B00BR2BOUU EBOK (21 page)

He gripped me tightly, stood up, and began to unbutton my
denim capris as I panted from his oral exploration of my chest. I stepped out
of them after they fell to the ground. Then he scooped me into his arms and
gently laid me back on the sofa. We paused momentarily, and looked deep into
each other’s eyes. Here we were at the beginning of our relationship, freshly
discovering each other and the burning passion that came with that process. It
was not only hot, but exciting and new. However, the exchange of looks and
feelings between us defied normality, because what progressed more dominantly
was admiration, acceptance and comfort—comfort that a couple who had been
together for many years would display. It blew me away, the level of connection
we shared. It was just inconceivable. And as if he was thinking the same thing,
he lightly kissed the tip of my nose and slowly stood back.

I sat up and watched him with delight as he unbuttoned his
jeans and removed them, exposing his highly desirable body, a body I both wanted
and needed as close to my own as much as humanly possible.

“Bryce, you render me speechless.” He dropped to his knees,
opened my legs, and slid me forward on to his ready and waiting erection;
making me exhale in relief that we were again joined as one. Our eyes watched
each other’s intently as he slowly thrust his pelvis back and forth. I could
feel every inch of him as he glided in and out, satisfying the yearning
sensation within me. I put my arms on his shoulders and pulled him in for a
kiss, he obliged bringing me onto him as far as I could go, forcing me to gasp
aloud as his length reached farther inside me than ever before.

He stopped moving and held me completely still, allowing me
to engulf him entirely. It was utterly raw and pure. And savouring each other
by mouth and eye contact only added to this sexually precious moment. Our
motionlessness seemed to last a long time and the anticipation of when he would
resume his pelvic thrusts was killing me.

I pleaded with him. “Please, Bryce.”

“No, Hunny. I don’t want my cock to leave you.”

“I know, my love, but you’ll be inside me of me again.” I smiled
seductively at him, but I could feel felt his doubt. “You will, I promise. Now
please, give me your bloody sauce.” He smirked, and began thrusting until I was
vocalising my climax, forcing him to collapse on my chest and rest his head on
my shoulder. I held him there until our breathing returned to normal. “You’ll
be back, Bryce. You belong inside of me.”

CHAPTER
FIFTEEN

Both of us were up bright and
early the next day. Bryce had cooked me breakfast in bed accompanied with roses
and a gorgeous little gold and diamond ring with a star on it. He had placed
the ring around my knife and fork and waited patiently until I had made the
discovery. It hadn’t taken me long because the diamonds had caught the light,
sparkling brightly and revealing the ring’s hiding place. I picked the ring up
to inspect it.

“It’s to remind you of me
when we are apart.” He seemed a bit shy. I’m not sure if it was because of the
ring itself or the fact he was giving it to me for a specific purpose. This
gift of jewellery seemed very different from the other two.

“It’s beautiful, Bryce. I love
it, but I really don’t need anything to remind me of you, you are permanently
tattooed on my heart and in my mind.” He seemed happy with my response and the
shyness he possessed moments ago vanished. “Thank you, it means a lot to me.” I
put it on and found that it fit perfectly causing me to smile even more. “So,
Mr Astrology Teacher Clark, what is this star called?” I asked, batting my eyes
at him.

“Ms. Summers, this is a very
special star. It’s known as the Brylexis” I giggled and he shrugged his shoulders.
Oh my goodness he is just perfect. The Brylexis! He’s combined our names to
form a star just for the two of us. Now I’m the one in need of medical
assistance for heart failure, because he just made my heart well and truly stop.

“Oh Bryce, that’s so beautiful.”
I got up on the bed, crawled across it and placed a soft peck on his lips.
“Thank you. I love it.”

“You’re welcome, Hunny.” He
held me tightly, and I could tell he didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want him
to either, but ahead of me was one of the most difficult and exhausting days I
would ever endure. I had to step out of this wonderful romantic world, and back
into reality to face it. He pressed his lips firmly on the top of my head then
released me. “Now, I have a few things in my office to take care of...So I’ll
let you get ready, my love.” I watched him leave the room, then fell back onto
the bed holding my hand up with the ring glistening beautifully on my finger. I
shook my head in disbelief, and then headed for the shower.

***

The welcoming hot water ran
over my body as I thought about what the next few hours would hold for me. Of
course I was nervous, apprehensive, and anger fuelled, but as a result of
Bryce’s revelation yesterday, I now possessed a sheen of clarity. The pictures
were fool-proof, they were what they were, and Rick could not deny them, not
that he would because he confessed in the first place. I guess all I wanted to
discuss with him was why he couldn’t have come to me first, before having a
fucking affair and to tell him to pack his shit and get the hell out of our
house until we sorted it out.

I dried myself off and got
dressed in a pair of jeans, knee high black boots, and a tight grey tank top.
There was no real need for makeup, so I only applied a gloss for my dry and overly
kissed lips. Looking around the room, it dawned on me as to just how at home I
had made myself, or more to the point, how at home Bryce had made me in his apartment.
I loved it here but there was no place for my children. So I was saddened at
not knowing when I’d be back to stay.
Don’t worry about that, Alexis, you
will sort everything out
. I sighed disappointedly and walked out of the
room dragging my small suitcase behind me.

***

It was just after 8 a.m. when
I walked into Bryce’s office. He was at his desk buried under a pile of paper
work.

“Wow, the price you pay for a
few days away.” He looked up and cocked his head to the side. I loved the signs
he displayed when I had a positive effect on him, they were a clear indication
that the little things that made me who I was, were what he liked and
appreciated the most.

“A price well worth it,
Hunny. Are you ready to go?”

I pouted. “No, but I have to.
On a more pleasant note, I will see you in less the 24 hours.”

“It’s not soon enough.” He
looked a bit flat, it was probably a combination of me leaving and the
extensive amount of business he had to attend to. I walked over to his desk and
sat my arse on top of it squashing his paper pile.

“Maybe you could sneak in
through my bedroom window tonight?” This suggestion seemed to cheer him up, he
raised his eyebrows and I could see he was definitely contemplating it.

His phone buzzed, interrupting
our top secret rendezvous. He hit speaker “Yes, Abigail?”

“Mr. Clark, you wanted me to
notify you if Mr. Summers entered the building. Well, he has and is on his way
up now. Do you want him stopped?” My eyes widened, and I instinctively jumped
off the desk, taking a few steps toward the door. I think my initial intention
was to lock it, but that would have been ridiculous.
Why has he come here? I
don’t want to see him here, then again I have Bryce as support. No Alexis, you
don’t need Bryce to hold your hand. Regardless, he’s here now so you might as
well deal with it.
I turned to Bryce and shook my head indicating to let
him come.

“No Abigail, it’s fine. Thank
you for letting me know.” We both stared at each other, even he looked anxious.
“Do you want me to stay here or wait in the apartment?” He asked, concern
etched across his face.

“Stay here. Oh, unless you
want to wait in the apartment?”

“No, Hunny, I want to be here
with you.”

“Okay.” I started pacing the
office in small steps.

“Alexis,” he got up from his
desk, “just remember I love you more than life itself. We belong together and
there is nothing I wouldn’t do, nothing...” The door flung open and Rick came
barging into the room. When he saw me, he stopped his raging bull facade and
calmed down, almost switching personalities instantly. He purposely walked
toward me, taking no notice of his surroundings or the fact that he had just
entered Bryce’s office uninvited. Rick was not an arrogant man, he was usually
quite humble. I wouldn’t exactly call him placid or subdued, but he would
normally be reserved and respectable. These were qualities that most men didn’t
possess, they were qualities that had attracted me to him and as it seemed now,
they were qualities he did not own anymore.

“Alexis, Babe, we need to
talk.”

“Don’t Babe me. You gave up
that right.”

“Maybe? Maybe not?” I looked
at him stunned.
Maybe not? Are you for real?
He moved toward Bryce, I
think he did it to deliberately place himself between the two of us. “Your time
is up, Bryce.”
What?
He’d been in the room only seconds and I could not
fathom his attitude, let alone what he was saying. My volcano of bubbling rage
was now at the point of eruption.

“His time is up? I can’t
believe you, Rick. Is this just a game to you? It has nothing to do with time
or him. Do you think that after spending one week with Bryce, I would forgive you
for cheating on me? One year, let alone one week would not be long enough for
me to ever forgive you.” The tears started to well in my eyes, but I refused to
let them fall. Instead, I screamed at him with all the anger I had in me,
allowing the lava of fury to spill out. I didn’t hold back, I didn’t want to. “I
can understand the fucking temptation of another, Rick, believe me I can...But
to screw her, then lie, and cover it up for five years is just unforgiveable.
You are a lying, deceitful piece of shit, and I can no longer stand being in
the same room as you. You should have had the decency to come to me before
fucking her if you wanted to break it off. After all you and I have been
through, you should have at least done that.” I kept my eyes fixed on his. I
wanted him to see what a pathetic excuse for a husband I really thought he was.

“Alexis, it’s not what you
think Babe. Let me explain.” He was still speaking in an arrogant, flat and
obnoxious tone, even after what I had just said to him. At that point Bryce
moved from behind his desk, I don’t know if it was the fact he didn’t like to
hear Rick call me Babe, or if it was because he wanted to get closer to me. I’m
guessing it was probably both.

“Okay, Rick, explain to me
why you chose a little whore over me? Come on, I’d like to hear it.” I put my
hand up to my ear then crossed my arms in front of my chest. He took a step in
my direction, which made me take one away. “Don’t even think about it Rick,
stay the fuck away from me.”

“I didn’t cheat on you.”
Oh
for fuck’s sake. Really Rick? Does he really think I am that naive and stupid?
I actually felt pity for him, pity at the fact he was grasping at straws. My
anger subsided only momentarily, and I dropped my head in my hands.

“Rick, just stop lying. I
have pictures, proof that you cheated.” I walked over to Bryce’s desk, picked
up the folder and shoved it into his chest. “You might lie, but they don’t.”

He opened it up, but what
followed was a slight expression of relief which confounded me completely.

“It’s not what it looks like.”
Oh please!
  “Claire is obsessive and crazy. She was fixated with me and
wouldn’t take no for an answer. Lexi, she set this whole thing up. Look.” He
eagerly pulled some smaller pictures out of his pocket and handed them to me “Here
are all the pictures taken that day, not just the ones she gave this dickhead.”
He gestured to Bryce without looking at him. I reluctantly took the photos he
was offering, it wasn’t that I believed him, I was just curious as to the story
he was trying to conjure up. The first picture was of her waiting in his office
on her own, then of Rick walking in. The one after that was the same one I had,
where her arms were around his neck and his on her hips. I looked up confused
at him.

“They are the same Rick, how
does this prove she set you up?” He nodded to the photos.

“Just keep looking,” he said
casually. The following one showed Rick with his hands on her hips but pushing
her away from him. In this one you could actually see his face and it was not
happy. The one after that was where he was holding her face while they were
kissing, but what followed that one showed Rick pushing her face away in
disgust. The photos after that pretty much showed her leaving with that
satisfied look on her face, and Rick being angry and distraught. My legs gave
way from beneath me and I fell onto the sofa. Bryce came round to my side and
took the photos from me so that he could assess Rick’s claim for himself.

“I don’t get it, Rick.” I was
now more confused than ever.

“She is sick, Lexi. She came
to me five years ago with the exact same photos she gave him, and then she threatened
to show you them and tell you we were sleeping together. I managed to persuade
her it was not worth it as life would then become quite difficult. After all,
her parents are your parent’s close friends. She chose to give up and leave
quietly, but before doing so, I requested copies of all the photos in return
for me helping her find another job. You see, Babe? I didn’t cheat on you, I
never would. I love you, I always have, and I always will.” I was completely
lost. The clarity I had felt this morning had now pretty much flown out the
window, and instead a murky, cloudy, puddle of ‘what the fuck’ had replaced it.
Rick touched my arm, making me flinch.