2. Barrett
“Iwant to see Noah!” Colton’s feet swung wildly, kicking the seat as the limousine traveled the short distance from the East Hampton Airport to Ari’s estate.
“Kicking the seat won’t get us there any faster,” I reminded him.
Lourde had a point. There were times when all it took was a sharp tone from me to stop him dead in his tracks.
“Somebody’s feeling rammy today.” Lourde managed to say it with nothing but love hanging in her words. Motherhood fit her like a glove.
She was endlessly patient, which I could admit also helped in our relationship. I wasn’t always the easiest to love, and I knew it, but she made it look effortless.
“Noah will be there,” she explained for maybe the hundredth time. “And your cousins. Don’t forget about them.”
I was barely able to stifle a laugh when Colton sighed dramatically. “You’d think he pays his own bills,” I murmured, making Lourde giggle behind her hand.
“Babies!” Colton insisted. It wasn’t the time to remind him that Magnus and Evelyn’s twin girls weren’t much younger than him. He wouldn’t understand, anyway.
“But they’re still your cousins, so try to play nice,” I reminded him while we passed one mansion after another as we approached the village, after which we would reach the sprawling estate where the wedding would take place.
“It will be good to see Evelyn,” Lourde murmured while scrolling through the list of activities scheduled for the wedding party and select guests in the days before the ceremony. “She’s been so busy lately.”
She dropped the phone into her Birkin before leaning against me. I smiled to myself, thinking back on the years my sister felt directionless, cut off from the world thanks to her injured leg and the years of psychological abuse that had led to the day of her injury. I might have paid for her surgeries and the therapy that followed, but I wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that did the trick of pulling her out of her shell. Not completely. It had been Magnus who’d brought her to life.
When I looked back on how absolutely fucking furious I had been when the two of them got together, it was enough to make me ashamed of myself. Not only had I acted like a hypocrite since Connor was ready to murder me for being with his sister in the beginning, but I’d also underestimated Magnus. He had been nothing but good for Evelyn, and the confidence she’d gained had given her the strength to open a nonprofit aimed at helping women with disabilities find work and a sense of purpose, which she had gone without for so long.
“It will be good to have a chance to catch up with everyone,” I agreed, brushing my lips over the top of her head. She looked up at me and smiled before delivering a brief but loving kiss.
Colton squealed. “Kiss Colton! Kiss Colton!” There was nothing for Lourde to do but helplessly laugh as she obeyed our son’s wishes.
“Just as demanding as your daddy,” she joked before giving him a big, smacking kiss on his cheek.
“I don’t hear you complaining,” I murmured close to her ear when she settled back in, and she responded by swatting playfully at my arm. However, there was nothing playful in her eyes when they met mine. Suddenly, my most pressing priority was to get her alone as quickly as possible after we arrived.
“Oh, it’s already so beautiful.”
I followed the direction of Lourde’s gaze as we approached the estate. The wedding wasn’t scheduled to take place for another two days, but an event like this couldn’t be pulled off overnight. Ari had gone all out, which was no surprise. He would spare nothing when it came to Olivia, a sentiment I could relate to.
As far as I was concerned, Lourde could have anything she wanted. Money was no object when it came to her happiness.
Multiple tents were being set up along the grounds, the longest I assumed was intended for the reception. Lights twinkled away in there, hundreds if not thousands strung overhead. Workers rolled tables inside, pulling them down from a large truck, while another truck full of chairs was being unloaded nearby. From the looks of them, they would be for the wedding ceremony, which was set to take place on a cliff overlooking the water where a large archway was in the process of being constructed.
The driver pulled into the circular courtyard in front of the mansion, narrowly avoiding a panicked-looking young woman holding a tablet in one arm. “One of the wedding planners,” Lourde guessed as the girl ran past. With the windows rolled up, it wasn’t possible to hear what she was shouting, but she seemed fairly frantic as she hurried toward the workers.
A second girl greeted us once we stepped out of the limo. “Welcome,” she said, wearing a bright smile. “You must be the Black family.”
After a wave of her hand, a kid who looked barely old enough to shave jumped to attention and started gathering our bags. “Josh will take your things up to your assigned rooms,” the girl explained in a bright but professional tone. “Mr. Goldsmith asked if you would join him on the back terrace when you arrived.”
“Has anyone else arrived yet?” I asked while Lourde gave instructions to Naomi. As much as he wouldn’t like the idea, it was time for Colton’s nap. He would be a holy terror if he missed it.
“Mr. and Mrs. Miller have arrived,” the girl replied after checking her tablet, referring to Magnus and Evelyn. “We’re only waiting on Mr. Diamond and Ms. Little, but they’re expected shortly.” She then touched a hand to the earpiece she wore, giving us a respectful little nod before darting off to handle another task.
Connor and Pepper had yet to arrive. It didn’t have to mean anything, though the furrowing of Lourde’s brow told me she thought otherwise.
“We should go back and see them.” Lourde took my hand as we climbed the stairs leading up to the sweeping front terrace bordered by an intricately carved stone parapet that had already been hung with lights and adorned with large planters dripping with luscious cream flowers.
“They can wait a minute.” I hadn’t spent almost an entire flight and limo ride ogling my wife’s legs to head straight back to our friends. Rather than allow her to lead me along the flagstone terrace, I pulled her into the house and made a beeline for the closest powder room at the opposite end of the enormous, marble-floored entry hall. There were perks to knowing the mansion’s layout after paying so many visits.
“What are you doing?” Lourde whispered, giggling uncontrollably by the time we reached the lavishly appointed room. I had been in walk-in closets smaller than where I’d retreated with my wife, who locked the door behind us despite her weak, ineffectual protests.
“Getting something out of my system in hopes of being able to concentrate on anything else for the rest of the day,” I replied with a growl. Rather than wasting time with formalities, I pulled her close and worked my hands beneath her dress to cup her firm ass.
Her soft moan made my already hardening dick stiffen fully, and the touch of Lourde’s hand against my covered erection was enough to make me ache painfully. “What’s this?” she whispered, stroking my bulge while sliding her tongue against my lips.
I answered by thrusting my tongue into her mouth, swirling and probing until she whimpered and melted in my arms. The marble sink proved sturdy enough to support her once I placed her on its edge, nudging her thighs apart with my own.
“Barrett…” she whispered, a sound I would never get tired of. She had said my name that way more times than I could count, lost in bliss, giving herself over to me because I was the only one who could do this to her. There was magic between us.
The brush of my fingers between her legs left me covering her mouth with mine to stifle her moans. She was already wet, so hot, and my single focus became getting to the center of that heat. Instinct demanded I push the patch of cotton aside rather than remove her thong.
She gasped at the presence of my fingers gliding through her wetness, her fingers twisting in my hair, holding my head in place while she kissed me. Claiming me as I claimed her, I was unable to control the scorching heat threatening to burn both of us to ashes.
I couldn’t wait anymore. She helped with my belt and zipper, both of us breathing hard, panting for breath. Suddenly, nothing in life that mattered more than being inside her.
Yet she stopped me before I could line up with her dripping entrance. “Wait. Like this.” She hopped off the sink and turned around, facing me in the mirror while she hiked her dress up to her waist and lowered the thong to her knees.
Just when I thought I couldn’t love her more. Looking down, I watched my dick disappear inside her tight, hot sheath. Inch by inch, I worked my way in until I was flush against her firm ass, her satisfied moan leaving me struggling to hold back my explosion.
With one hand on the back of her neck, I bent her forward, her face close to the mirror. With my other hand on her hip, I took her hard and fast. “Oh, shit,” she whispered, pushing back against me, meeting me stroke for stroke. Her eagerness only made everything hotter, more real, and more exciting. My heart raced, my blood pumped, and the sound of strangers working on the other side of the door heightened the thrill.
The sight of her bouncing tits reflected in the mirror was enough to make me salivate. My hand left her hip in favor of holding them, then lowered the front of the dress to expose them to my hungry gaze. “Ooh, yes,” she moaned out when I played with her nipples, pushing back harder than before while her greedy cunt sucked me deeper. “Fuck me, Barrett.”
“You’re so hot,” I grunted through clenched teeth, pounding her the way she needed. “Look at me. Watch me, Doll Face.”
She opened her eyes and met my gaze in the mirror, flushed and breathless, tits bouncing, her lips parted so each short, stifled breath could slip through. It was like something out of a dirty fantasy, only there was nothing imaginary about this.
Mine. She was mine and always would be. We would spend the rest of our lives this way. No matter what was happening around us, we could come back to this. Us.
The clenching of her already tight sheath had me gritting my teeth. I was barely holding on, thanks to the combination of the feel of her pussy and the sight of her abandon in the mirror. “Come for me,” I groaned out, our bodies slapping together in a desperate rhythm while the tension built until it was unbearable.
At the last second, I covered her mouth with my hand to catch the ecstatic cries she couldn’t hold back. She shouted behind my palm, and I barely held back my groans while her pussy milked me dry.
Lourde could only get three words out. “Oh my God.” She leaned over the sink, legs shaking, while the evidence of our quickie glistened on her thighs and shaved pussy. I held her in place with one hand and gently cleaned her using the other while she caught her breath. By the time I finished, she’d straightened up and got herself together.
“We should visit friends more often,” I suggested before kissing the back of her neck, adjusting my clothing as I did. “It’s an aphrodisiac.”
“Like you need one,” she murmured before giggling. “We’ve done that at home too.”
“Not with dozens of workers running around,” I pointed out in a whisper, grinning when she rewarded me with a blush.
Her phone rang not a moment later, breaking the spell. “Finally. Maybe it’s Pepper,” she murmured as she pulled it free, then frowned. “Brad Morris. Why would he call me?”
Instantly, my hackles rose. “Who’s he?” I demanded, ready to take the phone from her.
“You’ve met him a bunch of times. He works for TMZ.” She shrugged when our eyes met. “It could be important.”
I waved a hand, watching intently as she answered. “Brad? I’m sorry, I’m?—”
Her excuse to get off the phone died, though the guy on the other end spoke quietly enough that I couldn”t make out anything he said. It didn’t quite matter. Not when Lourde’s face fell further with every passing moment.
“This isn’t good.” The tremor in her voice paired with the anxiety shining in her wide eyes. I raised my brows expectantly, and she responded by turning on the phone’s speaker so I could hear the other side of the call. “You’re on speaker,” she told Brad. “Barrett is here.”
He didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “Like I was saying…” he nearly whispered, “… TMZ got their hands on some photos of Connor partying in Vegas. They want to publish them but are going to wait until the drug den story loses traction before going live.” I vaguely recalled hearing something about the latest surefire Oscar contender being discovered slinking out of a drug den within the past day or so. America’s sweetheart got caught in the middle of a binge, and the press ate it up with a spoon.
“Partying?” I asked, exchanging a look with Lourde. “Do you have details? That could mean anything.”
“Sorry I wasn’t able to get my hands on anything else, but it sounds pretty wild,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t even be telling you this, but I figured I’d warn you. I’d say they’ll be out in twenty-four hours, maybe forty-eight tops.”
Thanks to the emotions washing over her face I could see Lourde playing out possible outcomes in her head. No doubt her father would have a fit, not to mention her mother. I might not have been raised with wealth, but I understood the importance of image. To them, image was everything, and the notion of Connor ruining the prestigious Diamond name by being involved in some drunken orgy in Las Vegas would set off a number of explosions.
“Thank you for the heads up,” I managed to conclude before ending the call. I felt sick. Was it true? If so, how could he do it?
It seemed Lourde was reading my mind. “How could he?” she whispered, her jaw clenched. There were no tears in the question. No, in fact, she sounded angry more than anything. “I thought he was better than this.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” I urged, though I had already jumped to a few of my own. If he fucked this up, we would have words—very strong ones. Pepper was the best thing that ever happened to him, something I thought he knew.
“It would make sense, though,” she insisted in a fierce whisper. “You said it yourself. He’s been MIA for days. And I can’t get a hold of Pepper, either. They’re also not here yet. What if they broke up and that’s why Pepper is MIA while he was out partying? And they didn’t want to tell us because they didn’t want to ruin things right before the wedding?”
“Then we’ll deal with it.” Really, it was the only conclusion to come to. “We’ll know more when they arrive.”
If they arrive.
It wasn’t enough to calm her, not that I expected it to. “Would they say anything? Fuck, should I even tell Connor about the photos? I guess I should, right?”
I couldn’t provide a quick answer to that. It would mean admitting we knew there was trouble, but sitting on it without at least giving Connor the heads up would be the same as betrayal. “I’ll see if I can pull him aside,” I decided, rubbing her arms before taking her face in my hands. “We’ll keep it discreet. The most important thing is to make sure everything goes well for Olivia and Ari. Who knows? We might be able to silence the story. I’m sure TMZ has a price I could match.”
“Maybe.” Suddenly, her eyes flashed, and her nostrils flared. “I will drag him down to the beach and hold him underwater if he broke her heart, so help me.”
I tried to be lighthearted as I pulled her in for a hug. “That’s my girl… but you’d have to wait in line. Now, come on,” I urged as warmly as possible, considering my growing anger with my idiot friend. “Let’s shake this off, go out and see everybody, and we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”