by Kasey Martin
Sawyer led me into the kitchen where a short rotund woman with blond hair with silver streaks was making lunch. Her hazel eyes danced with mischief when she looked at Sawyer. I instantly liked her before she had even said one word.
“Marla. This is my wife Sasha.” I had to school my face because hearing Sawyer introduce me as his wife was shocking.
“Oh, my! Aren’t you the prettiest little thing.” I laughed at her because at five-three I was taller than she was, “How in the world did you get mixed up with a rascal like this?” Marla’s toothy grin had me giving her a genuine smile in return. Her presence helped to relax me.
“So, you just run off and get married and then come in here and act like I won’t whip your behind for not telling me about a new woman in your life.” Marla looked at Sawyer with an arched brow. Her pale face was flushed red from preparing lunch and her hazel eyes were dancing with excitement as she teased a smiling Sawyer. It was fascinating to watch their interaction. I could easily see the love between the two of them
“Come on, Marla. You know you’re the only girl for me.” Sawyer kissed her hand and gave her a charming smile. She slapped his chest playfully before pushing him aside to look at me.
Before I knew what was happening, Marla swept me up into a hug. I giggled at her motherly affection because I wasn’t used to such loving behavior from strangers on Founder’s. I knew with that act alone; she wasn’t from here.
“Hi, Mrs. Marla. I’m Sasha.” I hugged her back smiling.
“Oh, stop with that Mrs. It’s just Marla.” She replied as she held me at arm’s length.
“It’s nice to meet you, Marla.”
“Sasha honey, it’s nice to meet you too. Welcome home.”
Welcome home indeed.
***
I’m not sure what I expected before meeting Sawyer’s house staff. But it wasn’t this makeshift family they’d all seem to be. Marla, was the grandmother figure who ran the house with love and a no nonsense rule of thumb, even when she dealt with Sawyer. Ben was the gardener and head grounds keeper, and Charles was the butler. But those were just a few of the people that worked on Sawyer’s estate. There were his men who were always around without being “around.” It seemed that they were always lurking in the shadows, only coming out on command. If I didn’t know about Sawyer’s mob involvement the shit would creep me out. It made me wonder if they were lurking when we were together in New York because I never noticed them before.
Now that we’ve been formally introduced, and not just seeing them and hearing about them from Dove, and the fact they were at our wedding, I know how important Darby and Flynn are to Sawyer. And not just because they were two of his men who were always around.
I even remember seeing Darby at the baby shower, and Flynn was at the hospital when Alejandro was shot. In both cases, they made sure to make their presence known. The two red headed giants were mountainous, walking, talking threats. Darby was the talker of the two always laughing and smiling, but Flynn barely said a word. His hazel-green eyes were forever watching everything. But no matter how much Darby joked, I could tell both men were equally dangerous.
After all of the introductions were over, I made my way into one of the many guest rooms I saw on the tour Marla gave me. Sawyer had some urgent business to take care of, so I was left on my own for the rest of the day. Although I was feeling guilty for not telling my parents what was going on, I knew I needed to call and check on them. They won a cruise and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Now, I could talk about their upcoming trip and they would get too excited to ask about my life.
“Hey, Sasha girl. How’s your day baby?” My mama’s raspy voice came through the line in a cheery tone.
“Hey, Mama. My day was okay. Are you guys getting ready for your trip?” I asked switching topics quickly. I couldn’t let her ask too many questions or I would fold and tell her I got married today. I’m such a horrible daughter.
“Oh yes! I went online and got me some swimsuits. Your daddy won’t know what hit him.” I laughed at that. My parents have been married for going on thirty-years and they still acted like newlyweds. Nobody could ever say that Rosie and Daryl Phillips weren’t in love.
“Oh, I’m sure whatever you have he will enjoy it.”
“He better if he knows what’s good for him,” Mama giggled in the phone. In the background I could hear my dad grumbling about my mother’s addiction to online shopping and we both laughed.
He could complain all he wanted to, but nothing and nobody would stop may Mama’s online shopping.
We talked for about twenty-minutes catching up and laughing before I had an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion. I said my goodbyes and decided I could finally try and take a nap.
I didn’t get to appreciate the opulence of the bedroom where I would be sleeping because my mind was going a million miles an hour. However, I would do some snooping after I took a nap. Maybe some rest would help my thoughts settle.
I didn’t think I would be all alone on my wedding day. Actually, that’s not true. I never really thought about what my wedding day would be like. I left the romantic notions and the dreams of true love to my best friend. Raven was the one who would get all mushy over thoughts of wedding gowns and flowers.
I frowned at the thought of Raven. I didn’t tell my parents or my best friend that I was getting married. I didn’t tell anybody that I was getting married. I’m so embarrassed that Sawyer had to marry me in the first place. I’ve always been independent and careful. I never would’ve thought that I would be in a situation like this.
I never wanted to be a burden on anyone. My parents gifted me the money from their house without telling me what they were doing, but I should’ve given them their money back. But I thought once I owned the gallery that I would be able to repay them easily with interest. I should’ve planned better, but I didn’t. If it wasn’t for Sawyer, there’s no telling where the hell I’d be.
I had a fitful nap, and didn’t get much rest at all. But at least I had an excuse for locking myself in my room. It was weird to have all these conflicting emotions when it came to Sawyer Nash. On one hand, I wanted what we had back in New York, but on the other hand, neither of us were the same people that we were two years ago. I could tell that Sawyer was bossier than he was back then. Maybe it was because he was about to be the Don of his family. I’m not sure what it was, but I could see the heaviness in his emerald eyes like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. And the last thing I wanted to do was add to his responsibilities.
But I was grateful that he married me. He saved my life and I owed him, but still he was a different Sawyer than before. Now he was domineering, crass, and rude as fuck. I wanted to slap his face and sit on it at the same time.
I was frustrated and I really needed to paint. It was the only way that I could get my mind to rest. But my art room wasn’t set up yet. I let out a heavy sigh. My life was a serious mess, and there was absolutely nobody I could blame but myself.
My self-deprecation lasted until I got out of the shower. I wrapped a nice fluffy towel around my body and entered my room. I let out a startled gasp when I saw Sawyer sitting quietly in a chair watching me intently. He scared the shit out of me, but I wouldn’t show fear to my predator of a husband.
“Uh. Hey. Do you need something?” I questioned lightly as I pulled the towel tighter. I was glad there wasn’t a tremble in my voice to give away how unnerved I am. You can never let someone as dangerous as Sawyer see you sweat. His passionate stare roamed over my body, and I gulped. The heated look he was giving me made me want to snatch away the towel and fling my body on top of his. However, I stood with my hands crossed over my chest waiting for him to answer my question.
“I was just coming to check on you, Céile.” The nickname was new and I’m not sure what it meant, but his deep voice held a seductive cadence that made goosebumps cover my skin. His voice dripped over me like melted chocolate.
“I’m good, thanks.” That’s all I could trust myself to say. I was confused about my feelings when I was alone, but in his presence it was a thousand times worse.
“I see. I was just coming to check the reason as to why the fuck you’re in here… the guest bedroom and not in our bedroom.” Sawyer’s sultry tone turned dark and ominous in a blink of an eye. The shit made my head spin. But I wasn’t about to play this game with him.
“I told you before, we haven’t seen one another in two years. Things have changed. We don’t know each other anymore; I don’t know if we ever did.” I stood firm in my decision. I was a free-spirited person, but I made a lot of mistakes in the past. Sawyer and I weren’t honest with each other, and I lived for two years believing that our lives were in jeopardy because of that.
“And I told you. We will live as husband and wife in all things. Now, we don’t have to fuck if that’s not what you want. I’ve never had to force myself on a woman and I won’t start now, but you will stay in our marital bed.”
“No. The. Hell. I. Will. Not!” I don’t know who Sawyer thought he was dealing with, but I am not the one.
***
I stood staring at Sawyer. His pink lips were held in an angry line with his slightly larger bottom lip poking out. His thick dark brows looked like angry slashes over his narrowed green eyes. The light stubble that covered his chiseled jawline earlier in the day had grown into a five o’clock shadow and it just added to the sexy broodiness of my new husband.
Before I knew what was happening, Sawyer stood from the chair and was in front of me in two strides. I yelped when he scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder like a rag doll.
The towel loosened as I kicked my legs and hit his broad back. He had stripped off the suit jacket he’d worn to the ceremony earlier and was left wearing a fitted crisp white dress shirt. I was so mad that I couldn’t even admire the feel of his back muscles flexing underneath my slapping palms.
“Monster, put me down!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. I can’t believe he just picked me up like this. I could feel the breeze on my bare ass as the towel flopped up as he continued to walk. When I squirmed a little too much, he almost dropped me.
“Stay still.” Sawyer slapped my ass so hard, I squealed out. But not in pain, more like shock that he actually hit me. The slap didn’t hurt and as he rubbed the sting away, I felt my center getting moist. He had never spanked me before and it took all the strength in me not to moan. I don’t know what is happening to me or my treacherous body, but I had to get control over myself.
“Please, put me down, Sawyer.” I don’t know if it was the pleading tone or what, but before I could beg anymore I was unceremoniously dropped on a soft fluffy cloud. This bed was even more heavenly than the one in the guest room. I lay there with my chest heaving up and down like I’d run a marathon instead of being carried.
It didn’t take me long to realize that my breasts were completely exposed. My nipples were hard by not only the chill in the air but the memory of Sawyer’s touch. I tightly shut my eyes in embarrassment, and tugged the towel back into place.
Sawyer has seen me naked before, and I wasn’t a shy woman at all. I was often called a hippy by my family and friends. I had a free, love your body and yourself type of mentality. However, it had been a long time and Sawyer’s attention unsettled me.
The room was draped in silence, but I knew he was still watching me. It was something about his gaze that I could always feel. It was both addicting and terrifying; two more conflicting emotions that confused me.
I opened my eyes when I felt him hovering over my body. I know he promised not to touch me, but damn I wanted him to touch me so bad. Our gazes collided and his was scorching hot. I wanted to wrap my legs around his waist and run my fingers through his hair. I’d done it a million times before, and even though I was now his wife, I didn’t feel like I had the right.
“Sweet Céile,” Sawyer’s voice was a low purr as he ran his calloused hand down my cheek. But I knew it was a trick. He was using the new nickname and he only called me sweet when he was about to say something crazy.
“Don’t call me sweet. You had no right to man handle me, Monster. The shit is unacceptable.” I sneered his nickname because he was acting more and more like the monster that I’d named him. It was usually out of fun, but this shit was not cute. I was surprised that my voice was as calm as it was considering my nerves were on edge and I really wanted to slap him. However, if I didn’t want him man handling me, I had to keep my hands to myself.
“You’re right. I won’t man handle you. But I promise to spank your ass every time you act like you’re not my wife.”
I wanted to say something witty, but at the mention of spanking, my mouth had gone incredibly dry. I’ve always been open in my sexuality, I like being free. But tonight was the first time I’ve ever been spanked. And if I had on panties they would definitely be wet. It made me wonder why he didn’t spank me before.
“Like I said, I won’t touch you if that’s not what you want.” Sawyer’s eyes roamed over my body from head to toe. Before those bright emerald orbs connected intensely to mine, “But right now, I need you to get dressed so we can have dinner.” Sawyer kissed my forehead sweetly. Something he likes to do, and he rolled away from me. He strolled nonchalantly to the bedroom door as if it was just another ordinary day. My husband is going to drive me crazy.
Before he left the room I hollered out, “Hey! I don’t have any clothes in here.”
“Yes, you do. The closet is on the other side of the sitting area. See ya in fifteen-minutes.” Sawyer disappeared closing the door softly behind him.
I walked through the massive master bedroom again in complete amazement. The room looked like a presidential suite at a fancy hotel. When I made it into the customized closet, it was like walking into every woman’s wet dream. The closet was the size of a bedroom. One side was obviously Sawyer’s because there were fancy tailored suits, dress shirts, t-shirts, jeans, and even shorts neatly hanging, separated by color. There was a large shoe rack holding all different pairs of fancy Italian leather loafers, expensive dress shoes, the latest sneakers, and even flip flops.
However, the pièce de résistance was a crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the closet above an island. The lights from the chandelier danced and reflected off of glass of the closet doors. It was as if I was standing inside of a diamond. It was opulent and over the top and something that I never envisioned for myself. I took a closer look at the marble island and realized it held an array of jewelry; watches, cufflinks, even leather bracelets. It was weird I’ve never seen Sawyer wear leather bracelets or flip flops. I really didn’t know him well at all.
As I walk around the island I came to the other side of the closet. My side. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“How the heck did he get all of my clothes in here?” Everything I owned was neatly placed in the closet. Which would’ve been fine, accept I left most of these things in my apartment.
Chapter 8
SAWYER
I gave Sasha fifteen minutes, but in reality, I needed more time than that to get my shit together. The sight of her smooth dark skin glistening with water droplets made my brain short circuit. I planned to be calm when I went to check on her, and she wasn’t in the master suite. I sat waiting patiently as I could in the chair after pacing outside the door for ten minutes. I couldn’t understand why Sasha insisted on trying me.
We may not have done much talking for the short time that we were together, but she knew me. She knew that her smart mouth and defiance would get her fucked on any available surface. Until tonight I had never spanked her, but I could see the action had turned her on. She didn’t want me manhandling her, and I wouldn’t, I lost my head, and that’s not an excuse. However, spanking her ass did not qualify as manhandling. And if she thought for one second, I would let her sleep in the guest room; then, she crazier than I thought.
I took the stairs two at a time until I
reached my study. I sat behind my desk so that I could make an important call. Yesterday, I didn’t have time to dig deeper into the reasons why Sasha needed money from a loan shark. I wanted to know about the man selling the building, and the banks that denied her loans. I wanted to know every fucking thing.
“Darby, I need you to find out how Patrick Abbott and Sasha’s cousin, Joe are connected. I need to know everything about this cousin of Sasha’s that introduced her to a human trafficker.”
“Anything else?” Darby was a jokester, but he knew when to be about his business, it’s what I liked about him.
“Yeah, find out all of the banks that turned down Sasha’s loan, and who Bruce Todd was selling the building to?”
“Got it.” Darby disconnected, and I knew that I would have all the information I asked for by the next day.
I leaned back in my chair and steepled my hands. The thoughts of the danger that Sasha had put herself in had my rage soaring. Sasha is an independent person who prided herself on doing everything on her own; I admired her for that. Sasha was a breath of fresh air and had me hypnotized from the first time I laid eyes on her.
PAST
I was sitting in the Sixty SoHo Boutique Hotel, doing my best to drink my weight in whiskey. I knew that I was going to be there a while, so I made sure I was seated at the best table as I sipped from a crystal tumbler. I had just had a meeting with my father, and I was made COO of Nash Industries. It was a proud moment for both of us as well as our family. I may have been an entitled asshole, but my father didn’t just hand me the position. It took me five years to work my way into the position.
Of course, nepotism played a role, but I had to earn my spot. My father didn’t take work ethic lightly, He expected all four of his sons to be in the family business, but as the oldest, I was expected to take over one day.
And although I had finally reached COO, I had been derailed for the last three years. My wife died unexpectantly in a car accident, and I was convinced she had been killed. I may look like the typical Wall Street type, but I was anything but. My tailored suits, perfectly styled hair, and broad smile hid the real monster in me.
