by Evelyn Vox
“See you next weekend, then,” Brian said, clapping him on the shoulder before he walked off into the bathroom.
Derek pulled the black ribbon from his pocket. His eyes landed on me, piercing as he stalked towards where I laid on the bed. Two large arms caged me in as he placed his hands on either side of my legs. The mattress dipped under his weight. He sniffed my neck, and I trembled. Kissed me in that spot that made my pussy melt. Pushed me back on the bed and straddled me as his hands caressed my collarbone.
“Never forget, Princess,” he whispered as he unlocked the heart-shaped lock, “who holds this key.”
The key to my heart.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered back.
He shook his head. “No, never say that.”
His lips met mine, full of need to match my own. I was grateful for this stolen moment together. Alone. Where we could be ourselves. I wanted to kiss him forever. Wanted to open my legs and take him inside me, feel him thrust and explode and hold me there after. But the sounds of the shower stopped, pulling us both from our haze.
Derek’s cock twitched against me. He snarled as he pulled away, grabbed his clothes, and shrugged them on. I pushed him out of the room, following him to the front door.
“I wish things were different,” I told him as he put on his coat.
He didn’t say it, but he didn’t have to. The look on his face was louder than words. It can be. But I couldn’t fathom the implications of that and what it meant. I was married. That was that. I’d already pushed the boundaries of this marriage. I didn’t want to be responsible for breaking them completely. I sighed.
“Goodbye, Princess,” Derek said, pulling my naked body into his. “Happy Birthday.”
He hugged me close. I inhaled his musk, hating to say good bye. I sniffed and held back the tears that pushed behind my eyes.
“Next week?”
“Be here Friday night,” he said, a small, sad smile on that chiseled face.
I held his hand until he opened the door and walked out, pulling away at the last second. I rested my temple on the cool wood as it closed behind him. Brian’s footsteps rustled farther off in the apartment. I walked into our bedroom, passed him, and started my own shower.
“See you in bed,” I told him, making my voice cheery.
But when I walked into the shower, alone at last, I sank to my knees and wept.
DEREK
Jon knew better than to ask when I picked up Aries. He took one look at my face and shook his head.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, brother.”
I’d had enough of talking about it. It didn’t change anything, didn’t make anything better. So I told him to mind his own business, took my dog, and went back home. But the truth was, I really didn’t know what the hell I was doing.
I took Aries to the yard and tossed a ball for him. He bounded after it with simple-minded focus. That’s how I felt about Alexandra. I’d always chase after her, always need to hunt her down. I needed her. If I couldn’t have all of her, then I’d take what I could get.
It’d be one thing if she was happy with that, but she wasn’t. Her thick-headed husband was too stupid to see how much unhappiness he caused her. And she was too spineless to do anything about it.
I wanted to shake her, wake her up, and make her see that he wasn’t right for her.
But I needed her to realize that herself. I wouldn’t accept anything less. I didn’t want to taint the well. If she was going to make that decision, it had to come from her. It was one thing to tempt her into my bed, but to push her to leave her husband?
No.
I couldn’t start that. I couldn’t be the reason. It had to be her.
So I’d take what I could get. Even if it ate me up inside.
If Brian could only accept us in the physical sense, if he only wanted me to use her and abuse her, I’d do that.
Hell, I loved doing that.
We’d get by on hidden kisses and stolen moments. Brian couldn’t watch us forever. Aries bounded up to me. The ball in his mouth was chewed beyond recognition, fully destroyed by his desire for it. I wondered how long I could put up with it. How long before I destroyed Alexandra beyond recognition?
How long before the beast unfurled its claws and tore into us both?
Chapter Twenty-Five
LEXIE
ANOTHER EXEMPLARY ASSIGNMENT, LEXIE. YOUR WORK IS OUTSTANDING. A+
I smiled so hard my face hurt. The last week I’d turned in all my final assignments, almost two weeks early. My professor gave me my final grade, and told me I didn’t even have to bother taking the final exam. I eagerly scanned the list of schools she sent me. I’d asked her for some suggestions on which school she thought might be a good fit for me. Schools where I’d get my degree in Interior Design.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
The software Derek got me was amazing. I’d spent all week using it, designing some personal projects. Mostly, just for fun, but also to build a portfolio. I’d learned in class that was the first step to landing a job. It was hard to imagine myself working with clients and designing for them, but the excitement I felt was unparalleled.
I really wanted to do this.
The projects had been a welcome distraction this week, if I was perfectly honest with myself. I’d only talked to Derek once, in the middle of the week, and made sure Brian was there to hear him degrade me. But I couldn’t resist texting him when I got my final grade.
A+! PROFESSOR GAVE ME A LIST OF SCHOOLS TO LOOK INTO. THANK YOU FOR THE SOFTWARE. I LOVE IT.
I pulled up a few websites for schools. There were so many in New York. The New York School of Interior Design especially intrigued me. The program was top-notch, highly ranked, and the curriculum for the BFA looked amazing. It covered all the bases I’d need. I made notes in a spreadsheet, comparing programs. My phone buzzed and I giggled when I saw Derek’s message.
YOU CAN SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION TOMORROW NIGHT. WITH YOUR MOUTH.
I couldn’t wait to see him. I snapped a picture of me biting my lip, a sultry look in my eyes. I didn’t need him to respond to hear the way he was sure to have growled at the sight. I went back to my spreadsheet. I needed to focus— I was building my case for when I talked to Brian. I wanted to know how much each school cost, what I needed to do to get in, and when I had to apply.
Many of them had January deadlines for applications. That meant I’d have to get started on them soon if I wanted to be admitted for the Fall semester. I gathered as much information as I could. I was going to talk to Brian about it tonight.
I was going to convince him that this was a good idea.
So I did my research, and made my case strong.
My phone buzzed again and I reached for it, excited to see Derek’s response. My disappointment was palpable when I saw Brian’s name instead. I frowned when I read his message. He’d be going to the Club again tonight. I sighed. It was the third time this week, and I was getting annoyed.
It wasn’t fair for him to ask me to put up these boundaries with Derek when he still spent half his time at Club Midnight. Something wasn’t sitting right. I felt like he was hiding something from me. I wrote him back and told him I’d hoped to talk about something important tonight.
TOMORROW, I PROMISE. LOVE YOU, BABY.
I huffed. Dismissed, just like that. Tomorrow was Friday and Derek would be here, which didn’t give me a large window of time to talk to him.
Whatever.
What it did give me was more time to do my research. My case would be watertight and I’d wear him down, like I always did. It was the game we played, after all.
He’d give me the money I needed and I’d repay him in other ways. Though, now that Derek was part of the equation, I couldn’t picture how that would happen.
Things had changed. Brian had changed.
Maybe I could convince Derek to let me have a night alone with Brian at the Club. I bet he’d enjoy that. But would I? I sighed and pulled my
laptop into my lap, legs stretched long on the sofa. I’d worry about that later. For now, I was going to figure out what I needed to do to get into school and how to convince my husband to let me go.
All the while, I reminded myself I wasn’t living in 1950.
DEREK
I wasn’t sure what to expect as I got ready for my weekend with the Hale’s. Alexandra had given me explicit instructions not to bother them before eight PM. The beast growled at that. Oh, she’d pay for ordering me around like that.
But I had to respect what she was saying.
I didn’t want another repeat of last weekend.
It had been a long, shitty week. I’d somehow managed to keep my desires in check and didn’t text her all the time like we usually did. It had been nice to hear from her yesterday. I was glad her class was going so well, but not at all surprised. She’d been showing me her work the last few weeks, and it was good.
Really fucking good.
She had a natural instinct for this that couldn’t be taught. If she got her degree, I’d even consider bringing her into the fold at Drake Contracting. I’d been wanting to hire an interior designer for some time now. But I’m not known for playing well with others, and I’ve had a difficult time finding a good fit.
If she actually went through with this and got her degree, I’d run it by her.
I wrapped my hand around Aries’ leash and sighed. A degree would take her a few years to complete. And with how tenuous things had gotten between the three of us, there was no guarantee this arrangement would last that long. But I did what I always did when I thought about that and pushed it away.
I was going to see her tonight. That was my reality and that was all that mattered right now. The rest of it was pointless worry and anxiety. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Brian, but he was part of the deal, so I had to grit my teeth and take it. That wasn’t something I liked doing, but for Alexandra, I could. Bag in one hand, dog in the other, I walked out the door and locked it. I was determined not to be late this time, so I was dropping Aries off at Jon’s early, then hitting the road.
Tonight, traffic would be my bitch.
LEXIE
It was Friday night, and I told Brian to be home at six-thirty. I was making a special dinner for us. Just the two of us. I gave Derek careful instructions not to show up until eight. I needed this time to talk to Brian about school. So I was going to make sure we were uninterrupted.
I stirred the vodka sauce as it steamed in the pot. I wasn’t the best cook in the world, but I made some damn good pasta. The sauce was a family recipe, and while it wasn’t Brian’s favorite, he loved it when I cooked for him. There were only so many dishes I could cook, so, pasta it was.
I bustled between the kitchen and the dining room, setting the table, checking the pasta, and looking in on the veggies roasting in the oven. I wore a pink dress that Brian had gotten me last year on our anniversary. It was very Betty Crocker 1950s chic. So much for not living in the fifties, but he liked me this way. It was a little tight, but it still fit well. He’d be happy I was wearing it. And I needed every ball in my court tonight.
The front door opened. “Honey, I’m home!”
“Perfect timing,” I called, oven mitts on my hands as I poured the sauce over the pasta. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
He strode into the kitchen, eyebrows raised in appreciation. An arm entwined about my waist and he kissed me on the cheek.
“Looks amazing.”
“Thanks,” I said.
I turned around and smiled at him, walking the dish of pasta towards the table. I rushed back, pulled out the veggies, and scooped them onto a tray.
“Get the white wine out of the fridge?”
He nodded, watching me as he took it out and uncorked it. I removed the white, frilly apron I’d been wearing and smiled at him.
“Shame that dress doesn’t fit anymore.”
I kept the smile plastered on my face. “It fits just fine.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but I slapped two glasses on the counter and pushed them towards him.
“So what’s the special occasion?” he asked, pouring the wine.
I snatched up my now-full glass and moved into the dining room.
“I want to talk to you about something.”
Brian followed, placing the bottle in the marble wine cooler I’d set on the table. He handed me his plate and I put a big serving of pasta and veggies on it before I filled my own.
“If this is about the Club,” he began, but I shook my head.
“No, no.” I took a sip of wine. More like a big gulp. Liquid courage and all that. “I finished my class this week.”
“Oh,” he said. “Seems early.”
“It is!” I gushed. “I did so well the teacher excused me from finals. She said it was a waste of time.”
His brows furrowed and he shrugged. “That’s unusual.”
I beamed at him. “I’m just that good at this.”
“You know what’s good? This sauce! Amazing, baby,” he said as he slurped a noodle into his mouth.
“Brian,” I snapped. “I’m trying to tell you that I want to go to school. I want to get a fine arts degree in interior design.”
He went very still. Okay, so maybe in my head, I imagined I’d deliver the news with a bit more grace.
“I’ve got a short list of schools I’m going to apply to,” I blurted out, faster and more nervous than I’d intended. “They’re all in Manhattan, so the tuition is in-state. Really manageable.”
“That’s not up to you to decide.”
I dropped my fork, prickly anger blossoming inside me. “Don’t act like we can’t afford it.”
“It’s not a matter of if,” he said, eyes hard, “but a matter of should. What’s the point?”
“The point is I’d like to be an interior designer!”
Why was this so hard for him to comprehend?
He stared at me in disbelief and rolled his eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No. I’m not,” I said, through clenched teeth, “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”
“You’re telling me you want me to waste my money so you can what? Decorate rooms for our friends? Work for them?” He laughed bitterly and shook his head. “No way.”
I knew it’d be difficult to convince him, but I hadn’t been expecting this…this…complete and utter dismissal of my dream.
“It’s not a waste! It makes me happy. What’s so wrong with it? Who cares if I work for people we know?”
“It’s embarrassing, Lexie. I won’t have you be the help. And look at what just one class has done to you!” He gestured towards me.
It was my turn to go very still. I wished looks could kill as I glared at him.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re gaining weight,” he said, like it was the gravest sin in the world, like he’d rather I had committed murder than gain a few pounds. “You’re already letting yourself go.”
I didn’t know what to say. I was so angry, so embarrassed, I could only sputter. His anger and his voice spiked as he continued.
“Why are you wasting your time on this? It’s pointless, it’s stupid. Shouldn’t you be worried about when we’re going to have a baby?”
“A baby!”
That was the last thing I expected him to say.
“You’re not getting any younger, Lexie. And you’re out of your mind if you think I’m paying college tuition just so you can have a year of fun before you get pregnant.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “I didn’t realize you had such lofty plans for me.”
“If I’d known you had plans like these at all, I wouldn’t have married you,” he said, his tone scathing and his eyes full of disgust.
I stood up, the fury so complete and extreme, that my hand was moving before I even knew what I was doing. Suddenly, my wine glass was empty and Brian was blinking in shock as the liquid dripped down his face.
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br /> “Lexie, what the fuck?!” He stood up, screaming at me.
I knew I was escalating things, but I didn’t give a shit. He didn’t get to talk to me that way.
“How dare you!” I shrieked. “You can justify spending god-only-knows how much money at Club Midnight, but the second I want to do anything other than work out and make babies, you think it’s stupid!”
“It is stupid!” He stomped towards me and got right in my face. “You’re out of your god-damn mind if you think I’m letting you go to school. None of the partner’s wives work!” He yelled, and I flinched, but stood my ground. “You’d be a fucking embarrassment, a laughing stock. I’ll never make partner.”
“I don’t care,” I cried, tears flowing freely down my cheeks. “I’ll get a job and pay for it myself if you won’t. I’ll take out a loan.”
“No,” he shouted. “No way! No way my wife is going to get fat and ugly while she works for my friends.”
I’d never seen him so furious, and I was starting to get scared. I tried to put some distance between us, but his hands lashed out and grabbed my shoulders. His grip was tight and mean as he stopped me from backing up.
“There’s no way you’re going to school.” He shook me, hard. His lips curled in anger and spit speckled my face as he screamed at me. “I’ll won’t make partner if you’re working. I’ve worked too god-damn hard to sacrifice that so you can play decorator.”
Disbelief numbed me, my eyes unseeing and unfocused as it all sank in. I went limp and just let him jostle me. I had no idea, no idea he felt this way. I never would have thought he was even capable of this kind of a reaction. Brian, of all people, was usually so sweet.
So long as I played by his rules.
I was dimly aware of his hands digging into my skin. Registered that the bruises he was sure to be leaving were crossing some unspoken line. A husband wasn’t ever supposed to man-handle his wife like this. The dogs were going ballistic and barked wildly at our feet. Coco had her jaws around Brian’s pants, trying to pull him off me. Donnie frantically pushed herself between our legs to get him to back off. I sobbed as he continued to shake me.
