CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Nadine
As the weeks went by, I became more used to Reynolds’ inconsistent appearances at the condo.
Madeline, Carmen, and the girls at Cinnamon House became a larger part of my life.
As they did, my reliance on Reynolds waned.
Did I still have feelings for him? Of course.
And he still came to see me two or three times a week.
On those occasions, we stayed in bed for hours, as if he was trying to make up for lost time.
But it wasn’t the same as it had been for that brief time that I’d thought he valued me above all other women, at least where sex was concerned.
I’d long since accepted that he and Whitney were together and would continue to be long after my contract with him was over.
I knew, thanks to Carmen and the girls, that he rarely put in an appearance at Sugar.
When he did, it was before normal hours because he was there to hang out with Nico.
I didn’t ask about Cayenne. I didn’t want to know.
I would have liked to think that him not going to Sugar to ogle the strippers had something to do with me, but I think it had more to do with Whitney and his campaign than anything else.
I resigned myself to being happy and welcoming whenever he decided to make an appearance, but to move on with my life without him. I even started to think about when I might start to date after our contract was up.
Time seemed to go so fast with everything I was doing, and soon it was October.
Besides Leo Salazar, there were men interested in me at Salazar Real Estate.
I knew the day was approaching when I’d be a free woman.
A woman with a house, a career, and money in the bank.
And a car waiting on me for when I was finished with my learner’s permit.
So, I thought nothing of it when Leo came over and sat with Carmen, Madeline, and me at lunch one day at Salt, one of his and Joaquin’s restaurants.
We were talking, laughing, and eating together, when Madeline became unusually quiet.
She stared at something over my shoulder, but before I could turn around, I felt a presence beside me at the table.
I looked up into Reynolds’ handsome face. He was standing with Whitney, and he looked… angry.
“Hello everyone,” he said. “I’m not sure you’ve all met Whitney.”
The blonde vision beside him laughed. “Oh, Reynolds, don’t be ridiculous. I know Carmen and Leo.” Her eyes drifted over Madeline and me as if we didn’t matter.
I didn’t think Whitney and I would have ever been friends. Even if we weren’t both seeing the same man.
“Right. Well, you haven’t met Madeline or Nadine,” he said, as his eyes bored into mine before flicking over to Leo.
I hadn’t even thought about the fact that Leo was sitting next to me at the table.
It wasn’t like we were in a booth or anything.
There were just four chairs around a circular table, and Leo was sitting between Madeline and me.
And, for Leo, he had been behaving himself.
Yes, he was flirty, but he flirted with Madeline, too, not just me.
Leo smirked at Reynolds, though, when he realized he was angry. Reynolds didn’t ignore him, either. He stared him down until it became awkward for everyone.
“Well, hello,” Whitney finally said, her eyes darting between Madeline and me. They landed on me and narrowed, and I wondered if she had an inkling as to who I was. My bet was yes.
Madeline and I both said hello.
“Can I speak with you for a moment?” Reynolds asked. It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.
“Me?” I pointed to myself, and he nodded. “Here?” I asked, bewildered. Why would he risk being seen talking to me when he’d distanced himself so publicly from all women other than Whitney?
“Yes,” he said, jaw clenched.
“Reynolds, sweetie, I’m not sure that’s the best idea…” Whitney protested.
But Reynolds had already grabbed me by the arm and was half lifting me out of my chair.
Leo frowned. “What the hell, Reynolds? She can get out of the chair on her own.”
“Let’s go,” Reynolds said. He ignored both Whitney and Leo as he practically dragged me to a deserted hallway.
“Let go, Reynolds,” I said and jerked my arm away from him. “That was embarrassing! What are you trying to do?” I hissed. “You know you don’t want to be seen talking to me.”
“I’ll risk it,” he said, his eyes fiery. His cheeks were flushed. “What the fuck are you doing with Leo Salazar?”
I stared at him. “Eating lunch.”
“With Leo?”
I threw my hands up. “Carmen, Madeline, and I were eating lunch, and he came over to join us. What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal,” he said, leaning into my body and wrapping his fingers around my arm again, “is that you’re not supposed to fuck anyone but me for the entire length of the contract, Nadine.”
I laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You are. Do you really think because Leo’s eating lunch with me I’m fucking him?”
He dropped my arm. “You’re not?”
“Of course not. Not that you have any room to talk, you caveman. You show up here with the woman you’re spending all your time with and expect me to just…
what? Fall at your feet? Did you think you could leave me alone night after night and I’d just sit around and do nothing?
I have good friends now, Reynolds. People who care about me. ”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You think I don’t care about you?” His eyes searched mine.
“No, I don’t. Not really.” I crossed my arms, and his eyes dropped to my chest. “I think you care about your career and what the public thinks of you. And maybe about Whitney. That’s it.”
He stared at me.
I tried to move around him to go back out to the table. “I’m going to finish lunch…”
“You’re not going anywhere, Nadine.” He backed me against the wall and boxed me in, his strong arms on either side of me.
“Listen to me,” he said, his mouth just inches from mine as his intense blue-gray eyes bounced from my lips to my eyes and back again, “I don’t give a fuck about Whitney.
I just need her for the campaign. You have to know that. ”
I fought back angry laughter. “Are you kidding? I think you don’t know who you care about.
You go back and forth based on what the public thinks of you and what you want for yourself.
Too bad those can’t be the same things. Must be a sad way to live.
” I tried to duck under his arm and make an escape, but he stopped me again.
He moved so close to me that there was barely an inch between our bodies. “Have you forgotten,” he said against my ear, his lips brushing it and making me shiver, “that I own you for another month and a half?”
My breaths were coming embarrassingly fast. “I think maybe you’ve forgotten,” I countered.
“I haven’t forgotten shit, Nadine. Don’t you feel it when I fuck you? Can’t you tell how I feel? Can’t you tell you drive me crazy?” He ran his lips along the side of my neck and caused me to shiver. “God, I want you so bad.”
I smirked at him even though I was covering up hurt. “I’m sure you say the same things to Whitney when you’re with her.”
He smacked an open palm against the wall behind my head, causing me to jump. “I’m not fucking her!” he practically yelled.
“What?” I was confused.
He ran a hand through his perfect hair, messing it up a little.
“I’m not fucking anyone else. It’s only you, Nadine. Ever since the auction. Before the auction, even. I couldn’t get you out of my head then, and I still can’t.”
“But… you’re there almost every night now. You’re not sleeping with her?”
He shook his head. “No. I have a separate bedroom. This whole thing is just for show. It’s just for my political career. That’s it.”
I was beyond confused. “But what is she getting out of it?”
He sighed and leaned in to kiss my cheek and jaw. “She thinks I’m going to marry her, and she’ll be a politician’s wife. Apparently, that’s what she’s always wanted for herself.”
I stiffened. “You told her you’re going to marry her?”
“No. I told her I wasn’t going to marry her. But she still thinks I’m going to. That I’ll see how good she was for my campaign and that I stand a better chance of winning with her than without her.”
“Winning what? Mayor? She’s already thinking of the next term after this one?”
He shook his head. “No. She wants me to run for governor. So do my parents.” He cupped my jaw in his hands and kissed me softly.
I pulled back and held his wrists to keep him from holding me. “But what do you want? All you’ve ever told me is that you love this town, and that you want to stay here forever.”
He looked conflicted. “That is what I want. But sometimes I think I might want to be governor someday, too.”
“You need to decide, Reynolds. Because it’s not fair to drag that poor girl around letting her think she’s got the potential to be some political wife when you’re not interested.”
“Let’s not talk about that,” he said pushing me back against the wall and kissing me. He pressed his body against mine, and I could feel how much he wanted me. His long, thick length thrust against me, right where I wanted it most. I gasped and looked around the deserted hallway.
“Reynolds, what are you doing? We can’t do this here!”
“Why not?” His hand was suddenly under the skirt of my dress and pulling aside my underwear. He thrust two thick fingers inside me, and I cried out. “Oh, fuck. You’re so wet, Nadine.”
“Reynolds,” I breathed, “anyone could walk down this hall and see us.”
“I’ll be quick, honey.” He leaned in, kissing me roughly, one of his hands in my hair while he continued to finger fuck me with the other one. “Since I’m clean and you’re clean and we’ve only been with each other for months… can I fuck you without a condom?”
I nodded. I couldn’t speak. I was too close to coming.
The combination of Reynolds, who was sex to me, and the heightened thrill of being in public was really doing it for me.
And he was well aware. He watched me, studying every expression on my face.
He knew just what I needed. His fingers were hitting just the right spot each time.
“Hold your dress up, angel.” He unzipped his pants and pulled his cock out. He stroked it a few times while he stared at me. “Spread your legs.” I did, and he bunched my dress around my hips while holding them. “Now grab onto my shoulders.” He winked. “And enjoy the ride.”
I moaned as he thrust inside me, pulling one of my legs up high on his hip to get a better angle.
“Ah, fuck, baby. That feels so good. It’s been too long without you.
I jerk off to thoughts of you every night,” he admitted.
“And every morning in the shower.” Then he fucked me harder.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he groaned as he began to thrust in earnest. One of his hands flew up to protect the back of my head from hitting the wall as he hammered into me.
I was trying to stay quiet, but the feel of him inside me paired with the thought that anyone could come upon us in the hallway, was making me crazy.
Then his other hand moved to my clit. After that, it didn’t take long for me to come, my body going a little limp at the strength of my orgasm.
“Reynolds,” I cried out. It was loud, and he hurriedly kissed me and caught the rest of my moans and cries.
His tongue moved in my mouth, timed exactly to replicate what his dick was doing to my pussy.
He thrust a few more times, then came with a muffled groan.
He buried his head in the crook of my neck.
He bit me there, and it startled me, but it was more a nip than anything else.
We stood there holding each other for several moments.
I relished his warm body pressed against mine, inside of mine, and hated the feeling when he pulled away.
He pulled out of me carefully and set me down.
He held onto me until he was sure that my legs were steady underneath me. He kissed me one more time.
“I should go to the ladies’ room and get cleaned up,” I whispered.
He ran his thumb over my bottom lip, then captured it with his teeth. He kissed me again—thoroughly. I smiled at him and pulled away, smoothing down my dress. I hadn’t made it two steps when he pulled me back and kissed me some more, wildly, with no restraint, his hands holding my head.
I had to pull away from him to catch my breath, and it was clear to me that we’d be having sex again in the hallway if I didn’t get out of there.
“I have to go.”
He held onto my hand as long as he could, letting it slide out of his with a longing look on his face.
I went to the bathroom and checked my appearance.
Would everyone be able to tell what we’d done?
Would Whitney be upset? I would be. I closed my eyes.
This wasn’t good. I didn’t like it. Being the other woman was awful.
With Reynolds I knew I was the other woman, but at least I thought he was telling me the truth about not being in love with Whitney. I still didn’t like it one bit.
With Mark I’d been the only woman for years. Then I’d been the other woman for two years while he cheated on me with Jessica Huber. Or maybe she’d been the other woman? Maybe we both had been.
Whatever, it all sucked. I hated it. Even though Reynolds drove me wild in bed, and I seemed to lose my mind whenever he was near, I’d be glad when the contract was over. I closed my eyes thinking about the pain of not being with Reynolds… of walking away from him. But I knew it was coming.
The next relationship I had would be a normal one. I made that promise to myself right then and there.