Lust & Lies Box Set-Sexual Awakenings, Excess, Predator & Prey

“I don’t have time—”

“I was thinking,” I interrupted her, “of how easy Henry VIII had it. The man was onto something.” “Amusing,” she said dryly. “I need you home tonight.”

“Where you sleep is not my home. You want appearances, fine, but don’t fucking call that my house.” I was shorter with her than usual today, resentment brewing out of my every pore from what she’d cost me.

I hated my wife. “Fine.” Her voice was stern, a sign an imminent threat was coming. “Our anniversary dinner is this evening. Just a few close friends.”

“And I need to attend because?” I smiled, knowing I was playing with fire. “Be here by seven, guests will arrive at eight,” she snapped.

“When the fuck are you going to let me out of this?” I snapped back. “When you’ve served your time,” she said quickly then hung up.

I’m fucked.

A month ago, I was so fucking close to being rid of her. The satanic slut I called a wife had not only robbed me of the last seven years but was now dangling my livelihood in front of me. Everything I worked for she held in the palm of her hand. And I let her have it. I’m a very smart man who made a very bad decision. And the mistakes I am paying for are not my own. I glanced at my phone.

Nina: Have your office send over the paperwork for the sale. One condition, you never contact me again socially or otherwise.

I deserved that. I knew I deserved it. For the last few months, I’ve been a complete bastard to her. I had to hand it to her, though. She was tough, and she’d loved me well. Knowing she wouldn’t believe the truth in the words, I sent the text anyway. There was no way she would ever deem me sincere.

Devin: I’ll miss you, Nina.

I threw my phone down, knowing I would get no response.

She was finally done with me. The pain creeping through my chest as subtle as a heavily swung ax told me I was far from done with her.

“Trust is like a mirror, you can fix it if it’s broken, but you can still see the crack in that mother fucker’s reflection.”

? Lady Gaga

§§

Nina

It was like life had just handed me the golden ticket and said, “Sorry, my bad you didn’t read the fine print. You can’t have fucked a relative.”

I left Aiden that night to start his set at the bar. He didn’t notice me stiffen in his arms at the mention of his last name. After a slow tender kiss goodnight, I abandoned him to completely freak out in the safety of my town car. On the way home, I Googled everything I could about Devin. His LinkedIn had a clear business profile but said absolutely nothing about his personal life, including his wife.

Nothing new there.

How could I have been so stupid? I knew him for over a year before I dated him for six months, blissfully ignorant until his wife actually called me to let me know I was his mistress, and one of many. And when I went to confront Devin the very same hour she’d berated me on the phone, he was fucking her on his desk. He didn’t look surprised to see me in the least, nor did he come after me.

Devin loathed her, this much I knew after the fact. And if he’d had other affairs, it was due to that fact alone. I may not have been the first, but I was most definitely his last. Up until the point I ended it, at least. Pain pierced my chest at the thought. Eileen had him trapped somehow; he’d never cared enough about me to tell me why. I continued to sleep with him out of spite toward her after she’d purposefully ruined me publicly a number of times—and because I loved him desperately, but that was another illusion.

I

t wasn’t until a few weeks later when she’d shunned me at my first social gathering that I realized she’d set the whole thing up. Devin had confirmed as much to me without so many words. I’d watched them a little more closely than other people. I’d seen him openly glare at her once or twice when backs were turned. Only a fool would believe they were anything more than publicly married. But I was the only one who truly cared to take a second look. After a solid month of endless humiliation at the hands of his cunning wife, remorse turned into anger. I’d taken Devin by the cock, led him into the coat check closet and fucked all my frustration out. Deserving or not, he was all I had, and I used it to my advantage. I lost a large piece of self-respect that night while Devin eyed me warily as he zipped his pants. He didn’t question my intent and simply took what I offered him.

I should have known.

Then again, the man lived like a bachelor. Aside from the handful of weekends we went away, we rarely spent the night together. I assumed it was his determination to keep our relationship private. He didn’t want anyone at his investment firm knowing he was fucking a client. I’d never held it against him, but it did make me curious. I was too busy starting Scott Solutions to wonder or do anything about it. And he’d made me happy. He’d never offered me more than sex and friendship, and I took it and ran with it. I was to blame for the lack of control over my feelings getting involved, but I never had a chance with him.

Devin was magnetic, raw, hungry, beautiful, and ambitious. Power emulated from his intense, deep blue gaze to his fingertips.

Devin never held my hand after I’d found out, nor did he apologize. As the months progressed, I was reintroduced to him and in a completely different way. I’d let him continue to have my body, treat me as less, and all for the sake of spite, or so I told myself. I’d been cheated on, and no matter how much I loathed his wife, I’d taken part in the affair knowingly and without empathy for her. It was wrong. I was wrong. And still…I loved him.

Back to the matter at hand, Nina.

I’d just been fucked and fucked well by Aiden, and my mind was still on Devin. Would it ever end?