Is this a trick? Is he baiting me for an disagreement?
She chose to remain silent, waiting to see where his words were leading.
“I have never realized just how difficult a man I am until you entered my life,” he continued, his eyes still trained on the floor. “You are so lovely, so sweet and kind.”
Lucy’s head snapped upward in astoundment.
Am I hearing him correctly? Is he apologetic for how he has acted toward me?
Instinctively, she began to shake her head in protest but Monty held up his hand.
“You are such a kind-hearted woman that despite the abuse you have endured at my voice. You are willing to defend me because you know it is your duty as my wife and I have taken you for granted.”
She eyed him cynically for a moment, unsure of if he was speaking in truths or if she was possibly still at the mercy of a trick. His face registered no guile and Lucy almost fainted with joy.
“Oh, Monty,” Lucy cried, rising from her chair, his black jacket falling to the chair with her action. “I have longed for you to love me for so long!”
“I know,” he murmured, outstretching his arms for her to fall into his chest. “I do not deserve your patience but I finally see how wicked I have been and I am begging you for your forgiveness now, if it is not too late.”
“No,” she murmured, arching her neck back, their lips almost touching. “It is not too late. I am forever your wife.”
For the first time since they had met, Lucy genuinely saw love shining in his ebony orbs and she closed her eyes as his lips met hers softly. Slowly, as their mouths explored each other, Monty began to slip her damp gown down toward her feet where it fell in a sodden puddle on the floor. She reached up to meld her fingers into his thick, dark hair, pulling him closer as if daring him to use more force. Yet Monty did not, unlacing her bodice unhurriedly, his lips drinking away the still moist beads of rain on her succulent skin. Lower he dropped her undergarment, leaving her standing before him nude and wanting for him as she never had before. Eagerly, Lucy reached for his trousers but Monty did not allow for the action, gently pushing her hands to her sides. He dropped to his knees, his tongue encircling her erect nipples.
“Oh,” she moaned quietly, vaguely aware of how close others were to them but her inhibitions had disappeared at the reality of having found her husband at last. His mouth slipped over her taut stomach, into the clef between her legs.
“Oh!” she cried, in surprise, trying to move his face away but Monty seized her buttocks firmly in his palms, placing her onto the desk, her thighs spread deliciously open for the taking. Monty plunged into her creamy depth, relishing her moans as he explored her sweetness. She straightened her arms against the desk, her full breasts rising and falling at Monty’s thick tongue in her center. Her body bucked upward, his licks increasing intensely, kitten-like cries escaping her in in short breaths. Before she could climax, he rose to his feet, his trousers about his knees and pushed himself into her center.
“Oh, please!” she begged him. “Please do not stop!”
“Shh,” he whispered. “I will never stop again.”
Never had Lucy experienced what happened to her body as explosions rocked from her core, gushing endlessly against his throbbing shaft. His hands found her firm rear again, pulling her tightly toward him as he thrust, his own climax nigh. Burning seed coursed through his member, intermingling with Lucy’s flow of nectar, the two caught in a frenzy of passion, the likes of which neither had ever felt previously. Certain that the stream of ecstasy would not end, they succumbed to their bodies until finally, all which remained were two quivering, sweating forms.
“I love you,” Monty whispered to her and Lucy thought her heart would follow the suit of her loins, erupting in happiness.
“I love you,” she murmured, her heart never feeling so full again. They lay in one another’s arms a moment until Monty pulled back, his dark eyes glittering with an expression she did not comprehend. Monty pulled himself from her and before Lucy knew what was happening, she was face down against the desk, her cheeks pressed firstly to the cold wood.
“Wh – “
“Shh,” Monty purred again, his fingers teasing her crevices. His digits were soaked in a combination of their juices but it did not stop him from dipping in and out slowly. Waves of shock zipped through Lucy’s spine as she realized that her husband was not finished with her. The semi-hard tip of his member pressed against her tautness and he was inside her, instantly growing at the feel of her tight hole. Moaning quietly, Lucy reached for something to grip as Monty slid in and out of her in short, hard jabs. His hand lifted her thick blonde hair from her shoulders and he bit her tender skin. Yelping, Lucy felt another rush of pleasure spill through her and over Monty’s shaft, her perfectly formed rear arching into his stomach. Harder he jammed himself, his grip tightening inadvertently around her hair. Yanking the tresses back he used her waves as a rein, guiding his manhood toward release while Lucy clawed hopelessly at nothingness, her sweat laden stomach slipping her further toward the edge of the table. Prepared to explode, Monty’s pleasure was abruptly cut off as a loud yell could be heard from the main part of the building.
“Do not move or I will shoot you both!”
Monty stared at Lucy, his face aghast. Quickly, he withdrew from her, pulling his trousers around his hips and pushing the shade back from the window. He peered out into the entranceway and turned back to Lucy, his face stricken with worry. She had twisted around, her body still quivering from the activity it had undergone. His next words confirmed her suspicion, causing the blood to drain from her face.
“We are being robbed,” he whispered.
Chapter Eight
“Stay here,” Monty ordered in a hushed voice, shooing her under the mahogany desk and tossing her wet clothes after her. “Put your clothes on and do not make a sound until help comes.”
“Where are you going?” she cried and he pressed his fingers to his lips.
“Shh,” he urged. “I must check on the men and the money.”
“No!” Lucy hissed. “You could be endangered!”
“I must,” he replied gently. “Do not worry. I will keep my wits about me.”
To Lucy’s chagrin, Monty strode off, having hastily buttoned up his pants and slipped out into the bank.
“You!” the robber yelled. “Who else is in there?”
“No one,” Monty replied with his usual arrogance. “What do you wish?”
The door closed, their voices muffled to Lucy’s ear. She haphazardly threw her garments back onto her trembling body and waited for a moment. Unable to contain herself any longer, she crawled out from under the desk and along the floor, worried that her shadow might be seen in the shade should she rise. With ease, she pulled the door slightly ajar and watched the scene in horror. The robber wore a black bandana pulled about his face and he waved his pistol at the three men in his hostage.
“You,” the burglar ordered at Charles. “Lock the door. And you, manager, open the vault.”
“That I cannot do,” Monty replied, a slight smirk upon his face. The robber turned angry.
“You will do it or you will die,” he retorted. The hairs on the back of Lucy’s neck began to rise as she realized something horrifying.
“I cannot. I have only one key. You will the head teller to supply the other key and he is not due to arrive until closing time.”
The criminal seemed at a loss for a moment. He shrugged indifferently.
“Ah, well, then I shall merely settle for ending your life, Mr. James,” he replied. He took aim but before he could fire, Lucy screamed.
“Jared no!” Jumping from her spot behind the wall, she flew toward them and he gasped at the sight of her.
“Lucy, what are you doing here?” he demanded. Lucy was flooded with a feeling of sick knowing that her suspicion was correct.
“Jared, why?” she moaned, standing before him. “You are on a mission from God! Why wo
uld you do such a horrible deed?”
Jared scoffed, lowering the bandana from his face.
“You are very lovely, Lucy but so naïve. Do you suppose that the pathetic donations your fellow parishioners throw at me help to cross the seas? Do you have any concept of how much money it costs to build churches and gather missionaries?”
Appalled by not only his confession but his ability to use the church as his justification, Lucy grimaced.
“Others have done it without stooping to such an incredulously low level, Jared,” she snapped. “This is sinful! Robbing from the people who have been helping you!”
Jared smiled cruelly.
“People like you, Lucy?” he drawled. “Have you been helping me?”
Lucy glanced guiltily at her husband whose eyes were trained on the pistol in the would-be robber’s hand.
“Of course! I have spent tireless hours canvassing donations for the cause,” she replied, a slow blush grazing her cheeks.
“That is not what I mean and you are well aware. You have been leading me along with promises of a future together,” he spat. Lucy shook her head vehemently.
“I did no such thing!” she cried. “I have always told you that my place is with my husband!”
“Yes, but you still made eyes at me and spent day after day in my company, making me believe that you did not love him.”
“No!” she protested but inside, she was wrought with shame.
Had he construed it as such? I never said anything of the sort to make him believe such a thing.
Then she recalled her promise to herself, the one which she would flee to China with Jared. She was overcome with self-disgust.
How could I have been so foolish? To think such a way of a stranger I had only just met.
“Jared, you must go,” she pleaded. “Leave Boston. We will not notify the police, right Monty?”
Monty looked into her terrified eyes and nodded slightly.
“No, we will not. Be gone and do not come back,” he replied, sighing. Lucy exhaled. She knew that was not what her husband wished to say but had done so on her silent plea. Jared laughed mirthlessly.
“Oh, Lucy, my darling. I did not come here only to get the money,” he chortled. “Again, you are so simple in your thinking, so childlike.”
Lucy blinked, cocking her head to regard him, apprehension building in her stomach as she understood the deep threat which they all faced.
“If not for the money, then what?” she whispered. The criminal approached Lucy, his mouth curved into a jeering smile. Without warning, he kissed Lucy on the mouth, a sloppy, wet affair which caused her to cringe. She turned to look at Monty with regret but his face reflected only concern, no anger.
I cannot believe I once thought his mouth was attractive, Lucy thought with consternation. How could I have been so wrong about him? If we survive this, will Monty ever forgive me?
“Did you just shudder? At my kiss?” Jared demanded incredulously. He shoved Lucy away and she landed on the floor.
“You can kiss that pompous pig but I make you shudder? To think, I almost thought you were the woman with whom I was meant to be. You are just as disgusting as all the other women. A hussy, a whore.”
“Do not call my wife a whore!” Monty replied hotly, his face crimson with anger.
Jared shook his head, raising the gun once again.
“You all deserve one another. I came here to finally rid you of the burden of your husband, Lucy. I thought with him out of the way, you and I could finally be together. But he was never the problem, was he? The problem was always you! And the only solution to that problem is this; I will rid myself of you.”
Without hesitation, Jared cocked the gun and fired once at her face.
Chapter Nine
“By the sweat of your face, you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Amen.”
There were only three people at the service; Monty, Lucy and Reverend Jacobs.
“I do not know why to wish to attend,” Lucy had protested when Monty had insisted. “I assure you he is dead. You killed him before he managed to murder us all.”
“You say so, darling, but I have little recollection of what occurred before I fell unconscious. I would very much like the closure of seeing him laying in that wooden box. I will not force you to accompany me but I must do this for me.”
Reluctantly, Lucy had agreed to join her husband, understanding his reasoning. It was the least she could do; he had saved her life, throwing himself between the bullet and her aghast face. Before Jared could react, Charles and Burt tackled the gunman simultaneously, the weapon landing inches from Monty’s hand. Bleeding profusely, Monty grabbed the firearm, putting three rounds into Jared’s chest before collapsing atop his screaming wife.
The couple turned away from the grave where the undertakers were lowering Jared’s body and Monty took her hand.
“Are you well?” he asked quietly. “You seem quite pale.”
She nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. She was a vile compilation of emotions. The shame she felt would not diminish, as if she was responsible for all that had occurred.
Was all this my doing? Monty being shot in the stomach, almost losing his life to protect me? Jared dying because he believed we had a future? How could I have stopped this? What could I have done?
As if he could hear her thoughts, Monty stopped walking and placed his palms on either side of her face.
“You did nothing wrong. You acted decently, honestly and lovingly, the only way you know how. He was not of sound mind. He had robbed six banks prior to this one and we have learned that he has never gone on a mission anywhere. He is a flimflam artist, darling. It is his profession to make you feel as though you have done something amiss. You did not.”
Somewhat comforted by his words, she smiled weakly and accepted the gentle brush which he gave her lips with his mouth.
They made their way back home and Lucy went to make some tea. When she returned to the sitting room, Monty was looking out the front window, a pensive expression upon his face.
“Darling? Is everything well?”
“Yes…” he replied slowly.
She set the tray on the table and joined him on the sofa.
“What is it?”
“I saw you walking with Jared the day of the robbery,” he told her. Lucy felt her heart begin to race.
“Is that why you were being so kind to me?” she demanded, slightly disappointed.
The only reason he decided to behave well is out of fear that I would leave him for another man. He did not wish to be humiliated in such a fashion.
“No, Lucy. I had realized the error in my ways prior to that. I had come home the previous night with flowers but you were nowhere to be found. I know now that I had driven you so far, you were seeking out the company of anyone who would speak kindly toward you. And rightfully so.”
“Why are you telling me this if not to make me feel ashamed?” Lucy snapped.
He has not changed. With Jared gone, he will continue to act in precisely the same fashion as he did before. Jared was correct; I am a naïve fool.
“Because before I had seen you with him, I thought that perhaps you were becoming distant because you were with child.”
Startled by the revelation, Lucy stared at him, mouth agape.
“You believed me to be pregnant?”
He nodded, finally meeting her eyes. His face showed deep sadness and Lucy suddenly understood.
“You are not, are you?” he asked.
“No,” she replied and he nodded, looking at his hands. Lucy took fingers and put them under his chin so their eyes met.
“No, not yet,” she told him. “So, we must try as many times as possible to make it so.”
Her rosebud lips broke into a generous smile and Monty grinned back, pulling her into his lap as she squealed in delight. Their eyes met. Now Lucy only saw love and
desire in Monty’s eyes, emotions she thought she would never find in her husband. They had finally found one another and Lucy would never let him go. Their lips met and they shared a sweet kiss. The future was full of promise.
Promised To The Devil
~Bonus Story~
A Historical Arranged Marriage Between Enemies
To preserve their stellar public appearance, the Carters and Andrews families decide to marry their children together in hopes of saving their jewellery store. Emmaline Andrews is aghast by the notion of marrying the son of her father’s enemy and Roman Carter is just as unhappy not having a say in his own future. The two find themselves at odds with each other and barely speaking. One fateful morning, Roman has had enough of the charade and does something which unleashes the floodgates of passion in both him and his new bride.
The two are torn between wanting to explore their feelings for each other and remaining loyal to their fathers. Their only hope for happiness is that their fathers can finally reconcile their differences but by that point will it be too late for love?
* * *
Chapter One
“At this point, what other recourse do we have?” Genevieve asked, an urgency in her voice. “They are becoming more incorrigible with each passing day and matters are becoming direr.”
“They will not be happy. They both adore their fathers. They are apt to think the other is the devil,” Iris replied tightly.
“Be that as it may, they are our only hope.”
The woman abruptly stopped speaking as the sound of hooves approached their ears.
“Surely, Oscar cannot be home already,” Iris said worriedly, glancing at her friend. Without hesitation, Genevieve gathered her skirts and rose from the wrought iron table. She leaned forward and kissed Iris’ cheek before disappearing around the side of the house silently, not a moment before Oscar Andrews came storming into the courtyard.
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