Maybe coffee will help, so I put a pot on and eagerly await the concoction to brew. After a few cups of the stuff, I’m finally feeling humanish again. Around nine, I decide I’ve given him enough time to wake up and get dressed. Hopefully, he won’t be too busy to have a little chat with me.
I use the key to enter Kenneth’s house he’d given me long ago. I’d always called ahead, for no other reason than courtesy. It’s early, and though I want to talk to him, I didn’t want to call and wake him up sooner than necessary. So I step inside. The place smells of cigar smoke, which isn’t unexpected. It also smells of alcohol. But it’s the last smell that has me marching toward his bedroom, double time.
Sex? Really? He’s cheating on me, that no good son of a bitch. I’m not sure what to feel, especially considering what I’d come to talk about. I wanted to see where his head was. I wanted to know if we could come to some sort of truce. But honestly, I wished that we couldn’t find common ground so I could then break our engagement with a free conscience. Now, I’m wondering who is really the fool.
The door isn’t locked, so when I barrel inside, I stumble forward. What greets me is nothing I ever could have imagined. And suddenly, my anger dissipates and is replaced by shock.
Kenneth is on the bed on all fours, ass high in the air, with a ball gag in his mouth. Seeing him wide-eyed and caught has me at a loss for words. A part of me wants to drudge up righteous indignation and the other part remembers why I came here in the first place.
I blink through the murk in my head the scene in front of me has created and recognize the man balls deep in my former boyfriend. I met him at a golf tournament my sister-in-law put together for my dad’s company.
“H-Horace,” I stutter.
The grin he gives me while on his knees behind Kenneth, holding a whip looking thing in his hand, says sorry but not sorry.
Anger that should come from the realization that Kenneth has been cheating on me for God knows how long doesn’t as relief sets in.
Something like this should piss me off and break my heart into tiny pieces. Instead, I’m pulling out my phone and opening the camera app.
Horace poses, throwing deuces and rock-ons with his hands, while Kenneth appears as though he might die any second. He tries to speak, but instead, he’s red-faced as spittle drips from his mouth around the sides of the ball. Holy shit! Straight-laced Kenneth! Who knew? Obviously, not me.
Horace, who apparently can speak in tongues, understands every word. Urgently, he removes said ball gag from Kenneth’s mouth.
“I have no words for this scene,” I say, shaking my head.
“Jenna,” Kenneth gasps, “I beg you to delete those pictures.”
I’m not even sure why I took them. “No fucking way. I’m still not sure I’m mad enough not to post them on Instagram.”
“Please, baby,” Kenneth whines.
“Seriously, don’t call me baby when you have a dick shoved up your ass,” I choke out, on the edge of hysteria.
Kenneth mumbles something over his shoulder, and I wonder why I’m still standing there. As I start to pivot in an effort to flee, Kenneth calls out my name.
Instinct has me turning back.
“Pull out!” Kenneth says over his shoulder.
Horace, who sounds like a blue blood from one of the oldest plantations in South Carolina, says in his dignified manner, “I’m trying, but it appears I’m stuck.”
Maybe I’d hit my threshold of the sure lunacy of the situation, but I rear back and chortle. “You’re stuck.” And you would swear I was at a comedy show the way my laughter mixes with my tears. I’m on the edge of something I can’t name. The man I thought I loved enough to marry has a dick stuck up his ass.
“Yes, see?” Horace says, sounding like he’s talking about not having the right utensil at the dinner table rather than being stuck like glue to my former fiancé’s backside. From my position in front of him, it appears he tries to pull back, but doesn’t manage as much as an inch. “As I said, stuck like glue.”
“Wait, so you mean, you’re stuck … stuck?”
“Yes, dear, I believe we are,” Horace says so matter-of-factly, I somehow feel like I’m discussing the weather.
Looking at Kenneth, I wonder if he could be any more horrified. Except, of course, he can when I drop the next bomb. “Kenneth, suffice it to say,” I begin, trying like hell to sound just as upper crust as Horace, “I hate to break it to you, but the wedding is off.”
“No, Jenna, you can’t mean that.”
“What do you think? That I’ll marry you when you obviously have your mind on this? I mean, come on!”
I begin to turn when Kenneth cries, “Wait, don’t leave. We might need help.”
Unable to stop myself, I titter, “No way in hell can I help you. Honestly, you two got yourselves in this mess. There is no way I’m going to help you out.”
“Please, Jenna,” Kenneth begs. “I know how this looks. But I love you. I just…”
“Like cock up your ass,” Horace finishes for him and slaps his butt cheek. Oh my God. I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t stop laughing as I glance around waiting for the hidden cameras to pop out. No way is this my life.
Kenneth continues as if the other man didn’t speak. “I haven’t cheated on you. I swear.”
Wait! What? My eyes narrow, and I prepare a blistering retort of expletives.
“He’s right, honey. He’s never let me give him so much as a blowjob or has he fucked me in any manner. He only lets me fuck him.”
A hysterical bubble of laughter leaps from my throat. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You think that’s supposed to make me feel better? Is Kenneth the date you were looking for that night at my brother’s golf thing for work?”
Horace shrugs, and I add, “Now it all makes sense. No wonder you couldn’t get it up that night and begged off to sleep.”
“Jenna, I didn’t sleep with you that night out of respect. I respect you and didn’t want us to have sex after I’d been with another.”
“How magnanimous of you. And honestly, having this conversation while you are so engaged with another man is beyond my comprehension. You should totally call 911 for help.”
Tears leach from Kenneth’s eyes. “Please, Jenna, my dad can’t find out about this. My life will be over. He’ll disown me.”
“You’re his only son. Who else would he pass the torch to? Man up.” I look down, and isn’t that the position he’s in? Or maybe I should say butt up. I laugh at my own joke. “He’ll get over it.”
“He won’t.” Kenneth sobs, and damn, if seeing a grown man cry while being fucked doesn’t get to me. This has to be the worst sort of humiliation ever, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Before I can answer, Horace does something that I can’t and really don’t want to see, and then he begins to pull back, so far, I can only imagine the sheer size of him.
“Damn, dude, you must be hung like a horse,” I say.
Horace has no shame and says, “Yes, my fiancée says the same thing.”
“What a minute.” I point my finger at a man with a dick that might belong in the Guinness Book of World Records. “You have a fiancée?”
“Yes.” He doesn’t even hesitate. “But she knows what I am. I’ve tried to break up with her, but she refuses. She’s of the opinion as long as I’m safe and I don’t screw other women, she’s fine with it.”
My jaw loses its hinge, and I do the fish speak thing with only air leaving my lips. With that, I spin on my heels.
“Keep the ring, Jenna.” I hate that he sounds so utterly defeated. “It’s yours. And I’ll always love you.”
Almost out the door, I say over my shoulder, “Don’t be too sad, Kenneth. I’m sure Horace will help you get over me.”
There’s nothing his words make me feel except sad his dad is a total prick who would never accept his son for who he is despite my words to the contrary. I leave the ring behind on the way out. It’s meani
ngless to me. There is no way I can keep it. My fantasy of a princess wedding is lost to me, but I couldn’t care less. Because if Brandon takes me back, I won’t be living a life of luxury. And I’m okay with that.
Six
JENNA
Leaving Kenneth’s is bittersweet, but I’m still in shock over what I witnessed. Of all the people, Kenneth is the last I ever would’ve suspected as being on the man-train. It’s a relief, yet I feel sad for him and his relationship with his parents. But I can’t linger too long on those thoughts. Now I have to deal with my own issues—my parents and how they will handle this.
My first thought is to run straight to Brandon. But how would that look? I never want him to think I’m using him. And I want him to see me as a strong woman, someone who can face challenges without having to run to anyone for help. So I do the next thing I can think of. I call my bestie, Cate.
“Hey, what’s up?” she asks.
“You busy? I need you. Now.”
“Come on. We’re not doing a thing.”
Crap. I forgot Drew was with her. “Is there any way you can meet me at my place? I’ll be there in ten.”
“Sure. I’m on the way.”
I release the breath I’m holding. I have to admit, I was worried she’d bring Drew along.
When I get home, my whole body is shaking. Not sure if it’s from what I’m about to tell Cate, or from the fact that I’m relieved, I sit in the car and wait. She finally pulls in behind me, and I get out. One look at my face and she knows something’s up.
“What gives? You look … weird.”
Grabbing her hand, I pull her into the house. Once inside, I turn to her and say, “The engagement’s off.”
“You said what?”
“You heard me.”
“Why?” she asks, her forehead covered in creases.
Suddenly, I’m guarded over how much I want to disclose. I never disliked Kenneth. In fact, I like him. A lot. And for whatever reason, I sort of feel protective of him, especially now that I know his parents will be giving him a difficult time. But this is Cate. I can trust her with my life.
“Oh, Cate, it’s a crazy story. If I tell you, will you swear not to tell anyone? Even Drew or Benny?”
Her fingers clamp around my arm. “What the hell happened?”
“Promise me first.”
“Yes, I promise.” She squeezes me harder.
“Ow!”
She eases up, and I rub my arm. “Sorry about that.”
“Okay, so I went to Kenneth’s this morning to have a talk about us. I just wasn’t feeling it, you know?” I didn’t dare tell her about Brandon. That would remain a secret for now.
“Does this have anything to do with when you asked me about how I knew when I met Drew?”
At least I have the decency to look sheepish. “Yeah.”
“So go on.”
“Right. So I get there, and well, it’s sort of hard to explain. But I caught him with someone else.”
Cate’s hands fly to her mouth, covering it. “Oh my God. He was screwing around on you. Kenneth? I can’t believe it. You caught him with another woman?”
“Not exactly.”
Her hands drop, and she screws up her mouth, trying to figure this out.
“I don’t understand. You just said he was with someone else.”
“That’s right.”
“But if—” The pieces of the puzzle tumble into place. “Oh dear God. Oh sweet Jesus. Kenneth? With another man? No fucking way! I don’t believe it!”
“Way and you’d better believe it because I have pictures.”
She shakes me so hard my teeth rattle. “You took pictures!” Her voice is so loud I think my eardrums just shattered.
“Cate, can you lower the decibels a bit?” I rub my ears.
“Shit. Sorry, but this is epic. I mean, you have pictures of Kenneth with another man.”
“You bet I do. But it’s bad for Kenneth.”
Cate’s eyes turn into golf balls. “Bad? It’s catastrophic. He’s not going to have his fancy wedding he kept gushing about.”
I lightly hit her arm. “No, not just that. It’s not epic because he’s worried his father is going to disown him, and I feel bad for him. Honestly, I’d pretty much decided we weren’t meant to be together before this anyway,” I say.
Her face looks pained. “Poor Kenneth. Putting on the show just for the old senator and his wife. I can so see that, too. I feel bad for Kenneth now, too. And he is such a great guy. Hey, you wouldn’t consider marrying him—”
“Cate! Are you crazy? I can’t even believe you said that! I want the total picture, like you have.”
“Right, right. Sorry, don’t know what got into me. A mercy marriage, I guess.”
“I know, but there’s no mercy in me for that.”
“Let me see them.”
“What?”
“The pictures,” she says.
“I can’t. It’s too personal. And it would be a betrayal of Kenneth, you know.”
“But he betrayed you.”
“I know, but for some weird reason, I don’t really blame him. And he gave me my out, if I’m honest.”
“So, now what?” She wants to know.
“I’m a free agent again. Looking for love.”
“I hope not in all the wrong places.”
“Maybe not. Maybe so. Who knows? But can you hear my mom when I tell her? And I can’t possibly tell her the truth. She’s going to go into a state of deep depression. ”
“Jenna, my girl, ain’t a damn thing you can do about it, unless you want to share that photo with them, and then you’ll give her a heart attack for sure.”
Suddenly, Cate laughs and then howls. It’s a knee-slapping, bent-over-at-the-waist kind of laugh.
“What the hell is so funny?” I ask.
“Oh my God,” she wheezes. “I wish I would’ve been a fly on the wall when you walked into that room and caught them. I bet it was priceless.”
Now I start to laugh as I remember the whole scene. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”
“Try me.”
When I describe the scene to her, we both end up practically lying on the floor, kicking our feet in the air.
Then Cate says, “I think I just peed my pants.”
After she takes a half shower and I lend her some clean panties, Cate heads for Drew’s parents’ house, where they are staying.
It’s then I decide to pay a visit to my favorite mechanic. Maybe I can conjure up an issue with my car. Better yet, why don’t I get brave and ask him out to lunch? I know he’ll say no, but I can tell him I have something I need to discuss with him.
I dress up, not fancy, but in nice jeans and a cute top, and head that way, making sure I feel confident in myself. The parking lot is crowded, as usual, because Brandon runs a great business. When I walk in, his employee, She Who Hates Me, is standing there. Daggers shoot from her eyes, but then she gives me a huge smile, which is unusual.
“Hey, is Brandon in?” I ask.
“He sure is.” She grins. “He’s in his office. You can go on back. You remember where it is, right?”
“Oh, sure.” This is weird, but I head on back anyway. The blinds are closed, which is what he does when he has a lot of work to do. Since I want to surprise him, I decide to forgo the knock.
Pushing the door open, I get my second surprise of the day. A redhead has her arms coiled around his neck, and from what I can see in the short amount of time I’m there, it looks like her tongue is crammed down his throat as well. Guess this just isn’t my day. My gasp of surprise doesn’t go unnoticed. I quickly turn and race away, only to hear him calling my name.
But I don’t stop. Not for a million dollars would I do that. Dana chuckles as I pass her, and then I figure out why she was so damn nice. She knew I’d get an eyeful. I get to my car and pull the handle, but damn, my hand slips. It finally opens just as he reaches me and grabs my arm.
“Wait. J
enna, stop.”
I shake off his arm and say, “I have to go.”
“Please, let me explain.”
“Oh, I think I’ve gotten enough of an explanation. My eyes are pretty good at detecting things, and what I saw gave me everything I need.” I drop into the driver’s seat as he stands by helplessly. The redhead runs out the door, headed in our direction.
“Christ,” he mumbles. “What a fucked-up day.”
“You can say that again,” I say as I back out of my parking space.
Seven
BRANDON
“Is everything okay?” Lexa asks. “That wasn’t your girlfriend, was it?”
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I say, “No. Not exactly.”
“Are you sure? She looked pissed.”
I’m really not in the mood for this conversation. “She’s engaged. That’s how sure I am. Anyway, let me see if we can get that part for your car. Like I said before, it’s not going to be cheap. You might be better taking it to a dealer.”
Her red 2010 Alpha Romeo Spider may have been out of warranty, but dealers would have access to parts.
“And like I told you before, my father would kill me. Even though I’m out of state, he would much prefer I deal with an independent shop than one associated with a dealer. It’s not like there are a million luxury car dealers. And you come highly recommended. Imagine my surprise to find you’re the owner so well regarded.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
She’s not shy. I give her that. “Well deserved.”
Her lips pucker together and come out wet and kissable, only my dick doesn’t come out of hibernation.
The Cruel and Beautiful Series Boxset Page 87
