Wanting It All (The Passion Series Book 1) (3 page)

‘Why didn’t I listen to her?’

And the biggest irony of all?  Brianna had actually planned on telling Jake to take a hike today, but after the heated argument with Tiff, Brianna had stormed out of the salon office and straight into his comforting arms. He’d been lurking outside the door and no doubt heard their entire argument and was more than happy to provide Bri some solace, especially since he and Tiffany hated one another.

In all honestly, Brianna can’t really blame Tiffany for being so anti-Jake.  After all, Tiff had a front row seat to all of the totally fucked up things Jake did to Bri during the two years they dated.  It was Tiffany who had to help pick up the broken pieces of her friend each time Jake had torn her down, both mentally and physically. In addition to frequent verbal lashings, Jake’s sexual style with Briana had become increasingly rough. By the time Bri had finally been ready to end things with Jake, he had started to include borderline violent sexual play and discipline.  Jake tried to pass it off as a BDSM lifestyle, but Tiffany characterized it as domestic abuse and often tried to convince Brianna that she was being battered.  

While Bri never had to seek medical treatment, there had been several close calls when Jake’s use of his favorite implement – the cane - caused long-
lasting bruises and welts. It was only after Jake had stolen her away for a Valentines Day weekend to send her home with dozens of open cuts across her butt, upper thighs and breasts that Brianna had finally come to her senses and dumped him.  His continued refusal to allow a safe word for her safety was the final straw, and that weekend all of her screaming and begging to stop had gone unheeded.  It had taken her weeks to heal physically and even longer to heal emotionally.  Tiffany had been sure to throw the ‘Valentine’s Day Torture’ into their argument that morning when she expressed her fears not for Bri’s marriage, but for her safety as well.

Knowing she can’t avoid it any longer, Bri calls the salon. Tiffany has obviously been waiting for her number to pop up on the Caller ID.

“It’s about time you phoned in,” Tiffany answers angrily. “While you were out fucking around, your
husband
called here twice looking for you. Damn you for putting me in this position.  I love Markus, and I hate having to lie to him.”

Brianna’s face flushes with shame.
“What did you tell him?” Surely Tiffany wasn’t so upset with her that she’d told him the truth?

Tiffany lets out a long sigh. “The first time I told him you were with a client and couldn’t be disturbed, but when he called back again saying he couldn’t reach you on your cell, I knew he wouldn’t keep buying that.  How could you do this to him, Bri? Or to me?  I was maid-of-honor at your wedding.  Do you know how much I hated lying to him and telling him that you’d left to go to the gym to work out?”

Brianna releases the nervous breath she’d been holding. “Thank you so much for covering for me, Tiff.  That was a good idea about the gym. Did he believe you?”  She can hear the quaver in her voice.

“Of course he believed me,” Tiffany replies accusingly. “He’s a great guy who has no reason to think I would ever lie to him.  And for the record, I really resent being drug into this.”

“I’m so sorry, Tiffany.  Truly, I am.  You’re right.  I’m a total idiot to cheat on Markus, especially with Jake.  I promise you.  Today was the last time.”

“I wish I could believe you, Bri.  I truly don’t know what the hell Jake has that makes you willing to risk so much, but it’s clear you have no will power when it comes to him.”  She pauses before asking softly, “Did he hurt you today?”

Now it’s Bri’s turn to sigh.  “No. Not really.  Not in a bad way, although I’m worried he left some marks that may not fade before Markus sees them.  He promised me he wouldn’t do anything to leave a mark and then the asshole whipped me with his belt.”

“Okay, okay.  That’s a bit TMI.  You’re more than welcome to share the gory details of your sex life with Markus, but I prefer not to think about you and Jake together.  It just pisses me off.”

“Fair enough.  I hate to ask another favor of you after you’ve done so much already for me today, but can you close up the shop after the last appointments tonight?  I’d planned on coming back, but Markus left me a message that his big case wrapped up today and he’s coming home early and we’re going out to dinner and a club tonight.  I need to head straight home if I hope to beat him there.”

“Bri, I told you that Jason and I were planning on going out tonight,” Tiffany wearily replies.  “I’d actually hoped to be out of here already.”  Before Brianna can even try to pressure her, Tiffany continues.  “We were just going out for dinner so I’ll call him and tell him I’ll be a bit late.  I’ll stay, but Bri, seriously - you really do owe me big this time and not just for working late.  I mean it.  This is the last time I’m covering for you with Markus.  He’s too great of a guy to treat like this.  He’s drop dead gorgeous.  He’s rich, powerful and successful.  He loves you so much and has done nothing but treat you like a pampered princess since the day he met you.  He doesn’t deserve this.”

“You’re right, Tiffany.  I love him so much and I love you.  I swear.  Today was the end of Jake.”  Brianna’s resolve is strong as she makes this commitment to her best friend.   Tiff is right. She’s been an idiot.

“I really want to believe you Bri, but I’ve heard it before.  You’re going to nee
d to prove it to me now, kiddo. Go out tonight. Have fun with your husband.  Spend some time trying to be more honest with him about what it is you need from him that he isn’t giving to you.  Give Markus a fighting chance to fill that need that’s driving you to a creep like Jake.”

“I’ll try.  It’s not the easiest conversation to have.  Markus is the antithesis of Jake.  I really appreciate how much he loves me and pampers me, but sometimes… well, damn it… sometimes I just want him to come home, drag me into his home office, whip my panties down and take me hard and fast over his huge desk while he spanks my ass nice and hard with a ruler.  Is it crazy that I’d rather have that than candles, wine, and rose petals?”

Bri is relieved to hear her friend’s laughter on the other end of the phone. “I get it.  I really do.  Gentle certainly has it’s place, but even us liberated twenty-first century women need to be dragged back to the cave and claimed by their caveman every once in awhile.”

“That’s the hard part for me, Tiff.   I would change it if I could, but there’s no denying it.  There is some part of me that needs to be dominated at home and in the bedroom.  Having to ask for it or tell Markus what I need defeats the whole purpose.  What really sucks is that Jake is too
rough
and Markus is too
soft
.  What I need is a happy medium.  Does that make me selfish that I want it all?”

“No, it doesn’t make you selfish at all, but here’s the thing Bri, and there’s no getting around it.  You. Are. Married.  And to a really great man who loves you very much.  He’s almost everything you ever wanted in a man.  You need to open up and talk to him about this and see if you can mold him into what you’re missing.  If you don’t, you’re going to wake up one day and find you’ve lost him.”

Brianna considers her friend’s advice as she inches forward in the Friday afternoon Chicago traffic-jam.  “Maybe your right Tiff.  If I want it all then I’m going to have to be brave enough to try to talk to Markus about this again.   The thing that gets me is that I’ve seen him in action at work. He’s the most kick-ass defense lawyer in the whole Chicago metropolitan area.  It’s a big part of what attracted me to him.  He’s so powerful and demanding in his professional life.  He exudes this yummy ‘I’m in control here’ attitude in literally every part of his life except with me.  It’s driving me nuts.  Last Friday night we drove around for twenty minutes trying to decide where to go to dinner because he didn’t want to choose something I wouldn’t like.  I ended up choosing Denny’s just to piss him off.”

“Hey… I like Denny’s!”

“Well, I do, too! But not on a Friday night!  Hell, I think we were home and in bed before ten. And no, we didn’t even have sex.”

“Ouch! That bites.”

It’s Bri’s turn to giggle. “I wish he would bite! At least it would be a start.” 

“Very funny.  Hey, I’ve been hiding back here in the office for too long now.  I need to head up and get things moving along so we can get closed on time tonight.   Seriously.  I love you Bri and I hope you listen to me because I know you.  Hell, sometimes I think I know you better than you know yourself.   You need to make things right between you and Markus and quick.  Don’t wait.  Talk to him about it tonight.  It sounds like you’re going to a great restaurant and then out dancing.  Drink enough to get tipsy.  It’ll make you brave enough to bring it up.  Just don’t get so drunk you spill the beans about Jake, okay?”

“Thanks again Tiff.  I’ll call you tomorrow to let you know how it goes, okay?”

“Sounds good.  Bye”

“Bye Tiff.”  Brianna takes a minute after she hangs up to give silent thanks for having Tiffany in her life.  She honestly doesn’t know what would happen to her if she ever lost her best friend.  Tiffany is right. Tonight’s the night she’s going to broach the subject again with Markus.  Brianna has to find a way to explain her needs to him without freaking him out completely.  She loves him too much to ever be unfaithful to him again. 

Thirty minutes later Brianna is finally pulling into their three-car garage. Just as she feared, Markus’s Audi is already home.  She takes a deep breath before grabbing her gym bag from the back seat and heading into the house.

‘I can do this.  Keep it cool, Bri.  He can never know.’

Markus is lounging at the island in the middle of their gourmet kitchen.  He’s engrossed in something on his iPad as Brianna comes in from the attached garage.  The sight of her handsome husband takes her breath away.

He’s in a tailored dark navy suit paired with a crisp white linen dress shirt that looks as fresh now as it had at six this morning when he’d left for the office.  One of the things that Brianna has always admired about her husband is his strong work ethic. He’s never late for work. In fact, on days he has court he gets to the office early. This morning had been especially important, as he had to deliver the closing arguments on the case he’d been working on for months now. 

The only indication that Markus has begun to relax is the loosened tie above the collar opened just enough to expose his chest hair, that and the almost empty bottle of Heineken sitting in front of him.  Brianna assumes he must have arrived some time ago if he’d had time to drain one beer already.

“Hi, honey,” Brianna says, breaking the silence. She tries to keep her tone light and playful. “So sorry I’m late.  I can’t believe you beat me home tonight.  That hasn’t happened in… well… like never.” 

After purposefully dropping her gym bag on the counter nearby to help lend weight to Tiffany’s cover story, she makes a beeline to Markus to give him a kiss.  She’s ashamed to find herself almost desperate to have him hold her.  She knows she doesn’t deserve his comfort, but she’s still shaken up by the events of the afternoon, and while she’s fully aware that it’s hypocritical to seek his gentle assurances, she greedily recognizes how much she looks forward to his warm embrace at the end of each day.   

When he remains engrossed in his iPad, Brianna finally reaches out to gently run her manicured fingers through his thick, dark brown-black hair. This gets his attention, and when he looks up at her, she takes in his intense brown eyes and the five o’clock shadow that seems somehow out of place for a man in such an expensive suit. 

His face breaks into a smile as he reaches for Bri and pulls her close. She inhales his scent, which is absolutely yummy with traces of his expensive shampoo and body wash. She flinches when he grabs her still-
sore ass to pull her closer. She can feel the outline of his semi-hard cock pressing into her stomach as his legs circle around her body, trapping her tightly against him.

Sweet relief washes through Brianna’s mind and body.  Like a bright light being illuminated in a dark room, a flash of certainty hits her in that moment.

‘
This feels right.
Here in Markus’s arms is where I belong.’
  

She pushes her crushing regret aside long enough to acknowledge what she needs to do.  She’s learned two critical things today in her tryst with Jake.  First and foremost is that she truly loves Markus. 

Second, that she needs to be more open with him about her needs. As hard as it will be to discuss with her husband, she has to find a way to help Markus understand how much she wants… no
needs
… to be spanked like a naughty girl
.
It excites her to imagine Markus walking in the door and demanding that she strip naked and fall to her knees so he can face-fuck her before spurting hot cum all over her face and tits.

Brianna is jarred away from her naughty thoughts as Markus finally pulls out of their embrace.  She pulls back just far enough to be able to look into his expressive eyes.  With the height of the barstool he’s sitting on, they are eye-to-eye.  For a brief moment, Bri catches a look of sadness in his eyes, but it’s gone so fast she tells herself she was mistaken. He reaches out to run his strong hand through her long, thick brunette hair, wrapping his fingers around the nape of her neck while he strokes her cheek with his thumb gently.

“Hi, sweetheart.  How was your day?” 

‘
Damn, his voice is sexy.’

“I think the important question is how was
your
day?  So you won the big case?  I’m so proud of you.  Tell me all about it.”  

She doesn’t want to talk about her day, because anything she’d say would just be a lie. And she truly does want to know how the closing arguments had gone since this case was so important to him.

Markus smiles. “Well, today was one of the most rewarding days in my career so far.  I nailed the closing arguments and I was able to get my clients completely acquitted of all of the bogus charges that had been brought against them by two women looking to ruin them and their business.  I’m still a bit surprised that the judgment came back so quickly.  I thought for sure this would drag into next week.”

“Why would it?” Brianna asks. “You’re such a talented lawyer. Of course this jury found for your clients so quickly.” She pauses.  “Hey, what made this client so important to you though?  You’ve been really wrapped up in this case, but you haven’t told me too many of the details.”

After taking the final drag from his now empty Heineken, he answers. “Well, first of all Lukus is an old friend of mine.  We’ve known each other for years and when he came to me for help, I wasn’t exactly sure we’d be able to win his case.  He and his business partner were both being hit with a bunch of bullshit allegations.  I just knew I had to try to help and as it turns out, your husband is really a kick-ass attorney because I was able to put together a rock-solid defense that the jury obviously agreed with.”  His voice turns ice-cold with an almost vengeance as he finishes.   “It helped that I was able to destroy the credibility of the women bringing the charges against them. I’m thinking they are very, very sorry they ever went up against me and Lukus.”

Brianna shivers slightly. “Wow, remind me never to cross you.  You just gave me the chills there with that tone of voice.  I’m glad you’re on my side.”  

She feels a surge of fear as it dawns on her that is the side of Markus she might see if he ever found out about her fucking around with Jake.

He continues on, oblivious to her train of thought.  “Yes, you’re lucky I’m on your side. So where were you today?  I wanted to talk to you when I left court and couldn’t reach you on any of your numbers.”

Brianna swallows hard as she tries to remain calm. She has no choice now but to lie.

Brianna gently turns towards the refrigerator, pretending to look for a drink so she doesn’t have to face him.

“I didn’t have my cell phone with me in the massage room so I missed your call there and then since I didn’t have any more appointments for the day, I just decided on a whim to head to the gym for a workout.  I was telling you last week that I’ve put on a couple pounds and I finally felt motivated to do something about it.”    

She’s surprised at how easily the lie flow
s from her mouth, but she has no choice. “You want another Heineken or something to eat?”  When he doesn’t answer, she looks back at him and sees him simply staring at her. His expression is unsettling.

He stands.
“Sure. I’ll take another beer, but let’s not snack. Remember, we have reservations at Hugo’s tonight.  I’m looking forward to appetizers there.”

“Great,” she says, pulling a bottle from the fridge. “I think I’ll just take my beer and head up for a quick shower and a change.”   

Markus moves over to Brianna now and reaches out and to touch her still damp hair.  “It looks like you already took a shower at the gym.”

They are already staring into each other’s eyes and this time she knows she has no choice but to look at him as she lies. “Yeah, I did, but I could be talked into taking another shower with my husband if he would have me.  It’s been awhile since we showered together.”   The words are out of her mouth before she remembers the welts that Jake’s belt had left across her butt and upper thighs.  They are almost certainly not faded yet and Bri’s heart rate has skyrocketed while her offer hangs in the air.  

Her eyes must betray some of her fear because Markus breaks into a smile. “Thanks for the offer, but the look on your face tells me you’re not actually crazy about the idea. I’ll try not to get my feelings hurt.”   Markus reaches out for the Heineken and his iPad. “I’m going to change.”

Brianna sinks down into the now vacated barstool with relief after he’s gone, ignoring the dull ache of her recently punished ass.  She knows she just dodged a major bullet.  Taking a good long drag of her own beer, she realizes she’s going to have to coordinate her getting dressed for dinner carefully to avoid being seen naked. She can only hope that the marks will be gone by the time they get home much later tonight after dancing at the club. 

Only then does she realize she’d forgotten to press Markus on where they were going tonight.  They so rarely go out dancing and never just the two of them.  They almost always go clubbing with a larger group of their friends. She isn’t going to complain though. Brianna loves to dance and since she really has put on a couple of pounds, dancing will be fun, sexy exercise she can hopefully follow with some sinful sex with her husband.

e

They’re almost ready to leave for dinner forty-five minutes later.  Brianna had successfully navigated getting ready while keeping her backside hidden. She’d realized when she’d looked in the mirrors that the welts may take days, not hours, to fade.  They’ll be difficult to hide and serve as another reminder of why she can’t see Jake again.

She’s making the final inspection of her little black dress in her full-length mirror when Markus comes in to see what’s keeping her. In spite of her three-inch heels, six-foot Markus still looms over her. 

He reaches out and wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her curvy body back against his hard, muscular frame.  Once again, Brianna is thrilled to feel his over-sized cock already getting hard against her ass.  She breaks into a naughty, knowing grin as she wiggles her derriere, making sure to tease his growing erection.  

To her delight, Markus leans in to plant a wet, open-mouthed kiss before gliding his lips down to where her neck meets her shoulder blade. She shivers at the sensation, and her husband’s face break into a grin as he finally releases her.

“I love how you always shiver when I kiss you there, sweetheart.  Maybe I should give you a nice big hickey to let everyone we run into tonight know that you’re mine? You look so hot, I wouldn’t want anyone to try to steal you away from me at the club.”

Before she can recover, Markus reaches into the pocket of his sports jacket, and Brianna’s eyes light up at the sight of the extremely expensive diamond necklace he removes and drapes around her neck.  Their eyes meet in the mirror as she holds her long, thick hair up so he can work the clasp.  He gently places several small nibbles and kisses along her sensitive neck. After securing the necklace, he reaches back into his pocket to produce matching teardrop earrings and a tennis bracelet.  

It touches her that he’s selected the jewelry she’ll wear tonight. Each piece has been given to her for the last three anniversaries. Tonight would be the first night she’ll wear the whole set together.

After placing the sparkling jewels on his wife, Markus takes a step back to look at their reflection in the mirror again and she watches silently as the look on his face turns almost feral with lust. 

Almost absent-mindedly, he reaches out slowly with his left hand to lift the hem of her already short skirt up to reveal the sexy silk stockings and garter belt Bri is wearing under her little black dress.  Simultaneously, he grabs one of her firm breasts with his right hand, taking time to pinch the already alert nipple through the thin material.

Brianna moans in pleasure as she leans back against the full length of her husband, laying her head against his broad shoulder as he slides his hand up her thigh and pushes aside the crotch of her lace panties to finger the wet lips of her pussy. Brianna studies their reflection as she places her hands on his strong arms, silently telling him how much she’s enjoying this rather uncharacteristic groping of her body.  Their eyes are boring into one another’s in the mirror, lust clearly showing on each of their faces.  Only when Markus surprisingly inserts two fingers deep into her pussy does Bri close her eyes and allow the sudden wave of passion to fully wash over her.   He’s forcing his fingers almost painfully deep and it only takes a minute of his probing fingers against her g-spot before she’s on the brink of coming all over his hand. 

It surprises her when he whispers against her ear. “Such a naughty girl tempting me into sex before we even leave the house. I think you need to wait until later before I let you have your fun.”  Brianna gasps with disappointment as she feels him quickly withdraw his talented hands from both her pussy and her tender breast all at once.  Her eyes fly open in time to see an almost evil look of satisfaction on Markus’s face. “I’m going to enjoy watching you squirming in your seat all night tonight, sweetheart, knowing how horny you are and knowing you’ll have to wait for your reward.” 

Without another word, he does something he’s never done in all of their time together.  While continuing to study her reflection in the mirror, Markus lifts his now cream-drenched fingers to his wife’s lipstick covered lips.  She searches his eyes for confirmation of what he’s wordlessly asking her to do. Only when he leans in closer and quietly orders her to “open up” does she comply.

Brianna’s heart is thumping in her chest at this sudden display of dominance from her normally gentle husband.  For a second she nearly panics; has he found out about Jake? Then she’s distracted by the taste of her own musky juices as he slides his fingers into her mouth. She moans as she laps them clean. Bri doesn’t know what’s gotten into her husband, but she hopes it’s here to stay.
Then suddenly Markus steps back and addresses her as if nothing unusual has just happened. “So it looks like we’re both ready.  Shall we head out?  I don’t want to be late for our dinner reservations.”