by Rye Hart
Jude just stood there, his drink in hand, seemingly lost in his own home.
“It's alright. She gets like this, but once Marlon cools her down, she'll be just peachy,” I said.
“Who's Marlon?” he asked.
I stretched my legs out and made sure to get every inch of flesh. Some women liked being tan, but I was a redhead and natural redheads usually burned before they tanned. Besides, my pale skin was a mark of honor for me. Once upon a time, it had been considered a sign of great wealth because the royals and nobles didn't have to spend hours laboring in the sun. Not that I believed I was royal or noble. I just took great pride in my complexion.
That, and I had no desire at all to age prematurely, or develop skin cancer, thank you.
Jude repeated himself. “Who's Marlon, Ember?”
“Her high-school sweetheart,” I muttered. “My mother has never stopped loving him, even through all her marriages.”
Footsteps made me look up again, and I saw Jude walking around the pool, heading straight toward me. A shudder ran through my body as I watched him move, the white t-shirt hugging his chest tightly, clinging to every ripple of muscle beneath it. I swallowed, hard, and resumed applying the sunscreen to my body, focusing on the back of my neck now.
Jude sat beside me in an empty lounge chair, an earnestness in his eyes. He sat silent, at first. He just stared at the door through which my mom had gone. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch his arm, to reassure him, tell him that he deserved better. His face, though, wasn't of a man who was hurting. It was of a man torn. A man confused and trying to figure out how he'd gotten to that point.
“How many times has she been married before?” he asked, his voice low.
“You're her fifth husband,” I said slowly. “Didn't you know?”
He shook his head. “She told me she was only married once before, to your father,” he said.
I grimaced. “She wasn't even married to my father,” I said. “He passed away before they could officially tie the knot.”
Jude's blue eyes softened as he turned them toward me. “I'm sorry to hear that, Ember.”
“I'm not. According to everyone, he was an asshole and probably wouldn't have wanted me anyway.” I said. “He didn't like kids and apparently, never wanted them.”
“I had no idea,” Jude said under his breath, staring down at his hands.
I wasn't sure if he meant the part about my mom being married five times already, or about my father not wanting me. It also didn't seem polite to ask, so I didn't.
“You seem like a decent enough guy, Jude, so I'm going to tell you the truth about my mother,” I said. “What you choose to do with what I'm about to tell you is your choice, of course. But, you at least deserve to know what you're getting yourself into here.”
He nodded, not looking at up me, a tension filling his body. He continued to stare down at his hands, his jaw clenched tight and a grim look on his face. It was as if he's preparing to take a blow to the midsection and was bracing himself for it.
“She married you for your money,” I said bluntly. “Most of the men she married were okay with that. They wanted the perfect trophy wife, someone pretty on their arm for social occasions. It was a decent arrangement until they grew tired of each other, and she left with just enough money in her bank account to keep her going until she finds the next victim – err – I mean, husband. You just happen to be the fifth man to fill that role for her. Marlon is her one true love, and you'll never compete with him. If you two have a disagreement or she feels slighted in any way, she will always run back to his arms, no matter what.”
“Why doesn't she just marry this Marlon, then?” he asked.
“Because he's not that wealthy, for one,” I said. “If you haven't noticed, my mom requires a certain lifestyle to be happy.”
A small smile pulled at the edge of his lips. “I have noticed that, yes,” he says. “She certainly seems to enjoy the finger things in life.
“Marlon isn't interested in the whole marriage deal anyway,” I say. “Like the old saying goes, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free, right?”
Jude sighed, then ran a hand over his face, as if the reality of the situation was finally sinking in. There was a resignation in his eyes though. It was almost as if he already knew – or at least, suspected – what I was telling him, but having me confirm it, just made it all the more real and concrete for him.
“Tell me, Jude, are you in love with my mother?” I asked.
I sat up, bottle of sunscreen in hand, coming to the realization I wouldn't be able to reach my back. I contemplated asking Jude for help, but that might come off as rather forward. I didn't think we were quite there in our “bonding” time yet, so I put the sunscreen down and laid back down against the lounge chair.
“I honestly don't know, Ember,” he said quietly. “I thought I might be in love with her. Or that maybe, I was at least, getting there. I didn't want to lose her.”
“Ah, she gave you an ultimatum, didn't she?”
I lowered my sunglasses enough to give him a sympathetic look. It was a common enough tactic from my dear mother. Get them hooked and then threaten to take away their new toy unless they give into her demands. Her demand of course, being a marriage proposal.
It was a cheap and shady ploy to get what she wanted, but damn if it wasn't effective.
“She did,” he said. “And at first, I told her I wasn't okay with ultimatums. But, not all that long after, I thought about it and I realized I'm not getting any younger. I was tired of being alone.”
My heart sank. Poor guy. “So you didn't just marry my mom for her to be a trophy then?”
“No,” he snorted. “I'm not like that. I actually want – never mind.”
“No, what do you want, Jude?” I asked, studying the way his brow furrowed as he stared off into the distance, deep in thought.
“Not whatever this is,” he said, pointing toward the house. “Not a sham of a marriage with a woman I hardly know. She's not anything like she was before we got married. It's like the minute that ring hit her finger, she changed.”
I nodded. “I know.”
Jude let out a deep breath as he stood up, staring toward the house. I'd have given anything to get a peek into his head, to know what he was thinking. He remained stoic and gave nothing away though, his face a mask hiding everything he was thinking and feeling.
“Thanks for the chat, Ember,” he said softly. “It was enlightening, to say the least.”
He left me, alone, and I had no idea what was going to happen from there on out. Jude was unlike the others that came before him. He'd come in not knowing the truth of my mom's past. As much as I hated to cause problems in their relationship, I hated lying and deception even more.
Especially with a man like Jude who was known for being incredibly charitable and kind.
Sure, him being hot didn't hurt either, but that wasn't the only reason I had a soft spot for him. He seemed like a genuinely decent man. A man who didn't deserve the load of crap that was raining down on him because of my mother.
Chapter Four
Jude
Lydia had left, and I had to wonder if Ember was right. Had she run off to another man's arms? The strange thing was, the idea of her cheating on me didn't hurt as much as I thought it would – even though I knew it was the end.
If she genuinely was having an affair so soon into the marriage, if this entire relationship was built around my money like Ember had said it was, then it was over for me. My first marriage and I was already contemplating ending things – less than two weeks after the wedding. That had to be some kind of a record or something.
I sat down in my office and closed the door. The large bay window overlooked the gardens and pool below, so I kept my gaze away from that side of the room. I focused on the task at hand instead. Picking up the phone, I called Dominic, my best man, a lawyer who would never steer me wrong. I knew he always had
my back in all things.
He picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, Jude,” he said, then he laughed at his own indirect Beatle's reference. It was a joke we'd laughed about more times than I can count. “How's married life treatin' ya, buddy?”
“That's what I'm calling to chat about, actually,” he said.
“Uh oh. Doesn't sound like a good thing,” he said. “What's up?”
I told him everything Ember had told me, not mincing words in the slightest, but added a caveat, “Of course, I hardly know Ember either, but I trust her,” I said. “Why would she lie?”
“I don't know, man,” he replied. “Maybe a personal grudge against her mother?”
I shrugged, relaxing back into the oversized, leather office chair, and spun it around until I could see out the window. Ember was still lounging in the chair by the pool, maybe she was napping. The sun glistened off her slick body, and I remembered how much I'd wanted to help her apply that sunscreen, to touch that perfectly pale skin and feel the softness of her body beneath my hands.
“Earth to Jude,” Dominic said.
“Sorry, I'm a bit distracted,” I said, turning away from the window. “I don't know what to think, Dom. Any ideas?”
“Well, if it's true, you can seek an annulment,” he said. “No problem there. Question is, do you really want to end things this quickly?”
I sighed and closed my eyes. My head was throbbing. “I don't know. I think I rushed into things too fast as it was,” I said. “Maybe, I should have taken some time to think before jumping into marriage with a woman I hardly know.”
“Yeah, well, don't say we didn't warn you,” he said with a rueful chuckle.
“I know,” I groaned. “Don't remind me.”
My business partners, the men in my wedding, had all warned me that I was jumping into a marriage far too fast. They argued that I hardly knew Lydia and that I should take a little time before making a decision like that. Problem was, I'd long since given up on finding a soulmate. Long given up on finding “the one.” I didn't believe in that crap anyway, and I thought finding someone “good enough” would be enough for me.
I was beginning to have my doubts, now.
“Talk to Lydia” he said. “Lay it all out on the table, listen to what she has to say, and if you still want the annulment, we'll make it happen.”
“Thanks, Dom,” I said. “I guess I have some thinking to do.”
I hung up the phone and rested my head in my hands. Footsteps startled me, and I sat up, wondering if it might be Lydia. The footsteps moved down the hall, stopping at the door next to my office – Ember's room. Knowing it wasn't Lydia though, I let out a sigh of relief. I wasn't ready to deal with her right now, there was too much on my mind. Too much I needed to sort through, and decisions I needed to make.
I swiveled in my office chair, rubbing my temples, wishing the headache would subside, even just a bit, so I could think clearly. A sound from the next room caught my attention though, and I heard Ember walking around the creaky wood floors. Probably changing from her swimsuit into some real clothes. A moment later, the shower came on, and the sound of water running was almost relaxing.
I leaned back in my seat, closed my eyes and focused on the sounds from the bathroom that sat between my office and her bedroom. We even shared a door, it was my bathroom when I couldn't be bothered to run down to the master suite. But, since she'd been staying there, it was all hers now.
A low groaning noise coming from the shower perked my ears right up. Sitting up straight, I tried to figure out the source of the sound. I strained my ears and listened – and there it was again. A groan. A woman's groan.
Ember's groans.
Jesus Christ, I thought, swallowing hard as it became clear what she was doing in the shower, oblivious that I was in my office, and as clueless as I was about how thin our walls were. No one had ever stayed in that room before. It usually stood empty, so it never occurred to me that I'd be able to hear sounds coming from there.
Especially not sounds like that.
“Yes, yes,” Ember moaned.
My cock tightened in my shorts as I listened to her pleasuring herself beneath the spray of water. I stood up and rushed for the door to leave my office but stopped. If she heard the door to my office opening and closing, would she know I overheard her in the shower? Would that make things even more awkward for her?
She cried out, “Yes, Jude!” and I froze, feeling the blood in my veins turn to icy slush.
No, that couldn't be right. I had to have misunderstood. I tried to quietly turn the door to leave, when she cried out again.
“Don't stop, Jude...Oh God, yes,” she whimpered.
“Fuck.”
I gritted my teeth and pressed my body against the wall next to the door. Everything in me told me to leave. To pretend like that had never happened. That I hadn't heard a goddamn thing. I couldn't just sit there and listen to that. I just couldn't.
I didn't move though. My eyes were closed, as if somehow, I could make myself disappear as Ember continued masturbating, groaning and calling out my name. Did she realize how loud she was? Did she care? Was this intentional?
No, she had no way of knowing I was in there. She had no way of knowing I could hear her.
“Fuck me, Jude,” she whimpered.
I closed my eyes and listened to her, imagining she was right there in front of me. I pictured her wiggling her tight ass toward me, begging me to enter her.
My knees weakened, and my breathing grew ragged. My balls began to ache with pressure building up within them. My body moved, seemingly of its own volition, and before I knew what I was doing, my hand slipped down into my pants. I took hold of my member, gripping it firmly. Each groan from Ember made my cock pulse as I stroked it. I tried to imagine anything but Ember – she was my stepdaughter and it didn't feel right. But, when she called my name, I had no way of driving the thoughts and image of her from my mind.
I spat on my hand, wetting it a bit, and thinking about how wet she'd feel when I slipped my stiff prick into her. Oh God, I bet she was tight and oh so warm. I bet I'd fill her up and stretch her open. Make her cry out in pleasure.
“Come for me baby,” I muttered, biting into my arm to stop my own sounds from carrying. “Come for me, Ember.”
Even as I said those words, I felt insanely guilty for having such fantasies running through my head. Yet, as if acting on command, Ember's moans grew louder, and she let out a scream of pure and unbridled bliss, my name rolling off her tongue over and over again.
I tightened my grip on my cock, imagining her pussy clenching my thick shaft as she came, and it was over. My balls curled up into my body and streams of cum shot straight out of my dick. I bit my arm even harder, making myself wince with the pain. I struggled to not make the same mistake Ember had and cry out too loudly as the orgasm washed over me. I couldn't let her hear me.
Her moans stopped just as every last ounce of semen slid down the door, pooling along the baseboard.
I cursed under my breath, angry at myself for allowing that to happen. I rushed to my desk, grabbed some napkins and cleaned things up the best I could. I wiped down the door, and as I was doing that, I realized I knew what I had to do.
I had to end things with Lydia. Not because I had the hots for her daughter, but because I really didn't want to be married in the first place. She'd called the tune and I had very uncharacteristically, danced to it. It had all happened so fast, she played to my fears so well, and offered me what I wanted – a family. Now, as my head grew clearer, I could see that it had all been a sham from the start.
Lydia didn't love me, and I most certainly didn't love her.
***
I was waiting for Lydia at the dining room table. Not that she'd stopped to talk to me. No, she'd come home, and without a word, rushed upstairs to shower. She didn't have to get that close though, for me to smell the men's cologne on her. The scent was thick and heavy, and reinforced everythi
ng Ember had told me earlier.
With a clear head, I knew I was doing the right thing. Sitting there, in my dining room, waiting for my wife to join me for a chat, I put together what I was going to say in my head. I'd told her to meet me down there as soon as she could, and I already had the paperwork printed out for the annulment, thanks to Dominic. Having a lawyer as a business partner came in handy sometimes – even more so when he was also your best friend. Things tended to get done a lot quicker that way.
My back straightened as I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. This was it. She could either take the terms I set forth for her, or we'd go to court and things could get ugly. Would get ugly. I braced myself for a fight, but it wasn't Lydia who popped into the dining room, catching me completely off guard.
It was Ember.
She walked straight through to the kitchen in a pair of pink short-shorts and a white, almost see-through, off-the-shoulder top, her auburn hair pulled back in a high ponytail that trailed down her back. She smiled at me, and it wasn't the awkward smile of someone who knew they'd been caught masturbating. No, she seemed like her normal self. As if she didn't have the first clue I'd heard her in the shower. Maybe she didn't.
Her ass shimmied in her tiny little shorts, and she was walking back toward me with an apple in her hand when she saw the papers lying out in front of me. She stopped and I saw her eyes widen slightly.
She sighed and took a seat next to me. “I see you've taken my words to heart,” she said.
“I appreciate your honesty, Ember,” I said. “The situation sucks, but it is what it is.”
I was sitting stiffly and staring straight ahead – careful not to look at the beautiful, and scantily clad, redhead with the emerald green eyes sitting beside me.
“So this probably means my mom and I are going back to the penthouse, huh?”
Her voice dropped a little, and I side-eyed her. She looked disappointed – or maybe I was just feeling hopeful.
“I've come up with terms that'll take care of the both of you,” I said.
Ember didn't have a chance to say anything else before Lydia strode in. She took one look at her daughter, then one at me and the paperwork and she frowned, deep lines spreading across her brow. For the first time, she actually looked her age. Not to mention, a little more than uncertain.