by Kate Benson
“There’s my good girl,” I husk, my grip on her waist sinking lower as she grips the hair on the back of my neck. “Come here, baby.”
I kiss her hard, our talk quickly turning into more as her back becomes flush with the file cabinet, her breath heavy to match mine.
As my hands slide lower down her sides, I yank her skirt up and skim her flesh with my fingertips.
“What time is it?” she manages, her voice leaving her in a breathy pant. “Should we go in your office?”
I shake my head, running my lips over her neck, her jaw going slack as I tease her skin with my tongue, lifting her skirt high around her waist. My palm skims her stomach, my fingertips tracing the subtle remnant of the scar low on her abdomen reminding me of the day our daughter was born, the day I almost lost them both. My chest clenches and I pull her lips to mine, kissing her hard, my palm dipping lower to her lace thong.
“I locked the door. You just have to keep quiet,” I whisper as I turn her in my arms and unhook my belt. She grips the file cabinet, gasping as I wind the lace around my fist and tug, ripping it from her. “You won’t lie to me again,” I insist, tightening my hold on her hair as I position myself at her entrance. “Promise me, Sophie.”
“Never again,” she murmurs. “I promise.”
“Good girl,” I husk as I push into her. She slips around me for the first time in nearly two days and she’s drenched. It’s nearly enough to steal my breath. “Jesus.”
“I missed you, baby,” she breathes, one hand steadying herself on the cabinet, the other slipping between her thighs to trace our connection. “I need you.”
I yank her head back and command her lips to mine, kissing her from behind for a moment before I gently pull away, my lips still hovering as she lets out a low whimper.
“Hush, baby,” I whisper, my eyes traveling down her front, watching her work herself over as I make quick work of the buttons on her blouse, opening her down to her pierced navel. “You have to behave.”
“I will,” she mewls as I move my hand into the cup of her lace bra, roughly gripping her as I continue to slam into her. My name leaves her lips in a plea.
“Who do you belong to?” I hum, biting down on her lip and pulling a sharp gasp from her as my hand leaves her chest and pushes hers out of the way, gripping her hard between her thighs. “Who owns this, Sophie?”
“You,” she pants immediately, her heavy eyes holding mine. “I’m yours, Chase.”
“Damn right, you are,” I growl, shoving my tongue passed her lips as I grip her tighter, slamming into her harder. “You’re mine, Sophie.” I take her with even more force, the rhythm of our breaths drowning out everything else. “Mine.”
“Yes, baby,” she rasps, her voice weak with need. “Just yours.”
Her walls begin to quake around me, her eyebrows quirking together as she moans loudly into my mouth.
“Let me feel you, princess,” I command. “Tell me how you want it.”
“Please,” she begs, her jaw going slack as she tightens again. “Baby, harder, please.”
“Hang on, sweetheart,” I husk, watching her grip the file cabinet in front of her as I take hold of her hips, plowing into her so hard, her heels lift with each thrust.
“Oh, my God,” she cries out, pushing against me, swallowing my length.
“Give me what’s mine, Sophie.”
My cock is throbbing, desperate.
“Chase…” she mewls, her forehead resting against the cabinet as she pulses around my shaft. “Chase, I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, princess,” I breathe, my hand on the edge of the cabinet gripping hers, our wedding bands shimmering in the sunlight as she falls apart, taking me with her. “Go, Baby!”
Sophie
“So, what do we know?” he asks, pulling my eyes from the mirror in front of me to find him standing behind me in the doorway. “Have you heard anything new?”
“No,” I admit with a shake of my head, sighing quietly as I finish righting my clothing and move closer to him. “Jack texted and said he went by the house and there’s still no sign of her. Although, I’m not sure she’d even want to go there or that she’s had time to board a flight yet. Brad and Emily have heard nothing and there’s still been no word from Drake or Ana at all.”
My fingers move over the buttons of his shirt, securing one he missed before gently smoothing my palms over the fabric and letting them come to a slow stop on his chest.
“I have no idea how he’s going to fix all of this,” I shake my head, my voice so small and filled with worry I barely recognize it as my own. “I know I’m not perfect. There are pieces of me that need work and likely always will, but…”
My words trail off, the emotion slipping back in to my troubled, broken heart stealing me away. The touch of his calloused hand as it reaches for my chin, gently tugging my lower lip from my teeth as he looks down at me, eyes so blue their gaze seems limitless.
“What is it, baby?” he whispers.
“How could she think I would ever do that to her, Chase? That I’d even be capable of it?” I swallow hard, leaning into his palm as it cradles my neck. “Even if she had no idea how much I love you, how much I value and respect our marriage, she knows how much I love her,” I sniff back my tears. “How could she believe for even a second I’d betray her so completely? That I’d ever break her heart?”
He studies my soft eyes for a moment, the pad of his thumb brushing over my cheek in time to swipe away the traitor tear threatening to escape. Finally, he answers me with a gentle shake of his head, pulling me close enough to rest against his chest.
“I don’t know, sweetheart,” he admits, his other arm winding around my waist and holding me tighter as his lips brush against my temple. “I think it’s pretty clear to all of us, though, that Ana hasn’t been herself lately. There are things she and Drake are going through we don’t even know about. As for you? I wish I had an answer for you, baby, but the truth is that I just don’t. I don’t think anyone, maybe not even Ana, can tell you what’s going through her head right now.”
I allow the heartache to take me once more for just a moment before I pull myself together, the sound of voices filling the space outside invading our final moments alone for the day.
“No more tears, sweetheart,” he commands gently, bending to meet my lips. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
“How?”
“Because you’ve got me, and I’ve got you,” he says sweetly, kissing me once more. “We’ve been to the depths of hell and back. We always come out on the other side,” he reminds me. “I don’t have all the answers for this, either, baby girl, but I do know we’ll get through this, too.”
His faith in me, his faith in us despite everything we’ve just gone through, steals my breath in its determination to never waver or cease.
As I glance up to find his cerulean eyes already locked on mine, my chest aches with the memory of where we’d just been, where we still may have to go to put this all behind us.
“I love you,” I promise, cutting his response off with a kiss of my own. “This may be a nightmare right now, but you’re right. I know somehow, we’ll be okay, stronger even. I just…” My voice trails off for a moment, my gaze dipping back down to where my hands have come to a slow stop on his chest before it returns to his, now hazy with the threat of new tears. “Chase, I just wish I knew where she was.”
“Me, too, baby,” he sighs, winding his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. “Me, too.”
Tuesday
“I’m cornered in fire so break out all the secrets. I hope you know that you were worth it all along.”
-Highly Suspect
Chapter Ten
Jack
“Where is he?” I demand as I step into the small office, finding Sophie looking up at me from her desk. “Is he here?”
“No. We haven’t heard anything from him since last night,” she admits. “Chase just tried calling him a
gain and it’s still going straight to his voicemail.”
“That motherfucker,” I shake my head as I begin pacing the floor, my chest heaving in fury. “I knew something was off when I talked to him last. I mean, it’s obvious Ana’s going through some shit, but she was acting even more fucked up the last couple of times I spoke to her. I tried talking to her about it, but she kept insisting it was nothing. When I finally asked Drake about it, he said she was fine. He fucking lied, Sophie.”
“I don’t think he knew it was this bad, Jack,” she offers.
“It’s his job to know!” I rail, coming to a stop in front of her desk and throwing my arms out in anger. “He’s her husband. If he doesn’t know she’s a wreck while she’s inside fucking rehab, what the hell is he even doing? How the fuck is he supposed to help her?”
“I know…”
“And what the hell were you thinking, Sophie?” I cut her off. “I mean, seriously, babe. How’d you get pulled into this? What are you doing keeping secrets from everyone for that asshole?”
“Trust me, Jack. I’m sorry,” she puts her hands up in surrender, her eyes already glistening with tears of regret. “I was trying to help, and it got all fucked up,” she stands, moving toward the file cabinet on the other side of me. “I’ve been having the same argument since all hell broke loose at our house Sunday night.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, my voice softer this time. I can’t help the way my eyes dart away from hers toward Chase’s office door in concern, but my worry for the girl in front of me pulls them right back. “What happened on Sunday night?”
“Ana texted Chase before she took off,” she starts. “She saw some of the texts on Drake’s phone about the paperwork I helped him with for the company. She thinks I helped him file for a divorce and we’ve been having an affair the whole time she’s been in the hospital.”
“Oh, my God,” I reply, turning to face her as my face contorts with disbelief. “Wait… Chase doesn’t think you’d actually…”
“No,” she shakes her head immediately. “No, he knows I would never. I just…” she releases a long sigh. “I should have told him what was going on. I should have told all of you.”
“I can’t argue that,” I respond bluntly.
“I know,” she admits. “Drake thought the more people involved, the longer the process would drag out. When he put it that way, it made a lot more sense than it does right now,” she shrugs. “It doesn’t matter, though. Especially after everything it’s caused. I mean… look where we ended up? It’s all a fucking disaster. I never would have…”
“I know,” I offer as I pull her in for a hug, cutting her words short. “I’m sorry if I seemed like I was attacking you. I’m just… fuck. I’m really worried about her, Soph.”
“Me, too,” she admits with a nod, glancing up at me. “You haven’t heard anything from her yet? No texts or anything?”
“No,” I tell her, releasing my hold on her, but still standing close. “Drake said she left her phone behind, too, though, so there’s no telling where she is now,” I rub the back of my neck, glancing up at the ceiling for a second before returning my eyes to hers. “I mean, I totally get why she wouldn’t call you if she thinks you’ve been screwing her husband, but…”
“Such a way with words,” she whispers, her deadpan expression pulling an apologetic smile to my lips.
“Sorry. You know what I meant,” I offer, kissing her hair. “It’s just not like her to not call me, y’know? Especially not after two days. I thought for sure I’d have heard something by now.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I promise, pulling another nod from her. She releases a sigh so heavy, it mirrors mine and I give her a soft, reassuring smile that tugs at her lips, too. The air is thick with worry, which we both know won’t help, so I decide to change the subject, at least temporarily. “So, what’s going on with the company? Is Drake selling it or something?”
“Not exactly,” she shakes her head once more, glancing back down at the files she’s holding. “He signed the bulk of it over to Chase, so he could focus on your sister. He just…”
“Day late and a dollar short,” I finish for her, giving her arm an affectionate squeeze of understanding as I let out another long breath of annoyance. “Well, I don’t know all of it, but I do know your heart must’ve been in the right place, even if you went about it in the worst conceivable way,” I offer, making her roll her eyes. “Sorry… you know what I meant.”
“Yes, I do, and thank you for the apology, but you’re not wrong,” she sighs, moving back to her desk, falling into the chair with a huff.
I’m about to respond to her, but the sound of Chase’s heavy footsteps making his way into the room cuts our conversation short, both of us turning to face him.
“Hey man,” he says, his face sharing the same exhaustion as ours. “I need to talk to you. You got a minute?”
“Yeah,” I nod, winking at Sophie as I watch him settle his eyes on her for a moment, taking her in.
“You okay?” he asks quietly, closing the distance between them and bending close to kiss her forehead. “Stop beating yourself up, baby. We’re alright. As for everything else, it’ll all work out.”
“I hope so,” she whispers, releasing a long breath as he swipes the pad of his thumb over her cheek. “Love you.”
“I love you, too, princess. Come here,” he answers, giving her a quick kiss. “No more tears.”
“Okay,” she nods, composing herself.
“Still no word?”
“Nothing,” she confirms.
“Don’t panic. Just give it a few minutes and we’ll try calling again. No one in this family has a history of staying quiet for too long,” he smirks. “We’ll hear something soon. Trust me,” he promises, pulling a nod from her this time before facing me. “Come on in.” We step in through his office door, him releasing a long sigh as he rubs his palm over his jaw and gestures at the seat across from him. “How you doin’, man? You good?”
“I’ll be doing a lot better once I hear from my sister,” I admit, taking a seat and facing him.
“Yeah, I think we all will be,” he nods, handing me a piece of paper before leaning back in his chair. “Congratulations. I didn’t see you yesterday, but you’re officially my head foreman and I’m giving you a raise. I’m sorry my cousin’s an idiot.”
“Not your fault,” I shrug, looking over the paper and signing in the appropriate places. “Thanks for putting all this on paper, by the way. Means a lot considering I’m about to kick Mr. Shareholder’s ass,” I grumble. “No offense.”
“None taken. You just might have to take a spot in line,” he says as he takes the papers back from me and tosses them into one of the four piles in front of him. “So, I take it you haven’t heard anything new, either?”
“Not really,” I shake my head. “Not since y’all have from the sounds of it. After Drake blew my phone up when Ana took off, I called everywhere I could think of trying to find her, but I didn’t have any luck. Yesterday, I was out all day searching and still, I got nothing,” I sigh, glancing down at my hands, shaking my head before facing him again. “I’m gonna be honest, it’s nearly lunch time and I haven’t done a lick of work today, either,” I admit. “If I didn’t half think he’d show up at the office, I wouldn’t be here, either. It took all I had not to drive to Camden instead of coming in.”
“You do whatever you gotta do, man,” he offers, his eyes sincere as he meets mine over his desk. “If you need to go, you know I’m not gonna say shit to you about it,” he continues. “It might actually be a pretty good idea for you to head down there anyway. It hasn’t been easy keeping her here,” he gestures toward Sophie’s desk in the next room. “She’s already talking about leaving early to head that way, which I can’t let happen. Not right now anyway,” he shakes his head. “I think we both know until shit gets cleared up, that little reunion isn’t gonna go well. Good intentions aside,
the last thing this catastrophe needs is more gas added to the flames.”
“Yeah,” I nod, glancing down at my phone for the time before looking back up at him. “You’re good without me today?”
“Go,” he waves me off. “Just please let one of us know if you-”
“I will,” I promise, pulling my phone to my ear. “I’m just gonna call Jenna before I take off and let her know I’m-”
“Hello?” she answers, cutting me off.
Despite the disaster all around me, the sound of her voice somehow manages to put a smile on my face.
“Hey babe,” I reply, on my feet and heading out of his office. “I’m gonna be late tonight. No one here has heard from anyone yet, so I’m leaving the office now.”
“Where are you going?” she asks, the concern in her voice obvious.
“I’m gonna drive by the house one more time to make sure she didn’t come by there looking for me, which I doubt,” I admit. “If I’m right, I’m gonna head to Camden to look for-”
“Don’t bother,” he cuts me off, the sound of his voice sending a spark of fury through me as I glance up to find him standing in the doorway, looking more worn and exhausted than I’d ever seen him. “She isn’t there.”
“Jack?” Jenna says into the line when my voice drops off, my chest filling with venom. “Are you there?”
“Yeah, baby. I’m here,” I reply quietly, my voice gravelly and filled with malice as I turn to face Drake fully, his eyes meeting mine and my heart begins to pound, my fist clenching. “But I’m gonna have to call you back.”
Chapter Eleven
Drake
“Do you not understand the concept of a telephone?” Sophie grates out as she makes her way around the desk to stand beside Chase.
I take the three of them in, their internal fury palpable. It’s also completely understandable.
“It’s dead,” I admit, stepping into my old office, tossing the now useless piece of plastic onto the desk before I fall into one of the chairs. “Sit down,” I sigh, leaning forward on my knees to rub my temples. “Please.”
