by Remi Wild
Swallowing hard, I nod.
“If you are really willing to move on from this, then you have to leave Fiona in the past, really leave her there. Consider her a rough patch in your journey together, one that you will get through.”
“That’s easier said than done,” I scoff.
“Well, the wounds are still fresh, but you can’t do this any other way.” She looks to Eric. “It’s clear that this wasn’t intentional on Eric’s part…Look, I see worse than this on an everyday basis. I’m not saying it’s right, but there is a lot to salvage from your marriage and a million reasons to keep going with only one to throw it all away. It’s easy to quit, only the strong will keep going, make a marriage.” She places her pen and paper on the side table and leans forward. “So, some time away…”
Eric shifts in his seat. “Dad gave me the keys to the Dauphin Island house…how about we spend the weekend there?” He’s looking at me, our eyes locked, the hope in his wrenches my heart—he knows I’m struggling. I imagine he is too, but he’s trying to be strong for the both of us.
Half-smiling, I nod.
“Great. When you return, if you would like to see me again, just give me a call. I’d like to help you.”
“Thanks, Linda. This has helped a lot.” I stand, Eric follows and takes my hand as we leave.
We sit in the car for several minutes, taking it all in. It started out so tense, so stressful, but I feel so much better. What Linda said made sense, perhaps hearing it from someone neutral was what I needed. Turning in my seat, I reach for Eric’s hand and smile. I don’t have any words, but I want to see him, want him to feel me, my sincerity.
“I love you, Becky,” he whispers.
Nodding, I swallow. “I love you, too…Do you think we’ll be ok?”
“Absolutely.”
Chapter Sixteen
The first day back to work has been fantastic. My head is back in the game, and I’m feeling like things are on track. It’s been the worst two weeks of my life, but things are definitely looking up.
Eric and I made plans to spend the weekend at his parents’ Dauphin Island house. We’re leaving tomorrow after work and not returning home until Sunday. I’m looking forward to taking his dad’s boat out on the water.
As I approach the nursing station on my floor, I grin, taking in Dr. Lamberti in all his fineness, surrounded by three flirting, and not even trying to hide it, young nurses.
Clearing my throat as I approach, I hope to break it up without seeming like a jam-tart. Leo spins, grinning while cocking an eyebrow.
“Rebecca,” he coos, his accent highlighting every syllable. “Welcome back. You’re feeling well?” His grin softens and there is genuine concern. The nurses scatter, chittering amongst themselves like high school cheerleaders in line for the quarterback’s attention.
“Leo,” I say, cocking my head and frowning. “I owe you…Thank you for taking Eric in while we figured stuff out.”
He makes a no big deal face. “No need to thank me, we’re friends, family.”
“Well, since we’re family, I have a favor to ask…we’re taking a weekend minibreak, and I was hoping you would stay at the house with Chia. Would you?”
He chuckles. “Of course, me and my girl will have a blast.” He stops like he’s thinking something over.
“Did you have plans? It’s ok if you have someone over, just no parties.” I shake my finger at him like a protective parent.
“Since you put it that way…” He winks and turns to leave. “I’ll get a key from Eric when we meet for lunch today.”
“OK.” Watching him walk away, I can’t help but feel a strangeness—everything is different and not just with me and Eric. There is something going on with Leo—he seems, different, distracted. It must be a new conquest.
***
We made it out to Dauphin Island, both of us excited but nervous. We’ve been out on his dad’s boat all day fishing, we haven’t caught a single fish.
“This blows,” I whine as I reel in my line and toss it on deck, “we’ve been at this for hours…it never takes this long.”
He laughs, tossing his head back. “And every single time, you lose patience. Come on, Becky. Just five more minutes.”
Rolling my eyes, I tip back into my chair, close my eyes, and raise my cheeks to the sun. Aside from not being able to catch a fish, I am relaxed for the first time in days. It feels like old times—like we’re still best friends and nothing happened to tear us apart.
Eric’s eyes sparkle, he’s having fun. I suppose anticipation is something, because without it we’d be dead of boredom. Normally I love fishing, but there is something nagging at me—raging horniness and its impatient demand for satiation. It’s been eight days since we last made love—eight long days. For us, that’s an eternity…
This is huge. I was so worried that my mojo was lost forever.
I have to be willing to see past Fiona, to not let her take up any more space in our relationship. It’s moments like this when I believe it’s possible. We can do this.
“Woohoo! Got one.” Eric jumps from his chair, reeling in his catch, laughing, and grunting. I grab the net and wait beside him as he hauls his tiny fish overboard and drops the line into my net. We both stare at it as it struggles, and then we look at each other, exchanging the same look we always do.
I grab the wire cutters and snip the hook, and Eric tosses it back into the water. “Doesn’t feel right, once we catch it. I always feel bad,” I say, watching it swim away.
“You’re such a softie,” he says, laughing as he puts his arm around me. “Maybe one day we will actually get to eat our catch.”
“Gross.” I shudder, he laughs, and moves to pack away his rod and bait. Watching him, I feel something stir. That love, that intense ache that being with him brings on—the one that reminds me just how much I adore him, the one that has been absent for days—it’s back with a vengeance and I’m so relieved. Tears fall from my eyes, so I spin in my chair and look away.
Linda said it’s okay to wait, that we’d know when our moment arrives—I’m thinking that moment is now, but I’ve made him wait. Will he be game?
God!
I really want him.
Like really want him.
The tears are gone, and all I can think of is how to go about it. I’d like to toss myself at him like a flaming torpedo of horniness and just fuck his brains out. Probably my whole problem stems from forniness.
“Becky?” Eric calls from below deck. I didn’t even notice he left. “Can you come here for a minute?”
Swallowing hard, I jump off the chair and slowly edge towards the stairs. I want to jump him but at the same time I’m scared. What if he shuts me down? He hasn’t tried anything in days.
My inner conflict is settled the second I see him standing at the bottom, holding a hand out for me, grinning ear to ear. As I descend the stairs, I see it. The cabin is aglow with lantern light, a bottle of champagne, glasses, and a platter of fruit and cheese sits bedside.
Inside I’m smiling a shit-eating grin, but on the surface, my body is trembling with fear, with complete and utter desire, with…so much intense emotion, I’m dizzy with it.
“Becky, you’re shaking. We don’t have to…” He says, helping me from the last step and pulling me into his arms. Wrapping my arms around him, I snuggle in, resting my head against his chest. He smells so good, always—I invite his delicious scent to wash over me, really seep into my soul.
His hand finds my chin and raises my lips to his and that is it—I am lost—falling, literally falling. My knees give out, but he holds me up, still kissing me, increasing the intensity of it, pushing against me with all his might as my hands find their way into his hair.
What was it we were fighting about?
Why couldn’t I do this until now?
We’ve never gone so long without making love—it’s been torture.
Who knows…all I do know is this—in his arms, I am home.
Lost in our kiss, my body melds against his, I feel us moving as he backs us up towards the bed and then we fall, and an explosion between us ignites. We become a flurry of handsy movements, clawing, kissing, touching—it’s insane.
The rush is obvious, we’re both so hot for each other that it can’t possibly go any slower, until he slides into me—I’ve never been so wet, so hungry. We both stop for a second, eyes locked, breathing labored but slowing. The feel of him inside me is nothing short of Heaven, and I swear to God if he moves I will come undone.
His eyes light up as a dirty grin curves his lips, his beautiful lips…I lick mine, wanting so much more. He knows he has me. Taking my lips, he begins to move, and I don’t even think it’s one thrust before I fly over the deep end, bucking against him as my whole being explodes.
Everything stops, my heart, my brain, the world, and I crash, grinding, coming with incredible force. My legs are locked around his waist, hanging on, demanding he pushes deeper—he does and then he too explodes. We ride the wave together, groaning, pumping, grabbing on for just one more moment, one more feeling.
Rolling us, he moves me into riding position, and I go: hard, fast, furious, and unrelenting as he contorts his body to take a nipple between his lips. Fire burns a path to my hoo-hah, I grind harder as another orgasm rips through me, forcing an elated scream to blast from me.
I can’t help it.
I don’t want to.
All I want is this, us, always.
He bucks against me as I milk him, pushing hard against him, urging him to let go, to give me everything, and he does. I crash my mouth to his before he has a chance to move, and we kiss for several minutes, him still inside me, unmoving.
“I don’t want to move,” I whisper, desperate to keep him inside.
His hand raises and brushes my hair out of my face as he thumbs my cheek. “I don’t think I can.” We both laugh, but he sobers. “I didn’t think you’d ever want to be with me again.”
My heart aches as I see the fear in his eyes. “I didn’t want to hurt you, I was just…scared, I still am, but I can’t be without you…don’t ever question that I love you.”
“Becky, you need to know that you’re it for me, that there will never be anyone else…you’re the blood in my veins, my spirit, I will never do anything to hurt you again.”
“It wasn’t you, it was her,” I won’t say her name in this sacred space. “I know that you would never hurt me. Let’s just keep moving forward and never look back again?”
“I like this plan.” He kisses the tip of my nose and sits up on one elbow while reaching for a glass of champagne with the other. Pouting my lips, I toss him the puppy eyes, seriously not wanting to move, and he laughs. “As much as I love being inside you, my love, we need hydration, and we need to celebrate.”
“Celebrate,” I say as I climb off and take the glass he holds out for me. “I kinda thought we just did.”
“To us.” He clinks his glass against mine and grins. “Our love can’t be broken.”
The part of me that should, in a moment like this, grins. I think it’s convincing, but inside there is a voice twirling around my head, despite this love and the spoken words of devotion. That voice is whispering nasty things that I don’t want to hear, that I don’t want to face.
We were broken, and if it happened once…
Chapter Seventeen
Our weekend was epic, but now it’s Monday: this dreaded day just became my worst nightmare. I don’t work until tomorrow, but Eric had to go in to the office for the first time since we got back together.
I’ve been sitting at home stewing for only about an hour, but it feels like it’s been all day long. I’m anxiously waiting to find out what happens with Fiona, praying that nothing does, that she’s moved on and will leave Eric alone.
Sure, Eric said that he refuses to work with her, but I know that will likely not be the way things turn out. He’s a lawyer, and if it happens that they are assigned a case together, he will have to do it. I’m not sure how long his dad will be able to prevent it when faced with questions from the other senior partners.
Glaring at the clock, I growl. It’s not even noon, and I’m losing my mind. My phone beeps with a text and I nab it, grinning as I see Eric’s invite to meet at the office for lunch.
He knows me so well.
Guaranteed, he knows I’m freaking out and is trying to alleviate my suffering.
He gets me.
We get each other.
Suddenly excited for lunch, I send him a text, promising a picnic lunch in the park. This is the perfect opportunity for me to check out the office situation.
As I exit the elevator, I am overcome with trepidation. The last time I was in this office didn’t go so well. Trying to focus on my mission and the picnic basket in hand, I sashay over to Sharon to announce my arrival. An arrangement of red and pink roses sits atop her desk, and I tip my face forward, inhaling their perfume while closing my eyes.
“I love the smell of roses,” I say, dreamily tossing Sharon a smile. “How lovely, Sharon. Do you have an admirer?”
Sharon giggles, adjusting her glasses and straightening in her chair. “Not mine. I wish Dale would buy me flowers, once in a while. They’re Fiona’s flowers…well, she gave them to me because she has allergies.”
Raising an eyebrow, I do an inner happy dance, hoping she has moved on to someone new. I reach up and caress the silken petals and finger the card, just enough that I can catch a nosy eyeful.
Nothing compared to your beauty. E.
E.
E?
E!
Recovering at lightning speed, I turn towards Eric’s office door and prepare to head in. I swear by all that is holy, I will lose my shit if he is E.
Sharon stops me with her words. “He’s in a meeting with the partners. They should be back any minute now.”
And then I hear it, HER laughter approaching from the hall. She rounds the corner and smiles at me, as if we are old friends, and she didn’t fuck my husband.
Swallowing hard, I feel the blood drain from my face. I had hoped we wouldn’t run into each other. My mind is racing with all the things I want to say but can’t in present company. She eyes me with that same look she gave me in the restaurant, and while she stood over my diseased form in our bathroom—the one that dictates just how pathetic she thinks I am—mere dirt beneath her designer fuck-me pumps.
She’s no better than me, except that she’s evil. Well, I will not put up with her shit. Her eyes glance towards the flowers, and she grins knowingly, arching a perfectly lined brow—she wanted me to see them.
Pfft. Those flowers are not from Eric.
A: he would never send a rose blend; that’s just trashy.
B: he loves me, and I know it.
I know it.
“Nice to see you, Rebecca. How have you been?” Fiona draws as though we’re old friends.
Like she gives a shit.
A grin curls my lips, one that highlights my love for my husband. “Things couldn’t be better. Eric and I are having lunch today. It’s always interesting, Fiona. If you’ll excuse me, I need to freshen up.” I head towards the bathroom, shaking, smiling, feeling like I might have won that round.
As I’m sitting in the stall, I hear her heels clicking down the hall, getting closer and then arriving in the bathroom. I freeze, wondering what the hell to do. I’m mid-stream, so I’m stuck—me urinating is the only sound, and it’s absolutely deafening.
Her hairs swoop below the stall, she’s making sure we are alone, and then follows it up with maniacal laughter.
Sadistic bitch.
Seriously, who corners someone in the bathroom?
“He was into it, you know. He told me to come up to bed with him…I wasn’t sure, so I waited a bit. He was pretty drunk, but he wanted it, called me by name. Told me I had the most amazing breasts he had ever tasted.”
My stomach drops, my cheeks are burning, on fire. I wan
t to scream, but I can’t find my voice—my heart pounds fiercely between my ears—she must be able to hear it. I swear she’s grinning, during this awkward pause.
“His hands were amazing and his cock…yum.” She smacks her lips. “He called my name when he came—it was truly incredible—us, coming together…Well, that’s all I have to say. Enjoy your lunch.” Her heels click out of the bathroom and down the hall.
I finish and exit the stall, stunned, feeling like I just got burned.
Holy shit, did I ever.
Fuck.
She’s malicious, sadistic, deeply disturbed.
That wasn’t what I envisioned when I thought about a run-in with her. Plopping the picnic basket on the counter, I run the tap and splash cold water on my face, willing myself to pull it together.
I’m beyond rattled and can’t imagine facing Eric—not after what she just said.
I glare at myself in the mirror, gripping the counter with my hands to hold myself up. The room spins, I’m dizzy from her hateful words, words that could be true.
“Focus,” I hiss. “She wanted to rattle you. Let it roll right off your back.”
Her words twist through my mind like poison, forcing me to question their validity.
Did Eric really say those things?
Did he want it?
And the thought of his mouth on her breasts…
My stomach flips, saliva builds in my mouth. Gripping my mouth with my hands, I spin and burst back into a stall, dropping as I gag, vomiting profusely as my head spins. I’m a puddle on the floor with my head leaning against my arm on the toilet bowl, completely and utterly defeated, tears and snot pouring from my face.
Unsure of what to do, I sob until warm hands on my shoulders guide me up, pulling me into a hug. Inhaling Eric’s fresh woodsy scent, I instantly calm.
“Becky…shh, come on…I’ll take you home.” I nod and let him lead the way.
