Deceived (5 page)

His groan was heartfelt when his hips finally settled against hers and she knew she’d taken all of him. Granite-like abs pressed against her stomach. Jerome kept himself fit, but this was new. His gym membership definitely wasn’t going to waste. He held himself up on his elbows, but the rough hairs on his chest kept her nipples aroused. Janelle was confused. It had been a long time, but this all felt so different. He felt heavier, hairier, and just all around bigger. Could being masked really account for the differences she was experiencing? “What—”

He withdrew and thrust deep in a slick glide that had her catching her breath. Dear God, she’d never had anything feel so good. He’d found just the right angle to penetrate her deeper than he ever had before. Another plunge and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her feet pressing into his buttocks.

He buried his face in her neck as he fucked her hard and fast, his hips slamming into hers. He’d never been so rough or passionate and she loved it. She’d never felt so desired. It was as though he couldn’t get enough of her. He gripped her ass in his huge palms, holding her in place as he fucked her. He found her G-spot and pounded it relentlessly. Her cries filled the air.

“Gonna come,” he growled, his voice deep and gravelly. “Come with me. Come on my cock.”

In that second, she pictured Aidan and her pussy clamped down on his cock in a wicked spasm that clenched her belly, tightened her nipples, and had her tossing her head back. She bit her lip hard to keep from crying out his name. It was so good and she felt so guilty even as he swelled and began jerking inside her.

In the aftermath, he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged. “God, you have the best tasting pussy I’ve ever had.” He kissed her neck. “I could eat you all night.”

Janelle wet her lips. His voice was still husky and deep with arousal. He held himself balls deep inside her pussy and she could feel him growing hard once more. “I didn’t think you liked that sort of thing.”

“Are you kidding? I loved it.” His big hands were stroking her body once more.

She stiffened. He seemed to be gearing up for a second round. Jerome didn’t like cuddling after and he never wanted seconds. He either wanted a nap or a shower. The inconsistencies were piling up. Lack of sight couldn’t account for all of it. And shouldn’t he be sounding more like himself by now? “Y-your voice sounds different.”

He bit her earlobe and then kissed it. “Maybe a bit hoarser, but not by much. The way you make me feel—”

“Oh, God.” She yanked at the cuffs but they held firm. “Take this mask off me.” He lifted it and opening her eyes confirmed her worst fears. She blinked to adjust to the sudden light. But no amount of blinking was going to change the nightmare unfolding. Aidan. Naked. On her.
Inside her
. “
Oh, my God
,” she groaned. “Aidan, oh my God, what—what the hell? What are you doing here? How could you do this?”

His gold eyes burned into hers. “What do you mean what am I doing here? This is my beach house, my bedroom. As to what I’m doing, that much should be obvious.” He glanced down their joined bodies.

Janelle screeched. She didn’t even know she could make such a noise. Such was her distress that she didn’t pause to think about it. “Get off me and get these cuffs off me. The key is on the nightstand.” His jaw tightened, but he pulled out. She moaned as she watched him leave her body. No wonder she’d had such a difficult time taking him. It was a marvel that she’d been able to take him at all.

His thick flesh glistened with her dew. Aidan’s gaze held hers until he’d left her body. He moved to get the key. And then she realized what she’d seen. “You—you’re not wearing anything. You fucked me bare?”

“Don’t worry. I’m clean.” He released her from the cuffs.

The second she was free, she redid her bra with shaking fingers. She pulled her legs up and curled them under to the side. She was wet with his orgasm and her own. “Explain this to me. Did Jerome rent your house?”

Aidan’s eyes narrowed. “No.”

She shook her head, near tears. “I-I don’t understand. Jerome brought me here for a special weekend together. He put me in the cuffs and—” She gasped and covered her mouth. “Where is he? He went down to his car. Oh, God. Did he see us? Did he see you fucking me?”

“Calm down. The bastard’s gone.” He ran a hand over his face, the lower half covered with a shadow of stubble. “Shit. I should have known this was too good to be true.” He got off the bed and began to pace. Gloriously naked, he was quite a sight. Tall and well muscled, he was art in motion. “That conniving son of a bitch!”

While he was occupied, she slid to the end of the bed in search of her panties. She found the scrap of lace on the floor. They were wet, but her main priority was to cover up. “Why are you so angry? I still don’t know why you’re here.”

“Don’t you see? Jerome offered you to me. He said that the two of you had an open relationship. I gave him this address and told him to have you meet me here. What do you think? That I just happened to come across you strapped to my bed and decided to have a go at you?”

“As far as I know, that is what happened,” she snapped.

“Listen, your boyfriend wanted a promotion to VP. I made it clear to him that I wouldn’t take you in exchange, but he said you wanted this too. He wanted you to be happy. I don’t know what the fuck his end game is, but you’d better open your eyes if this is the way he treats you.”

“I don’t believe you. Jerome wouldn’t—”

“Then where is he? Explain that. Supposing he did come in and catch me fucking you, where is he? He trussed you up like that, made you defenseless, and then he ups and leaves me raping you? Because that’s essentially what it would be. I would kill any man I caught on my woman.”

The tears did come then. He was right. There was no feasible reason for him to have left her that way. Jerome was a shit. How could he have done this to her? Whored her out for a promotion. She’d never realized that he could be so deceitful or manipulative. Did she mean nothing to him? Was his job that important to him that he was willing to sacrifice even her? He’d been planning this since last week. Maybe longer. She dropped to the bed, the strength in her legs gone. “And are you innocent in this? Jerome’s ambitious, but you took advantage of his weakness. What type of man sleeps with another man’s woman? Why would you agree to this?”

He stopped pacing to focus on her. “Because I wanted you and I knew you wanted me too and I didn’t see any other options for making this happen.”

She shivered. Aidan took notice. He picked up his shirt and draped it over her shoulders. “Did you really think that I would be part of an open relationship, based on the few times we’ve met?”

He expelled a sigh. “No. But I wanted to believe it.” Kneeling in front of her, he stroked her arms. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

The kindness only opened her floodgates. She collapsed into his arms and wept. Jerome had used her and played her for a fool. And she’d fallen for every lie he’d ever told her. She’d given him all of her trust and this is how he repaid her. She’d given her body to a virtual stranger. “I don’t…I don’t…not for three months. I wouldn’t have—”

“I know. It’s okay.” He patted her on the back and held her close until she’d cried herself out.

She wiped her face and dabbed at his chest to dry it. “I want to go home.”

“It’s late. Stay the night. I’ll take you home in the morning.”

“I don’t—”

“I’ll sleep in the guest room. You can stay here.”

Finally, she nodded. “Thank you.” She was exhausted, and she needed a shower. He gathered his clothes off the floor. When he was gone, she went into the adjoining bathroom and stripped down before stepping into the shower. With numb fingers, she turned on the water. First cold then hot water pelted her as she stood frozen beneath the spray.

She could barely wrap her mind around all that had happened in the last hour. Jerome had betrayed her. Their relationship of almost a year was over. That much was certain. “That rat bastard,” she rasped, her hands balling into fists. She wished he were here. The need for violence burned away some of the numbness. She scrubbed herself quickly and got out of the shower.

Wrapped in a thick, fluffy towel, she went back into the bedroom. Her purse was on the floor by her bag. She pulled out her cell and called Jerome. The call went straight to voice mail, which meant it was either turned off or he was avoiding her. She didn’t bother leaving a message. She was too angry and the words tumbled over themselves in her head.

She opened her suitcase and stared at the contents in dismay. She didn’t have anything appropriate to sleep in. She’d picked the frilliest items from the store. Finally, she fished out a T-shirt and shorts. Dressed, she slid between the sheets. She buried her face in her hands as she thought of the possible repercussions of tonight’s events.

Chapter Five

Aidan watched Janelle come down the stairs with slow, precise movements. He winced, accepting the blame for her predicament. She must be pretty sore. Her pussy had been so tight, but the instant he was inside her, he’d lost his head, riding her hard, trying to get as deep inside of her as possible. Having her in his arms was better than his fantasies. And she had been so responsive to his touch. To learn that she’d thought he was Jerome the entire time was soul-crushing.

He gave the pot of grits that he was tending one last stir before removing it from the heat. He cleared his throat. “I made breakfast. And there’s fresh coffee.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“It’s a long ride. You have to eat something.”

“I’m not a breakfast eater. I’ll just have coffee.”

He got her a cup and filled it for her. She sat at the table. He gave her sugar and cream so that she could prepare it any way she liked. Once he had his bowl of grits and his coffee, he settled in the seat opposite her. He watched as she went heavy on the sugar and the cream. He noticed that she studiously avoided his gaze. She was embarrassed. He hated that. She had nothing to be ashamed of.

He cleared his throat. “There’s nothing I can do to make up for last night, but if you need me for anything, I’ll be there for you.”

“Please, let’s not discuss that anymore.”

He’d probably blown any chance he had for more with her and it made him even angrier at himself and that asshole Jerome. He ate mechanically, not tasting any of his food. When he was done, he cleaned up the kitchen. Janelle went upstairs and came back down with her suitcase and purse. He’d never removed his bag from the car. He’d been that eager to be with her.

He accepted her silence, but after driving for an hour, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Are you hungry now?”

“A little.”

He pulled over and bought her lunch. Once they reached Charlotte, he had to ask her directions to her home. He carried her bag up for her. Not knowing what else he could say to comfort her, he turned to leave.

“Aidan, wait.” He paused with his hand on the knob. “I-I’m not on anything. Last…I’m clean, but I can’t use birth control. I have a horrible reaction to it. I don’t know…”

He finally grasped what she was trying to tell him. She might be pregnant. His eyes dropped to her flat belly. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He gave her his business card. “Call me when you know either way.” Hoping this wasn’t the last time he saw her, but knowing that it very well could be, he hugged her. He breathed in the sweet smell of her hair. Her body fit his perfectly. “You are a wonderful woman, Janelle. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You deserve so much better than this. I’m sorry.” He kissed the top of her head and released her.

It was Saturday. Since he wasn’t working, he hadn’t asked anyone to be in the office today. Though he was chomping at the bit to handle Jerome, he would have to wait until Monday morning.

* * * *

Janelle watched Aidan leave with a heavy heart. She disagreed with him. She did have a reason to be ashamed. Because even before she’d known it was him making love to her, she’d wanted it to be him, had found her pleasure at the thought that it was him.

She called Jerome again, though she knew it was a waste of time. As she’d anticipated, the coward didn’t answer. She was antsy, but the last thing she wanted to do was confront him while she was this wound up.

She thought of calling Dionne, but she was too embarrassed at how easily Jerome had duped her. He couldn’t possibly care for her at all if he would do this to her. Despite the signs to the contrary, she had believed in him and in their relationship. She felt incredibly stupid.

By Sunday afternoon, she was tired of being in her own head. She called Dionne and spilled her guts about the entire sordid mess. Then she’d spent the next thirty minutes convincing Dionne that going to his house and kicking some ass wasn’t going to help matters.

“So how was he?”

Feigning ignorance, she asked, “How was who?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“I haven’t a clue.”

Dionne’s sigh seemed to go on for a full minute. “How was Aidan in bed?”

“I can’t believe you’re asking me that.”

“You’re avoiding the question.”

Janelle sighed. Dionne wouldn’t give up until she had her answer. “Amazing,” she whispered.

“Thank God. I’d hate to have to add bad sex to the other injustices you’ve suffered.”

“No. Aidan was really sweet to me.” She’d appreciated his kindness. In a way, he was just as much a victim as she was. At first, she’d been angry that Aidan would believe that she’d be willing to have sex with him while she was dating another man. But then she’d calmed down and come to realize that he’d been lied to and deceived also.

* * * *

The commotion outside his closed office door had Aidan clicking out of his e-mail. The door burst open just as he stood. Jerome came in, followed by a harried-looking Margaret. “I told him that you were occupied, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.” She glared up at the young man.

“It’s okay, Margaret. I’ll talk to Mr. Wilson. Give us five minutes and then call security to escort him from the building.” Margaret left, closing the door behind her. Aidan resumed his seat to keep this from becoming a physical confrontation.