I pull up to a beautiful multimillion-dollar estate in the making. An estate I will be decorating along with a dozen others. I wish I could be excited, but the events of today have wiped that possibility off the map. I’m exhausted and totally beat down. Checking in my mirror I fix my face, clearing away the makeup that ran due to my crying. I add a little lip gloss and decide for today this will do.
Travis’s minion is already here. A brand-new shiny black truck is parked in the driveway. It is new and so is the name gracing the side of it. I heard that he had bought up yet another company. Before too long he’ll have a straight-up monopoly on the construction business in the area.
This should be painless. Most of his employees are dolts who couldn’t care less what I want to do. The day should be full of oblivious nods in my direction as I spew my ideas made of genius. Whatever I want to do within reason and the customer’s budget should be given the go-ahead.
I open the door to the model home. My job today is to do a walk-through with one of Travis’s people and suggest structural changes for the other homes that will be similar to this one. It’s going to take hours to go through this place room by room, looking at light fixtures, outlet placements, all the minute details that my clients will want figured out for them.
I call out “Hello” to whomever is within earshot. The place is eerily quiet. Whoever it is I am meeting must be alone. I hear a man talking in the next room. I listen for a second voice, but it becomes obvious this guy is on his phone. I don’t want to sneak up on him, so I move very slowly around the corner, just enough to catch a glimpse.
I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but I can’t help it. His voice is mesmerizing. The baritone is so masculine, so sexy, and so familiar. His arms are bulging out of the short-sleeve polo, the hills of his biceps etched out perfectly. My body comes to life, the moistness below my waist begging to escape the confines of the dark shroud encompassing it.
Get a grip.
I try to catch my bearings. I have work to do. Slowly, he turns to the side just enough for me to see those amazing blue eyes that I would recognize anywhere. I may have been drunk, but not drunk enough to forget those eyes.
Oh God.
I dash behind the wall before I’m seen. How the hell do I always find myself in these awkward situations? I would’ve put money on the fact I’d never have to face him again, and here he is.
This is too much. I have to get out of here.
10
Jack
My patience is seriously being tested. What the fuck don’t the Stones understand about showing up for appointments? It’s bad enough I’m forced to work for the man who basically took my dreams, crumpled them up, and shoved them directly down my esophagus, but now I have to spend the next six months playing nice with his wife? I’m sure she’s pleasant. Not.
I’m picturing a girl who was probably once pretty, but is now trapped in the body of an overweight middle-aged woman. This would account for the reason Travis has seen fit to run around on her the past year, with Carly-I-get-around-Grayson.
He thinks we don’t know? I saw her deep-throating him in his car a few weeks back. Can’t avoid it; he parks his fancy sports car in the middle of one of our current builds to release his tension. If he’s not careful, that wife of his will own his ass.
I glance at my watch one more time. This broad has five more minutes and then I’m out of here. Travis is going to have to get one of his other monkeys to babysit this project. My time is more valuable than this. Shit, I’m the best builder he has, yet here I am wasting time.
Good example why Travis Stone has no fucking business owning a business, period. He thinks with the wrong head and makes the least productive decisions on the work front. He’s going to run this company into the ground before I have a chance to get it back.
I hear something shuffle behind me. Spinning around, I catch a glimpse of a woman heading the opposite direction.
Holy. Shit.
I’d recognize her anywhere. Three months may have gone by, but I had her practically naked in my truck, and it was a sight to behold.
That’s until she all but laughed at my dick by taking a snooze. Then as if it can’t get worse, she spewed the insides of her stomach all over my truck, which by the way had to spend the next day at the truck salon getting a makeover.
Dear God, I have a stage one stalker on my hands. I should’ve known this would be the one and only piece of advice that Parker Hadley would give that is accurate.
You don’t mess with moms and if you do, be prepared for stalker-like tendencies, because those women don’t get the idea of one-night stands.
Sure as shit, the guy knew what he was talking about. Now with my luck, Mrs. Stone will walk in during the middle of me trying to talk this crazy off the ledge.
Fanfuckingtastic.
“Kate,” I yell to get her ass back in here. I am stopping this shit right here, right now.
She turns slowly and my breath hitches.
Fuck. She’s beautiful.
At this moment I don’t care if she is a stalker. I welcome it.
“Jack, what are you doing here?” Her words come out shaky.
What am I doing here?
“Does it matter? You look incredible.” She blushes and quickly fixes her gaze on the floor. I almost forgot just how easily she gets my blood racing in all the right places.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” she murmurs.
She continues talking, but I don’t hear anything. I am mesmerized by those lips. I have never wanted to kiss someone more in my life. I know we hardly know each other, I’m waiting for my appointment to show, but I couldn’t give a fuck. I want to know everything about this woman.
“I’m supposed to be meeting someone here. I’m the interior designer on the job.”
“Wait, what did you just say? Did Travis send you?”
“Yeah. You work for Travis?” Her face pales.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
She can’t be serious? This is Travis Stone’s wife? Wow, I’ve went and done it. Not only did I manage to fuck a mom, but I fucked a married mom. It gets even better, because this married mom just happens to also belong to my boss. Dipshit doesn’t even begin to describe me at this point.
She softens when she sees the look of horror on my face.
“Jack, it’s not what you are thinking.” I cut her off right there.
“You said your name was Kate Cooper. What the hell were you thinking?”
She looks completely baffled. “What? No. I’m not…we’re not still married.”
My body sags with relief.
Not that it’s any better that I fucked his ex, but it would’ve been twice as bad if they were still married, even if he was doing the same thing.
“The night we met was the day our divorce was finalized. My friends insisted we go out to celebrate.” She shakes her head, looking embarrassed. “As you can probably tell, I don’t get out very much. The shots kinda did me in.”
“I’m sorry, Kate. Travis told me I was meeting with his wife.”
“That would be the ‘ex’ Mrs. Stone.” She smiles at me. “My maiden name is Cooper, and I was taking it back. And that night I was trying to leave behind any thoughts of Travis.” She smiles again. “What are the odds?”
She’s got me there. This is some kind of torturous karma from hell being unleashed my way. I have no doubt that karma herself decided to bitch-slap me for all the shit I’ve pulled these past few years. Poor Kate just got dragged into it.
“Jack?” Hearing my name come from her lips has my dick stretching my pants. The visceral reaction my body has to her is maddening. It’s like I’m a fucking hormonal teenager all over again.
Without thinking, I peruse her body from head to toe.
She looks fantastic. Her skirt is borderline inappropriate for a daytime meeting and her white blouse is way too tight, but fuck, is she hot. There is something about this woman all dressed up professionally that
has me wanting to bend her over and ruin her for every other man. The fact I know how tight her pussy is underneath it all doesn’t help.
I’m painfully hard. My gaze trails up farther… Fuck. Were her breasts always so full? The idea of sucking on her nipples has me taking a step closer, until our bodies are practically touching. I look down into her pale blue eyes. The wicked glint in them can’t be missed.
Interesting.
Her chest moves in and out as she breathes.
Game on.
I reach out, pulling her toward me. She squeaks in distress, and maybe objection. I don’t let her protest stop me. Instead, I push away her brown hair and clamp down with my lips on the exposed skin of her collarbone.
Her hands drop to her side. No more protests. Instead, a moan escapes her cherry red lips. The sounds coming from her mouth has my cock begging to be inside her. Trailing my lips up her skin, I sweep my tongue up her jaw until I find her mouth. I devour her.
With my free hand, I reach down and shove her skirt up to her waist. Then I start pulling at her thong until she wiggles her ass and the thong falls to the ground. Using one finger, I spread her open and then drive two inside. Her pussy grips my fingers tightly and a shudder escapes her.
“You like that, don’t you?” My voice is rough and husky. Desperate and needy.
She doesn’t answer. She doesn’t need to. Her moans tell me everything I need to know. That and the fact that she’s fucking drenched. She’s so ready for me, but having my fingers in her isn’t enough. Not nearly enough. I need to fuck her tight cunt.
When she starts to squirm and pulse around me, I know she’s close but I can’t let her finish without me. Pulling my fingers out, I break the kiss.
“God, fuck! I want to taste you. But first I need to be inside you,” I groan against her lips. There’s no time to do this right, or to plan a better place. I can’t think about anything other than fucking her. So that’s what I’m going to do. Right here.
Without another thought. I take her by her hips, and then I turn her body around so she’s pushed up against the console in the hall.
“Hold on tight. This is going to be fast and rough. I’m not going to go easy on you. I can’t right now.” She gets into position, her ass in front of me, teasing me. The idea of taking her there has my dick getting even harder, if that’s even possible. I part her from behind and begin to play with her slit with one hand. With my other hand, I yank at my zipper and pull my dick out.
My cock glistens with pre-cum. A pearl-size bead drips off, hitting her perfect skin. The heat of her pussy is a beacon to me and then my tip opens her. Inch by inch.
I can feel the heat of her body teasing me until I thrust all the way home, bottoming out into her. Giving her a minute to adjust, I hold still and when she opens a little I pull out and then I push in deeper, then drag my cock back out.
In. Out.
In. Out.
From this angle, I’m in so deep, I swear I hit her womb every time I thrust in. My cock is ready to burst already and this has only just started. Keeping up the maddening pace, I hear her gasp as I slam back in and hit her g-spot.
“You feel so good,” she moans into her arms, which are her holding up on the console. I pick up the pace. With each thrust of my hips, I feel her tightening. She’s about to explode, my balls tightening, and I need her to come now.
Reaching around, I stroke at her clit. It’s like a vice gripping my dick. I follow her over, coming deep inside her, leaving my whole body shaking from the exertion from my release.
I pull out and I’m not even tucked back in before she shuffles to standing, her hand on her mouth, and she dashes into the bathroom down the hall.
What the fuck?
Is she throwing up? I might not be close enough to see, but there is no doubt in my mind she’s throwing up in there. I know I fucked her hard, but damn.
A minute later, she strolls back out, wiping her mouth. I wait for her to say something. Anything about what made her sick, ease my guilty conscience, but she doesn’t and the thought infuriates me.
“It’s a good thing you’re Travis’s ex.”
Her mouth drops open at my words.
“What did you just say?”
“Well, if you were anyone else and we got caught, that could have been bad. Well, maybe not for you, since your ex-husband is loaded—” My words die in my throat as her hand connects with my cheek. Shit. That hurts. I open my mouth to stretch out my jaw, lifting my hand to my face. She’s got quite the hook. “Kate, I…” but before I can say anything else, she pushes past me and within seconds, she is out the front door.
The slam echoes through the room. Well, that went well.
11
Kate
My mind goes to the events from earlier. I could suck it up and work with Jack, but I needed some time to process this and get prepared. If he talks to me like that ever again I promise he’ll have more than a red cheek. Seriously, who the hell does he think he is? As if he knows a thing about me and my situation. I bet he’d flip if he knew just how little I received from my divorce, and that this job is probably as important to me as it is to him.
My girls will always be taken care of, but I’m on my own. I’ll always be competing with Mr. Moneybags when it comes to birthdays and Christmas gifts, vacations, and cars. I can never compete with what he’ll be able to afford. I’ll lose every time.
To his credit, I think I might’ve blown that whole thing way out of proportion. I’ll chalk it up to hormones and nerves, but he most assuredly will just think I’m batshit crazy.
It breaks my heart, but reminds me why this job is so important. The commission from this one job will be enough to pay the bills for the rest of the year. I’ll also be able to take the girls on a vacation, just the three of us, and still have a little left over to start a retirement fund for myself. All of these things I took for granted while I was married.
I pull up to my mom and dad’s house. My dad’s truck is here.
That’s odd.
He hasn’t missed a day of work in over twenty years.
“Mom? Dad? It’s Kate.”
“In here, honey,” I hear my mom call from the next room. My father is sitting in his favorite recliner with Mom right by his side, holding his hand as they watch The Price Is Right.
I smile at the scene. My parents haven’t always been this in love. In fact, I can remember a very dark time.
When I was in fifth grade, my parents almost got divorced. My father was caught in a compromising situation at work with one of the office staff. My mom was ready to bail on the situation. Her pride would not let her hear my dad out.
I remember how crushed she was, but she picked up the pieces and continued on with life, completely opposite of how I handled my own situation. You’d think I would’ve learned from her experience on how to deal, but no. My mom reminds me often that every situation is different, and my way of handling it was just that, my way. The wrong way, I’ve realized.
My dad didn’t just crush my mom; he crushed me. He was my hero, one of the good guys. That day I heard about what had happened destroyed that concept for me. I came to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a good guy. They are all capable of evil.
I was damaged long before Travis Stone got his hooks into me, because the one man I trusted with my whole heart let me down.
The day my dad was served divorce papers, he showed up at the house, stormed through the door, and ripped them up in my mom’s face. He threw her over his shoulder—though she wasn’t complaining a whole lot—and disappeared through the door to their once-shared bedroom.
Within minutes, my grandma arrived and took me for ice cream. I now know she was getting me out of the house so they could have it out. They always avoided arguing in front of me. I wish I would’ve followed suit in my own relationship. The girls would be in a much better place if we had.
Hours later, they emerged to explain that there had been a huge misunders
tanding and what my mom thought she had seen was not at all accurate.
Turns out the woman had made an advance at my father that day, which was the first time, but before he had a chance to turn her down, my mom had walked in.
To this day, he admits he doesn’t know how it would’ve gone down if Mom hadn’t have walked in, but he feels that there was divine intervention and her lack of forgiveness had been his punishment and eye-opener.
You don’t put yourself in situations that could turn ugly. You’re just asking for it if you don’t avoid it. We are only human, after all.
But the damage was done. Of course, I forgave my father. I loved him so much, but I never forgot. The scars were already there and my trust in men broken. I was left to deal with the pieces of my heart that had been shattered. Even the truth couldn’t mend them.
My dad studies my face—he knows something is wrong. We are close despite the past. He has tried his hardest to mend fences with me as best they can be.
“What’s wrong, baby girl?” I turn my gaze as to not let my eyes give me away.
“I’m just wondering why you are home.” He gives a sideways glance to Mom before speaking.
“Well, we were going to wait until this weekend to tell you, but I guess we’re caught.” He smiles at my mom, but there is something behind that smile that I can’t make out.
“I’ve decided to retire early.”
“What? I mean, that’s great, but why? I thought you loved your job. Won’t that affect your pension or Social Security or…something?”
I’m baffled. I didn’t realize this was even being discussed. It’s great, but I’m just surprised. I say as much as I watch Mom squeeze his hand.
“We’re not getting any younger, Kate. Your mom and I want to spend more time together, quality time. Maybe we’ll travel. Who knows, but I just don’t want to be a slave to my job anymore. I’ve worked hard for so long, and now, it’s just not what I want to be doing.”
Sex, Vows & Babies: Claim Me, Baby (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 5