by C. M. Steele
I don’t understand why I’m not giving her a baby. I want her carrying ten of my babies inside her womb, but it is what it is. It’s not as if it’s going to change anything if we don’t have babies. I love her with every damn fiber of my being. And I sure as fuck love being buried deep inside her. Our sex life is still on point. We’ve been married for almost two years, and every fucking chance we get, we’re coming wildly.
She has to know she’s my world. Every day I tell her that I love her. The door closes a bit forcefully behind her. We will be talking later. That’s for sure. I’m not letting that lousy attitude get between us. I hear the door behind me, but I’m still focused on my grumpy wife. She’s all that matters to me.
“Mr. Harris, can I have a word with you?” I internally cringe before I turn around to see Tiffany Morris. She’s a client of ours, and her project starts tomorrow. I’m leaving my lovely wife for a week in order to oversee the damn starting of the build.
Ben wants me to handle her job because he didn’t want to deal with anything that would take him away from his family. Mira was busy with their son and a second on the way, and he’s on call. They still have about two months left, but he’s a bit on the worried side.
“Sure, Mrs. Morris. What brings you here? Our project doesn’t start until tomorrow.”
“Yes, well I had some more last-minute changes that I wanted to go over with you.”
I do my best not to lose my shit, but I knew from the moment she stepped into Rough Hands that she was going to be a pain in the ass. I go around and pull a pad of paper from Brenda’s desk. Then take a seat on the edge. “So…what can I help you with?” I’m getting a fucked-up feeling about her which is about to end badly if she lays a hand on me.
“Well, I’ve had some different ideas for the master bedroom. I really need you to see it to understand what I mean, but I wanted to have you stop by.”
“I can’t until tomorrow.”
“Um…oh I thought you could find a way to make it.”
“No, sorry no can do. Our team can be there tomorrow. I’m actually in the middle of handling orders then I plan to take my wife to a nice dinner.”
“Oh, what a lucky woman.” Damn, I don’t care for the way she said that. I’m dreading going out of town to work on this woman’s house. I wonder where her husband is and why his ass lets her handle this shit. Hell, if I would ever let Brenda deal with a bunch of sweaty men. Well, here is different. Every single one of these guys know she’s mine. And I still hate it. Sometimes I wish she’d quit. She doesn’t need to work.
“I’m the lucky one. My team and I will be there at seven in the morning. You can give me the details then.”
“Fine. It’s good to see you again, Mr. Harris.”
I nod and shake her extended hand. She lingers as I pull my hand away, rubbing her nails on my skin. I need to scrub them as soon as she’s gone. I brush them off on my shirt which I know is about to get filthy anyway. She smiles then sashays out of the office. I roll my eyes, hoping her ass trips or something. I could use a laugh. A huff comes from behind me, and I know it’s my wife. Damn, now I could really use a laugh.
I jump off her desk and get a cold glare. “Ben and I are on our way to a meeting. I’ll see you at home.” She walks around me, packing her tote bag, slinging it over her arm before she looks at me again.
I walk around the desk and slide my hand around her waist, pulling her to me. I need to touch her. I can’t stand this fucking tension. “Brenda, I swear you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“I know,” she answers meekly. I bend down and steal a kiss. She doesn’t pull away. Instead, she digs her hand into my hair.
“I love you, Brenda.”
“I know,” she replies. That’s not the answer I wanted, but I know that’s the best I’m going to get. Unless I force her to tell me what I did wrong. For the life of me, I can’t figure it out.
“Are you ready?” Ben says, exiting his office.
I shake my head at him. “We need a minute,” I tell him. Ben nods and walks outside to give us some privacy.
“What’s up, Dane? I have to go,” she complains, trying to get out of my arms.
“No, you need to tell me what’s bothering you. Fuck, Brenda, it’s for better or for worse,” I remind her.
“Now is not the time to talk about it. I have to work, and so do you. We’ll talk tonight.” She pulls away, and before I can pull her in for another kiss, she’s out the door. Damn, I don’t like the way she said that.
Chapter 3
Brenda
I walk out of the office, away from the man I love. Ben and I have work to do, but I can’t stop thinking about that woman, Mrs. Morris. Something about her is bothering me. Women come in here by themselves or with their husbands, and they try to flirt and giggle to get a better deal on the job. It doesn’t work, but most of them can’t help themselves. The men that work here are muscular and manly. It’s been going on long before Dane even worked here, but this is the second time I saw this woman flirt with my husband. He acts professional with her, but she still tries. I want to rip her throat out or pop her fake titties with my stapler.
“What’s up, Brenda? Are you and Dane okay?” Ben asks. I look at him and see the concern on his face.
“Yes, we are,” I lie. How can I tell him when I don’t know how to tell my own husband that I’m living with never-ending jealousy? It’s like a massive influx of women into the office since Dane and I married. I thought I was nuts, but it’s not the case. I pulled the clients for the last six months, and ninety percent of them are women. Many of them were smaller jobs. I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to turn in my two weeks’ notice tomorrow.
Ben frowns at me, then shakes his head. “We’re meeting with Stephen Davis. He’s looking to upgrade his home. I want to take a look at it before offering a rough estimate. It’s supposedly an unfinished basement.”
“Okay, has he giving you a budget? I don’t see it in your notes.” We haven’t done a basement estimate since Jones. It’s been three months, but I have the file notes on hand for reference in terms of sizing and pricing. It does help to have a mini-databases of charges and cost ratios based on previous projects. I hope this guy isn’t a creep like Jones. I didn’t see him more than twice after the initial meeting, but I had a lousy feeling about him.
“No. I was distracted,” he answers reluctantly. It’s rare for him to go in on a project without hearing a base number. Some of these people want a basement done for three thousand dollars. Maybe you can do that if you do all the work yourself. When you hire a contractor, it costs a lot more.
“Well, I hope this isn’t a wasted trip.” I toss out.
He looks at me for a second then back on the road, before saying, “Wow, someone is really irritable. Are you pregnant?”
“No, why would you say that?” I knit my brows together and scowl.
“Because you’re having a seriously short temper lately. You claim everything with Dane is fine and for the past six years you’ve never been this temperamental.”
“Well no I’m not. At least not that I’m aware of.” I was told by my doctor that not every single person gets pregnant right away. It takes time and will happen when it does. It seems like it may never happen, after all, we have had sex almost every single day since we married.
He taps my arm, then says with great sincerity, “I’m saying this not just as your boss but as your friend. Maybe you should check. You’re acting out of character.”
“I can’t be overworked?” I argue. I’m itching for a fight it seems.
“I don’t know. Too much sex and not enough sleep,” he teases.
I nudge him. “Ass.”
By the time we get to the client’s home, I’m in a better mood. Benedict is a good boss. I’m going to hate leaving him high and dry, but my sanity and happiness depend on it. I’m going to miss him and Dane, but I can’t take the stress.
“Mr. Davis?” Ben asks when the mi
d-forties man answers the door.
“Yes, you must be Mr. Carrington. And who is this lovely creature?”
“My assistant Mrs. Brenda Harris.” Fuck, another one of these guys. Is it guys looking for mancaves that are like this or am I just lucky?
“Oh well. Please come in.” Now I want to wait in the car.
“Here it is.” I don’t like the way he looked at me. It made me uncomfortable. And it was raising Ben’s hackles. The basement was dark and creepy looking. It’s not as nice as the other basement before we worked on it. This place said scary. There was no electricity down here. I half expected to see a guy in a chainsaw come out. Yep, glad this is my last free estimate.
During the entire visit, I feel his eyes on me. Several times, I swore he bumped into me. After an hour and a half, we left the house. “That guy was a piece of work. If Dane was here, that guy would have been buried in the creepy basement.”
“Tell me about it. He wouldn’t let that stand for nothing. Something about that guy bothers me. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t trust him.”
“Maybe it’s the fact that he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
“True.”
***
I get home at about five thirty. I haven’t seen Dane without a room full of people all day. It was frustrating. I had the strange urge to run into his arms and have him protect me. I didn’t though. I hardly said a word as I left the office.
Fifteen minutes into starting dinner, I get a call from Dane. “Hey, babe.”
“Hey, I’m working on dinner now.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to be home a little late. One of the guys dropped a freaking pallet over, putting us behind schedule.”
“Oh no. Was anyone hurt?”
“No, babe. Although I want to kick their asses.” There’s a slight pause before he continues. “Brenda, you aren’t going to leave me, are you?”
“Never, Dane. Never. I love you. In fact, I think I love you more than I reasonably should.”
“You could never be considered unreasonable for that.”
“What time are you coming home?”
“Hopefully by ten.”
“Goodness, so late. This sucks. I’m not going to see you for a whole freaking week.”
“I know. Tell me about it. I have to be stuck with five smelly fucks who are going to be stinking up the bathroom.”
“Well, Dane. I’ll see you when you get home.”
I finish dinner within the next hour, but I can’t eat. Turning in my resignation is weighing heavily on me and making my stomach churn. Maybe I should talk to Dane about it first. No, he’s going out of town and doesn’t need the stress of worrying about me. I’ll try to be upbeat when he gets home.
I lay on the couch with a Chris Farmer thriller that I just picked up from the Kindle Store. I take a sip of the large glass of wine I poured myself to relax. A good book, a great Moscato, and a comfy sofa is the perfect way to unwind. After about half the bottle, I look at my phone to check the time. It’s a quarter to eleven. I drop my phone and tablet onto the table as I doze off.
Chapter 4
Dane
Fuck. Getting things together for the start of the project took a lot longer than I expected. I got home to our condo, and Brenda was already sleeping with her body curled up on the sofa. I growl and open the fridge for a beer. I see the food she made me, but I’m too upset to even eat. I think my busy schedule is bothering her. With more and more expensive jobs I’ve spent more time away from home. She fell asleep before I could see her. Never, Dane. Never. I love you. In fact, I think I love you more than I reasonably should. I replay her words in my head. Now, I’m getting it. She’s lonely. I’m going to have to fix it.
I lean down and brush her hair away from her face. I leave a slight smudge on her. I need a shower, so she doesn’t feel the grit on me from my long sweaty day. As soon as I’m out, I slip on some shorts and go pick up my sleepy wife. When I get her into bed, I pull her into my arms. “You showered?” she questions accusingly with her eyes half open.
“Yeah, we just spent the day loading the truck with materials. I was covered in sawdust and grit.”
“Oh, okay. Goodnight.” She goes back to sleep but thankfully doesn’t pull out of my arms. I hold her tight because I need to feel her close to me.
I don’t know what time it is when I feel her lips on mine. I moan out, lifting her onto me. My hands thrust into her hair as she slips her tongue into my mouth. Sleepily, we love each other. I take off her top and suck her breasts. She works her panties down as I push down my shorts. My cock is hard and ready. Brenda adjusts herself, lowering onto my length. “I love you, Brenda.”
“I love you, Dane.” She rocks her hips back and forth, rubbing her clit against my base. Fuck, I barely have my eyes open, but I’m so damn close. She does this to me. Even in my sleep, I’m ready for her. Our movements are fluid and perfect. We make love unhurriedly until we come together.
***
I wake up at four in the morning when my alarm blares. My wife rests on my chest, and I hate to move her, but I have to go. I slip out from underneath her, and head into the bathroom. When I come out, I see her sitting up in bed. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“Morning, handsome. Wow, you’re ready to go.” I’m standing naked as a jaybird. My cock is more than ready.
“Always for you, Brenda.”
My phone starts ringing, and Brenda grabs it off the nightstand. “I don’t know this number,” she says, handing it to me. I sit on the bed and answer, “Hello.”
“Dane, this is Tiffany. What time are you all getting here?”
“Mrs. Morris, I told you yesterday, seven in the morning. I’m not sure how you got this number,” I inform her angrily.
“Is your wife right there?” she challenges as if I have a reason to hide anything from Brenda.
“Yes, but what does that have anything to do with it. I asked how you got my number,” I scathingly question. I’m starting to get pissed, and there went my erection.
“I called last night and spoke to one of the workers there. He gave it to me,” she answers with a bubbly voice. I want to vomit, but I need to get this shit straightened out.
“Which one?” I grit out.
“I don’t remember his name. He sounded Hispanic.” She sounds unsure. I’m so tempted to tell Ben that I’m done with this client.
Instead, I just respond angrily, “Okay thanks.” I hang up the phone. “Sorry about that, Brenda.”
“I don’t trust that bitch,” she animates.
I lean over and pull her into my arms. “I know.” I kiss her lips like I’ve wanted to since I woke up. “She claims she got my number from a Hispanic guy at the work yard.”
“We don’t have anyone with a Hispanic accent working for us.”
“Exactly, so how did she get my number?”
“Really, is she stalking you?” she asks. It’s a little unnerving that she would be.
“I don’t know if she’s anxious about the property or if she’s overstepping civility. It’s starting to cross the line. She was there yesterday morning, then claims she called to talk to me and has my number. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I don’t trust her,” she reiterates.
“Do you trust me?” I have to know that she’s not going to doubt me and run.
“I do trust you, but…”
“But what?”
“I can’t stand the thought of her even looking at you.”
“I’ll call you as often as you want. I’m mostly there to keep it organized, but I’ll do my best to stay away from the twat as much as I can.”
“Okay. I’ll do my best not to drive over there and choke a bitch.”
“Good. I’m glad. I can’t have you going to jail, but then again, they do still conjugal visits, right?
“Asshole.” She hits my arm, but then I push her down onto the bed and maul her sexiness.
“Stop, you’re going
to be late.”
“Damn it, you’re right. But I love touching every part of you.” I kiss her one more time and start getting dressed. She jumps in the shower because she needs to get up soon anyway.
“You should just rest,” I call out.
She stepped out from the bathroom about ten minutes later with a towel wrapped around her body and tucked closed with her massive tits. I groan looking at her sexiness. “Well since you won’t be home, I’ll actually have plenty of time to sleep,” she mutters with feigned outrage. I wonder how much of that outrage is real.
“Well, I’m still going to miss your pretty ass.” She rolls her eyes and rushes up to me for a kiss.
“Be safe, Dane.”
“Same to you. I hate leaving you at all. Call me when you get to work.”
“Okay.” We share one more long, deep kiss before I run out the door. If I stay, I’ll be taking her back to bed and having my wife for breakfast. Damn, I’m tempted to turn back around, but I don’t.
Chapter 5
Brenda
I fall onto the bed and cry. I’m being ridiculous, and I know it. Dane has never given me a reason to doubt him. Even when he first came to work for Benedict, he focused on me and didn’t see another woman. It took me forever to surrender to the feelings that I had for him since day one. Maybe that’s why I’m so worried I’ll lose him. I fought my heart so long that I regret wasting all that lost time.
My alarm goes off on my phone. Damn, it’s time to get myself together and go to work. I hate to tell Ben that I’m done working for him, but it has to be done.
I make it into work just in time to catch cries coming from Ben’s office. I went into Dane’s office and sat at his desk until they were done. I heard the door open, and Mira says, “I hope Brenda’s not here yet. Shit, I was a little too loud.”