HisMarriageBargain

by Sidney Bristol

“We wanted to,” Ester insisted. “You didn’t let us come to the wedding. The least you can do is let me feed you.”

  “I’m sorry, have you two met before?” Sammi asked finally.

  Ester and Autumn blinked at him, perfect pictures of innocence.

  Isaac shook his head then carried the bags across the tile floor and set them down on the counter.

  “I met Ester wedding dress shopping.” Autumn pushed her hair over her shoulder and turned back to the plates.

  “I’m dying to see the pictures,” Ester interjected.

  “You went wedding dress shopping together? Isaac, did you know about this?” Sammi didn’t know what to think. He was honestly surprised. Ester was a mesh of the traditional Jewish wife with modern thinking. He had hoped she would get on well with Autumn, but he hadn’t expected it. Last he checked, even Isaac wasn’t a fan of Autumn’s.

  “I was there, man.” Isaac busied himself with the groceries they’d brought.

  “And no one invited me?” Sammi joined the women at the island and leaned against the marble countertop.

  Autumn brandished a sauce-covered spoon at him. “It was the wedding dress. You couldn’t see it until the wedding.”

  “I feel left out.” He glanced between the two women, who shared a smile.

  That was an unexpected surprise he liked. He’d wondered how these two circles of his life would intersect.

  Autumn sighed and dug into the dish. “Okay, so I was really nervous about going dress shopping and I called Isaac to see if he could give me an opinion. He and Ester joined me at the shop.”

  “Cool.” Sammi shrugged. However it happened, he was glad it had.

  “I’m sorry we don’t have more furniture. About all there is in here is the couch in the den.” Autumn handed each person a plate with silverware artfully stuck into the rice, intersecting to form an X. Sammi actually liked the domestic side of Autumn.

  “It’s fine. Everyone goes through moving fugue.” Ester and Autumn headed into the den, separated from the kitchen only by a bar.

  Isaac joined him at the island, both watching their wives.

  It was still strange to call Autumn that, but she was.

  “I didn’t expect Ester to like Autumn, to be honest,” Sammi said quietly. Ester still had some strict views.

  “Before we went to the bridal shop I talked to her. Explained it all. I’m not sure she does like Autumn, but that’s because we don’t understand her. We don’t know her. All we can go on is your word that she’s a good person despite what she looks like.” Isaac held his hands up. “Hey, I’m calling it how I see it.”

  Sammi unclenched his fist. Fuck what people thought of Autumn’s looks.

  “Hear me out, okay? I wasn’t going to like her either, but the way she handled the contracts, I kind of respect her.” Isaac pushed his food around his plate, mixing it all up.

  Another unexpected surprise. Isaac was polite but could be rough in his estimation of people. If Autumn had earned even a modicum of support from him, that was saying something.

  Isaac shifted, turning toward him. “You know this isn’t going to be easy for anyone to accept, right?”

  Sammi glanced away. It would be hard. People would judge them. Him more than her at least, because theoretically if they had any children they would not be considered Jewish, and therefore he was not fulfilling his obligation as a good Jewish man. The truth was they couldn’t have children. Not when he would probably die before they were born.

  “Ester and I have talked, and we’ve decided to support you guys, however we can, for as long as this lasts.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “Told your mom yet?” Isaac twisted the top off a bottle of water left sitting on the counter for them and sipped it.

  “No. Wondering how long I can put that off.” He sighed. There was no way he could put it off much longer. His mom would find out either from him or someone else. People had already noted the wedding band when he forgot to take it off before going into the office. Did he want to hide it? Did he want to pick and choose how people found out? Not as much as he’d first anticipated.

  He’d had a stupid plan of keeping his married life separate from everything else, not telling anyone about the wedding. The more he thought about it the more ridiculous he realized he’d been.

  Autumn was his wife now. People were going to have to get used to it.

  * * * * *

  Sammi rinsed his mouth out and spat in the sink. He leaned over the counter and peered at his reflection, searching for anything new, any sign of the sickness slowly killing him.

  The last week he’d felt deceptively well after the episode the first day on the island. He’d hardly been ill at all, only had to rest a little here and there. His symptoms were different this time around, but he’d finally decided there would be no doctors. No needles. No tests. He was going to go out on his terms. His way. With no regrets.

  He glanced at his phone, the early-morning hour glaring at him. There was no way he would go back to sleep. Not now, and besides, lying in bed for an hour and a half would just make him frustrated and start the day off in a bad mood. With all the work piled up, he could put in some time reading email and going over some new city ordinances, but where was the fun in that?

  It was time to repay tit for tat.

  Or maybe a little cock.

  Eventually.

  Sammi dug one of the tins of mints out of the bathroom drawer Autumn had dumped most of their stuff into and tossed a few in his mouth. He flipped the lights off and slowly opened the door, peeking into the bedroom dimly lit with the rising sun.

  Autumn lay sprawled on her back in the middle of the bed. One arm was thrown out to the side and one leg hiked up. Her lace camisole had ridden up to just below her breasts and she’d kicked the sheet off, revealing the matching thong.

  He understood why men were always lining up for her attention, but for now she was his and he’d make sure she remembered the way he took care of her. The way he made love to her.

  Sammi crawled across the mattress until he lay next to her, propped up on his elbow. He studied her face, softer in sleep and sweeter without makeup.

  Mint and sweetness filled his mouth from the candy.

  He leaned over and kissed Autumn’s mouth, suckling her full lower lip. She groaned and her arm moved against the sheets. With his free hand, Sammi ran his fingers over her lace-covered mound, tracing her seam through the pitiful excuse for fabric and back to her mound again. The piercing was a small bump along his path.

  Autumn inhaled and her lips parted. He deepened the kiss, pressing into her with both his tongue and fingers. He let a few of the mints slip from his mouth to hers.

  “Mm,” she hummed and brought up one hand to cup the back of his head. Her hips lifted, urging him for more.

  He backed off, dragging his hand up her stomach.

  “Good morning,” she purred.

  “Morning.”

  Autumn licked her lips. “Peppermint? Are you saying I have bad breath?”

  “Actually I did.”

  Her eyes drifted closed and she arched her back. His fingers pushed the frilly material higher. The smile curling her lips was all sensuality and grace. She’d forgive him for waking her at least.

  “So considerate,” she muttered.

  Sammi slid his palm under the camisole until he cupped her breast. He hadn’t forgotten how sensitive they’d been. Except her breast felt tight, hard even. He switched to the other breast, which seemed normal.

  “Morning boob.” Autumn peeked at him through slitted eyes, a playful smile on her lips.

  “Morning boob?”

  She grasped his woody through his shorts and stroked him slowly, root to tip. “Yeah, it’s an implant thing. I’ll show you.”

  Autumn sat up and pulled the camisole off. In one move she straddled him and grabbed his hands, bringing them to her breasts. He cupped them, because what else would a gentleman in his situation
do? Sure enough, one felt harder than the other.

  “Does it hurt?” He gently massaged them, working his way toward the soft circle of pink skin.

  “Nah. In the beginning it did, but not anymore.” She put her hands on her thighs and thrust her chest forward, allowing him the slow inspection. “Now I don’t think an education in breast implants was what you had in mind this morning, was it?”

  To punctuate her point, she ground her pelvis against his. If he didn’t take control back, she’d have them fucking in thirty seconds, and that wasn’t what he wanted. Not this time.

  “Nope.”

  Sammi grabbed her arms and flipped them. Autumn shrieked and laughed, rolling with him until she could wrap her legs around his waist. He’d let her do that much. For now.

  He bent his head and kissed her gently, tasting mint still on her lips. She grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up until it was bunched under his armpits. Her palms skated over his chest and down his abdomen. He knew what was coming, and he still sucked in a breath when she slipped her hand inside his boxers and grasped his cock.

  Her hand wrapped around his cock was good, but he wasn’t going to settle for good this morning. He wanted it all.

  Sammi scooted down, out of her reach. She knew where this part was going and hummed her approval. Because he wanted to, and because she liked it, he plumped her breasts together and kissed one then the other. He supported his weight on his elbows and used his fingers to gently turn the barbells, watching her face.

  Autumn’s jaw dropped and her brow creased, as if in confusion.

  “Oh, that feels—weird. And good.” Her hips undulated under him in a helpless, seeking kind of way.

  He grinned and bent to take a nipple in his mouth. Since playing with the piercings seemed to arouse her more, he gently bit until he had the tight peak and barbell between his teeth.

  “Oh.” The pitch of Autumn’s voice went up and she held still.

  Sammi ran his tongue over the captured flesh and she shuddered.

  “Fuck. Me.” Her eyes grew round. “That’s wicked-feeling, like it goes all the way to my pussy. Oh my god.”

  He watched her face and experimented with sucking on the tight bud. Autumn’s body went rigid and she grasped handfuls of the sheets.

  Well, that was worth doing again.

  Sammi switched to the other breast, repeating the ministrations until she was moaning and her limbs moved restlessly against the bed.

  “You like that?” he asked after paying the other breast the same attention.

  Autumn cupped his cheeks and pulled him up for a passionate kiss. She grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up and off. He tossed it over the side of the bed and covered her body with his. While he held her attention by kissing her roughly, he pushed her panties down around her thighs and passed his fingers through her folds.

  He groaned at how wet she was. The piercing was slick with her arousal, the sensitive button hard and erect. He gently massaged it and her mouth opened on a silent shout, her eyes going sightless.

  Sammi jerked his hand back.

  “No,” Autumn wailed.

  He captured her hand when she went to hit him and grabbed the other for safekeeping. “I told you I wasn’t going to always go fast.”

  She glared at him. “I won’t orgasm now.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says me.”

  “Let’s try anyway.” He sat up and pulled her panties the rest of the way off.

  Autumn continued to pout but she didn’t tell him to stop.

  She was beautiful even first thing in the morning, with her hair all a mess and wearing only her tattoos. He needed to take a full inventory of them, but later. For now, he was intent on drawing her pleasure out for as long as possible.

  Sammi lay back down, this time wedging his shoulders between her spread legs. He parted her folds and gently pulled the clitoral hood with its accompanying jewelry back, leaving her exposed. In this position, most women were coy, a little shy at the vulnerability, but not Autumn. She watched him, her lower lip caught between her teeth, and dared him with her gaze to prove her wrong. She owned her sexuality wholeheartedly and he respected that.

  He blew on her pussy and felt her muscles clench under his palms. If he needed to stroke her back to orgasm he would. He licked her clit, flicking it gently with his tongue while he thrust two fingers into her channel. Autumn shifted a little on the bed, but her response was less than before. Since sucking seemed to work so well, he wrapped his lips around the tiny bud and drew it farther out.

  “Oh—oh!”

  Sammi wanted to chuckle at the way her reaction escalated to shifting hips and arched back. He worked his fingers in and out, twisting as he went to vary the sensation. She seemed to appreciate it.

  “Sammi,” she panted and dug her hands into his hair. “Sammi.”

  Autumn wasn’t good with waiting. He decided to spare her a little and allowed her to pull him up her body. He trailed kisses over her mound, up her stomach and between her breasts.

  She rolled away from him and dug in the box next to his side of the bed that was serving as a nightstand. There was a box of condoms in there they’d bought at a gas station. He reached over her and took the packet from her. The plastic ripped and he had the latex rolled on in a matter of seconds.

  Autumn watched him over her shoulder, her hips swinging from side to side, taunting him.

  He wanted her badly. This was about showing her he could do more than fuck her quick and dirty, but now that he was about to penetrate her, he didn’t know how long his control would last.

  Sammi grasped her hips and pulled her shrieking toward him. She giggled, turned and knelt with her elbows on the bed. He positioned his cock at her entrance and slid deep. She was so slick. Autumn groaned with him and thrust back, driving him deeper until he was fully seated.

  Her skin was so soft everywhere he touched. With effort, he forced his grip to relax and stroked her as he pulled out and pushed in slowly. She hugged his dick so tight each position, no matter where they were, felt great.

  Autumn pushed back harder, faster, urging him to take them to the precipice and over. He could play her way. The pace increased, the sound of her moans of pleasure and the squeaking mattress filled the room. But he wanted more.

  Sammi pulled out. He needed to see her face.

  “What are—?” Autumn’s question was cut off as he flipped her over and pushed her knees apart all in one move. She yelped in surprise, but moved with him, locking her ankles around his waist. She grasped his cock and guided him to her entrance.

  They locked gazes as he thrust harder and faster than before. Autumn’s eyes were large and the little noises she made every time they joined urged him onward. He saw the moment she exploded from the inside out. She gasped and her eyes unfocused. Her inner muscles tightened around him.

  Sammi pistoned in and out, her orgasm rolling on and on until her brow creased and her eyes drifted closed in an almost pained expression. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she clenched him.

  “Oh Sammi, oh god—I love you.”

  What the—?

  His orgasm erupted and it was hot.

  They collapsed into the mattress, holding each other.

  The last five seconds replayed in his head.

  Autumn loved him.

  * * * * *

  Autumn tapped the surface of the reception desk. Pandora had taken Carly to pick up her new car, specially equipped to be operated by hands alone, and it was Kellie’s night off. Which meant Autumn was alone with the one person who was the angriest with her.

  She sighed and grabbed her phone. Twitter was dead at 9:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, and Facebook was just a running diary of what people were eating.

  Her text message inbox was notably empty. Sammi hadn’t said anything to her since this morning when he’d left, and she missed him already.

  Autumn had said she loved him, and it was the truth.

&nb
sp; She’d fallen hard and fast. Not everyone did. Sammi wasn’t the first man she’d sprung those three words on prematurely. In the heat of passion she couldn’t keep it to herself. But he hadn’t even acknowledged it, and that was what hurt the most.

  Maybe she needed to reach out to him.

  She tapped out a quick text asking how his day was and put the phone down. There was no way she would stare at it, waiting on pins and needles for a reply that might not come. Instead, she stared at the digital clock in the corner of the computer screen. Only thirty minutes until they closed and freedom.

  The phone chimed and she snatched it up. Carly’s name popped up with a new text.

  Hey girl! Sorry about the late reply. Here’s a pic of the new wheels!

  The accompanying image was of a new model Ford Mustang in silver with the setting sun gleaming off the exterior. It showed a little wear since it was a used car that had been donated and altered for a paralyzed driver, but it was still a nicer ride than what Autumn had.

  That is so cool! You have to drive me around tomorrow.

  She grinned as she hit Send. Maybe they could swing by and get takeout from the restaurant Jacob, Carly’s crush, worked at. It would be a great chance to show off the car a little, and Jacob always made Carly glow. She’d had a rough year, but Autumn had hope things would get better. Carly was getting a car, the next step was her own place and independence from her less-than-supportive parents. Maybe she’d be able to really take charge of her life again.

  Again the phone chimed, but it wasn’t Carly’s name.

  Sammi.

  Evening sunshine. Spent the day in meetings. Can’t stop thinking about you this morning.

  Autumn clenched her teeth. What about this morning? Did he mean when she told him she loved him? Or the sex? What kind of a vague message was that? If she could reach through the phone and strangle him… What was she supposed to say to that?

  Yeah? What part was your favorite?

  She sent the message and forced herself to take a deep breath. The phone chimed almost immediately, this time with a reply from Carly agreeing to take her on a ride. Autumn was too distracted to make a coherent response, so she didn’t even try.