CHAPTER 18
Waiting at the bus stop, Cochise checked the time. One o’clock in the morning. Damn! A few motorists whizzed by. A box-shaped truck made its late-night run, but there wasn’t a bus in sight. The temperature had dropped since he’d left the job site; he stuck his cold hands in his jacket pockets to warm them and stepped out to the curb, again.
A half hour later, the bus still hadn’t arrived. Being that he was the only person standing at the bus stop, he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he’d missed the last bus. He didn’t have a bus schedule and didn’t know much about the public transportation system in Philly, but there was a grim possibility that he was standing around waiting in vain. Shit!
Cochise figured Mr. Wheeler had gotten home by now. His cheatin’ ass was probably snuggled up next to his unsuspecting, sexy wife right now. Craning his neck, he looked for the bright headlights of the bus one last time. Still no luck. Fuck this! Feeling righteously indignant and getting angrier by the minute, Cochise turned around and headed back to Mr. Wheeler’s house. The boss was going to have to drag his ass out of bed and take Cochise the fuck back to Chester.
When Mrs. Wheeler opened the door, Cochise was stunned by the drastic change in her appearance. Her face looked swollen, her eyes were bloodshot. Holding a handful of tissues, she dabbed at falling tears.
Cochise gawked at the boss’s wife, bewildered. “What’s wrong?” He stepped inside, his brow knitted in concern as he gently closed the door.
“I called Matt’s cell after you left,” she said between sobs.
“Is he all right?”
“I guess,” Regina said quietly. “A woman answered his phone. An obnoxious young woman who referred to my husband as boo. She didn’t come right out and say it, but she hinted that she and Matt were having sex.” Regina gasped in anguish and visibly shuddered at the memory. “That woman who answered Matt’s phone was so crude and disrespectful, I just can’t imagine Matt getting involved with someone like that.” Regina shook her head emphatically. “How could I have been so blind, thinking Matt was putting in extra hours at work while he was involved in a lurid affair?”
Cochise shook his head sympathetically. The boss and Onika had been kicking it for quite a while. It was only a matter of time before Mr. Wheeler got busted. Only God knew what had provoked the man to put his marriage on the line for someone as hardcore, gangly, and unattractive as Onika. Imagining the harsh words that Onika had hurled at Mrs. Wheeler, Cochise’s expression grew somber. It was a shame for such a nice lady to be disrespected that way.
“Somebody could have been playing around with his phone. You never know,” Cochise suggested, attempting to lessen Mrs. Wheeler’s pain. “Did your husband call you back…you know, to explain what happened?”
“No. He turned his phone off,” Regina said bitterly. A scowl formed on her face. Her eyelashes fluttered rapidly as she struggled to blink back a fresh batch of tears. Then, giving in to wracking sobs, she fell against Cochise.
Reflexively, Cochise opened his arms, held her. He patted Regina’s back and rubbed in circular motions as she sobbed against his broad chest. He didn’t know what to say, but felt he should say something encouraging. “It’s all right. Don’t cry,” he muttered awkwardly. Regina cried harder. Cochise tightened his arms around her. He rocked her and found himself offering murmurs of consolation, soothing utterances that weren’t quite words. When her crying subsided, she mopped her tears with the back of her hand. But sensing there were more tears yet to fall, Cochise led Regina to the sofa and gently lowered her. In a seated position, he comforted his boss’s pretty wife, enveloping her in his massive arms. With her face buried in his shirt, Regina sobbed. Cochise stroked her dark hair, a helmet of curls that had fallen free from the hair clip. He sensed her loneliness, the layers of once-deep sorrow now so close to the surface he could feel her pain as keenly as he felt his own.
When her sniffling subsided, Regina grew quiet and still. Then she raised her head and Cochise saw the hurt in her eyes; he saw the reflection of his own pained expression and in an instant felt an even deeper connection with Regina Wheeler.
And there was something else. Was she attracted to him? By the time Cochise recognized the raw desire that shone in Regina’s eyes, she had slipped out of her robe. A silk gown clung to her body. Wordlessly, she gazed at him, then cupped his face and pressed her mouth against his.
Taken off guard by the sweetness of her lips, by the rush of heat that engorged his loins, Cochise had difficulty processing what was taking place. Seconds later, the initial shock subsided and his lips relaxed against hers. The purpose of his visit—to get a ride back to Chester—seemed totally unimportant as his tongue slowly penetrated Regina’s lips and caressed her tongue until she shivered in his arms.
Becoming lost inside the kiss, he forced himself to pull away. This is crazy, Cochise thought as he searched her face for a sign that they’d gone too far. Her eyes told him she wanted more.
Regina Wheeler had never seduced anyone in her life; had never initiated a sexual liaison. Perhaps she wouldn’t have behaved so boldly had she not noticed the way Cochise’s eyes had swept over her body earlier that evening. She’d felt both self-conscious and flattered that the much younger man had taken notice and found her appealing.
Cochise was a hottie. His striking good looks had both startled and enticed her, but she would have never imagined that an hour or so later she’d be shamelessly seducing him, kissing him with a fiery passion.
Cochise was a stunning, muscular, towering figure with erotic long, dark hair. He was an irresistible magnet for Regina’s pent-up sexual desire. Giving in to demanding carnal urges, Regina tugged at the sleeve of Cochise’s jacket, coaxing him to come out of it. A fire raged between her legs and she yearned for the beautiful stranger to extinguish the flames.
His strong hands wandered over the satin-covered contours of her body, her breasts, her stomach, and full hips and thighs. He stroked her thighs, his hand gliding upward.
Ripe with need, Regina opened her legs.
“Mrs. Wheeler. I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret…”
“I want you,” she whispered helplessly.
Demonstrating that he wanted her, too, Cochise drew Regina into a tight embrace.
Needing to feel his lips on her flesh, she pulled the thin straps of her gown off her shoulders, freeing her breasts. Alternately, Cochise kissed each perfectly formed breast, capturing the nipples between his teeth and flicking his tongue against the aroused buds, and then moved to her neck, nibbling at her flesh, making her moan, causing her to tangle her fingers in his mass of long hair.
Regina slid her hands beneath his shirt, exploring what felt like miles of concrete muscles. “Take off your clothes,” she said in a breathy voice she barely recognized as her own.
Cochise raised his shirt over his head, revealing the hard muscles that rippled beneath his hot flesh. Unable to resist touching him, Regina cupped a hand over a concrete bicep and then moved upward to his strong shoulders. Tenderly, she moved her hand across the solid wall of steel that was his chest. Seeing and touching the expanse of his large manly form aroused her and nearly took her breath away.
Cochise reached for her; he placed a trail of kisses from her neck down to her stomach. Regina moaned in helpless surrender. But Cochise did not move toward her pleasure center. Urgently, Regina sought Cochise’s hand and guided it to the furnace that raged between her legs. An agonized gasp escaped her lips the moment his fingers brushed against her most sensitive place.
Skillful fingers separated her dewy petals. Regina cried out in ecstasy. Involuntarily her hips rose, her legs parted eagerly. Cochise inserted his longest finger into her flaming hot spot. He worked his finger, moving it in and out slowly, giving Regina pleasure so intense, she cried out his name.
Taking in short, heated breaths, Regina rocked her hips in a desperate rhythm.
“You want me, baby?” Cochise asked in a hu
sky voice as he probed deeply inside her smoldering secret place.
“Yes. I want to feel—” Her words were cut off by body shivers and ragged gasps as Cochise’s long finger undulated inside, stroking her walls, giving her waves of pleasure that threatened to take her over the edge. “I want to feel you inside me. Take these off,” she pleaded, pulling at the belt that encircled Cochise’s tapered waist.
Instead of taking off his pants, Cochise embraced Regina and whispered in her ear. “I dig you, you know?”
She nodded.
“I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t want to disrespect your home.”
“Matt already disrespected our home,” Regina responded, defending the daring act of passion that was taking place. A part of her wanted to hurt her husband as he’d hurt her. But another, deeper part of her spirit didn’t care about exacting revenge. Admittedly, Regina felt a burning desire to be sexually fulfilled. But there was also a great need to be in a relationship where she was valued. Cherished. Loved. For some idiotic reason, she believed with all her heart that it was possible to have all of that with Cochise. But how could she explain that to this man she barely knew? A man who didn’t even refer to her by her first name?
“The way I see it,” Cochise continued, eyeing her intently, “you’re mad at your husband and you want to get even with him for what he did to you. But I’m really feelin’ you, Mrs. Wheeler. My emotions are on the line,” Cochise admitted, touching his chest sincerely.
“Regina. Call me Regina.” She took a breath, prepared to confess that she was completely captivated, but the blaring ring of the phone put her words on pause. She turned sharply toward the sound. “It’s Matt, I know it,” she said quietly. With a sigh, she rose and crossed the room.
CHAPTER 19
“Regina! I’m locked up!” Matt blurted out when Regina picked up the cordless. “There’s been a terrible misunderstanding and they’re holding me in Chester. I need you to post bail right away!”
Shock registered on Regina’s face. Her body went limp, then she straightened her back, composing herself. If she’d heard those grave words a few hours ago, Regina would have blabbered hysterically, “Locked up! Oh, my God. What for? Listen, don’t worry, honey. I’ll be there to bail you out as soon as possible.” Then she would have run around in confused circles as she tried to get herself dressed and out of the house to go get her falsely accused husband out of jail.
But under the circumstances, after having experienced the shameful disrespect of being informed by her husband’s mistress, that he was too busy to take her phone call, Regina could only murmur a sarcastic “Oh really?”
“I know you’re upset about that phone call. And I’m going to explain everything later. But right now, I need you to focus. They’re holding me on a number of bogus charges—”
“Such as,” Regina interrupted. She was close to unleashing all the fury she felt at Matt’s indiscretion, but she struggled to keep herself calm so she could hear all the charges.
“Drug trafficking, for one.” Matt groaned in disbelief. “Now, you know that’s a lie. They’re also accusing me of possessing an illegal firearm that was found in the glove compartment of my van. I’m innocent and I can prove it—”
“If I had my way, they’d be adding adultery, also, to the list of charges,” she added in an icy tone, which informed him that she held no sympathy for his predicament.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to start an argument at a time like this!” Matt started inhaling and exhaling, loud and furiously. Finally, he took a calming breath and said softly, “I messed up, baby. I’m sorry.” Then his voice took on a gruff, admonishing tone. “But this is not the time for sarcasm, Regina.”
“I can’t think of a better time,” she retorted. “You’re having an affair with the young woman who works for you. It’s true, isn’t it? And your association with her brought about these outrageous circumstances?” she asked in a chillingly calm tone.
“Yes, it’s true. But it’s over. I swear. I don’t want anything else to do with her. Now, can you please focus on the current situation?”
Regina was silent.
Assuming his wife’s silence meant she forgave his infidelity since he’d vowed that it was over, Matt began blurting out orders. “First thing tomorrow morning, I want you to get in touch with your credit union. You’ll need to get a loan for fifty thousand.”
“Your bail is fifty thousand dollars?”
“No, it’s three hundred thousand; I only need ten percent to make bail. But I’m going to need a really good attorney to handle these multiple charges. We’re probably going to have to pay the attorney at least twenty thousand for a retainer.”
“We?” Regina blurted, incredulous. “How dare you involve me in this disgusting mess?” Unable to maintain her cool demeanor or contain her rage, she shook with anger. “The only attorney I plan to pay is a divorce attorney.”
“Regina!” Matt bellowed. “This is not the time for you to have a tantrum. Now, get a grip and get focused.”
“Get a grip!” she repeated with disdain. “Isn’t that what you told me while I grieved for Devon?”
“I grieved, too!”
“We should have mourned the loss of our son together. For ten years I’ve been trying to get a grip—for your sake. You wanted me to shut off my emotions, get rid of them in the same manner you wanted me to get rid of Devon’s things—”
“I didn’t think it was healthy to keep his things inside his bedroom as if he was going to come home—”
“It wasn’t healthy for you to insinuate that being distraught over the sudden death of my only child was crazy,” she shouted. “You were so disapproving, I was forced to box up my feelings, tuck them away, keep my pain out of sight….” Regina’s voice cracked with emotion. “All for the sake of not appearing crazy. Well, I acted crazy, anyway. I cried and grieved in the basement. Yes, that’s right. Down in the basement with Devon’s locked-away toys and clothing, I grieved!” Regina divulged bitterly. “I wept and wailed when you weren’t around. Cried out in anguish for as long and as loud as I needed.”
“I didn’t know…”
“How could you know? You were too busy replacing Devon with your nephew.”
“I never…” Matt paused. “I refuse to dignify that accusation. Listen to me, Regina.” He spoke in a near whisper. “I was worried about you,” he told her in a tone filled with such compassion, Regina hardly recognized her husband’s voice. “The amount of time it was taking for you to heal seemed…” Matt faltered. “It seemed like you were taking it too far. I mean, a year or two of grief is understandable, but to be unable to function after a couple of years…well, it’s just not acceptable,” he said, his voice now mean and filled with disgust, vacant of any tenderness.
“Don’t you dare tell me what’s acceptable,” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Losing a child is not acceptable. It’s not!” she wailed.
“Okay, okay, calm down, Regina. Listen, when I get out, we’re going to get counseling. Grief counseling—together. We’ll see a marriage counselor, too. I’m going to make this right, baby. I promise.”
A hard lump formed in Regina’s throat. Tears brimmed in her eyes. A few years ago—even a few months ago—her husband’s words would have soothed her. Given her hope. But a lot had changed in just the past few hours and Matt’s sudden willingness to try to repair their broken marriage was simply too little, too late. She swiped at the tears that streamed down her face and, steadying her voice, she said, “The fact is, seeing me falling apart was too much of a reminder that you’d let our son down.”
“It was an accident,” Matt yelled. “If you want to point a finger of blame, then you should point it at yourself.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “How dare you blame me, you bastard!” she shrieked in outrage. If it were possible, she would have reached through the phone line and strangled Matt with her bare hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cochise shifting
his position. Having her private pain, her raw emotions, laid bare was obviously making him extremely uncomfortable, but there was nothing Regina could do about it. She was too far gone to even make an attempt to compose herself.
“I hope you rot in jail,” she snarled. “I’m not lifting a finger to help you get out. As far as I’m concerned, you’re exactly where you belong. You’ve got to be out of your mind to ask me to take out a loan for the legal trouble your cheating has caused.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to punish me forever for one lapse in judgment. It was the first and only time, Regina. In twenty years of marriage, I’ve been unfaithful only once.”
“Only once?” she asked sarcastically. “I’ve never cheated…” Her voice trailed off. She and Cochise hadn’t actually had intercourse, but she wondered if their heated foreplay counted as cheating. She supposed it did. Still, her own infidelity would have never occurred had she not found out about her husband’s illicit affair. “Matt, our marriage can’t be fixed. It’s over,” she said adamantly.
“You’re my wife! Do you want to throw away twenty years over one mistake?” Matt fumed.
Twenty years of loyalty had earned her nothing. Not warmth or compassion. And until only recently, out of some warped sense of duty, she’d been putting up with a sex life that was so bad it was pure torture. Marriage to Matt had not been pleasant. She exhaled, relieved that it was finally over.
“Look, I have to go. Maybe your sister can help you out,” Regina suggested.
“My sister can’t afford….”
“And neither can I,” Regina interjected. “I’ll drop your things off at your sister’s house in the morning. When you get your next phone call, don’t waste it on me—call your girlfriend,” she added bitterly.
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