In the waning light of day, the two dozed, wrapped in arms and tangled within a pile of sheets that surrounded them like a cocoon. Long shadows made the room even more a reflection of old and dying things, the two woman appearing like one of the erotic tapestries on the walls that depicted carnal satisfaction in the nude bodies of voluptuous old world hedonists exposing their private treasures for waiting lovers. A gentle breeze that blew the sheer curtains at the window tickled their soft hairs as they went from dozing into a peaceful slumber. And in that slumber they let their minds drift into the magic lands where the remainder of their lascivious thirsts were being quenched.
***
“My, what do have we here?”
The sound of his voice raised two disparate yet similarly anxious responses, as Jocelyn and Alex awakened to discover Reggie standing at the doorway of his bedroom, gazing at them. Jocelyn instinctively pulled up the sheet to cover them, as if she was protecting them from an unwanted stare.
“Pull the covers away, Jocelyn,” Reggie abruptly demanded. “There’s not an inch on either one of you I haven’t seen. Although I must say, I haven’t seen you together.”
“Reg, please,” Jocelyn was the first of the two to speak.
“Pull the covers aside,” Reg repeated sharply when her wife neglected to heed his command.
She hesitated a second, then pushed the sheet back with her feet, and exposed the intertwined legs with Alex’s arm still resting on her thigh.
“That’s better,” he said. “I must say you two look stunning. And not at all like this is the first time you’ve been together.”
“Let me explain,” Jocelyn jumped in anxiously. Sitting up on the bed, she grabbed for the covers again.
“Don’t worry, you will,” he said. “Alexandra,” he addressed the nearly hidden blonde.
She turned over, not attempting to cover anything, including the look of lust in her eyes and the desire on her moist lips. She looked as if she were inviting him to join them.
“Looks like you’ve already had the punishment before the crime,” Reggie remarked on the state of Alex’s streaked bottom.
“Yes, well, that was another matter,” she tried to dismiss the remark.
“Looking for spanking doms, again?” he mused.
“No!” she came back sharply, “not the case at all.”
He smirked. “So what treacherous villainy of yours caused your lasting lines, I’d say last night?”
“You might say it was part of a welcome home,” she answered. “And you know you might have the good grace to back off and let us get out of bed.”
“And not watch you two squirm?” he said. “This is too good for that.”
“You are a wicked bastard.”
“So, I am,” he mocked. “And does Will know about you two?”
“No, I haven’t told him,” Alex replied.
Reggie smiled broadly. “Ah, but you will tonight.”
“But…” she started to whine.
“Don’t but me,” he shot back. “You tell him or I will. I’m sure he’ll like your version better. Now if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate you letting me have my wife to myself.”
There wasn’t a clue what he was thinking, all locked behind doors in his brain; he concealed his thoughts and feelings so well, it made both women wonder if he’d suddenly burst out laughing or tie them up and flog them. Alex wasn’t about to test the waters any more than she had, and seeing that Reggie was not going to move from the doorway, she finally bolted from the bed. Gathering her clothes in her arms, she exited the room briskly slipping past the man.
Reggie remained where he stood and watched as his wife stood up and grabbed for her robe. “You going to let me out?” Jocelyn asked when she moved toward the door.
“Why would I do that?” he asked.
“I should see Alex to the door.”
“Alex can see herself to the door,” Reggie answered. He still didn’t sound mad, the only feeling she was getting from him was mildly amused. “Get dressed, Jocelyn, riding clothes. I’ll meet you at the barn.” He turned in the doorway and stalked off without another word.
***
The evening sunlight cast deep shadows in the landscape, and lent an almost ethereal glow to the hour. This was always Reggie’s favorite time to ride, so it wasn’t surprising that he suggested they exercise their horses. On this occasion, however, the unspoken chasm between them made Jocelyn’s trek to the barn a bit frightening. The things he could do to her there were exhilarating—and painful. The one time he’d treated to her his rougher side all around the barn in a dozen inventive positions was one of the most memorable erotic adventures of their young marriage. But now the ominous tenor of his peculiar mood, and the great unknown before her, made her heart pound nervously. She’d never lied to him, never withheld the truth.
Entering the barn, she saw Gus and Reggie conferring; sidelong glances from each man made her wary. The stableman’s grim expression was the only one he ever wore. Perhaps it was her imagination, but this time, she thought she saw signs of his savage lust in his somber glance. She shivered thinking of Alex’s tales of Gus and the fierce sexual demands he’d made on her at Reggie’s instigation. Then of course, there was the vile strapping that had punished Alex’s ultimate betrayal of Reg. Recalling her friend’s amazing recounting of those incidents, Jocelyn wondered if the two men were planning something for her now.
Once she approached them, however, the two backed away, Gus moving to the far side of the stable while Reggie continued to saddle the horses, Brutus and Blue.
“You still haven’t told me why you came home early?” she asked as she reached her husband’s side.
“Obviously to catch you in the act,” he replied evenly. He mounted his horse and motioned her to Blue.
“You expected me to be in bed with Alex?”
“How on earth could I expect that?” he said. “My dinner meeting was canceled and I was looking forward to a ride.”
“We are riding?” she asked surprised.
“What, do you expect me to beat your ass?” Before she could answer, he was out the stable door, down the trail, and looking back over his shoulder waiting for her to join him.
They rode far on country trails for nearly an hour, exploring their way into places she hadn’t been and wasn’t sure of. Finally circling back, they cantered toward the estate perimeter with Reggie taking the fence with a gentle jump that made Jocelyn shiver. Brutus was too old to jump, so she thought, but he did it anyway, likely another scare tactic. Jocelyn guided the gentle Blue around the fence and caught up with her husband who’d finally slowed his pace.
Even the twilight was fading now, the light dwindling away around them, though there seemed ample light in the Western sky. Reggie at last pulled up his horse and moved toward the stream, still some distance from the house. When they were on the ground, watering the animals, he sat down on a river rock and leaned forward gazing at the gently meandering stream.
Jocelyn sat near, thankful that there was no place to sit next to him. A good five feet felt safer.
“You enjoy her company?” he finally asked.
“I do.”
“And how old is this affair?”
“Just since the vacation.”
He nodded, many things clear to him with that remark.
Still, there was no indication of his feelings, just the well-guarded cool, and not even an unhappy one at that. Jocelyn stared at him waiting for him to say more. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d said nothing or let the matter rest, never to be spoken of again. Neither would she have been surprised if he’d gone into a tirade. Her only choice was to stay cool and wait for him.
“There’s one thing I’d counted on from you, Jocelyn,” he finally breached the quiet.
“What’s that?”
“Honesty.”
“You mean about Alex?”
“I mean about everything, though your secret fling with Alex comes readily to m
ind.”
“You think I’ve lied about other things?” she asked.
“Are there?”
“No. But if there were?” she wondered.
“Then we’d deal with them.”
“You’re sounding very civil.”
“I’m a master of that, or have you forgotten?”
“How could I forget?” she said.
“It’s what may be underneath that you should worry about,” he snickered briefly. “Now tell me why?”
“Why I made love to Alex?”
“Yes. You acting dense for a reason?”
“Why not make love to her. She’s breathtaking. Not to mention, she has the most inviting body I know—except for yours of course.”
“That sounds very nice. Now tell me the truth,” he said, sounding just a little stern.
“I am telling you the truth.”
“All of it?”
She fumed for a moment, wishing that she could say something to soothe him over. “Dammit, I hate it when you’re being so evasive.”
“I don’t think I’m the one being evasive. The truth is you hate the fact that I can see beyond that lame explanation you gave me.”
“Dammit,” she seethed under her breath.
He replied with a cold smirk.
“Half of my motivation was certainly lust, and you will not take that away from the situation. This wasn’t an easy thing for me to begin, but it was an honest one, a natural one, and I know damned well you don’t care if I have sex with Alex. You’re not like that.”
“So what’s the other half of your explanation?”
“The other half…” she mused aloud.
“The other half, yes,” he bit back impatiently. “And quit stalling; it’s going to be dark soon.”
Jocelyn thought for a minute, trying to decide which words to use. “I was pissed,” she finally blurted out. “Pissed at you, passionately pissed,” she added for emphasis.
“Thank you,” he replied. He finally turned enough to look at her. There was the same amused expression on his face that she’d seen when he caught her in bed with Alex. “I just wanted you to admit it,” he went on. “Does clear the air, don’t you think?” He stood up and moved back to the horses as if the conversation were over.
“That’s all you’re going to say?” she looked aghast as she watched him mount Brutus.
“What else is there to say?” he said. “I bailed on our vacation. You were feeling lonely so you have a fling with a girlfriend. How could I feel bad about that?”
All she could do was stare at him, eyes fixed on his impassive face, while he maintained that ridiculous hint of a smirk. It was as bad as if he’d slapped her face. She couldn’t believe that he would reduce this down to something so simple.
“So?” She wanted more.
“So what?”
“Couldn’t you at least tell me what you thought seeing the two of us curled up together?” She hoisted herself into Blue’s saddle and rode up beside him.
“Frankly, I wish I’d seen Alex’s mouth pressed to your cunt,” he replied.
“Then it aroused you?” Jocelyn guessed, looking at his pleased face.
“What man wouldn’t be aroused, the two women he loves, two as beautiful as you, locked together in a naked embrace? I wouldn’t be a man if it didn’t turn me on.”
He said no more, the conversation finished, at least for the moment. Taking off on Brutus, he was yards ahead of her before she even thought to get started.
As they returned to the stable, Jocelyn thoughts were fixated on their curiously calm discussion. She knew Reggie hadn’t told her everything he was feeling about her indiscretion. Was it hurt or rage or simply wonder that fueled the odd look in his eye?
Chapter Ten
Alex and Will ordered fried rice, Chinese dumpling soup, eggs rolls and a strange ginger beef. Will wanted the beef, Alex the chicken, but he prevailed when she insisted on egg roll. It was the same argument every time they ordered Chinese, with the same shaky accommodations; but it seemed, at least on the surface, that they were both satisfied this time. It satisfied Alex that after two days of hardly seeing her recently returned husband, he had the good grace to take her out for dinner away from work, the apartment, and everything else that had come between them much too long. Since he’d been back and she’d gone to the ‘dungeon’ with him, they’d hardly had sex. Just one quick blow-job if she remembered right.
In the middle of a mouthful of ginger beef and rice, Will looked up, catching Alex’s eye. “So, aren’t you supposed to be telling me something?”
“Tell you something?”
“Or maybe you’d rather lie?”
His purpose finally dawned on her. “Talked to Reg, didn’t you?” She couldn’t decide when the two had time to converse since he’d done nothing but hibernate in his office.
“He told me nothing,” Will replied. “But he did say, you’d have lots to confess.” He flashed her his patented amiable grin.
Alex blushed, a dead giveaway for things she was too embarrassed to talk about; even though she shouldn’t be about this. It was just the lying part that made her uncomfortable. “I don’t know how you’re going to take this…” she started, then stopped, as if the words were caught in her throat.
“Alex, you surprise me constantly. I don’t know why this time would be any different. Unless, of course, you’re confessing to finding another dom, then you might as well pack your bags and leave.”
“You’d really make me leave?”
“Is it another adventure in erotic spanking,” he asked directly.
“No, not at all.”
“Good. Then what?”
She stared into his attentive eyes. They weren’t at all insensitive, she might have even found them warm, if it hadn’t been for the fear that they’d change in an instant.
“Well,” she took a deep breath. “When Jocelyn and I were at the spa in California we made love.”
She’d startled him. “Made love, you two, in bed?”
“Yes.”
His surprised quickly changed quickly – amusement perhaps? He seemed to picture the scene inside his mind. “So that’s it?” he asked.
“You’re not upset?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Anything else?”
“Well, just a little. We’ve spent a few afternoons together, in bed, since we got back.”
“Where? In the apartment or at Reg’s?”
“Usually a motel.”
“How sly.” He raised his eyebrows. “Trying to cover it up?”
“I don’t think we really know how we feel about this…whatever it is…affair. It just seemed easier not to worry the two of you.”
“So, are you planning to leave us and move in together?” There was a comical twist in the way he spoke, as if the idea was absurd at best.
“Heavens no!” Alex gasped. “We just make love once and a while. It’s hardly new for me, you know that. For Jocelyn, yes. But she seems to love it as much as I do. And I know for me, I don’t want it to end.”
“Then why stop?”
“You aren’t mad?”
“Was Reg?”
“That’s hard to say. It was a little different for him. He found us in his bed.”
Will suppressed the chuckle.
“And he whipped you both, I assume?”
“No, but he had that way about him that makes me shiver, and I still have no idea what happened between Jocelyn and him after I left.”
Will’s response to her tale was so completely unexpected, Alex couldn’t believe her good fortune, especially after the last major ‘behind his back’ sexual antic had almost destroyed their relationship. “So you’re not angry?” she asked again.
“I don’t know. I’ll think about it. Probably as much as I’ll think about you and Jocelyn in bed together.” He snickered again, then took another bite of food and eyed her affectionately. His whimsical attitude was hard to read, but apparently, at least fo
r the moment, her ass was safe and there’d be no testy fireworks.
***
Meeting on their lunch hour in private corners of busy restaurants seemed like stealing time away from an hour glass about to run out of sand. Even their telephone conversations were guarded as if their husbands were listening in. Finding time to make love seemed like a dangerous venture and their affair taking on such a different tone with their husbands knowing the truth and saying so little.
“What did he say?” Alex asked Jocelyn anxiously as the two sat down in the booth of a coffee shop. The restaurant was just minutes from their offices, though it was right in the vicinity of Reggie’s office complex, and they couldn’t help their furtive glances, as if they expected Reggie to appear around the corner at any moment.
“Very little. And I don’t trust him. Not as far as I could spit,” she replied. “He did lay it on about honesty, but the message was so subtly delivered, kind of came around the corner and slapped me in the face. Have you ever had a man reprimand you on an evening horseback ride?”
“Horseback?”
“Very subtle.”
“But very Reggie. So he didn’t punish you?”
“No. Might have been easier if he had.”
“And you think he’s planning something?” Alex asked.
“What do you think? You’ve known him longer than I have.”
“Not the way you know him.”
“I don’t know what he’ll do, but maybe there’s nothing to worry about. So, what happened with Will?”
Alex smiled, thinking back to the odd conversation over her beloved egg rolls and fried rice. “He grinned and looked amused, and then dropped the conversation altogether like it was no big deal.”
The Alexandra Series Page 53