The Arrangement Duet Box Set

by Madison Quinn

  I laugh, knowing he’s still a little upset that I wouldn’t let him make love to me with his brother in the room right next to us. The walls aren’t very thick—I could hear Austin’s phone ding each time a text or email came through, so I had no doubts that he would be able to hear us if we did anything. Nicholas’s face when I told him no was priceless. I’m not sure anyone has ever turned down sex with that man, other than the one time I had to so we could talk about The Blue Moon.

  “Mrs. Parker,” Carter nods as he enters the living room.

  “Afternoon, Carter, how are you?” I ask.

  “I’m good, and you?”

  “Nicholas and I were just commenting how quiet the cabin was again now that everyone has left for New York.”

  “Ah, Hunter and I were saying the same thing about our cabin,” Carter chuckles. “Even though one person was constantly on perimeter duty, three grown men in a small cabin still gets a little crowded.”

  “I bet,” I giggle.

  “Alright, Carter,” Nicholas takes the seat next to me and hands me a glass of wine before handing Carter a beer. “Let’s hear what you’ve got for us.”

  “It’s taken a lot of digging, but we have identified the connection between Westbrook and Ms. Snyder,” Carter begins. “I want to first let you both know that nothing we found can be used in a court of law. Not only was the way the data was collected… less than legal, but the information we obtained is so vague that it leaves too much doubt to be used in a court of law—”

  “Get on with it, Carter!” Nicholas snaps. “I don’t give a shit about the evidence being used in court; I have no doubt when it comes to court we will have more than enough evidence to convict both of them.”

  “As we discussed the other day, I spoke with Ms. Snyder’s therapist, of course she deny ever speaking with me... I learned that while she continued to attend therapy and medication appointments, she had grown concerned in the last couple of months about Ms. Snyder’s medication compliance. Apparently her symptoms had increased—”

  “Symptoms?” I asked.

  “While she was in prison, she had a mental health evaluation completed. They diagnosed her with bipolar disorder and had prescribed mood stabilizers for her,” Nicholas explains.

  “I had a long off the record conversation with her therapist, one that she would deny ever occurred if asked. It took some digging, but during one therapy session, Ms. Snyder discussed meeting a guy in an online chat room and admitted they had begun talking off-line.”

  “A chatroom? For what, deranged exs?” Nicholas interrupts.

  “Essentially, yes,” Carter answers.

  “You’re serious?” I ask.

  “Once we learned this, Asher dug into Ms. Snyder’s online presence. While Richard was very careful and covered his steps carefully, she was not so smart,” Carter explains.

  “No surprise,” Nicholas grumbles.

  “So how did they meet?” I ask.

  “Apparently, now-a-days they have chatrooms for everything,” Carter says. “We’ve done some digging and learned that roughly seven months ago, Ms. Snyder joined a chatroom under a false name that… is for people who believe they were scorned by their exs.”

  “What the fuck, Carter? She thinks I scorned her? Is she fucking nuts?” Nicholas is up and pacing the floor.

  “It appears that way, sir.”

  “And he was in that room as well?” I ask.

  “We don’t have any proof, but we’ve tracked down conversations that Ms. Snyder had and there is one individual she spoke with repeatedly; then they both left the group together.”

  “So this… chatroom, they just bitched about their exs?”

  “Not entirely, sir,” Carter’s says.

  “Meaning?” Nicholas snaps.

  “The other members of the group would give suggestions, as to how they could get back at their exs,” Carter says. “Everything from how to ruin their business, to how to tell their wives that they were cheating, to how to falsify documents.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Of course, they would both end up in this type of a room together,” I sigh.

  Nicholas immediately comes back to me, settling as close to me as possible before nodding to Carter to continue. I grab his hand, just needing to feel anchored as Carter continues telling us what they’ve managed to find. I’m still dumbfounded that he would think I scorned him. He’s the one who beat me, left scars on me and nearly killed me! I kept up my end of the agreement: I didn’t report him or leak the photos that would ruin his father’s political career.

  “Both members eventually moved to a private chat area where they basically compared notes about their exs… well, who we believe are the two of you. No names are ever discussed, but at one point they agree to exchange photos of their exs through an anonymous website where you can download and view files. Asher suspects the photos were immediately deleted, because we cannot find any proof of them.”

  “You’re sure… it’s them?” I ask.

  “Yes,” Carter sighs. “It’s as if they were talking in code, as names were never used. There are references made to events you attended together that correlate to their email exchanges.”

  “Did they discuss their plan? Was there a plan?” Nicholas asks.

  “Not really. Other than meeting up once Richard arrived in New York, there’s nothing specific. It’s all very vague and talks about how neither of them can wait to get back at their ex.”

  “Fuck,” Nicholas mumbles.

  “What about the press?” I ask. “Anything indicate they planned that?”

  “Yes—”

  “What the fuck, Carter?!?!? You should have fucking started with that!” Nicholas is back up, pacing and running his hands through his hair.

  “If I had, sir, you would have questioned how we found the information,” Carter points out. “Again, there’s nothing concrete and specific in the exchange, but the dates leading up to it correlate. At one point they are discussing that they both agree that the other’s ex should be dead—”

  “Oh God,” my hand flies to my mouth as the realization that they truly wanted to kill us.

  Like before, Nicholas immediately stops pacing and is next to me before I could even blink an eye.

  “Maybe we should take a break—” he begins to suggest.

  “Like hell we will,” I glare at him. “We need to know what the fuck these two are up to.”

  “The person we believe to be Harper suggests that since that’s a long term goal, in the meantime they can focus on ruining your career. They go back and forth before she announces that she has a few friends who would be willing to help her out for the right price.”

  “Do we know anything about what their plans were once they met up in New York?” I ask.

  “No, unfortunately that’s where the conversations seem to have moved to phones rather than emails. There’s reference of them taking a trip together and driving across the country, but then the emails end.”

  “We need to get… Harper to flip on Westbrook,” Nicholas says.

  “That’s what her therapist recommends as well,” Carter says. “However she believes the best way for this to occur is with your assistance, sir—”

  “ME?!?! Are you all fucking crazy? She broke into the bakery with a fucking knife, wanting to kill us, and you want me to go see her?”

  “With all due respect, sir,” Carter begins. “The therapist believes she is obsessed with you and that it’s possible to use that obsession, to get her to disclose what the plan was, or at the very least where Westbrook is.”

  “Fuck!”

  “There’s been no sighting of him?” I ask.

  “Unfortunately, not yet, Mrs. Parker,” Carter confirms what I already knew. “We’re continuing to look for him—finding him is everyone’s only priority.”

  “When do we do this?” Nicholas asks.

  “As soon as possible, sir—” Carter suggests.

  “We’ll fly out
in the morning,” he interrupts. “Make the arrangements.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “Carter?”

  “Sir?”

  “Kenzie and I are going to spend some time outside this evening,” he glances at me for confirmation, and I immediately nod reassuring him that nothing has changed. “We’re going to have a camp fire probably once the sun goes down.”

  “Yes, sir,” Carter nods.

  “There’s a spot down by the boathouse that we’ve used with my dad when we went fishing, I think that’s where will be unless you have a concern.”

  “I don’t see an issue, sir,” he confirms.

  “Why don’t you and Hunter join us for burgers and hot dogs tonight beforehand, Carter?” I suggest.

  “That’s not necessary—” he begins to refuse.

  “Something tells me that wasn’t really a question,” Nicholas chuckles when he sees the glare I give Carter.

  “We’ll eat outside so you guys can keep an eye on everything,” I say.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Carter reluctantly agrees. “Hunter and I appreciate the offer.”

  Nicholas’s arms are around me, pulling me closer, as I vaguely hear Carter leave the cabin. My arms go around his back, holding him to me just as much as he is holding me to him. Of all the ways for Harper and my ex to be connected, this was not what I was expecting. I assumed one of them sought the other out, after learning that Nicholas and I were together. So this… this is not what I was prepared for.

  Chapter 47

  Nicholas

  I have to say, tonight surprised me. At Kenzie’s insistence, we grilled burgers and hot dogs on deck and had a quiet meal with Carter and Hunter. Hunter didn’t stay but for a few minutes, since there’s only the two of them now, he had to be on border patrol. They weren’t entirely comfortable with both of them joining us for dinner, however Kenzie made it clear that it wasn’t an option for them not to join us. We ate, laughed and for just a few minutes forgot about everything going on. For those few minutes, there was no Harper, Richard or any of the other problems waiting for us back in New York. Before leaving us for the night, Carter started a small fire near the lake not far from the outbuilding where I proposed to Kenzie only a few days ago.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask, as we walk down to the fire with the contracts in hand.

  “Yes, Nicholas,” she laughs, no doubt because I’ve asked her this question far too many times in the last couple of days. She’s given me no reason to think that this is what she wants, but I still feel the need to ask again… and again and again. This is a big step for her—I wouldn’t blame her in the slightest if she ended up changing her mind. Would I be disappointed if she changed her mind? Of course, I would, but, I would also know that given everything she has been through, she would want some security.

  “Let’s do this,” she squeezes my arm that she’s been holding onto as we walk down to the fire. The confidence in her voice immediately sets my mind at ease. This simple act truly represents how far we’ve come—it wasn’t that long ago that the only way she would agree to continue living in the condo, was if we had a written agreement stating she could stay after our arrangement ended. Tonight, any evidence of our previous agreement will be destroyed.

  When we reach the edge of the fire, I place the box with both contracts on one of the chairs that were brought over here earlier in the day. I wrap my arms around her waist as we both watch the flames for a few minutes. The air is cool, but the heat coming from the fire instantly warms us. Despite knowing that Carter and Hunter aren’t far away, when I’m out here with Kenzie in my arms, it truly feels as if we’re the only two people here.

  “It’s so quiet out here,” she voices my exact thoughts.

  “That it is.”

  “Your mom seemed to really like having everyone here for Thanksgiving,” she says after a few minutes of silence.

  “My dad did too—he suggested we have it here every year.”

  “That would be nice. I like it here; so far away from everything. It’s like a little escape from reality,” she sighs. “Do you feel that way when you go to your cabin in Vermont?”

  “I always brought work with me when I went there, so it wasn’t a complete break from reality, but it was always nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.”

  I pull her into one of the chairs with me, she laughs as she falls into my lap, resting her head on my chest. I can’t wait to put this mess with Westbrook and Harper behind us. So we can move forward: buying a house and planning our wedding. For now though, I sit comfortably with her soft body pressed against mine, her arm wrapped around my stomach and the smell of her sweet shampoo surrounding me.

  “One day, when we’re here completely alone, I want to make love to you out here… under the stars,” I whisper.

  “Mmmm… sounds beautiful,” she says and cuddles closer to me.

  If Carter and Hunter weren’t patrolling the area, I’d lay her down on the soft grass and make love to her next to the fire. Even though I know they would both leave the area immediately if they happened upon us, I can’t risk either of them seeing her beautiful body or hearing those sounds that she makes when we’re together. Just thinking about those sounds has my dick twitching, slowly rising, not helped by Kenzie sitting on my lap.

  “You ready?” she asks.

  “Yes,” in so many different ways, even though I know right now her question is about the contracts. “Are you?”

  “Yes,” the firmness in her voice makes me smile.

  She makes the first move, slipping off my lap and moving to the table next to us, to take hold of the box that contains the only copies of the prenup. She reaches out her hand to me, we walk toward the fire together. She opens the top of the box, casually tossing it into the fire, before taking out the top copy.

  “To new beginnings,” she smiles up at me, her eyes filled with love and hope.

  With both of our hands on the contract, we toss it into the fire watching as the papers immediately light up. The second copy of the prenup, as well as the contract allowing Kenzie to stay in the condo following our contract with Bridget, goes into the fire next. When nothing remains in the box, she tosses that too, into the fire. I immediately pull her close to me, holding her, as we watch the contract that once defined who we were to each other go up in flames.

  “Is it weird?” she asks quietly, a few minutes later.

  “Is what weird?”

  “I thought it would feel different… that not having the contract would somehow feel different, but it doesn’t.”

  “I think… at least for me…” I stumble, trying to come up with the right words to describe what I’m trying to say. “That contract stopped existing a long time ago…”

  It’s true… I can’t remember a time after those first couple of weeks of her living with me, and us getting married, when I thought about the contract. Everything changed on our honeymoon, but I think it started changing long before then. In the back of my head, was the constant reminder that I had put a time frame on our marriage, but I think I wanted to ignore it, rather than worry about it, which is very unlike me. With PFS, if something is worrying me, I deal with it immediately. I don’t let it draw out and risk it becoming a larger issue. With this, I knew I didn’t want it to end in two years, but I had no idea what I wanted beyond that. I was too scared to even think about tearing up the contract. Walking into Sweet Dreams the other day, everything changed.

  “I think you’re right,” Kenzie whispers, pulling me from the memory of walking into to see her on my foyer floor holding a gun.

  “What do you say we go inside?” I ask.

  “What about the fire? Shouldn’t we wait until it’s completely out? Make sure the embers don’t land on a pile of leaves or something?”

  “I’ll have Carter put it out,” I chuckle before pulling out my phone to send the text.

  Wrapping my arm around her waist, we head back to the cabin. We s
top to kick off our shoes on the deck before heading straight to the master bedroom. Her arms are around my neck before the door even closes, her soft lips quickly find mine. I groan when I feel her tongue against my lips, loving how bold she is tonight. Without taking my lips off of hers, I reach between us and undo her jeans, pushing them down as far as I can reach. Obviously, she is thinking the same thing when I feel her hands at my zipper. Pulling back ever so slightly, I lift my shirt over my head before taking hers off as well. We both laugh as we struggle to get our legs out of the jeans that are now around our ankles, but within minutes we’re both naked.

  I pull her body against mine, loving how her breasts are crushed against my chest. My erection is between us, and I can feel the heat coming off of her. I could plunge right into her, right now and would probably come within seconds. Even though I had every intention of taking my time with her tonight, worshipping her beautiful body and showing her how much I love her, I know that I’m too far gone for that right now. Having been denied making love to her these last couple of days, I feel ready to burst from just having her body pressed against mine.

  “I need you,” she moans, when I pull her against my dick.

  “I’m not going to last… it’s been too long,” I shamefully admit.

  She doesn’t answer with words, instead she grasps my erection, placing it where we both want it the most. I groan when her wetness coats me, in a way thrilled that I’m not the only one so far gone, right now. I nearly come when she adjusts herself so my head slips into her; the angle doesn’t allow for full penetration, but God just being in her this little bit is nearly enough to push me over that edge.

  “Please,” she moans in need.

  The bed is across the room, while the chaise lounge is just a few feet away. Even though I know I should take her to the bed, I opt for the chair: it’s the closest surface I could use to get us what we both so desperately want. I vow the next time, I’ll have her laid out on the bed, underneath me as I completely worship her body.

  I grasp her ass, lifting her so she wraps her legs around my waist. My aching dick is between us, pressed between my stomach and her sex. She groans when I hold her tight against me as I walk the few feet to the chair; with her arms around my neck, she rubs her clit against me, causing us both to gasp. Before I can reach the chair, Kenzie raises herself up and moves me to her opening. Her eyes meet mine as she slowly lowers herself onto me, moaning when I sink fully into her.