The Red Dress (The Affair Duet Book 2)

by Aidèe Jaimes

  Dear lord! I am dripping wet as he stands behind me and pulls down my pants and underwear until they drop to my ankles. His lids are heavy, the green in his eyes dark as his pupils dilate. A hand comes up between my thighs, and just barely grazes my core before it continues its way up, following the crack of my butt, then back down.

  His fingers touch the skin of my pussy oh so softly, never going past the folds. Back and forth they go, over the slit. I want him inside with a desperation that might drive me insane. When his fingers finally open me and he touches the wet nub, I come undone. It’s a hard thing to do, not to cry out because your kid is just in the other room and will come in to check on you if you’re gone for more than five minutes.

  He stops his assault on my clit and places his cock at my entrance, pushing in and finishing my climax from the inside. He pounds into me, and when I start to moan a little too loud, he holds a finger to his lips. “Sh.”

  I give him a look that says, wait until you come!

  But when he does, he’s able to maintain much more control than me, and putting his face in my hair, I can hear only his ragged breathing.

  Not two seconds later, there’s a loud knock on the door. “Momma, where’s daddy?” Mia asks.

  We both look at each other. We’re flushed, glistening, and completely disheveled.

  “Coming out, baby. Wait for me in the playroom,” he calls out to her. “Daddy is helping mommy with something.”

  Laughing out loud, we pull ourselves together, and just as I’m leaving the bathroom, Owen smacks me on the butt.

  “What was that for?”

  “That’s what you get for being too damned hot,” he says.

  I stick out my butt at him for another spank, and when he does his hand comes between my legs again and he squeezes. “This was only an appetizer. I want the full coarse tonight.”

  CHAPTER 6

  “Do you really have to go to this?” I whine and move over to give him a spot to set the small gray travel bag.

  “I wish I didn’t. It’s nothing but an ass kissing session. And because of our last quarter’s performance, I’ll be coming home with a very brown nose.”

  “Gross.” I scrunch my nose, then say, “I’m going to miss you too much.”

  He smiles warmly and gives me a quick peck on the mouth before continuing with his packing, his toiletry bag, two changes of clothes, shoes and belt. “I’m going to miss you, more. But at least it’s only overnight.”

  Owen is leaving for Raleigh tomorrow before dawn to be there in time for a meeting at eight-thirty in the morning. They’d just opened a compact storefront there, the first of its kind for Crawford Co. The heads of the company decided to make this not only a tour for everyone in their district, but a performance meeting and team builder at the same time. Guess it saved them money.

  Though it was only overnight, he’d be gone all of tomorrow and not come back until Saturday evening.

  “Who schedules meetings on a Saturday anyway?” I mope.

  “People who work seven days a week. They don’t know anything about weekends, Cris.”

  Sitting up I pout and knee-walk to him. He laughs and opens his arms to me, bringing me in for a tight embrace, fitting my head neatly beneath his chin. I know I’m being a big baby, but it’s nice that he’s humoring me.

  “Did you already check in on Mia?” I ask him. We’d put her to bed about thirty minutes ago, and it was his custom to check on her to make sure she hadn’t thrown off every cover and turned herself completely around in bed.

  “No. Why don’t you go get real nice and clean for me while I do? I want to take the taste of you with me.” He didn’t have to tell me twice!

  Friday is a school day for Mia, work day for me. I have to say I am really enjoying my job at the tiny branch. It’s a slow location, where most of our customers come only for business, no time for chit chat. They race in, make a deposit or two, and they are gone. Very little complaints. Though I’ve only been here about two months now, I’ve started shadowing our loans officer in an effort to learn as much as I can before I myself go for training.

  I do miss Mia like crazy. Going from spending all day with her, to only half of that time now has been particularly tough. Much harder than I’d have thought. As for her, I half wonder if she really cares. Between the fun at school and the fun with Katie, I don’t really know if she thinks of me all day the way I do her.

  I’d once had a working mom try to explain to me what it was like to leave your kids. I didn’t get it, how someone could work when they just as well stay at home with their children. She told me it wasn’t that she was choosing work over them, or that she loved them any less. It was about retaining the capability of taking care of herself if she ever had to. She wanted that sense of control over her life.

  Now I understand what she meant. Since I’ve started working, making my own money and not been so highly dependent on Owen, I’ve resented him less. Feared for myself less, too.

  Today I picked Mia up at the usual two o’clock. We go for frozen yogurt, her favorite, and honestly mine, too, then come home for some Mommy/Mia playtime. She rides her bike, then we play soccer. There isn’t a soul in sight, everyone in school. Even Jess is out somewhere by the looks of her empty driveway. She isn’t obligated by any means, but for some reason I hate it when she doesn’t keep me updated on her whereabouts. The crazy stalker in me makes me wonder where she is, who she’s with.

  After so much play, we head in and hang out on Mia’s bedroom floor. There’s something about playing with dolls, that although was a specialty of mine as a little girl, now lulls the shit out of me. It is so boring, that the play mixed with Mia’s sweet voice puts me to sleep every single time. At least she knows it going in.

  “Are you goin’ to sleep, Momma?” she asked right before we started.

  “I’m really going to do my best to stay awake, my love.”

  I did, too, going as far as taking ice water in there with me. I started in a sitting position. Within five minutes I found myself leaning on my right arm. Five more minutes and I was laying down on my elbows. Sometime between having to pretend that I was a fairy named Carly, and turning into a mommy of three, I blacked out and my head fell hard.

  “Oh my God!” I sat up startled.

  Then I repeated the process. Sit, lean, lay. Next thing I know I’m dreaming I’m at Burger King and damn, this is gonna be good! I’m about to take a guiltless bite of my Whopper, only in a dream would that happen, when my phone buzzes. I try to dig in my pocket for it, but it’s not there. Then suddenly becoming aware that this may be a dream, I shove that burger into my mouth before I wake up without at least tasting it. But it’s too late.

  My eyes pop open to the sight of my four-year old handing me my phone. “Momma, someone called you.”

  “Thank you, baby.” I wipe my face and take my phone.

  That someone had in fact been Jess, and it had been a text, not a phone call.

  -U think u can get KT 2 watch Mia 2night? she asks.

  -I don’t know, why?

  -Kev’s coming home early. Been 2 dr’s appts. All day. Need 2 drnk.

  -Where do you want to go? I ask.

  -MX fd.

  -What the hell is that?

  -What u R!

  -The fuck! Can you use actual words? I type with irritation, hitting each letter extra hard. Who the hell is she hanging out with that she’s been abbreviating everything. There are times that I can hardly understand what she’s trying to say.

  -I said I’d like to go out this evening because Kevin is coming home early. I’ve been at doctor’s appointments with the kids all day. Everyone’s damned checkups. I need a break. Can you ask Katie to watch Mia? Would you like to eat Mexican Food, you know, how you are Mexican? That is what sounds really good to me.

  Rolling my eyes at her over clarification, I text, -I will ck with KT. MX sounds good. Then I add a winking emoji. -Where to?

  -La Casa? she asks with a little
wink face.

  La Casa. Wow, she must really need a break.

  “Hey,” she answers when I dial her. Sometimes texting takes too long.

  “I don’t have anything nice enough to wear to La Casa. You want to go somewhere else? Burger King, maybe?” I cross my fingers.

  “Uh, no. I’ve been craving Mexican. And… I sort of bought myself a little something nice today.”

  “Didn’t you say you went to the doctor?” I question her.

  “Yeah. All three kids had appointments back to back.”

  “So when did you go shopping?”

  “Right after.”

  My eyes widen. “With all three?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  I shake my head in disbelief. She is my can-do-it-all-with-three-kids-in-tow goddess. “No, I mean, I take Mia shopping every chance I get.” Not! “Anyway, did you buy me a little something nice, too?”

  “No. Come on, Cris. I never go anywhere. Just say yes, pleeeaaasse! You can borrow something of mine.”

  “Okay, okay. But I’m going to have to take you up on that offer. The nicest thing I have to wear are work clothes.”

  “Well then come and pick something.”

  After texting Katie and getting a fast reply to accept, which is why I love the girl, Mia and I head over to Jess’ house. We walk hand in hand, and she looks so dang cute with her little purse crossed over her chest, full of little toys she refuses to leave behind.

  The first thing she does when we get there is race up to the playroom with the kids. This is my favorite age I think. Sometime in the last month or two she’s grown up so much, able to say her ‘r’s now and even plays on her own a little. So much more independent.

  “So, what do you have in here?” Jess and I are in her huge walk-in closet as I riffle through all her clothes.

  “Pick anything you want, except for this little baby.” She pulls out a strappy mini dress that I think would probably fit someone of my stature better, but with her long legs I’m sure she will get a lot more attention.

  “Jess, you’re like six feet tall, none of these dresses are going to fit me. Long, too long, way too long.” One by one I check them off the list of possibilities. “Maybe I can wear one of your shirts as a dress,” I grumble as I continue to browse through her clothes.

  Nope, nope, no… Then my hand stops when it comes across a familiar red hue, and so does my heart.

  “You like-y that one? That color would look very caliente on you. And that’s what I want, hotness. We need to dress to kill!”

  The last time I wore a red like this… I take my hand off the material as the memory of another dress tries to surface, but I suppress it as fast as I can. “I don’t know. It may be too provocative on me.”

  She frowns. “Psh, don’t be ridiculous.” She pushes me aside and pulls it out by the hanger, then puts it to my neck.

  Though the halter-top dress is gorgeous, and probably too fancy even for La Casa, it’s too long and much too revealing, with the back fully exposed and only a pearl and diamond chain to hold it together. It would definitely be an attention getter; of that I have no doubt. The question is, how much attention do I want?

  “I don’t know.”

  “Cris, you have to wear this. There is no other option.” With her eyes wide as they are, I feel that there really is no other option.

  “It is sexy. Killer, even.” Nodding my head once, I agree to wear the thing, telling myself that red is just a color. It has no great significance, and it certainly doesn’t mean every time I wear it I’ll end up with a certain sexy, tall man between my legs.

  CHAPTER 7

  Katie came over early to help me with Mia so that I could have a little extra time to get ready in peace. It’s been a long time since I’ve been anywhere where I couldn’t wear shorts and flip flops, so I want to make sure that I get as much out of tonight as I can.

  The laughter that can be heard all the way to the bathroom makes me feel a little less guilty about leaving Mia with the sitter tonight.

  After a long shower, I lotion myself up with my favorite Bath and Body Works scent, Velvet Sugar. There’s just something so sexy about it that makes me feel feminine, seductive and plain old yummy. Even though Owen wouldn’t be here to enjoy it, I would be. This one was just for me.

  Applying my make-up a little heavier, dark eyes and the forbidden red lips, I pull my long hair up into a messy half-bun, half-ponytail, with curls falling to frame my face and graze my shoulders. Wearing my hair down is my signature look, especially when I want to feel sexy, and maybe it’s a bit of a security blanket, too. There is something daring about having your face and neck exposed. It demands confidence even when you may not have it.

  After putting on my black strappy heels, I slip into the slinky material of the red dress, link the chain of the halter to the back of my neck, then do a slow twirl in front of the long mirror that hangs at the back of my closet door. Just as I’d suspected would be the case, the dress hangs a little long, past my knees. While I’m sure it’s not meant to go that long, surely it doesn’t on Jess, it looks good.

  In truth, other than the color, there isn’t much to the front view of this dress. Nope, with this dress it’s all in the back, as I note when I turn and look at myself over my shoulder. Hot damn! My entire back is exposed, the dress cut so low I’m a little afraid my crack will come into view if I don’t watch my posture. The long chain with the single large gem that dangles between my shoulder blades, twinkles and calls the eye to the area, if the nakedness of it wasn’t enough to already do so.

  It’s sexy as hell. Even to my own eyes I look damned good. This is a rare thing.

  Feeling a little bold, I take a picture of myself and send it to Owen. His reply comes instantly.

  -I damn near fell out my chair. You look fucking amazing, he texts back.

  -You think so?

  -Where are you going? he asks. I’d talked to him earlier about going out with Jess, but he’d been about to head out to dinner with his peers and we couldn’t really talk.

  -La Casa.

  -That will be nice.

  -I think so, I agree.

  -Are you wearing a bra? he asks. I don’t know how to answer. If I say no, it could be a turn on for him. It could also annoy him that I’d go out bare like that.

  -Yes, I reply. It’s sort of the truth. I am wearing an adhesive bra that I’ve had for a while sitting in the very back of my underwear drawer. Dear lord, I hope it doesn’t fall off!

  -Will you wear that for me so I can strip it off you when I come home?

  I grin at the thought. –Maybe you’ll find me naked already.

  -Even better.

  Giggling I send him a kiss face and as many hearts as I can squeeze into the little screen.

  “Wow, Mrs. Roberts, you look freaking hot!” Katie says admiringly.

  “Thank you! I feel nice.”

  “Katie, come find me!” Mia calls out from somewhere in the kitchen.

  “Baby, Momma is leaving. Come say bye.”

  “I’m hidin’,” she yells back at me.

  My feelings only a little hurt, I call back, “Come say bye, love. Katie is putting you to bed and I’ll be real sad if I don’t have a hug and a kiss to see me through the night.”

  At that she comes running out and throws her little arms around my legs. I bend down and give her a tight squeeze and a kiss on her plump cheek. “Momma loves you. Be good to Miss Katie, you hear?”

  “Yeah!” she yells over her shoulder as she runs back to the kitchen. “Katie!”

  Katie looks at me chuckling. “Have fun, Mrs. Roberts. We’ll be great.”

  The plan is for me to walk over to Jess’ house and leave in five minutes.

  It’s fairly chilly outside, and I grab a black knit sweater I have that has diamond buttons, not an exact match to the jewel on the dress, but close enough. Though the sweater may not provide enough warmth for the evening, we’ll be inside anyway. In a hurry to get out the
door, I drape the thing over my arm and head out.

  Out of habit I look to the Jensen’s house as I walk to the street. Never, not once since I came back from New Orleans has there been anyone out there. Whether it be sheer coincidence or that it’s just too chilly most days to spend time out there, I don’t know.

  Whatever the reason, it doesn’t apply to today. My heart stops. My breathing. The Earth’s spinning. Mrs. Jensen is outside at the backend of a black Ford Raptor, right beside Bo. He’s loading something, and as they hear my heels clack on the pavement they both turn to me.

  All of the blood simultaneously rushes to my limbs and heart. Doing the best to stop that fight or flight feeling, I trip, but catch myself before I fall, my arms flailing in that way they do when we try to retain our balance.

  “Cristiana!” Mrs. Jensen calls out to me.

  “I’m okay!” I call back and wave, then spin on my heel and try to make a quick retreat to Jess’, but Lydia Jensen isn’t appeased.

  “Cris, come here a moment, darlin’! Let me talk to you!”

  Groaning, I stop, and turn to them. “I’m heading out with Jess!”

  “It won’t be but a moment!”

  Bo closes the tailgate and stands to face me fully. He’s not smiling, his posture straight and quite frankly a lot intimidating.

  Swallowing hard and taking a nice deep breath for courage, I make my way to them. All the while, Bo’s eyes are like steel on me, assessing, demanding answers I’m sure. And the closer I get to them, the taller and more overwhelming he seems. And oh my, but even now, when he’s not his charming devilish self, I am so attracted to him. I know that the closer I get, the less likely I’d be able to walk away even if I could.

  My limbs begin to shake as everything becomes muted, the world fading into the background, sounds drowned out by the loud beating of my heart in my ears. Dear lord, I’m going to have a heart attack! And vomit. One of the two for sure.

  “Where are you goin’, love? You look stunning!” Mrs. Jensen drawls, and she thankfully takes me into an embrace, braking me free of Bo’s gaze.