Hard Cover

by Jamie K. Schmidt

  “Have you been up to see her?” I asked.

  Rory winced.

  “I’m not allowed,” Kendrick said.

  “But you’re her husband.” I looked at Rory, who jammed his hands into his pockets.

  “It’s complicated,” Rory said.

  “It’s not that complicated,” Dominic butted in. “Old man Parker arranged the marriage to his little princess. It’s a marriage in name only.”

  “Oh.” I was mortified. If the floor opened up and swallowed me right now it would be a blessing. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “It’s okay,” Kendrick said. “Excuse Dom, he can be a little blunt when he’s being overprotective. I’ve been asked to stay away until her memory solidifies. The doctors feel that the less stress or stimulation the better at this time. Cam has her parents and her brother to take care of her for now. When she’s on the road to recovery, then there will be time for Spence and me.”

  “Who’s Spence?” I asked.

  “Our son.” Kendrick showed me a picture of a cute little boy.

  “He has your eyes,” I said, trying to hide my shock. I hadn't known Cammy was a mother.

  Kendrick smiled.

  “We should get going.” Rory took my elbow. “Kendrick, let’s schedule lunch sometime next week. Dominic, go bugger yourself.”

  “Rory,” I gasped as he led me away.

  Luckily, Dominic just laughed.

  “That was hella rude.”

  He gave me a twisted smile. “I didn’t like the princess remark he made about Cammy.”

  “Why did your dad arrange her marriage? It sounds like something my father would do.”

  “She was pregnant. And Kendrick was looking to fast track to partner. He’s not Spence’s biological father.”

  I felt sick to my stomach, and I didn’t think it was because of the dates. “Oh no,” I moaned.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “I should have told you. I was just pissed he hadn’t returned my phone calls.

  "Can we get out of here?" I hated the feeling that everyone was looking at us.

  "I think that can be arranged," he said.

  "Let me just run to the ladies’ room first." If I was right, I would have company when the mean girls flocked in. If I was wrong, I was prepared to be pleasantly surprised. But if I left now without setting the record straight with some of these assholes, I’d be depressed all night, and Rory didn’t deserve that.

  "Text me when you're done, and I'll meet you outside by the limo. It'll save you the trouble of coming to find me."

  Or would it save him from explaining why he was with a girl like me? "Sure." I turned on my heel and walked out of the ballroom. In the relative quiet of the hallway, I felt like I could breathe again. I followed the signs to the ladies’ room and waited inside the stall.

  Within five minutes, three women in clackety heels walked in. I flushed and came out of the stall to see them fixing their flawless hair and makeup.

  "Excuse me," I said, angling for a position by the sink to wash my hands.

  “‘One of these things is not like the others,’” I sang to myself while looking at us in the mirror.

  "You're Rory's . . . date," a cute redhead dressed in an emerald green dress said. She crossed her arms over her chest.

  "And you are?" I dried my hands on a paper towel.

  "You don't think he's serious about you," a statuesque blonde wearing a crimson sheath chimed in.

  I waggled my tongue ring at her.

  They gaped at me.

  The other blonde, who was wearing a little black dress, sneered. "You look like a thug."

  "I'm not. And it’s a good thing too. Because if I was, I would have given Freckles here"—I pointed at the redhead—"a swirly Q. Then, I would have given LBD over here a wedgie." I jerked my thumb at the blonde in the black dress. "And would it be pantsed or dressed?" I cocked my head. "Whatever, I would've tugged that sheath of yours to your knees and kicked you out of the bathroom."

  "That's—"

  "Juvenile? High schoolish behavior? Yeah, so is what you're doing here. Let me clear the air. Rory and I are having fantastic sex. Like we're going at it like sex-starved monkeys. We're happy. I don't care if he took you to the prom. Or if you blew him during high school. Or if you always had plans on being Mrs. Rory Parker. That's all on you. He's leaving with me tonight, and not giving any of you a second thought."

  "You don't belong here," the redhead snarled.

  "And I'm thankful for that, because you people disgust me."

  "We disgust you?" LBD asked, flipping her hair.

  "Yeah, all this money, and the only way you're happy is when you tear someone down. Imagine what you could accomplish if you used your powers for good."

  "Hear! Hear!" a voice said from a stall.

  Crap. That was a rookie mistake. I should have checked all the stalls. There was another flush and out stepped . . . my mother?

  "Oh no," I said.

  "I thought I recognized your voice, dear," she said, moving toward the sink.

  "What are you doing here?" I cried.

  "The shrimp didn't agree with me."

  "Is Dad here?"

  "Oh yes, he drags me to these things every chance he gets." My mother looked up from washing her hands. "You three should go back to the party before I decide to have words with your mothers about how she brought you up."

  "And who the hell are you?" LBD asked.

  The redhead pulled her arm. "That's Judge Nolan's wife."

  "And daughter." My mother jerked her thumb in my direction.

  The girls fled.

  "Why are they so afraid of a judge who lives in Connecticut?" I crossed my arms and leaned against the sink.

  "He's a very large donor to a lot of their parents' causes."

  I looked up at the ceiling. "Sooooo, how much of that did you hear?"

  "Did Mr. Monkey Sex give you that necklace?"

  I cringed. "It's not what it looks like."

  "Rory Parker, huh? The first selectman's son?"

  "Yeah."

  "The one who is redoing all the stores, including yours?"

  "Yup." I was considering throwing Stephanie and her open marriage under the bus to get my mother's laser focus off me, but that didn't seem fair.

  "I thought you were dating that . . . musician."

  She said musician like most people said cockroach.

  "We broke up."

  "I approve of your new boyfriend."

  "Why?" I sneered. "Because he's rich?"

  "Because he treats you better than that punk rocker you were shacked up with."

  He did, but she didn't know that. "You've never even met Rory."

  "He took you to meet his friends and colleagues here. He bought you expensive jewelry, and he must have been attentive to have those jealous cats corner you in here."

  "I like him," I admitted in a soft voice. "A lot. But we're too different."

  "So tell him to get a piercing or a tattoo."

  "What?" I laughed, trying to picture it.

  "You're not as different as you pretend to be. You both grew up in the same town. You just like standing out in a crowd and being a rebel."

  "I fight for what I believe in."

  "That must be awfully exhausting."

  I let out a long breath. It was.

  "We haven't seen you for a while. You should come and visit. I would be nice to have a conversation with my daughter that doesn't take place in a hotel bathroom."

  "It's The Ritz-Carlton. We're practically in a drawing room. I half expect a waiter to come by with a tray of drinks."

  "We shouldn’t have to meet two hours from home when we live in the same town. Your father misses you."

  "Dad didn't see me, did he?" I self-consciously tugged my dress down, uncomfortably aware I wasn't wearing underwear.

  "You didn't hear a loud bellow, did you?"

  "Nope."

  "Why don't we go and say hello to him. Yo
u know he won't cause a scene in public."

  I'd rather go round two with the mean girls. "Actually, Rory and I were just leaving."

  "Why don't you bring him over for dinner next Friday?"

  "No. Hell no. No. I don't think that's a good idea."

  She continued to look at me.

  "We're not at the meeting-the-parents stage yet," I said, and tried not to run out the door. She was hot on my heels, though, as we left the bathroom.

  "What is the stage after hot monkey sex?"

  I shushed her and looked around. "Can you forget you heard that?"

  "I don't think I could. How serious is it between the two of you?"

  "It's not," I said. "It's a summer fling."

  My mother narrowed her eyes. "Men don't give necklaces like that to summer flings. I want him over for dinner. Don't make me have your father call his father."

  "That's ridiculous," I hissed. "You wouldn't dare."

  "Try me." She raised her eyebrow at me, and I knew she wasn’t bluffing.

  Chapter 20

  Dawn

  "You're not going to believe who I ran into while you were in the bathroom," Rory said, climbing into the limo.

  I had ditched my mother as soon as I could and made a beeline to the limo. After texting Rory to meet me here ASAP, I made two very strong vodka and Red Bulls. I handed him one.

  "My father."

  "Your father," he said at the same time.

  We clinked glasses and took healthy sips. "How did you know?" he asked.

  "My mom was in the bathroom."

  "I had no idea they would be there. I swear it."

  "If I was paying more attention, I would have picked up that my father adores these kind of things."

  "Did you tell your mother about the store changes we were talking about?"

  "No, I was busy trying to convince her that bringing you to dinner on Friday was a bad fucking idea."

  "Next Friday?" Rory checked his phone. "I can do that. Around six?"

  "Are you high? I haven't spoken to my father in over a year. My mom might be sassy when she's not in the room with him, but when he is, his word is law. I can't go back to that."

  "No one's asking you to. It's dinner."

  "I can't subject you to that."

  "I'm going to subject you to my family. Turnabout is fair play."

  "Ugh." I sank back into the limo seat. "Can we not talk about our parents? Otherwise I'm going to need more vodka and less Red Bull."

  "How about I tell you how sexy you are in that dress?"

  "I could hear about that." I crossed my legs.

  "I've been wanting to fuck you all day, and now I have you right where I want you." He unbuckled his pants. "Come over here."

  I shook my head. "I want to watch you get undressed."

  He thumbed on his phone.

  "Really? I'm going to chuck that out the sunroof."

  "We need the right music."

  A catchy drum beat filled the air.

  "You didn't."

  "Come over here," he whispered. "All we've got is this moment. The twenty-first century's yesterday."

  Laughing, I lunged for his phone before INXS' “Need You Tonight” could get any further along. Straddling him, I pulled his belt off in one long tug and tossed it behind me. Rory inched my leather dress up over my ass. He ran his hands all over me while I unzipped his pants. Lifting up, I tugged his underwear and pants to his knees. Tearing his jacket off his shoulders, I slid my tongue into his mouth. He tasted like booze, and I felt like I was drunk when our tongues battled together. Rory kicked off his shoes and the bottom half of his clothes. Buttons flew when I pulled his shirt open.

  "Fuck," he said as I attacked his neck, sucking hard enough to leave a mark. Fumbling in a seat pocket, he pulled out a condom.

  "You always stock your limos with protection?' I sat back while he unrolled it on his hard cock.

  "Only when you're riding with me."

  "I want to ride you." I went to climb on him, but he stopped me.

  "I don't think you're wet enough."

  "Trust me, I am."

  "Take off the dress, but keep the boots on."

  Lifting the hem, I pulled the leather dress up and over my head, tossing it behind me.

  "Gorgeous," he breathed. "And all mine."

  He tickled two fingers inside me. I clutched his wide shoulders and moaned. "See?"

  Running my hands all over his muscles, I let him play with me. Rory dipped his head and traced my nipple with his tongue.

  "Oh," I breathed when he did it again and again.

  I heard myself getting wetter as his fingers danced inside me. Rory moved to my other breast and took his time licking and sucking on my nipple. "Are you ready for the clamps?"

  I nodded.

  He pushed his fingers into me. I gripped them. Yanking his head back, I kissed him while he fucked me with his fingers. Just as I was about to come, he pulled them out.

  "Damn it, Rory," I gasped.

  He showed me the diamond-covered clamps. He took my hand and put one on my finger. They were padded in velvet. "Is that okay?"

  I couldn't speak. I wanted this so bad. It had been too long since I let myself do kinky things.

  "Yes or no?" Rory put the other one on my finger and attached each end of the silver chain to them.

  I moaned when he pulled out another clamp and attached it to the middle of the chain.

  "Do you know where this one is going, sweetheart?"

  "Yes. God. Yes."

  Rory went so slow I thought I was going to die. Trembling, I wanted to climb onto his cock and ride him. He trailed the clamp up my thigh, circling my belly and then around each breast. I whimpered when he finally attached it to my rigid nipple.

  "Too much?" he asked, poised to take it off.

  I grabbed his hand. "Not enough."

  He gave that evil chuckle that made me even wetter and dragged the other clamp over the curve of my ass, along my back, over my shoulder.

  "Rory, you are driving me fucking insane."

  He clipped it on quickly and I threw my head back as pain spiked into pleasure.

  "Come on my cock," he said, tugging on the chain.

  Easing myself down on him, I immediately began to come. My entire body shook as I held on to his shoulders for balance. Taking my hips, he sat me down hard on his cock and I shrieked as waves of pleasure hit me. The sweet burn in my nipples made me anxious for more.

  "Ready for the next part?" he purred.

  I bounced on him, needing him to be as crazy as me. The hard smack on my ass stopped me in my tracks. More pleasure burn. He grabbed my hips and slammed me down on him again.

  "I want to come when you go wild."

  Sweat trickled between my breasts and he licked up to my chin. "Now then, what to do with this?" Rory used his thumbs to separate the folds of my pussy. He grunted in satisfaction. "I like seeing you on my cock,"

  I felt the other clamp burrowing in closer to my clit. "Please." I held on tight this time, and when the clamp hit, I screamed again.

  "That feel good, wild girl?"

  I nodded my head vigorously, too lost in the sensations to be coherent. Deep pleasure buzzed through me. I squirmed, wanting to move. Rory swatted the other ass cheek.

  "I wish we were filming this."

  I could only nod. I risked another slap and moved so his cock scraped the clamp. It was his turn to gasp. "Didn't expect that, did you?"

  He tugged the chain in response. I went wild, nails digging into his upper arms. I bounced and roared as wave after wave hit me. I was drowning in sensation. I needed more, and he was going to give it to me. I rode him with a furious abandon.

  "More," he snarled, tugging again.

  White light blinded me and I came hard. My entire body shook and I screamed. Rory growled. I barely felt him come, but he bit my shoulder, and that set me off again. We paused to change condoms and I was right back on him.

  Now it was my t
urn to chant "More!" over and over again. He remained so hard. It felt so good. The tugging was nothing but pleasure. I was extra stimulated. His short nails scraping over my back was pure bliss. I ran my fingers through his hair and we kissed again. All the while we were joined, rocking and rubbing our bodies over each other.

  I lost count of the times I came. Eventually I had to take the clamps off. Rory eased ice cubes over my nipples, and when I complained of the cold, he warmed them up with his mouth. We fell into a sweaty, sleepy mess. He kept me on top of him and we fell asleep kissing.

  The limo hit the brakes hard as a car cut it off. It almost dumped us on the floor. Rory caught us just in time and eased us back on the seat.

  “Let’s go back to your place,” he murmured in my ear. “I’ve got to get an early start tomorrow, and I don’t want you to take an Uber to the store from the yacht. It's a waste of money.”

  I tried not to tense. “That’s all right. I should get to the store early myself. I’ve got a ton of things to do if I want to make room for all the new inventory.”

  Rubbing circles on my back, Rory sighed. “You work too hard.”

  “Speaking of which, can you drop me off at the shop tonight?” I nuzzled his throat. I wanted to make sure the cat got food and water.

  He stiffened. “No. This is your day off. The day isn’t over yet. No work.”

  I should tell him.

  If I told him and he dumped me, it was better to know that now. I was falling in love with him, and I thought I could survive it if was over after this fantastic day. If I got in over my head, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle the rejection.

  “I need to show you something.” I leaned up on my elbow. “Please. It’s important.”

  “All right,” he said. “But rest now. You’re amazing. You know that?”

  I kissed him hard. I hoped he still thought that when he saw where I was living.

  I must have dozed off again because he gently nudged me when we took the exit to Haven. “We should get dressed.”

  “Must we?” I didn’t want this day to end. I didn’t want to show him my futon and admit that I’d been living in the store. I didn’t want him to buy me an apartment. I didn’t want to move in with him. And I didn’t want him to buy out my lease my store. I had come too far to backslide.

  “Take me back to your place and we can get naked again.”