by Grace Risata
“He sounds really hot!”
“He was. But even more important, he treated me like a gentleman treats a lady. Everything was on my terms. He never pressured me to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with. In fact, he went too slow and it got on my nerves. After seeing him for a month, I knew I was ready to lose my v-card. Obviously it wasn’t his first time, which I appreciated, because it meant he would know what he was doing.”
I paused, hesitating, because the next part involved something illegal. Ah, to hell with it. I’m not about to censor myself now.
“So I stole my dad’s credit card, rented a suite at one of the most lavish hotels in New York City, had champagne delivered to the room, and lost my virginity.”
“What?! You stole your father’s credit card? And you drank alcohol while you were underage? Leandra! You’re horrible! Did you get in trouble?”
“Honestly, no. It was magical. I went home the next day and confessed to my mom. I patiently explained that I could have fucked some hoodlum in the back of a car with no protection, or I could have done things the way I did. It was a safe environment, we used condoms, and I made it memorable.”
“What did she say? Were you grounded?”
“No!” And even if she would have punished me, I would have snuck out anyway. No one ever told me what to do, even at a young age. “My mom nodded her head in approval, told me she was proud of my wise choices, and lied to my dad about the credit card bill. Actually, I think she told him the card was stolen and made a big production about cancelling it. My mom and I are pretty close.”
“That’s so cool,” Chrissie replied wistfully, no doubt wishing she had the same kind of relationship with her mother. Poor kid. “So, how long did you date the guy after you were intimate with him? I assume you broke up at some point because you’re married to Sam now.”
“Yeah. We dated for six months. He wanted too much of a commitment too soon. If it were up to him, we’d be married right now and I’d have a house full of kids running around. I was too young to be tied down like that. My goal in life was to run a business empire, not be a housewife. Why be the woman behind the man, when you can just run things yourself?”
“You sound so empowered! I wish I was more like you,” she admitted with a sigh. “What happened when you two broke up?”
“Shorty was disappointed, but there’s really not much he could do about it. We wanted different things out of life. I’ll look back on our time fondly, but I made the right choice and don’t regret it for one second.”
“Shorty? You lost your virginity to Shorty?” a loud male voice bellowed right before Sam broke through the raspberry plants and proceeded to stare me down. I’ve never seen such raw emotion on his face. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
I raised an eyebrow before putting him in his place.
“By my math it was literally seventeen years ago. That’s half my lifetime, Sam. Did you think I was a virgin when you married me?” I made sure to emphasize the word ‘married’ so I could subtly remind him that he had no claim on me. Our supposed union was all a lie anyway, so what the hell did he care who I fucked so long ago?
“Shorty is a conniving, manipulative piece of shit,” Sam proclaimed with nothing but venom, his face growing red in anger.
“Wait…you know this guy, Sam?” Chrissie asked in confusion.
“Yes, he works for me. As in, he’s an employee and nothing more,” I replied calmly before turning to Sam. “You’re with me all the fucking time. If something was going on with us, you’d be the first to know.”
I was desperate to add, ‘not that it’s any of your business who I fuck,’ but obviously I couldn’t say that in front of Chrissie. If Sam and I were legally wed, it would absolutely be his business if I were screwing around on him.
“I just thought you had better taste than that, Leandra,” Sam admitted, shaking his head in disappointment.
Just when I thought a bad situation couldn’t get any worse, it did. Of course. Karma decided to pay me back for all the wrongs I’ve committed…and she chose to take the form of one very dumb, very pregnant blonde skank.
“Am I interrupting something? Because I would hate to be a bother. It’s just that Katherine said Sam would be available to do me a tiny little favor this afternoon…”
Three heads swiveled in the direction of the newcomer. What a perfect time for Betty Jo to pop in and pay a visit.
“Hey Sam…speaking of having better taste…” I pointed to Betty Jo and then to him. “If that’s not the pot calling the kettle ‘black,’ then I don’t know what is. Jackass!”
“Oh my,” Betty Jo declared ever so sweetly, putting a hand to her chest and batting those fake eyelashes. “It appears I’ve stumbled into a lover’s quarrel. Please continue.”
Gritting my teeth and forcing myself not to lunge at the whore, I took an opportunity to assess my adversary.
Wow.
Her clothing choices were again cringe-worthy. White booty shorts that practically exposed an ass cheek, low-cut green shirt that was so tight I could practically see a baby’s head poking out from her stomach, and gaudy jewelry that made her look ready for prom in 1982. Marvelous.
“Wait a minute,” I asked, finally coming to my senses. “Sam’s mother said he would be available this afternoon to do a favor for you?”
Fucking bitch was already putting her nefarious plan into motion. Operation ‘Break Up Lee and Sam’ was in full swing. Well played, Katherine. Well played.
“Yes,” she confirmed. “I need a ride to the hospital to see my husband. I’m not driving right now, so Katherine kindly volunteered to have Sam take me. Will you do that, Sammie? It will give us some time alone to catch up with each other. I’m sure she’ll be fine staying here with your sister and picking berries.”
Betty Jo bitchface then waved her hand dismissively, making it abundantly clear that I was not invited.
Your move, Sam. It’s the bottom of the ninth and the bases are loaded. Don’t fuck this up, buddy.
“I can take a break,” he said with a shrug of indifference. “Leandra could use one too. She’s been working hard all day and I’m sure she’d appreciate a chance to see some new sights. Is that okay with you, baby? Would you mind a quick trip to the hospital?”
It was nearly impossible to hold back the smirk of victory as Sam wrapped an arm around my waist and gazed down at me.
“I’d like that very much,” I whispered, eternally grateful he’d hit a home run with that answer. Had he chosen any other reply, it would not have gone over well at all.
We waved goodbye to Chrissie after asking permission to take her SUV. No way in hell could the three of us have fit in Sam’s truck. As we walked back to the front of the house, I was careful to make sure that Betty Jo was out of earshot when I leaned over and spoke quietly in Sam’s ear.
“You just came really close to having your balls cut off. You know that right?”
“It might have been worth it just to see the look on your face if I walked off with her and left you behind,” he replied, winking and then spanking my ass again before jogging off.
That dirty fucker! Let the games begin!
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sam
This was turning into a giant fucking nightmare. It was like I had no control anymore and my life was spiraling into oblivion. The list was endless…
Not only had I lost my mind and smacked Leandra’s ass twice, but I find out she lost her virginity to Shorty of all people! As if that wasn’t bad enough, I’m now stuck in a hospital room with my ex-girlfriend while my pretend wife shoots me death glares. It’s enough to make a guy batshit crazy.
“I’m going to the bathroom down the hall to take a quick piss,” Leandra stated casually while staring directly at Betty Jo. “I won’t be gone long, so behave yourselves.”
Really? She found that warning to be absolutely necessary? Did my boss think I was going to bend a very pregnant Betty Jo over her comatose
husband’s hospital bed and fuck her from behind? Can I not get a little credit here?
The second that Leandra set foot out the door, Betty Jo got friendly.
“I never thought we’d come together again under such bizarre circumstances, Sammie,” my ex giggled while surveying the hospital room. She did have a point. It was extremely uncomfortable. I had honestly expected to drop Betty Jo at the hospital entrance and then wait in the parking lot until she finished checking on her husband. But that didn’t happen. The woman insisted we come up with her and say hello to Pete even though he was in a coma and didn’t give one flying fuck that his wife’s ex-boyfriend was back in town.
So here I sat, on a cold metal folding chair, right next to comatose Pete and his wife who was trying her best to flirt with me.
“Yeah. Imagine that.” I figured the less I encouraged conversation, the better. I had no desire to be here right now.
“I’m just so worried, Sammie,” she explained in mock sorrow while rubbing her baby bump. “What will I do without Pete? The boys will grow up fatherless!”
Betty Jo sniffled once or twice and then gazed adoringly in my direction.
“I had always assumed you would be the father of my children, Sam. Life wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. We were meant for each other. I know it. Your mom knows it and that’s why she called today and asked me to come see you. Even the universe knows it. Why else would you have returned so coincidentally right after Pete’s accident? It’s a sign. It’s destiny.”
Are you fucking kidding me right now? This is unbelievable!
She stuck out her chest and made one final attempt to win me over.
“I’ve never stopped loving you, Sam. I need you now more than ever. Help me raise my babies and let me be the wife you deserve.”
Betty Jo reached out a hand and set it on my leg. She squeezed one time and began moving it upwards toward my crotch, leaving no doubt about her intended destination.
I instantly shot out a hand and brushed hers away as though shooing a bee that had flown too close.
“Not now and not ever,” I growled in a voice so cold that it startled even me. It wasn’t her words that caused me to snap, but rather her heartless actions.
I got up and walked into the hallway, intense rage filling every pore of my body. Naturally I ran right into Leandra as she was about to enter the room.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, immediately noting the look on my face.
In response, I wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, pulled her tightly to my chest, and pinned the shocked woman up against the wall. With no hesitation what-so-ever, I leaned down and planted my mouth on hers in a searing kiss.
This was not an act to relieve stress or reduce any pent-up sexual frustration on my part. This was simply a show of dominance to finally possess what rightfully belonged to me. I was running on adrenaline and instinct, desperate to claim the only woman who truly held my heart.
There was no sweet exploration of her mouth. Instead I wildly plundered and savagely took what I needed. With a smoldering passion, Leandra responded as equally fervent, instantly cupping my face with her hands to bring me closer, climbing me like a tree, and wrapping her legs around my waist.
Raw emotion flowed through my body as I grabbed her ass and thrust my pelvis into her crotch. Neither one of us showed an ounce of restraint as hands urgently roamed up and down bodies, tongues entwined in a flurry of movement, and we were wholly consumed with nothing but each other.
Just as things heated up to a point of no return, a nurse walked by and loudly cleared her throat.
“Need I remind you two that you are in a public place and this display of affection is extremely inappropriate?”
I slowly pulled away as the realization sank in of what I’d done. After so many months of forcing myself to hold back, I just fucked up and ruined any chance of keeping things professional with Leandra.
One look in her eyes told me all I needed to know. It was going to be nearly impossible to turn back the clock. Leandra Donahue always got what she wanted. And right now, she wanted me.
“What the hell was that?” my boss asked breathlessly, running a hand through her messed up hair. “I mean…obviously I know what it was…but why here and why now?”
I knew that would be the first thing she asked.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I demanded, walking toward the exit without waiting to make sure she followed. I was done with today. Completely and utterly finished. How I wished I was back in New York where everything was a hell of a lot easier. Who would have thought dealing with the Irish mob would be a fucking walk in the park compared to the drama of life in rural Kansas? No wonder why I left this shithole.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Leandra
Just when I think things can’t get any more bizarre, Sam comes at me like a man possessed and gives me the hottest kiss of my life.
What the hell was that?
One minute I’m taking a lightning fast piss in order to get back to my bodyguard and Elly May before any funny business has a chance to go down, and the next thing I know I’m being mauled by a feral animal.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed every second of it. Sam doesn’t do anything in life half-assed. I’ve realized this after spending so much time with him. The man is all or nothing, and let me tell you, that was everything. He poured his heart and soul into that kiss. It left me with no doubt of his feelings for me. You can’t fake passion like that.
But why?
Why here and why now? What finally made him act that way?
I wouldn’t be able to relax unless I got a straight answer out of him. Part of me was afraid to ask since I had a suspicion it involved the blonde whore. That’s not the reason I want him to give in to his feelings. Am I just a substitute warm body because she’s off limits?
No.
That can’t be the explanation as to why he came at me like that.
Fuck my life. Sam finally lets loose and I have to question it. But it’s necessary. I need to know he’s in this for the right reason.
I caught up to the asshole and got in his face, standing up straight and trying to look as menacing as possible.
“You have ten seconds to explain yourself, cocksucker. Did that cunt get you so riled up that you needed an outlet for a release? I want answers and I want them now!”
I expected to him to growl at me, getting as worked up as I was, but he simply shook his head in defeat. All the primal emotion that had been present during our kiss was now completely drained, leaving a shell of a person standing before me.
He ran his hand through tousled hair and mumbled something inaudible.
“What?”
“It has nothing to do with her and everything to do with you, Leandra,” he admitted, a look of pain and anguish in his eyes. “Will you let me explain without freaking out and interrupting me?”
“Yes,” I whispered, dying to hear what he was about to say and not wanting to jeopardize the moment and have him clam up. Sam had a way of retreating into himself when things got too tense. I was eager to avoid that.
“You left the room and she immediately began flirting with me. Said she always pictured me as the father of her children, said it was fate that brought me back here, and said she never stopped loving me.”
Shit. I never should have left those two in the same room together.
“Then she…she put her hand on my thigh and squeezed,” he continued in disgust. “She began to slide it toward my crotch—”
“That fucking whore! I will destroy her!” I shouted, instantly turning to march my way back into the hospital and rain down hell the likes of which this town has never seen.
Before I could storm the place like Godzilla cutting a path through the city, Sam grabbed me by the upper arm and held me firmly in place.
“What did I say about freaking out? Will you listen to me before you go off half-cocked?”
I nodded my head, bod
y pulsating with unspent fury and a need for revenge so palpable I was shaking.
“I brushed her hand away and walked out, Leandra. I felt like throwing up. Do you know why?”
I wanted to reply that she’s a fucking gutter slut and her behavior made me want to puke too. But I didn’t feel that was a wise move, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Tell me,” I quietly urged.
“It wasn’t necessarily her words that upset me so much, but more the whole situation. Her husband is in a coma. The man she vowed to stay with in sickness and health, the father of her unborn children. And how does she behave? She flirts openly with her ex-boyfriend right in front of the guy she’s supposed to love, not only professing her feelings for me, but making a physical move on top of it,” he explained in shock and revulsion. “Do you know what ran through my mind the entire time?”
Why does he keep asking me questions? Just tell the damn story so I can get this over with and go kill the bitch.
“What?”
“I kept picturing you and how you acted at the hospital after I got shot. Do you remember?”
Of course I remembered. It scared the shit out of me to see him lay in bed so helpless after he got out of the operating room. I sat with the heroic man all night long, posted two of my best guards outside his door, and made sure Sam got the best treatment money could buy.
“I do,” I admitted.
“I do, too. The doctors said that I would be fine, they got the buckshot, it didn’t hit an artery or do any major damage, and I would be released the next day. Yet you acted as though I just got out of a quadruple bypass surgery and might flatline at any second. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but it sure as hell means something now. You stayed with me, held my hand, and refused to leave my side. If memory serves, I think you threatened to have a nurse fired after she brought me the wrong breakfast.”
