by Sam Crescent
“Come in,” he said.
Denise, his assistant, opened the door. “I’m sorry to disturb you, sir, but there’s a young woman out here. She would like a meeting but doesn’t have an appointment.”
“Then tell her to make one.”
“Sir, she claims to be your wife.”
Wolfe paused. “Rachel?”
He stared at the door as Denise stepped aside, and there was his wife. The very woman he’d been angry with moments ago.
Five years didn’t seem like a long time, but staring at the woman he’d married, she was … different.
She was still beautiful.
Her long blonde hair, all natural, fell down around her in waves. It was longer than he remembered, coming to below her tits, settling around her waist. She wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses. He’d noticed in her pictures she often wore them. When she was out with him, she’d gone with contacts.
The jacket she wore hid the curves he knew were hidden beneath. Large tits, full hips, and thighs that were designed to be wrapped around a man as he fucked her harder.
“I asked you to wait outside, Miss,” Denise said.
His new assistant was in her fifties and only been working for him for a year.
“It’s all right, Denise. This is my wife, and Rachel is free to see me any time she wants.”
****
This should have been easy for her. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Rachel stepped into the office she hadn’t seen for five years.
“I’m so sorry,” Denise said.
“It’s okay. No one really knows who I am.”
“Can I get you anything? Tea, coffee, water?”
“Nothing, thank you. I’m fine.”
“Denise, hold all my calls,” Wolfe said.
“Will do.”
The door closed, and Rachel felt her heart racing.
This moment she’d been putting off for a couple of months. She held onto the strap of her bag, hoping she had the strength to do this. She’d talked to Mary weeks ago about it, and they both agreed the best way for her to get what she wanted was to confront Wolfe and to finally end things between them.
They’d been at this stalemate for five years.
The only thing they shared together was their son, Benjamin.
Time had been kind to Wolfe. He was thirty-five now, and he had some graying at his temples, but as with all men, it only served to make him look even sexier.
She couldn’t remember the time she had lost over the years trying to get over him. The pain of his lies, it had hurt her deeply. She had cut him out of her life, and only spoke about him with Benjamin. Her family tried to get her to talk about what happened, but she couldn’t bring herself to remember. The night was so painful.
It was when all of her fairy tales shattered and she stopped believing in love and happy endings.
Some would think she was over dramatic.
One bad experience and she had turned away from all she had wanted, but it wasn’t. To her, Wolfe had hurt her so badly. He’d known what she wanted, what she craved more than anything. He’d used it against her to get his own wishes and desires, and for her, she couldn’t forgive that, or forget.
At least now, she could look at him, and know this was the right decision to make.
She stayed perfectly still though.
“Your office hasn’t changed,” she said.
He still had the same dark oak desk. The artwork had no real meaning but was purchased to make an impression on people he had to have meetings with.
“Some things don’t need to change,” he said.
“True.”
“Where’s Benjamin?” he asked.
“With Mary and Alice. He’s excited to see you. They’re starting a project at school, and he wants to talk to you about.” This was weird. Talking to him about their son. She’d never even seen Wolfe embrace their boy.
Pushing those thoughts and feelings aside, she took a deep breath.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Wolfe asked. “This is a surprise, you visiting me.”
“I wanted to see you in person.”
“You can come and see me but I can’t see you?” He leaned against the desk, arms folded.
His presence filled the room. He was a tall and muscular. He’d lost none of his traits. At least he wasn’t trying to fool her with his softly spoken words. She could handle this, seeing the truth, and not the man who she’d fallen in love with.
That man didn’t exist.
It’s what she had to remind herself so many times over the years.
The nice, kind Wolfe was a fake.
“You didn’t stipulate in your conditions you didn’t want me to visit. Before I came, I checked through your rules. I’m not breaking any of them.”
“I didn’t have any rules, Rachel.”
“Exactly.”
“Unlike you. I can’t come and visit. I can’t try to reconcile. I’ve got to keep my distance, never call, text, email. I’ve followed every single one of them.”
“How’s Marcus?” she asked.
She’d surprised him; she saw it.
“Excuse me?”
“The same man for the past five years carrying a camera. You think I wasn’t going to check it out myself? You’ve kept your distance, but found a loophole in getting what you want. I’ve not stopped him doing his job. Don’t try to make me feel guilty because I didn’t want to see you,” she said.
The truth was, she didn’t want to see him because it hurt too freaking much. Even now, staring at him, she remembered the times he’d made her laugh. The love and kindness she’d experienced with him.
It was all lies.
Everything he offered. Everything he promised. None of it was real. She had to remember that.
This was the truth.
The man she faced now.
The one who’d send a PI to take pictures and report back to him.
She reached into her bag. “I’m tired of this, and I hope you are as well. I’ve been to see my lawyer, and I know what you’d want and I’ve got it all ready for you to take. Your place on the board, a percentage of the company, it’s all there in black and white. All I want is a divorce.”
Chapter Two
“You’re not getting a divorce.” Wolfe wouldn’t budge on this. Not now, not ever.
“I knew you’d be difficult, but I don’t understand why.” Rachel stepped into the room and held up the file she really thought he would take. There was no chance in hell of him ever divorcing her.
He stayed perfectly still as she stepped closer to him.
The lemon scent he hadn’t smelled in so long came closer to him, and it offered him a comfort he didn’t even realize he was waiting for.
“Look, I’m giving you everything you want. The board, the inheritance, everything. I’m not taking anything away from you.”
“Apart from my wife,” he said.
“Damn it, Wolfe, you don’t care about me. You never have. The man I knew wasn’t real. None of this was ever real. It was all lies that you concocted yourself. I don’t have to sit here listening to any of this. I mean it. I want a divorce, and my family’s lawyer has said there has been enough separation now to prove we’re not compatible.” She held out the file. “Please, just read and consider this.”
He took the file from her and staring her in the eye, he tore it up.
“Why are you being so childish?”
“You’re my wife. You’re staying my wife. I’m not negotiating terms like that, Rachel. I don’t care what is written in a document or file. I have no care to know. You’re mine, and it’s how it will stay.”
“You’re being so unreasonable. You married me to get on the board. To have a partial own in my family’s company. You’re keeping that. You can let me go.”
“So you can be with him?”
“What?”
“Yes, seeing as you know all about my PI following you around, let’s talk about the bastard near
my son.” He folded his arms. The file was torn up on his desk. He couldn’t believe she would even try to get him to divorce her. It pissed him off, but what really got on his nerves was the little asshole thinking he could play happy families with his woman and kid.
Rachel, even though she was determined not to see it, belonged to him.
He wasn’t giving her up, ever.
She was going to realize he didn’t let go, nor did he share what belonged to him. The moment she took his name and let him put a ring on her finger, she became his, and in doing so, well, there was no reason to even delve into the fact she was his.
“Are you kidding me right now? You’re angry because I’ve got a friend?” She held onto her bag with a death grip as she glared at him.
This was a side of his wife Wolfe had never seen. Not even when her family tried to dissuade her from marrying him. She was always placid, never confrontational. In a way, her innocence and naiveté had made his job even easier. She’d been looking for love and acceptance, her perfect fairy tale, and he’d gone out of his way to provide it. This woman staring back at him, she wasn’t holding onto the hope of a happy ending. No, this woman wanted to be rid of him, and rather than find it irritating, he actually found it a real turn-on. They both had a part of themselves they had kept hidden. He had believed for a long time Rachel wouldn’t be able to handle the real him. She had wanted a fairy tale, something that didn’t exist. He’d worked hard to try to bring her something close to it.
She looked sexy, with her wild blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. There was no hope or love, or trying to appease him.
Right now, he wanted her beneath him as he sank his cock deep into her pussy, and had her screaming his name. Even when he claimed her virginity on their wedding night, she’d held back. She’d been reserved.
The tears she’d spilled along with her virgin blood had made sure, to him, he wouldn’t let her go.
“He’s just a friend? Please, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. No guy spends time with a single woman without hoping to fuck.”
“You’re disgusting.” She turned on her heel as if to walk away.
“You’re tempted.”
She got to the door and whirled around. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me, Rachel. Don’t play dumb. It doesn’t suit this new you. The old you, maybe.”
“How could I have been so wrong about you? You’re disgusting.”
“You saw what you only wanted to.”
“No, I saw what you wanted me to see and nothing else. It was all lies, and you’re not a good man.”
“Are we going to start crying because I’m a man who gets what I want?” he asked, putting on a fake pout.
She shook her head. “You always get what you want, regardless of who you hurt in the process.”
“I had no choice but to hurt you, but if you come to my desk, spread those pretty thighs, I can show you how not painful it really is.”
She blushed, even now.
He knew she’d not been with another man. He’d have put an end to any kind of relationship she ever intended to start.
The ring he’d given her, he glanced down to her hand, and saw it was gone.
“Where’s my ring?”
She held her hand out. “I don’t wear it. I’ve not worn it in a long time.”
His hands clenched into fists. He would have to look over the pictures his PI sent to him, because this latest news he hadn’t seen. He’d been so preoccupied in staring at her he’d missed the fine detail of the missing ring.
“I want a divorce.”
“No.”
“This is useless. Neither of us wants in this marriage. I want to be able to find a husband who loves me. Who will not lie to me.”
“Oh, please, no guy like that exists. Stop being so fucking stupid about all of this.”
“Fine! I want to be free of you so I can find a man who will fuck me. Is that what you want to hear?” she asked, screaming the words.
The fire in her eyes made his dick even harder.
Getting up from his position beside the desk, he stepped up to her. Rachel moved back with every step he took. He wasn’t giving up, and as he stood in front of her, staring into her eyes, he smirked.
“If a nice fuck is what you want, all you got to do is ask.”
“Don’t touch me.” She put her hands on his chest and shoved him away hard. “I don’t want you. I’ll never want you.”
“Never is a long time.”
“You have your affairs, Wolfe. You think I’m blind to your pictures with the latest model or actress in the newspapers? My lawyer said with that kind of evidence, this divorce will be clear-cut. I’ll have him send over a new set and just sign them.”
She ducked under his arm, and he let her go, watching her advance to the door.
“You send me those papers, and I will take Benjamin from you,” Wolfe said.
Rachel paused and turned back toward him. “You’re crazy if you think anyone will let you have sole custody of my son.”
“He’s our son, and yes, they will. You think your family has all the power? I’m Wolfe Montgomery. I’ve got my own wealth, my own power, and I will take your son away. I’ll make it so you never see him again, apart from when I find a new stepmom for him. Try me, Rachel, go up against me. you won’t like the way I play.”
She had tears in her eyes. “Why?”
“Because I told you, we’re not getting a divorce, but if you want to go that route, I can make your life a misery. You really do make it so easy to get what I want. I know you love our son, and well, I don’t mind doing whatever it takes to keep what I want.”
He watched the tears fall down her cheeks, and she swiped them away.
Wolfe expected her to beg or at least to try to use the tears to her advantage, but no, she shook her head.
“You know, he always comes home telling me how amazing you are. How you make him laugh, and you can’t cook, but you have all these cool games. I think you could be reasonable. I’ve never done anything to you, and yet, this is the way you treat me.” She pressed her lips together.
He waited.
All of the best days of his life were spending time with his son.
Rachel didn’t say another word.
She walked right out of his office, and he knew, he’d won.
****
“You’re just going to let him win?” Mary asked.
“I’ve got no choice.” Rachel poured the hot water into three mugs. Benjamin was asleep upstairs in his room, and well, she was exhausted. Going to see Wolfe today had been hard. This was the first time she’d seen him since their disastrous wedding night when she’d learned the truth. Being married to him hadn’t been easy, even when she didn’t have to see him.
Their courtship had been amazing. No matter what happened, she would always think of their time together before the wedding, when she’d fallen in love hard and fast. It was those moments she had to force herself to remember the man she fell for didn’t exist.
Like today, Wolfe had shown his true colors.
All she wanted was a divorce. Not to be with Ryan. He really was a friend. He’d gotten over a messy divorce himself where he got sole custody of his son, and well, it had gotten her thinking about her own future.
For the past five years, she’d been with Benjamin and her pain. She wanted to move on and find someone, or at least have some fun without having to bring up the tiny detail of already being married.
She didn’t want men to think she was a horrible person who would step out on her marriage. Was she even doing that if she started dating? Yes, in her mind, she would be a horrible person. She still had Wolfe’s name, and they were legally married. An annulment was out of the question because of Benjamin, and now, it seemed a divorce was as well. There’s no way she could take her freedom at the cost of her son. She wouldn’t do it, not ever.
“We could kill him,” Alice said. “I’m sure Daddy has some guys he could call.�
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Rachel laughed, swirling the teabags in the cups. “Yes, because that’s the kind of guy our father is. I’m not going to kill Wolfe. Besides, if he died now of mysterious causes, I’d be the prime suspect. The point is for me to stick around Benjamin, not get thrown in prison.”
“You’re right,” Alice said. “You know out of all of us, I always figured Mary would end up with a class A asshole, but I’m shocked it has turned out to be you, sis.”
“Hey, I still bring home any number of assholes, you know it,” Mary said, with a wink.
“Of course. But you’re not married to them. Look at Rachel’s situation.”
“Let’s not delve into this again.”
“How did he get you to marry him again?” Mary asked. “I still don’t see how my sweet, little sister would you know, succumb to … the assholery we’re witnessing.”
She sipped at her tea as her sisters teased. “Are you both quite finished?”
“Nope, we’re both very curious,” Alice said.
“You know what he was like. He was sweet, charming, nice, kind; he was everything.” She smiled, even recalling the time he came to her apartment just to give her a rose. He didn’t want to take her out, just that he’d seen a pure white, almost cream-looking rose and it reminded him of her hair, and he had to see her.
See, those moments, which were lies.
“No, you see, I got the asshole,” Mary said.
“I saw through him. I told you to be careful. He only wanted you to see what he did.” Alice shrugged. “And now he’s blackmailing you.”
“Yay,” Rachel said. “Is it really blackmailing? It sounds like such a dirty word.”
“It’s blackmail,” Mary said. “It’s a shame you couldn’t turn Benjamin against him. You could make his life miserable.”
“I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because … Benjamin is his son, and I just couldn’t do that.”
“You’re too nice for him,” Alice said.
She took another sip of her tea and thought about Wolfe and Benjamin. There was no way she would ever turn son against father. It was horrible, evil, and not something she was going to do.
“Do you still love him?” Mary asked.