“Wonderful,” I mumbled to myself. I grabbed a little bottle of over-the-counter pain medication and popped a few pills. My headache was already raging, and I knew turning on my cell phone and opening myself up to the ridicule, curiosity, and possible anger of those close to me was absolutely going to make it worse. There were about twenty text messages from my mother and ten from my best friend, Beverly. I read through them and my heart nearly stopped when I saw that she had sent me a link.
I clicked it and a story on an online news site pulled up. “Oh my God,” I breathed, staring at the headline.
DAUGHTER OF LATE PEPPERTREE OWNER GEOFFREY SIMMONS WEDS REAL ESTATE MOGUL CHASE HAWTHORNE IN RUSHED VEGAS CEREMONY.
“I am so screwed,” I muttered, scanning through the article.
The news story focused mainly on Chase, since he was much more famous than my family was. I was grateful for that. Chase was accustomed to his name in the papers. I was not. At least, not these days. When my father was still alive, we were fairly well-known in our region of Colorado, but nowadays I was more or less a nobody, and I rather liked it that way. Of course, now that my name was associated with Chase’s, things were sure to change.
I was no longer just the unfortunate daughter of Geoffrey Simmons, I was the mysterious new wife of America’s most eligible bachelor, Chase Hawthorne. I gulped, realizing that I would have to brace for the inevitable jealousy and cruelty people can hurl at the girlfriends and wives of attractive, wealthy, well-known men. It was going to be a lifestyle change, for certain. I only hoped I could learn how to handle it.
My cell phone started ringing at top volume and I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Geez,” I mumbled. “Why am I so damn jumpy?”
I reached to answer it, almost afraid to look at the caller ID.
It was my mother. Of course. With some hesitation, I answered the call.
“Haley Marie Simmons,” she greeted me grimly. She enunciated every syllable of my full name, which was never a good sign. “Where in the world have you been?”
“I’m sorry, Mom. Things have been really crazy lately and I had to turn off my cell phone for a while, but I promise I wasn’t avoiding you,” I rambled quickly.
“Then why would you turn off your phone?” she asked, the coldness in her voice replaced by what she was really feeling: worry. “I was worried sick, sweetheart! I was thinking something horrible must have happened to you because why else would you ignore my calls that way? You scared the life out of me. You know I worry about you all the time, especially after what happened to your father. Accidents happen all the time, honey, and I just thought maybe something awful happened to you.”
“No, no. I’m fine,” I assured her.
“Oh, I know that now. Beverly sent me a link to this news article on the Internet all about how you got married to some guy,” she told me. My heart sank. Uh oh.
“Well, about that.”
“At first I thought it was just some dumb practical joke,” she interrupted. “But then I started reading the article and it dawned on me that I recognized the name Chase Hawthorne. He was your boyfriend back in college, wasn’t he? The one who broke your heart? You used to call me crying when he dumped you, talking about how sad you were. Remember that?”
“Yes, Mom. Of course I remember that,” I sighed.
“And now suddenly, out of the blue, you’re married to him?” my mother exclaimed. “Pardon me, Haley, but that sounds like a load of crap to me!”
“It’s not that bad. I promise. We’re both different people now. The past is in the past. It’s all just fine. I’m fine. I-I’m happy,” I tried to convince her. She scoffed.
“Right. Well, however it happened, I’m glad you’re happy. But how could you?” she said accusingly. I waited, thinking she would continue.
“How could I, what?” I asked, confused.
“Get married,” she burst out. “In Vegas. In some shabby little chapel. How come you didn’t tell me you were dating Chase again? How come you didn’t invite me to your wedding? I know we haven’t been quite as close as we were when you were younger, but you’re my daughter and I love you, Haley. It breaks my heart that you got married in secret.”
I could hear the tears in her voice, and it made me feel horrible. “Oh, Mom. I’m so sorry. It was just a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing, you know? I never meant to hurt you or anyone else. I promise. It wasn’t a secret, it was just… well, it happened so fast.”
“Well, when do I get to meet him?” she asked suddenly. I felt nauseous.
“You’ve met him before. Remember? He came home for winter break one year while we were dating,” I told her quickly.
“Well, yes, but you were just dating then. Now you’re married. And a lot of time has passed since then. He’s your husband now. My son-in-law. I want to meet him. Have a proper family dinner, you know,” she suggested. Her worry was swiftly turning into excitement, which was an improvement, but still more than I cared to deal with at the moment. Then my phone beeped, informing me that I had another call coming in, this time from Beverly.
“Look, can I call you back? Beverly is calling me,” I pleaded.
“What? But we just started talking.”
“I know, I know, but Beverly has called me a jillion times and I need to tell her what’s going on. She’s worried, too, I think,” I admitted. God, I felt like such a jerk.
“Fine. Go answer her. But you have to call me back, Haley,” she sighed.
“Okay. Got it. I will. Love you, Mom. Bye,” I told her hastily. I clicked the other line to answer the new call. “Beverly. Hi.”
“What the hell, Haley?” she demanded.
“I know.”
“Do you? Do you know?” Beverly exclaimed. “You got married? To Chase freakin’ Hawthorne of all people, and you didn’t think it was necessary to call me and let me know?”
“Look, I just got this same lecture from my mother,” I groaned, sitting down on the bed.
“I’m sure you did. She’s been pestering me for more information but I didn’t know what to tell her. So, it’s true? You really did get married to Chase?” she asked.
“Yeah. It’s true,” I confessed.
Beverly whistled. “Wow. That is… insane. How did that even happen? Didn’t he, like, super break your heart in college?”
“Yes. Yes, he did,” I confirmed. “I kind of wish people would stop bringing that up.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Haley? I could’ve been the best maid of honor ever.”
I smiled. “I know. You would have. But it happened so quickly. We just couldn’t wait to have a normal wedding. We wanted to be together immediately,” I told her, hoping she wouldn’t press the issue.
“I can’t decide if that’s crazy or romantic.”
“How about both?” I suggested.
She laughed. “Sure. Both. Well, I can’t say I’m not still a little pissed that I had to find out about my best friend’s wedding from the Internet, but congratulations. If you’re happy, I’m happy. You are happy, right?”
“Yes. Very happy,” I agreed hastily.
“Damn. The new Mrs. Chase Hawthorne. Who would’ve thought it?” she mused.
“You’re telling me. It still hasn’t totally sunken in yet,” I told her honestly.
“You’ll get there,” she assured me. I hoped she was right. “Anyway, I’m sure you have a honeymoon or something you’re supposed to be jetting off to right now, so I won’t hold you up too long.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I agreed. “I’ll talk to you later and give you more details, okay?”
“You better!” she laughed. We hung up, and I sat on the bed, staring off into space.
My heart sank even lower. It was hitting me just how abnormal this marriage was. Of course we didn’t have a honeymoon. This marriage was all about business. It was just a deal, nothing more. One year of pretending and it would be over. But everyone around me was ecstatic, making a huge deal out of it. I wondered how long the g
uilt would eat away at me. If it was going to feel like such a painful lie the whole time, then this was going to be one long year.
19
Chase
“I don’t care what the previous interior designer thought a modern presidential suite looked like, I’m bringing in someone I know,” I informed one of my contacts over the phone as I climbed into my private jet.
I gave the pilot a quick nod and a tight smile. He rolled his eyes knowingly at my phone call. “Make the arrangements and have her email me before tomorrow morning. I’ll be back in Aspen before sundown.”
Fresh coffee was waiting for me when I settled down in my seat, and I let out a long breath of relief.
Honestly, as good as the marriage arrangement was, there was one other advantage to having Haley in charge of the Peppertree. I didn’t have to wrangle with complete strangers in trying to redesign the resort. The other eleven properties were a headache to deal with, but these were teeth that had to be pulled.
At least I would be back with Haley in a few hours, and I’d get to negotiate renovations with someone I knew how to deal with.
The thought made me smile. Another perk to working with Haley was that I knew more than one way to deal with her. I would be lying if I said I never mixed business and pleasure, but with Haley, it was something special.
Hours later, after the plane had landed and my driver brought me to the Peppertree’s driveway, I looked up at the place and felt an odd cozy feeling. I was starting to understand why Haley could get attached to a place like this. From a business point of view, it was nothing special, and it was easy to point out why it was tanking, but the place had a certain charm about it that made you feel comfortable after visiting it a few times.
The fact that my wife was here played into that, sure.
Things were already starting to shape up, though. The moment my driver came to a stop, a bellhop was already on his way out the doors to greet me. It was the same young man who’d met me my first day, but his uniform looked a little crisper and his face a little brighter.
They were the sure signs of having recently gotten a raise.
“Afternoon, Mr. Hawthorne,” he greeted me cheerfully as he got my bags. “Hope the drive was easy on you.”
“I’m starting to appreciate the view around here,” I admitted, “but it’ll be a lot nicer when I’m done with it.”
“I can believe it,” he replied. I had a feeling he knew who he had to thank for his sudden pay raise.
“Is the suite I used last time ready for me?”
“Actually, sir, Ms. Sim—excuse me, Mrs. Hawthorne arranged for you to be staying in her suite as long as you’re here.”
“Did she, now?” I mused, chuckling.
He led me up to her room, and along the way, I could see the sudden injection of money was doing wonders already. The elevators were in working order, morale was up for the staff, and everything looked so clean that you could eat off the floors.
“This will do fine,” I told the bellhop as we reached the doorway to Haley’s room. As he unstacked the bags, I held out a couple of $100s to him. I couldn’t help but smile at the way his hand was nearly shaking when he took it, thanked me profusely, and darted off.
I raised my fist to knock on the door when I heard a voice from behind me that made my cock twitch in anticipation.
“Mr. Hawthorne,” came Haley’s voice in a playful tone, “trying to break into my room?”
I turned and cracked a smile at her. She was wearing the same outfit she wore when I first walked into the Peppertree, and she was carrying two steaming coffees. “I can have you thrown out for that, you know.”
“I’d rather be the one throwing you around today, Mrs. Hawthorne,” I growled as she made her way over and handed me a coffee before she unlocked the door. “For now, though, I have some paperwork for you to go over.”
She pushed the door open, and I set the bags just inside. “Oh? I’m guessing this is about the renovations.”
“We’ll call it a first draft of the plans,” I teased, slipping my jacket off, “and we can hash out the details in private.”
“Let’s take things to my office, then,” she invited me, nodding further into the suite. “Leave your jacket, though. Don’t you think it’s too warm for that inside?”
I winked at her before she started making her way into the suite.
Her office was attached to the suite, making the whole place like a spacious apartment in the resort, and as soon as she got the door open, I moved in. There was a small table just to my right, and in a swift motion, I set my folder of papers down on it, grabbed our coffees and did the same, and seized Haley by the hips to spin her around and press her lips to mine.
She moaned into the kiss as I shut the door behind us and started walking her backward to her desk.
“Jesus, Chase,” she gasped as soon as the kiss broke, but I wasn’t holding back in any way. My hands felt up her ass and her thighs, pinching and squeezing for every minute I was away from her. “Have you been thinking about this as much as I have?”
“You have no fucking idea,” I groaned.
Her desk was not nearly the size appropriate for a resort owner of her prestige. It was old fashioned and cozy, some would call it, but it had a big desk at the back and center of the room, and that was all I needed.
She shrunk a few inches as I walked her back to the desk, and I realized she had kicked her heels off without breaking her pace.
My hands greedily groped her hips, thumbs roving over the fabric of her clothes, and with each step, I kept my crotch pressed against her stomach. Everything in me felt energized and ready to fuck her senseless. Everything about it felt right.
I moved one of my hands up the curve of her back and pulled her in even tighter, sliding my other hand under her thigh and hoisting her up.
She gasped mid-kiss as I carried her the rest of the way to the desk and sat her round ass down on it and thrust my hips into her even though we were both still clothed. I didn’t even need to see her naked, just the sight and touch of my wife was enough to drive me wild.
With a clumsy hand, she reached behind her and started knocking things off her desk desperately. I made it harder for her my bringing my mouth to her neck and sucking on the sensitive skin, and she gasped, tossing her head back and squirming in my grasp.
Flailing her arm wildly wasn’t getting her very far, so I finally did her the favor of reaching around her, and with one big sweep of my arm, I cleared the desk of papers and pencils and a keyboard before I came back up to her to unbutton her blouse.
“I want to feel you,” she gasped after I stripped the fabric away and left her in nothing but a skirt and bra. “I want to feel everything I’ve been missing. I’ve been thinking about this all day, please let me have this.”
“You don’t have to beg, honey,” I growled into her ear, “but God, I love it when you do.”
I stripped off my shirt and watched her eyes devour my nearly bare torso, but the blush in her cheeks grew bright red when I took my undershirt off and left my chest naked.
Her hips thrust up into mine in soft, pleading motions as she ran her hands down my front, testing the hardness of my chest, counting my abs, feeling up every ridge that my rippling muscles had to offer.
“I’ve been working out more than ever,” my voice rumbled. “Ever since marrying you, I’ve got more reason than ever to be in peak shape. The better I am…” I took hold of her thighs and squeezed them, pushing her skirt up so I could feel more of her, “...the more I can fuck you until you’re full of me.”
She was enthralled by my muscles. She brought her face to them and kissed them, and the feeling of her breath on me made my cock swell so large it strained my pants.
I kicked my shoes off and unbuttoned my pants, letting my shaft spring forward, and at the same time as she looked down on it with pure hunger in her eyes, I pushed her skirt up enough to see her naked womanhood.
“I said I would
n’t give you a uniform after taking this place over,” I mused. “But the more I think about it, the less essential underwear sounds.”
She gave me a challenging smile, and while I was busy getting lost in her eyes, I felt her warm touch on my cock.
She ran her fingers from the thick base of my vein-ribbed shaft to the dark, bulging crown at the top. It was almost purple and swollen with need. Her soft thumb stroked the very tip and made it twitch while her other hand fondled my heavy balls.
“You make me so fucking tense,” I told her, reaching up and stroking her hair as I watched her toy with my cock like it was the most precious thing in her world. “The second you cross my mind, all I want to do is pour myself into you.”
This was all to get her pregnant, I tried to remind myself. The more ready she is, the more we want each other and want to fuck each other until we have nothing less in us, the faster we can get a child from this fake marriage.
We should hate each other, but I knew that every word I said was dripping with sinful truth.
“I don’t know what it is about you,” she confessed, looking up at me with a mixture of pure lust and shame at herself for feeling it. “Fuck, I should hate you for all this. For everything. But all that does is make me want you more.”
“Then lean into it,” I growled, and without warning, I pushed her down onto the desk.
I grabbed one of her ankles and propped it over my shoulder, twisting her to her left, holding her hips tight in my massive hands. I was so much taller than her that I could move her and twist her any way I wanted, and she loved every second of it. Her pussy was glistening and swollen, every bit as needy for me as she said.
I entered her.
She shuddered as if she’d just dipped herself into hot water, and she was so slick that I buried myself into her up to the hilt. The more we fucked, the more used to each other our bodies were.
And that just made it better each time.
I found her g-spot in no time. I started rocking back and forth into her, rewarding her slowly for every single little thing she did to get me hard and ready. I felt precum already beading up at the tip of my cock, and she scrambled to grab onto any edge she could to keep herself from losing all control of her bodies as I rutted into her.
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