Rei
My bed had always been my sanctuary.
I had the softest down pillows, a memory foam topper thicker than my thighs, linen sheets that felt so fresh against my skin, a heavy comforter, and a soft, fuzzy blanket that felt so cozy in the wintertime.
With mood lighting on each nightstand, my room was a lover begging me for just one more minute.
But tonight, for the first time, it wasn’t enough.
It was like our wedding night had cemented Quentin in my heart.
Everything from the way he pleasured me to how he cuddled and left thoughtful notes made me wish we could have a honeymoon like a real married couple.
Our good-night texts earlier didn’t come close to sating the desire I had to be close to him.
With a sigh, I gave up on sleep and grabbed my phone from my nightstand. If I wasn’t going to rest, I might as well be entertained. I scrolled through social media, getting the usual mix of joke videos, celebrity gossip, and travel vlogs.
This used to be my way to wind down, to zone out, maybe even dream of new places to go. But my intuition gnawed at me that I wanted more than entertainment and travel inspiration. So I switched out of the app and opened a text thread with my best friend.
Rei: I’m not sure if you’re up, but I know my goddaughter keeps crazy hours...
Jada: I’m up. Twyla’s sleeping. Just having a hard time going to bed without Bryce here.
Rei: I can’t sleep without Quentin here, and I’ve been married a day. Isn’t that pathetic?
Jada: LOL. Honest answer?
Rei: Off to throw myself a good pity party. Bring the wine.
Jada: It’s not pathetic. You’re going through a lot of change. It makes sense your mind is racing.
My frantic heart settled a bit. This is exactly what I’d been needing: not a mind-numbing feed but a friend who understood what I was going through.
Rei: When did it go from a marriage of convenience to something real for you and Bryce?
Jada: After I told him about my pregnancy. I was having feelings for him before that, but letting him in and seeing his reaction showed me that we could be something solid.
A heavy weight landed in my stomach as I scanned over her words. I was determined to tell Quentin every detail of my past when he returned, but I didn’t know how he’d react.
Rei: I’m worried what he’ll think when I tell him.
Logically, I’d known that I was young and na?ve when I was sued and had to change my name and start over. But now? I was a fully-grown woman being blackmailed. Not a good start to any relationship, especially a marriage.
Jada: Quentin’s job is hard. He understands having to make difficult choices. Besides, I saw the way he looked at you on your wedding day. I can tell he has real feelings for you too.
My heart warmed at the memory of his deep-brown eyes on mine as I walked down the aisle. I’d never get used to being adored that way, and I hoped I wouldn’t lose it soon.
A new notification flashed across the screen, but this time, it wasn’t a text from my friend. It was a call from my husband.
An excited shiver went up my spine, and I quickly swiped the button to answer. “Hello?” I said as I brought the phone to my ear.
“Rei.” My name sounded so damn good on his lips.
“Husband,” I replied.
His sigh came heavy through the phone, and I felt it in my bones. The relief, the desire, everything in between. Eventually, he said, “They’re taking our phones away tomorrow morning.”
A rock dropped in my gut at the words, and the weight of my reaction surprised me.
How had he gone from being a stranger to someone I wanted to see every day?
If I were being honest, just seeing him wasn’t enough.
I wanted time to discover and explore these new feelings I was experiencing.
I wanted to tell him the truth and see if this could be something real, like Jada said.
“Say something,” Quentin asked.
“I miss you.” It was weak, but he heard me anyway.
“I miss you,” he echoed. “The thought of going back to my house when I return and not seeing you in the morning...” He stumbled over his syllables for a moment, an echo of his childhood struggle, and then finally said, “Keep your house. Keep your last name. But please be at my place when I come home.”
“For the night?” I asked, core clenching at the memory of him.
“For good.”
I covered my mouth with my hand.
He wasn’t just asking me to sleep with him. He was asking me to be with him. And my heart leapt. But my nerves flared too. “Are you sure?” I asked. Everything was happening so fast.
“I’ve never been more sure.” He said it so simply, like there wasn’t a doubt to be found for miles.
“But what if...” I had to take a breath to continue. “What if you learn something about me that you don’t like?”
“What I don’t like is the thought of being away from you longer than I have to. Say yes.”
My heart stutter-stepped. It might have been a terrible idea. Hell, it probably was. But damn, it felt so easy to say, “Yes.”
“Yes?” he repeated, the smile clear in his voice.
“Yes.” Happy little bubbles flared in my chest, ignorant of my mind telling me this was a terrible idea. “Yes.”
“Oh, baby, I’m going to have you saying that so damn often,” he growled.
My skin grew more sensitive, and I crossed my legs under the covers. “Quentin,” I breathed. “Don’t tempt me. I’m already lonely.”
“You don’t need to be lonely now,” he said. “I’m right here with you.”
My heart quickened. “What are you doing now that you’re here?” I bit my bottom lip. It felt like the first tentative step on a frozen lake, wondering if the ice would shatter beneath my feet.
But he held firm. “I’m running my hands over your luscious hips,” he told me. “And I’m pulling you close so you can see how hard I am just thinking of you.”
I let out a gasp at the desire running through his words. It was like he was actually here, the memory of his hard length still strong in my mind. “Oh, you’re so hard,” I breathed, reaching into my nightstand for my vibrator.
“And you’re soft, just like I like.”
“Mm.” I lay back down and switched on the device, soft vibrations and my shallow breaths filling the room. “What part of me do you like to touch?”
“I’m squeezing your ass right now. Tugging you closer. I like how I can hold on to you and get that pussy at just the right angle.”
“God, Q,” I whimpered.
“Touch your nipples for me, wife,” he ordered. “Lick your fingers and get them nice and hard like I would with my tongue.”
I followed his instruction, nipples already peaked. I licked the fingertips on my free hand and ran them over the nubs, pretending it was his tongue instead. Pinched, imagining the harsh scrape of his teeth.
“Are you touching yourself?” I managed between moans. “Stroking that cock like I would?”
“Yes, I’m stroking it,” he said, “but make no mistake, there’s nothing in this world that could feel better than your wet pussy.”
His desire for me was so damn heady I was high on it, hips writhing in my sheets, sweat gathering on my skin.
“I want you inside me,” I whined.
“Are you ready to take this cock like a good wife?” he said harshly. I heard his breath coming faster, imagined him touching himself to my voice. Sensation gathered at the apex of my thighs.
“Yes!” I cried out.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, husband!”
“Good wife,” he said and moaned. “God, you’re so tight around me.”
My eyes rolled back in my head as I made myself feel good to the sound of his voice. “Deeper,” I begged, the vibration pushing me closer to the edge even though my pussy was painfully empty. Nothing could fill me like he could. Nothing or no one had ever come close.
The mix of a moan and grunt that came through the phone made me clench even harder. “God, yes!” I said.
“That’s it, baby, take it. Take it.”
“I’m taking it!” I gasped. “All of it. All of you. Give me all of you.” My words were an incoherent mess, my back arching, legs thrashing in the sheets as delicious, commanding passion built up within me, a thread fraying from tension.
And then it snapped. I cried out, hips bucking, pussy clenching, face screwed up, and eyes rolled back.
He grunted out my name, harsh breaths coming through the phone as he came.
“Good wife,” he rasped. “So fucking good.”
We both gasped for a time, catching our breath in silence as we reveled at what just happened between us, even all these miles apart.
“Rei...” he breathed.
I tossed back the blanket, trying to cool my damp skin. “Yes?” I asked, a flush warm on my cheeks. I couldn’t believe we had phone sex that felt like that, not just some shallow imitation of the real thing.
“Promise you’ll be there when I get home.” That little hint of tenderness made my heart squeeze.
“I’ll be there,” I promised.
“Good.” He sounded relieved and... happy.
“You know, you didn’t have to fuck me to get me to move in,” I teased. “Although, it was much appreciated.”
He laughed. “The fucking was just your sign-on bonus.”
“Oh God.” I rolled my eyes. “He makes lame jokes. My husband is a lame-joke guy.”
“Guess you’ll have to get used to that,” he said, his voice warm as a summer sunset.
I smiled to myself. “Guess I will.” A surprise yawn passed through my lips.
“You’re tired,” he said.
“No I’m not.”
“Get some sleep,” he ordered. “It’s important.”
I pouted. “My husband’s bossy too.”
He chuckled, the sound a balm to my ears. “I think you like it when I tell you what to do.”
My sensitive pussy squeezed at the thought. “Possibly,” I whispered, smiling like a fool.
“Good wife,” he hummed.
Damn, I was tempted to reach for my vibrator again. If I wasn’t already suppressing a yawn. “Good night, husband,” I whispered.
“Good night, wife.”
We hung up and I held out my phone, looking at the screen. “Did that just happen?” I asked myself, despite the fact that I could still feel my heartbeat in my sex.
I didn’t even remember falling asleep, but when I woke with sunlight streaming in through the windows, I checked my phone for notifications. There was one from Quentin, but before I could read it, I saw another name.
Conrad.
I opened the text thread and stared in horror.
He’d sent a screenshot of a news article with a photo of Quentin and me at the altar. The bold headline underneath read, MYHOME CFO ELOPES WITH JANITOR
Conrad: Saw this on the news.
Conrad: You better have something good.