Twisted By Desire (Lust, Desire and Love Trilogy #1) Page 18

  Chapter 21

  I received confirmations from Georgia, Candace and, begrudgingly, Jackie that they would be my wedding party. I asked Jackie to be my maid of honor. She told me the thought of organizing parties to celebrate me marrying this guy made her stomach hurt, but she loved me and would bite the bullet.

  I managed to sneak some time at work to fill out the online form for Say Yes to the Dress and got that submitted. My fingers and toes were crossed. I wanted to be on that show so bad.

  My conversations with Jeff during the evenings were kept short. He seemed to be irritated with me still. As long as I signed the paper, that was what mattered. I figured once I signed he’d loosen back up. I hoped so anyway. He was coming in Saturday afternoon and would be home for four days this time. I didn’t want four days of the cold shoulder; I wanted four nights of him taking me every way he could imagine.

  The days of the week flew by. Before I knew it, it was Friday, the day I had my appointment with Jeff’s attorney. I had no idea what to expect. I thought I’d go in, sign the paper with him as a witness, and leave, but that’s not the way he did it.

  He called in his administrative assistant to videotape what became the pre-nuptial signing ceremony. It only took about ten minutes once the video recording began, but with all the people and cameras and lighting, I thought we were shooting a commercial. There was a notary, witnesses, and the attorney, who sat near me, asking me things like, did I have sufficient time to review and consider the pre-nuptial agreement. He even asked if I had an opportunity to request changes. What changes could I have requested? Who the hell was I to ask Jeff to make changes to the agreement he had drawn up? Besides, it was straightforward enough, and nothing seemed crazy.

  He read through everything I was giving up in the event we divorced in the first ten years of our marriage. He continued to tell me that on February tenth, two thousand twenty-three this agreement was null and void, and had me acknowledge that I accepted that. He told me Jeff could sell or transfer any property without me signing or being involved. I knew that too. He asked me if I thought the agreement was fair, which I guessed I did, so I told him yes.

  The statement I thought was the most striking was when he asked if I was freely signing the agreement without any coercion or any influence by Jeff. Dude, go look at my house where Sky is living is what I wanted to say to him. I didn’t need anything to influence me more than the thought of living there again. Then he asked if there were any threats of bodily harm or any type of force used to get me to sign. Jesus, I knew Jeff had his quirks, but that would be over the top.

  Once we finished the questions, it was time to sign, which I did. When I walked out of the attorney’s office, I felt more uneasy than I had before walking in. I couldn’t help but think maybe I should have gotten a lawyer to read through that thing for me.

  I got up early and got Abby ready to go to Sky’s. Sky got Abby settled in to watch a movie after locking the front door. He had added a special lock up high on the door to make sure she couldn’t get out. He turned to me with squinted eyes and tilted his head. “What’s on your beautiful mind? You look like something’s bothering you.”

  I shook my head. “Nothing. I’m okay.”

  “No, you aren’t; something’s wrong. Tell me. Did that fuckwad do something to you?”

  My eyes prickled. Sky was the one person who knew me the best. I couldn’t hide anything from him. I had never been able to. He walked over to me and ran his fingers across my jaw-line, lifting my eyes to meet his. My nose tingled and my eyes burned.

  “Tell me, Nik.”

  “I don’t want to tell you; you’ll get pissed.”

  “I already am. He’s no good, I can feel it.”

  “I’m going to marry him, Sky.”

  “Yeah, and that’s really fucked up, if you ask me.”

  I stood in my own living room, looking around as if I were in a foreign land, as Sky grabbed my hands. “Come with me; let’s talk away from her.” He nodded his head in the direction of Abby. She was so busy watching Sponge Bob Square Pants that she wouldn’t have cared if the house was on fire. We walked through the kitchen and out onto the screened-in back porch, sitting on the same raggedy couch that had sat in his apartment living room.

  I couldn’t keep the secret any longer. I told him about the pre-nup Jeff had waved around and threw in my face, how he was forcing me to sign, and how he had hollered at me when I hesitated. A single tear streamed down my face, and Sky’s fingers swiped it away. Maybe I exaggerated a little, and I left out that I had already signed the damn agreement.

  Slowly, Sky slid off the seat and onto his knees in front of me. With a pleading look in his eyes, he begged me to come back to him. He wrapped his arms around my hips and held me tight.

  “I’m nothing without you. I love you so much, Nik. You and Abby belong here. You deserve someone who loves you, really loves you.”

  With tears streaming down my face, I said, “I love you too, Sky, but we can’t keep going on like this.”

  “Don’t give up on me, Nik. Please, don’t give up on me.”

  I lowered myself onto my knees with Sky. I wrapped my hands around his neck and kissed him. He wrapped me tightly in his arms and kissed me deeply. His tongue was exploring my mouth as if it were the first time, but the familiarity was what we both desired; we both needed each other. I ran my fingers through his hair as my core shook. I needed his touch; I wanted everything about him.

  I couldn’t help but think about how, when we had been together, love was all we needed, and I loved Sky with all of my heart. He made me weak.

  We grasped and clutched at each other with a burning passion.

  “Sky, we can’t do this back here.”

  “Come upstairs. God, I need you so bad, Nik.” The physical attraction was too fiery to ignore. We quickly walked past Abby, rounding the corner to disappear up the steps into my old bedroom. With our arms crossing each other’s, we worked at a feverish pace to remove our clothes while also tugging at each other’s garments. Our breathing was erratic, and our obsession was unwavering. We wanted each other in the worst way; right now, right here on the bedroom floor.

  Sky grasped my hair and slightly directed me downward, lowering my head to his waiting, dripping erection. Without hesitation, I cloaked him with my enthusiastic lips. I licked, sucked, slurped and choked him back into my throat as far as I could take him. I couldn’t get enough of him or his taste. His scent mixed with Dove soap was driving me crazy. What the fuck was it about Dove soap?

  Sky reached his fingers down between my legs as he kissed the top of my head. I was so wet down there, I could hear the noises my pussy was making, calling him, begging him to fill me. That made him even more rigid as his impatience shone through and was throbbing in my throat. I stroked up and down his shaft with my slightly parted lips, allowing him to fit firmly between them. As his pre-cum dripped over the ridge, I licked up his shaft to quickly retrieve it.

  “Damn, girl,” Sky cried out. His hand strummed down my face. “I missed you so much.”

  He ran his fingers across my slick pussy lips, rubbing my clit and making me moan.

  “Don’t make too much noise, Nik.”

  My mouth was full, and I wasn’t releasing him from my mouth’s grip. Sky continued to rub and massage my clit until he was able to get me to orgasm. I sucked even harder and let my teeth graze along his length as I muffled my cries. Sky jumped once he felt the teeth, but soon relaxed when I pulled back some.

  He reached back and pulled a pillow down off the bed to put under my head, then lowered me down to the pillow after removing himself from my mouth. Grasping my thighs, he pressed them back and apart as he lowered his head licking his tongue across my sex. His licks got faster, and his tongue separated my lips to allow him to sink deep into me while sliding one, then two fingers deep inside my crevice.

  I pulled him up to me, wrapping my mouth around his. As I consumed his mouth, my hands wrapped around h
is tight butt and tugged him into me.

  “I need to feel you now, Sky,” I begged.

  He plunged deep into me with one stroke, slapping his flesh into mine. His thrusts became more powerful and fast, making a whooshing sound. He had to slow down to make sure he was in control. He took my nipples into his mouth and sucked and licked around them.

  “Damn, I love you,” he proclaimed as he rammed into me -- in and out. He withdrew and lowered his mouth back down to lick me, letting his tongue reach down to my ass, flicking it fast across my tight hole before sliding back up to my slit.

  “Oh, shit,” I cried out. My sex was on fire, waiting for him to bring me to orgasm once again.

  “I can’t get enough of you.” Again, he sank his throbbing erection deep inside me. “Look at me, Nik; I need to see your eyes.” He held my head tight to the pillow by my hair.

  This time he pounded into me with force until I screamed out, “Oh, fuck me.” He clasped his hand over my mouth. My back arched, and my body quivered as I reached my orgasm. Sky found his release, and he collapsed down on top of me.

  He rolled off to my side, pulling me alongside him as he curled himself up against my back, not letting me go, his erection shrinking and still jerking inside me. He held me tight around my waist while snuggling in closer.

  Leaving Sky after the much-needed mind-blowing rendezvous was going to be difficult. Why couldn’t he have just gotten his shit together sooner? My heart ached to be with him. Every possible emotion coursed in my mind as I lay next to my ex-husband, my first love, my soul mate, trying to determine the least emotional exit strategy.

  It was impossible, I concluded; our hearts were about to be ripped apart again. Tears slid down my face and over my temple, pooling at my hair that lay crumpled under my head. I questioned if my decision was the right one, but knew I needed to leave; I had to get back to Jeff’s house -- my fiancé.

  I gathered my things and went into the bathroom to take a shower. I was careful not to look at Sky. I didn’t want him to see the tears glistening on my face. I hated that I was going to rip his heart out of his chest … again.

  Chapter 22

  I wasn’t sure if I-love-you sex or make-up sex was better, but having both in the same day made me one happy girl. I felt a little guilty about it, though. I couldn’t help but wonder if Jeff could taste Sky on me. I had taken a shower, but Sky and I don’t use condoms either. I knew I’d never tell Jeff about my sexual liaisons with Sky. If he didn’t find out on his own, this secret was going to my grave. But more than anything, I knew I had to stop all sexual contact with Sky if my relationship with Jeff was going to have any chance at all.

  As we lay in the bed, Jeff ran his fingers over my chest and around my breasts. “You know, I wasn’t trying to upset you with the pre-nup. I didn’t think you’d react the way you did.”

  “I probably shouldn’t have gotten so emotional and just thought logically. It makes sense, and I understand why you wanted me to sign.”

  “So you’re going to sign?”

  “I already did, yesterday.”

  “I’m glad to hear.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I was doing some thinking about my groomsmen, like you mentioned. How many bridesmaids are you thinking of having?”

  “Four, Jackie will be my maid of honor and three bridesmaids.”

  “Jackie hates me.”

  “Yeah,” I laughed. “She does.”

  “I don’t know why; she doesn’t know me, and I sure as hell haven’t done anything to her. Anyway, I’ll get four men. I know Connor will be my best man. I’ll probably get Jorge, Sandy, and Hunter for my other groomsmen.”

  “No Blake?”

  “No, that won’t work. I’ll go with those four.”

  “It’s your call. Make sure to confirm with them all. They have to get tuxes and shoes to match.”

  “Yes ma’am. Whatever you say; you’re the boss.”

  I pushed him on his shoulder. “You’re so full of shit.” I laughed. I knew he was trying to appease me. As much as I liked the joking Jeff better than the vicious Jeff, I didn’t want him to go over the top.

  “I have another problem to deal with, and quick,” I said.

  “What?”

  “Halloween’s coming up, and I don’t have a costume for Abby.”

  “Well, go get something. Take her to the store, let her pick out whatever she wants, and get it for her. Problem solved.”

  “Yeah, I’ll have to find another neighborhood to go trick or treating in, too.”

  “Take her by your mom’s neighborhood and then over by your old house. You’re really over-thinking this, sweetness. She’s three; do you think she really gives two shits?”

  “Probably not; you’re right.”

  “For that matter, you could buy her a bag of M&Ms and call it a night.”

  “That’s no fun.” I scowled at him. “Too bad you won’t be here to spend Halloween with us.”

  “I’m not into trick-or-treating, unless the treat I’m begging for is between your legs.”

  “You dog.”

  We got up and dressed. I had my laptop out looking at the wedding planning checklist. Jeff sat beside me as I checked off what had been done and what wasn’t going to be done. We didn’t need an engagement party. The planner would be the person from the Rusty Pelican, providing we were able to get that place.

  “I’m going to let you deal with the registry. Don’t go crazy; we have a lot already.”

  “Maybe I’ll ask for food; your refrigerator and pantry are always pretty empty.” I laughed.

  “Funny.” He gave me a sarcastic smile.

  “Okay, so here’s one for you; officiant -- who the hell’s going to marry us?”

  We looked at each other, and in unison replied, “Justice of the peace.”

  “What about the honeymoon, any thoughts?”

  “I don’t care; Hawaii, Bahamas, St. Martin, Jamaica, or Italy?”

  “I don’t have a passport.”

  “It takes four to six weeks to get one. Make sure to apply this week. When we decide where we want to go, I’ll get one of the assistants at work to set the trip up for us.”

  “Hawaii sounds really nice. Mom said she and Jim had a great time when they went. The thought of Luaus, pig roasts, and hula dancing sounds like a lot of fun to me. The closest I’ve been to Hawaii is watching the movie A Perfect Getaway.”

  “I really liked that movie, too. Your choice. Just let me know. I can’t guarantee you’ll get a chance to do all that luau roast and pig dancing stuff, though. I have better plans for our honeymoon that involve you and me naked in every nook and cranny on the islands.” He winked at me. “I think you can handle most of this other stuff without me.”

  “Not the guest list, I can’t. Start thinking about who you want to invite. When I get an idea how many people will come from out of town, I’ll check with the Holiday Inn or something for a group rate.”

  “Too much wedding talk; we need to change the subject or I’ll explode.”

  I leaned over to my side and kissed him. We needed to get more things worked out, but they could wait. He was right, most of it I could do without him.

  Sky beat me to the costume punch, which really was a big help. He took Abby to the Halloween store and got her a princess costume complete with tiara and a wand. She wore it home and looked more like Glenda the good witch from The Wizard of Oz. We confirmed he’d go to the day care center for their Halloween parade and take pictures, then I’d take her out trick-or-treating.

  It was weird having Jeff home during a couple days of the week. I’d gotten so used to him being gone that him being around caused me to get out of my normal routine. I did enjoy going in the basement and keeping him company while he worked out. His body was smoking hot. It glistened when it was dripping wet from sweat, and the muscles rippled as he did lat pull downs and bicep curls. Squats were another favorite of mine to watch. But the absolute best was the extra nights of sex.
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br />   He had left early that morning and would be back on Saturday afternoon. That would give me more than enough time to work on my planning list. First thing I needed to do when I got a break at work was call The Rusty Pelican to see if our date was available.

  Candace and Georgia were in shock when I told them the date. I hadn’t told Jackie or Mandy yet. I’d tell them after work. Same with Mom, I’d tell her later because I was in no hurry to get fussed at by any of them. I was sure all of them will run down the list of scenarios that could be prompting such a speedy wedding.

  Everything seemed overwhelming; getting ready for work, focusing at work, trying to cram this damn sixteen months of planning into four, and the verbal wars when I gave updates. And now the onslaught of holidays was upon us. Thinking about all of it made me feel like an anxiety attack was imminent. How in the hell was I supposed to keep from being fired over the next few months?

  Chapter 23

  “Have you heard anything from the show yet?” Some days, I thought Georgia was more excited about the thought of getting on Say Yes to the Dress than I was.

  “Nothing yet.” I really hadn’t expected to hear anything this soon. “But I do have good news. Someone canceled their reservation for the date we wanted so the Grand Ballroom at the Rusty Pelican is confirmed for us.”

  “That’s great. I wish you’d looked at a couple of other places, but it’s nice there too.”

  “Jeff was pretty insistent on them. He’s the one who took me there and told me about it.”

  “What’s in it for him, a discount?” We both laughed.

  After Georgia left, her question raised some of my own. Why was he so insistent on that place? Maybe it was just somewhere he had been before and he really liked it. Maybe he had attended someone else’s wedding there. Whatever the reason, I loved it, and that’s what mattered.

  When I got off work, Abby and I made our weekly trip to the grocery store. As I strolled up the produce aisle, my phone rang.