Chapter Three

Connor and Bridget

“Damn it, Alex, hurry up,” I hollered up the stairs at my adopted son. I was ready to get on the road so Bridget and I could finally have some alone time. Why did Bridget have to be the “cool mom”? Every fucking kid in the neighborhood wanted to hang out at casa de Black. The boys wanted a sleepover? Let’s have it at Alex’s house. Movie night? Alex’s house. I loved my son, but god damn, a man couldn’t get any piece around here. And by piece, I meant piece of ass.

Other than a couple nights where we got lucky and were able to go to Eden, Bridget and I hadn’t had any alone time in forever. Sure, we still had great sex, but my hand itched with the need to clutch the crop and flogger in my hand, and I was twitchy. My sadist side had been tamed due to kids everywhere, and I didn’t fucking like it one bit. I had to keep my toy bag locked up in a safe so Alex didn’t accidentally stumble across it. This weekend though, that fucking bag was getting dusted off.

A herd of elephants sounded as Alex came running down the stairs, backpack in hand. He came to a screeching halt at the bottom when saw me standing there.

“Sorry, Dad, I couldn’t find my phone,” Alex huffed, slightly out of breath.

Kids and their damn phones. “I have no idea how you could lose something that never leaves your hand.”

Alex just shrugged. He looked around. “Where’s Mom?”

“I’m right here,” Bridget replied as she came around the corner, a bag of snacks hanging from her hand. “Are you guys ready?”

“I’ve been ready. We were waiting on slowpoke here.” I gestured to Alex with my thumb.

“Sorry,” Alex mumbled.

“C’mon kid, let’s get your stuff in the car so we can get going.” I gently wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and tugged him close, ruffling his hair a little with my other one.

Together, we all walked out to the car, which was already loaded up with the rest of our things. We were dropping Alex off with Bridget’s dad, and then she and I were heading out to a cabin I rented for us on Patterson Island. We didn’t have to worry about any damn kids interrupting us. We were staying there for two nights and picking Alex up on our way back to our house on Christmas morning before the rest of the gang arrived.

Eventually, I expected we were going to outgrow our house. I knew Miles was trying to talk Josie into having kids, but she was balking. Then there was Penny and Marcus, who were doing their damnedest to add at least one more to their household. I didn’t know about Donovan and Phebe, but I expected it was too soon in their relationship to be having kids. Webber and Katie only came every other year, so we didn’t always have to worry about them. But until more kids started arriving, we were all going to continue spending every Christmas together.

We took off down the road, and I had to keep off the lead foot because of the roads. We’d had snow yesterday and some of the side streets, ours included, hadn’t been plowed yet. Alex had his headphones on in the backseat and was playing some video game. I kept an eye on him through the rearview mirror. His head bobbed to the music.

“Red is my favorite color on you.” I spoke to Bridget in a low voice, just in case Alex could hear me.

She turned to look at me, and a devious smile crossed her face. “I bet you wish I was wearing it right now, don’t you? That deep red you love the best. You know I’m just as anxious to wear it as you are to see me in it. I’m already tingling with anticipation. I mean really, really tingling.”

Her eyes rolled back, and she bit her lip as she squirmed in her seat. Son of a bitch. I knew she was toying with me, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do with Alex in the car.

“You know what happens to bad little girls who tease? Santa punishes them. I think you want to be punished like a bad girl, don’t you, Bridget?” My voice came out thick with arousal.

“Only if Santa lets me sit on his lap when he does it.” She winked at me and blew me a kiss.

“Oh, Santa’s hand is twitching with anticipation of punishing you.”

“What are you guys talking about up there?”

Quickly, my gaze jerked up, and I looked at Alex’s reflection in my mirror. He’d pulled his headphones off and they laid wrapped around the back of his neck. His computer game sat in his lap.

Bridget burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Alex whined from the back seat. “Seriously, what were you guys talking about? I thought I heard you say something about someone being punished. I know I haven’t done anything wrong.”

This only made Bridget laugh harder, letting out an occasional snort. Fuck.

Flustered, I could barely get the words out. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not in trouble. Just—just go back to playing your video game.”

Alex just shrugged, put his headphones back in his ears, and went back to ignoring us. Bridget’s laughter slowly died down until only a small guffaw or two was left.

“You’re going to pay for that. I hope your ass is prepared.” I lowered my voice when I spoke the last sentence.

“Oh, I truly hope so, Sir.”

“Brat,” I said with affection.

“You love my brattiness, and you know it.” She was overly proud of the fact that she was entirely correct. I did love her brattiness. It made the punishments that much sweeter. Thank fuck we were finally pulling into Bridget’s dad’s neighborhood.

Five minutes later, I parked the car in Robert Carter’s driveway. I grabbed Alex’s backpack from the back of the SUV, while he and Bridget headed into the house. I got along well with Bridge’s dad, but with the way I was feeling right now, I would have been perfectly happy letting Alex out of the car at the curb and running off with my wife. My sex-deprived brain had a one-track mind. Knowing I needed to at least appear like I wanted to see my father-in-law, I traipsed inside, only to stop short just inside the front door.

Holy shit. Not what I expected when I walked in. Bridget had Alex’s eyes covered, and Robert and his lady friend, who also happened to be Penny’s mother, were standing in front of the couch, throwing clothes on faster than I expected most seventy-year-olds to move.

“Well, this is fucking awkward,” I said to no one in particular.

“Connor!” Bridget screeched at me as she sent me the evil eye.

“What? It is fucking awkward. I didn’t need to walk in here and see Robert’s hairy ass. Speaking of which, why am I seeing it? Bridget told you we were dropping Alex off today. Couldn’t you have done this—” I gestured between the two of them— “another time?”

“Oh my god,” Bridget huffed out in irritation.

“For your information, son,” Robert said as he finished buttoning his pants. “You weren’t supposed to be here for another hour. Estelle planned to be gone by then.”

“Hi, Grandpa. Hi, Aunt Estelle.” Alex waved at them now that they were dressed and Bridget had removed her hand from his eyes. He didn’t act weirded out about this whole situation. Almost like he knew something I didn’t. I shuddered at the thought.

Penny’s mom stepped over to Bridget and Alex, smiling, giving them each a kiss on the cheek. Me, she just glared at. Note to self: Don’t piss off the father-in-law’s girlfriend.

I knew I wasn’t going to win at this argument so I let it go. “Well, sorry we’re an hour early and interrupted your ’personal time’ together.”

Apologies were not my forte, but I tried to make it sound genuine. I’m not sure how well I pulled it off, especially after Bridget rolled her eyes at me, but there wasn’t much more I could do at this point. Knowing I needed to make nice, I tried to make some small talk, even though my gaze kept traveling to the clock on the wall.

“So, how long have you two been together?” I asked Robert as Bridget and Estelle spoke softly before disappearing, presumably to the kitchen. Alex had already plopped on the couch with his video game. I went and sat next to him while Robert took the chair.

“About six months, I guess. Bridget invited me to lunch one day. When we showed up at the restaurant, Penny and Estelle were already there. I can only assume they were matchmaking. Either way, we talked all afternoon, and soon we began to meet for coffee every afternoon, just the two of us. And here we are.”

Bridget and Estelle saved me from having to reply. Estelle handed Robert a cup of coffee and kissed the top of his head. He started to rise from the chair, but she shooed him back down into it, telling him that she’d called a cab and was going to be heading home. Bridget sat on the other side of Alex while Estelle perched on the arm of Robert’s chair. For the next fifteen minutes, they all talked about how excited they were for Christmas this year because Robert and Estelle would be joining us. I sat in silence listening to the tick-tock of the clock.

A horn honked outside, signaling the arrival of Estelle’s cab. Robert helped her into her coat and walked her outside. A sharp pain on my arm had me jerking back.

“Connor Black, what is wrong with you?” Bridget hissed.

“What the hell, woman, what was that for?” I asked, rubbing the spot where she pinched me.

“For being so inconsiderate, that’s what. We interrupted a private moment between my father and Estelle, and you act like it’s their fault.”

“Damn it, it is their fault. They should have been done doing whatever it was they were doing before we got here. How was I supposed to know they were going to be bumping uglies? Someone forgot to send me the memo.”

Bridget gasped and sputtered, but that was it. This was one of those rare moments that my wife had no words. She jumped from the couch, stomped her foot in rage, and retreated back into the kitchen. I could only sit there in silence.

“I hate to break it to you, Dad, but you’re in so much trouble right now. You know that, right? If I were you, I’d sleep with one eye open. You know how Mom gets,” Alex piped up, his eyes not even leaving the game in front of him.

Fuck.

I left Alex sitting on the couch as I went in search of my wife. I found her in the kitchen, mumbling about “inconsiderate jerks”, whom I presumed to be me. I stood there for a few minutes, letting her rant and get it out of her system. Because in about five seconds, I was going to spank that ass of hers, and I didn’t care who walked in to see it.

I stood there with my arms crossed over my chest, and at the mental count of five, I cleared my throat to get Bridget’s attention. She spun around and opened her mouth but just as quickly shut it. I could tell she was weighing whether or not whatever she wanted to say was worth the punishment she knew was coming based on my expression. Apparently, she thought it was because she opened her mouth again.

“I’m so embarrassed. You were rude.”

I continued staring, silent, a single eyebrow raised.

“Don’t give me that look, Connor. You were. It was my fault that we walked in on them. I forgot my dad told me to come at three instead of two. So, if you’re going to be irritated with anyone, be irritated at me.” She punctuated this with her hands on her hips.

“Are you finished?” I asked slowly, dangerously.

Bridget didn’t back down. She never did. “What if I’m not?”

“Trust me, baby, you’re finished.” I stalked toward her, and she held her ground. I swooped down and slung her over my shoulder in a fireman carry, all while she began to beat on my ass with her fists.

“God damn it, Connor Black, put me down this instant.” Her voice came out muffled.

I ignored her as I traced my path back out into the living room where Robert had returned from outside.

“Robert, Alex, we’ll see you guys in two days. We’ll be back to pick up Alex on Christmas morning at nine a.m. Love you, son,” I called out as I threw open the front door, with Bridget still yelling at me to put her down. She yelped, then quieted, when I discreetly pinched her ass, but close enough to her core to truly get her attention.

“Bye, Dad, Mom. Love you guys. You two have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Alex hollered after us, used to our antics. Unsurprisingly, this wasn’t the first time I’d hauled my wife around on my shoulder.

Bridget collapsed onto the front seat with a plop before I walked around to my side and slid in behind the wheel. She put on her seat belt and then pouted while I backed out of the driveway. Every muscle in my body was now sizzling. I knew my bratty sub. It wouldn’t take long before she was over her snit and begging me to fuck her. And I couldn’t wait.