by Jewel E. Ann
Gus hadn’t forgotten why he fell in love with his wife. He simply couldn’t find her anymore. But he was determined to say goodbye to the stranger that had taken over her body.
“Jello shots. A piñata. And you stay until the party is over.”
“What?” She turned.
“Those are my three wishes.”
He waited and a few seconds later, she chased away the impending darkness with her smile.
“What flavor of Jello?”
“Cherry. Is there any other kind?”
Parker shook her head and continued home.
Chapter Fifteen
The next two weeks vanished. Parker planned the party to both Mr. and Mrs. Westman’s standards—sort of. She also squeezed in two more dates with Mark. However, they didn’t have sex again. She insisted he date her first if they were going to be anything more than a casual hookup.
Gus made it impossible to be around him with his lingering stares and suggestive comments that left her running for an underwear change. It felt like he had his eye on some prize and that it made his time left with Sabrina more bearable; Parker wasn’t too sure she wanted to be his prize no matter how he affected her with his glances, smirks, and seductive pronunciation of her name—no matter how much she simply loved being in the same room as him.
Their relationship had been branded with a cheating stamp even though they’d never had sex. It would forever weigh on her conscience even if he divorced his wife. Parker didn’t know if she could live with that. But she couldn’t deny thinking about Gus when she was with Mark. That had to mean something.
“Why is there a fucking piñata hanging from the tree out back?” Sabrina charged down the stairs in her red, white, and blue dress fit more for an inauguration than a Fourth of July party.
Parker grimaced from the kitchen as she messaged the caterer to make sure they were running on time. “Uh … Gus requested it. Did you two not discuss it?” She settled on the innocent-bystander role for the day.
“Of course not! How could you think I’d agree to something so juvenile? It looks hideous hanging there next to the tent.” Under the stress of her meltdown, a few strands of blond hair sprang from her braided bun.
Parker’s nose wrinkled. “Sorry. I assumed you two made some compromises.”
“I have friends and colleagues who have flown in from Chicago, New York, and Miami; it’s embarrassing enough that I live out in the sticks, but there’s no way I’m going to allow them to see that thing hanging from my tree!”
Gus eased open the door to the garage. “Jesus, Sabrina … I’m pretty sure the guys setting up the tent heard your whole hissy fit.”
He blocked one exit from the kitchen while Sabrina blocked the other, leaving Parker stranded in the middle of Hell.
“Take. It. Down. Now.” Sabrina stomped her bare feet against the tile with each word. A typical three-year-old move.
“If I take down the piñata, then I’m getting out the grill and throwing on some brats and a beer-butt chicken.”
“This isn’t funny. Do you hate me this much?”
“Wow, that’s ironic. I thought the same thing when you replaced our close family and friends barbecue with this uppity party complete with strangers from Chicago, New York, and Miami, white table cloths, and a mandatory stick up your ass requirement to attend.”
Sabrina slowly shook her head as tears filled her eyes. “Your jealousy knows no boundaries.”
Gus rested his hands on his hips and looked at the ceiling, pushing a long breath out his nose. “And what exactly am I jealous about?”
“My success. The money I make. It emasculates you.”
“No. No. And fuck no.”
The caterer texted Parker back. “So …” She interrupted the silence. “The caterer is running on time. I …” She inched her way toward the back door, giving Gus the move out of my way look. “I’m going to see how the guys are doing with the tent and take Rags over to my place so I can do a final sweep for poop.”
Gus didn’t move. Instead, his eyes roamed along every inch of Parker like he hadn’t eaten for days and she would be his first meal. With her back to Sabrina, she couldn’t tell if his wife saw the same look. Parker hoped not because there was nothing subtle about it.
“Excuse me,” Parker whispered.
He dragged his eyes up her legs and over her chest as if he wanted Sabrina to know. When he made eye contact, he grinned. “Of course, Parker.”
It was the Parker of all Parkers. The ultimate fuck-you to Sabrina and an I’m-coming-for-you warning to Parker. She’d hoped for an amicable relationship with Sabrina after quitting. Gus ruined it with one long look and one seductive word.
He eased to the side, giving her minimal space to squeeze past him. As soon as she shut the door behind her, Parker leaned against it and gasped for breath. The time had come to test Gus’s theory. Was Sabrina ready to see her cheating husband or would her lack of readiness veil the obvious?
*
Cars filled every inch of the Westmans’ drive as well as Parker’s drive and front yard. She rented two golf carts and hired a couple of kids on summer break from college to drive people from their car to the tent so the ladies wouldn’t have to navigate Parker’s gravel drive and grassy yard in heels.
The band played, the caterers served hors d’oeuvres and wine, and Sabrina fluttered around greeting guests while the piñata still hung from the tree next to the enormous white tent. It represented the Westmans’ marriage—dangling by a thread or maybe dead, swaying in the breeze with a noose around its neck.
“Part of me is disappointed you followed Sabrina’s dress code.”
Parker jumped when Gus leaned over behind her to whisper in her ear.
“And part of me is so fucking hard right now because this tiny white dress of yours hides so little.”
She swallowed hard and stepped forward a bit to distance herself from his dizzying warmth, minty breath, and nerve-wracking voice.
“You’ve been drinking.” Parker gritted her teeth as she nodded, plastering on a smile for the couple entering the tent. It wasn’t her job to guard the entrance, but it’s where she felt most comfortable—a quick getaway in case World War III broke out between Gus and Sabrina.
“Not a drop. I like being one hundred percent sober when I look at you. No need to dull my senses when the feeling I have around you is pure desire.”
Another pair of clean, dry underwear ruined by his words.
“August?” Sabrina waved him toward her, a painfully fake smile plastered to her face as her so-called friends stood in a circle around her.
“Duty calls.” He walked toward Sabrina but glanced over his shoulder to give Parker a grin and a wink.
Her crimson skin nearly bled on her dress as sweat beaded along her brow, in her armpits, and even between her cleavage. Yet she still grinned because he was the only guy there wearing shorts and of course his matching Cubs shirt and cap.
Retreating to the house, she grabbed her phone from the kitchen counter and fled for refuge in their bathroom at the top of the stairs.
“Damn you, Gus!” She grumbled while shoving wads of tissue into her armpits. The screen to her phone lit up with a text from Gus and a missed one from Sabrina. She pinched her eyes shut and blew out a slow breath.
Sabrina: Be a dear and bring me my lip gloss from my vanity. xo
She wasn’t livid with Parker. Gus’s theory was right, at least with his wife.
Gus: Where are you? I’m eating blah, triangular-shaped sandwiches. When I’m done, I’m going to cleanse my palate with you.
“Not helping, Mr. Westman.” She shoved another wad of tissue in between her cleavage and one in her panties between her legs.
After five minutes of sweat control and splashing cold water on her face, she hurried to the master bedroom to get Sabrina’s lip gloss. There were five lip glosses neatly lined up on her vanity.
Parker: Which lip gloss?
Sabrina: Clear
. The rest are shades of pink.
Parker disagreed. They were all shades of clear.
Sabrina: Sorry. The one I want is in my travel bag. Drawer on the right side.
The travel bag had a ton of zipper compartments. She froze after opening one of the side compartments filled with condoms. As bile climbed up her throat, Parker tried to reason. They had to be for when she traveled with Gus, except according to him, they never went anywhere together, and she knew Sabrina was on the pill because she had to pick up her refill two weeks earlier.
Sabrina: Did you find it?
Parker closed the side compartment and hurried to find the lipgloss. With shaky knees and the clear lipgloss in hand, she returned to the party.
“Thank you, dear.” Sabrina smiled as she unscrewed the lipgloss. “If you see Gus, remind him to go feed Rags.”
Parker nodded slowly. Every word an echo competing with her thundering pulse. “I’ll … um … go feed him.”
“Thank you. Hurry back before dessert is served.”
Chapter Sixteen
With Gus nowhere in sight and Sabrina needing a favor, Parker jumped at the opportunity to make herself scarce.
After grabbing a cupful of his food from the mudroom, she slipped off her heels and walked through the cool grass to her property. “Rags!” She locked the fence gate and whistled for him to follow her to her house.
“Are you hungry?” She shut the door and grabbed a bowl from her kitchen.
His whole backside shook with excitement.
“I’m starving.”
“Shit! Gus … where … how long have you been here?”
He chuckled. “I followed you and Rags inside. How did you not hear me behind you?”
She shook her head. “I’m just a little … out of it.”
“Where are my Jello shots?”
Her eyes narrowed. “In my fridge. You really think it’s a good idea to take them to the party now?”
He locked the door behind him.
“W-what are you doing?”
“I thought we could have our own party. The kind where no one else is allowed in.”
“Nope. Not a good idea. I already RSVP’d to the Westmans’ party and dessert will be served soon, so … no way. No side parties. Unlock the door.”
Gus stepped closer.
“Besides, you ate. I didn’t. And I’m hungry. So I should get back before all the food is gone.”
“The food is shit.” He backed her into the counter and set a mysterious brown bag behind her.
Parker couldn’t breathe, and like Gus she was sober and feeling everything.
“Don’t leave your wife for me,” she said so fast, six words sounded like one.
Even with the knowledge of Sabrina’s likely affair, she didn’t want to be anyone’s mistress or a homewrecker. She didn’t want to be with a cheater.
Gus flipped his cap backward and ducked down, kissing her neck while brushing her hair over her shoulder. “I’m divorcing my wife.”
Parker hated how her body betrayed her mind. “Not for—”
“For me, Parker. Only me.” He trapped her earlobe between his teeth as his hands gripped her hips for leverage, pressing his body to hers.
Her head fell back, eyes closed, as he dotted kisses along her jaw. She grabbed his biceps for support. “This is … wrong,” she whispered as his lips hovered over hers.
“It’s not wrong anymore. It just is.” He kissed her hard, and she moaned into his mouth as their tongues tasted each other.
When his hands slid up her waist and cupped her breasts, part of her died of guilt while part of her came to life as she felt wanted, desired, and filled with hope for something of her very own.
She thought of the condoms and let him unzip the back of her dress—sin loved a good excuse.
“I-I don’t…” her words came ragged and breathless as he worked his mouth back down her neck “…think we … can do this.”
Gus’s lips, pressed against her skin, curled into a smile. “I disagree. I’m feeling very capable of this.”
Her dress dropped to her ankles. The brush of his teeth against her bare nipples shot waves of prickly chills along her skin.
“Gus …” She thought of the condoms as her eyelids grew heavy, and she arched her back as his hands held her breasts, thumbs ghosting over her nipples—sin loved justification.
Their affair started weeks before that moment. Would sex make it any worse? Hell was Hell. She could only be sent there for eternity once.
Releasing her breasts, he tossed his cap on the counter and clenched the hem of his shirt, removing it in one quick motion. So much for old man love handles and a beer belly. Gus had sexy muscles and a slender waist. Parker had seen it more than once, but each time it amazed her. There was no way Sabrina’s possible affair had anything to do with her husband letting himself go.
It took her a few seconds to realize they were both staring at each other’s naked chests.
He smiled. She smiled but hers faded a bit, and she covered her breasts with her hands.
“Uh … what’s in the bag?”
“Parker …” He kissed her hard again. She released her breasts and threaded her hands through his hair. His hands began to unfasten his navy cargo shorts, exposing the hard bulge barely contained by his briefs.
“N-no …” She broke their kiss. “Not sex.”
Gus’s hands gripped the counter on either side of her as his forehead rested against hers. “Jesus, Parker … o-okay.” His ragged breaths washed over her face. He nodded against her. “No sex.”
“No sex.” Her voice quivered as her hands clawed at his back. Those words were the only part of her that maintained control, which would have been great had they been in the middle of phone sex.
When Gus’s hands slid under her ass, she sucked in a sharp breath. She wrapped her legs around him as he rested her butt on the counter and cradled the back of her head keeping it from hitting the cabinet.
Pressed to her lips, he moved his mouth with hers and rocked his pelvis into her. His erection rubbed against her clit. Two thin layers of cotton kept them from having sex.
“St-stop ….” she murmured over his lips. Again, her hands clawed him closer. A complete mind-body disconnect.
Condoms. Sabrina had condoms in her travel bag.
“I will…” he said in a husky voice as he rocked into her again “…if you will.” His hand made a firm claim to her breast.
Her arms and legs pulled him closer as her heels dug into his backside—every move greedy and mindless. Gus released the back of her head and slipped his hand under her bottom so he could thrust harder against her, each vying for more friction.
“I’m going to … stop …” She dropped her head to his shoulder and her teeth dug into his firm flesh.
He growled as she bit harder, returning the favor as he sucked the sensitive skin along her neck, rocking their bodies together over and over. “Me … too.” His fingers gripped her ass tighter.
“Ar-are … you … stopping?” Every muscle in her body contracted.
They kissed with more passion than she thought possible in a million lifetimes.
“Mmm-hmm …” He moaned between them.
Parker’s eyes closed to a galaxy of stars. Waves of euphoria rippled along her body settling between her legs in a hard, heavy pulse. She bit her lips together to keep from crying out.
Gus’s hand slammed against the cabinet behind her as his hips jerked into her one last time. “Fuccckk!”
After a few moments of idleness and labored breathing, Parker feathered her hands down his back, inch by inch, as they continued to cling to each other. She let herself have a timeout from the guilt as she imagined a life where she could feel the contours of his body close to hers every day.
Gus ghosted his fingertips along her bare legs, leaving a wake of goose bumps behind them. Slowly, they pulled back just enough to look at each other.
He smiled.
She smiled.
At the same time, they looked down between them at her drenched panties wadded and shoved to the side, exposing part of her soft, pink flesh. A large dark spot stained his gray briefs as well as a wet streak above his waistband that had failed to keep it all contained.
“Why is this sexy as fuck?” Gus asked.
Parker giggled. “My mom would be having a mini vomit about now.”
He chuckled as their gazes met again.
“Thanks for stopping.” She rolled her lips together, but it didn’t completely hide her grin.
“It was the gentlemanly thing to do.”
She let out a toothy smile. It didn’t stand a chance against Gus Westman.
“Best smile in the world.” He kissed her—a quick peck at first, but their lips felt like two magnets with an attraction too strong to resist.
With the same effect as throwing another log on the fire, a new flame flared between them. An insatiable hunger.
Gus fisted her hair with one hand while his other hand slid between her legs for the first time. They may have gotten off on each other like two young teenagers, but they both craved so much more.
He teased her hypersensitive flesh with the pad of his finger, dragging his mouth to her ear as she began to pant. “I want to put my mouth where my finger is, Parker.”
Rags scratched at the door. They ignored him. Parker was well on her way to a second orgasm. He scratched again and barked too.
“Rags …” Gus groaned.
Parker pressed her hand flat against his chest. “Let him out.”
Gus cupped the back of her neck. “When I walk away, you’re going to jump down and put your dress back on, aren’t you?”
Rags barked again.
Amusement ghosted across her swollen lips as she released him.
He stepped back but didn’t fasten his shorts as he walked to the door. “Dog … you have the worst timing.” Rags ran out and barked a few more times.
“He’s telling everyone at the party what we did.” Parker’s nose wrinkled as she pulled on her dress.