by Marlee Wray
“And if they ask you for details? Will you repeat the things you said about him?”
Eric sighed. “No, but you’re the only one who would care. None of what I said would’ve surprised or offended Colin. He and I were good friends.”
“You were not. You’re a lying, jealous backstabber.”
“I never lied, and I haven’t stabbed him in the back. But I was jealous of him. Still am.” His watch beeped, and he glanced down at it. “See you later, Laci.”
Chapter Thirteen
Laci came to the party. She’d changed again, this time into a semi-sheer peach dress, butterfly barrettes, and gold sequin jelly shoes. Colin would’ve approved the outfit, and Eric couldn’t disapprove of it. She was so goddamned pretty it made his cock stiff and his balls ache.
That didn’t mean he was glad to see her, especially since she smiled at everyone else, showing off her dimples, but glanced right past him. He’d miscalculated when he’d decided to try to shake things up by punishing her in his bedroom. He’d wanted to move things forward, to edge her toward sex with him. Instead, when he’d told her to masturbate while he watched, she’d opened her eyes and rather than being under any seductive spell, she’d seemed upset and unsettled. She’d pleaded with him to let her go back to the bedroom she’d shared with Colin. It hit him then that they were no closer to having sex than they’d been when he moved in. He couldn’t blame her. She’d told him it was basically a business arrangement to placate the council. He just hadn’t wanted to believe that.
He’d had himself convinced that things were progressing, albeit slowly, because when he punished her, she was clearly aroused. But she never stayed in the room with him once the punishment was over. She went to the master bedroom. What if rather than thinking about him wielding the paddle against her helpless backside, she fantasized that it was Colin who spanked her? What if to get off afterward, she relived memories she’d had with her husband? She certainly acted like she was still married to the guy. She certainly treated Eric like an interloper who was trying to push her into an extramarital affair.
He needed to stop chasing her, because by now, he was obsessed with her. He couldn’t even trust himself to put her over his lap anymore. He didn’t spank her with a bare hand because he was so tempted to manipulate her into letting him do more. He wouldn’t allow himself to lose control, but it was a battle whenever she was in the same room.
Laci arrived at John and Melody’s bearing gifts. She had a pair of twenty-by-twenty-four-inch canvases wrapped in plain brown paper. She gave one to John and one to Stuart and Allison.
“Just little gifts. If you don’t like them or you think they’re too revealing, you can use them for kindling or something,” she said with a smile. She sat across from him where her place card was, but didn’t make eye contact.
Melody hopped up and hurried to John. “I want to see. Let’s open it now.”
Allison tore the paper off her painting, made an oh of surprise and then grinned. “Wow,” she said, flipping the painting around.
It was Stuart fucking Allison against the bookshelf in the clubhouse library. Their faces were turned and slightly blurred. They were cast in muted shades of gray except for the crimson bottoms of Ali’s high heels hitched around Stu’s waist.
“That is awesome,” Stuart said. “I’m going to get this framed and hang it in the foyer.”
John and Melody unwrapped theirs too, and he was smiling down at it. Melody was blushing and looked less sure of what she thought.
He turned it, and the room caught its breath. Melody was in sharp relief at the center of the image, naked and restrained on the desktop, skin tawny and shimmering, ass fiery red, honey blond hair falling over her face except for one golden brown eye with a teardrop sparkling on its lashes. Her coral lips were parted to reveal a hint of teeth and tongue. John was out of focus, facing away at the edge of the canvas, looking down at her ass. The bright spotlight that lit the stunningly beautiful Melody faded at the edges of the canvas to bronze and sienna shadows.
John turned it back to him and smiled down at it. “This is an exceptional gift. We’re overwhelmed, Laci. Thank you.”
Melody scooted down the table to hug Laci.
“I hope it’s okay. You’re so stunning,” Laci said.
“It’s wonderful. I love it.”
She was so talented. He gave himself credit for getting her back into her studio. And for helping her get her life back on track. He’d done what he’d set out to do. She didn’t need him there anymore. He’d stayed because he liked being near her and because he wanted more of her. It was time to admit that wasn’t going to happen. Every time he tried to have an honest conversation with her about her sex life she accused him of trying to stab Colin in the back. Whatever she needed to hear, it wasn’t going to come from his mouth because he didn’t know any other way to talk to her than the way he already had.
Everyone took their seats, and they had their four courses. Laci didn’t look directly at Eric the entire night. She declined the wine, giving him no chance to censure her, not that he would have.
She spent the meal talking to Drew Glaser, the surgeon. Eric spent it watching her, until he’d had more than his fill of that. He was jealous of Glaser, not because the man had done anything wrong. Eric was frustrated because he wanted Laci’s attention focused on him. That was the crux of everything. He wanted possession of her, body and soul, and it was torture to be ignored.
When Allison and Stuart invited him to join them in John’s rec room to see what new pieces he’d acquired, Eric didn’t hesitate. They invited everyone else, too, particularly Laci to either join in or just to watch, in case she’d get inspired again. She smiled and said she’d be along in a few minutes to watch.
Eric hadn’t been with anyone in months, but he’d frequently participated in Hills group play in the past and knew how to join an Allison-and-Stuart scene. The three of them started with Ali on the spanking bench, and he and Stu took turns warming her up. Then they stripped her down and sandwiched her between them, with her arms chained to the ceiling. Eric used plenty of lube, but once he was in buried to his balls in her ass, he didn’t hold back.
Allison came three or four times while they fucked her in both holes. She wasn’t usually a screamer, but they made her one. The room cheered and clapped. All except for one person, who’d turned and walked out ten seconds after she’d entered.
Eric told himself it was for the best. It was time to stop playing house. He wanted scenes that involved sex, preferably with a wife one day, but until then with his friends and neighbors. If Colin’s beautiful little girl didn’t like it, that was too damn bad.
* * *
Laci felt ill. She stood on the front step, gulping air and holding onto the rough brick to steady herself.
“Are you all right?” Dr. Glaser asked, joining her.
“Yes, I’m okay,” she said, swallowing several times to get control of the nausea.
“Let me see,” he said, drawing her to the porch swing. He sat and made her lie down with her head on his lap. His strong fingers probed her belly. “Pain?” he asked, pressing down in every area.
“No. I’m fine. Just felt a little sick for a minute.”
“Let’s stop by the clinic and give you a pregnancy test.”
“I’m not pregnant.”
He pressed just above her pubic bone, then slid a hand up and cupped each breast. “Any tenderness?”
“No, I’m—I’m not pregnant,” she said, feeling flushed and turned on and devastatingly vulnerable at being so casually made to submit to his handling. “I can’t be. I haven’t been with anyone since Colin.”
“What?” Dr. Glaser said, taken aback. “Not with Eric in the same house?”
“We don’t have sex. He’s just been helping me get my life back on track.”
Dr. Glaser threw his head back and laughed. “Apparently not all the way back on track,” he said, still chuckling.
She
sat up. “I don’t screw around on my husband,” she said, climbing off the swing.
“That would make sense if you had a husband.”
“I still haven’t gotten used to the idea of his being gone,” she said, going down the stairs.
“And after all the trouble he went to,” Dr. Glaser said, shaking his head.
“I didn’t ask Eric for his help.”
“Not Eric. Colin.”
She froze. “What do you mean?”
“Come on. I’ll walk you home,” he said, putting a palm on her ass to move her forward.
She quickened her step. Dr. Glaser was very used to putting his hands on women, particularly the ones like her that he’d examined intimately in the Hills clinic. It was so routine he didn’t even think to ask permission. She didn’t hold it against him because she knew he didn’t mean anything by it, but it still made her flushed and unsettled.
“So what’s this about, Laci?”
“I’m just loyal to Colin.”
“Of course you are. We all are.”
“Eric isn’t.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because he said some things, pretty terrible things, about Colin that aren’t true.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t really want to repeat them.”
“All right, so Eric is out as a play partner. That would’ve surprised Colin and it surprises me, but let’s go down the list. Who are you attracted to?”
“Why do you think it would’ve surprised Colin?”
“Because Eric was the one he worried about the most while he was alive and the one he matched you up with before he died.”
“Are you trying to say that you think he put Eric in charge of the money so I’d end up dating him?”
“I don’t know about dating per se, but yes, so that you’d be pushed into each other’s company.”
“Didn’t he think it was at all possible that I could handle the money myself?”
“Not really. It’s a big and complicated estate, and he never even showed you how to balance a checkbook. He said you’d never had a bank account in your life. You either had cash in your purse or you were completely broke. Friends had to feed you and give you a couch to sleep on before he rescued you.”
“He talked to you about this?”
“Yes, myself, Jim, and Elena. I was willing to help, but we thought Elena might be the best choice so you wouldn’t feel there were strings attached to the help being provided. Colin very nearly put her in charge, but in the end, he really wanted to be the magnanimous lover. He knew if he put Eric in charge of your finances, that wouldn’t be all he’d take charge of. Colin said you and Eric were a good fit for each other.”
“How could Colin think that? I barely knew Eric before Colin died. I had talked to him maybe a dozen times over the course of five years, just small talk and saying hello.”
“Sure, but Colin knew you both very well separately, and he’d seen you together on a couple of occasions.”
“Eric says Colin kept me away from people so he could have me all to himself.”
“Absolutely.”
She stopped walking and looked at Dr. Glaser. “He brought me to the clinic. He let you examine me, put your hands on me and in me.”
“While he supervised. And when you were both excited, I left the room for him to do whatever he wanted with you. You never came to the clinic alone. It wasn’t allowed.”
“What are you saying? That he told you not to let me come on my own?”
“Exactly.”
“But a lot of women come to the clinic alone.”
“Yes, and some of the men do as well. But that’s when only one of the partners has fetishes that are served by the clinic. The other partner sends them in to have some play time alone. The nurse who took your temperature and did your cleanses takes care of the men who want certain treatments. If it’s a female patient, then I usually perform the exams and treatments.”
“And have sex with them?”
“If that’s an agreed upon part of the scene.”
“And husbands don’t mind that?”
“Many don’t. There’s no possibility of pregnancy. I’ve had a vasectomy.”
“So now that Colin’s gone, I could book a clinic appointment and have things done to me?”
“Of course. You have a very beautiful body that responds strongly to certain aspects of medical play. There are dozens of men who would volunteer to play doctor for you.” His hand squeezed one of her buttocks.
Her breath caught.
“I can’t believe you haven’t been with anyone since Colin passed away. That’s an absolute shame. Come here,” he said, walking her over to the children’s playground. He guided her to a rocking horse. “Pull your dress up and bend over the saddle.”
“I really can’t,” she stammered, taking a step back.
He arched a brow.
“I’m not ready.”
He pinched her nipple, which was already puckered to a hard point.
“Of course you are. You need to be spanked and fucked, and then spanked and fucked again. I can’t imagine why Eric hasn’t already done it thirty or forty times by now.”
“It’s not his fault,” she found herself saying.
“It definitely is. He knows how often Colin used to have sex with you and how much you enjoyed being used.”
“Dr. Glaser, I really need to sleep on things, but thank you for talking with me,” she said, quickly putting some distance between them.
“Uh huh, but I expect there to be more than talk very soon. Either pick someone to play with or get that pretty pussy of yours into the clinic. Colin must be rolling over in his grave knowing that no one has been inside you for over a year.”
Chapter Fourteen
Laci woke just before dawn and rubbed her eyes. She’d thought she might hear Eric come home or that he might wake her when he did. No such luck.
She got out of bed, wearing a black satin negligee and matching thong, and padded across the hall. She never knocked before she opened his door. She’d told herself it was because she didn’t want to wake him if he was sleeping, but that was only part of the truth. The other reason was that she liked to look at him, and while he slept, she could do that without repercussions. She’d stood near the bed a dozen times, with a ready excuse if he woke up. She’d never had to use one; he was a sound sleeper.
When she entered the room now though, she found the bed still made. He’d stayed out all night. She pictured him bouncing Allison up and down on his cock and felt wretched all over again. She had absolutely no right to be jealous. But she was.
She ran a hand through her hair and retreated from the room. He’d be home soon and then she’d talk to him. They’d clear the air. And maybe more. Assuming he wasn’t too spent from his night of three-way sex.
She’d decided Dr. Glaser was probably right. Colin wouldn’t have expected her to stay alone for the rest of her life, and she’d already gone a long time without having sex with anyone.
When she got to the kitchen and started the coffee, she jerked back at the sight of a folded piece of paper with her name on it. She snagged it off the counter and opened it.
Laci,
Really glad that you’re painting and doing so well in every aspect of your life these days. No need for me to live in anymore. I let Elena and Jim know.
Be a good girl and stay the course.
Eric
She dropped the note, and it fluttered to the floor. She turned and ran up the stairs and into the guest room. She opened the closets and found they were empty except for hangers. He’d packed during the night and left.
A sense of dread washed over her, and she hurried to her phone.
She texted him.
Can I come by your house? Would like to talk to u.
He didn’t answer for three hours.
Finally a return text came that said:
Sorry for the late reply. Plane just landed.
Meeting some friends out of town. Go see Elena to talk. Gotta run.
Laci set her phone down and screamed in frustration. She knew she deserved this, but it didn’t make things any better.
“So now it’s your turn to wait. You can do that. Let him have a few days to himself to blow off some steam. He deserves it.”
She swallowed. Would he be punishing and then screwing a ton of women? He was such a good-looking guy. He would have no trouble finding willing partners.
She screamed again, picked up the Disney Ariel nightlight from under its outlet and whizzed it at the wall. It bounced off, cracking into pieces upon impact. She winced.
“Sorry, honey,” she murmured. “I just don’t know what to do, Colin. I thought I was being loyal to you, but maybe I was just being naive and stupid.” She sat on the chest at the end of the bed. “If you did think he’d be a good partner for me, could you watch over him while he’s gone and bring him back soon?”
* * *
Laci was tempted to get really drunk in public to see whether Eric would hear about it and return to the Hills, but that seemed manipulative and childish. And even though he was definitely dominant, they didn’t engage in a total power exchange. He didn’t see her as a little girl, which she liked. She refused to act like one now.
Still, when one week gone turned into two, she could hardly contain herself. His place was a beautiful wood and stone home on the lake. She walked the mile through the woods each day to see if any lights were on or if his car was back.
When she was finally rewarded with light glowing out the back windows, she jogged the final quarter mile and was breathless when she knocked on the front door.
When he didn’t answer, she rounded the house and climbed the stairs of the deck to knock on the back one. As she passed the window though, she stopped.
He was naked and not alone. Draped over the back of the couch with her ass in the air, there was a blindfolded redhead with a ball gag in her mouth and restraints on her wrists. He had her copper-colored hair clenched in one fist and a full breast squeezed in the other while he said something to her. Then he let go and picked up a flogger and slapped her ass with it.
