HisMarriageBargain

by Sidney Bristol

  Mary stood from where she’d been sitting at her station sketching and made her way to the back office. The cold shoulder was going to give Autumn frostbite. Guilt ate at her, but what was she supposed to do? How did she fix this?

  The phone chime made her jump and she almost couldn’t click the message icon from the rush of nerves making her hands shake.

  When you were naked, helpless and trying to make me fuck you.

  Oh, he was good.

  Autumn squirmed, her grin spreading. Sex with Sammi ranked way up there with chocolate, Dr Pepper and her favorite lip gloss.

  If he wasn’t ready to talk about her admission from the morning she could handle that. Sammi had a lot going on. Like his health. Just thinking about it zapped her horny happy dance, reminding her that what they shared was limited. If he had a week or a year left though, he still deserved to be loved, and if that wasn’t enough time for him to love her back that was okay. She didn’t know how it would be, but somehow she’d make it so.

  Autumn sent two texts back-to-back.

  You know what I liked the most?

  When you sucked my clit.

  Maybe she could catch Sammi before he went to sleep and they could have a replay of the morning. She always slept better after sex, and after walking on eggshells all day she needed a good night’s rest.

  The reply was almost immediate. She grinned and clicked the new message.

  Damn. You’re making me hard.

  That was an invitation if she ever saw one. Autumn glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes to go. She could breeze through the closing routine and make it to the house in the next forty-five minutes.

  I’m not sorry at all.

  Autumn left her phone on the counter, went to her station and packed up her things. Her phone went off, but she resisted checking it in favor of heading into the office.

  “Hey, Mary, do you need me to help count out the till?” She rested her shoulder against the door.

  Mary’s desk faced the wall next to the door, but she never once looked in Autumn’s direction. The deposit bag was sealed and everything written up, which was unusual because they always signed off on it together.

  “Nope,” Mary said after a moment’s pause.

  “Anything else I can do to help?” She added an extra sweet twist to her voice.

  “No. Go on and head home. I’ll lock up.”

  Autumn’s first impulse was to run and grab her things and get the hell out of Dodge, but she knew better. After all the things that had happened with Pandora two years before, they’d instituted a shop policy that no one left alone at the end of the night. There were periods during the day that it couldn’t be helped with only two in the shop, but they were most concerned about the late nights.

  “I’ll wait for you out front. We can walk out together.” Autumn headed back to the desk. She didn’t expect Mary to reply. Hell, the woman had hardly spoken two dozen words to her, not that Mary’s lack of conversation was remarkable. She’d never chatted to Autumn like the other girls. They were friends, but they’d never been close, not like Autumn was with the others.

  Autumn caved and grabbed her phone, but only had a text from Pandora asking about her first appointment of the day.

  Nothing from Sammi.

  The next ten minutes dragged by. She wasn’t willing to bombard Sammi with more texts. She’d be home soon enough and then she could do whatever she wanted to him. But finally Mary announced she was ready to lock up and they walked out into the sweltering Texas night and got in their respective cars.

  Autumn was able to shave a few minutes off the half-hour drive, her excitement bubbling as the house came into view, the exterior lit with accent lighting, showing off the improvements Sammi had made to the property. She pulled up in the driveway instead of going through the hassle to get the car in the garage. For some reason her remote refused to work when she pressed it. She gathered her things and made herself walk calmly to the front door.

  “Sammi, I’m home,” she called as she shut and locked the door.

  Silence greeted her. Not even the TV was on.

  “Sammi?”

  She walked through the foyer and into the family room. All the lights were on, but no one was home. All her excitement fizzled. Where was her husband?

  Chapter Eleven

  Biomechanical—These tattoos feature the melding of biology and robotic parts. Veins can be fused to tubes, muscles and cogs. It is very detailed design work, often placed on muscular parts of the body.

  Sammi turned his phone on silent and quickly adjusted the crotch of his trousers while his mother’s back was turned. He wouldn’t be the first man to have an unfortunate erection in front of a parent, but at his age it should be avoidable. He was a damn adult, but thinking about Autumn’s sexy body, the way she’d sighed and moaned…

  He gritted his teeth. Those thoughts were not helping.

  His mother finally selected a TV channel and let the remote rest on a side table. What he’d meant to be a quick run by his mother’s house to apologize again for being gone and not telling her had morphed into dinner. And desert. And now tea. Always with the tea.

  She frowned at the still full cup. “Sammi, drink your tea. It’s good for you.”

  He’d drunk several already. The bitter taste would stick with him until tomorrow. Still, he picked up the cup and forced the grimace off his face.

  “That’s a good boy.” She patted his shoulder in a show of motherly affection that was rare these days before sinking into her chair. She studied him for several long moments, her eyes two dark gems, glittering in the low light. “Your secretary called me today and said I should ask you if there’s anything you want to tell me. Hm?”

  Sammi almost coughed on the tea. Of course his secretary would call his mother. Christine’s mother and Tamara were friends and it wasn’t the first time Christine had ratted him out. This was by far the worst. He set the cup down carefully and patted his left pocket, where his wedding ring made a hard circle against his thigh.

  He’d noticed that evening that there was a slightly pale ring around his finger already.

  It was easy to think he could keep his marriage to Autumn separate from the rest of his life when they were on St. Maarten and when this whole scheme had been in his head, because reality was so distant. Now he was in the thick of it and he knew keeping Autumn from Mother wasn’t going to happen. He should have taken the wedding band off that first day at the office if he really meant to be secretive, but it had escaped his mind.

  And did he really want to keep his wife a secret?

  Sammi took a deep breath and placed his hands on the table.

  “What have you done, Samuel? Spit it out.”

  “I got married.” Those simple words were as difficult to say to his mother as rolling boulders. He couldn’t take them back, and they would change the rest of his life, however short that may be.

  Her brows rose and she stared at him.

  Sammi picked at the linen napkin in his lap. How did mothers reduce grown men to nervous, fidgeting boys with a look? It was damn annoying.

  “Excuse me?” she finally said.

  “I got married to a friend of mine. It wasn’t planned. We decided last week it’s what we wanted.” Lying through his teeth wasn’t Sammi’s strong point. Maybe she’d believe him?

  “Who is she? Who is her family? Do I know her?” The more his mother spoke, the higher and louder her voice became.

  “No, you don’t know her or her family.”

  When he told her Autumn wasn’t Jewish, that she wasn’t from a family that hailed from a Jewish background, Mother would lose her shit. But he’d known going in this was a possibility.

  “Why are you just now telling me this? Why haven’t I met her?” She banged the table with her hand. His mother was more likely to get angry than shed tears, one small thing for which he was grateful. Isaac’s mother was a weeper and even Sammi couldn’t hold out against her when she got that water
y look in her eyes.

  “I asked her to run away with me, Mom.” Sammi shrugged and tossed back the last of the tea.

  “I will meet her this weekend.” If anything, his mother’s features were sharper, predatory.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Putting Autumn and his mother in the same room was a recipe for disaster.

  “Samuel, I am your mother and you will respect me in this. Did you even have a proper ceremony?”

  “Yes, we had a ceremony.”

  “Bring her over for Shabbat.”

  “No,” he blurted. He cleared his throat. Shabbat was the Jewish day of rest, which began Friday at sundown and ended Saturday at nightfall. Sammi hadn’t participated in the traditions in ages, but he wasn’t above using a formal get-together to avoid his mother for another day. “No, I’m supposed to go to Shabbat in Plano with some friends.” The idea sounded worse spoken aloud. Why couldn’t people leave him alone? “I need to go, Mom. We’ll get together and have lunch. How about Sunday?”

  “Very well.” Outwardly she was serene, but Sammi had no doubt on the inside she was boiling mad. Persian mothers were not to be crossed.

  He stood and pressed a kiss to her cheek. This wasn’t going to end well, but he couldn’t put the brakes on it. Not unless Autumn and he suddenly moved to Israel or something, and he wasn’t willing to move. He beat a hasty retreat from the house. It was nearly 11:00 p.m. and he was feeling the early-morning antics now, and not in the best manner.

  As he pulled out of the driveway he activated his Bluetooth. “Call Isaac.”

  The phone rang and rang. At the last second the line picked up.

  “You’d better be about to kick the bucket,” Isaac growled.

  “You’re already in bed?” He glanced at the clock. Okay, it was on the late side, but not too bad.

  “It’s none of your business what I was doing. What do you want?” Isaac sighed.

  Sammi sighed. “I told Mom about Autumn.”

  “Fuck.”

  “She wants to meet her.”

  “Not a good idea.”

  “I know. She said to bring Autumn for Shabbat.”

  “Even worse.”

  “Are Michael and Aaron still hosting Shabbat for everyone?” Michael and Aaron were from a well-to-do Jewish family on the north side of town who hosted a Shabbat dinner for the younger movers and shakers in the community. It was a small circle, but attending there would be a good excuse to put off his mother for a few days. The downside was that the entire group was a bunch of greedy bastards and socialite mean girls. But it was one night.

  “Their sister is technically the hostess, but yeah. Sammi, I don’t think putting Autumn in a room with that group is a good idea.” Isaac’s voice was serious, as if he were giving legal advice, not social. “Where are you?”

  “Driving home from Mom’s.”

  “Dude, you just got married and you aren’t home with your wife?”

  “You know my mom.”

  “And between us, I’ve seen Autumn.”

  A white-hot spike of jealousy pierced Sammi in the chest. Exactly what had gone on when they went dress shopping? He shook his head. That wasn’t Isaac. He’d never been as wild as Sammi. In fact, the thought that Isaac would ever stray from Ester was ludicrous. Clearly Sammi needed sleep.

  “I’m almost home,” Sammi said.

  “At eleven. Hope you’re bringing flowers or something.”

  “Autumn just got off work, man. I’m home. Let’s make Friday happen.” With Isaac and Ester there, it wouldn’t be that bad. They could insulate her from the rest of the group.

  “You’re on your own Friday. We’re visiting Ester’s family in Austin.”

  “Shit. I’ll have to catch up with you later then.” He hit the steering wheel with his palm. There went that great idea.

  “For sure. Later, man.”

  Sammi parked next to Autumn’s car. Maybe it was wrong, but he wished she’d parked in the garage. The car was so old. He needed to get her a new one. Maybe he’d talk to her about upgrading to something more reliable. But not this week. Between getting pummeled by his mother and everyone else this coming weekend, he’d want to relax.

  Perhaps they could just leave for the weekend. Forget it all.

  He got out of his SUV, feeling the full weight of the day on his shoulders. His steps dragged as he approached the front door and pushed it open.

  The house was completely dark. Was Autumn already asleep?

  “Autumn?” He locked the door behind him and peeked into the rooms on either side of the foyer.

  Nothing.

  He proceeded through the house all the way to the bedroom. The bathroom light was on but the door partially closed, letting in only enough illumination for him to see the Autumn-shaped lump in the bed.

  “Autumn?” He leaned against the door, perplexed. Why had she come home and gone straight to bed?

  She twisted around and peeked at him. “Hey.”

  “I thought you’d still be awake.”

  “Nope.” Autumn rolled back onto her side, wordlessly dismissing him.

  He wasn’t entirely ready to go to bed. An hour spent vegging in front of the TV was ideal, but maybe next time. Sammi quietly undressed and went through his nightly routine, all to silence from Autumn’s side of the bed.

  It didn’t take a genius to get that she was upset. As far as why, that was anyone’s guess.

  Sammi slipped into bed, but still not a peep from her.

  “You’re pissed at me?” he asked.

  Autumn rolled over to face him, the bathroom light falling on her face. “Yes. I am.”

  “About?”

  She pushed her hair away from her face in a gesture he was coming to read as frustration. “I’m confused about what you want from me. Where have you been?”

  “Dinner with my mother.” How could she be upset at him for that?

  “You were at your mother’s sexting me and didn’t even think to mention you wouldn’t be home until way late?”

  “You work until ten.” What was her problem?

  “And it’s almost eleven thirty.” She pushed up into a sitting position and crossed her legs.

  “Do I have a curfew?” He didn’t understand why she was so angry with him, but he was beginning to get irritated with her. What did she expect of him?

  “No, but it would be nice to at least know what you’re doing.”

  “I was having dinner with my mother. I don’t see what your problem is.”

  “Telling me what the fuck is going on. This is a relationship. I care about what you’re doing and coming home to an empty house wasn’t what I expected.”

  “I don’t need someone to keep tabs on me.” He already had a mother who did that.

  “No, you just need someone to play house with. I get it. Maybe you should have made your expectations clearer in your contract.” She flung the blanket over her lap at him and stormed out of the bedroom.

  Sammi watched Autumn disappear into the relative darkness of the house. He could hear her stomping across the hardwood clear to the garage. Was she leaving? His lungs froze and he held his breath. Her footsteps grew louder then softer.

  She was pacing.

  He sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. Was this really about him coming home late? Or was she upset about this morning’s admission?

  People said a lot of things during sex. Premature declarations of love were one of the more common. He’d heard one or two before today, but the difference was that even he knew Autumn’s was genuine. She was an all-in sort of girl, which he’d reaped the benefits of since St. Maarten. Autumn’s passion was one of the traits he admired about her.

  But he didn’t love her.

  He cared for her. Wanted the best for her. Enjoyed her company. But love? He didn’t have the time left to find out if love was on the table for them, and if that was a problem it would be better to know now. He didn’t want to toy with Autumn’s affections. T
he point of laying the whole deal out to her in the beginning was to ensure they both knew the expectations. And then they’d had sex, which hadn’t been part of the agreement.

  Life was messy, and sex made it more complicated. But he didn’t regret one moment he’d spent in her body.

  Sammi got out of bed, swaying on his feet. His stomach gurgled and ached.

  Unlike Autumn, he flipped the lights on in the bedroom, den, kitchen and finally found her in the dining room staring out the window in nothing but a flimsy tank top and panties, her back to him and her hair tied up in a knot.

  “Are you really upset I wasn’t here tonight? Or are you mad about this morning?” He stayed across the room, not wanting to crowd her too much when she’d run from him in the first place.

  “I thought the texts were foreplay. So yeah, when I got here and you weren’t here, and you didn’t reply or call me back, I got pissed.” She rubbed her arms but kept her back to him. “I get that this is a relationship that serves a purpose to you. For me I can’t keep those kinds of boundaries. I feel things.”

  “I know.” He padded forward until their bodies almost touched. She had to sense how close he was. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and waist, pulling her back against his chest. “To be honest, I haven’t looked at my phone in a while and I had to stop because I was sitting across from my mother. She’s not the type to find an erection amusing.”

  Autumn relaxed by degrees and sputtered in laughter. “I don’t think any mother would.”

  “About this morning, I just…I care for you. I would never have proposed this arrangement if I didn’t.” How did he let her down gently?

  Autumn turned in his arms until she faced him. “It’s okay to say you don’t love me back. I don’t expect you to.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “I’m not the smartest crayon in the box, but I know I fall in love fast. Not everyone else does.” Whatever bravery she’d found to hold his gaze faltered and she studied the holes in his t-shirt. “And you never asked me to love you. Only marry you.”