by Sam Crescent
“I want you to get it changed. Neither of us wants children yet, and I think it’s time we focus on us, and making this marriage work before we add children to the mix.”
“You want to make this marriage work.”
“I don’t want to love and hate once a month anymore.” He touched her cheek. “Our marriage started out wrong, and it has been a disaster for a long time. I’m not going to continue that.”
“Okay.”
“I’m Shaun Woodside, I’m a workaholic, and I love my job. I have a wife I know nothing about, but I want to get to know her. My birthday is in April, and I don’t like chocolate, but your cake was damn good.”
Addie chuckled.
“It’s your turn, babe.”
“Babe?”
“Yep.”
He loved seeing her smile, and wanted to see her smile a hell of a lot more.
“I’m Addison Woodside, but my husband calls me Addie. I’m a cook, and I love what I do, creating new things. I don’t know my husband, and I’m starting to think I’ve got him confused with an image I’ve seen. My birthday is in a couple of months, and I’m pleased you liked the cake.”
It was a start, and he intended to repair the damage that started out in his marriage.
Chapter Three
“So, what happened?” Darla asked.
Addison smiled toward her friend. They were sitting in a coffee shop in the center of the city. She’d needed to get away from her apartment, and just get some fresh air. “We talked, not all night. We broke the ice that had seemed to surround our marriage.”
Darla was one of the people who knew about the arranged marriage between her and Shaun.
“He knows about your cooking? The book? The blog? Everything.”
“Yes.” She tapped the inside of her arm as well. “He knows I’ve got the implant, and he seems so happy about it. It’s too soon to have kids.”
“All this time, you both felt the same way.”
They had only talked for an hour, but it was the hour they should have taken at the beginning of their marriage, rather than now.
Their problems weren’t going to go away overnight. They were working on them, which was far more important to her.
“Do you think your marriage can work?” Darla asked. “You’ve said so yourself, you’re worlds apart.”
“Very true. I don’t know if we can be fixed, but I’d really like to give it a try. I don’t like failing, you know that.”
“I do.” Darla took a sip of her coffee, and Addison sat back in her chair. She loved these moments with Darla. In the early months of her marriage, it was these moments that had gotten her through.
Her friend was her rock.
“So, how are you and Dean getting on?”
“We’re not getting on. He asked me out again last night, and I turned him down.”
“You know, I don’t know why you don’t go out with him. He’s such a sweetheart.”
She sighed. “I know. He’s nothing like I imagined, and he’s sweet. When was a male model ever sweet?”
Dean was sweet, and for a short time, Addison had thought he was gay, but he wasn’t.
“He likes you.”
“Don’t, Addie, honey, please.”
Holding her hands up in surrender, she smiled. “I won’t interfere with your life. I’m sorry. I’ll try to keep my little nose out of it.”
They finished their coffees, and headed back to her apartment by walking. Addison loved walking as it cleared her mind and inspired her. Passing certain restaurants or takeouts, the scents helped her to think of new recipes to cook.
Darla talked about the latest video they had filmed, and how she had edited it twice so it was just the necessary stuff.
An hour later they entered her apartment. Dean was out for the day on a photo-shoot, so it was just them.
“I’m just going to put the news on, okay?” Darla asked.
“Sure.”
Heading into the kitchen, Addison took the latest recipe they were going to film, and started going through the list of ingredients that she would need.
“Addie, come here.”
Putting the list down, she made her way into her sitting room, and stopped. Shaun stood, talking into the camera. She spotted Bruce off to the left.
“My wife is an excellent cook, and I love what she has managed to create. When her book comes out, you’re in for a right treat, I guarantee it.”
“He’s seen the book?” Darla asked.
“I don’t know.”
As if on cue, her cell phone rang, and she saw it was Paula calling.
“Hello,” she said.
“Sales have gone through the roof, Addie. It’s like everyone watching the news has finally realized who you are. This is good news. We’re having to increase the order of print copies to go out. This book is going to be brilliant.”
Hanging up the phone, Addison smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“You’re not happy, are you?”
“I wanted this to be about me, us. What we’ve created.”
“Honey, we were selling good. This is a little boost,” Darla said.
“It’s not just ours.”
“Nothing in this world is just ours. It helps to have someone who will speak up for you. You’re lucky that he has. This is what you love to do.”
Deep down inside, she was really happy. Shaun had not only voiced his approval of her book, he’d done it for the world to see, to show his support. It was more than she could have hoped for. She just didn’t want to rely on his help.
There was no way she could help run million dollar business, and he was helping her.
“Do you think I should visit him?” she asked.
“Yes!” Darla jumped up. “That would be amazing.”
Biting her lip, she wasn’t sure.
“What about the filming?”
“We’ll do that when you get back. I’ve got to head out anyway, so it’ll give me time to do what I need to do.”
Nodding, she removed her apron, and placed the ingredients she’d picked out back into the fridge. She didn’t want anything going off.
Darla left, and she called a cab to take her to Shaun’s main office. She paid the driver, who thanked her for turning his wife into a much better cook.
Standing outside of the main building, she stared up at the large building. She’d not been here in a long time. The last time she visited, Bruce had told her Shaun was busy, and not able to talk with her.
Running fingers through her hair, she tightened her jacket around her, hiked her bag up, and headed into the main building. This was not for her. She loved food, and being around food. These people liked the hustle and bustle of work.
****
“Do you think she saw it?” Shaun asked, taking a seat behind his desk. He’d arranged it so that he could finally speak out about his wife’s career. The last thing he wanted was for her to have to deal with the negative press. They were together, they were a couple, and last night gave him hope they could have more.
Yes, they lived separately, but with time, he hoped for them both to finally move past that. He wanted to speak to her about what to do with the house. Shaun hated that awful fucking place, and he wouldn’t willingly go there to stay.
They would have to sell it, and get it out of their lives.
“Yes, she saw it. Well, it depends if she was busy. I’m sure she’ll see it by the end of the day.”
“I hope so.” He was so damn happy. “Honeymoon!”
“What?” Bruce asked.
“When we got married, I didn’t give her a honeymoon. Do you think it’s something I should consider?”
“You didn’t go on a honeymoon?”
“The marriage went so quickly. It was like one moment we were engaged, the next, we were married. I never gave it a thought.”
Bruce whistled.
“Did you and Patricia go on a honeymoon?”
“Yes. I got her
all to myself for two weeks. We made love, ate, had fun, and made love a lot more.”
He needed to get them both on a honeymoon. Shaun was determined to fix his broken marriage. No, his marriage wasn’t broken. It hadn’t even started.
“I’ll get you several brochures ordered so you can make a decision. My advice, find out where she wants to go first, and go there.”
Bruce left him alone, and Shaun went onto the internet, pulling up his wife’s blog page. Scrolling through the details, he tried to find any clue of where she’d love to go. There were several places she wanted to visit; Italy, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, France, and the Caribbean. Damn, that wasn’t going to be easy. He couldn’t just pick one from all of them.
Bruce entered his office once again.
“You got them already.”
“Mrs. Woodside is outside.”
Standing up, he rounded his desk. “Send her in.”
Buttoning up his suit jacket, he didn’t like the unsettled feeling when it came to his woman. Addie was his woman, and he’d been acting like a complete jackass. She didn’t even think she liked sex, and it was all his fault. He’d made it bad, and not even tried to get through to her.
She had thought he was cheating on her with other women. There had to be a way to change her mind about him. He wasn’t the bad guy, or at least, he didn’t think he was.
No, he wasn’t the bad guy. They were working through their issues, and he was determined to make this a real marriage.
Addie entered his office, and to him, she was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. From the moment he first saw her, he’d been infatuated with her. Evangeline had been wild, and he’d not liked her. He’d seen her greed, and the way she always wanted something that was taken.
Shaun wouldn’t break his marriage vows. It probably surprised a lot of people, but it was just something he couldn’t bring himself to do. His vows were sacred to him, completely.
“Hi,” she said.
“Did you see my support?” he asked.
“I did. I have to say, at first I was a little … upset.”
He wasn’t ready for that. He didn’t want her upset. “Why are you upset?” He watched her enter his office, and step up close to his chair.
She went to lower her bag and stopped. “May I?”
“Yes. This is half of yours.”
Shaun hadn’t wanted a prenuptial agreement, and it was part of merging his family with hers. Was their family going to come between them constantly?
Addie lowered the bag and untied her jacket.
“You can get comfortable,” he said.
He wanted her to be at ease in his company. They were husband and wife, not strangers.
She placed her coat with her jacket, and she was rubbing her hands together.
“Are you cold?”
“No. Just my hands. They’re always cold, and I always forget gloves.”
“Cold hands, warm heart,” he said.
“Yes. My grandmother said that to me all the time. She also said it was good for making pastry. I had good pastry making hands, and child bearing hips.”
She placed her hands on her hips, and his cock thickened. “You do have a damn good body.” It was a body he wanted to explore, and to get his hands on. He was getting aroused, his cock becoming a little painful as it pressed against his zipper. He moved the lapel of his jacket, and moved it over the evidence of his arousal. “Why were you upset?”
“It was so stupid. Paula called me, and she said the moment your conference or interview, or whatever it was you did, my book sales went through the roof.”
“That’s not a good thing?” He’d done it to show his support of her, and to help her.
“Yes, it’s a good thing. Darla told me it was a good thing.”
“You don’t think it is?”
“You run two exceedingly good businesses, and I can’t help you with that. My book, and everything surrounding my cooking, was supposed to be me.”
“I ruined it?” Fuck, was he ever going to get anything right?
“No, you didn’t ruin it. I just, I just wanted you to be proud of me. There, I’ve said it. We don’t have the perfect marriage, we have a really bad one, but I still wanted you to be proud of me.”
“I am proud of you, Addie. I think what you’ve done is amazing, and I’ve got to say, I’m damn jealous.”
“Why?”
“Dean and Darla, and your friends have all gotten to try your food, and I have not.”
“You have.”
“Without me knowing it. Every single meal we share together in that museum, you made?”
“Also, the brownies you got at Christmas. Bruce just told me you ate the whole lot.”
“You sent them?”
“Yes, I sent food here often.”
Shaun stood, and paced.
“Are you angry with me?”
“No. I’m not angry with you. I’m angry at myself. I’ve been such an asshole to you, and that wasn’t acceptable.”
“We both made a mistake.” She stood in front of him, grabbing his arm. “Please, don’t be angry. We both, we’ve both made mistakes, Shaun. I should have told you sooner about the implant. We should have talked with each other.”
He cupped her cheek, and stroked over the soft flesh.
There was no response from her. It was like he was touching stone, and it was his fault. He’d not taken the time to get her used to his touch. He never took his time with her.
When he pushed her back until she hit the wall, Addie gasped. “Shaun, what are you doing?”
“I’m going to rectify a problem I’ve caused.”
Before she said anything else, he slammed his lips down on hers, and claimed her lips. He wasn’t gentle, and he put the last three years of pent-up lust and desire into the kiss. She moaned, which opened her mouth, and he plundered it, stroking her tongue with his.
Pulling out, he licked along her bottom lip, before deepening the kiss. Her hands gripped his arms, and he reached down, taking her hands, and slamming them above her head, holding her in place.
Locking her wrists together, and holding them in his hands, he released her lips.
“I have you at my mercy now.”
Glancing down her body, he saw her response to him. Her nipples were rock hard and pressing against the front of her shirt. Staring into her eyes, he saw they were dilated.
With his other hand, he ran his thumb across her red, swollen lips before sliding the back of his hand down her neck, over her chest, to cup her tit.
She gasped and arched up against him.
“What are you doing?” she asked, breathlessly.
“I’m showing you what it should have been like, Addie.”
He wasn’t going to hold back any longer.
Chapter Four
Addison gasped as he cupped her breast, and stroked his thumb across her nipple. Next, he pinched her nipple between his thumb and finger, and she gasped out at the pleasure. It was instant, and there were no other words to describe it.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he asked.
“No.” She didn’t.
He growled out and released her hands. Her arms were suddenly too heavy. He took one of her hands, and pressed it against his rock hard cock. Shaun groaned as she touched his cock. He was long, thick, and hard, pressing against her palm.
“That’s what you do to me. I’m rock hard.”
She’d known he wasn’t a small man as she’d felt him inside her. This side of Shaun she’d never witnessed before.
He took her further by surprise by pressing his hand between her thighs. She wore a pair of jeans, but they didn’t restrict him from touching her. She felt his touch, and it was so damn good.
“I can feel how hot you are. I bet you’re soaking wet.”
“What is going on?” she asked.
“Let me come to your place tonight. I’m not going to fuck you here in my office. Not the first time wh
en we’re actually together.”
He slammed his lips back on hers, and she moaned, stroking his dick, which seemed to be getting harder. She rubbed herself onto his cock, moaning as the jeans pressed against her clit. Shaun shocked her even more when his hand slid inside her jeans, and started to stroke where her jeans had once blocked. Addison gasped as he continued to work over her nub. The pleasure was intense and instant, unlike anything she’d ever felt. He didn’t stop, and kept on kissing her as he touched her pussy. The pleasure started to build, and something amazing and magical was happening.
“Come for me, baby,” he said, whispering the words against her lips.
She couldn’t deny him, and that something amazing built until he threw her into her very first orgasm. Shaun’s touch slowed down until she stopped shaking.
A knock at the door had them both frozen into place.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Woodside. Your one o’clock is waiting for you.”
Addison released him so damn quickly. “I should go.”
He cupped her cheek, stopping her. “I’m proud of you. I didn’t want to take away from your success. I wanted to show you that I’ll do anything to support your career, baby.”
Nodding, she moved away from him, even with her legs wobbling.
“Have you heard anything from our parents?” she asked.
She hadn’t heard anything in a couple of months.
“I know Evangeline is pregnant again.”
They had married Evangeline off with some kind of movie star, and they had a very rocky relationship. Addison had read a lot of bad stuff in the glossy magazines about her sister’s partying and drug taking.
They were two different people.
“I doubt it’ll keep her under control.”
“Your parents’ biggest mistake is trying to keep that girl under control.”
“I agree with you.” Evangeline was a ticking time bomb. Addison was pleased she hadn’t seen her sister in some time.
“Your parents I’ve not heard from.”
The last time she had spoken to her parents was at Christmas. She’d been forced to go home with Shaun, where the two families spent the holidays together. Evangeline and her man had been there, and it had been a tense affair.
