Beautiful Illusions Duet Bundle: Eighty-One Nights and Beautiful Ever After

by Georgia Cates

  Bleu knows that I want to talk about the Lochridges? I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by that considering that she was once an FBI agent. She can probably smell motive from a mile away.

  “And the other wives?” I’m willing to take help anywhere I can get it.

  “Moral support. That’s all you’ll get from Elli, Westlyn, and Lorna.”

  “I could use a bit of that, actually.”

  “I have a feeling we’re going to need to discuss this without the wrong ears being within earshot. Can you meet us at Duncan’s Whisky Bar at noon?”

  Duncan’s Whisky Bar. I’m guessing that’s Leith and Lorna’s establishment.

  “Noon would be perfect.”

  I enter the front door of Duncan’s Whisky Bar, and it looks like every other pub in Edinburgh but something—I’m not sure what—tells me that it is anything but ordinary.

  Every man within the establishment turns and looks at me. At the same time, Bleu is out of her seat coming toward me. “I’m sorry they’re acting as though they’ve never seen a woman before. You’re a new face, and they’re wondering why you’re here.”

  I’m not sure what that means, and I’m afraid to ask after Hutch’s statement regarding the Breckenridges.

  “Come with me. We’re sitting at the special table today.”

  I sit down and look at the table. Looks like a normal table to me. “What makes it special?”

  The women look at each other and laugh. And I realize that I may have made a mistake by asking. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”

  “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

  Whatever makes the table special remains a mystery because she doesn’t offer a reason. But I know who I’m sharing a table with right now.

  The Bella Mafia.

  “It’s barely noon and I’m having a whisky. I don’t give a damn. I deserve one after the weekend I had with Sinclair Breckenridge’s sons.”

  “Ooh, my nephews must have been very bad if you’re calling them Sin’s sons.”

  “They’re mine when they behave. They’re his when they show their little asses.”

  Bleu lifts her hand and a waitress comes over immediately. “What can I get for you?”

  “Johnny Walker Black Label. Make it a double.”

  “Rusty Nail for me,” Ellison says. “Westlyn?”

  “Sauvignon blanc.”

  Shaw nods. “That sounds good. I’ll have a sauvignon blanc too.”

  “Scotch fizz,” Lorna says. “And tell Kenrick to make it my way. He’ll know what you mean.”

  “Tomatin. And you can make mine a double as well,” I tell the waitress. I’m going to need more than a single for what I’m here to talk about.

  “A woman after my own heart,” Bleu says.

  “Well, I am half-Scottish so a part of me should be able to drink whisky.”

  “I’m half-Scottish too. My mother was American but my father was a Scotsman.”

  “Same with me.”

  “Something else we have in common.”

  I toss back the last of my whisky, and I’m feeling a little braver about bringing up my reason for asking the wives to meet me. So I go for it. “I’m strong enough to stand alone. But I’m also smart enough to know when I need help, and I’m brave enough to ask for it. And I need your help.”

  “What kind of help?” Bleu asks.

  “I’m actually not sure.” I toy with the wet napkin beneath my whisky glass, tearing it into small pieces.

  “We can’t help you if you don’t know what kind of help you need.”

  “Hutch has told me I can never ask him about the Breckenridges. He’s only told me that you’re loyal and trustworthy. And that’s what I need—people I can trust. People who know how to keep secrets.”

  Bleu’s brow lifts. “Secrets where the Lochridges are concerned?”

  “Yes. And if you are who I think you are, you’re the only people I know who have the power to help me.”

  “I’m not going to ask who you believe we are, and you’re not going to tell us. Once those words are spoken, they can never be unspoken. Do you understand?”

  “I do.”

  “Who we are is something we’ll never speak of again.”

  “Understood.”

  I may not know exactly who these women are, but I do know one thing: Bleu is the leader.

  “Is there more to your troubles with the Lochridges than we’ve discussed?”

  This is it. I have to confide in these women if I hope to gain their help. “There’s more. Much more.”

  “We need to know all of the facts if we’re to help you.”

  Mina’s betrayal. Ava Rose’s paternity. Blair’s threat. Hutch’s job. I tell the wives—the Bella Mafia as I call them in my mind—everything I know from beginning to end.

  Bleu shakes her head. “Mina left Max in one hell of a mess, which is also your mess now.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that you and Max have been going through this. It must be awful living with the fear that they will try to take the baby from you.”

  “We love her so much and we’re terrified we’ll lose her to those horrible people because they’re blood relation.”

  “I didn’t give birth to my daughter, but she is mine. I’m a mama bear who would rip apart anyone who tried to take Lourdes away from me.”

  “Then you understand how we feel about Ava Rose and where we’re coming from.”

  “One hundred percent. And that’s why I’m going to help you find a way to keep that little girl.”

  “We’re going to help you,” Shaw says.

  “Hutch has seen a family law solicitor and has been advised about the legal way to handle this situation. But I don’t think it’s going to work with these people. They don’t fight fairly.”

  “I know you both must hate it, but it’s wise for Max to keep Blair appeased for the time being. It buys the time you’ll need for what we have to do. And speaking of what we have to do… how far are you willing to go to end this with the Lochridges?”

  Blair made the decision to fuck with me. She went for my throat because she believes she is the stronger one.

  She is wrong.

  Hutch and Ava Rose are my world. My happiness. My joy.

  My beautiful ever after.

  I won’t allow her to rob me of that.

  “I will cut that bitch off at the knees and smile while I do it.”

  Ellison bursts into laughter. “A Southern girl ready to cut a bitch. That’s what I’m talking about. She’s definitely one of us now.”

  Unlike Ellison, there’s no amusement on Bleu’s face. She’s dead serious. “You’d go that far? No hesitation at all?”

  “I’ve never had anything in my life worth fighting for until Hutch and Ava Rose. So yes, I would go to hell and back for them. No question. No hesitation.”

  “I believe you. And Max and Ava Rose are very lucky to have you in their life.”

  “Can you help me?” Even I hear the desperation in my voice.

  “I believe we can work together and solve this problem. But you can never ask the ins and outs of what we do or how we do it.”

  “I understand one hundred percent.”

  Bleu looks at Shaw. “We’ll need your connection.”

  “That won’t be a problem, but I’ll need to know who we’re targeting? Blair? Thomas? Both?”

  “What are your thoughts, Cait?” Bleu asks.

  “Blair for now. If we don’t get what we need through her, we’ll move on to Thomas.”

  Shaw nods. “I think that’s a good plan. Ending your problem with Blair could prevent later complications with Thomas. She should be dealt with first and we possibly eliminate our problem with half the work.”

  “Valid point. And a satisfying way to end this, I’m sure.”

  They don’t know the half of it. “I can’t lie. Taking her down is going to feel great.”

  “My connect
ion will begin by hacking into Blair’s emails, her social media, her bank accounts. Everything will be scoured for information we can use against her.”

  The woman I was a year ago would never have contemplated invading someone’s privacy. She wouldn’t have considered blackmailing anyone to get what she wants. But I’m a different woman today than even yesterday. I’m the kind of woman that you want to go to war beside. Not against. And Blair will not question that when I’m finished with her.

  Make no mistake about it. She’s going to regret fucking with me and mine.

  “How long does something like that take?”

  “My connection is thorough. He pores over the information with a fine toothcomb, so it could be a few days.”

  “That’s much faster than I expected.”

  “This nightmare will be over for you and Max very soon. I promise.”

  I believe Bleu.

  “I want you all to know how grateful I am. I don’t know how I could possibly ever repay you, but if there’s anything I can do for you, all you have to do is ask.”

  “Max has been good to us over the years. We’re happy to help any way we can. There is no debt with us.”

  Shit. I left out an important detail. “That’s great to hear… except Max can’t know about this.”

  “Are you sure that’s best? Keeping something so important from your husband?”

  “Hutch wants to be a good example for Ava Rose by doing what is right. I respect my husband for wanting to do the honorable thing, but it isn’t going to win this battle with the Lochridges. I firmly believe that we must do what is necessary in this instance, right or wrong, if we’re to be good examples for her later.”

  The wives voice their agreement at the same time.

  “You’re a strong woman who is choosing to take control of this situation and do what needs to be done for your family. Ava Rose couldn’t be in better hands.”

  Bleu respects what I’m doing. I see it in her eyes.

  Hutch may be angry with me for doing this behind his back, but I truly believe in my heart that it’s the only way to end this. I hope he’s able to see that I’m doing this out of my love for him and Ava Rose.

  Everything I do is for them.

  62

  Maxwell Hutcheson

  Damn, something smells good.

  I love Monday nights. Very little compares to coming home from a long day at the office to a delicious Cajun meal cooked by my wife. She is an excellent chef.

  “Hutch?” she calls out.

  I place my briefcase on the table beside the door leading out to the garage. “Aye, it’s me.”

  “Don’t come into the kitchen. Go around the other way.”

  That’s odd. She’s never asked me to do that before. “Any special reason I must go that way?”

  “I have a surprise and I’m not ready for you to see it.”

  Hmm… a surprise? “Where should I go?”

  “Wait for me in the dining room. I’ll be there in a minute to serve you.”

  To serve me? Fuck, I don’t hate the way that sounds. “I’m hungry. Don’t keep me waiting for long or I’ll come for you.”

  “Oh, I know you will.”

  I take my seat at the head of the table and contemplate what in the world my wife is up to. She’s never made me bypass the kitchen and go into the dining room without seeing her.

  What is that wee vixen up to?

  Lou comes into the dining room, and I inspect her from head to toe as she walks toward me.

  White lace see-through apron trimmed with black satin ribbon. Black sash tied around her waist. Black garters and hose. No bra. No knickers. I can easily see her rosy pink nipples and that wee strip of hair between her legs that I love so much.

  “Fuck, Lou.”

  “A whisky before dinner?”

  “Aye.”

  She places a glass on the table in front of me. “Three fingers?”

  I may ask her that same question later.

  “Aye. Please.”

  She pours my whisky and places the bottle on the table.

  “I hope you’re hungry.”

  “I am indeed. Where is everyone?”

  “I sent everyone home except for Mrs. McVey. She’s with Ava Rose in the nursery. I asked her to stay over and take care of her tonight.”

  “They’re in the nursery now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then come here.”

  I reach out, grabbing her around the waist, and pull her onto my lap.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  My chest vibrates when I chuckle. “Well, if you don’t know then I’m not doing it right.”

  Grasping the back of her neck, I pull her closer and our mouths open simultaneously. Her tongue meets mine and I taste a hint of whisky. “Mmm… someone has already had some water of life?”

  “Maybe.”

  “It’s not like you to drink whisky without me.”

  “I was with friends.”

  “Rachel?”

  “No. Bleu and the other wives.”

  “How many drinks did you have?”

  “One whisky turned into two. And two turned into three.”

  “Are you smashed?”

  “No, but I feel pretty good.”

  “You feel pretty good, aye?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  She parts her legs when my hand moves up her inner thigh. “Do you know what I want to do to you right now?”

  “I’m not sure but I know it involves allowing dinner to get cold.”

  “Aye, mo maise. Dinner is going to be cold when I’m finished with you.”

  Standing, I lift Lou’s body with mine and lower her bum to the table. “You’ll never look at this table again without remembering what I’m about to do to you on top of it.”

  I’m impatient to fuck my wife on top of this table, but my body must be content with delayed gratification. My wife comes before me.

  She trembles and her breath increases when I trail my fingers down her stomach, dipping them into her navel, and stroking that thin strip of hair over her groin. Petting her. “Such an appetizing pussy you have, Mrs. Hutcheson.”

  Lou squirms beneath me, her bottom lip held prisoner by her upper teeth. “Taste me.”

  “Patience, mo maise.”

  There’ll be no instant gratification for either of us. I’m going to make this last.

  She moans as my mouth follows the same path my fingers just took, my wet tongue—in place of my finger—dipping into her navel this time.

  “You take great joy in teasing me,” she whispers.

  “Patience, my love. I’m going to give you what you want.”

  “I know you will. You always do.”

  I drop to my knees and push her thighs apart, taking a brief moment to appreciate the shiny, swollen pink beauty between my wife’s legs. I love that it’s mine. Only mine. No other man gets to see it, smell it, touch it, or taste it.

  I inhale deeply, taking in her intoxicating scent. I swear that there’s nothing in the world like it. It’s unique only to her, and my cock instantly reacts to the fragrance because he also knows it well.

  “Are you trying to kill me or what, Hutch?”

  “I told you, love. Patience.”

  Her body jolts when I barely touch her clit with the tip of my finger. “Someone is extra sensitive this evening.”

  “Yes.”

  Applying a little more pressure, I rotate my finger in a circle at the top of her slit, massaging that tiny little erect protrusion of skin and nerves. “Is that what you want, Lou?”

  The bottom of her feet land on top of my shoulders and her toes dig into the flesh. “Oh God. You are so good at that.”

  “My mouth is jealous. He wants his turn.”

  “By all means, give it to him.”

  I lower my head between her legs and drag my tongue upward, taking special care of her clit with the stiffened tip. Her body vibrates like a leaf trembling in a s
oft wind.

  “Mmm… mmm… mmm.”

  I don’t need to hear validation through words from Lou. Her sexy sounds tell me everything I need to hear: when to give it to her harder, when to move faster. And right now, her sounds are telling me that she is close to the edge. But I’m not going to let it happen just yet. Because I want to hear her beg for it.

  I stop and look up at her writhing on the table, deliberately leaving my mouth close enough for her to feel my warm breath.

  “Hutch! What are you doing?”

  “Just slowing things down a bit.”

  “I don’t want you to slow things down. Keep going. I’m so close to coming.” I hear the desperation in her voice. And I love it.

  “Beg me.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Beg for your orgasm.”

  Lou pushes her fingers into the top of my hair. “Please, Hutch. I’m going to lose it if you don’t start back.”

  I lick her a few more times, enough to reinitiate what was already there. “Go ahead. Keep begging me for it.”

  Lou’s upper body props against the table and she looks down, watching me. And that mouth of hers. It’s a perfect O while she watches me eat her out.

  “Make me come. Please, Hutch. I want it so badly. I need it. I’ll die if you don’t give it to me.”

  I take her to the peak of her orgasm and her entire body spasms, shuddering and twisting from her intense release. And then I’m rewarded with a flood of sweet nectar on my tongue.

  I get up from my knees and stand, looking down at the shattered mess I’ve made of my wife.

  Her eyes on mine. Her mouth smiling. Her every muscle relaxed.

  Absolute contentment. That’s what I see laid before me on the table.

  I open my hand and place it against the space between her breasts. It isn’t quite over her heart, but I can still feel the pounding just to the right.

  I drag my hand down until it’s splayed over her flat stomach. My palm and outstretched fingers look so big against the backdrop of her small frame. And I find myself wondering what she’ll look like as her belly grows with our child.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking,” she says, her voice soft and low.

  Now isn’t the time for that conversation. “Ask me later. Right now, I want you to wrap your legs around me so I can fuck you.”