by E. L. Todd
“Well?” Diane said impatiently. “Are you listening to me?”
The anger shot through me. I couldn’t believe Sean humiliated me like that. He must have paid my mom to keep her out of my way. The fire burned inside me. I ignored Diane and grabbed the keys to my BMW. “Shut the hell up and get out of my way.” I slammed the door and marched passed her like she meant less than dirt.
“I’m talking to you!”
I peeled out of the driveway and sped down the road. I was so angry, my hands were shaking. I gripped the steering will until my knuckles hurt. When I imagined Sean’s face, the adrenaline coursed through me. I wanted to rip his throat out.
After I arrived at the building, I took the elevator to his floor. The doors opened and I marched down the hallway. People greeted me and smiled. I ignored them, a pissed look on my face.
I stormed into Sean’s office but he wasn’t there. Then I approached Mark, his assistant. “Where is he?”
“Uhh…” He cowered at the angry look on my face. “He’s in a meeting right now.”
“Where?”
“He can’t be disturbed—”
“Where!”
He pointed at the office across the hall. The walls were made of glass so it was seen from the outside. Men sat around a table wearing suits. They were probably talking about figures and money.
“But he can’t bothered,” Mark said. “This meeting is very important.”
I ignored him then approached the glass. I took my phone and sent him a message. Get out here now.
Sean pulled out his phone and discreetly glanced at it. His eyes widened then he looked at me. Then he stood up and fixed his tie while he excused himself. Mike looked at him with a confused expression.
Sean came out and shut the door behind him. “Baby, are you okay?”
I shook my head, so angry that I didn’t know what to do with myself. “How dare you give money to my mother!”
Everyone turned their head as I raised my voice. Sean’s eyes widened.
“How could you do this to me? After everything she did to me, how dare you ask your parents to give her money? God, I’m so fucking humiliated! I’m so angry I could slap you right now.”
“Baby—”
“Don’t baby me!”
He flinched. “Let’s go into my office and talk about this.”
Mike opened the door. “Dude, what the hell are you doing?”
“I have to take care of something,” Sean said. “Finish the meeting without me.”
“What?” he snapped. “You’re the other CEO of this company. We need both signatures, dude.”
“Just figure it out,” Sean snapped.
Pragmatism settled on my shoulders. I was livid with Sean and wanted to rip his head off but it could wait. “Finish your meeting. Hopefully, I’ll still be around when you’re done.” That was such a cold thing to say, but it slipped out.
Sean’s eyes turned to a color I’ve never seen before. “Let me explain myself. Wait in my office. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and refused to look at him.
“Promise me you’ll wait.” I could see the fear in his eyes. He was afraid I would pack my shit and leave him. He knew what he did was bad, bad enough to break my trust and our marriage. “Promise me.”
“I promise. And good thing my promises actually mean something.” I walked off then slammed the door of his office. I sat down on the sofa and waited for him to finish his meeting.
An hour later, he came inside the office and locked the door behind him. I thought I would calm down after waiting so long, but I was more upset than I was before. I glared at him with hatred.
“Let me defend myself,” he said firmly.
“You lied to me! How could you do this to me? Now your parents know where I come from? You had them give her money? Sean, do you have any idea how mortifying that is?”
“I know. I get it. But let me explain.”
“God, I want to hit you!” I’ve never been this mad before. I wasn’t sure if the pregnancy hormones were the culprit.
“You can hit me when I’m done,” he said. “She showed up to the wedding and I couldn’t get rid of her. I didn’t know what else to do, but letting you see her wasn’t an option. It was your wedding day, the greatest day of your life. There was no way I was going to let your mom ruin that.”
“So you give her money?” I asked incredulously. “There were a million other things you could do. You didn’t have to ask my fucking in-laws to buy her off.” I gripped my head so I wouldn’t slap him.
“I couldn’t call the cops because she wasn’t violating any laws. And she refused to leave. There was no way I could hide her from you. When we got into the limo, I knew she would do something to you.”
“And that would have been better than asking your parents for money! God, no wonder why Diane hates me. I really am an embarrassment.”
“Don’t say that,” he snapped.
“It’s true! And you didn’t even give me the courtesy of the truth. What about all those vows you said? Did you mean any of them? Does lying not bother you?”
“Scarlet, I never lie to you. But the only reason I kept this from you was to protect you. Okay? I was just trying to give you the happily ever after you deserved. I’m your husband and I’ll take care of you.”
“That was a stupid decision, Sean. You don’t think she’s just going to come back and want more? You don’t think she’ll pester you when she spends it all? And now I have to live with the fact that your parents paid for my mistake.”
“Look, only my dad knows. I told him not to tell my mom and he promised he wouldn’t. I have no idea how she found out. But I can guarantee my dad didn’t say anything.”
“That doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me—your fucking wife!”
“Because I didn’t want to hurt you! I promised my dad I would pay him back. I’ve been good on my word and have returned half the amount to him. He isn’t paying for our mistake. I am—your husband.”
I covered my face. “I’m still humiliated. God, Andrew must think the worst of me.”
“He doesn’t,” Sean said gently. “You know what he said? He said he admired you from coming from such humble beginnings. That you are an extremely strong and special woman. If anything, I think he started to love you more.”
Only Andrew, the sweetest man in the world, would think that way.
“And I had Ryan’s permission. We both couldn’t figure out what to do. It was the lesser of two evils.”
“You still haven’t justified why you didn’t tell me after the wedding.”
He sighed. “Did you really want to know? Did you want to tarnish that memory with the evilness that is your mother?”
“When your dad is paying for it, yes.”
Sean ran his fingers through his hair. “The bottom line is, I tried to protect you. I made the decision as your husband and tried to shield you from that bullshit. And that somehow makes me an asshole? Every time anything happens between us, I’m always trying to do the right thing for you, but it somehow means I’m a fucking jackass.”
“Well, fucking Janice and Penelope constitutes you as an asshole.” That flew out of my mouth like a bolt of lightning. That was below the belt and I knew it.
Sean’s eyes ignited in flames. “You’re never going to forgive me for that, are you? Every time we have a new fight, you throw that in my face. Every fucking time! Look, I’m sorry. What else do you want me to say? Do you want to argue about that for another hour?”
“Don’t be a smartass.”
“Then don’t be a bitch.”
My eyes widened in hurt.
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I take that back. I’m just upset.”
“Fuck you, Sean. I’m supposed to be your wife but you constantly deceive me. My mother knows where I am, who I married, and where I live, and you didn’t bother telling me. It’s my family and I have the right to know
.”
“No, I’m your family.”
I reached for his office then opened the door. I waited for Sean to stop me but he didn’t. I hovered, waiting to be halted. I realized he was just as angry as I was. I slammed the door and didn’t look back.
4
Sean
Every time I tried to put my wife first, it always bit me in the fucking ass. What should have I done? Told her about it while she was fixing her veil? Sometimes there was no winning with her. I was livid with my wife. When it came to me, everything I did was in black and white, but when it was anyone else, there actions were judged in shades of gray.
And it pissed me the fuck off when she threw our past in my face. Did she think I still didn’t feel like shit about that? I would always regret my actions in the beginning of our relationship. But she said she forgave me and we needed to move on. So much for that. She would always resent me.
I needed my space right now. I knew Scarlet better than anyone, and I completely understood her thought process, but that didn’t dim my anger. I still thought her reaction was wrong. She didn’t need to storm into office and cause a scene in front of my employees and colleagues. It was childish.
I stayed at the office hours after I should have left. Everyone went home for the day except for a few nighttime lurkers. I caught up on some paperwork then lay on the couch. I wasn’t planning on going home tonight. For the first time, I didn’t want to see my wife. She didn’t want me there anyway.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, meaning I had a text message. I wanted to ignore it but I couldn’t. I was always paranoid Scarlet would need me. Now that she was pregnant, I didn’t want her to accidently fall or get sick. I pulled out my phone and looked at the screen.
Are U coming home?
It was Scarlet. No.
Minutes passed before she responded. I’m not happy with you either but we promised each other we wouldn’t sleep apart when we fight.
I remembered what I said. But that was because Scarlet was a flight risk all the time. I wasn’t planning on moving in with Mike just to avoid my wife.
She messaged me again. I want you to come home. Now do it.
I could hear the command in her voice.
Sean.
Even when I was pissed at her, I always gave her whatever she wanted. Coming.
When I came inside the house, all the lights were off. The girls were already in their bedrooms. Like it was programmed within me, I checked every door and every lock. I had a security system put in the house so I could keep Scarlet safe. I armed it so I could sleep better at night. I planned on getting a gun soon. I hated violence, but after what happened to Scarlet, I needed to make sure my wife and baby were safe. I’d kill anyone who broke into our house. Even if they were just there to steal our shit, I’d put a bullet in their head just so I wouldn’t risk it.
I came into our bedroom and saw the covers tucked around Scarlet. Judging by her regular breathing, she was awake. I took my clothes off then got into bed beside her. I wasn’t in the mood to make love to her. I was too pissed.
When her hip brushed mine, I felt her bare skin. I knew she was naked. When I thought about her baby bump, I got hard. I never knew I would be so turned on by a pregnant woman. Well, not just any pregnant woman. My wife. Her breasts were larger and her nipples were tender. When I sucked on them, she gasped.
I liked watching her stomach when she was on top of me. The hardness and roundness reminded me of the baby inside, and what I did to put it there. It was a biological reaction. I was aroused by the thought of spreading my seed.
Before I knew it, my cock had elongated and now it leaked from the tip. I was horny but angry at the same time. I didn’t feel like making love because I was frustrated with Scarlet, but I wanted to come inside her.
She probably wasn’t in the mood anyway, but I would still get my way. She was on her side so I moved behind her, my chest against her back. She didn’t flinch when I came near her. It was like she expected it.
I lifted her leg then inserted myself. I moaned when I felt the slickness. I rocked into her hard, not kissing her or touching her. Her arm wrapped around my neck and gripped me. Her ass bounced on my dick, getting her off. She kept quiet as she had her orgasm, like she was afraid to admit I could make her come when she was still pissed. When she was tight around my cock, I reached my bliss and came deep inside her. I stayed still until I was completely done. After I finished fucking my wife, I moved back to the opposite side of the bed and kept my distance. I loved my wife more than anything but I wasn’t in the mood to snuggle—not tonight.
It was awkward the next morning. Scarlet and I had breakfast at the table but neither of us spoke. We didn’t even look at each other. It was clear we were both waiting for the other one to apologize first. I know I hurt Scarlet, but I felt justified in my actions and I stood by them. She could deal with that. She needed to apologize for blowing up at me.
She sipped her water then ate her vegetarian omelet. Scarlet had become a picky eater after our last visit to the doctor. She wanted to make sure our baby was well fed and nourished.
I ate my breakfast while I stared at my plate. Monnique joined us but she was silent, depressed over Cortland.
“Do you have your interviews today?” Scarlet asked.
Monnique flinched when she realized someone was speaking to her. She had a lost look on her face. “Oh yeah. Hopefully, they’ll go well.”
“You’ll do great,” Scarlet said with a smile. “Don’t be nervous.”
She didn’t seem nervous to me. In fact, it seemed like she didn’t give a damn. When I finished breakfast, I abandoned my plate and grabbed my bag. Scarlet didn’t walk me to the door like she normally did, and I didn’t wait for her. I got into my Ferrari and turned up the music, trying to get into a good mood before work.
I walked into Mike’s office around lunchtime then cringed at what I saw. Mike had Cassandra on his desk, and he was standing between her legs, kissing her and groping her. “Wow…” I turned away quickly. “Sorry.”
Mike pulled Cassandra’s skirt down then glared at me. “Knock, jackass.”
“You’re one to talk,” I said sarcastically. “It’s payback time, bitch.” I turned back toward the door.
“Hey, what the hell happened yesterday? Why was Scarlet so pissed?”
“None of your fucking business.”
“Damn…someone isn’t getting any.”
That just made me angrier. “Shut the hell up, Mike.” I slammed the door and went back to my office.
I finished my workday with a sour mood. I was pissed Scarlet hadn’t apologized to me. I was sick of putting her first then being called a jackass for it. Scarlet was a smart girl and she had a pragmatic side to her, but she failed to use it now. And I wasn’t giving in. If she wasn’t withholding sex from me, then she had no weapon to get me to talk.
When I came home, Scarlet was in her office. I hit the beach for a long run then showered before dinner. Scarlet was silent during the meal. Monnique didn’t join us because she was too depressed to eat. I didn’t look at my wife. I ate the food off my plate and pretended I was alone. We were both giving each other the silent treatment, and we’d ever gone this long without talking. Sometimes she texted me and asked a question unrelated to our fight. Too obsessed with my wife to ignore her, I answered every question.
She pushed a check across the table. “Give this to your dad.”
I grabbed it and looked at the amount. “Why are you giving me two and a half million dollars?”
“To pay off your dad for giving my mom that money.”
That just pissed me off. I grabbed the check and ripped it into pieces. “I made this decision and I will take care of the money. Don’t worry about it.”
“But—”
“I will take care of this,” I snapped. “Your money belongs to you. And don’t you dare go behind my back and give this to my dad.” I gave her an angry look so she knew I wasn’t fucking around.
Then I left the kitchen and retreated to my office. I didn’t want to look at Scarlet right now.
A few hours later, Scarlet knocked on the door. “Sean?”
“What?” I said through clenched teeth.
“Your dad is here to see you.”
I opened the door. “Is everything okay?”
“I think so.”
I walked around her then headed down the stairs. My dad was sitting on the couch. “Hey, Pops.”
He stood up and embraced me with a hug. “How’s it going, kid?”
“Good. What’s up with you?”
“Well, you probably know why I’m here.” He put his hands in his pockets and stood straight. Even though he was old in my eyes, he still stood tall and proud. The light in his eyes hinted at his youth. And he still had a bounce to his walk.
It was probably about the money issue with Scarlet’s mom.
“Your mom is in tears every night over this…misunderstanding.”
“What?”
“This issue with Scarlet,” he said.
“Oh. Well, it’s not a misunderstanding. Dad, you didn’t hear what she said. She was brutal to Scarlet, telling her she was an embarrassment to this family. She keeps pulling this shit and I’m not going to put up with it. Scarlet deserves better than that. You should be talking some sense into her, not me.”
“Well, you know how she is…”
“I can be the bigger man as much as I need to be, but I’m not asking Scarlet to do that. She always plays nice and tries to make it work, but my mom keeps treating her like shit. I’m sorry. I’m not doing it. She either apologizes and means it, or that’s it.” Just thinking about the way my mom talked to Scarlet pissed me off all over again.”
My dad sighed then pondered his next words. “I really want to see my kids, Sean. And I really want to be around Scarlet while she goes through this amazing time. I’m going to be a papa. Please don’t take that away from me.”
“Dad, it’s not like that. You can come whenever you want. You don’t even need to call. I’m not stopping you from seeing us.”