He kissed my lips. “Oh, same as usual here. We had the board meeting yesterday, and Leo came down for it.”
“How did that go?” I asked, eyes wide. When my husband’s boss came down, it usually didn’t mean he had good news.
“Fine,” he said, waving me off. “He just popped in. I want to hear about you. Did they love you? Are they going to stock the products?”
I grinned, nodding slowly as I allowed the smile to spread across my lips. “Yes, and I’ve got big news.” I squealed. My lovely, oblivious husband believed I analyzed investments for the ultrarich, connecting them with startups and products I believed could make them a ton of money, the most current being a skincare line that was being handcrafted in Hawaii. He didn’t need to know the truth about what I did. A bit of mystery was good for the marriage, I liked to think.
“What’s that?” He patted my bottom, finally releasing me and moving to pick up my bags.
“This deal was the last on my books for a while, which means we finally have the time to go on our trip. If you have the time, that is.”
His brows raised. “Really?”
“Yep, I’m officially done until the fall.” I pressed my lips to his as he passed by me, then turned to follow him up the stairs. “When do you think we’ll be able to go?”
He sighed. “Soon. Maybe next month. I’ll have to call Kyle, Matt, and Dan to see when they plan to take off. Roman will just work from the resort.”
I nodded. “I already talked to Eve. She said they’ve been waiting for us to say we’re ready for months now, and Amber and Matt will probably work while we’re there too, so the only one we’ll have to worry about is Josie and Dan, but they should’ve been preparing to take off.”
“Yeah, they’re who I was thinking of… I know he had a rough year last year, so I’m hoping they’ll be able to come up with the money.”
“You know Dan. He always finds a way,” I said, shrugging off the suggestion that he’d pass up the opportunity for our annual trip.
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. Last Dan mentioned it, he said he was trying to close six million in April to get the rest of their portion saved up. I never heard if he had. I’m sure he’ll just liquidate something if it really comes down to it.”
I felt my stomach clench at the possibility of not going. Money had never been an issue with our group before. If, for some reason, anyone didn’t have the money put aside, it would mean we’d have to wait even longer to go. I wasn’t sure I could take it. I needed to get out of this town. Out of this house. I needed to go.
Noticing my silence, he stopped walking, turning around in the middle of the staircase and looking at me. “It’s going to be okay. You know that, right?”
“I know,” I said, not bothering to hide my disappointment. “I was just excited to go.”
He set the bags down carefully and took me in his arms. “I’ll tell you what, even if they can’t go, me and you… We’ll go away for a few days. I may have to work while we’re there, but we can spend our evenings relaxing and having a drink by the water. Just like our honeymoon, right?”
I smiled at him, unable to suppress the tears I felt forming. “You mean it?”
“Of course. You’ve worked so hard to close these latest deals and plan our trip. You deserve a rest.”
My eyes widened. “You really think we could make two trips this year work? What about the firm?”
“I can and will work from anywhere, and I’ll delegate as much as possible.” He kissed my nose.
“Are you sure?”
He squeezed me tight. “Anything for you, my darling wife.”
I grinned, resting my forehead against his lips. I wasn’t worried. My husband had always taken care of me, and I didn’t, for a second, doubt that he’d do the same now. After a moment, he let his arms drop from my waist and led me into the bedroom where he dropped my bags on the bed and pulled me in for a long kiss.
I loved the way he tasted of the cinnamon candies he loved so much, the way he kissed me, the way he held me. I pressed myself into him, reaching behind my neck and grabbing at the tie that held my jumper up and tugging it loose. As I felt it come undone, he tensed, breaking our lips apart. He smiled at me sadly.
“I’m sorry.” He slid his phone from his pocket. I was relieved to realize it wasn’t—as I’d thought—my undressing that made him tense, but rather his phone going off, though I hadn’t felt it vibrating. As he glanced at the screen, I knew the disappointment on his face. “I have to take this, babe. I’m sorry.” With that, he kissed my head and walked out of the room. “You’ve got Barrett,” I heard him call from the hallway.
I tied the straps back around my neck with a sigh and opened my suitcase, beginning to unpack and sort through what would need to go where. What sort of homecoming was this? I’d hoped to be able to spend time with him upon my arrival, rather than him having to go straight to work. I knew how busy he was, and I wasn’t a clingy wife—we both had our businesses to attend to—but I couldn’t hide the disappointment. I missed him.
Once the bag was emptied, I carried my makeup and hair products into the bathroom and put them away carefully, waiting for Barrett to reappear so we could resume what had been so rudely interrupted. He hadn’t seen me in five days; I was desperate to be with him again.
Sure enough, after a few moments, I heard the door open again and heard him call my name.
“In here!”
His footsteps tapped across the hardwood floors, and he reappeared in front of me. I knew from the moment I saw his eyes that the news wasn’t going to be good.
“I have to go into work,” he said.
“What?” I demanded, standing up from where I’d been on the floor, sorting through the various hair oils beneath my sink.
“I’m sorry. It shouldn’t take long. Maybe an hour at most. I just have to sign a few things.”
“And it can’t wait til tomorrow? Or be done electronically?”
“I’m afraid not,” he said. “Trust me, if there was a way to make it work so I didn’t have to leave you, I would do that.” He reached for my hand, and I placed it in his, standing up and resting my chin on his shoulder. I didn’t want him to leave. I just wanted to be with him.
“I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.” He kissed the side of my head. “I promise I won’t be gone long. And when I get home, I’ll draw you a bath, and you can tell me all about your trip. How does that sound?”
I nodded, but it was halfhearted. “Fine.”
He placed a finger under my chin, pushing out his bottom lip. “Come on now. No pouting allowed.”
I rolled my eyes at him playfully.
“Hey, while I’m in, I’ll tell my secretary to clear my schedule for the week after next, okay? I’ll convince the others to take the time off, and we’ll head out. What do you say?”
“Really? You mean it?” My eyes lit up.
“You’re not the only one who can negotiate around here,” he confirmed, kissing my nose. “Okay, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you in an hour.” He grabbed my bottom with a fiery stare, his gaze raking over me. “Don’t take a bath without me.”
With that, he released me and rushed from the room, already back on the phone. “Ryan, I want you to get Billy Higgins on the phone…”
I heard his voice grow fainter as he descended the stairs and made his way across the first floor and outside. When I heard the front door shut, the house practically quaking with its force, I sighed.
I’d already begun planning the trip in my head, sorting through destinations and travel plans. I could already feel the sun on my face, hear the ocean, feel the wind blowing through my hair. I needed the trip more than I realized. If Barrett couldn’t convince the husbands, I’d have to put in a call to the wives.
I nudged the cabinets closed with my foot and walked back into the bedroom, grabbing the envelope of cash from my purse. Then, I lifted the edge of the mattress and removed the small silver key from
its hiding place.
Next, I walked across the room and toward the small sofa that sat a few feet in front of our bed, directly in front of the television. I leaned it forward and flipped it over. On the bottom was the space Barrett had hollowed out to place our small, metal cash box inside of. I removed the tape securing it in place and used the key to open it, staring down at all of the cash. Saved up over time and kept out of our accounts. Cash from bonuses he’d made at work. Cash from cons I’d pulled. It was exhilarating. Looking at numbers on the screen of our banking app was one thing but this…this was different. Cold, hard cash I could smell, touch, hell…roll around in it if that’s what I wanted to do.
If I counted it, which I often did, I knew it would all be there.
And now, with the fifteen thousand I was adding, it would be complete.
Our annual splurge.
A sort of slush fund for our vacation each year.
One million dollars.
The trip of a lifetime.
The chance of our lives.
Her scent overwhelmed me, her bare skin pressed to every inch of mine.
“Why do you have to leave?” she begged, trailing a finger across my bare stomach and underneath the covers. I felt her fingers wrap around me, making me rethink my decision. Maybe I could stay. Maybe I could tell my wife I’d had to work even later than planned.
Instead, I looked over at her, the beauty beside me, and smirked. “I have to get back home, you know that.”
“Barrett,” she whined, in a way I couldn’t help finding sexy. “Please. Stay with me.” She pressed her lips to mine, and I tasted myself on them.
I closed my eyes, wanting desperately to find a way to stay, but I couldn’t. For a brief moment, I lost my senses, but regained them just as quickly. “I can’t keep her waiting much longer. She almost came by the office last time and found out I wasn’t there. We were too close to getting caught.”
She tucked her cheek against her shoulder, staring up at me with doe-like eyes. “Would it be that bad if we were caught? That would mean we could be together. Your wife would finally know the truth about everything…” Her hand hadn’t left the place she’d put it moments ago, and I felt myself hardening under her grip. “About us.”
“It would, Jessica. It would be the worst thing. If my wife knew about you, about us, she’d ruin me. She’d get half of everything—my company, my fortune, I’d have to sell the house and split the profits. I can’t let that happen.”
“So this is all there is for us?” She was heartbroken, and I couldn’t blame her. Given the chance, I would’ve walked away from my wife and chosen Jessica years ago. But I didn’t have the choice. We’d been young, dumb, and in love when we’d gotten married, and I’d felt sure a prenup would come across wrong. Now, I was paying for that. It wasn’t like we were happy anymore. She knew it. I knew it. But she was sticking around for the same reason I let her. A divorce would be devastating, financially, to the both of us.
I reached down, forcing her to loosen her grip. “I will tell her about everything. I promise you I will, but I need time to figure out how to do it. These things are delicate.”
She stared at me as if she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t argue. It was what I liked about her most of all. She never argued. Didn’t nag. She’d have questions. Requests. But never arguments. I was in complete control with her.
Unlike my wife who needed to have control over every aspect of our lives.
“I hate having to sneak around,” she said, rubbing her cheek against where she lay on my bicep.
“I do too,” I admitted.
“When do you think it’ll end?”
“I wish I knew…”
“I love you, Barrett,” she whispered uncertainly. “I love you so much. I’m terrified you’re lying to me. That you’re never going to leave her.”
I rolled over, running a thumb across her cheek. “Hey…” I whispered, willing her to look at me. “I love you, too. You know that, don’t you? I’m crazy about you. I always have been. From the moment you walked into my office. Sitting across from you every day, sitting across from you and being unable to touch you, was torture. And now, having you not there is even worse.”
“So tell your wife and spare yourself some torture. It’s your company. You’re rich. Hire the best lawyer and take it all back from her.”
“You don’t understand how this works. I can’t just take it all back. We’re married, and there’s no prenup. Her name is on everything, too. I have to be careful with the way I approach it.”
She blinked, studying me. “You’re scared of her.”
“I’m not scared of her,” I argued. “I’m scared of losing the life that I’ve built. Because if she knew about you, she’d take everything. More than that, I’m scared for you.”
“Scared for me? Why? Is she dangerous?” she asked, furrowing her brow.
“Not physically, maybe, but she is powerful. I wouldn’t put anything past her. I just need you to be patient with me, okay? This will have to be enough for now,” I said, but she didn’t respond right away.
“I’m not afraid of her,” she said finally, then pressed herself up so she was resting on her elbow. “I mean it, Barrett. If you want…I could help you get rid of her.”
I swallowed, because there was no hint of a joke in her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
Once she’d told me, I almost regretted asking.
Almost.
Chapter Five
When Barrett got home from work, I was, as he’d requested, unshowered. I had taken off my clothes and dressed only in a silk robe. I’d been lounging on the bed, watching a reality show and drinking a margarita when he walked into the room. His body was heavy with stress, his shoulders slumped, but when he saw me, he straightened. His eyes trailed the length of my body, and the right side of his mouth turned up.
“Welcome home,” I said, batting my eyelashes at him as if I didn’t know what the fuss was all about, though I recognized the hunger in his eyes. I placed my drink on the nightstand. “How’d it go?”
“Fine,” he said, kicking off his shoes and walking toward me. He grabbed my hand and tugged me toward him. I obliged, shimmying myself onto my knees and crawling across the bed. I sat in front of him on my knees near the edge of the bed and grinned, toying with the string on my robe.
“I waited for you,” I said. “Like you told me.”
The scarlet of his cheeks deepened, and his eyes filled with hunger. “I see that…”
I placed a hand carefully on his chest, leaning forward to kiss him. The kiss was soft at first, then filled with urgency and passion. My husband’s desire was insatiable, as was my own. It was why we’d fit so well together for so long. We’d never grown tired and boring like most couples. A week apart, a week without sex, was enough to drive us to insanity.
He gripped my shoulders and tore the robe from them, taking in the sight of my bare body as if he were trying to decide which side of a steak to cut into first. I was a feast for him, the whole meal. But he’d savor it. Like always. There was no need to rush anything.
He reached for my legs, pulling them out from under me carefully and running his palms up my calves, then thighs, and finally resting them on my hips. He gave a tug, letting me fall backward so my legs were spread in front of him, my hair splayed across the comforter. I was his for the taking.
His hand traveled from my hip to the space between my legs, teasing me as I felt his gentle touch, never breaking eye contact. I let out a moan of ecstasy as I felt his fingers slide inside of me, and, at that, he lowered his mouth to meet them.
I closed my eyes, lost in the moment of pure pleasure, allowing my husband to take care of me in every way.
An hour later, we wore satisfied grins as we lounged under the bubbles in our Jacuzzi tub. My legs draped across his, and he gripped my calf, resting his head against the back of the tub.
“So, they’re wanting us to move to Oklahoma?
Really?”
He nodded slowly. “They need someone to move to Oklahoma for six months. Ideally, for them, it’d be me, just because I have experience getting the other branches open and up and running, but I don’t think they’ll force it. I told them I wanted to talk to you.”
I eyed him, one brow raised. “What’s even in Oklahoma?”
“Um, cowboys, maybe?” He chuckled. “Cows…”
“What if you say no?”
“They’ll find someone else,” he told me, but there was hesitancy in his tone.
“What happens if you say yes?”
“It would be like a six-month paid vacation. The company would pay for our flights and accommodations while there. We’d get meal stipends and per diem on top of my salary. Then, once the six months are up, we’d come back home and return to normal.”
“A six-month vacation?” I toyed with the idea. “Did they tell you where we’d be staying?”
“I’d imagine either a hotel or a short-term rental, but we haven’t discussed the specifics. I wanted to talk to you first.”
“But…you want to take it.” It wasn’t a question. I knew the look on his face. His discussing it with me was merely a formality.
“I want…to do a good job. To get the bonus that’ll come along with it. To get a free vacation.”
“A vacation to Oklahoma,” I remind him. “It’s not exactly a sought-after destination.”
“Hey, if it was Key West, I’m sure Leo would be going himself. I agree Oklahoma isn’t exactly on my bucket list, but it’s a chance to see another part of the world, stretch our legs a bit. And there are cities in Oklahoma. And an airport. If you need to get out for work, you’ll be able to. And…it’s only six months.”
I tucked my chin into my chest. The truth was, there was nothing holding me there. Barrett was my life. I had friends, ladies I met for yoga or ran errands with, and then there was Eve, Amber, and Josie—the wives of my husband’s friends, women who were nice enough, who I could spend an occasional night out with, but we had nothing longstanding. Except for our yearly vacations.
The Missing Page 4
