Chapter 4
Four
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
I did not just watch my son’s very naked girlfriend come.
Oh yes, you did, you piece of shit.
Thoughts of Rhys storming into my home office at any second to shout at me have me pacing, whiskey tumbler in hand, as I try to process what just happened.
She must think I’m disgusting.
Two minutes pass. Then five. Ten. Twenty.
All the while, my heart beats erratically in my chest, thumping its way to a heart attack. Its message is loud and clear: It’s been a nice life. You can die now that you just willingly stayed and watched as your son’s girlfriend got off while he was fucking her.
Fucking hell.
I toss back another three fingers while I wait for the inevitable shitstorm that’s about to fly through the house.
But it never comes.
Did she not tell Rhys ?
After half an hour passes with no sign of life in the house except for River playing his video games in the basement, I settle at my desk and try to busy myself with work.
I try to focus on anything other than how Lucy looked with a thin sheen of sweat coating her skin as she rocked her hips.
Or her soft moans that crept through the thin walls of the pool house.
Or the way she didn’t break eye contact when she saw me watching.
The way she didn’t fucking look away when she realized.
Was it my imagination, or did she widen her legs when she came a second time?
Fuck.
No.
I can’t try to rationalize my way out of this. How will I ever be able to look her in the eye again?
Light knocking startles me from my thoughts, the soft tapping quiet enough that I assume it’s River. “Yeah?” I call out, like I usually do to permit my kids’ entrance into my private space.
Shuffling papers as the door opens, I glance up for a mere second to see what my son wants before jolting with shock at seeing Lucy in the doorway. She’s dressed, her cheeks glowing with a post-coital flush.
Or perhaps she’s just as embarrassed as I am.
“Hi,” she greets quietly, gently closing the door behind her as though she’s trying not to make a sound.
Words fail me as I watch Lucy walk further into my office, looking everywhere but at me.
Her hair is a tangled mass of natural waves that dried haphazardly after her earlier dip in the pool, and she’s making more of a mess of it as she idly twists the dark copper strands around her finger. “Listen… I?—”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m so sorry.”
We stare at each other for a beat, then speak simultaneously once more.
“What are you sorry for?”
“Rhys and I never should have done that in the pool house.” Her cheeks must burn from how pink they are.
The tip of her index finger is purple from how tightly she’s winding her hair around it.
Lucy continues to stare at the floor, directly in front of my desk, as she confesses, “I knew we should have gone upstairs. I’m sorry that we were in a place where River could have seen us.
It was completely irresponsible, not to mention disrespectful. ”
I blink. “Lucy, I?—”
“Please… don’t, Lawson.” Her face scrunches in a wince. “It’s embarrassing enough as it is.”
I nearly let out a groan at the sound of my first name on her lips. I was really hoping to hear her say it in some capacity, but definitely not under these circumstances.
With a nod, I lean back in my chair. “You two are adults. It’s none of my business. As long as you’re being safe…” I trail off as Lucy’s face pales, expression glazing over as she gets lost somewhere in her mind.
Inwardly, I curse. If Rhys wasn’t on my shit list for his little outburst earlier and the shit he said to Lucy about her weight, he sure as hell is on it now.
“It’s fine. I’ll take care of it,” she whispers so softly that I barely hear her. “Your desk is a mess.”
At the abrupt change of subject, I shake my head in confusion.
“What?” I glance down at where she’s pointing.
“Oh. Yeah, I don’t have time to organize files.
My assistant ended up on maternity leave earlier than expected.
I’m afraid she will have quite the mess to sort out when she returns. You should see my actual office.”
Lucy leans over the rich walnut and cleans up a stack of papers, looking completely at ease as though what happened forty minutes ago never occurred at all.
The way she so effortlessly exists within my proximity after we locked eyes when she was in her most intimate state baffles me.
“I could help out? I’m really good with organization. ”
After what just happened, she wants to spend more time with me?
I open my mouth to say the exact thing that flits through my mind but snap it shut so the words can’t escape. After a few seconds, I ask, “Don’t you have Nationals coming up?”
She peers at me from beneath dark, thick lashes. “Yes, but I don’t have a job. We have two-a-day practices right now. I could come between them and do a few hours of work until you’re caught up.”
Unwillingly, and so goddamn against my wishes, my cock hardens again as I stare at her. “You’d want to do that?”
Lucy nods, the apples of her cheeks tinging pink again as she bites the left corner of her bottom lip. The same corner she bit to stop herself from crying out when she got off the second time. “I don’t mind helping out.”
The weight of her statement hangs heavily between us as her hazel irises slowly travel the length of my body. She’s still leaning over my desk, and I know she’s got a clear view of the effect she has on me.
Is she doing it intentionally? Or is she just curious?
She’s your son’s girlfriend. Put an end to this now , Lawson!
There’s nothing to put an end to. You’re imagining it.
While the proverbial angel and devil on my shoulders argue, Lucy stands upright, her freckles a stark contrast against the pretty flush on her face. “I should get home. Let me know if you want any help.” She retreats immediately from my office without allowing me time to process what just happened.
“What the fuck was that?” I whisper to myself, completely mystified by the redheaded beauty.
I rap my knuckles against Rhys’ open door. He’s lying on his bed, texting away on his phone with a surly scowl.
“Can I have a word?”
“What?” he asks flatly, not looking away from the screen.
On my way down to the basement, I debated mentioning that I saw him and Lucy in the pool house. Not that I saw them, but just that I know what goes on when they’re alone in there. But my son isn’t stupid. He knows I know, and he doesn’t care.
Besides, I don’t want him bringing it up with Lucy later because I’m a coward and wouldn’t know what to do if she confessed that I watched her come.
Charlotte’s right. I do need to get laid.
“We need to talk about the bullshit you said to Lucy earlier.” Crossing my arms, I lean against the doorframe. “I raised you better than that, Rhys. You don’t talk to women that way.”
“Relax, Dad. She had, like… five cookies. You know that shit isn’t good for you.” He continues to ignore me, and the need to cross the room and throw his phone against a wall flares brightly inside me.
“So the fuck what? Nationals are coming up. She said the squad is practicing twice a day. She needs the energy. If she wants the damn cookies, let her eat the fucking cookies. Jesus Christ, you sound like your mother.”
My son rolls his eyes. “I apologized. Lucy is hot as fuck, and she knows it. My little comment isn’t going to send her on a trip to bulimia town. Besides, it’s none of your business what goes on between Lucy and me.” He sends me a pointed glare. “She’s not your concern.”
“He’s right. Calm down, Lawson. Rhys, your father is just upset because she’s the only one who actually likes his cookies.
And I think maybe he likes her a little too much.
” Charlotte’s whiny voice cuts through our conversation as she appears behind me.
I didn’t even hear her approach, silent and slimy like the snake she is.
Rhys sits up as she nudges past me to wrap her arms around him. “I just wanted to come give my big guy a kiss and a hug goodnight.”
My lip curls in disgust at her display. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I don’t even try to hide my resentment for her from Rhys at this point.
Charlotte wasn’t always this ugly. Before we had money, she was a kind, caring mother and the best wife a man could ask for. But everything changed as soon as I started making more deals at work and climbing the corporate ladder.
They say money is the root of all evil. But I honestly think the root of all evil stems from humans' raw need to prove themselves worthy. To whom? I have no clue. I suppose everyone is different in that aspect.
Even I fell prey to it.
We have three homes, multiple big toys, and enough wealth that my kids won’t need to work if they don’t want to—not that I’d ever admit that to them.
But the need to prove myself a worthy provider for my family drove me to work the hours that I do, which in turn pushed my wife into the arms of another man.
“Nothing is wrong with her, you jackass,” Rhys mutters, scowling at me before he pulls something up on his phone and tilts it her way. “And mom is right, you’re a little too nice to Lucy. It’s weird.”
Disgust rolls through me as Charlotte settles on the bed next to him, laying her head on his shoulder as they watch the phone screen, dismissing me without another word. I’m not sure if it’s because of their flagrant behavior or because my son has noticed my obvious proclivity for his girlfriend.
After checking on River, I retreat back to my office. It’s the one place I know Charlotte won’t bother me. My conversation with Lucy replays over and over as I pull up a work folder on my laptop and try to distract myself.
I remember the way she stiffened when I mentioned them being safe, a clear sign they didn’t use a condom. Is that normal for them? Does she let him inside her with no barrier often, even though they both know there’s a risk of her getting pregnant?
Charlotte and I strived to make sure Rhys never felt like a mistake, but I know firsthand what an unplanned pregnancy does when you’re straight out of high school. My oldest son’s arrival put a wrench in every plan I ever made for myself.
Lucy said she’d take care of it, but I highly doubt Rhys will accompany her. And she shouldn’t have to be subjected to the scrutiny of the pharmacy clerk due to her age.
Sighing, I scrub my face with my hands. “Fuck.”