HisMarriageBargain

by Sidney Bristol

  “And who taught you that?” She swung their arms back and forth as they walked. Even when serious she was playful.

  “My father. You pay what people earn, be polite even when the other party isn’t and always take the high road.” A hundred speeches his father had delivered on some point or another regarding business or how to conduct yourself floated to the forefront of his memory. He’d alternated between hating and loving these talks. Now he’d give anything to have just one more.

  “You always get that smile whenever you talk about your dad.”

  “What?” He glanced at Autumn.

  “You must have really loved him.” Autumn peered up at him, her lower lip captured between her teeth.

  “He was a great man.” There was no denying that when he thought about his father a sense of pride blossomed in his chest.

  “Tell me about him?”

  Sammi steered them to walk where the waves lapped at their ankles. There was so much he could tell her about his father, it was hard to think about where to begin.

  “My parents were born in Iran, which is a very unfriendly country for Jews. They left in the late seventies before the First Gulf War broke out. They left with almost nothing, just some cash really, and came to America. There were a lot of reasons for leaving. He worked hard, starting out washing floors and taking out the trash until he owned one business, turned that into two and started buying commercial properties.” Sammi could hear his father. Though a few years had passed since his death, Sammi could still recall the way his father spoke, the timbre and quality of his voice.

  “He sounds like someone I wish I’d met,” Autumn said. “I mean, I did meet him a few times, but it was always in passing. Mary and Kellie only have good things to say about him.”

  Sammi nodded and breathed deep from the sea air. “You would have. I think he’d like you, Sunshine.”

  Hell, when he looked at it objectively, his father had been help once too. But he’d worked his ass off to become more. With all of that to consider, he liked to think that his father really would like Autumn for a daughter-in-law, even if she wasn’t the ideal Jewish bride.

  Autumn tilted her head to the side and smiled at him. He couldn’t read anything in her expression, so he let the topic drop.

  The sand slid between his toes and the waves lapped it away. It was still comfortably warm, even with the brisk breeze blowing in from the ocean. St. Maarten was beautiful, the perfect backdrop for this trip. He couldn’t believe it had been so long since his last visit. But things had happened. His father had passed away. His mother had had a break with reality. Sammi had taken on his father’s role. And he’d thought there was time.

  “What happens next?” Autumn asked, breaking into his thoughts.

  “I don’t know. I thought we’d do today by ear. Maybe do some snorkeling or a boat ride tomorrow. What do you think?”

  “That’s so not what I meant.” She pulled her hand from his and slapped his arm. “I mean after this trip, when we go home. What then?”

  “Oh.” He reached for her hand and she gave it to him. It just felt right to walk like this. Sammi glanced out to sea, away from Autumn. The “what’s next” pried into things he’d never shared with anyone, because he’d assumed there was time for it to happen naturally.

  “I know, it’s a really unlike me question. I’m trying to think about the future a little now. Be responsible and all that stuff.” Autumn’s rambling comforted him. He wasn’t the only nervous one.

  “I have this house I was having updated and remodeled. I think it would make a nice home.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

  Autumn’s gaze was on him, the corners of her lips drawn up into a slight smile. “Tell me about it.”

  “It’s a ranch style. Lots of open spaces. The exterior is white with blue shutters. There’s trees outside and the landscapers are putting in some more plants this weekend.”

  The property had come to him by way of a bundled deal. He wanted several properties a man owned, and because the seller had been desperate to get out of the money-suck, the residential lot had come with the rest. The first time Sammi had seen it, it was like a dream come to life. He’d imagined this house, complete with a swing in the front yard, for his own. That had been almost three years ago, and renovating it had been a process, building dreams out of lumber, marble and tile.

  “One-story or two?” Autumn asked.

  “One.”

  And plenty of room to scoot my future wheelchair around.

  Sammi shook his head to free himself from the thought. They had a limited time to enjoy their life together and morbid thoughts about his deteriorating health weren’t going to help.

  “What would you say to moving in with me?” Sammi asked, flashing her his most charming smile.

  “Gee, let me think. Move in with my husband—or not?” She put her finger to her chin.

  “Hey now.” Sammi pulled her closer and glared.

  Autumn merely laughed and pushed at his chest. “I have to think this over.”

  Sammi glanced up and down the beach. There was no one around, just a tent with the resort logo. The closest group of people was easily fifty yards away. He swept Autumn up into his arms. She giggled and squirmed, but not too much. He carried her into the tent, which was set up for a beach massage. Judging by the stripped-down table and pile of towels, the massage was over.

  Sammi placed her on the edge of the table and held her there.

  “Let me see if I can persuade you, Sunshine.” He nuzzled her neck, which seemed longer, more elegant with her hair pulled up.

  Autumn shivered and arched her back. “I don’t know if you’re persuasive enough.”

  “Well the least I can do is try, right?” Sammi pulled his sunglasses off and tossed them on the table.

  Autumn shed her sunglasses as well and their gazes locked. The shades had kept her eyes hidden from him. There was hunger there, an insatiable kind he craved.

  They reached for each other at the same moment. Her legs wrapped around his waist as their lips clashed in a needy kiss of open mouths. She tasted sweet, like the fruity beverage she’d been drinking all morning. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and she sucked it.

  Sammi groaned and rocked forward, rubbing his hardening cock against her. Autumn rolled her hips and increased the pressure. It felt good. Better than good. Great.

  “Sammi, I’m horny,” Autumn moaned.

  He was not about to shirk his husbandly duties.

  Chapter Seven

  Inner Lip Tattoo—Tattoos on the lower inner lip. Often a single word or image that can be seen when the lip is pulled down flush with the chin.

  Autumn kept her eyes partially closed, watching Sammi’s reaction. He paused, studying her, his features taut. For a moment he didn’t move, and she worried he would say no. Too much too soon.

  She always did jump in the deep end headfirst.

  Sammi pulled a condom from the inner pocket on his swim trunks and slapped it down next to her.

  Relief was a sweet song singing in her veins. She reached for him and he wrapped his arms around her.

  His kiss made her stomach flutter, the way he drew her bottom lip into his mouth and gently sucked it. They’d had sex a few hours ago but she wanted him again. Now. She needed it.

  Sammi pulled at the strings holding her bikini top and it fell onto her lap. She arched her back and sighed when he ran his fingers over her nipples. The sensation on her breasts of skin on skin had her pussy clenching. She put her hands on the table and dropped her chin to watch him study the intricate swirls on her chest.

  The tattoos were an adaptation of a Hindi design done in full color. They made her feel beautiful, feminine.

  Sammi ran his finger along one of the lines in bright orange, following the design lightly. She bit her lip harder and forced herself to sit still. His focus, the touch, where they were, it created a sense of want where she was the center.

  He switched
to the other breast and though he followed the same lines as before, his gaze was on her face, studying her. She made herself look at him, share what she felt with him.

  Usually she kept something of herself back from a new partner. Some people only wanted wild sex or to experience her charms.

  Sammi was different. They were committed. Until death did they part.

  His gaze was intense. Consuming. The dark brown of his eyes seemed more black in the shade of the tent.

  He lifted his other hand so that he cupped each breast, swiping his thumbs back and forth. Suddenly he tweaked the bars through her nipples. Not hard, just enough to surprise and send a jolt of adrenaline-laced lust through her system.

  “Your breasts are pretty fucking fantastic.” He grinned and thumbed the barbell piercings again, making her squirm even more.

  “Let’s do the fucking part.” Autumn grabbed the condom packet and ripped it open. She wasn’t shy when it came to using protection. Birth control and regular doctor’s visits were part of her routine.

  She pushed his swim trunks down until his cock bobbed toward her, hard and ready. Sammi gripped the edge of the table and leaned back. His eyes drifted closed as she grasped his shaft and pumped him. Earlier she hadn’t gotten this kind of touch. It had been more about Sammi and pleasing him. Now she got to touch him, feel him and figure out what he liked. Besides her breasts.

  Autumn rolled the condom on his penis, taking a detour to roll his balls in the palm of her hand. He jumped a little when she ran her finger along the crease and back farther. She muffled her chuckle by pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

  Sammi grasped the sides of her bikini bottoms and tugged them down, off her legs, leaving her naked and sitting on the table.

  “You’re making me crazy.” He swept his gaze down her body.

  “I think you’ve always been a little crazy,” she replied.

  Sammi stepped between her knees, so close but not close enough. “I’ve never had sex outside before, and now it’s going to be twice. In one day.”

  Autumn laughed, she couldn’t help it. “I’m totally corrupting you. Besides, it’s a great place for a new experience. Come here. I want you inside me.”

  “Hell yes. That’s what I like to hear.”

  Sammi hooked his arms under her knees and pulled her forward until she almost hung off the side. She grinned and maybe giggled a little. She was flying high on a tidal wave of lust and desire. He positioned himself at her entrance and Autumn couldn’t help but stare. He’d felt big earlier, but she hadn’t realized just how well-hung he was.

  “Look at me,” Sammi demanded.

  Her pulse fluttered at the growled command.

  Oh yes please.

  Autumn lifted her chin and locked gazes with him.

  She could see the muscles in his body tense and felt the slow drag of his latex-wrapped flesh sliding against her. Her jaw dropped and she sucked in a breath as he continued the agonizing, slow assault on her body. Usually she needed clitoral stimulation in order to orgasm, but she wondered if she could come just from the feel of his cock in her vagina.

  “Almost,” he muttered. Sammi grabbed her left knee and hooked it over his elbow. This rocked her back on her hands a bit, but the change to the angle was heavenly.

  He withdrew a little and thrust again, matching his slow entry until he was fully seated inside her. They froze, face to face, panting. Sweat had broken out along his forehead and his mouth hung open.

  Perfect for kissing.

  She wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him in for a sloppy kiss. He rocked forward and she moaned as sensation radiated out from her clit.

  Sammi pulled away from her, withdrawing almost all of his length. She forced her eyes to remain open, locking her gaze with his. There was something so commanding about the sexual side of Sammi that turned her on in an unexpected way.

  He thrust hard and fast into her, startling a gasp from her lips.

  “Sorry,” he said quickly and froze.

  “No. No, it felt good. Again.”

  His brow creased in a way that made her think he didn’t quite believe her, but he said “Okay” anyway.

  With her leg still over his arm, he placed one hand on the table and complied with her request. His withdrawal was slow, steady and purposeful, the surge back into her rough, fast and touching all the right places.

  “Again,” she gasped.

  Sammi didn’t hesitate this time. He nibbled on her shoulder, neck and ear while continuing the assault on her body, driving into her. The angle was just right, hitting the spot deep inside her that sent off sparks of sensation in her core.

  “Oh, don’t stop.” She dug her fingers into the back of his neck as the intangible wave began to build inside her. Her pussy grew even wetter as desire coiled tighter and tighter.

  “Are you going to come?” he whispered into her ear.

  “Fuck yes.” At the last moment, her breath hitched into a keening wail as her orgasm broke, startling her with its sudden roll over her. It was delicious and sweet and oh so right.

  Sammi continued to rock into her, drawing the orgasm out as long as it would go, holding her and kissing her brow. He seemed to know when the sensation abated, leaving her limp and worn-out in the best way possible.

  “Was it good?” he asked, but without the cockiness she’d expect from him.

  Autumn stretched and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes.”

  His grin was a slow sunrise. “Good.”

  She squeezed his cock with her internal muscles. “You didn’t.”

  “Not yet.” He rocked against her and she hummed at the ripples of pleasure radiating from her pussy.

  “Let’s fix that?”

  “It’s got to be fast.”

  “Why?” She frowned. Was this a need?

  He leaned forward and whispered, “I hear voices.”

  Autumn clapped her hand over her mouth and nodded. It wouldn’t be the first time she was caught having sex, but it did add a certain element of danger.

  “Lean over the table for me?” he asked quietly, a mischievous tilt to the corners of his mouth that she liked.

  Autumn nodded and Sammi pulled out and helped her off the table. She turned around and leaned over the padded surface. The table was almost exactly like what she used for tattooing. She gripped the far edge and glanced over her shoulder.

  Sammi palmed her ass with one hand and pushed her farther forward with the other until she was at the perfect angle.

  Fast. This was going to be a quickie, but later she’d get to drag it out.

  He thrust back into her pussy, slick with her orgasm. She groaned, muting the sound with her forearm, and held on to the table. He thrust hard, holding on to her hip and the table to keep her from moving in the sand.

  The sound of the waves, seagulls and yes, the distant murmur of voices meshed with the slap of skin, the gasp of a breath and an escaped moan.

  Autumn let go of the table, which was dangerous. With each thrust Sammi pushed her thighs against the table and inched them across the tent. She reached between her legs and found the steel circle piercing her clitoral hood. He thrust a little harder and she had to curl her toes into the sand and squeeze her eyes shut as little fireworks went off behind her eyelids.

  Hot damn.

  She resumed her quest, finding her erect clit and massaging it.

  Sammi dug his fingers into her hips hard enough to leave marks. Chances were he was close.

  Autumn flicked the ring back and forth, sending electric-like jolts up her spine.

  Behind her, Sammi’s thrusts became rough, uneven. He groaned and surged up into her hard once, twice, three times.

  She tweaked the hard nubbin the moment she felt his body tense and freeze behind her. Autumn bit her forearm to keep from screeching as she followed him over the cliff into orgasm a second time.

  After several long moments Sammi withdrew from her body, smoothing his hands down her back, over he
r hips and pressing a quick kiss to her shoulder.

  She stretched, feeling luxuriously tired and ready for a long nap. Her legs had the consistency of rubber and she really needed a shower now.

  “Here.” Sammi handed her the discarded pieces of her bikini, a conspirator’s smile on his face.

  She grinned back and shook the sand out of her swimsuit. “This is going to chafe like a motherfucker.”

  “Let’s go back to the room for a shower.” He wrapped the condom in a bit of trash and put it in a receptacle that seemed to belong with the massage setup.

  Autumn tilted her head to the side. “We need to go now. I hear someone coming.”

  Sammi snatched his shorts and pulled them on, grimacing, no doubt because the sand really was everywhere.

  They crept out of the tent, hand in hand, only to run into three people dressed in khaki shorts and white polos. They blinked at the couple, who dissolved into laughter and darted around them.

  * * * * *

  Autumn fidgeted with her napkin and tried not to look at the other restaurant patrons. Over the last two days since getting hitched she hadn’t worn more than a bikini, but tonight Sammi wanted to treat her to a nice dinner.

  It was a wonderfully sweet sentiment, except a nice dinner to her was any restaurant that didn’t have a drive-thru, shrink-wrap its utensils, or was easily identified by a commercial jingle. Not establishments that had reservations and waiters with little white towels over their arms.

  “You okay?” Sammi asked for the fifth time at least.

  “Yeah, of course,” she smiled and lied through her teeth.

  I am so not dressed for this.

  Though most of the men at the restaurant wore either casual clothing or business attire, the women were glamorous. Expensive jewelry, perfectly styled hair, clothing that probably cost what she earned in six months. And here she was with her bargain-bin sundress and jewelry she’d bought at a street fair. At least her makeup was quality. She had a thing for the nicer brands, so that was where she chose to spend her cash.

  Autumn had always been aware of where her status fell in the range of Sammi’s friends. But now things were different. Before, he’d invited her to parties, hanging out on a boat or something at his place. She wasn’t one of his friends who went to dinners, shopping or out to the super fancy clubs. That wasn’t her place.