“Brynne,” Jesse snaps, and shoots an apologetic glance at Tara, which causes my blood to burn. He turns back to me. “What’s gotten into you? You never use language like that.”
“I never use language like that?” I repeat. “What the fuck, Jesse? You’re chastising me on using dirty words when you fucking had a threesome on the night before our wedding? Are you fucking deranged?”
I threw that extra “F” word in there for flourish.
“Look,” he says with a heavy sigh. “I can see you’re upset, and I’m going to give you some space today to settle down.”
My blood turns to molten lava and my hands curl into fists, wanting to smash them into his face.
“We’ll talk tomorrow,” he adds smoothly. It’s clear he thinks this can be fixed, but I’m not going to let him walk out of this office with that stupid idea in his head.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I tell him with a sweet smile. “You and I are done romantically, and I’m done with the both of you as far as this practice goes. I’m going to make an offer for one or both of you to buy me out by the end of the day.”
“Whoa, now wait a minute,” Jesse growls.
Tara speaks up again. “Brynne… no. You’re the heart and soul of this practice.”
“Yeah, well,” I return to her with biting sarcasm. “My heart and soul are a little shredded right now. Not sure it’s going to do you much good.”
Jesse takes another step forward until his thighs are almost touching the front of my desk. Inwardly cringing at his proximity, I feel nothing but pure disgust for him.
“I’m worried about you, Brynne,” he says softly, and his tone couldn’t be more patronizing. And I realize… he talks to me like that a lot, but it never bothered me until now. I just always let it roll off my back. “You’re depressed and upset. You shouldn’t be making any big decisions right now.”
Tipping my head back, I give a full belly laugh. When I focus back on Jesse, his expression says he thinks I’m deranged. I give him a sweet smile. “On the contrary, Jesse… I’m very much at peace right now. And for your information, you’re not the only one who had a bit of fun in Vegas.”
The implication in my words is clear, and Jesse stares back at me stunned. Tara tilts her head in curiosity.
“What kind of fun?” Jesse asks between gritted teeth.
My eyes slide back over to him, and I lift my chin. “I met a man and wow… he looks just like Chris Hemsworth.”
Pausing, I side-eye Tara since we both have major Chris Hemsworth crushes. “The way he looked in Thor: Ragnarok.”
Her mouth drops open.
I turn back to Jesse. “We got married. We fucked all night on our wedding night. He’s flying in to visit me this weekend. So you see, Jesse… I’m very much at peace right now.”
“You fucking got married?” he yells at me, his face now mottled with red and purple splotches he’s so pissed. And it hits me… I wasn’t this pissed when I found the picture. I was mad and hurt, but I wasn’t feeling what he’s clearly feeling right now.
I know I should feel guilty for causing this distress, but I just can’t find it within me. In fact, I decide to add fuel to the fire, despite how petty it makes me. I drive the knife in deep and twist it viciously.
“He was a stud in the sack,” I murmur with a satisfied huskiness to my voice. “The best I’ve ever had.”
Jesse’s face pales to the point I think he might be stroking out, but he manages to snarl, “You fucking whore.”
“Surely you don’t mean that,” I say with a saccharine smile. “I mean… perhaps we can work this out with counseling.”
Jesse doesn’t respond, just spins away from me, nearly knocking Tara over as he barrels out of my office. He slams the door behind him, the degrees on my wall rattling at the force.
Tara, who had watched his exit, swivels back to me. Gone is her hang-dog expression, and now she appraises me like I’m on an examining table before her.
“Anything else we need to discuss?” I ask crisply.
She cocks her head. “Did you really get married? Or did you say that just to piss Jesse off?”
“I really got married,” I tell her. I don’t tell her that we signed papers yesterday for an annulment, though. “And I’m serious as to making an offer to you and Jesse to buy the practice.”
She looks vaguely sick. “I don’t want it.”
“Then we can both sell out to Jesse,” I reply, then sit back down in my office chair. I shuffle through my mail, hoping Tara will realize she’s been dismissed.
I ignore her while she stands there, but my spine goes stiff when she says, “You finding that photo was the best thing that could have happened to you.”
“Excuse me?” I say shrilly, completely offended by her statement.
“You said your heart and soul were shredded a moment ago,” she replies softly. “That’s not true. At least it’s not shredded by Jesse. Maybe at the representation of all you lost, but not over Jesse personally.”
“Why?” I snap. “Because I fell into bed with another man that very night?”
“No,” she returns with a wry smile. “Because it was a mistake for you to ever accept his proposal.”
While this infuriates me, it also makes me very curious. Tara knows me better than anyone. We went through dental school together, and we’ve been best friends for over a decade.
“Why is that?” I ask, keeping my voice neutral so she doesn’t hold back. Tara doesn’t like conflict.
“Because you never fully committed to Jesse,” she tells me.
“More than he did,” I growl. “I didn’t fuck around on him.”
“Not committed in that way.” She purses her lips, hesitates, but then says, “But committed overall. You always held back from Jesse. Hell, you weren’t even living together. You hesitated to accept his proposal.” This is true—because I told her as much. “All you two ever did is discuss business and dental techniques. I mean… come on, Brynne. You even wanted to keep separate bank accounts after the marriage. You weren’t fully into him.”
A flush of anger and guilt sweep through me. “So this is my fault? I drove him to do what he did?”
She’s quick to respond, tone placating. “No. Not at all. That’s all on me and Jesse and our stupidity. All I’m saying is don’t grieve too much over this loss. Jesse wasn’t the one for you, and I’ve known it all along. I just wish you had figured it out before you got hurt in all this.”
“You knew all along?” I ask, my eyebrows drawn inward in confusion. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugs. “I’m thinking I should have now. But what did I really know? I’m not an expert on relationships. Maybe that was how it’s supposed to be, but I’m just saying… don’t dwell on losing Jesse. Perhaps look forward to new opportunities.”
I want to be warmed by her words—even inspired by them—but I remember that she fucked my fiancé and she doesn’t deserve any acknowledgment from me that she might be making a bit of sense.
Picking up an envelope, I give it my attention so I can tear into it. But I tell her, “I’ll have an offer to you by the end of the day. If you don’t want it, I suggest you also give Jesse an amount you’d be willing to take to be able to walk.”
“I’m sorry,” Tara whispers, but I don’t look up at her. “I never meant to cause you pain, and I’ll never forgive myself for doing it. I wouldn’t expect you to forgive me either.”
She’s got that right. There’s no forgiveness where the two of them are concerned.
Keeping my eyes on the electricity bill I just opened, I eventually hear Tara leave my office, the door shutting quietly behind her.
My breath comes out in a pained but relieved sigh to have that confrontation out of the way.
It didn’t escape my attention that Jesse never apologized to me once and that only makes me feel better that this is over.
CHAPTER 7
Andrew
Imagin
ing it’s Brynne’s hand on my morning wood instead of my own, I close my eyes and think of the velvet softness of her palm, loosening my grip to more resemble hers.
Long, slow strokes as I lay in bed and think of Brynne. I’d dreamed about her last night.
Of her hitchhiking down the road in her wedding dress. That veil floating off to the side from the dry breeze and the way her spine was straight and proud as she walked with her thumb stuck out.
About her bending down to look in the window, but rather than a fierce look, she smiled at me. It was like she was meeting an old friend from years ago, and there is gratitude I’d stopped to pick her up.
This dream played over and over again in my mind throughout the night, but never went any farther than her sliding into the seat beside me with another smile that told me I was exactly what she had been waiting for.
As I was up late last night reviewing some beta testing reports, I woke up late this morning. Then again, I hadn’t set my alarm as I wasn’t due over at Johns Hopkins until two this afternoon, so I wasn’t in a rush at all.
Nothing better to do than masturbate to the memories of my time with Brynne two nights ago.
A text chime rings through the sound of my heavy breathing, and my hand goes still. What if it’s Brynne?
I move to snatch my phone from the charger, flipping through to the texts. My dick throbs for more attention, but it’s forgotten as I’d much rather in this moment hear from her. I knew there was the potential she would confront Jesse and Tara if they showed up at their practice this morning. There’s a three-hour time difference, which would make it close to eight thirty there.
My chest constricts when I see it’s a text from her. She had indeed talked to Jesse and Tara.
That was rough, but I’m glad it’s done.
There’s never a thought about me texting her back. Screw the fact she’s at work right now. I tap her contact info from the text, and I call her.
There’s surprise in her voice when she answers, “Hey you. I thought you’d be off doing all kinds of science stuff at Johns Hopkins by now.”
I settle back against the pillows, my hard-on completely forgotten and starting to subside. Smiling, I say. “I don’t meet with them until two. Was having a lazy morning and got your text. Thought I’d call. Is this a good time?”
“Anytime is a good time,” she assures me, and fuck… I like the thought of that.
“So what happened?”
In great detail, she tells me about everything that was said. She was pissed Jesse dared to be incensed at her, and she felt Tara was probably truly regretful.
But I sense she’s leaving something out.
“What else?” I ask.
She chuckles on the other end. “What makes you think there’s something else?”
I shrug, but she can’t see it. “I don’t know. I just… can. There is, right?”
She’s silent a moment. I can imagine her teeth digging down into her lower lip, which she does when she contemplates. Funny how I already know that about her.
Finally, she says, “Tara said something to me. She said finding that photo was the best thing that could have happened to me because it was a mistake in the first place I even agreed to marry Jesse.”
My brow furrows as I consider that. “Did she say that because she wants Jesse?”
“I don’t think so,” she says quietly. “I’m thinking it was more from a best-friend type of place. Pointed out to me that I wasn’t fully committed to him. We didn’t live together, and we were going to keep separate bank accounts after we married. Stuff I hadn’t really thought was a big deal, but she made it sound like we were more like business partners than soul mates or something.”
“Do you buy that?” I ask.
Please say you do, so I know you aren’t pining after that dickwad.
“I don’t know. It makes me sound like a total bitch if it’s true.”
“Not so,” I growl low.
“But if it is, and there wasn’t much there on the romantic or intimate side, was that why Jesse fucked Tara along with his best man?”
“No. Jesse fucked Tara with his best man the night before your wedding because he’s a self-centered douche who wasn’t committed to you.”
“But what if I’m not exciting enough? Not sexy enough? Not adventurous enough?”
“Oh, baby,” I murmur to her. “That’s just not true. I only have to think about you and I get hard.”
She’s silent which means she’s weighing my words a little too carefully.
“Brynne,” I say into the phone. “There is nothing for you to second guess. Don’t waste one second on it, okay?”
Another long moment of silence but then she says, “What if he cheated on me because I wasn’t any good. I mean… he didn’t just cheat. He went super kinky by having a threesome in a sex club. At least Jesse told me a bit ago it was in a sex club… as if that makes it more understandable.”
I cringe when she says “sex club” because while I recognized The Wicked Horse from the photo, I didn’t know she knew where it was. The fact the place is now the setting of some really awful circumstances in her life, and the fact I’ve taken great pleasure there… sometimes indulging in threesomes… doesn’t sit well.
But I push that aside, because Brynne needs reassurance more than anything. “I promise you, baby. You are amazing when it comes to sex. You satisfied me more than anyone ever has. If there was something lacking between you and Jesse, that was on him.”
“You’re sweet to say that—” she starts, but I can hear the self-doubt coming loud and clear through the line.
“Where are you?” I interrupt.
“What?”
“Are you still at work?”
She hesitates only a moment. “Yeah… I’m in my office, actually.”
“Shut the door and lock it,” I tell her in a low voice. “Or don’t lock it if you want to make this a bit more exciting.”
“What?” she exclaims, and I can hear both fear and exhilaration in her voice.
I ignore her question. “I’m hanging up now, Brynne. Calling you right back on FaceTime. Like I said… lock or don’t lock your door. It’s your choice. But I’m going to show you just how pleasing you are to me.”
I don’t wait for her to respond. Disconnecting the call, I spring from the bed to grab my iPad. I arrange it on its stand on the end of the bed, then hit the FaceTime button to call her.
It starts ringing as I climb back onto the bed with the headboard to my back. I plant my feet, spread my legs, and take my thickening cock into my palm.
It rings three times before Brynne answers, her beautiful face filling my screen. I can see from the small pane at the top right that she’s met with an absolutely lewd pose of my legs spread and my hand working my cock. As I lounge back and give her a lazy smile, she takes in every inch of my completely nude body.
Brynne’s eyes bug, and her cheeks go red. It appears she’s standing with her back against a door as she holds her phone up to her face.
“Did you lock it?” I ask as I rub my thumb over the head of my dick, gathering moisture.
She nods, face flushed and eyes heating up.
Pulling my hand away, I rub my forefinger and thumb together, feeling the silkiness of my pre-cum there. Her eyes watch me in awe, and she licks her lower lip.
Grinning, I start to massage my balls, then bring my hand back to my cock and stroke. “Wish this was your hand, Brynne.”
“Me too,” she whispers.
“Go sit in your chair,” I order. “Put your phone somewhere so I can see all of you.”
She obeys without any hesitation, although I can hear the tiny gasp of surprise. The phone bobbles and I see a bit of the ceiling, then the floor, past her desk, and then it goes still. It looks like she’s put in on a shelf to the right of her desk and she moves back, one step at a time, watching the screen to judge what I can and can’t see.
As I wait to see all of her, I won
der what she wears into the office. Does she do scrubs, which I’d find totally sexy on her? Or does she dress up?
As her entire body comes more into view, I see she’s the type who takes fashion seriously. She’s wearing a black-and-white leopard print wraparound dress that hugs her body to perfection. Black high heels complete the outfit, and her dark hair is pulled back from her face and secured at her neck in a low bun.
She continues to walk backward to her chair.
“I can see you,” I say as I continue to jack myself slowly. “Now sit down and turn my way.”
There’s no hesitation, but I grin when she sits down elegantly and crosses her legs as if I’m the only one who’s going to put on a show.
Shaking my head, I chastise her. “Oh, no you don’t. I want to see more of you. Pull the hem of your dress up and spread your legs.”
Gasping, Brynne turns her head toward the door in contemplation. She locked it, but I can tell she’s feeling all kinds of insecure right now.
“Do it,” I silkily command. I don’t want her to chicken out.
Her head snaps back my way, legs uncrossing. She pulls her skirt up slowly, then spreads her legs until I’m staring at white panties and creamy thighs.
“Let me see your tits,” I say, my cock now starting to throb and my balls feeling heavy just from these tiny flashes of her skin.
She pushes her fingers into the edges of the neckline, starting to pull it apart. The wrap style of the dress has some stretch to it, but when her breasts pop through in a matching white bra, they’re plumped up from the tightness of the fabric at the sides.
Without me asking, Brynne drags the cup down over one perfect globe and I grit my teeth when she starts to pinch and twist her nipple.
“Fuck,” I murmur. I squeeze the base of my dick, and just hold still for a moment.
Also without me asking, Brynne brings a hand to the top of her panties and snakes her fingers down the front. My view is obstructed by the opaque material, but sometimes the hint of what’s happening is better. I can see her hand move down as her legs spread farther. Her head tips back as she moans, and I can see enough to know she just pressed a finger deep inside herself.
Wicked Wedding Page 5
