by Cassia Leo
Brina
“Hand me that bikini.”
Luke stared at my almost-naked body in the dressing room as if he hadn’t seen it a million times during our five years of marriage. I was still wearing the lacy white panties Luke could never resist.
“Please hand me that bikini,” I repeated, but he didn’t even flinch.
He took a step toward me with a starved look in his aquamarine eyes, and the carpeted floor swayed beneath my feet.
“You wore those on purpose,” he murmured as his fingers glided over my waist and around to my lower back.
My breathing quickened. “What if I did?”
He slowly pulled me against him, and the front of his shirt rubbed against my bare nipples as his chest heaved against mine. His lips were inches from my mouth, glistening and calling me with the sweet scent of the iced tea he was sipping thirty minutes ago. His hand slid beneath the fabric of my panties, and my skin prickled as his fingertips floated over my skin.
Some men had rough fingertips from years of working blue-collar jobs. Luke’s fingertips were always whisper soft and tender, unless he’d been working on his sixteen-year-old boat. I was one of those wives who would tell her husband to get rid of something old just because it caused too much trouble. As Luke had told me many times before, that boat was the first thing he bought when he began making insane amounts of money in the tech industry. He loved it almost as much as he loved our two children.
So I didn’t mind so much when his rough fingertips scratched the sensitive skin on my ass. It actually got me hotter just thinking of Luke on his boat, with his shirt off, his tanned skin glistening with sweat, and his aquamarine eyes alight with the passion of doing what he loved.
I had to have him right then and there.
Hastily, I began unbuttoning his jeans as he slipped one hand behind my neck, tangling his fingers in my hair as he pulled me in for a kiss. His lips were much softer than his fingertips, but his kiss was firm, just like my grip on his growing erection.
I moaned as he thrust his tongue deep inside my mouth and I tasted more iced tea. I inhaled his cologne, a crisp, masculine scent that reminded me of long nights on his boat when we first started dating, when he didn’t know I’d been sent to betray him. Luke and I had come so far since the day I walked into his office for a job interview six years ago, but the passion we felt then was still very much alive.
His arm slid down my back until both his hands were on my ass. He lifted me off the carpet as I wrapped my legs around his hips, gasping as he entered me. My back was pressed against the cold mirror behind me as I panted with anticipation. Luke’s size had been an issue for me, at times. We had to compromise when I was riding him or when he was behind me, because it could be quite painful when he pierced me too deeply. But this position—up against a wall—was perfect.
I tried not to make too much noise. We were in a public dressing room. But it was difficult not to voice my pleasure when I was with Luke. He knew exactly what to do, exactly what spot to hit, exactly how fast and slow to move when he was inside me. He drove me crazy, and he knew it.
“Quiet,” he whispered as his cock stretched me, tormented me, owned me.
“Easy for you to say,” I whispered, leaning my head back as I clutched his hair.
“You think this is easy for me?” he whispered against my neck, then he bit me, hard.
I whimpered as softly as I could, because I knew he was only biting me to contain his own cries of pleasure.
The shrill sound of my phone ringing inside my purse made my body tense, but Luke continued thrusting, undaunted by this interruption.
“Stop. It could be the kids.”
“They’re with Violet. They’re fine.”
Just hearing him say her name while he was still inside me made me bristle. I unwrapped my legs from around his hips and lowered myself to the floor.
“Ow!” he cried as I bumped his erection while making my way to the other side of the dressing room to retrieve my phone. “Are you serious?”
I slid my phone out of my purse and answered the call without acknowledging Luke’s question. Seeing Violet’s name on my phone made me even more annoyed.
“What happened?” I barked into the phone.
“I’m so sorry, Br—Mrs. Maxwell. I totally forgot that I’m supposed to meet Liam’s sister for dinner tonight. I have to leave in an hour.”
Violet was our new twenty-three-year-old nanny who replaced Myrna four months ago when Myrna decided she needed to spend more time with her grandchildren. I was sure her decision had nothing to do with the fact Luke had given her a healthy bonus the week before she quit. Sometimes Luke was too generous for his own good.
Luke was the one who insisted Violet call me Mrs. Maxwell. The fact that Violet almost called me Brina just about every time she addressed me only made me trust her even less. As much as I didn’t want to play the role of the jealous wife, Violet really knew how to bring it out in me. She was eleven years younger than Luke and six years younger than me; the same age I was when Luke and I met. If she weren’t the best damn nanny I interviewed, I’d have fired her months ago.
“We’ll be there in an hour,” I replied.
I didn’t want Violet’s relationship with her fiancé to be strained because she forgot about a dinner date with his sister. We’d only met Liam once, but he seemed like a nice guy. Though, I had to admit, I did not catch Violet ogling Liam once during that meeting, the way I caught her ogling Luke almost every day.
I stuffed the phone back into my purse and turned around. Luke was glaring at me as he buttoned his jeans. I didn’t want to be the jealous wife, but Luke knew. He always knew.
“Is it really an emergency?” he asked.
Reaching for my t-shirt, I pulled it on without bothering to put on my bra. “Yes. She has an important thing with Liam’s sister.”
Luke let out a derisive chuckle as he reached for the handle on the dressing room door. “I’ll be outside.”
It only took a few seconds before I realized what I needed to do to fix this. I finished getting dressed before I open the dressing room door, but I didn’t step outside. Luke stared at me, waiting for me to join him.
“You go ahead,” I said. “I still have a lot of shopping to do for the trip. I know that’s not your thing, so…you’re excused.”
He smiled at my attempt to display trust in him. “Are you sure? You’re not going to punish me for this later?”
“Punish you for what? Just go before I change my mind.”
He stepped toward me and took my face in his hands as he planted a soft kiss on my lips. “I’ll finish you off later.”
“Yes, you will…a few times.”
He laughed as he walked away. The dread built inside me with every step he took, twisting my stomach into knots. Why did I feel like I had just made a huge mistake?
I rushed through the shops as Perry, my part-time bodyguard, hauled the bulk of my bounty in his massive arms. By the time Perry pulled the Bentley into the driveway, my mouth was bone dry from the nonstop shopping and the anxiety. Upon entering the house, I headed straight for the kitchen to grab a glass of water. It was eight p.m. Luke was probably upstairs putting the kids to bed.
I guzzled a glass of water and quickly made my way upstairs to say goodnight to the kids. My stomach clenched when I saw Violet standing just outside Lucas’s bedroom, peeking through the crack in the door with her lips curled into a smile that oozed unadulterated adoration.
Her blonde hair fell down her back in loose waves, which I taught her how to do when I got tired of her complimenting my hair three times a day. She was wearing a soft blue dress, and I couldn’t help but remember when Luke told me last week how good I looked in the new dress I’d bought. Violet was standing right next to me when he said it.
She turned toward me when she heard my footsteps, and the frightened look on her face filled me with anger. “I thought you had a dinner tonight.”
“She called a couple of mi
nutes before Luke got here to cancel. I was going to call you, but he walked in and…and he told me we should just let you do your shopping in peace.”
She had no qualms with calling Luke by his first name.
“Mr. Maxwell told you that?” I whispered. She nodded nervously, and I gritted my teeth to stop myself from saying anything that might make it seem as though I didn’t trust Luke. “You can go now.”
“Did you still want me to come tomorrow morning?”
I looked at her incredulously. “Of course.”
As much as I would have loved to take a vacation without the nanny, I knew there was no way I could have a stress-free vacation with the kids and Luke without Violet there. This trip to London served three purposes. Luke had a huge meeting with some investors the day after we arrived. The following day would be his family reunion. It would be the first time the children met all of Luke’s mother’s family. Luke and I were also using this trip as an opportunity to have a do-over of our honeymoon. Our first honeymoon didn’t go so well. Lucas was only ten months old, and I had trouble enjoying my time away from him. Luke and I were planning to take a few days away from the kids, while Violet took care of them, to enjoy London and Paris.
Luke exited Lucas’s room shortly after Violet left, and he swiftly moved in to kiss me. I turned my head and his lips grazed my cheek.
“Why was Violet still here?” I demanded.
“Her sister-in-law cancelled—”
“She’s not her sister-in-law yet,” I corrected him. “And I know she cancelled the dinner, but why was she still here if you were here? She could have left.”
“She was putting Rhianne to sleep while I put Lucas down. Are you okay?”
I let out a sigh of relief. “I’m fine, just…nervous about flying with the kids for eleven hours.”
“You sure that’s all that’s bothering you?”
“No. There is something else that’s bothering me,” I said as I reached out and clutched a chunk of his t-shirt in my fist. “I believe you left some unfinished business in that dressing room.”
Chapter 2
Luke
Every time I was on a business trip, I worried about Brina and the kids endlessly until I got back home. Though I wasn’t exactly looking forward to spending eleven hours in the air with Lucas and his need to jump off anything higher than two feet off the ground, I was ecstatic I’d have my family by my side, where I knew they were safe. Of course, I was beginning to get a strong vibe from Brina that she suspected something was going on between Violet and me. We’d have to be extra careful about what Brina saw and heard over the next few days if Violet and I were going to keep our secret hidden.
By the time Brina and I dressed and made our way down to the kitchen at 6:30 a.m., Violet had already dressed the kids and served them breakfast. Like yesterday, Violet was wearing a dress that showed just enough cleavage. She was always trying to impress me with her hair and clothing, but Brina knew I was more turned on by jeans and a tank top than a tight dress and heels. Brina’s skinny jeans and the black Vandals t-shirt she had tied in a knot at her waist was hot as hell.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Brina said as she bent over to kiss the top of Lucas’s head.
Lucas ruffled his golden brown hair in an attempt to wipe away her kiss. “I don’t want to go. I want to stay with Violet.”
Rhianne giggled when her mom planted a loud kiss on her cheek. Brina grabbed a lemon muffin from the basket on the table and took a seat next to Rhianne. I never got tired of the look of utter joy on the kids’ faces when they saw their mom.
“You can’t stay with Violet, because she’s going to London, too,” Brina said, and Lucas narrowed his eyes at her.
I tapped him on the shoulder as I took a seat across from Brina, between Lucas and the empty seat on my left. “Don’t look at your mom like that or I’ll tell Polly to hide your tablet.”
Brina flashed me a quick smile before she popped a chunk of lemon muffin into her mouth. She pulled three-year-old Rhianne out of her booster seat and into her lap, whispering something in her ear that made Rhianne giggle.
“I think we should build a fort on the plane. What do you think?” she asked Lucas, and as much as he tried to hold onto that sourpuss expression, he couldn’t help but break into a wide smile. “Violet, make sure to bring some fort-building materials onto the plane.”
Violet rose from her seat on the other side of Lucas, and she looked slightly annoyed as she set off to retrieve some blankets and such to take on the flight. Violet was the niece of my mentor, Jerry Wilshire. She was Jerry’s nanny for three years until Jerry’s son, Harry, turned nine. Then, Jerry’s personal assistant took over the management of Harry’s extracurricular activities. When Myrna quit, Jerry offered me Violet, giving her the highest recommendation. I submitted her resume to Brina without Jerry’s contact information on it. I didn’t want Brina to feel pressured to hire Violet just because she was Jerry’s niece. After four weeks of interviews, she chose Violet based on how well she got along with the children during the interview, and how well she understood our schedules.
Two months after hiring Violet, I wasn’t certain why, but I still hadn’t told Brina that Violet was related to Jerry.
“We arrive in London at four a.m. London time,” I said as I grabbed the mug of black coffee next to my plate of steak and egg-white omelet. “You’re never going to get them to sleep on the plane if you build a fort.”
I had to hire three people to replace Myrna: a housekeeper (Polly), a cook (Oliver), and a nanny (Violet.) I thought Myrna would appreciate the $85,000 bonus, which happened to be a little more than the amount she once mentioned she needed to pay off her youngest son’s student loans. Brina told me I was crazy for giving her such a sizable bonus, but I think it’s important for people to feel appreciated. And I definitely appreciated the fact Myrna took care of the kids and the house. Plus, I thought she’d be less stressed if her son didn’t have $85,000 in student loan debt hanging over his head.
Of course, Brina was right. The day after I handed Myrna the bonus check, she handed in her resignation. The most upsetting part of it was I really thought I was right. I thought I knew Myrna better than Brina did. I guess you never really know a person until you present them with the ultimate incentive—or temptation—to show their true selves.
“They only need to sleep for a few hours on the plane,” Brina replied, taking a sip of her coffee. “I want them to be tired enough to fall asleep eight hours early tomorrow.”
“You’re always thinking ahead.”
She smiled as she offered Rhianne a piece of her muffin. Rhianne grinned as she shook her head. I glanced at Lucas’s plate and discovered he’d left more than half of his pancake and scrambled eggs.
“You’re not hungry, buddy?” I asked him, and he raised his eyebrows as he stared at his plate, as if the plate was enough evidence. “Then go upstairs and brush your teeth. We’re leaving in twenty minutes.”
He climbed down from the chair and his golden brown waves bounced as he trotted off. His stubborn nature boiled over into just about every aspect of our lives. He refused to cut his hair, and he often refused to wear anything more than underwear. He could often be found standing on chairs and sofas, beating his chest like a gorilla. Brina laughed and called him Mowgli, which only encouraged him. Somehow, Violet was able to get him dressed without the fuss he used to put up whenever Myrna tried to dress him.
After Violet got the kids into their booster seats, she took a seat in the back and Brina sat up front with me. I drove us all to the airport while Violet sang songs with the kids. Once we were on the plane, Brina sat next to Lucas, and I sat behind them next to Rhianne. Lucas may have had Brina’s personality, but Rhianne looked like a miniature version of her mom. She had the same beautiful brown hair and round brown eyes that melted my soul.
Once we were at cruising altitude, we unbuckled the kids and set off for the sitting room to build the fort. Violet was alread
y there with the pillows and piles of blankets. Lucas ran full speed and dove on top of the pillows.
“My pillows!” he shouted as he wrapped his arms around two pillows and attempted, unsuccessfully, to pick them up.
Violet kneeled next to him and tickled him until he let go. Brina looked uncomfortable as she watched this.
“Violet, we’re okay for now. You can go back to your room and relax, if you want,” I said as I scooped Lucas off the floor, and he laughed as I held him above my head.
She stood there watching as I slammed Lucas onto the sofa and he giggled uncontrollably. “Actually, I’m not tired at all. I don’t mind hanging out with the kids.”
“Stay!” Lucas shouted at her.
I turned to look at Brina, and she was sitting on the sofa on the other side of the sitting room with Rhianne in her lap. They were engaged in a conversation, but I was certain Brina was paying close attention to us.
“We’re fine for now. Thank you,” I insisted to Violet.
“But,” she whispered as her eyes burned into me. “We need to talk.”
My heart pumped wildly as I saw the plea in her eyes. She knew we couldn’t talk about this here. We were 30,000 feet in the air. Maybe she thought this was the only place we could talk about it where I’d have nowhere to escape to. I couldn’t deny that I was a hard man to get alone on solid ground.
“Later,” I whispered.
“Talk later!” Lucas shouted.
“Talk about what?” Brina asked as she approached us with Rhianne balanced on her hip.
“Daddy said to talk later,” Lucas said, and I wanted to kick myself—or Violet—for being so inconspicuous.
“Talk about what later?” Brina continued as she sat Rhianne down on the sofa next to Lucas’s head.
“Nothing. I was just telling Violet that we’ll talk about the schedule later. Right now, it’s fort-building time. Right, buddy?”
“Right!” Lucas slid off the sofa and grabbed the blankets to start building.