by Lainey Fox
"Thank you," Isabelle said, again raising her hands to her hair. She looked pleased, though, Tara noted.
"Where's Anthony?" Sam asked, glancing around the yard as though the other man might appear.
"He's driving up with the kids and their nanny," Isabelle replied. She said it with a bit of triumph, as though her husband was finally acting like the family man she had always wanted.
Tara felt a pang of sympathy for the other woman. Isabelle didn't look happy; she didn't even look miserable. Instead, there was a desperate quality to her that made Tara sad in a way she couldn't quite explain, even to herself.
The men must have felt the same way, because they spent the next hour in cheery, joking conversation, with Isabelle at the center of their attention. Tara found herself inviting the other woman for lunch when they got back to the city.
When they had finished their drinks, Isabelle looked almost happy. The attention may have taken her by surprise, but she was so pleased by it that she didn't question it.
The door to the patio slid open, startling them, then two blonde, blue eyed children came rushing out with cries of "Mommy!" before launching themselves at Isabelle.
The change was instant. Isabelle seemed lit from within, cuddling her children and laughing as they told her, in great, childish detail, about their trip. They made it seem like they had been traveling for months. Isabelle listened, obviously enthralled with their stories.
Tara, who had never been fond of small children, was nevertheless touched by how Isabelle was with her offspring. The loving look on her face, the way she smoothed her daughter's hair away from her little face, the way she kissed her son's forehead. The gestures were completely natural, done without thought or planning. It was easy to see that the three of them were affectionate.
When Anthony and the nanny appeared, Tara did a double take.
The nanny was young, with large, liquid brown eyes and dark hair that fell to her elbows in thick, straight lines. She was tiny, like a dancer, maybe twenty years old. She was dressed in subtly sexy clothes that hinted at the body beneath without being inappropriate for her job.
"Hello," Anthony greeted them, his scowl firmly in place. "How was your trip?"
Sam and Daniel made noises of greeting, but Tara was watching the way Isabelle reacted to her husband's appearance. She had tensed up all over again, toying with the bracelet on her wrist. While Anthony introduced them to Sabrina, the children's nanny, Tara watched the way Isabelle's face froze into a mask.
"Are you gonna play now?" Jackson asked, appearing at his father's side, a football clutched to his chest. His face was hopeful.
"Not now," Anthony snapped, not even looking at the boy that resembled him so closely. "I want to rest from the drive and eat something."
Isabelle leapt to her feet and went in search of a sandwich. Jackson's little face started to crumble, but he held any tears in with a kind of dignity that Tara had to admire.
"I'll throw a ball around, buddy," Daniel offered.
"You will?" Jackson turned to him with surprise on his features. "For real?"
"Sure. C'mon, I haven't played in years."
The boy ran across the yard, the disappointment about his father's rejection forgotten.
By the second day at the lake house, Daniel had a small, blonde shadow. Jackson looked at Daniel with complete hero worship. To Sam's surprise, Daniel wasn't annoyed at all by the boy's unwavering presence. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it.
"Daniel's showing me how to fish," Jackson announced, sitting on the boat dock with a fishing rod.
"Me, too," Jemma put in, scowling at her brother.
"We're gonna catch some fish for dinner," Daniel joked, settling the kids down with their rods. He looked relaxed and happy, showing the kids how to cast and reel.
Sam looked at Tara, who seemed as confused as he was by Daniel's absorption with the kids.
They went past the little fishermen and climbed in the boat, eager to catch some rays out on the water.
"Isabelle?" Tara asked. "Are you coming along?"
Isabelle looked up from where she was reading in the shade, a radiant smile on her face. "I think I'll stay here," she replied, casting a loving, content smile over her children.
Tara shrugged and helped Sam to ready the little cabin cruiser. Sam watched her closely for any signs of jealousy that Daniel's attention had been diverted from her.
Aside from being bewildered, though, she showed no evidence of caring what Daniel did with his time. Sam wondered, briefly, if the affair was sizzling out.
He had seen them together enough to know that though Tara and Daniel liked and respected each other, there was no great love between them. Their passion was in the sex, a raw, hungry passion that surprised him even as it turned him on.
He suspected that if there were any feelings involved, they would be Daniel's.
Chapter 4
Tara was walking along the bank that evening, enjoying the cool breeze coming off the water. Sam had fallen asleep in the air conditioning, Isabelle had gone into town for more wine, Anthony was off doing whatever that jerk did, and the kids, for once, were with the nanny.
She was dressed in her bikini and sarong, with the idea that she might take a late swim before dinner. She was enjoying the laid back pace of the lake house. Eat, drink, swim, sleep. It was a great break from her usual routine.
The rest was doing Sam good, too. He had lost the bored, anxious expression he had been wearing since the trouble with the Englewood case had began. She suspected that being here, in peace and quiet, was doing him as much good as it was her. Of course, having his friends around was fun, too.
Well, Daniel, Isabelle, and, surprisingly, the kids were fun. Anthony was like a demonic presence that occasionally visited at meal times to put a gloom over the crowd. When he did make an appearance, he seemed determined to make Isabelle as miserable as possible.
The put downs he aimed at her were pointed and sharp. Just today, he had made several nasty comments at lunch. Tara had leapt to her feet to defend her, but Isabelle had shaken her head, silently pleading for everyone to let it ride.
In an odd way, Tara reflected, this trip had made her see Isabelle differently. She had never really liked the other woman, but seeing her now, with her children, she saw a different side to her. The way she handled Anthony's bad treatment of her with such class said more about her than anything.
She had assumed Daniel was in his room, passed out like Sam, so she was a bit surprised to find him walking toward her from the opposite direction, breaking into her silent pondering like a welcome ghost.
"There's the sexy lipstick lady," he grinned, taking her at once into his hard, muscled arms.
"Were you looking for me?" she asked, sending him a flirtatious smile.
"I was," he replied, pausing to kiss her deeply. "I needed you."
"Well, here I am," she said, lightly.
"Just walking?"
"Thinking, actually," she replied, resting her head on his chest as he began to slowly rub her bare back.
"Stop thinking for a few minutes," he ordered, holding her tight against him.
She gasped as he suddenly tugged at her bikini strings, immediately baring her to the breeze that was blowing.
"I missed these," he said, closing his hands over her breasts.
"Umm," she agreed, as he kissed her again. "They missed you, too."
He gave a light chuckle and led her into the water. "I want you like this," he said, simply.
Tara smiled and let the water buoy her up until she could wrap her legs around his hips. She ran her hands and lips over the broad expanse of his chest, tracing the hard muscles.
He raised her face to kiss her again, his tongue probing her mouth. She opened her mouth wider, giving him full access to her, even as she explored his mouth with her own. She loved the taste of him and took the kiss even deeper.
She could feel the hardness of him rising, straining inside his swim sh
orts. She freed him with her hands, stroking his huge member before guiding him to her opening.
He grunted as he thrust his hips, plunging inside of her. She moaned as he filled her, shuddering with the first orgasm as soon as he entered her.
He rocked against her, his big, thick cock moving in and out, shocking her with ecstasy each time he entered her. She wrapped her legs more tightly around him, drawing him deeper inside her as she felt her body tremble with another spasm of pleasure.
He gripped her thighs and drove into her with frantic thrusts, grunting with need and exertion as he sought his own release. She was moaning, her back arched, her hair trailing in the water around them. Every thrust left her clinging to him more tightly, desperate to ride every wave of sensation that he gave her.
When he gave a short, growling groan, she felt him throbbing and pulsing inside of her. She laughed, wiggling down hard on him, letting his orgasm fill her even as their bodies began to relax from their embrace.
They floated in the water in silence for a few moments, letting the water lap at them gently.
"Are you enjoying our little vacation?" he asked her, after a few minutes.
She smiled. "Yes and no. I love this place. I'm enjoying the time away from my schedule, but I alternately am hating it because I want to punch Anthony."
"Is this normal for him?" Daniel asked. "I mean, he hasn't spent time with those kids, or with Isabelle, the entire time we've been here."
"He's barely spent time with anyone," Tara pointed out. "He stays in the study or finds excuses to leave."
"Is that normal?" Daniel repeated his question.
Tara sighed. "I don't think it's unusual, but this mean streak is new," she said. "He never has much time for Isabelle or the kids, but I've never seen him try to publicly humiliate her before. It bothers me, and it bothers Sam."
"It bothers me," Daniel said. "I wasn't real impressed the first time I met Isabelle, but the woman deserves a nomination for sainthood."
"I agree. Especially with the nanny that Anthony hired."
"I know," Daniel agreed with her. "I have to say, I didn't think my opinion of Anthony could get much lower. I was wrong."
"Well, he's a jerk," Tara said, "but I don't want to make it worse for her. I mean, we're only here for a few more days. She's stuck for life."
"Yeah," Daniel replied, blowing out a breath. "At least she's got her kids."
Chapter 5
They ate outside on the patio, feasting on boiled crab legs and all the sides of a low country boil. The wine was fabulous and the mood light. The kids ran through the yard, catching fireflies and bringing them to show their mother, though Daniel's opinion was sought almost as much. To Sam's surprise, the kids had also accepted him and Tara, including them in the fun.
Isabelle excused herself long enough to get the kids into their baths and then to bed. When she returned, she poured herself another glass of wine, sipping it slowly as she stared out into the dark. She looked relaxed and happy.
"We'll set off the fireworks on our last night," she said, after a few minutes of easy silence. "It will be nice, don't you think? We can use the grill at the boat house, like a picnic."
Sam suddenly realized that under all the gloss of her upbringing, and all the old money behind her, Isabelle was a very simple person. She wasn't ambitious like Tara. She truly wanted nothing more than the classic American family.
While he preferred Tara's drive and spirit, he still wondered about Anthony's complete disregard for his wife. He could tell that Daniel was wondering the same thing. The other man was very courteous to Isabelle, making sure that she had wine, including her in every conversation.
He glanced at his wife to see if she was jealous. Tara didn't seem to care one way or another. She was relaxed, holding Sam's hand lightly as the four of them talked about the weather and things that they could do the following the day.
When they finally called it a night, they were all slightly buzzed but still laughing. Isabelle hugged them all before she went to her room, thanking them for being there. They all returned her light embrace and went to their rooms, each lost in their own thoughts.
Morning came early, bringing chaos. The house shook with the ringing doorbell before the sun was fully up. Sam and Daniel both staggered to the door, stopping Isabelle and the housekeeper. Tara knew that they were concerned about some sort of trouble at this early hour.
When the heavy double doors were opened, they revealed two police officers. Shock took over the room. They were all standing there in their night clothes, staring at the policemen on the steps.
"Can we help you, officers?" Daniel asked, immediately taking charge of the situation.
"We're looking for Anthony Pyle," the shorter of the men said.
Isabelle clutched at her red silk robe, as though it could magically stop what was happening in her house. Tara reached out a supportive hand, which Isabella grabbed like a lifeline.
"I'll get him," Sam said, quietly patting Isabelle's shoulder as he passed her on his way up the stairs.
Sam came back down after a few moments and motioned to Daniel and the two officers to step outside.
Isabelle turned to Tara, her expression terrified and bewildered. "He isn't here, is he? He left, didn't he?"
Tara shook her head. "I don't know, Isabelle. I don't know."
A sound on the stairs caused both women to turn.
Jemma was coming down, still wearing her pink ruffled night gown, rubbing her eyes, a doll clutched to her side. "Mommy?"
"Hey, sweetie," Isabelle said, immediately turning to fold her daughter into her arms.
"I woke up and I wanted a drink but Sabrina wasn't in her bed."
"I'll get you a drink, honey," Isabelle answered, her eyes bleak as she began to put it all together. The house keeper gently pushed Isabelle to the side and took the child's hand.
"You can help me make breakfast," she said, smiling warmly. Jemma beamed with importance as they headed to the kitchen.
"Anthony stole the money, didn't he?" Isabelle whispered, her face a mask of misery. "He stole the money and left me with that new nanny he hired."
"Maybe there's a logical-" Tara started, but Isabelle shook her head. "He's left me."
"Isabelle, you need to check your bank account."
"No," she shook her head. "He couldn't touch that. My father controls that."
"Isabelle," Tara started, but Daniel came in and interrupted anything she was going to try to say.
"Isabelle," Daniel said, "they want to talk to you in the living room."
Sam and Daniel returned to where Tara waited, concern on both their faces.
"Will she be okay?" Daniel asked, staring at the closed door where Isabelle had gone.
"I think she will," Tara replied, reading the expression on her lover's face. "She won't be alone through this."
She suggested they get dressed so that they could do what they needed to do.
In their room, Sam turned to her and hugged her. "I'm so glad this is over. As bad as it is for Isabelle and the kids, I'm glad it's over. That rat was putting money in off shore accounts for years. Saving up for leaving her." He took a breath.
"It was really sweet of you to say she wouldn't be alone. You're a good friend, Tara. I'm really proud of you."
Tara laughed. "Of course I'll be there for her, but I wasn't talking about me."
Sam looked at her confused.
She giggled. "Men are clueless. Daniel! Haven't you noticed how he's been all about the kids and family time? Mark my words, Sam, they'll be together. And it will make them both happy."
Sam thought back over their time at the lake house and grinned.
"You know, honey, I think you're right," he said.
Her Husband Watches:
The Mechanic’s Hot Wife
By Lainey Fox
Copyright © 2016 by Laney Fox
& Scarlet Lantern Publishing
All rights reserved.
; This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language.
All characters in this work are 18 years of age or older.
Chapter 1
Tony got home at 1:30 a.m. His home was dark and quiet, just as one might expect at such a late hour.