I lightly slap Damien’s stomach, and I raise my eyebrow.
He continues, “Yes, she’s bringing Sam.”
Martin says something that causes a mischievous look to pass over Damien’s face.
Damien chuckles into the phone. “That’s an empty threat my friend. I’m not promising shit. Your new girlfriend, Nina, may want to know about that time you dressed up like a drag queen just to go see your favorite band at that club. Oh, yes, I would.”
Damien hangs up the phone, obviously pleased with himself.
“What was that about?” I ask.
He stores his phone as he answers, “Martin was going to draft Sam to give me shit about the trip, so she could get you to make sure I go for two nights.”
I swear that Martin and Sam have become the terrible twosome that I dread putting together because of their constant scheming. It’s surprising how close Martin and Sam have gotten. They’re practically like brother and sister.
I’m aimlessly walking toward the horse paddock behind the barn. I love coming out here to see Gingersnap run freely as she is still a part of my life. Damien and I go for rides often, and I love it.
She’s home, we’re both home now.
During all of the chaos at the house on Tybee Island after Ben was killed, Damien made arrangements for her to be delivered to the house that day. It, of course, caused me to sob at the extreme gesture and knowledge that we really had survived this awful storm.
I make a clicking noise as I approach her, and Gingersnap’s nostrils flare. She’s already on to me that I have a special treat for her. She comes running up to me as I coo her and give her some of her favorite cookies.
“You’re such a good girl.”
A growling noise sounds from the barn. Our new black Labrador puppy, Katie, is attacking one of her toys like it’s a mortal enemy. At three months old, she’s not so much a puppy anymore in size. She still thinks she’s only fifteen pounds when, in fact, she’s more than double that.
Martin and Sam brought the dog over as a joint gift from them to us after the football season ended. It was done so ceremoniously that it had me laughing until I cried. Thinking back on it makes me still laugh.
The doorbell rings. It had been a while since we had seen Sam and Martin due to our busy schedule. Our team had made it to the playoffs, so we spent a majority of our time giving support to the players in North Carolina. Damien was thrilled with the success.
Sports enthusiasts are already predicting a potential Super Bowl win next year with the new additions Sam has signed and is in the process of signing. Mark is considered Quarterback of the Year.
I bound up to the door with Damien in tow, excited to see my friends. The terrible twosome is standing there with their lips mashed together, barely able to hold in their laughter. Martin is holding something behind is back.
Oh geez, what have they done?
Martin speaks first, “Sam and I wanted to get Wales a gift. A practice gift of sorts. We had thought about one of those babies that cries and shit, but we found something much more fitting.”
Sam starts giggling as Martin pulls the cutest little black lab puppy from behind his back. Her little pink tongue is going ninety miles an hour.
I love her instantly.
Our new little puppy has a big red bow on her neck with a card on it. Martin hands the puppy to Damien. Damien is practically scowling at Martin and Sam. I take the card off her neck.
Opening the note, I read it aloud.
I started laughing hysterically as Damien holds Katie, not knowing what to do with her, completely at a loss.
Oh, the jokes that have taken place since then—like when the dog so much as has a cough—are pretty funny.
We’ve fallen in love with Katie, and she loves it here. She’s starting some intense doggie-training school this coming week. She’s going to remain outside, and in the end, I know she prefers that herself.
Bending down, I pat her head as she sniffs me. “Good girl.” Being full of puppy energy has her right back at it attacking the toy again.
I can hear Damien on the phone, and I stand up and make my way to his office door. Since we are in the process of remodeling Damien’s office, he’s moved his office temporarily out here until it’s done. Why he chose out here when he has so many rooms to choose from in the main house is a mystery to me, but hey, he’s the one who has to walk back and forth all day.
Men.
I lean against the door, watching my beautiful husband interview someone for some kind of management position. His eyes snap up to mine, and his demeanor instantly changes. His voice is still stern with whomever he’s speaking with, but his posture becomes lax. I love what my presence does to him. He scoots back, inviting me to sit in his lap, but I have better plans.
He continues talking, “Monica will get you the information.”
I close the office door and lock it.
He continues to answer questions, “Yes, that would be one of my expectations for this position.”
I’m in a green wraparound dress. I untie it and slip it off my body. His eyes grow savage as he realizes my intent for coming down here since I have nothing on underneath my clothes.
He continues on with only the mildest change in his voice that’s only discernable to me, “That part is nonnegotiable.”
He gives me the just-one-minute signal with his finger, obviously trying to wrap up his phone call. “Why don’t you put that together and send it to me?”
Whoever is on the other line is not letting him off, which causes me to smirk.
However, I have needs that need to be met right now. My body is screaming for some relief. I march over to him and straddle him on his chair. He gives me a warning look, but I’m not stopping. If he knew how bad my need was right now, he wouldn’t even question my motives. I reach down and slowly unzip him, freeing him underneath me, as I start to kiss his neck. I can hear multiple people on the phone, and they all seem to be asking him some sort of question.
He continues to answer, “I think that should be tabled for the time being until we come to a resolution.”
There’s definitely more of a strain to his voice as I start to stroke him into a harder state. I lift myself up and lower myself onto his length slowly.
Ah, the relief is incredible.
I sit back as he’s watching me intently. He is partly shocked at my rash behavior but incredibly aroused. He puts his fingers up to his mouth, reminding me to be quiet. He knows I am normally the opposite when we make love, but if it gets me what I need right in this instance, I won’t make a peep.
I lean back and start to slowly ride him—up and down, up and down, up and down. The friction feels fantastic as I start riding faster and harder. I bite down on my lip to keep from crying out. I’m so close to the edge.
Damien’s hand moves out and applies just the right amount of pressure on my clit, and it sends me over the edge to euphoria land. His hand comes up around my back to catch me as I relax from the intense orgasm.
Oh, I needed that. I finally open my eyes and dopily grin at him.
“I’ll be in touch. Thank you for everyone’s time.” He clicks off the phone, and any business that was there, keeping him tethered to the phone call, completely vanishes. “Did you miss me, baby?”
“Mmhmm.”
His lips descend on my breast, and I arch at the contact.
Please let’s do this again and again and again.
“You’ve become quite insatiable over these last few days.”
I just moan as he continues to prime me again. His length is pulsing inside me.
“Please…” Even to my own ears, I sound as if I haven’t had an orgasm in days.
He stands us up with him still inside me and takes me over to the couch where he makes love to me gently. He pumps his hips slowly, hitting every nerve ending, until I’m to the point of a nuclear meltdown. He moves his hips slowly in a different direction that has me spiraling, and this time, I
scream his name. I clench down on him and feel his heat pulsating into me.
I love this feeling.
He’s nuzzling me, kissing me tenderly.
If he doesn’t watch it, he’s going to have to do this all over again in just a few minutes.
“I love you, Alli. Never stop loving me.”
“I love you, too. I’ll never stop. I promise. How much longer until you’re done working?”
He continues to touch me. “I’m done for the day. How about we go and get some breakfast before your appointment?”
My stomach takes this moment to growl. “Sounds good. I have my doctor’s appointment this afternoon.”
His nose traces my jaw. “I still think I should come.”
“No way. You’re not coming for my yearly girl doctor’s visit.”
He chuckles because we’ve talked about this several times. I know he’s seen everything there is of me, but it’s just weird to think of him being there while I’m checked. I have some feminine questions I want to ask my doctor about trying for a baby. I’ve been on birth control for so long, and I just want to prepare myself mentally for it to take a while. I need to process this step we are about to take.
Damien gives me a light kiss. “Are you going to talk to the doctor about going off the pill still? I don’t want to rush you, Alli. This is our decision, not just mine because you know it’s something I want.”
I caress Damien’s cheek. “I want it, too. I’m ready to start trying.”
Damien’s smile is glorious. He’s about to say something when the dog barks, and something crashes outside the door.
Damien immediately gets up. “I’ll be right back. It’s times like this I want to kill Martin and Sam. I love that damn dog, but I’ll be glad when her ass is trained.”
I giggle. “You’re such a good puppy daddy.”
He kisses me hard and laughs. “I’m going to get that bastard back. He forgets he has a girlfriend, and I have a shitload on him.”
I chuckle as Damien gets up to go see what mess Katie has made out in the stable area. I lay there, looking up at the ceiling, feeling the love flow through me. With Damien, I have everything I have ever dreamed of. He’s my everything. We’ve weathered the worst of times and come out stronger for it.
My mom always said, Alli, all you should ever hope for is to have a life filled with trust and love. Nothing else matters.
Trust.
Love.
I have them both. I’ve never been happier in my life. I have my happily ever after.
Sam
My car was packed with the few things I was taking from the sorority, and all my good-byes had been said to the girls.
It was late afternoon. Today had been the handoff ceremony where I passed the torch to the new president. It felt good to officially close that chapter of my life and move on.
A smile emerged on my face as I thought about my new condo in Atlanta. With my recent bonuses from my newly acquired job with Wales Enterprises, I was able to buy a place and furnish it. It felt good to have a place of my own, and I was going to buy a place in North Carolina also. It also helped my mama and dad adjust to the fact that I was moving away. It allowed them to feel like I was still anchored in my home state, not too far from them. I’d be here three to four months of the year, so it made sense to have a place to call mine.
After getting into my car and pulling out my phone, I dialed my best friend, Allison, to tell her the good news.
“He-hello?” Her voice sounded distant and off.
“Hey, girl, I just finished handing off my responsibilities at the sorority. Do you want to go and get a pedicure when I get back in Atlanta?”
I heard a car door open and close. Her breath was quick. Something wasn’t right.
“Allison, what’s wrong?”
“Um…um…I’m just in shock is all. Can I take a rain check on the pedicures?” Her voice was cracking.
“Allison, tell me what’s going on now, or I’m going to have to call Wales.”
I knew it was a low blow, but Damien was the only leverage I had in a moment like this.
She took a deep breath in, and barely above a whisper, she said, “I’m pregnant.”
Immediately, something tightened in my chest. I forced the feeling down. I needed to be there for her. Swallowing hard, I asked, “Isn’t this a good thing? I thought you guys were going to start trying after you met with the doctor today and went off the pill.”
She took a deep, steadying breath and answered me, her voice soft, “I’m ecstatic, Sam. I just wasn’t mentally prepared. I was supposed to go off the pill today. I was thinking it would take months. I’m still processing. I’ve got to think on how I’m going to tell Damien.”
“Just say, hey, you knocked me up, Wales.”
She let out a small laugh, and I knew I had helped the situation, regardless of how a queasy feeling was starting to consume me.
“Sam, I want to make it special, like he’s made everything special for me. I just can’t come out and say it. I need a plan on how to tell him in a romantic way.”
“Allison, just tell him.” I tried to use my stern voice.
“Hey, that’s Damien on the other line. Please don’t say anything to anyone until I tell him.”
The anxiety in her voice was evident. Damien was going to be elated. He had wanted kids for months. My sweet little friend over processed everything.
“I promise. Call me if you need me.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
The moment I hung up the phone, my breaths started coming in and out quickly. What the hell is wrong with me? A want started creeping up in my mind, and I had no right thinking about it. I didn’t deserve happiness. I’m tainted.
Throwing my car into drive, I aimlessly started driving, trying to clear my mind. My body craved a release in order to push down this desire my body suddenly wanted. There was one place I’d be able to get what I needed—Adam’s sex club, Club Envy.
I had stayed away from Adam and the sex club in Atlanta for months after Ben came after Allison. Regardless of what solitude I found at Club Envy, I needed to stay strong. The sex club provided a release to me that I had never been able to find since my incident. It cleared my head from all the excess noise that told me I wasn’t good enough.
There has to be a better way.
Be strong, Sam. Don’t go. It isn’t healthy.
The words echoed in my brain as I tried to fortify my walls.
As I put the car into park, I realized I had come to the one place I shouldn’t have. Without thinking, my body had brought me to Club Envy. Every time the desire arose, I pushed it from my head, trying to forget the detached freeness it brought me. Hearing about Allison being pregnant should have made me happy. Instead, it brought a sadness over me, reminding me of everything I was missing in my life.
What a shitty friend I am for thinking that.
In my car, I continued to stare at the old brick building where my utopia for the night resided. I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts.
Put the car in drive. Leave, Sam. Get the fuck out of here.
My craving for happiness was supposed to be buried so deep in my soul that it wouldn’t ever surface, bringing these emotions with it. When I’d worked up the nerve initially at Tybee Island, I should have told Allison what happened that awful New Year’s night all those years ago. In the end, I lost my nerve from my own insecurities of what she would think. I knew my fear was irrational.
Focusing my thoughts away from the memories, I looked at Club Envy again. The building called to me in a pulsing manner. I could forget all this the moment the metal door shut, encapsulating me in the alternate universe I had created.
Stay strong, Sam. You don’t need this.
I screwed my eyes shut, fighting the pull this place had on me, remembering what it brought—the hidden identities, the ultimate control, the separation from my mind.
This place had been a godsend w
hen I started college as I was barely hanging on by a thread. My mind tried to make my body turn on the car and drive away, but my body just sat there. My fingers were wound tight around the steering wheel, fighting the pull, and they turned ghostly white.
Just one more time. Only one more time.
The feel of leather, the clinking of metal, the sound of a whip—it was all I needed in the moment.
My phone chirped.
Adam: Come on, kitty cat. I always have what you need. I’ll make you feel better.
My head snapped up, and I saw him standing at the entrance with his hand extended. My body took over, shutting out my thoughts. My hands reached out and grabbed my red wig. I put it on, followed by my cat eye mask.
Just one more time.
All I needed was one more time.
On the following pages
are three scenes from Love Me
written in Damien’s point of view. Hope you enjoy getting a little piece of Mr. Wales.
Damien
From Love Me
The Moment Ben Kidnaps Alli
Fucking hell. I’ve been away from Alli exactly thirty-eight minutes. I need those contracts from Ben. Where the hell is he? I need to get back to her.
I did not want to leave her, but I know lying to Sam has been hell on her. She needed to see Sam. I pray our love is strong enough to keep Alli from wanting to leave me after all this shit she’s had to deal with.
I love her more than my own life.
My head of security is sitting in one of the chairs in my office, leaving clues on the Wales Enterprises server. We are still acting as if we are looking for Martin as Rebecca’s killer. Whoever the real asshole is has access to our server, and he used it to get Alli’s number.
Fuck, with the amount of people I employ, it will take us forever to scour through everyone.
Bane has been working on finding employees that I’ve known since college. Ben will just have to courier the damn contracts to my house. I can’t wait to fire his ass.
Love Me (Trust Series #2) Page 32