Chapter 6
R ival.
My wife surprised me.
By eight forty-seven Sailor was parked in my driveway yanking a suitcase from the trunk of her SUV. I watched briefly from my bedroom window before I was jogging down the stairs to assist, when I knew she was likely going to deny any help I offered.
Once I was behind her and reached for the largest two suitcases, she surprised me again by offering a smile and no rebuttal when I lifted both.
She only removed an oversized duffle from the back seat and trailed me into the house. She followed me up the stairs to the room next to mine, which I spent the last week furnishing. There was now a queen bed, new mattress, bedding, dressers, and matching wardrobe. It cost me more than I wanted to spend, considering my goal was to have Sailor in my bed, but I had to make the effort.
The room also had a fresh coat of paint, new blinds, and a vase of flowers sitting on the bedside table.
“You might not have been sure of the time but you had faith I would show.” She dropped the duffle on the floor next to the bed and leaned over the flowers, inhaling deeply before her fingers traveled over the petals.
“I choose to hope for the best with people?”
“Even me?” She smiled smugly.
“Especially you.”
For the next few minutes I watched her walk around the room, exploring before she settled on the foot of the bed. I leaned against the dresser directly across from it when she folded her hand in her lap.
“Well I’m here, so now what?”
“That’s up to you.”
She glanced over her shoulder and her eyes perused my body. “We could break in my new bed.”
I smiled slowly. “As much as I’d love to be inside you again, I don’t think sex is the best place for us to start.”
“Why not? As much as you’d love to be inside me again, I’d love to let you.”
I chuckled, raked a hand over my head, and pinched the back of my neck. “Our sexual chemistry is not the area we need to work on.”
“We don’t need to work on anything. I promised you a year. That’s what I’m offering, but nothing about his situation is real, Rival. Just the consequences of our actions but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of this year we’re stuck with each other.”
“I’m not stuck with you, Sail. I’m choosing to accept you as my wife.”
“Right and you’ve told your family about me?”
I shook my head. “Have you told yours?”
“My siblings know but I haven’t told my parents. If this is so real to you, why wouldn’t you have told your family?”
“My boy Jairo knows. He was one of our witnesses but I’m sure you don’t remember.” I smirked and she rolled her eyes. “And my mother is very traditional, which means she will be offended that she wasn’t part of this in some way and definitely pissed that she wasn’t here for the ceremony.”
“Which means your mother hates me already and we haven’t met yet.”
I smiled at the perplexed look on her face. She seemed bothered by the idea of my mother hating her but I didn’t read too deeply into the idea. Sailor was a bit selfish but she was a good person. I didn’t take her as the kind to kick puppies or take candy from small children.
“She won’t hate you. Knowing my mother, she’ll dump all the blame on me, especially since she’s been pushing marriage for the past couple years.”
“What?”
“According to her, I’m basically at my time to be put out to pasture and she wants me married before that happens.”
Sailor took me in, studying my face then lowering her eyes to my body. “How old are you? Which I know is an incredibly stupid question considering we’re already married and I should know. I bet you already know how old I am…” She spoke lowly, as if only for her own personal reference. “But yeah, how old are you?”
“Thirty-eight.” I smiled and waited.
“You’re thirty-eight. Well shit, you look good.”
“Thanks, I suppose it’s a compliment that my wife finds me physically attractive. Maybe we can get beyond that and move to general like.” I winked and she frowned.
“You already knew I found you attractive. That’s how we ended up married in the first place.”
“Sexual chemistry and attraction differ from general like and attraction.”
“Not really.”
“They do. Sexual attraction is mostly physical. You don’t have to like or admire someone to want to have sex with them. It doesn’t mean you crave their time, attention, approval, or acknowledgement. It basically means there’s chemistry and you’re agreeable to making them cum.”
“I don’t crave time or attention from men, which is why I don’t want to be married to you.”
I was well aware but also determined to change Sailor's outlook on what a relationship should be. At least a relationship with me. She and I were alike in that manner, the competitive nature which drove us to do anything necessary to win, only my desire to win wasn’t selfish. If she truly gave us a chance, we would both benefit.
“Are you that jaded to believe that a marriage to me won’t be a good thing?”
“Not specifically you. I’m opposed to the idea that marrying anyone is a good thing.”
“Why?”
Her expression hardened. “It just is.”
“Not a good enough answer, try again.”
“It’s the best you’re going to get, and for the record, I’m not here for you to turn me into a believer. Changing my mind is your goal but it’s a lost cause. I’m here because the decision I made affects Sky and Teej. I own a third of our firm, and if I don’t see this through, part of that belongs to you. I admit I can be selfish at times but I love my siblings and refuse to let them suffer because of my poor judgment.”
The truth of her confession stung a bit but I refused to stay rooted there. I grinned and arched my brow. “Sex with me was poor judgement?”
“Sex with you was the best part. The poor judgement was marrying you to get it.”
My smile expanded. “You don’t believe marrying me was worth the sex?”
“Consider how stressed I’ve been this week, because of this fictitious wedding, absolutely not.”
“I would say I’m offended but I’m not because you’re lying. Sex with me was worth it, you’re simply in your feelings at the moment.”
“Are you that arrogant to believe sex with you is that good?”
“Yeah, I am, because it is, and you know it too. Don’t worry, you’ll be reminded soon enough. Just not tonight.”
She frowned hard. “Why not tonight?”
“I’m working on a custom piece I need to get done before the weekend, which means I’ll be up late working.”
“You’re choosing work over sex with me.”
She was offended. My sweet Sailor. Rejection wasn’t something she was accustomed to and although I wasn’t rejecting her and simply being a responsible adult, my refusal to drop my responsibilities felt like rejection to my lovely wife.
“Don’t let it hurt your feelings. I have a wife now. I have to be fiscally smart.” I winked and pushed away from the dresser.
“I thought keeping your wife happy was a priority. Making me happy is the way to keep a smile on my face.”
I chuckled and nodded. “I’m well aware, and trust, I have maintaining your happiness covered. However, work is also a priority. You of all people should understand.”
“I do.”
“Good, I’ll be up late in my shop out back if you need anything. Make yourself at home.”
“I will. In my new dungeon.”
“Are you working the rest of the week?” It was Wednesday. If she could give me until Friday, I would be able to focus all my attention on making Sailor happy by way of multiple orgasms.
Before she responded, something flashed in her eyes. She shook her head gently. “Nope, I’ve been instructed by my sister to spend a few days getting settled in with my new husband.”
“And you agreed?”
Strange but I would take what I could get.
“I did but I suppose that time will be spent getting settled into my room and not my husband getting settled into me.”
I chuckled but didn’t comment when I headed out the room. As soon as I was in the hallway, her voice paused my steps. “And for the record. You didn’t hurt my feelings. I was just utilizing my options here. Might as well get something out of all of this.”
Oh you’ll definitely be getting something out of this. We both will.
F or the past three hours I had been trying incredibly hard to focus on the table I was working on and had been somewhat successful but was still moving slower than normal. The table barely had my focus because the woman occupying my home did. Walking out of that room when I really wanted to toss Sailor onto the bed on her hands and knees and fuck her until we were both utterly exhausted was one of the hardest things I had ever endured. Well, besides the current state of my dick.
Rock fucking hard.
Knowing she was here, so close and also my wife, had my dick eager to engage in marital bliss, but I hadn’t lied. The need to be fiscally smart was important because I had a wife. My finances were good. I had a nice little chunk of change in my savings account. Great credit and equity in my home, but Sailor Addison…Hassan was a very wealthy woman and lived like one.
I wasn’t sure that would change now that she was my wife. Not that I expected her to assume I would foot the bill for her luxurious lifestyle, but as her husband, I felt responsible for doing so. My money was long, but hers was endless.
The two grand I was getting paid for this table, Sailor spent on shoes, a handbag, or hell, a trip to the spa without batting an eye. I wasn’t intimidated by my wife’s spending habits or her money. She couldn’t help who her family was or how she was raised. Nor could I be offended by how hard she worked. Whether or not her family was wealthy, Sailor was a damn good attorney who was compensated well for the work she did.
The issue was, as a man and her husband, I felt compelled to provide the things that made her happy. Right now, those things were very expensive. Her desire for those luxuries might never change, but I had a feeling it would when Sailor was loved properly and didn’t need those things for a temporary high which left her feeling empty.
Not to say she didn’t like nice things. She did, but she also used them to hide her true self. My goal was to love her enough so she didn’t want to hide. But even after, if she still wanted to drop ten grand on a purse, I was going to have to make a lot more custom pieces to support the habit. The thought made me smile because I would do the work to see her beautiful smile and not complain at all.
T he next morning I was jarred from a peaceful state by the sound of slamming cabinets. The annoyance happened several times, stopped, then started again. I groaned, lifting a pillow which I jerked down forcefully over my face, hoping to block out the banging to no avail.
My wife was awake and angry and apparently wanted me to know. I exhaled the frustration from having only been asleep for a little over an hour considering Sailor functioned routinely, which meant it was after seven or close to it. I’d showered and stumbled into my bed just after six. When I finally found my rhythm with the piece I was working on, I decided to stay the course, considering my new wife had the next few days off, which meant I had access to her. There were a few things we needed to remedy, such as rings to seal the deal of our union and adjusting to our new normal.
After several more cabinets slammed, I threw the covers away from my body, swung my legs over the side of the bed, and sluggishly made my way to the bathroom to take a piss and make myself presentable. Not that it mattered because Sailor was my wife, for better or worse. Early mornings were a part of that deal, but I elected to put my best foot forward with Sailor.
When I reached the kitchen, I found the woman in question in the center of the room, fists balled and planted on her hips while a scowl marred her pretty face. When she felt my presence, a blazing glare was added to the equation. Adorably cute but not the warm welcome I was expecting.
“You don’t have coffee.”
“I don’t drink it.”
“I do,” she hissed, voice still raspy from just having awakened. “You’re failing miserably at this happy wife thing.”
At least she acknowledged herself as my wife. I’d consider that progress.
“We can go out for breakfast and do some shopping. I’m sure there will be other things I failed miserably at accommodating for.”
“It’s seven in the morning. I don’t want to go shopping. I want coffee.”
“Which you noted I don’t have. I can’t snap my fingers and magically make it appear.”
Her scowl deepened. “No you can’t, but you can order some with a few pecks and swipes of your fingers.”
“I could and it would be cold or at best lukewarm when it arrived. I don’t have to be a coffee drinker to know it’s best hot and fresh.”
“It’s too early for this shit,” she muttered, closing her eyes. When she responded and focused on me, she seemed much more reserved. “Fine, I’ll get my own damn coffee.”
“ We will get coffee,” I corrected.
“I’m more than capable of getting my own. You don’t even drink it.”
“I don’t but we’re doing this together. Besides, I have a few things we need to get done. Might as well get started early so we can get it all out the way.”
“I thought you had a piece to finish.”
“I finished this morning, about an hour ago.”
She frowned and glared at me as if processing what I was saying. “You were up all night?”
“Yes, apparently my wife doesn’t like not feeling like a priority. I finished my piece and now I’m all yours. Since you have the next few days to get settled, I want to make every minute count.”
She stood silently processing and I assumed she would fight me on this, but instead, she agreed.
“Alright then, let’s get coffee, then we’ll shop and for the record, I’m buying the most expensive coffee and espresso machine I can find.”
I grinned. “I know.”
Those beautiful browns narrowed. “You don’t know me, Rival.”
Her eyes narrowed more. “And how about dressing appropriately since sex isn’t on the table?”
I chuckled and glanced down at the only thing I was wearing, gray briefs. “According to you, my body is my best asset.”
“It is but if you’re not sharing then I’d prefer not to be taunted by that.”
I crossed the kitchen, stopping in front of her. She stood her ground. “It’s only fair when you’re taunting me with this.”
I worked my hand beneath the oversized T-shirt she was in and firmly cupped her pussy. She sucked in a sharp breath. I leaned in so my mouth was a whisper away from hers. “I can smell you, Sail. The sweet aroma of your pussy is my new favorite thing and it’s driving me fucking crazy. I would prefer fucking you until you’re too exhausted to worry about coffee over shopping for it, but what my wife wants she gets, and you want coffee.”
I leaned in just a bit more and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, giving her pussy a firm squeeze before I released it and walked away. “I’ll get dressed now so we can start our day.”
My dick was once again unbearably hard but I refused to give in to Sailor just yet. Once the ring was on her finger, she could have her way and I would have mine by thoroughly satisfying her beautiful body. But for now, she was getting coffee.