by S. K. Lessly
I shrugged. “So…”
“So… I haven’t seen you kiss Lauren since you’ve been here. And I know what you’re going to say, but Lauren has made her way over to you multiple times throughout the night to put her arm around you, steal your food, check on you. You, on the other hand, seem so tense and stiff that she probably figured you didn’t want to be bothered; I’m just guessing here I don’t know. In light of that, what do you think she’s supposed to think when you treat her different than normal? And I’m sorry, add that and the fact that your ex is here and you have the ingredients for a cluster fuck of jealousy.”
I didn’t reply to Melissa because shit, I had nothing. Was I really ignoring Lauren tonight? I know I wasn’t completely ignoring her. I brought her a couple of drinks I think when I saw her glass was empty. We shared a few words throughout the night as well, she even came and sat with me for a few hands of poker, but I didn’t remember giving her the cold shoulder. I had money riding on the games we were playing. I was cleaning everyone’s pockets, so maybe I was so focused on that I missed the subtle hints she was giving me. I was also trying to keep my distance from Sabrina. I saw the way she was eyeing me throughout the night. It felt weird as hell, especially when her boyfriend was sitting next to me.
I looked out of the window above the kitchen sink to find Lauren and Sebastian talking, and a frown creased my forehead at the sight of the ex-married couple. What I did notice throughout the night were Sebastian’s wandering eyes. I had caught him staring at Lauren’s ass at least twice, which pissed me off. However, I had no problem checking him. In fact, one of the times Lauren had come over to check on me, he had been doing his best to ignore her. However, when she walked away, I saw out of the corner of my eye his beady eyes on her beautiful round ass.
I was cool about it when I noticed it. I didn’t show the anger I felt, my face remained impassive. I did, however, say to him, “How’s that hand of yours? Is it shit?”
Sebastian stumbled with his answers, his eyes lifting from my woman’s ass to look at me. “Ah, what was that?” he replied.
I looked over at him and pointed to the cards in his hand. “Your hand, are you folding or playing.”
“Oh, no, I’m good. I’m in,” he said with a smirk, I guess hinting his hand was good.
Unfortunately, for him, it wasn’t good enough. Before I laid down the royal flush in my hand, I said to him, “Good, why don’t you focus on this game and the cards in your hand instead of my woman’s ass.”
There were moans all around the table as the guys threw down their cards. Sebastian looked at my hand then at me, his eyes wide, his jaw dropped. I glared at him, letting him see the threat in my eyes if I caught him again. I wasn’t sure what he thought this was or who I was, but I’d be damned if he was going to sit beside me and disrespect me. He’s been eyeing Lauren off and on all night. I was done with that shit.
I sighed and said to Melissa, “Okay, I see your point.”
Melissa smiled triumphantly, squeezed my arm, and grabbed the six-pack before heading back outside. I stood there for a long minute and calmed down. I looked back out of the window and saw the son of a bitch still talking to my woman, so much for calming down. I made my way to the door to have some words with Lauren. Just as I stepped outside, Sabrina stepped in front of me.
“Hey, I was just looking for you.” She smiled brightly up at me, and I finally saw what apparently both Melissa and Lauren had seen. What she was giving me, the goo-goo eyes, was Sabrina’s ‘come fuck me’ look. I sighed and shook my head.
Fuck me…
“What can I do for you?” I asked her, my voice deadpan and formal.
As always, Sabrina ignored my clipped tone and went on. “Well, I went by the house the other day, you know just to uh… see it, and I saw you have it up for sale.”
“Yeah?” I looked over at Lauren and frowned when I saw Sebastian touch Lauren on her arm.
“Did you find a buyer?” Sabrina asked, trying to get in my line of sight so that I would look at her.
“Huh?” I looked down at her.
“Did you find someone to buy the place?”
“Oh, no. Why? Are you interested?”
“Well maybe. Do you think I can take a look at it again? Dominic works on houses and appraises them too. I’d like to know what he thinks before I make the decision.” She smiled at me again, batting her eyes suggestively. Remembering what Melissa said about Dominic, I smiled.
Wow, maybe she is trying to make me jealous.
“Oh sure, no problem.” I reached into my wallet and pulled out a business card. “Here is my realtor’s information. She’ll be able to let you in, and you can see the place all you want.”
She frowned and took the card. She stared at it then smiled, but her smile wasn’t as confident as before. She shifted her weight to her side and asked me, holding up the card, “Why would I need this? Just let me know when you’ll be home, and I’ll stop by.”
“Because I won’t ever be there. I don’t live there anymore,” I said simply then stepped around her and started for my woman.
Lauren
Can you say bitchy much, boys and girls?
Ugh, I needed to sober up. The way I had just spoken to Paul was completely uncalled for and very childish. I don’t know what happened. I was fine before I left the bathroom, cool calm, collected and with a purpose. But as soon as I saw his smiling face, I thought about how Sabrina received the same panty-dropping smile a few times tonight, and my jealousy was back.
“Hey, stranger,” said a familiar voice next to me.
I was just about to reach down to get a bottled water inside one of the many coolers spread out on the patio, when Sebastian spoke.
“Hey to you too,” I answered him then bent my knees to reach inside the cooler for a drink. No way was I bending over in front of him. I could feel his eyes on me, watching my every move. I was not about to give him a shot of my ass. When I had my prize in my hand, I stood and faced Sebastian.
Sebastian grinned at me, his eyes gleaming with… eww. I shivered and tried not to vomit in my mouth.
“It’s been a long time since well… we last spoke,” he said, his smile falling, his face taking on a more caring expression. “I heard about what happened to you. How are you? Are you doing alright?”
The last time I saw Sebastian he was accusing me of burning his house down. Now he was giving me this sympathetic look, pretending that he cared about me. It was a bit unnerving, and very uncomfortable.
I pushed that feeling down and just decided to get the hell away from him before I said or did something he might regret.
I gave him a nod then a polite smile, hoping he’d get the hint and leave me be. See how I’ve changed?
“I’m doing okay, I guess. Thanks for asking.” I started to walk away, breathing out a sigh of relief, when he grabbed my arm stopping me in my tracks. Damn it!
“Listen, Lauren.” He stepped closer to me as he turned me back around to face him. “I wanted to apologize to you for how things went down during the last year of our marriage. I never meant to hurt you, and I feel horrible about how we ended. I wanted you to know that it wasn’t anything you did or could have done. I guess I wasn’t ready for marriage or to be tied down to one woman, you know? But it was wrong of me to hurt you like I did and I apologize.”
I didn’t say anything. In my opinion, when people say, “I never meant to hurt you”, it only meant that your feelings didn’t matter when they made the decision to do what they did to hurt you in the first place. Sebastian was always a charmer. He always had some underlying reason for doing the things he did. I wasn’t sure what his end game was with this so-called apology, but what the hell, I was willing to find out. I opened my water bottle and took a long much-needed pull, as I thought of what to say.
“I hope you can forgive me,” he pleaded, giving me a hesitant smile.
Let's see, I could tell him I forgive him and walk away, or I could tell him
everything I’ve been holding back and have it out with him. Then I could tell him to go to hell and kick him in the nuts. He was due after all.
With the decision made, I took a deep breath and screwed the top back on my water before I answered him.
“Sebastian, while I appreciate your apology, it’s a tough pill to swallow. If I’m being honest, you’ve cheated on me multiple times. It wasn’t that first time when I caught you in our bed. You know it and so do I. It’s happened repeatedly in our bed, on my Egyptian cotton sheets no less. And all that time you had me believing that I was the problem, and that you didn’t want me, or I wasn’t good enough for you. All the fucking lies you’ve told on me, the deceit, the betrayal.
“Bottom line, you should have been honest with me. Especially when I asked you if you were cheating on me. That was your chance to tell me the truth or fuck, you could have put me out of my misery and broke up with me. Something, anything but what happened. Granted, I know I may not have taken it well, but I would have preferred the truth rather than the lies. I especially would have appreciated you telling me you were bisexual.”
Sebastian’s smile fell from his face as I spoke, replacing it with a scowl.
“Come on, Lauren, be reasonable. You would have flipped your lid if I told you the truth. Despite what you say, no one wants to hear that their spouse is cheating on them, no matter the sex of the person. I figured I would try my best to shield you while I thought of what to do.”
“That is so got damn selfish. You strung me along all that time, making me think you loved me and all the while you were trying to figure out what to do? That is so fucked up, Sebastian.”
“Lauren,” Sebastian called out to me, putting his hand up in surrender. “I know I didn’t handle this situation like I should have. I was wrong, which is why I am apologizing to you. Regardless of what you might think, I cared about you. I still do in fact. As I said, I didn’t want to hurt you, especially since it wasn’t anything that you did to push me to cheat. Nevertheless, I admit, I should have been honest with you. I shouldn’t have made you think or feel that you had anything to do with what I was doing. I’m sorry for that.”
“You’re sorry for all the lies and cheating and—”
“Yes, I’m sorry for it all, Lauren. Truly.”
I took what he said with a grain of salt, knowing this was the best apology I would get from him. Plus, we could go back and forth all night, and he wouldn’t admit to everything— getting snipped and marrying me without telling me his secrets, how he was bisexual or all of the lies he told everyone before they even met me. I didn’t have the energy to get into everything either, so I gave him a reprieve.
“Okay, Sebastian. I appreciate you for apologizing. I can’t promise you I will forgive you, but I’ll try.”
He smiled brightly and bowed his head. “I understand. Thank you. I know this rough for you, considering the pain that I caused you. Thanks for at least thinking about it.”
I gave him a head nod and started to walk away when he touched my arm to stop me.
“I ah… rebuilt the house,” He went on to say.
My eyebrows rose. “Really?”
He nodded. “Yeah, and it really looks good. You should come by and check it out.”
And there it is, his reason for all of this apology crap. What did he think? We were going to be best friends, or worse, that I still wanted him? There was no way in hell I was stopping by to check out his house.
“It took a while to get it exactly how you designed it,” he went on, filling in the awkward silence between us. “But I found the pictures you had sent me on my phone and had the carpenter redo everything exactly how you had it. Actually, I think it’s better. The guy I hired was a true professional and finished way ahead of schedule.”
My eyebrows creased at the dagger he just threw at my man’s reputation. Yeah, this conversation was over.
I shook my head ready to tell him just how much I didn’t appreciate what he just said about Paul, when the man himself materialized from out of nowhere. He stepped between Sebastian and me, dismissing the man behind him.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked me, or more like he demanded. I looked up at him my eyes wide, shocked at the heated look in his eyes.
“Will you excuse us, Sebastian?” Paul called over his shoulder as an afterthought, never removing his eyes off me.
He didn’t wait for Sebastian to give him approval. He just grabbed my hand and directed me to the other side of the patio.
When we’ve arrived a safe enough distance from everyone on the patio, he pulled me around his body so that I could face him. I took a deep breath, ready to have it out. However, I never got the chance to say a word. No, the second I was in front of him, he captured my face between his large hands and planted a kiss on me that literally took my breath away. I was so in shock that I didn’t move. My arms stayed by my side because I didn’t know what to do with them.
I felt his tongue pushing at my parted shocked lips, and I opened them further, giving him access. He took full advantage of my pliant response and plunged his tongue into my mouth, claiming me in front of everyone. The second his tongue touched mine, I snapped out of my trance and wrapped my arms around his neck. The kiss went on for, I don’t know how long, both of us giving as much as we were getting. I was lost in this moment, lost to everyone but him. He kept me tight against his body and yet he caressed my mouth with tenderness, need, and yearning.
“Ah hell! For fucks sake! Get a room you two!” Samson yelled. “Don’t no one want to see that shit!”
Paul and I broke apart and took in a much-needed breath, but we didn’t move far from each other. Goodness, I needed a second just to collect myself. Holy shit, that kiss had my head spinning, my heart busting out of my chest, and my body humming for more.
I kept my eyes closed for a second or two longer, reveling in the feel of his arms around me. This was what I needed from him tonight— the feeling of having his arms around me, touching me, caressing me. I licked my lips first then opened my eyes to find Paul watching me closely, a look in his eyes that had my pussy clenching. He brought his hands back to the sides of my face.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
I was speechless, so I simply nodded.
“I don’t think you do.” he scolded, gone was the heat that burned in his eyes, replaced with a different kind of heat. Shit! Paul Logan was pissed.
“Let’s go home.”
“Paul,” I began suddenly not ready to leave with him. “Look, we don’t have to go right now if you don’t want to. If you want to still play a few hands, I’m cool with that.” I tried to step out of his hold, the fear of his wrath evident in my voice, but he refused to let me go.
The look in his eyes was making me shift nervously in his arms. I didn’t think Paul would hurt me. Actually, I knew he wouldn’t. That wasn’t what this was or the reason why I was trying to escape. It was the disappointment in his eyes that had me wanting to flee. I was embarrassed, and I knew just how much I fucked up by the look in his eyes. All I could think of was to blame my predicament on the stupid, dang tequila I consumed and Melissa for giving it to me.
Paul’s hold tightened when he caught on to my feeble attempts of escape. His eyes narrowed halting my movements.
“Seriously, we don’t have to go,” I found myself saying, attempting, again, to stay here a little longer. “It’s still early. We can have a few more drinks and hang out with our friends a little while longer. Whatever you want.”
I saw a flash of irritation in his eyes, which caused my blood pressure to elevate to abnormal heights. Paul rested his hands on my waist and pulled me close to him. His arms snaked around my body, and he gripped my ass tight in his hands. He squeezed roughly, possessively, letting me feel just what was in store for me the second we got home. As if he wasn’t sure I understood the underlying threat, as it were, he leaned over until his lips were inches from my ear.
&nb
sp; “I want to rip your clothes off and fuck the shit out of you. I want you so bad right now that I can barely see straight.” He took a finger, ran it from the back of my neck, down my spine. At the same time, he said, “I want to take my tongue and run it down here to your beautiful ass until I find your sweet wet pussy. You’ll be drenched for me. I know it. You love it when I taste you, tease you.” He kissed my ear and switched over to the other. He lightly grazed his lips along my neck, sending goosebumps all over my skin. I felt his soft lips lightly graze my ear, and I shivered and rested my hands on his shoulders in an effort to stay upright.
This man was killing me.
“I want to taste every inch of you, fuck you with my tongue until you’re begging for me to stop. But I won’t stop. No! I won’t stop until I’m satisfied you know you’re mine and only then will I give you my cock.”
I whimpered. I couldn’t help it. The promise of his words and the feel of his hardness pressed up against my lower abdomen, had my pussy screaming for him to make good on his words. I needed him to do exactly what he just said and more.
Paul leaned back enough, so our eyes met but he didn’t let me go. He then continued to make me come undone in his arms with just his words. “You’re fucking mine, Lauren. Do you understand me? If I have to prove that to you every got damn second of every got damn day then so be it. I’ll make sure you’ll never forget or ever question exactly how I feel about you.”
“Paul, I—” I began on a shaky whisper, trying to apologize for my jealous behavior, but the growl that rumbled from this one-pissed-off-boy-scout had me shutting my mouth.
“Get your shit and say goodbye before I bend you over this table and fuck you right here right now.”
I gotta say that sounded so dang hot, but the look in Paul’s eyes told me now wasn’t the time to test him. In fact, from the look in his dark blue eyes, I only had one course of action. I stepped around his muscled frame and smiled at the stunned onlookers.
