me whimper softly to myself, hopefully too quietly for him to hear.

A man who would take control. It wasn’t something I’d thought I would want, but I couldn’t deny that I loved it. I could swear I had never been this aroused in my entire life.

“What are we going to do there?” I asked, accepting all of this without question. We were going because I would go up into the sky and bring David the moon if I could. If he wanted it, I would at least put in a good effort.

“This time, I just want you to watch,” David murmured, and he reached out, pulling me to my feet, and started undressing me. I was more than eager for it, and I put up no resistance as he stripped off the comfortable pajamas I had been wearing. “I want to watch it with you.”

I nodded slowly. There couldn’t be any harm in watching, right? Maybe the whole thing would weird me out, but I figured I could handle just about anything for one night.

“Okay,” I agreed. He pushed the corset into my hands, along with a black thong that I hadn’t noticed until then. I pulled the underwear on, blushing when I realized just how little it covered.

“Brent’s going to be there too,” he commented casually. “We’re going to watch it with him.”

Wait, what?

Now Brent was involved? I barely knew the guy, even if he did seem very nice. So Brent was into this whole kinky thing too, was he? I shook my head. I’d had no idea about either of them. None at all.

“Okay,” I murmured, just a little bit more slowly. Hesitantly. I didn’t mind sharing something like this with my husband, at least to try it out, but to share it with a relative stranger?

“We’re just going to be watching other people playing out BDSM scenes,” he assured me. “No one will touch you.” It was a relief, but it didn’t last too long. He didn’t stop talking, but continued on, and what he said made me more than a little bit nervous. “Not this time, anyway.”

I took a deep breath, looking at him uncertainly. As we stood there, he took the corset, slipping it on around my body. It was tiny, barely covering me, and didn’t even have straps to hold it on. It simply clung to me, stiff and rigid, and forced my breasts up like they were being displayed.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, looking at my husband. I trusted him, I reminded myself, but I couldn’t help but think about how we had really not known each other for very long.

I had assumed certain things about this marriage, but maybe I was wrong.

“Later on, I’d want us all to play out a scene. The two of us—Brent and I—on you.”

The words, once they were out, didn’t sound as terrible as I would have expected. Once they were all out there in black and white, I found the whole idea to be exciting, even if deeply shocking to someone as inexperienced as I was.

He pushed me by the shoulders, and I sat down on the bed, letting him do what he wanted with my body. But all he did was put my new shoes on—black pumps with a heel far higher than I usually would have worn.

“Come, look at yourself in the mirror,” he coaxed and took both of my hands to bring me to the shiny, reflective, silver surface. I went, feeling a bit strange, and the feeling increased when I saw how I looked.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. The woman reflected back at me was beautiful, with a tiny waist, long, long legs, and breasts big enough to make any man drool. My hair fell loose over my shoulders and down my back.

I looked gorgeous. Delicate. Sexy. All the things I wasn’t used to.

“Just come watch,” he murmured, his hand resting possessively on the curve of my slender waist. The smell of leather was all around us, especially as my body heat warmed up the corset. I felt dizzy, my cunt throbbing and wet. “And we’ll go from there.”

He wanted this so badly, and so did I. Even if I hadn’t been feeling this sense of anticipation, I figured I would’ve tried it anyway, for him. I wanted him to be happy. I wanted it more than anything else in the world.

So I nodded and watched as the young woman in the mirror nodded too. She gave me a secret little smile, and I knew I’d made the right call.

What exactly a BDSM scene would look like, I had no idea, but I was definitely willing to find out.

David

The Dungeon of Decorum was a little hidden gem on the outskirts of Portland. What looked like a small shack above ground was really an underground lair of sexual activity—along with some other fun things—that did a lot for the male ego.

I hadn’t been lying to Kaye about my interest in BDSM. I had been a member of this club ever since I was old enough to sign up and most of the men I worked with were the same way. It was a club that catered to exclusive tastes and the people who came here got what they wanted.

Whatever they wanted. As long as it was all safe and consensual, of course. No one would get seriously injured here.

I hadn’t been highly involved in the scene—just enough to know it interested me—but my whole life had been focused on getting my business up and running. I hadn’t exactly had a lot of time to pursue this interest.

On the other hand, it had made perfect sense when Brent had suggested using the club in order to get to Kaye— and in order to get her to start seeing him as a more sexual person. I knew Brent was far more into this lifestyle than I’d ever been and his dominant side should impress her.

The club was not open to the public. There were no signs. If you didn’t know what it was, you weren’t supposed to be there, and I had always liked the privacy when I did play.

Brent was already there, waiting just outside the entrance. He grinned at me in greeting, and I returned the expression with a nod. It felt so wrong, suddenly, being friends with the man who was after my wife.

But it was the about the plan, damn it. Why did I have such a hard time keeping it in mind sometimes?

We were all very quiet, especially Kaye. Brent didn’t seem nervous at all, but even if he had been, he wouldn’t have shown it.

I was. I would admit it, though only to myself. I was nervous because I thought I just might be pushing her too far, too fast. Kaye had obviously never done anything like this before, and I thought there was a chance, however slight …

I shook my head. I wasn’t going to lose her, at least not until I was ready. She was utterly devoted to me. And when she took off the coat that had hidden her gorgeous, corset-clad self, I knew she would be someone people paid attention to. No one would be so crass as to stare, at least not blatantly, but she would be desired.

And she was mine. All mine.

“Damn,” Brent whispered beside me. Luckily, Kaye didn’t notice. She seemed somewhat lost in her own thoughts. Still, the fact was she was there and it touched me. She was here for me, and I knew it. She never would have come here if not for me wanting her to.

She was interested, though. I could swear it. When I’d dressed her in the outfit she now wore, she had been aroused. I could pretty much smell it on her, and even though this was—as I constantly told myself—all just for the plan, I had to think it would also be a lot of fun.

I shot Brent a bit of a look, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was too busy looking at Kaye—at the way her gorgeous body was displayed. Maybe it wouldn’t have bothered me so much, but I knew Brent was going to possess her body some day. He was going to make Kaye fall for him, and I thought he could do it.

“Keep it in your pants,” I whispered back, just slightly irritated. I could try to tell myself—and I did—that my objection was just to keep him from flying off the handle and pushing too fast, but part of me knew better.

I put my arm around my wife’s waist and stopped her just outside the door. In my hand, I held the collar and the leash, which I had shown her earlier. I hadn’t made her wear it right away, but I wanted her to remember it.

“If you like what we see, I’ll put this on you,” I whispered, and I could swear I saw a flicker of interest in her brilliant green eyes.

She nodded slowly, then actually shot me a spirited wink.

“We’ll see,” she murmured, and I smirked. She hadn’t said no. She very definitely hadn’t.

Kaye was sweet, but she knew her own mind. If she absolutely didn’t want any of this, she never would have come at all. Something about this, at the very least, intrigued her.

Together, the three of us went inside. I stayed close to Kaye to watch her reaction, even the slightest ones she gave. She seemed fairly passive and calm—I was getting good at reading her.

The room was lit, but only with low light. Everything could be seen, but there was an aura of mystery to the place that suited it.

There wasn’t a lot in the way of actual equipment—not in the first room. There was a spanking bench, padded and comfortable, various restraints, and a table of basic implements like floggers, but not much more. It was just there to show people what was available in the private rooms. This was the room where newcomers were made comfortable—newcomers such as Kaye. It was the most public room, meant to give people a taste of what they could be getting into, hopefully without freaking them out.

As Kaye, Brent, and I quietly took our places in the comfortable seats set around the perimeter of the room, none of us said so much as a word. I made sure Kaye sat beside Brent, but beside me, too, so she was between us.

Maybe Brent was a talented Dom, but I knew Kaye, and I knew she would be far more comfortable if she was close to her new husband. She rested her hand on my leg and I could feel her fingers trembling just a little.

Trembling with arousal or fear? Both, I thought, and I placed my hand on her slender one, comforting her. It seemed to work and she got brave enough to look into the center of the room.

There, a pretty woman (though not as pretty as Kaye) was being tied to the spanking bench. Her knees were on the lower platform and her breasts, which were bare, were pressed against the upper level. Her ankles were tied to the corners, then her wrists, and she squirmed.

It was obvious, though, that she was moving not to get away, but because she was so aroused she couldn’t hold her movements back. Everything about her screamed of arousal, from the arch of her back to the way she pressed her ass back, as though begging for someone to hit her.

The Dom was a man I didn’t recognize, but who seemed pretty typical of the place—a rich businessman of some sort. He approached her fully clothed, whereas she was almost naked. Only a pair of bright red underpants shielded her modesty, and I heard Kaye gasp beside me at the wanton sight.

My cock twitched in my pants, but not for the young sub on the stage. No, it was all for the woman beside me—my wife—who was so hot with arousal that I could actually feel her burning beside me. Her hand gripped my leg, squeezing it tightly.

In the middle of the room, the Dom picked up a flogger—a relatively light, gentle one—meant to work his sub up for the more intense play to come.

“Remember your safe word,” the man murmured, but loud enough for all of us to hear. I felt Kaye turn to look at me, but I just placed a finger to my lips. If we went further, and I fully intended to make it happen, I would explain then.

“I remember, master,” the sub murmured, her voice low and slightly hoarse with desire. “Please hit me. I’ve been such a bad girl.”

She looked around, and I could see, even from a couple of feet away, that she was excited. Her eyes shone and she was definitely an exhibitionist. She was obviously feeding off of the attention of the small crowd.

Her Dom didn’t make her wait. He smirked and then he started to hit her. Just lightly, at first, but soon enough a flush of red broke out over her tight, round little ass.

She hissed and arched toward the sensation, and the temperature in the room actually seemed to raise a little. Yes, she was showing off for the crowd, but this was also an incredibly intimate thing for the two of them to be doing.

They were linked in a very intimate way, and I stared, fascinated. I wanted it. I wanted the same relationship these two clearly had.

“Please,” she was soon begging, turning her plaintive gaze toward her Dom. “Please, master.”

“You know you have to ask for what you want more clearly,” he chastised, his hand rubbing over the abused skin of her ass. “You know what I want, slave. Beg for me.”

When I pulled my gaze away from the scene in front of us, I saw Kaye staring, utterly rapt. I couldn’t be positive, but I was fairly sure the look on her face wasn’t disgust or revulsion.

She seemed completely fascinated. I caught Brent’s eye, and he smirked and nodded at me. Yes, my little saint of a wife was not as sweet and innocent as she might have thought. Her tastes weren’t quite as pure when a little digging was done.

“Master! Please, fuck me,” the girl begged, and I turned my attention back to them. The man slapped his partner’s ass once more, the sound of it echoing through the room and making my cock twitch.

I wanted to do the same things, but to Kaye.

Right in front of us, the Dom pushed inside his slave, and she—bound as she was—could only be still and enjoy it. She loved it, if her cries of pleasure were any indication at all.

Had Kaye ever even watched porn before? Here she had a live show playing out for her pleasure. It was a hot scene, too, between the bound young woman and her master. But my attention was mostly on Kaye.

When they were done, another couple took over, but I had had enough. Looking over at Brent, I saw he was in the same place. It was fun to watch, but I’d always been much more interested in the doing rather than the watching.

“Kaye,” I murmured quietly in her ear, so as to not interrupt the couple on stage. “I want to take you to a private room. Will you come with me?”

It was a risk, and she might say no, but given her heaving breasts and shimmering eyes, I at least had a shot.

Chapter 13

Kaye

Never in my life had I seen anything like what had played out before me. Never had I thought I’d want to. Until David, I’d barely been interested in sex at all. If anyone had told me I would be watching a girl getting spanked until her ass was red and then being taken right up in front of a group of people, I would have called them insane without hesitation.

However, there I sat between two strong, handsome men, watching as two strangers played with each other in ways I’d never dreamed of. I was soon squirming just a little, trying to relieve some of the pressure building between my legs.

When David murmured to me, I hesitated. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go anywhere—not in the shape I was in. I was far too suggestible when I was aroused, and David brought me to that state far too easily.

“Will he come?” I murmured back, my voice too quiet to be heard by anyone but David. I indicated Brent with a subtle flick of my eyes. I needed to know what to expect before I agreed to anything.

“I would like it if he did,” David admitted, and I frowned. I didn’t have anything at all against Brent, but this was new territory for me. It was a little bit freaky to get into this with someone I barely knew.

For a moment I examined my distaste for the idea, and then I realized what my issue was. I took a deep breath and then figured the only way to get past it was to ask the question.

“If we go with him,” I kept my voice down. “Is he going to be allowed to have me? To …fuck me?” I wasn’t used to saying curse words out loud and I blushed a little bit as I did, much to my annoyance.

I needed to say it, though. I would never, not ever, be okay with another man having me. No way was it going to happen. That was off the table for me. If either David or Brent thought it could ever happen, I would never go into a private room with both of them and let them both fuck me.

David was the man for me, and I was a one-man kind of woman. I never wanted to have anyone else deep up inside of me. It was too intimate, and I could never share myself like that with another man.

“No,” David started, then shook his head. “Brent, excuse us for a second, please.” Brent nodded with an easygoing smile, and David pulled me to my feet. He put his arm around me and together we went back out into the hallway so we could talk without interrupting anyone. “No, Kaye,” David repeated. “No man will ever have you. Not Brent, Not anyone. You belong to me and only me. I’d kill any man who tried.”

His very fierceness actually soothed me a little. I nodded, relieved, looking at my husband. The very air in this place felt warm and sexually charged, and I didn’t even know what to do with all of the erotic energy I had.

“Okay, good,” I murmured, my eyes caught by my husband’s handsome face, his strong jaw, and high cheekbones. In this place, somehow, he looked even more gorgeous than normal, which was definitely saying something.

“The thing is, Brent is a lot more experienced at this sort of thing than I am,” David admitted. He had this way of showing just the tiniest bit of vulnerability, and as always, it touched my heart. I knew he didn’t show it to just anyone. “He’s a very experienced Dom, and I want him to teach me how to give you the most pleasure through pain. Just like that girl we were just watching.”

Oh.

Well.

If he put it that way, it suddenly sounded a lot more appealing.

The fact was, I had never considered whether I would want to be spanked or not. I had never given it any thought at all, either positive or negative. Having seen what had happened to the girl, though, I was suddenly much more interested. What would it be like to have it done to me?

“Then let’s go,” I whispered, and it was strange to think about it. It had only been a very short time since I’d truly been an innocent, but bit by bit it was being stripped from me.

And the worst part was, I wasn’t even sure I minded.

A tall, muscular man with salt and pepper hair and dark blue eyes came up behind David. “Mr. B., it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you here.”

David turned around and smiled, then shook the man’s hand. “Mr. J., how’s it going?”

Mr. J., as my husband had called him, looked me up and down. “It’s been going well. Are those wedding rings I see you guys sporting?” He winked at me, then extended his hand. “Grant Jamison, Mrs. Black?”

“I am Mrs. Black. Kaye Black to be exact. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jamison.” He let my hand go, and I found David taking it in a possessive hold.

“You gave her your real name,” David said with a quizzical expression.

“She seems like the kind of woman a man can trust,” Grant said as he looked me over. “I can read people rather well.”

“I consider myself trustworthy.” I was impressed with the man. He had an air about him that was dominating, but in the best possible way. “Are you married?”

He shook his head. “Not me. Not in my future. You’re new here, and I want to be sure you know all the rules. Has your husband told you about them?” Grant looked me square in the eyes. He seemed like he was genuinely concerned about me.

“I have not. But my buddy, who’s much more practiced than I am, is about to join us in a private room and he’ll tell her all the rules.” David ran his arm around my shoulders and kissed the side of my head. “I would never harm a hair on this woman’s head. I only want to please her and show her new and exciting things. And we’ll be under guidance from a man I trust implicitly.”

“Good to know,” Grant said as he looked at me once again. “You see, I’m one of the founding fathers of this club. I make it my personal mission to see that everyone here knows they’re safe. There are cameras all over the place and our staff monitors everyone. If you call out the safe word and your partner doesn’t take heed, we will come in and end things. All you have to do is call that out and anything that’s happening will stop. Do you understand that?”

I nodded my answer, then gave the man a smile. “I do. Thank you so much. You’ve actually made me feel much better about things. I want to be able to see to my husband’s every want, need, and desire. Of course, I want to feel safe while doing that, though.”

Grant nodded, then left us, as he had spotted another seemingly innocent couple coming into the hallway. David took my hand and led me away.

I was about to see what all the fuss about this BDSM scene was all about.

Was I really ready for this?

Before I knew it, I was in a private room—one much more intimidating than the one I’d started in. There were all sorts of pieces of furniture around, most of which I hadn’t the slightest clue about, and it tended to make my imagination run a little bit wild.

“You’re only here as long as you wish to be here,” David murmured to me as I looked around the room in somewhat of a panic. “The moment you want this to stop, it will.”

It was the exact right thing to say and I relaxed quite a bit. I even let David put the leather collar around my neck and stood still as he handed the leash over to Brent.

“Now it’s time for us to play.” Brent grinned at me, comforting me further. Whatever happened here, I was safe. “If you want me to stop whatever I’m doing, say red. If you just need a break, say yellow.”

I nodded my understanding, and Brent led me over to a set of chains that dangled from the wall with thick, silvery links attached to shackles on the end. In seconds, I was firmly chained to the wall and I moaned softly and closed my eyes.

It was almost embarrassing how aroused I was by this. I tugged lightly on the cuffs, not trying to get away but simply testing them, and found them firm. I really was bound, hopelessly stuck right where I was, and part of me loved it.

Closing my eyes, I let myself revel in my helplessness. So often, I had to be the strong one. At work, I had to be the one in control, for the health of my patients.

It was somehow highly intriguing to give the control over to someone else.

Even without my eyes closed, I couldn’t have seen what was happening. I was facing the wall, so my vulnerable ass was displayed to the two men. I heard movements behind me, and I waited in something approaching agony to see what would happen next.

The first touch was light. It felt smooth and slightly cool, and I recognized it as leather. One of those floggers, I realized, as the tails dragged softly over my skin. I shivered, and slowly, slowly, Brent started to up the intensity.

It never hurt. It never did much more than sting, but it was a fascinating sensation. I was being hit. Not hard—and not against my will—but I was bound and somewhat helpless as a big, strong man struck me with the flogger.

My panties were soaking wet. My juices had gone right through them and dripped down my legs, drenching them. Something about the whole situation got to me, making me moan and writhe. Soon enough I was pressing back toward the lashes of the flogger.

“She’s ready,” I heard Brent murmur. I did hear the words, but they didn’t seem particularly important to me. In my state of arousal, I was in a sort of daze, and I just moaned as I was unchained from the wall and moved.

A soft, cloth blindfold was tied over my eyes and I whimpered. If it had happened any sooner—before I’d gotten so worked up—it probably would have scared me. As it was, it just excited me more and made me feel more helpless for them.

“Bend over, Kaye,” David told me, and it was pretty much sheer instinct that had me obeying him. I bent over and recognized my husband’s scent, even if I couldn’t see him, as he eased me into place.

Something padded pressed against my neck, and then my wrists were raised too. I was in a sort of stockade, I realized, as the other part of the wooden structure closed on top of me, trapping my head and my hands with no hope of escape.

Bent over, utterly vulnerable, and unable to even see anything, I waited. It felt like an eternity to my overstimulated body, but it was probably only a second or two until one of them spanked me for the first time.

I could sense them, somehow, even if I couldn’t feel them. One of them stood on my left, the other one on my right, and they took turns spanking my tender ass. Soon it was actually stinging, and for some reason, I only got wetter and more desperate.

Being spanked and being used by these two men was turning me on. I’d never suspected myself of being very kinky, but I was being proven wrong in a rather spectacular way as I was held captive for these two strong, handsome men.

Even so, I somehow knew something important. I wouldn’t enjoy this at all if I didn’t know David was right there. It was definitely hot, but without him, it would be terrifying—not something I would want at all.

How long it lasted, I couldn’t have said. They spanked me until I lost myself completely in the rhythm, in the hints of pain, and in the overwhelming pleasure their hands brought me.

Then it all changed. I felt and heard movements behind me, and before I could make heads or tails of what was going on, one of them rubbed his very hard, slick cock over my reddened ass and then pushed inside of me all at once.

I cried out in protest and came very close to using the safe word. My lips parted because there was a man inside of me and I didn’t know which man it was. My husband? Or Brent?

The panic only lasted for a second. I closed my mouth again and relaxed into it. I knew who it was. I knew the feeling of my husband inside of me—of how perfectly he filled me up. I knew the feel of him and any other man would just feel utterly wrong to me.

“David,” I moaned, and I felt his hands on my waist. He’d pulled my thong aside to take me, but the corset, the heels, and the collar remained on me. It felt filthy, in the best way possible.

“Kaye, pretty girl. My pretty girl,” David moaned, and his voice was hoarse. Yes, he was definitely the one inside me. I had no idea where Brent was, but I didn’t care. It was just me and David, and it was every bit as intimate as I could have imagined.

Maybe even more so, because of the blindfold. I literally couldn’t do anything but relax into the pleasure and let it happen. The orgasm that ripped through me was more intense, too, because of all of the teasing and because my vision had been robbed from me.

Once I started to come, it was like I couldn’t stop. I cried out, my body arching over and over again while my husband spilled inside of me.

I could get very used to this.

Chapter 14

David

“When is this going to happen?” Brent asked, looking at me with impatience clear in his green eyes. “I thought I’d get to screw her already. This is taking forever. Is this thing even happening?”

I glared at him over the piles of papers that he’d brought over from the office. We were working on them, but I turned away for a second so I could look at him instead.

“It’s only been a few weeks,” I commented, trying to keep my voice much milder than it wanted to come out. “Are you falling for her or something? Just chill out. Everything is on track.” When Brent didn’t look convinced, I kept talking, maybe trying to convince myself as much as I was him. “Look, you don’t know Kaye. I do. She’s not going to just fall into bed with you. It’s going to take time.”

The original timeframe was within the year. I still thought we could make it, but only if Brent didn’t push it too far, too fast.

Brent sighed softly, but he nodded his agreement. “It’s taking too long,” he complained. As if we had summoned her with our talk, Kaye walked in, carrying a tray of food and greeting us with a wide, genuine smile.

“What’s taking too long?” she asked, and I looked at Brent, then sighed. The truth was, I was being a little bit selfish. I was letting myself enjoy all of the incredible things about being married to her and the plan …it had fallen by the wayside a little bit.

Brent was right. It was time to get going on this.

“None of your business,” I snapped, and it was the first time I had ever said anything so rude to my wife. I saw her recoil with surprise. Seeing the look on her face made me feel a like I had been punched in the stomach. And I knew from the look on her face that she was feeling much the same way. Only probably worse.

Probably much worse.

“We’re trying to work here,” I continued, making my voice cold and annoyed—channeling the very real emotions I was having to make myself sound more like an asshole than I normally ever did. Self-loathing, for instance, was one of those emotions. “Just get out of here.”

Many women would have snarled back, or maybe with the way I was acting would have even dumped the tray of food right onto me. Kaye didn’t do either of those things. She put the tray on the desk, even carefully shifting the piles of paper out of the way so nothing got squished by it, and then with nothing more than a scowl, she left the room.

It was like kicking a puppy and guilt gnawed at my insides in a way that was far from comfortable. My skin crawled with the disgust I felt for myself and I watched as she closed the door behind her firmly.

She didn’t slam it, though. I had given her all sorts of reasons to do it, but she didn’t.

It was just how Kaye was—far more patient than I deserved—and I was going to punish her for it. I was pretty much the Antichrist at this point and I knew it. But I wasn’t sure there was a way for me to even start to dig myself out of this pit.

“Wow,” Brent commented, sounding highly admiring. “That was cold, man. You just shut her down.”

I really, really didn’t want to be admired for being the dick I was being. I turned to my best friend and the look on his face made me a bit sick to my stomach. He really didn’t see a problem with how I had just treated my wife. If anything, it pleased him.

What did I expect, though? Brent had always been very good at getting women into bed, but he’d never been what I would call respectful of them. I’d met men, many of them, who were much more obnoxious about it, but Brent wasn’t exactly Prince Charming.

Of course, neither was I. Who was I to judge?

I forced myself not to glare at him and instead gave him a nod. This wasn’t moving fast enough for him? Well, it was time to step it up a notch or two and get this show on the road.

I was starting to feel like the sooner it was over, the better for me. And not just because of the money. I had thought it would be no big deal to be this deliberately cruel to another human being, but it was harder than I’d thought.

“What are you waiting for? Go. Comfort her,” I urged, and he grinned at me and nodded, rising to his feet.

“It’s in the bag,” he told me, and then he, too, left the room.

I tried to tell myself there was no point in following. Kaye might see me, and Brent needed his space to work his magic without me around. My presence could derail things before they even really got started.

No, it made much more sense for me to hold back and wait for a report later. So I picked up one of the papers, resolutely settled back to read it, and then promptly put it down and walked out of the room.

Good advice, I had found, was very easy to give myself. It was much harder to follow it.

I very quietly stood in the hallway outside of the room I’d taken as my office and listened. I knew the house well—it was an old one where sound echoed around pretty freely.

When I heard voices, I followed them. Kaye had retreated into the kitchen and she sat at the table with her head bowed, dark hair almost covering her face. Her eyes, usually so vibrant, were closed completely.

Brent was right there already. The guy worked fast. He slid his arm around her and then pulled her into a hug, encouraging her to rest her head against his chest.

Even as she hugged him back, I noticed she didn’t really cling to him like she would have done to me. She accepted the comfort of a friend, but she wasn’t all over him. She was completely appropriate, and I shook my head. We had our work cut out for us—more than I would have thought.

“It’s okay. He’s just a jerk. Stressed out about work,” I heard Brent saying. His hand was on the back of her head, lightly stroking her hair, and I gritted my teeth at the sight of it.

“He’s not a jerk,” Kaye defended me, which only made me feel more like the world’s biggest asshole. “He’s never talked to me like that before. There’s something going on.”

Right. We had to keep in mind that she was not only very loving and affectionate, but also very smart. If we wanted to keep the wool over her eyes, we were going to have to be a little bit more careful.

“Just work,” Brent commented.

“I wish …I wish he wouldn’t yell at me, though,” Kaye said, and she opened her eyes. To my horror, I saw the gleam of tears in them and my stomach dropped like a stone. “It hurts.”

Brent was doing all the right things, nodding sympathetically. He even, in a very smooth move, took her hand and patted it gently.

“It’s just how he is sometimes. When he’s stressed, he …well. He doesn’t take being grumpy well.” Brent smiled at her, obviously trying to coax a smile in return. Kaye didn’t oblige him, but just looked at him thoughtfully.

“I’ll just have to try harder,” Kaye murmured, and I winced. Damn it. Even with what little Brent was doing, many women would have already crawled into his lap. He was putting out all the right signals, coming off as concerned and not creepy at all.

“I love him so much,” Kaye whispered so quietly I could barely hear her. She lowered her head, and Brent was obviously trying not to roll his eyes at her admission. He’d never had much use for love.

Well, at least Brent wasn’t falling for her. That was something. On the other hand, what would it matter in the long run? Kaye was only mine for now. Once this all played out, she would be gone out of my life completely.

Brent patted her shoulder, and Kaye did turn to him for comfort. It was just the slightest inclination of her body toward him, but Brent looked up and shrugged at me, as if asking if he should proceed.

I shook my head, and then, before she could see me or before I could burst into the room and tear my best friend’s hand right off of his wrist so he couldn’t touch her again, I retreated.

Kaye wasn’t ready to be seduced. Despite all of the opportunities that Brent had given her, she had never done anything even the slightest bit inappropriate. It didn’t stop me from feeling the prickly sensation of jealousy. It clung to me uncomfortably, making it hard to think about anything else.

I didn’t deserve her.

I had no reason to be jealous.

Jealousy wasn’t all I felt, either. There was guilt, too, very real and vivid and painful, cramping up my stomach and squeezing my lungs so it felt like I couldn’t get enough air into them.

I left and went not to my study, but to the library. I knew my grandfather had some good Scotch there, and even though drinking wasn’t usually one of my vices, I was feeling the definite urge for a good drink.

With a sigh, I fell down onto his huge, old office chair, and just as I’d known there would be, I found a bottle of the good stuff. There were even glasses there, and I poured myself a shot and took it back, enjoying the burn of the fine spirit as it filled my stomach.

The alcohol didn’t take anything away—not the jealousy nor the guilt. It was fine, though. I tried to comfort myself. Soon it would all be over, and then I could work on forgetting.

Just a little bit more discomfort, but with so much to gain. I steeled my resolve, set my shoulders, and decided then and there that I needed to step this whole process up. I was going to make myself as unpleasant as possible and drive her right into Brent’s waiting arms.

The thought should have been comforting. This could be over very soon, after all, if Kaye would only cooperate. And how long could she really hold out?

It should have been comforting, but it wasn’t.

I poured myself another drink, trying to let it burn everything away. It turned out, though, I was expecting far too much from a simple drink.

Kaye

It stung. I’m not going to lie. Having the man I loved speak to me as he had hurt me, but maybe David was hurting more. Being in such a bad mood, I’d come to realize over the day, couldn’t be a whole lot of fun.

I wasn’t, and had never been, a quitter. Brent might think it was hopeless to try to cheer David up, but I knew better. I had to at least try. I was his wife, after all, and it hurt me when he was so unhappy.

So I would do my best to make him happy again. I really wasn’t willing to just quit trying—not when all he’d done was snap at me. Yes, it had been unpleasant, but didn’t we all have bad moods from time to time?

Sometimes I was just oversensitive and I knew that about myself. Brent had been sympathetic and it had been nice to have someone who seemed to be on my side. He had probably been on the receiving end of one of David’s bad moods before.

Still, it was time for me to step in. It was too soon for me to do my best to make my husband relaxed enough that he could be himself with me again. He didn’t need to push me away, and I needed to make him see that.

I made my plans, and when night came, I was already in bed. I was wearing one of the sexier things that my lovely husband had bought me—a pretty little baby-doll teddy in an emerald green. I liked to think it did great things for my eyes, but whatever the case was, it definitely showed off my body, which was more important.

When David came in, I was ready for him. I lay on the bed, my body artfully displayed—I hoped. Either that or I looked ridiculous. I wasn’t really too sure which.

“I’m glad you came to bed,” I said, giving him my best seductive smile. It wasn’t something I was particularly good at yet, but I gave it a shot. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

He looked at me and for a moment—just a very short time—I could swear he was really looking at me. Then he turned away and started to undress, not paying any attention to me at all.

It seemed his bad mood was still in full force. I’d have to try a little harder.

“I keep thinking about that night,” I murmured, watching his back, which seemed pretty uncompromising. But I could swear he’d liked seeing me spread out over the bed for him, so I couldn’t give up. “You know, back at the club? I keep thinking about how you made me yours.”

“I’m not in the mood,” David said, and maybe it was true. He slept naked, but he’d pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms. Well, I’d never often been one to back away from a challenge.

“I know,” I murmured, rolling over to face him as he slid into bed. I rested my hand on his strong chest, caressing over the muscles there and tracing them with my fingertips. “But I plan on fixing your bad mood for you.”

He snorted softly, but I ignored it. No hurt feelings were going to ruin this for me. I slid my hand down, toying with the strings on his pants before tugging them loose and plunging my hand inside.

To my delight, he was already starting to harden. Maybe his mind was in a bad mood, but his body wasn’t. I would just have to appeal to his body for now, instead of his mind.

I gripped him and he let out the slightest hiss. Taking it as a sign that I should continue, I eased down his pants and freed his thick, rapidly hardening cock.

It was still a little new to me, but I wasn’t going to let it hold me back. I shifted down, kneeling beside his hips, and bent over. Without hesitation, I took him deep between my lips, sucking him determinedly.

One thing I had noticed about men—it seemed it was quite difficult for them to stay in a bad mood when they were getting head. I just had to hope I was doing an okay job.

I didn’t have to wonder for long.

When I opened my mouth and took him deep, he gave a soft growl, which would have been encouragement enough. He also grabbed my head, however, his fingers slipping into my hair and cradling me. His hips pushed toward my mouth like he couldn’t quite seem to help himself.

There! I had to guess I was helping with the bad mood at least a little …

He rocked up toward me, and I took it. This was still so new, and I let myself explore a little, stroking over his hips, his stomach, and finally down to his balls. They were so heavy, and I moaned around him as I stroked them.

The moan seemed to excite him and he started to really pump between my lips. I took it—I took it all—and in some way, I loved it. I was certainly dripping wet, and I had to hope he would fuck me or return the favor in some way afterward.

Regardless of what would happen after, I threw myself into it. When he leaked precum into my mouth, I licked up every single last drop of it. He gave me more as his movements became more frenzied, and I knew he was getting close.

“I’m going to come in your pretty mouth, Kaye,” he purred, and there was no trace of bad humor in his voice now. It was all rough and dominant and sexy, and I moaned around him again as his cock twitched and started to spurt right between my lips.

This had never been an act I’d expected to like, but with David, I did. There were many things that I liked with David that I was sure I wouldn’t enjoy if anyone else did them. It was more about David than anything else. He made everything we did so amazing.

I swallowed it all down and pulled away from him. I was delighted to see the smile on his face. In further good news, he also had a glint of mischief in his eye. I’d heard many men would be done after coming, as he already had, but not him, apparently.

“Lie down,” he growled. “On your back.”

I had to admit, I loved it when he got all dominant on me. It was the most arousing thing, and I didn’t hesitate. I did as I was told, spreading myself over the bed and lying on my back.

From beside the bed, he took out a pair of handcuffs I hadn’t even known were there. They weren’t harsh, though. The metal was surrounded by fur, so when he fastened it around my right wrist, it felt soft and didn’t pinch at all.

“Mine,” he hissed, and it sounded like he meant it. Even with how he’d snapped at me earlier, I was so pleased to see he still wanted me. I’d had some light, fairly unformed ideas about how he might be done with me already.

“Yours,” I murmured, my heart on my lips and my eyes fixed on him. It was so nice to see him snap out of his strange mood and to see the light back in his eyes and desire on his face.

Once I was firmly restrained to the bed, David was on me in a second. His pajama pants were gone before I could even blink, almost like he’d teleported out of them, and the little panties that went with the baby-doll were slipped down my legs, leaving me bare for him.

There was no preparation. No foreplay. He thrust inside me all at once, his thick cock filling me up, stretching me open, and claiming me. Making me his. I was his, wasn’t I? He wouldn’t take me like he had if he didn’t really want me still.

My legs were free, and I wrapped them around his waist, anchoring us together as he slid deep into my hot, wet channel. I was so ready for him. I had been since I’d been lying in bed, planning this all out. Tasting him as he’d come in my mouth had sealed the deal.

“You’re mine, Kaye. Mine,” David insisted again. I looked up into his handsome face and my heart pounded in a way that had little to do with how perfectly he was using my body.

His.

I was his. Mind, body, and soul, I belonged to him, and we both knew it.

“David,” I moaned, tugging at the cuff on my wrist to remind myself of how thoroughly bound I was—how helpless I was for him. I shuddered and rocked on him, my pussy walls clenching tightly around him as each thrust inside me brought me closer to ecstasy.

“Say it,” David insisted, his dick pumping away inside of me, his hands cupping my breasts, and his thumbs playing over the nipples. “Tell me who you belong to.”

His eyes were getting darker with his own growing pleasure, and his thrusts were deeper, harder, and more erratic inside of me. His breathing had sped up and it matched mine perfectly, mingling between us and linking us in one more way.

My husband. My perfect, sexy, gorgeous husband. Bad moods or not, I loved him. And it seemed I was even better than Brent was at bringing him out of those bad moods.

There was no doubt about it. I was his. Everything I was, was for him. I smiled up at him, my hips rising to meet his desperate thrusts, just as eager as he was. My own pleasure was gathering like storm clouds, and lightning bolts of pleasure were starting to flicker through my body, making it tense up around him.

“I’m yours,” I whispered, relentlessly fucking myself on him, using him just as much as he used me. “I’m yours!” The last two words were pretty much shouted because the force of the orgasm that ripped through me stole all my control. I moaned and writhed, the cuffs rattling against the bed frame as I clenched around him. Pulsing pleasure shot through my entire body until I was sweaty and weak.

A few more thrusts, which only prolonged my pleasure, and then David was finding his own release. I felt the hot wash of his fluids inside of me, the slightly sticky liquid making me slippery around him. He pushed deep, holding me down with his whole body as he shot inside of me.

“Mine!”

His voice was insistent, and for a moment, he almost sounded panicked. I frowned a little. Did he really still doubt it? I was his—of course I was. I was beyond happy to be his.

“I’m yours,” I told him, panting, as soon as I could form words again. “I’m yours, David, always and forever. Until the end of time.”

Tangled up in each other, arms firmly around each other with both of us considerably more sated, we drifted off into a deep, satisfying sleep.

I would be his, forever and then some.

Chapter 15

David

A few months passed. I knew Brent was chomping at the bit. I knew he didn’t understand why it was all taking so long, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Kaye needed to settle into the new marriage—to become a little bit more complacent about it.

I kept myself a bit distant from her. Not too much. Not enough to allow her to accuse me of anything. Just enough to shake her loose from me, hopefully. Just enough so that, when the time came, she would fall right into Brent’s arms.

Because it was still the plan. I hadn’t given it up. Sometimes I slipped up and almost forgot the main point of the whole thing. Sometimes I let myself enjoy her company and her willing presence in my bed.

It was probably better that I did, though. If she found me moody and unpredictable, she would be more likely to fall for Brent, who could—in her mind—offer her stability.

It made me sick to think about her falling for Brent. He was just going to break her heart. I tried not to think about it at all, but it came back into my mind time after time.

So it was easier to mostly avoid her, to pick little fights, and to push her away. Though it would be easier still if she would fight back, but she never did.

I was avoiding her the day she came to me, her expression both nervous and determined. She opened the door to my office, where I was working, and the look on her face robbed me of the snarky comment I would probably have made.

She knew better than to bother me while I was working. Yet she was, and I found I couldn’t speak—I couldn’t tell her off. Not when she was looking at me the way she was.

“What is it?” I finally managed, and she seated herself across the desk from me, giving me the most plaintive look I’d ever seen from another human being. She inclined herself toward me, her big green eyes fixed firmly on my face.

“I want to talk to you,” she murmured, and for a moment I was actually afraid she wanted to leave me. Maybe she’d figured out what Brent and I were doing. My guilty conscience gnawed at me as I stared at her, trying to read her face.

Surely she wasn’t leaving me. She loved me. We could work this out.

“What is it?” I asked, my tongue feeling numb and my mouth dry. I tried to sound nonchalant, but wasn’t sure it came off particularly well.

If she did leave, would she be considered the party at fault? Would I get everything, without even having to do the work to make her cheat on me?

The thought was there, but was overwhelmed by a deeper, more urgent, more primal one.

Don’t leave me.

“I want to start a family, David,” Kaye murmured, and I stared at her as pieces of the argument I’d been crafting started to fall down around my ears, unneeded. Whatever I had expected, it definitely hadn’t been those words, and I looked at her, trying to make it all make sense.

“A family?” I made my shocked mouth form the words, then shook my head. I definitely hadn’t thought through a good response ahead of time to such a statement, and I stared at her a bit stupidly as she looked imploringly back at me.

“I want a baby,” she told me, and one of her hands rested on her flat stomach, stroking the starched white shirt that was neatly tucked into the waistline of a black skirt. The movement of her hand was faintly erotic to me in ways I didn’t understand.

I took a deep breath and shook my head. Better to nip this in the bud right here and now, to keep it from going any further.

“Kaye, we’ve only been married a few months,” I pointed out. “It’s far too soon. We should wait a year, or maybe two, so we’re both ready. A baby isn’t a decision to rush into.”

I thought it all sounded very reasonable, but Kaye looked stubborn. It wasn’t something she did very often—only when she really wanted something—and I knew then I was in for a rough ride. She had really dug in her heels about this.

“David, I want to see a little version of us—both of us. I want to know if our baby will have my eyes, or yours, or a mix of the two. I want to see what our child will look like, know how they act, and learn if they love to paint or if they have your head for finance. I want to know them.”

Her voice had gotten deeply passionate, and I felt my heart stirring inside of me. A little version of the two of us. Kaye and me mingled in a little person. The idea appealed to me. But it was, of course, absolutely out of the question.

There was absolutely no way I was going to bring a baby into a fake marriage. Even I wasn’t cruel enough to do something so heinous. A child would be an innocent and would be deeply hurt by the inevitable fallout between me and Kaye.

“I don’t want a baby. Not yet.” My voice was very firm, and I looked at her, keeping my eyes hard and my gaze uncompromising. “You’re going to have to wait. We’ll do it when we both think it’s right.”

Kaye was usually so sweet and biddable, and part of me assumed, even with how big of a bee she had in her bonnet about this, that she would back off and accept my words, even if she didn’t like them.

The thing about Kaye, though, which I had forgotten, was she could be stubborn when she really, truly wanted something. I had only seen it a few times. Mostly, she was content to go with the flow and allow whatever happened to happen, but she could definitely hold her own when it came to something very important to her.

“You don’t have the right to shut me down like this,” Kaye argued. “I’m ready to have a baby now.”

I stared at her, trying to will her to back down. This was a nightmare. If this marriage was real, I would be thrilled. It actually surprised me a little just how badly I wanted what she was offering—a family, a baby, and something to link us together forever.

Which was exactly why the whole thing was so terrifying. I wanted it too badly. Kaye was going to be out of my life, and not too very far in the future either. It was utterly unfair of me to bring a baby into this.

“I want to get off the pill,” she told me firmly, her eyes sparkling with resolve in a way that made me want to grab her, bend her over the desk, and get started on the baby right then and there. “I want to get this started. I wouldn’t force anything on you, but …you have to at least think about it.”

No way. I wasn’t about to get caught in a trap, no matter how cleverly she laid it out for me. If I agreed to this—to any of it—she’d see this as a plausible option and it really wasn’t.

“We’re married, David. ‘Til death do us part, remember?” Kaye implored. She reached out and took my hand, squeezing it, and I was so surprised by the sudden movement, I let her have it. “There’s no reason to wait. Just …think about it?”

Oh, God.

My heart clenched in my chest, a tight stone that threatened to sink into my belly. I wanted it. I hadn’t known until she spoke the words, but I wanted a baby—a child to follow in my footsteps. In our footsteps.

And I could hardly ask for a more perfect co-parent than Kaye. She would be amazing with a child, I could already tell. We had the money for it too …

The thought stopped me cold in my tracks. While I was waxing poetic about having a baby with my wife, I was forgetting about the money. So much money to help me with my endeavors. Money that should’ve been all mine and mine alone.

Most people would agree it would be a pretty steep price to pay for a child.

There was absolutely no way I was going to let her get away with this. She wasn’t going to take everything from me, and I was suddenly furious that she would even try.

“No.” My voice was utterly uncompromising. What was the point in giving her false hope? It just wasn’t going to happen, and I stared at her, willing her to see the facts. “I don’t want a child. Not right now. Just wait.”

Just wait.

It wasn’t even logical. There was literally no reason for us to wait, or no reason she knew about anyway.

“David …” she blinked back tears, and I felt like pretty much the biggest asshole in the whole entire world. I was making her cry, and she wasn’t the type of woman to use tears as a weapon. She was genuinely upset—heartbroken even.

And there was much worse to come. She was going to have to be strong. I liked to think she could be. Maybe this wouldn’t break her completely in the end. It helped my guilty conscience to think so, anyway.

“Damn it, David,” she cried, tears streaming down her face. She dashed them away angrily. “Why won’t you at least think about it?”

I didn’t answer. What could I say? I could hardly tell her the truth. Oh, sorry, Kaye, we can’t have a baby because I’m after your money, which should be mine, and I don’t want to bring an innocent child into this mess?

Oh, that would go over well.

She spun away from me, going to the door and throwing it open, the knob hitting the wall with a loud bang. Kaye ran out, hair streaming behind her, sobbing. Not just with sadness, either, I was willing to bet. She was furious with me.

I wasn’t even sure I could blame her. She should be. I was deliberately doing terrible things to her.

It settled into my craw. She was utterly furious with me. Would she end our marriage over this?

I shook my head as I thought about the question I had asked myself. No, Kaye wouldn’t give up that easily.

And I couldn’t give up the inheritance. I just couldn’t do it. As much as part of me wished I could, as much as I wished I could give Kaye what she wanted—what we both wanted—and start a little family with her, it just wasn’t possible for me.

Giving up was something I didn’t know how to do. I was set on this path now, bound to follow it to the end. So I let Kaye go, then reached for the phone.

“What is it, David?” Brent sounded annoyed. I knew he was in a bad mood, cranky with me because I hadn’t let him go further with the plan. Part of me wondered if he was yearning to taste my wife’s delicious lips, her tits, and her pussy.

My blood began to boil, but I took a deep breath to cool it a bit.

With the talk of a baby, I had to make things move faster. What I wanted to tell him would give him much less reason to be grumpy. “Kaye’s upset. Get over here as soon as you can.”

“Upset?” he actually sounded happy about that. It made me sick at him and myself.

The poor woman was in tears because she wanted to have my baby and I was denying her that. I would give her anything she wanted, just not a human who would belong to both of us, entangling us forever.

No, I could not have that at all.

“Yes, I’ll let her tell you why that is. Hurry.”

“I’m already in my car, heading your way. Is it odd that my whole body is tingling in anticipation of holding her?” His question doubled me over.

If he had been right in front of me, I’d have plunged my fist right into his chest and ripped his heart out.

Heartless bastard!

Kaye

How could he?

If he had told me he didn’t want a child, maybe it would be different. After all, I hadn’t checked with him about it before we got married. Some people didn’t want a family. David had the right to what he wanted.

I would have been disappointed if he was one of those people, but he hadn’t actually said he was. In fact, he had seemed almost to want a child, but just wanted to wait for some unknown reason. He wouldn’t talk about it or even think about it, and I just couldn’t understand why.

Disappointment crushed my heart, weighing it down, and I wept bitterly as I sat on the front porch. There was a swing there, and I let myself rock gently back and forth, the motion somewhat soothing. Tears rolled down my face in a torrent, one I couldn’t have stopped if I had tried, so I didn’t even bother.

It was never going to happen. I was never going to get what I wanted. The baby that my arms ached to cradle was never going to be there, because my husband just wouldn’t allow it to happen.

Damned if I could understand why.

The sound of tires had my eyes opening and I saw a car drive up our driveway. It was dark outside, the sun having just gone down, but I saw a man inside the car and it didn’t take a lot of sleuth work to figure out who it was. It had to be Brent. What other man would be coming here this late?

That thought made me realize I should get dinner. I had been hungry and it likely wasn’t helping with the emotional torrent racing through me. But I felt so damn hopeless and watched with dull eyes as Brent got out of the car and walked toward me.

He didn’t seem surprised to see me, even though I was sitting on the front porch, obviously crying. He just gave a soft little sigh, then settled down beside me on the two-person swing and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

It felt good at first. My husband was being so unaccountably cruel and to have someone just hold me—it felt comforting. I let myself relax into it, resting my head on Brent’s shoulder and sobbing like I would never stop.

“What is it?” he asked, and I had to fight to calm myself down enough to even speak. I took a deep, shuddering breath and slowly, slowly, I was able to talk.

“I asked him about a baby. I told him I want to start a family. He told me I had to wait,” I whispered, wondering how trivial all of this sounded to this big deal businessman. Did I sound like a complete idiot?

Honestly, I didn’t even care. It mattered to me, whether it should or not. But I didn’t quite dare to look at him. Brent was always so strong, so dominant, and he rarely seemed to take anything seriously.

I didn’t think I could handle it if he laughed at me.

“I’m sorry,” he said instead, sounding strangely sober, at least for him. It seemed he did take my problem seriously, which was even more of a relief. After David’s reaction, I’d been worried maybe I was going crazy. “That has to suck.”

Yes, it really did. I sobbed harder into his shoulder, but there was relief there too. I wasn’t crazy. Brent didn’t seem to think so anyway. It wasn’t much, but it helped a little.

“It’s never going to happen,” I whispered, finally stating my fears out loud. “I don’t know if he just doesn’t want a family or what it is. Maybe he’s afraid to let himself want something like that again. But I’ve always wanted a baby.”

Brent sighed softly as he reached for me, tilting my chin up so I met his green eyes. They seemed to shimmer in the darkness. There was compassion and comfort there.

“He doesn’t deserve you, you know,” Brent commented abruptly, his eyes fixated on mine. “He’s an idiot if he doesn’t know what he has. You’re incredible. Way too good for him.”

Something about the way he spoke to me made the skin on the back of my neck prickle. Maybe it was because he was so willing to say those sorts of things about his friend, who should surely have his loyalty over me.

Why was he always taking my side?

“Let go of me.” As I said the words, I was more and more sure I was right. Something here was wrong—very wrong—and I needed to stop it before it got more wrong.

“What’s wrong?” Brent asked, and he pulled away from me a little, but kept his arm around me. It started to feel more oppressive than comforting, and I stood up, looking down at him, deeply thoughtful.

“I’m not stupid,” I told him, my breathing very rapid and my heart pounding. What situation had I gotten myself into? Whatever it was, I had to get myself out of it immediately.

“What do you mean?” he asked, but I could swear I saw a hint of wariness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I didn’t think so.

I was pretty sure it was the confirmation I needed. I needed to stop this—to halt this before it got messy. Even messier than it already was.

“You’re always there when things get rough,” I spoke slowly, letting myself feel out the words before I said them. I was going to sound insane, paranoid, and probably egotistical, but I still needed to get this all out. “You always say the right things and you always take my side over my husband’s. That’s pretty weird behavior for his best friend.”

Brent stood up and walked away from me, hands on the railing, facing away from me. I had a sudden burst of insight that told me he just didn’t want me looking at this face right then. Why? Unless I was right …

His voice was smooth, but there was an edge of sadness when he said, “I know how hard David can be is all.”

“Look, couples have arguments,” I continued on, looking at his back. “No marriage is going to be easy. I knew it going into this. Most of my friends have been divorced, so yeah, I get it. It’s never going to be a smooth road—not all of the time. I wasn’t expecting anything of the sort when I married David.”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking,” he replied, his voice strangely tight. “But you’re way off. I lived with David for years. We were in college together. I know how hard he can be to live with. That’s all there is to it.”

I frowned, trying to study him, but it was difficult when he wouldn’t even look at me. The thing was, he wasn’t quite acting like he was telling the truth. His actions were just a little bit suspicious. I always tried to see the best in everyone, but I wasn’t born yesterday.

But he was my husband’s best friend, and I didn’t want to have conflict with the man. “Are you sure that’s all, Brent?”

“I just wanted to help.” Brent didn’t look at me as he said the words. “I wasn’t trying anything else. I’m sorry if you took it that way.”

Ugh. He was trying to make me sound like I was crazy, wasn’t he? Just then and there, my alarm level jumped up, making me take a few more steps away from him. He was sorry if I took it that way.

I could swear I wasn’t taking it ‘that way’ for no reason. But he was trying to act like nothing was going on. I didn’t know if I bought it. I could be wrong, but my intuition was telling me something was going on here.

“I just want to be your friend.” Brent finally turned around and his face was completely composed. But when I looked closer, I saw tightness around his eyes and lips that I was sure he wasn’t even aware of. I was looking for the signs and I saw them everywhere. “I just want to help you and David. I want you guys to make it.”

As always, he was saying all the right things. A little bit too right. I frowned, looking him over, and searching his face—his eyes. I didn’t like what I saw. “Please don’t worry about me.” My voice sounded very formal to my own ears, but in this case, it was definitely better to be too formal than too friendly. I didn’t want him to have any hope he would ever have anything from me, other than my friendship.

I hated being so cold, especially when I’d liked Brent so much before, but I wasn’t going to lead anyone on. My allegiance was to my husband, and no other man should think they had a shot.

“As if I could stop myself.” He gave me a smile. “But I’ll butt out if that’s what you really want, Kaye.”

“David is in his office, I believe, if you came to see him. Have a good night,” I said softly, then walked into the house. My body didn’t feel big enough to hold my emotions and if I stayed any longer I knew it might get messy.

It took a lot to annoy me, but this whole situation was starting to. With David acting so bizarre, and now Brent being just a little bit too conveniently there, I’d had enough. There was only so much one woman should be expected to take and I was far beyond it.

Maybe I was insane. Maybe the signs I was getting from Brent weren’t accurate. After all, I was hardly very good at telling when people wanted me. I’d always kind of ignored the whole attraction thing, at least until I’d met David.

I was on high alert, though, and I didn’t think I was wrong. I was fairly certain I knew the look in Brent’s eyes, and it was desire. Did he want me sexually? Or worse, did he think he could have me?

Did he, for some reason, think he could take me from David? From the only man I could ever love?

Surely he wasn’t so stupid. I had never given him even the slightest sign …had I? My mind raced as I thought back to all of our interactions. There were so few of them, it didn’t take me long.

Flopping down on my bed, I shook my head. I had allowed him and David to dominate me together …and I had liked it. But it hadn’t been my idea. I never would have done it without David there, either.

Well, it was a no-brainer for me to say it would never happen again. I had to be perfectly polite to Brent, but firm. I didn’t want to make things awkward, and Brent hadn’t actually done anything, so I didn’t want to create problems between Brent and David.

But I was definitely going to be much more careful around Brent from now on.

* * *

Chapter 16

David

I was very, very busy. Yes, I was. Completely occupied with staring down at piles of paperwork as I tried to make sense of everything.

When the door was pushed open, I looked up sharply, expecting Kaye. Expecting her to tell me off again or to beg me for the baby that I—if I were completely honest with myself—wished desperately to give to her.

But it wasn’t Kaye with desperate pleas on her lips. It was Brent, and he looked more out of sorts than I could ever remember seeing him before.

Brent wasn’t the sort of guy who took anything very seriously. He sort of floated through life, seemingly untouched by most things. So to see him on edge, as he so obviously was, instantly made me nervous.

“What is it?” I asked, and gestured for him to come in. He flopped down in the chair opposite mine, the one across the desk, where Kaye had been sitting not so very long ago.

“It’s hopeless,” Brent murmured, and it startled me badly to hear him say those words. I didn’t know hopeless was a word he even knew. Much like me, Brent was pretty amazing at getting what he wanted, regardless of who or what was set against him.

Why was Kaye so different?

“It’s not hopeless.” I tried to cheer him up, but he just shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up. It was usually so neat. I’d never seen him this agitated.

“It is. I can’t do it. She knows. I don’t think she knows everything, but she knows I’m trying to get her into bed.”

There was more to it, though. Brent wouldn’t be so upset about this otherwise. “She can’t possibly know,” I argued.

“She knows, and she’ll never go for it,” Brent continued, raising his eyes to meet mine. “Damn it, David, she’s too damn smart for her own good. I swear I didn’t push her too fast. I just tried to comfort her, hug her, tell her she was too good for you, and she flipped out at me.”

Too good for me?

The words made me faintly sick to my stomach. Weren’t they true? Kaye was a genuine person—maybe the first one, male or female—I had met in my entire life. I could hardly claim to be the same way, not with what I was pulling.

She was too good for me. It would be better for both of us when all of this was over, so she could move on and maybe find someone who actually did deserve her.

Even thinking about it made me angry, but I tried to push it away. I had no claim on her. I didn’t want a claim on her. The whole point of this was to get her to give herself to someone else.

What was wrong with me?

“We have to push harder,” I realized. We would both lose out on all of this if she didn’t cave. We’d been treating her too gently, but clearly a bolder approach was called for.

It was risky. It could end up costing us everything, but when I thought back to the night at the BDSM club, I thought I might have a way to minimize the risk. I thought about how Kaye had moaned and writhed for us, how she’d been so wet, hot, and tight as she clenched around me.

“What are you thinking about?” Brent asked, and there was hope in his voice again. I was glad to see it, in a way. He had never been the type to give up and seeing him so close to surrender was odd and unsettling.

I took a deep breath. This was yet another chance for me to back off, I knew that for sure. For me to just accept the wonderful wife fate had tossed into my lap. It was tempting—more tempting every time the thought came up.

Kaye was loyal. I had thought a woman could never be, but she was. She had shut Brent down before he’d even gotten very serious about going after her. Getting her to cheat on me was going to be harder than expected.

It made my heart lighten in my chest to think about it. She would never betray me. I tried not to be so happy about the whole thing, but I was. If I let myself, I could be downright ecstatic.

However.

It was an awful lot of money for me to let go and we had come so far.

Brent was still waiting for me, and I pulled myself together. Who was I kidding? As tempting as it was to just forget about the whole thing, I wanted what was mine, even if part of me did still wonder if it wasn’t too late to take her up on her offer of giving me half of what she’d inherited.

Probably. How would I bring up the conversation? Besides, it would make her suspicious because we were married.

What a mess.

“Okay. So do you remember the night at the club? Where we tied her up together?”

Brent smirked suddenly and gave me a nod of acknowledgment, his eyes suddenly shining with what I could swear was arousal. That was a good thing, I told myself firmly. If he wanted her, he’d work harder to get her.

Who wouldn’t want her?

“I remember,” he murmured. I clenched my hands into fists in my lap and did my best not to launch myself over the table at the man who was so obviously fantasizing about Kaye. About my wife.

“She was really into it.” I clenched my jaw to keep my voice from sounding too angry. I hoped. “So we can use it against her. I haven’t gotten too much more into BDSM with her …”

Except for the one night where she’d gotten me out of my bad mood by giving herself to me—the night I’d cuffed her to the bed. My cock twitched and I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

I had all sorts of highly contradictory emotions running through me and it was more than I could take. Anger, arousal, joy—it was all there, and it could make me unstable if I let it.

“Oh, okay, I get it. So you think I should get her alone and just try to dominate her?”

From the sound of Brent’s voice and the way his face lit up, I could tell he liked the idea. I gave him a pitying look. Even after all of his interactions with her, did he not know Kaye at all?

“No. She’d run screaming,” I spoke very surely, knowing it was true. There was bold and then there was outright reckless. His proposed plan was the latter.

“Then what?” Brent was getting frustrated, and I sighed softly. If only there had been someone else to pick for this job. Brent was too reckless and impatient.

Too handsome. Too charming.

Too likely to succeed.

Conflicted, I tried to pull myself together, but it was honestly hard for me to come to a firm decision about what I even wanted.

Once more, I made the effort and pulled my thoughts together. I really was going insane, I could barely focus on our conversation. Kaye’s face kept drifting through my mind, utterly distracting me.

“You and me, together.” I looked at him. “Just like the last time, only here. In our bedroom, so she feels comfortable. I’ll tease her—play with her until she can’t think of anything but having someone inside her.”

Once more, my cock swelled, and I shifted uneasily, glad for the desk that hid my arousal from Brent.

“I think I get where you’re going,” Brent smirked, and I nodded at him slowly.

“When she’s comfortable with my touch, you step in too. We both play with her, get her really going, and make her wet for us. Never quite kiss her or touch her where she really wants to be touched though.”

“Holy Christ, you’re devious,” Brent acknowledged, and he seemed almost admiring of my terrible brain.

“Once she’s really desperate and barely knows what’s going on, I’ll leave.” I swallowed down the bile creeping up my throat, hating myself for this plan—hating myself because I knew there was a good chance it would work.

It was such a betrayal, and she trusted me so much. It wasn’t the sort of thing a Dom should do to his sub—it was against all of the rules. Really, it was just a shitty, terrible thing to do to another human being.

Especially to one who genuinely seemed to love me with everything in her warm, loving, generous heart.

“Leaving her with me,” Brent said, grinning wider. “She’ll be so wet, maybe I can even get her to beg to take my cock.”

I didn’t wince. Very deliberately, I held my face completely expressionless and even forced a nod. It was, after all, the basic idea. He didn’t have to be so damn crude about it, though.

Kaye was my wife. I had been the only man she’d ever been with. Was he so completely clueless?

“She is only human after all,” I added as I thought about my wife shaking with desperation for my fat cock to fill her and take her all the way to the place only I could.

“I think it’s our only chance. She’s too …good.” There was something about the way Brent said those words. I didn’t like it. It was almost reverent, like he too was being drawn almost unwillingly into admiration for my lovely, sweet wife.

Of course, it was a ridiculous thought. Brent had never had much in the way of admiration, beyond the purely physical, for any woman. But I looked at him, trying to read his eyes.

I didn’t like it.

Brent looked back at me and there was still this look. Something about Kaye. I couldn’t quite read it, but I was fairly certain it could mean trouble for me.

No. I didn’t care about Kaye. I didn’t love her, and I never would. I shouldn’t even be thinking about her as my wife—our marriage wasn’t real. What did I care how Brent was coming to feel about her? It was probably just my imagination anyway.

What could the chances even be? Brent would never fall for any woman, but if he did, it wouldn’t be someone who still held on to so much of her innocence. Brent would be bored to tears by a woman like her.

Of course, I would have thought the exact same thing about myself.

One thing was utterly crucial. I couldn’t fall in love with her. It was the one thing I would never, ever allow myself to do. It loomed in my mind even larger than the money did. I had to keep my head about me. I couldn’t let her into my heart.

I would do anything to keep myself from doing that. I would pull out all the stops. I would force my wife into my best friend’s arms, just to keep myself from really, truly falling for her.

It wasn’t too late.

So we made our plans, and I fought down the sickening feeling trying to claim me.

Chapter 17

Kaye

I put my book aside when David came into our room. There was a strange, restless sort of energy in every movement he made and every step he took, and it would have been impossible for me to read him even if I had tried.

Was it possible he had given more thought to what I’d asked him about us starting a family? Had he maybe rethought his position?

I sat up in bed, my eyes fixed on him, barely daring to breathe. I didn’t speak. My entire focus was on David, because whatever he said next, I knew I wasn’t going to want to miss even a second of it.

A baby. I wanted it so badly. I had always wanted to have children eventually, like most women. And here I was, married to the love of my life, and eventually felt like it should be now.

So I waited, and eventually, David spoke. He stood over me, hands on his hips, looming, refusing to sit on the bed.

“I’m inviting Brent into our bedroom.” His gaze was forceful, almost defiant. “Just like when we were together at the club.” There was a brief pause and then he added, “Now.”

My head spun and the whole world seemed to reel crazily around me. The first time we’d ventured into uncharted territory in the BDSM world, it had felt like I’d had a choice. Like I could walk away from it all and nothing would happen.

Not this time. This time, I was being informed it was going to happen. Informed by His Majesty, King David. Told about it, as though he just assumed I would be compliant.

Did he seriously think that I was that weak-willed? Did he believe in his heart of hearts that he had married a woman who would be submissive at all times?

I would be submissive only when I decided to. And that would not ever be a permanent thing.

Anger had never been an emotion with which I was particularly familiar. I could do annoyance, and maybe, if pressed, irritation. Full on rage, however, was something I honestly couldn’t remember ever feeling before.

I felt it then as I looked at my husband, his chin jutting out defiantly. His chest puffed out as if he was lord and master of me. Well, he was about to find out just who he had married. For better or worse.

“No,” I stated, no hint of compromise in my voice. “No, Brent will not be coming into this bedroom, not now—not ever.”

Enough was enough. Hadn’t I just decided, after what had happened with Brent, that I would never allow him to touch me again? He would certainly never see me naked.

“Kaye …” David’s voice took on a tone of warning, but I wasn’t interested in hearing it. “Listen to me.”

I shook my head. “No! You listen to me,” my voice had turned into little more than a hiss. It was strange to hear, but I wasn’t about to let it stop me. “I’m telling you.” I glared at him, letting him know I was not to be played with. “Brent will never be welcome in our bed. Not ever.”

He looked at me as though stunned. His lips parted, then closed. King David was finding out his crown was but a ploy. He was ruler of no one. “Not ever?”

I frowned, studying his face. What was going on here? Why was he so caught up in this obsession with sharing me with Brent again?

“Sometimes,” I spoke very slowly. “It’s like you’re trying to push me away. Like you want me in his arms instead of your own. I don’t get it.”

I gazed at him, taking in every bit of him. His handsome face, his strong, muscular body, and the tormented look deep in his dark eyes. He didn’t deny what I said, and I sighed softly and shook my head. “What is this, David? I love you. Are you trying to push me away for some reason? Please don’t.” He still didn’t say anything, so I whispered, “I love you. Flaws and all, I love you.”

I stopped talking to give him a chance to say something. Anything. He still didn’t react. I felt a little like I was talking to a stone wall, except for those eyes, which watched me and seemed almost pained. I couldn’t even start to guess why, but I had to make him understand.

“You’re the only man I want. If you want to tie me up and dominate me, I would love it. But no one else. Not Brent, not anyone. Not ever. I will never have another man in my bed.”

He continued to say nothing, to do nothing, as though frozen in place. I shook my head. Words weren’t getting through to him, so actions were going to have to.

Without hesitation, I rose up onto my knees on the bed, so I was at the right level to fling my arms around him. I kissed him, opening my mouth to him and moaning when he plunged his tongue inside my hot mouth.

He was shaking a little, I realized. I hadn’t noticed before, but this close, I couldn’t miss it. His breath was hard and fast, like an animal panting. His arms, as they closed around me, held me so tightly I could barely breathe.

He wanted me. I could tell, not only from his rapid breathing. When I pressed against him, he was hard, throbbing, and obvious even through his pants. And there was desperation in the way he held me.

“You’re mine, Kaye,” he growled, and the desire was very clear in his voice. I knew how he sounded when he was turned on, and my own body flowed with arousal in response to his. “You’ll do what I tell you to do.”

Has this man lost his damn mind?

I stared at him. Yes, I was very wet, and if he’d wanted me for himself, I would have given myself to him in a second. The things he was saying, though, were a different matter entirely.

“What do you mean?” I whispered, looking into his eyes, my hips still pressed tightly against his arousal. The sexual tension was thick between us, and I wanted him to just give this whole crazy idea up, to throw me on the bed, and to take me. Maybe tie me up, too.

“I mean I’m bringing Brent in.” His chest heaved with his intense, rapid breaths. He stared into my eyes, challenging me. “You’ll do what you’re told, Kaye. You’re mine, and if I say Brent is joining us, then you’ll take it and you’ll like it.”

I couldn’t believe the words spewing from my husband’s mouth. I couldn’t actually be hearing what I thought I was hearing. This man was supposed to love me. How dare he speak to me like that?

“We’re going to tease you,” he continued, almost taunting me. “We’re going to do whatever we like to your body, and you’re going to thank us for it by the end.”

With those last words, he officially crossed a line with me. It was bad enough that he didn’t seem to care about whether I wanted any of this or not, but to suggest Brent could fuck me if he wanted to? To pretty much outright say I would be expected to allow him to if David wanted it?

Never.

I pulled away from him and slapped him across the face. Hard. I had never, not in my entire life, slapped anyone across the face, but I was willing to start. In this one situation, I had no problem putting my normal pacifistic self aside, at least for a few seconds.

“How dare you?” I asked, and the question was genuine. I honestly didn’t understand where was coming from, saying the things he was saying.

He stared at me in shock, one cheek bright red, so I slapped him across the other for good measure. I felt sick to my stomach, but also deeply gratified. Hopefully the slaps would teach him a little bit about who I was, since he apparently didn’t already know.

“Kaye, I own you,” he insisted, and my eyes narrowed as I glared at him.

God, I loved this man, but he drove me insane sometimes. What game was he playing here? I could swear I had been right before and he was trying to push me into Brent’s arms. It would all make sense—how cold he was to me and how he kept wanting me to share myself with Brent.

Maybe it was my imagination, but whatever the case was, I had had enough. He was acting insane, and until he could be more reasonable, there was really only one thing for me to do.

“Get out,” I whispered, and my eyes prickled with sudden tears. I blinked them back. I was crying far, far too much these days and enough was enough. I was no victim.

“Kaye, what …?” His voice was stunned, and I was glad. Let him know what it felt like, for once, to feel uncertain and off balance. He’d been doing it to me since our wedding day. Time for him to taste some of his own medicine.

“You heard me. Get out! You don’t own me. I love you, but that doesn’t give you any excuse to speak to me the way you are right now. I choose what happens to my body, David, not you. So you can leave until you can behave like a reasonable human being.”

David blinked, and I knew my fury had surprised him. Good. Maybe he’d think twice before trying to pull this crap again.

“Where am I supposed to sleep?” he asked, and I just shook my head. I wasn’t going to let his unspoken plea move me.

“I don’t care,” I told him. “Somewhere else. You need to think about what you want, David, and until you do, I want you out of my sight.”

He left, then, and I watched him go—watched him slam the door shut behind him. Only then did I collapse onto the bed, sobbing softly.

The anger left me and only sadness remained—a deep sadness that still couldn’t quite numb me to the horror of the conversation I’d just had with my boneheaded husband.

If only I could stop loving him.

If only I could stop caring about the bleak sadness I’d seen in his eyes when I’d ordered him out.

There was so much in his past. Maybe I had been expecting too much, to think he would have no issues. His mother had left him. He probably thought I was going to do the same.

The things he’d said to me weren’t okay. I was no pushover and I would not be forced into something I didn’t want to do. I’d done the right thing in letting him know I wouldn’t stand for it, and sending him away so he could think about it was only logical.

Hopefully, he would think quickly.

The truth was, I missed him already. It was ridiculous—he’d only been gone about thirty seconds—but I did. I missed how it was when it was good between us. I missed how warm and comfortable and amazing it could be.

Crying, I fell into a thin sleep, but even as I dozed, I knew I wouldn’t really be able to sleep unless I had David in bed with me. It wasn’t going to be quite right until this, our first major fight, was patched up.

Until then, I just had to comfort myself with my own words to Brent. Every relationship, every marriage, had issues sometimes. It didn’t mean we were over—far from it.

It was a comfort, but only in a very thin, unsatisfying way.

Chapter 18

David

I loved her.

The emotion was right there, right in my heart and mind, as if it had been there the whole time. Perhaps it had. Maybe the fight I’d just had with Kaye had pulled a concealing cloth free to let me look at what I was actually feeling.

It was highly disturbing.

For thirty years, I’d lived without love. Oh, I’d loved my father, and even my grandfather. But I’d never loved a woman—not in any way—until Kaye had strolled into my life and messed everything up.

Well, to be fair, I strolled into her life, and I was the one who had set about getting to know her and plotting to marry her.

Always the saint, that woman. Never the sinner.

I couldn’t stop moving. My whole body felt like it was burning, smothered in embers that would give me no rest. I loved her. I loved my wife—the one thing I had thought impossible when I came into this had happened.

So why was I doing this? Why didn’t I just let the whole plan go?

Brent would mock me mercilessly, but I almost didn’t care. Almost.

God, what was I going to do?

My mind turned first one way, then another. I could give up the plan. I loved Kaye. But love wasn’t enough. Love wasn’t worth billions of dollars.

I couldn’t decide.

The sheets tangled around my legs, and I smoothed them out only to get them all messy again. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lay still. The guestroom bed was soft and comfortable, but it might as well have been made out of rusty nails and hornets for all the rest I got from it.

I’d been so sure of myself. Pushing Kaye had seemed the logical thing to do, and now here I was, sent to sleep in the guest room. I had pushed too hard, and for the first time, I let myself consider something terrible.

What if I didn’t get either?

I had been expecting to lose her the whole time, but what if I lost her and the money? She obviously wasn’t impressed with me, and when I thought of all the things I’d said to her, I couldn’t even blame her.

Maybe I should go talk to her.

Not because I was going to give in. Nothing of that sort. Just to try to repair things. To take her back off of the defensive. It only made sense, right?

I sat up. This was ridiculous. The whole thing. Yes, I’d pushed a bit too hard, but there was no reason I needed to be fighting with my wife. I would go to her, maybe even apologize, and tell her I was under a lot of stress.

Kaye would understand. She always did. That was just one of many reasons I had fallen in love with her against my will.

Just as I was swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, intending to stand, the door opened. Kaye walked in, her eyes red and slightly puffy, like she’d been crying. As much as I tried to harden my heart against her, the sight touched me.

“Kaye,” I whispered, but she shook her head. She walked over to me, her face strange and dreamy, and for a moment I was absolutely certain she was going to hit me again.

She didn’t.

Instead, she climbed into my lap, straddling my hips and wrapping her slender arms around me. Her body settled, warm and feminine and fragrant, in my lap, and her lips found mine.

The kiss started off soft, both of us trying it out to see if it fit after the huge fight we’d had. It quickly grew and changed as we both figured out it did. If anything, we fit better than ever.

She was so eager and pliant in my arms, her kisses sweet, but with definite heat to them. It was like we were both trying to make up for the fight, forget it, and move on.

Maybe I hadn’t messed up too badly after all. Maybe there was still hope. Though for what, I wasn’t entirely sure.

It was enough to lose myself in her, at least for the moment. So I cupped the sweet, round curve of her ass and pulled her body toward me. She yielded to me, and it seemed impossible to think we had been fighting only a short time ago.

“David. David, I love you,” Kaye murmured into the kiss, her breath hot on my lips. She rubbed against me, and I could feel her slick wetness as she moved. She hadn’t bothered putting on any underwear before coming here, and I was glad for it.

“I love you too, Kaye,” I whispered back, and it was the first time I’d said the words and allowed myself to acknowledge how much I meant them.

Maybe she heard the sincerity in my voice because she smiled at me and pushed me back onto the bed. She went with me, staying on top of me, and kissing me as though we could somehow become one person instead of two.

I wasn’t used to having a woman on top of me. I wasn’t used to giving a woman any sort of control over me. In this one situation, though, it felt okay. No, not okay. It felt amazingly perfect. It felt like the best thing that could happen right then.

For awhile, at least, it was heaven. Letting her grind her slick clit down against my cock—letting her use me—it was incredible. But soon, it wasn’t enough.

I had to taste her.

She was so small and it was so easy for me to flip her onto her back, even with the leverage she had being on top of me. I held her there and once more she yielded to me, giving me back control.

She had shown me, though, that she wouldn’t just do whatever I said. Yes, she had submissive tendencies, but she also had a mind of her own. Trying to force her to take Brent to bed wasn’t going to work.

Right then, I was nothing but glad about that fact.

I slid down her body, caressing it with my fingers, my lips, and my tongue, working my way over her luscious curves and worshiping them all. My tongue flicked over her navel, and she moaned, only encouraging me to continue.

“David,” she whispered, and I smiled. I loved the way she said my name when she was really, truly aroused. “David, more, please. Don’t stop.”

I had no intention of stopping.

Without hesitation, I shifted between her legs, inhaling the heavenly scent of her. I gazed up at her, met her eyes, saw her looking right back at me, and lowered my head so my lips brushed over her clit.

The taste of her—sweet and feminine—filled my mouth, and I moaned softly as I worked on her. For a few moments, she let me, moaning and writhing up against my mouth, then she reached down and gripped my head.

“I can’t take it,” she whispered. “David, I need you inside me. Right now.”

How was I supposed to resist that, especially when it was what I needed more than anything else in the world right then? I needed the connection to her and only being buried inside of her and having her come over and over again on my cock was going to be able to give me what I really wanted.

I’d scared myself. When she had kicked me out, I had thought maybe I had lost her completely. It was a terror that had nothing to do with my grandfather’s money either.

“God, Kaye,” I murmured, then gripped her by the hips and turned us both over so I was on my back and she was perched on top of me. “I love you. Fuck yourself on me.”

With a glad little cry, she sank down on me. Slipping inside of her was so easy. She felt like satin around me, so tight and hot, and I gripped her hips, pushing up into her as much as I could.

“Kaye,” I moaned, rocking slowly, but she had the control. Maybe she needed it, after the things I’d said to her.

Maybe, on some level, we both needed it.

She rode me, and luckily, she seemed to be as worked up as I was. She clenched tightly around me, her body starting to writhe, impaled on my cock, and I gazed up at her in wonder.

Part of me couldn’t believe this glorious, beautiful, sexy woman was mine. This loyal, sweet, competent, wonderful woman.

“David, I’m so close,” she moaned, and I gripped her hips more tightly and started to thrust up more demandingly into her. I was right on the edge as well, and I wanted us to come together.

It was always better that way.

The first wave of pleasure gripped my body, and I tensed up as I spilled inside of her. Not even a second later, she stiffened and cried out, and it was like her tight channel was milking me for my fluids, drawing out my release.

It was always so much better with her. I was no virgin. I’d been with quite a few women, but most of them had wanted to use me for my money. I’d had no issue with using them in return. The sex with them was almost a business arrangement.

With Kaye, it was so different. She put me so effortlessly into this blissful state. When I was this optimistic, it seemed like things might just work out somehow.

“David, I love you. I love you so much,” Kaye whispered, and she cuddled up beside me, her head on my chest. I knew she could hear my heart, which was beating so fast it had to almost sound like thunder.

“I love you too.” I spoke only the truth on this subject. I did love her. It was terrifying and part of me wanted to run for the hills, but more of me wanted to stay and bask in her comforting presence.

I had never taken comfort from a woman before, not since I was a baby. And it had been a long time since I had allowed anyone at all to comfort me. I took care of myself and I looked out for myself first, just like everyone did.

Or so I had assumed before I met Kaye, who took care of everyone.

Should I just let myself fall and trust her to catch me? If I could trust anyone in the world, I knew it would be her.

It would be so easy. Terrifyingly easy.

Kaye dropped off to sleep, but I couldn’t rest. I just watched her, listening to the sound of her light, exhausted breathing. How such a woman had gotten to me so thoroughly, I had no idea, but she was deep into my very skin.

Maybe I should just give the whole plan up and let myself have this amazing woman who, for some unknown reason, loved me. I could let myself love her back and see where this crazy ride of a marriage took us.

One thing I knew for certain—I would never find a woman I could love more than I loved her. I knew that now. I would never find anyone I could trust as much as I could trust her.

It was tempting to drop the whole plan. To just live and love the woman in my arms—my wife. Maybe nothing bad would happen to us. Maybe we would be the exception to the rule I had in my head about marriages: that they never ended well.

One day she would see me for the man I really was—that was my biggest fear. If Brent got pissed at me for cutting him out of the deal we had made, he might tell Kaye what I had done.

She would leave me if he did that. I was sure she would.

Kaye could never find out what I had done—how I had wooed her and fooled her into thinking I loved her.

But now I did love her for real. Maybe I always had. Maybe I had only been lying to myself and not her at all.

Her breathing changed as she moved a bit, snuggling in closer to me. Her voice was but a murmur, “David, I love you so much. I hate fighting with you. Let’s not do that anymore.”

Kissing the top of her head, I said, “I love you too. Let’s never fight again. Night, baby.”

How I wished that we could actually never fight again. All couples fight. That’s just a fact. But, damn it, she and I sure knew how to make up, didn’t we?

Chapter 19

Kaye

I had been humming to myself from almost the moment I rose in the morning and stepped out of bed. Even the confusion of finding myself passed out in the guest room hadn’t been able to take the spring out of my step.

Even as I looked around the room that was so strange to me, I knew that everything was okay, as David was there with me. His chest was rising and falling as he continued to sleep, a slight smile on his handsome face. We’d made up, and we’d done it in grand fashion. Never had I felt so much love radiating out of the man.

We would work things out. David wasn’t perfect, but he was the man I loved, and I thought the things we’d said and done the previous night were actually quite hopeful.

Any marriage would have bumpy patches, but I was just as determined as ever to stick it out.

The way David had reacted to me, I couldn’t help but feel like he was feeling the same way. It was like we’d recommitted to each other. Or it felt like it, anyway.

A little while later David was in the shower and I was making us breakfast. I had the day off work, and spending it with my husband seemed like the absolute best use of my time. With my hands on my hips, I glanced around at the pancakes, bacon, and eggs I had going all at once.

Maybe I’d gone a little overboard, but I liked cooking. I liked cooking for my husband even more.

A light knock came at the door and my good mood instantly retreated a little bit. It didn’t completely go away, but I was definitely wary.

There was only one person I could imagine coming to our house this early and he wasn’t a person I was sure I wanted to speak to right at that moment.

Still, I went to the door and slowly opened it. What was the worst that could happen, really? Brent had never forced anything on me. His only crime was being perhaps a bit too interested in me, and hopefully, I’d nipped that right in the bud.

“Kaye, good.” Brent gave me one of his charming smiles, but there seemed to be a hint of anxiety in his eyes. “I’m glad you’re alone. I wanted to talk to you.”

I looked at him thoughtfully, then nodded. He didn’t seem to be looking at me inappropriately, and if we could have this all out, it would be better.

Brent was a part of David’s life, and I honestly didn’t want to get in the way of their friendship. I had seen how hard it was for David to really connect with people, and Brent was one of the few he actually called his friend.

“Please come in,” I finally decided, hoping I didn’t regret the decision. I stepped aside to let him enter and walked back to the kitchen. “Can I get you some coffee?”

He agreed, and soon enough we sat at the table, facing each other. Brent looked more serious than I was used to seeing him, and I sipped at my coffee and waited. He had, after all, come to see me. He could tell me what this was all about.

“I wanted to apologize,” he admitted, and my eyebrows rose. I hadn’t expected anything of the sort. It was a real apology, as opposed to his ‘I’m sorry you feel that way’ that he’d tossed my way casually before. This one seemed much sincerer.

When I opened my mouth to speak, he raised his hand, and I subsided. There was some sort of dominant energy about this man—something that pretty much demanded I do as he said. David had it, too, and I found it fascinating. But not intimidating. I could hold my own and had proven that.

I also admired that in the men. At least when it wasn’t being used to try to force me to do things I didn’t want to do.

“Just let me get this out. I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” He looked at me earnestly across the table, and for some reason, I found I believed him. He seemed awfully sincere. “If I made you feel that way, I am deeply sorry. I’ll be more careful.”

I let out a soft sigh of relief. Maybe things would be okay after all. I had liked Brent before, and pushing away a potential new friend hadn’t been easy. I just wasn’t willing to give him the wrong impression. I wanted him to know, without a doubt, that I was in love with my husband and I would never be with another man in any way, shape, or form.

“It’s okay,” I assured him and gave him a smile. I didn’t reach over and touch his hand, though, like I normally would have done. It had taken very little to encourage him before, and I was still just a little bit wary. As I had every right to be.

Not many men were so forward with their friend’s wife.

“I hope we can still be friends,” Brent commented, and I nodded, smiling more widely. It was exactly what I wanted too. I wanted my friends to be David’s friends, and vice versa.

Which made me think—could I carry this whole friend-making thing to a new level? I had an idea and it might just be the most brilliant idea of all time, especially because I knew my friends could hold their own and wouldn’t be too intimidated by Brent, even as handsome as he was.

“Me too. Actually, speaking of friends …I have a couple of single ones,” I admitted. “Maybe you could meet them.”

As a matchmaking attempt went, it was pretty transparent. I was absolutely sure he knew just what I was doing, and he shot me this devastating, wicked little grin and nodded.

“I’d like that,” he admitted. “If you think they can handle me.”

He even shot me a little wink, but it made me laugh. It was just so over the top, there was no way it could be seen as an attempt to seduce me. He probably couldn’t help flirting, at least a little.

I wasn’t going to encourage him, but I did find it sort of funny.

“I could have a party. I haven’t entertained here,” I realized. “I’m sure David wouldn’t mind. I’ll check with him. We could invite his friends and my friends and have some fun.”

He’d extended me an olive branch, and this was my way of accepting it and letting him know it was okay. I didn’t hold any grudges. We could still be friends, as long as there were no more incidents.

“I’d like that,” he murmured and he smiled at me. I smiled back and my heart felt lighter within me. Things were back to how they should be.

I had never liked the idea of being at odds with my husband’s best friend, and if things kept going as they were, I wouldn’t have to.

David came in soon after and he nodded at Brent in greeting. There was a strange look on his face, like he wasn’t entirely happy to see the man, but it was probably just my imagination.

Surely David knew he had no reason to be jealous, after the incredible night we’d just had in each other’s arms.

Well, I definitely didn’t want to cause any trouble, so while I was polite to Brent, I made sure most of my attention was on David. I chatted with both of them and we ate a nice, relaxed, comfortable breakfast together.

Brent had to go to work afterward, so while David and I cleaned up the kitchen together, it was just the two of us. I figured it was a good time to ask him about the party.

“I think Brent’s lonely,” I admitted, scraping some plates into the garbage. I loaded them in the dishwasher, smiling a little. It was nice to be doing even this sort of boring, domestic chore, at least while I was with David.

“I think you’re right,” David replied, and then looked at me with his eyebrows arched, as though to ask what the point of my statement was.

Turning to look at him, I smiled a little. He was so handsome—as sexy to me in the kitchen as he was in the bedroom. Maybe even more so here, because it was everything about him that appealed to me, not just his physical body.

“We should throw a little party. We never had an engagement party or a housewarming party,” I pointed out, leaning against the counter.

He arched an eyebrow at me, a slight smirk quirking his lips upward. “Okay, Kaye, what’s this really about?” he asked, and I had to laugh. He could see right through me sometimes. I probably didn’t have an incredible career ahead of me as a spy or anything.

“I have single friends,” I admitted, grinning at him. “And, you know, Brent’s single. Maybe he’d be happier if he got with someone special.”

The strangest look crossed his face, like he was somehow conflicted—like part of him wanted Brent to be with someone else and part of him didn’t. It probably had something to do with him being afraid his best friend might have less use for him when he wasn’t single. Something like that.