by E. L. Todd
“I thought we’d have a good time before you go.”
“Uh huh.” I wasn’t listening to a word she said. Her stomach bulged through the apron, exciting me.
She looked down at herself then back up. “You like my apron?”
“I love catfish,” I blurted.
“That makes two us.” She loosened my tie then pushed my jacket over my shoulders, desire smoldering in her eyes. I loved it when she looked at me like that. She was way out of my league, but it was nice knowing she was equally attracted to me. She undid my belt then peeled my pants and briefs away. My long and thick cock sprung out, ready to be inside her. “He loves catfish too,” she said while she looked down at him.
I growled then guided her to the couch, to move through her slickness. I lifted up her apron then combined my body with hers. It felt so good to be inside her. She was warm and wet, just like she always was. I panted while I moved into her, looking at her beautiful face while she moaned for me. After I pushed her to her climax, I joined her, feeling the heat in my lower stomach.
I rested my forehead on hers. “Make sure you wash that before you cook again.”
“Why?” she said playfully. “It can be our dirty little secret.”
“I like that.”
Having my best friend as my wife was the best thing in the world. After I got laid with other women, I ran to her and spent the day with her. But now I was already with her. It was exactly as a perfect relationship should be.
Instead of getting up to shower upstairs or helping her in the kitchen, I lay beside her and snuggled with her on the couch. We talked about work and other random things. At one point, she made me laugh so hard that I cried. Dinner forgotten and everything else off my mind, I just concentrated on her. I wasn’t looking forward to leaving her the following morning so I tried to forget about it.
Leaving her was always hard, but every time I had to say goodbye it got worse. With my bag over my shoulder, I said goodbye to her on the doorstep. She put on a brave face for me but I knew she was just as upset about me leaving.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said firmly. “Mike is less than a mile away and he’s always home. He’s there if I need him.”
I nodded. “Okay.” There was nothing left for me to do but leave.
“I’ll see you when you get back.” She gave me a peck on the lips then stepped away.
“I’ll be eight hours ahead of you, so our schedules won’t line up very often.”
“That’s okay. It’s only for two days.”
“But call me if you need anything. I don’t care what time it is.”
“You got some pics of me to hold you over?” she asked playfully.
I smiled. “I have enough to fill a hard drive.”
“Good. Then you’ll have plenty of material to keep you entertained.”
She always tried to make bad situations easier. She reminded me of my father in that way. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
I kissed her forehead before I finally turned around and got into my car. She stayed on the doorstep, a smile on her face. After a deep sigh, I turned on the engine and drove away, seeing her wave to me in the rearview mirror. The pain in my chest was unnecessary but I couldn’t help it. I felt like an ass for leaving her, but I had to do this.
When I got to the airport, Cortland was already there. “You ready for this?”
Aris approached from her corner of the terminal. “You’re going to love Paris?”
Cortland’s eyes were as big as his head.
I hated the sound of her sultry voice. I hated how she tried to act sexy all the time. She was anything but. “Let’s just get this over with.”
She eyed Cortland. “Excuse me? Who are you?”
“Mr. Preston’s associate,” he explained, finally regaining his composure.
Judging the irritated look in her eyes, she wasn’t thrilled about his presence.
Like I gave a shit. “Let’s go. I need a drink.”
Chapter 7
Scarlet
I kept a brave face so Sean wouldn’t feel bad for leaving, but in reality I was sad to see him go. It was only for two days, but it was still hard to be apart from him. His possessiveness and obsession drove me crazy, but honestly, I was just as head-over-heels in love with him. I just hid it better.
I went on about my day like usual, but when I prepared dinner, I realized I would be the only one eating it. Instead of cooking, I decided to make a sandwich. Sean wouldn’t be there to eat the leftovers anyway.
I was starting to get used to my stomach as my pregnancy progressed. I tried not to let the changes to my body make me depressed. Sean seemed to love me just the same even if I wasn’t as small as I used to be. And after I had the baby, I wouldn’t be the same. But I had a feeling Sean wouldn’t care. He’d knock me up all over again.
My phone rang and I jumped from my seat, hoping it was my husband. When I saw Monnique’s name, I was disappointed. After a sigh, I answered it. “Hey.”
“Hey. How are you holding up?”
Did she know Sean was gone? News traveled fast. “I’ve been better.”
“Yeah, it’s hard. Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m okay.”
Monnique kept her silence for a while. I heard her shuffle some pans before the noise died down. “I actually called to talk to you about something…”
That wasn’t ominous… “Okay.”
“I know it’s none of my business, but Cortland told me Sean was going to keep this information to himself because he insisted you wouldn’t care, but if this was my husband I’d want to know.”
Now I was terrified. “Monnique, what are you saying?”
She sighed. “That woman Sean is working with asked him to have an affair…”
Say what?
“Obviously, Sean said no. But now he’s going to London with her so they’re going to be spending time together. He asked Cortland to come along as a cock block, but…you shouldn’t be kept in the dark. If I saw the bitch in person, I’d deck her right in the face.”
Besides being alarmed, I was confused. “Wait. Who is this woman?”
“She’s the vice president of the company who’s selling Sean the operation system. She said she wouldn’t give it to him until he slept with her. Sean walked out, but she came back and said she changed her mind. Sean doesn’t trust her so he asked Cortland to come along.”
Wow. I had no idea. I processed what she said for several minutes, trying to understand everything.
“You okay?” she asked.
“I’m just…surprised. I had no idea.”
“Sean said he didn’t see the point in telling you.”
“Clearly…”
“I hope I didn’t put a riff between you two, but I thought you should know.”
“Thanks.”
“So…are you or mad or anything?”
“No. I’m not sure what I am.”
“If it were Cortland, I’d be pissed.”
I tried to be logical about the whole thing. “I know Sean wouldn’t work with this woman unless he absolutely had to. And I appreciate the fact he took Cortland so he wouldn’t be alone with her. But I trust my husband and know he would never do anything to betray me or this marriage.”
“That’s not what I was implying. I just don’t understand why he would keep it from you.”
I knew exactly why he kept it from me. “I told him I wasn’t jealous when other women hit on him and he was somewhat hurt by it. Apparently, he thinks I don’t care at all.”
“Do you? Honestly, I can’t tell.”
“Of course I care,” I said immediately. “But I’m not worried. I know Sean will keep his hands to himself. I doubt the girl does anything for him anyway.”
“Wow,” she said. “I admire your faith in him.”
“I’ve known him for ten years. He’s never been a cheater.”
“I guess
I would feel the same way about Cortland.”
The idea of a whore throwing herself at my husband got under my skin but I couldn’t be upset with Sean for that. It was out of his control. Even without his money, he was the greatest catch in the world. Plus, he was the most handsome man in the world. He had the whole package. “Well, I need to do some laundry before bed. Thanks for calling.”
“Sure. Let me know if you need anything. Cortland left his car.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
After we hung up, I debated calling Sean. I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted to talk to him about the situation. There was a good chance he was with her and wouldn’t feel comfortable discussing it. I decided to call him anyway.
It immediately went to voicemail. His phone must be off because of the plane ride. I tried not to jump to conclusions. I had nothing to worry about. I started a load of laundry then sat in front of the TV, trying to stay distracted.
You doing okay over there? It was Mike.
I’m fine. Thanks for checking.
We have an extra room if you want to stay with us.
And hear all the crazy stuff that goes on after dark? No thanks.
I could teach you a few things.
I rolled my eyes. Good night.
Seriously, you’ll be okay alone?
Seriously.
Call me if you need anything.
I put down my phone and dug into the bowl of popcorn I made for myself.
The next morning, I called Sean.
He answered on the second ring. “Hey, baby. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Well, that wasn’t totally true. “How’s it going?”
“We settled everything this afternoon. I’ll be coming back with the vice president and we’ll start implementing it. They want to oversee the beginning to make sure I’m not illegally selling their product to other people. Legal bogus.”
I noticed that he always referred to her as the vice president, keeping her sex an identity. “So when are you coming home?”
“I’ll leave in the morning, well the morning my time. My plane will land at eight in the morning your time.”
“That was a quick trip.”
“I want to get out of here as soon as possible,” he said darkly. “How’s it going with you? Taking it easy?”
“Yeah. I haven’t done much since you left.”
“Good. And let Mike know if you need anything.”
“I know.”
Silence stretched for a while.
“Baby, I hate to be rude but I’m exhausted. With the time change and lack of sleep, I’m about to fall apart.”
“I understand,” I said. “Tell Cortland I said hi.”
Sean breathed into the phone without saying anything. “You know Cortland is with me…?”
He was feeling me out. “Yeah. Monnique told me.”
“Oh.” Awkward silence. “What else did she say?”
“That your client wants to have an affair with you.” I said it simply and with no emotion.
Sean was squirming over the phone. “So…are you mad I didn’t tell you?”
“No.”
A long pause ensued. “Are you mad at me in general…?”
“No.”
His voice changed, becoming hard and bitter. “So, you don’t care at all?”
“No, I didn’t say that.”
“I’m sorry, but you should be pissed right now. I went to Paris with some woman that wants to fuck my brains out and has absolutely no problem with the fact I’m married, and I didn’t even tell you about it. How can you be okay with this?”
“Because I trust you.”
He cursed over the phone. “You aren’t jealous or anything? Seriously?”
“You brought Cortland, didn’t you?”
“But the fact I felt the need to bring him along for protection should be alarming.”
“Well, it’s pretty much impossible to rape a guy and I can’t see you being easily overpowered, so no, I’m not jealous.”
He growled. “How can you be so calm about this?”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t trust you? Is that what you want? For me to look through your phone when you aren’t looking and keep tabs on you all the time? Do you want me to scream at you over the phone for keeping this from me?”
“No,” he snapped. “I just wished you cared at least a little bit. You don’t want to rip this woman’s head off?”
“What would that solve?”
He sighed into the phone. “Forget it. I can’t talk to you about this. You just piss me off.”
“You think she’s the only person who’s going to want to jump your bones? Believe me, you’ll get a lot of offers in your lifetime. Why should I waste my time getting upset over something that I can’t control?”
He hissed into the phone. “You know what? Forget it. I’m exhausted so I’m going to bed.”
“You’re the one who wanted to argue about me not arguing with you.”
I knew Sean was livid with me. “Good night, Scarlet.”
He never called me that. But I knew he would never hang up on me. He always waited for me to end the call first. No matter how angry he was, he would never cut me off. “Good night.”
“I love you.”
I was moved he still said it, but I guess I wasn’t surprised. “I love you too.”
“I’ll text you when I get on the plane.”
“Okay.”
“Now hang up.”
I ended the call.
Sean texted me like he said he would.
Boarding.
K.
He wouldn’t be home for hours and I knew he would be tired when he arrived. I made Mexican food for dinner and put a plate in the refrigerator just in case. I knew he was still mad at me but I doubted he would fight with me because he’d be too tired.
Even though I was annoyed with his immature attitude, I missed him. I decided to text his brother.
Can you take me to the airport?
Sure. Sean’s plane landing?
Yeah. I want to ride back with him in the car.
I’ll be there in 5.
Thanks.
After Mike picked me up, we drove to the airport.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
I shrugged. “We’ve been fighting.”
“About what?”
“Some woman wants to sleep with Sean but I trust him. He gets upset when I don’t get jealous.”
He nodded. “He told me about that. What can I say? Sean’s a little girl deep inside.”
“I’m not sure why it bothers him so much.”
“We’ll never know.”
We arrived at the airport then walked to his terminal. His plane was landing so we waited for the passengers to leave the plane and walk to the terminal. I hoped surprising him would put him in a better mood.
I finally spotted Sean walk out with his bag over his shoulder. Cortland walked beside him and a blonde woman was on the other side of him. My eyes widened when I saw her. She was tall and thin. The perfection of her features couldn’t go unnoticed. She didn’t look like a businesswoman, more like a Swedish model. A perfect hourglass figure and noticeable breasts, she turned all the heads in her vicinity.
Okay…now I was a little jealous.
Her perfect body and cocky attitude got under my skin. She had no problem breaking up marriages, and that made me hate her a little bit even though I’d never met her. Unsure what I was doing, I marched to Sean then wrapped my arms around his neck, planting a hot kiss on his lips.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to show up. He flinched slightly and then his eyes widened. His hands finally moved to my waist and he kissed me back, one hand moving to the back of my hair. His lips took their time caressing mine, expressing his need for me. When the kiss ended, his hand moved to my stomach like it usually did. “Well, this is a surprise.”
“I missed you.” I kept my hands around his neck, making sure this dumb bitch
knew he was mine.
“I missed you too.” A smirk formed on his lips. His earlier angry disappeared in light of my presence. That’s exactly what I was hoping for. “I promise I won’t leave the country again until our bun is out of the oven.”
“Good. I’ll hold you to that.” I turned to Cortland. “Had a fun trip?”
He shrugged. “It was alright. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about leaving Monnique.”
“Well, you weren’t gone for long.”
“Dude, Sean snores like a walrus.”
Sean rolled his eyes. “I do not. Tell him, baby.”
I wasn’t thinking about that. “You stayed in the same room?”
“Yes,” Cortland said bitterly. “Didn’t get any sleep.”
“I don’t snore,” Sean snapped.
“I know what I heard,” Cortland snapped back.
I was still puzzled that they stayed in the same room. It’s not like Sean doesn’t have the money to splurge on two separate rooms.
Sean cleared his throat then turned to the woman who wanted to sink her claws into his. “This is Aris, the vice president of the company I’m working with.”
It took all my strength to be professional. I extended my hand and shook hers. “It’s nice to meet you.”
She gave me a fake smile. “Indeed.”
Indeed? God, I hated the French.
“I’m glad you two were able to strike a business deal together.” And nothing more.
“I’m sure Mr. Preston will be a good business partner. His clean reputation precedes him.”
Hell yeah, it does.
Sean turned to her and shook her hand. “I’ll see you at the office tomorrow.”
Tomorrow? How long would he be working with this infuriating woman?
“I look forward to it.” After pushing her hair over her shoulder, she walked out, shaking her hips like she was on the runway.
Mike was staring at her as she walked by. “Um…who’s that?”
“You’re married,” I snapped.
“I’m perfectly aware of that,” he hissed. He turned to Sean. “That’s the woman you bought the system from?”
“Yeah,” Sean answered.
“But she’s a woman,” Mike said.
“Obviously,” Sean snapped.
