by Evelyn Vox
We cuddled for a little while longer before eating a snack, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches this time, and going to sleep in Derek's room. His house was cozy and full of charm. One would never expect a sex dungeon underneath all the hardwood floors. I was so exhausted I could have fallen asleep on said floor, but his bed greeted me like a cloud, and I was out the moment my head hit the pillow.
I woke up feeling startled. I didn't know why. It was still dark outside. I looked at the clock and saw it was a little after two in the morning. I blinked, trying to figure out what startled me. Derek was out cold, but my heart was thumping. Something jolted me. My instincts were in full alert, my ears straining, when I heard footsteps outside the bedroom window. I watched in horror as a head peeked between the space in the curtains. A dark eye looked into the bedroom.
"DEREK," I shrieked, jumping backwards so far that I almost tumbled over his body and off the bed.
His huge form soared into life on the immediate offensive. His eyes darted around, looking for the threat. I pointed to the window where that eye still watched us. Derek rushed up with a snarl and ripped the curtains open to reveal a young woman staring at us.
She stumbled a bit, clearly drunk, and placed her palms wide against the window.
"Derek, baby," she pounded on the glass, "let me in, sexy."
"Lori," Derek breathed.
He didn't say a word as he strode out of the bedroom. I heard the sounds of the front door open and saw the woman lurch away from the window. I threw on one of Derek's shirts and walked into the living room. Derek was trying to get this woman to lie down on the sofa, but she was pawing at him. She slobbered at his neck and threw herself at him, like it wasn't the first time she had climbed his body like a ladder.
"Who the fuck is Lori?" I demanded, hands on my hips and voice simmering with rage.
For the first time since I'd met him, I saw a flash of fear creep into Derek Drake's face.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
LEXIE
Derek opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off when Lori jumped up and kissed him on the mouth. My blood was roiling. I watched him struggle with her. She grabbed at him between his boxers. Finally, he shoved her off with disgust plastered all over his face.
Lori was petite, brunette, and had more curves than a winding road. Ample cleavage was all but popping out of a trap tank top and she fought tooth and nail to get at Derek. Her short, tight denim skirt had ridden up her thighs to give us a glimpse of a neon pink thong. It really stood out against the fake tan.
He was holding her at arm's length.
"Would it be unethical to get the ropes?" he joked, but I only scowled at him. So, this was how it felt when the tables were turned.
"She's your piece of ass, isn't she?"
"MMM, yep," Lori giggled in response.
Derek huffed at her and tossed her on the sofa.
"Don't move," he commanded, and Lori nodded, her head swaying dangerously on her neck.
What a drunken mess. Derek came towards me, reaching out for me, but I slapped him away.
"Don't you fucking touch me," I bit out. He looked like I'd slapped him in the face.
"Alexandra, it's not what it looks like."
"You did all that to me downstairs because I was with Brian," the anger surged through me, and tears threatened to fall as I said the words, "and all the while you've had her on speed dial?"
I thought about the way she went at him like a sucker fish, and something cracked in my heart. I didn't give him a chance to answer. I ripped my collar off and threw it on the ground at his feet.
"You're a fucking hypocrite," I screamed at him before I gathered my things and called a cab.
When I stormed back into her room, he hadn't moved. He was just staring at the collar on the floor.
"Alexandra," he looked up at me with eyes so full of despair that I almost wanted to hug him.
Almost.
"Are you going to bang me or not, big boy?" Lori hiccuped from the sofa, "That lady can join if she wants."
She'd spread her legs and was tracing a hand up the inside of her thigh. I felt sick to my stomach. She was definitely his lover.
"Fuck off, Derek," I said.
It was my turn to storm out of his house in a huff.
DEREK
"Get up."
I gave Lori a good shake on the shoulders. She'd been snoring on the sofa all night. After Alexandra left, once I had overcome the paralyzing emotion that had taken over me, I saw that Lori had passed out. I'd left her there with a trash can and a cup of water next to her on the floor, but now it was time to kick her out.
I had work soon, and a spoiled little Princess to win over. This was all a misunderstanding. Alexandra would calm down once I explained things to her. I'd make her understand. Lori groaned and cracked open an unfocused eye. She looked at me, confused, before sitting up and gazing around the room.
"How did I get here?"
"What, you don't remember stumbling into my yard and banging on my bedroom window?"
"Um no," she was embarrassed and squeamish.
She shook her head for a second and then her eyes widened.
"Oh wait. You were here with some woman, and I...oh."
She saw the glass of water and went for it. I listened to the sound of her desperate gulps.
"What the fuck, Lori?" I demanded.
No further explanation was needed.
"Whoa, chill out," she finally met my eyes, wiped the corner of her mouth with her wrist and said, "can you give me a minute before attacking me?”
"No. I need to go to work. You have to leave and never come the fuck back."
"What the hell, man?"
Her speech came out a little slurred. Great, she was still drunk. What a pain in the ass this woman turned out to be.
"You are going to call a cab and go back to whatever vodka-soaked pit you crawled out of, and never contact me again."
"You're such a fucking asshole. We fuck on the regular, one night you turn into some psycho fuck beast, and then you just disappear. I tried to get in touch with you!"
"I thought the ignored calls and texts would have sent the message, but let me spell it out for you because you're clearly too stupid to get it," I spat out. I was in no mood to deal with this shit, "I don't ever want to see you again. I don't want to touch you again. I don't want you anywhere near me. And if you show up at my house like this again, I will call the cops."
"Who do you think you are, you arrogant fuck boy?!"
She was blustering, red in the face, and stood up to face me on wobbling legs.
She got close, too close, and her breath reeked of stale liquor and sleep. There was a time when I appreciated what Lori had to offer: more tits than a man could handle, an ass you could really grab, and a nice, no strings attached attitude.
But Alexandra was the only woman for me. The moment she submitted to me, Lori ceased to exist.
"Where the hell do you get off treating people like this? You don't want to see me, fine. You find another woman to stick it to, fine, but have the decency to send me a shitty text about it like every other stupid asshole I meet."
"Get out of here, Lori. Now."
"You'll fucking regret this, you prick," she shouted out empty threats as she grabbed her bag and went out the door.
Sensitivity has never been my strong point. It was something I would need to do my best to practice when I talked with Alexandra today. I got ready and drove over to her house early. I'd be damned if I was going to spend the whole day skirting her like a dog with its tail between its legs.
The lights were off when I pulled up the drive and walked into the house.
"Alexandra," I called out after I unlocked the door.
I waited for her head to peek over the railing.
It didn't.
I walked through the house and called her name. She wasn't home and neither were the dogs, which was what troubled me most. She'd never have taken them with he
r if she wasn't going to be gone for a while. I took out my phone and called her. It went straight to voicemail. I tried not to panic as I texted her instead. That same paralyzing emotion was coiling around me, constricting tighter and tighter.
Where are you?
I waited, but there was nothing. No word and no sign of her. I couldn't move. The beast was howling and my chest felt like it was being split open.
I didn't know what to do.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
LEXIE
I'd lost count of how many texts and calls I'd gotten from Derek today. I needed space and time to think. Was he so pig-headed that he couldn't see that?
What I really needed was advice.
I called Emma first thing in the morning and told her point blank I needed to spend the day at her house. She didn't ask any questions. When I got there, she threw me in the backseat of her luxury sedan (she had a driver), and told me we were having a girl’s day, her treat.
After we dropped the pups off at a doggy day care, she took me to a very high-end spa. More than that, she rented out the sauna for the entire day, and we've been waited on hand and foot.
We've been massaged, gotten facials, waxed from head to toe, manicured and pedicured. Feeling wholly refreshed, we were now sitting in a private ocean side villa, sipping sparkling wine, and I finally let it all out. I scrubbed myself clean and told her everything.
“So, he like, ties you up and whips you and stuff?” Em asked, cinnamon eyes wide with curiosity and not a hint of judgement.
“Sort of, but it’s more nuanced than that. He only does it if I’m bad.”
“Damn,” she said as she bit her lower lip and looked wistfully at the sea. I could see her dirty mind imagining it all.
“That’s really hot, Lexie!”
“Yeah,” I admitted, “It is. It’s the best sex of my life. He’s unleashed a part of me I never knew existed and I need to explore that.”
“Totally, I get it,” she took a sip of bubbly that cost more than most full-course meals. “So, what's the problem?"
"It's getting complicated," I sighed, "Brian came home early the other night and I had to leave Derek's house. He wasn't exactly happy about it."
"No, I can't imagine that man would be the kind to share."
"Yeah, and then he punished me for being with Brian."
"He did what?"
"I also think he was eavesdropping on us when he was working on the house."
'That's not okay, Lexie," she said firmly.
"I know. And the best part," the anger gnawed at me still, "is some girl who looks like she lives on the Jersey Shore came to his house in the middle of the night yesterday."
Her jaw dropped.
"You cannot be serious."
"Completely. She was wasted and hammered on his bedroom window while we were sleeping. He let her in and she was all over him, Em. It couldn't have been more obvious that they'd fucked...a lot."
"And he was mad at you for being with Brian," she said with an incredulous lift of her eyebrow.
"I know," I agreed, "it's complete bullshit."
"Absolutely," she said, "look, I'm not telling you that this needs to end. If it's fun and you can keep it a secret, what's the harm? It's clearly something you need to explore, and I'm all for that. But Lexie, you need to set some clear boundaries."
"Right," I nodded. She was making a lot of sense.
"He can't be listening in on you and Brian or maintaining a ridiculous double standard like this. If he's got Miss Jersey Shore, he can't be pissed at you for being with your husband."
My phone rang and I rolled my eyes when I saw his name on the screen.
"And this," I pointed to my phone, "he's been texting and calling me all day. He's freaking out. The possessiveness is hot, but--"
"Only in the bedroom,” Em finished for me, like this wasn't her first rodeo.
"You seem to know an awful lot about this stuff, Em," I teased, "what aren't you telling me about?"
She laughed her Emma York laugh and smiled with those perfect, sparkling white teeth.
"And make this day all about me? No dear, today is about you and the raging bull you have hounding your ass."
"Oh, come on," I pushed.
I was ready for the dirt on Ms.-Fancy-pants-York.
"Another time, I promise," she told me with a flourish of her long-stemmed glass.
"I'll hold you to it," I promised back, "now, what should I do about Derek?"
She sat up and leaned in like she was an expert on how to handle overly possessive handymen.
"You have to sit him down and set those boundaries. There are hard limits on how much he can interfere with your personal life. If he can't deal, then drop his ass."
"I don't know if I can, Em," I said what I meant. "I tried to fend him off as much as I could. If he doesn't agree, I know I couldn't resist being in the house with him all summer."
"Oh please, like he can't give instructions to his crew and oversee this all from a distance? He did that for most of my kitchen," she told me, "there are ways to make it work."
I hadn't realized that was a possibility. If there was a way around having to see Derek every day, a way to get rid of the temptation, that left me face to face with myself and what I wanted. Could I end this? Could I stop this now that I knew what we had together? I sipped my drink and watched the waves crash onto the shore.
Even if he didn't agree to my boundaries, I wasn't sure I wanted to say no to him.
Chapter Thirty
LEXIE
The sun was setting as I drove home. The colors bled orange, pink, and red into the blue sky. When I pulled into the drive way, I saw Derek's pick-up parked in front of the house. I was blinded for a moment by the amber sunlight reflecting off the steel bumper as I got closer.
Donnie and Coco yelped with excitement, whining to be let out of the car. They both sported little pink ribbons around their necks, a gift from the day care. I smiled at them. I was grateful for their presence; little as it was, it was an immeasurable comfort to have them there. Finding Derek still there and waiting for me wasn't really a surprise. That didn't make what I was about to do any less intimidating, though.
Sighing, I opened the car door and let my babies out. I opened the front door to find Derek sitting on the fresh darkness on the steps in the foyer. He lifted his head from his hands and looked at me with a pained expression.
"Oh, for goodness sakes," I said, "you don't have to be so dramatic."
The dogs rucked up and started licking his hands. He ignored them and stood up where they sniffled around his feet before losing interest and running deeper into the house. He stared at me intensely, not moving, and not speaking. The air swelled in the room in a way it hadn't since we first met, and I felt myself flushed as he looked at me.
"What's dramatic, Alexandra," he bit out at last, "is ignoring my calls all day."
"No," I shot back, "what's dramatic is calling me every fucking hour of the day. Get the hint: I don't want to talk."
He walked towards me, unsure. I wasn't used to seeing Derek this way. He was always so confident, so purposeful, but now I had the power and it was driving him crazy. He looked a little unhinged. It was scary. I took an instinctive step back as he approached. He stopped again and looked at me with that same pained expression.
"We need to talk," he said, "I can explain everything."
"I don't need an explanation. It's pretty clear who that woman was."
I put my bags down by the door, putting more space between us in the process.
"I haven't seen her since we started," he faltered and ran a hand through his mop of black hair, "she's left over from my life before you, Alexandra."
I turned to face him with my hands on my hips.
"For it being over, she sure seemed comfortable stumbling up to your house in the middle of the night."
"That won't happen again," he said, walking closer to me. I stood my ground.
"Did yo
u...with her..." I voiced the possibility that was fueling my anger and feeding my insecurity, "has she been in the basement?"
"No," he said quickly, walking closer still, "I haven't taken anyone down there in a long time. She doesn't even know it exists."
"I find that hard to believe, knowing your appetites," I scoffed.
It would be too painful to believe him if it weren't true.
"That's the thing about you, Princess," he said with a soft smile, "you bring out the monster in me. Not all women do."
"Lucky me," I said and rolled my eyes.
He bridged the distance between us and held me by the shoulders.
"You do things to me, Alexandra," his voice was strained with emotion, "I've never felt this way about anyone before."
"Oh," I squeaked out.
I wasn't expecting that.
It was suddenly hard to breathe. His hands squeezed my shoulders, like he was trying to communicate with more than just words, as if I could understand the depth of his feelings through touch alone. I wished it were that easy.
"Lori is just a girl I picked up at a bar. I'd take her home and fuck her, but that was it. And it's over. It's been over."
His face was so honest, his passion so true and earnest. I looked into those eyes full of worry, and I realized that I believed him. Relief flooded me, and I wanted to be held in those big arms, but this wasn't over yet.
"Okay," I told him, "but there are some things we still need to discuss."
His dark brow furrowed.
"Like what?"
I sighed and stepped away from him. He looked hurt that I broke the contact he worked so hard to establish. I walked through the front room and headed into the kitchen.
"Do you want a drink?" I asked over my shoulder.
"Yes," Derek said, and followed me.
I poured us two glasses of bourbon from the same bottle we had the night of the hurricane. I didn't move from my spot, and slid one glass to him across the counter. Having a bit of distance between us would help me keep a clear head. The closer he was, the more my body took over, and I wanted to get this all out.