Chapter 7
S ailor.
Rival was infuriating and sexy . Impossible and sexy . Persistent and sexy . No matter what thought I had about this man, it was followed with sexy. Rival in briefs as my first visual of the day was… sexy. Sinfully sexy and frustrating because I wanted him so badly I couldn’t focus on anything but wanting him.
When he touched me, cupping my pussy, I thought I would orgasm simply from the intense look in his eyes and the mere contact. I had a lot of sex in my life. Most of those experiences were gratifying but never as gratifying as not having sex with my husband. Insanity, right? It truly was but the torture of not having sex with Rival had me convinced that once he was inside me again would only make the experience so much more satisfying.
Damn, I had it bad.
“Why don’t you pick one? Isn’t that how this is supposed to go? The man picks a ring then proposes to the woman?” I smugly watched Rival, who was beside me while we examined the presentation of rings placed on the glass enclosure in front of us.
After breakfast, when he mentioned our first stop would be purchasing wedding bands, I argued but he drew the line, stating this was very real to him, which meant I would be wearing a ring he gifted on my finger.
Sexy Rival was nice, but bossy, assertive, and dominant Rival was even more attractive. I wasn’t a fan of men telling me what to do. I was certain the dislike was a side effect of being raised by a man like Torrance Addison Sr., a man who controlled everything. Our father loved us with all his heart but loving him back always felt as if I was losing a part of myself, handing it over by force.
His expectations of me and my siblings were so all consuming that I often felt suffocated by the need to live up to them. Not doing so wasn’t an option, especially since Skylar and TJ had bailed on being our father’s promised offspring.
My life more or less felt committed to impressing our father, at least career wise, which was also why my personal life was so chaotic. My sexual freedom was the only thing I had control over. That was how I felt, even if it weren’t completely true. So men commanding me, dominating me, or simply expressing their desire of my compliance with following their lead was a no go.
So why was I not opposed to Rival taking charge and leading? I kinda liked that he did, a lot.
Damn it Sailor, you will not fall for this man. Get a grip.
“You’re well aware that we did not follow the traditional path with this union and I want you to like your ring enough to feel comfortable wearing it. But if you don’t want to pick, I’ll gladly select one for you.” His deep tenor and intense eyes penetrated me.
Fuck, he’s so sexy.
“You’re forcing me to wear one. Might as well be one you approve. You pick it.”
I assumed he would be angry, or at the very least annoyed, but my husband only smiled arrogantly, nodded with assured confidence, and scanned the rings. After a brief moment, he lifted one. It was simple. Not a solitaire. A diamond encrusted platinum band, slim and delicate. I fucking loved it, had mentally selected that same one. So when he lifted it from the case and held it into view, my brain stuttered.
“This one feels like a good choice.”
“Why?” I mumbled, not liking the pitch of my voice.
“I can’t visualize you with some massive, clunky diamond on your hand. This is a statement piece but still delicate. It’s classy, beautiful, and edgy all at the same time. It’s you, Sail. The others are too cliché, that’s not who you are.” He reached for my hand and worked the ring onto my finger and smiled cockily. “Plus, you would never want those suits you face off with in court to mistake the Sailor Addison for the sappy, sentimental, lovestruck type.”
I smirked because he was right, about all of it. I lifted my hand and examined the visual of the ring against my finger. “I suppose this will do.”
“We have the matching band for you, sir, if you’d like the set.”
“Nope, he’s more of the simple band kind of guy. No glitz and glam for the hubby.”
Rival chuckled and the saleswoman’s eyes bounced between us before she nodded and removed a display of plain platinum bands. Once it was sitting in front of us, I brushed my finger over a few rows then lifted one. It was simple but had a beveled edge. Much like my husband. Polished but edgy.
“This one.”
He nodded and reached for the same ring I was holding in a different size which he extended to me. I returned the one I selected and he held his hand out, allowing me the opportunity to place the ring on his finger.
My heart stilled at the implication. This was my husband. I was his wife. The rings sealed the deal.
“I guess it’s official.”
Rival’s intense eyes were on me then his hand landed at my hip, jerking me forward only mere seconds before I had his lips followed by the warmth of his very skilled tongue. He kissed me intently, possessively, not caring that we had an audience. When he pulled back, his lips curved into a taunting grin. “It was official when you said I do, Sail. This is simply to ensure the world knows what we already know, wife.”
“Oh, the jealous type. I’m going to have fun with that.”
He snorted and held his hand up to the sales associate. “We’ll take these.”
W e spent the rest of the morning shopping, where I purchased things that I needed to be comfortable at Rival’s … my new house. Each time I tried to push boundaries and annoy him, he graciously accepted my pushback, agreed to whatever I wanted and swiped his card. Even when I insisted on an overpriced sectional sofa that seated ten and felt like heaven. Our last stop was Williams Sonoma, at his insistence, to get an espresso machine identical to the one I had at my place. I argued it wasn’t necessary; he won and swiped his card.
God, this man was infuriatingly dominant… and sweet. The entire day, he opened doors, carried bags, and reached for items on high shelves. When he wasn’t doing so, he held my hand as we navigated through the stores, as if the act was so natural that he was programmed to touch me. It was all so uncomfortable, yet gratifying at the same time.
Eventually, I settled into his need to be close and enjoyed the connection, which was odd. I was a fuck and go type of woman, had always been, but this new experience with Rival was nice. The engagement between us was smooth and easy.
I convinced myself that agreeing to give in was me playing a role. Being the wife he expected simply to keep the peace. Deep down inside, I enjoyed being his wife. The day was satisfying until everything came crashing down around me by way of running into the last person I wanted to see, my father.
After we parked not far from the front of the restaurant, and Rival was at my door to assist with my exit, I immediately felt my control slipping.
“If you don’t want to eat here, we can order to go and?—”
My eyes darted to my father then back to Rival, with me cutting him off mid-sentence.
“I don’t want to eat here. Why don’t we just head home and order something when we get there?” I rushed out, attempting to discreetly track my father’s movements as he smoothly strode toward the entrance of the restaurant I selected for dinner.
Rival told me to pick and whatever I chose would be fine since he wasn’t a picky eater. I foolishly chose a place my entire family loved because it was also my favorite. How was I to know that on a random Thursday evening my father would have a craving for the exact same cuisine.
I froze on the sidewalk and yanked my hand free of Rival’s. He searched my face but I was a master at schooling my emotions, or so I thought because clearly he picked up on my distress.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, I just don’t want Korean barbecue.”
“Okay that’s fine, but you picked the place. We drove twenty minutes out of the way to come here?—”
“It’s twenty minutes, Rival. What’s the big deal? People change their minds. If you’re going to be married you might as well get used to a woman’s indecisive nature. My indecisive decisions.”
I was being an ass for no reason. He had done nothing wrong but I needed us out of here no matter how I secured the departure.
“I’m well versed in indecisions. This marriage is new but not my dealings with women, Sail. You’re not being indecisive, you’re fucking panicked. What the hell is going on? You see an ex or something? If that’s the issue, I don’t give a fuck as long as you remember you’re my wife…”
“Sailor, sweetheart.”
Oh God, no.
I swallowed thickly, plastered on a smile, and turned toward the sound of my father’s voice.
“Hi Daddy, what are you doing here?”
“Your mother spent the day at the spa with her nosy friends. I promised to pick up dinner.” He smiled smugly because he didn’t like any of the women my mother coveted as friends. He said they were jealous and bitter since he and my mother were happy while they were in miserable marriages. I agreed. “Who’s this?”
His eyes landed on Rival and another wave of panic flooded my system. “Uh, a friend…”
“A friend?” Rival growled lowly from beside me and my entire body stiffened.
“Well… not just a friend. You remember me telling you about the guy building the custom shelving at my place, this is him. Rival Hassan. He’s amazing.”
I turned, offering Rival a stiff smile and pleading eyes. I would die if he told my father the true nature of our current situation. I would have to fill my parents in at some point, but not tonight, not like this, not without a well thought out plan.
I wasn’t prepared to broach the topic of my egregious error in judgment, the way I compromised our family, and most of all, the disappointment that would stem from all of the above. Sailor Addison didn’t fear or cower to anyone except Torrance Addison Sr.
“Oh, that’s right.” He stepped closer and extended a hand to Rival followed by an introduction. “Torrance Addison, pleased to meet you, Rival. My baby girl spoke quite highly of you.”
“Did she?” Rival’s tone was level, eerily calm considering the position I placed him in. I had no right to lie or conceal the truth because I wasn’t exactly lying, but shit, what else was I to do in such an unwelcome situation?
“She did but I thought Sky mentioned you completed the job. Are you working on something new?”
“You could say that,” Rival stated arrogantly. My father didn’t miss the implication. His eyes slowly moved between us.
“Don’t let us hold you,” I quickly rattled off. My father’s eyes narrowed just a bit before he nodded.
“Our order’s probably ready by now. Your mother hates when I take too long and the food is cold.” He stepped to me, kissed my cheek, and nodded at Rival.
“We’ll talk soon, Sail. It was nice meeting you, Rival.”
Rival didn’t speak, only offered a nod. Shit, he’s pissed.
After my father was inside the restaurant, my husband, my very annoyed husband, headed back to the car. I reluctantly followed. After we were seated inside and he still hadn’t said a word, I tried to gauge just how pissed he truly was.
“Tonight wasn’t the right time to…”
“Tell your father I’m your husband, not your friend or gotdamn handyman.”
“Rival…”
A heated glare landed on me before he turned out of the parking lot onto the street. “You’re right, tonight wasn’t the time.”
He drove in silence for another fifteen minutes before I spoke again. “You’re angry.”
“I’m not angry.”
“You are.”
He exhaled a sigh. “I can’t expect you to dive right in and accept the consequences of your actions, Sailor. This is not what you wanted. Telling your father we’re married in the parking lot of your favorite restaurant when all he was expecting to do was pick up takeout for dinner is not the right way to drop this on him.”
“I’ve accepted the consequences of my actions. I’m fucking here, Rival,” I hissed, holding up my hand seconds after. “I’m wearing your ring. How much more acceptance can there be?”
“You’re here because I didn’t give you a fucking choice, not because this is what you want.” He glared my way briefly then I had his profile.
He was angry, or hurt, or disappointed. Possibly all three and that bothered me. I cared about his feelings, however not enough to face off with my father which made me feel like shit.
“I apologize and you’re right.”
“I know I’m right and don’t apologize. I knew this wouldn’t be a gotdamn cakewalk.”
“But…”
“I’m fine, Sailor. I’m not angry. We had a good day, let's not ruin it.”
Too late, that was what I had done. No matter what he said, I could feel this perfect day crumbling around us. There wasn’t much I could do about any of this so I responded with a short nod and left things as they were.
Once we arrived at the house, Rival handed me his phone and told me to order whatever I wanted for dinner. When I asked about him, he reiterated that he wasn’t picky and I could choose before asserting he was taking a shower.
As soon as he was gone, I crept into my room, closed the door, and called Sky. This was not a subject I was well-versed in but she was. Skylar and Gray were happily married. Did I want to be happily married?
Oh fuck me…
“If it isn’t the newlywed,” she sang as soon as she answered my call. I flopped back on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
“I saw Dad tonight.”
“Oh shit, how did that go? Did you tell him?”
“Not great, I was with Rival, and no, I didn’t tell him. I wasn’t ready and you don’t just spring a surprise marriage on a man like Torrance Addison.”
“You do if you’re prepared to endure his wrath.”
“Well I wasn’t, so I didn’t, and now my husband is angry with me.”
“Oh, this is that kind of call.”
I frowned. “What kind of call?”
“The ‘I fucked up and need your marital advice’ kind of call.”
My eyes rolled hard. “If you’re going to gloat, I can hang up and dial Indi.”
“Call her, I don’t care. She’ll give you the same advice. Hiding your husband from your parents is a terrible fucking idea and your husband has the right to be angry because you did so.”
“I’m not hiding him, I just…”
“Don’t want to admit to our parents that you got pissy drunk, married a man to have sex with him, and that man is forcing you to honor your vows for a year or he’s going to empty your bank account.”
The smugness in her tone pissed me off but she was right and I had no argument to present. Imagine that, me speechless.
“I don’t want him to be angry with me, Sky. How do I fix this?”
“Well now, is my very self-absorbed sister concerned about someone else’s feelings? Her husband's feelings. A husband she is adamant about insisting she does not want.”
“Sky…”
“Let me have my moment, Sail. This is rich and I’m enjoying giving you shit.”
“Enjoying it too much.”
She laughed. “Can you blame me?”
“Yes, I can. I’m already struggling with the idea that I’ve messed this up. Stop gloating and tell me how to fix this with the least effort and time constraints possible?”
“Why do you care? I thought your sole mission in life was to make Rival miserable so he would end the marriage. If he backs out, you’re free and clear.”
It had been, but now…
“My sole mission is to ensure we don’t lose the firm and he doesn’t empty my bank account. The two are my only vested interests.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, Sky, I’m very sure.” Sure I don’t want Rival angry with me. “My position hasn’t changed. I need us to be cordial so I survive this year and we can end this sham of a marriage.”
“Hmmm…”
“What?”
“Nothing. What did you say to Dad?”
“Not much but I introduced Rival as a friend, and when he attempted to correct me, I overtalked him and stated he was not just a friend but the guy who built my wall units.”
“Oh shit, you really gut punched his ego. You introduced your husband to our father as the help, Sail. He has every right to not only be angry but offended. The marriage might not be legit, well it’s very legit… but you basically marginalized his role in your life and labeled the man as your hired help.”
I had…
“I know. How do I fix it?”
“Apologize.”
“I did.”
“And?”
“And he said he’s not angry but he lied. He is, I can feel it.”
“You feel his moods?”
“Sky.”
“I’m just saying, Sail, sounds like things are working between the two of you.”
“They’re… shit, I don’t know. It’s not terrible and we have a year so I need to make this work.”
“Sex.”
“Sex?”
“Yes, really great sex. Fuck the anger out of him, or suck it out of him, depends on how dedicated you are and you did ask for the best solution with minimal time constraints. Both are appropriate, guaranteed fixes for an angry husband.”
“Not guaranteed, Sail, but definitely a good start,” Gray yelled from the background.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were with Gray?”
“I’m always with Gray. Why would I need to tell you that?”
“This is a private sister conversation.”
Sky laughed. “You pissed off your husband. Nothing private about that, Sail.”
“And Sky can’t tell you shit about things from a male’s perspective. You should have asked me or Teej,” he added.
“Can you mind your business?” Sky groaned.
“You know what, I’ve got this. I’ll figure it out.”
“I’m sure you will, but Sail, you really need to tell Mom and Dad. Decide how you’re going to present your new husband to them and get it done sooner rather than later.”
“I’m working on it,” I mumbled.
“Sail, I love you, you know that right?”
“Surely doesn’t feel like it.”
“Because you’re in the eye of the storm. Honesty is what you need right now. You’re so used to doing things your way. I can’t say I understand how or why but you no longer have that luxury. You have to consider the man you dragged into your bullshit. Actions have consequences and your manipulation to have sex with Rival made him your consequence as your husband. Deal with it maturely or I promise you will regret all of this.”
“I already am. I have to go.”
I ended the call, tossed my phone over my head, and yanked a pillow from the stack against the headboard. Once I covered my face, I growled my frustration, knowing this was all my fault. I had no one to blame but myself and that just fucking sucked.