Love After Marriage (Forever After #2) (2 page)

* * *

B
eth
:

The glint of Plack's logo shined above us as we walked through Plack Industries' corporate headquarters on Michigan Avenue. Even my walk had a sunny cheerfulness. This was my life, and I couldn’t be happier. At random times, thoughts would filter through my head about the path that Kent and I had crossed to get here. We were supposed to marry for convenience alone. No strings, no attachment, no love. Marriage had granted him access to his trust fund, and in return, my debts that my deadbeat mother had put me into would be repaid.

Easy peasy. Yeah, right.

I had to fall for the bad boy. But little did I know that marriage would do the bad boy good.

It was only a matter of time before my father-in-law had approached me about working for Plack Industries as their financial controller. I declined at first, mostly because I needed separation from my work and personal life but Dad, as I now call him, would not relent. He had sat me down multiple times and tried to coerce me into taking the job, repeating over and over that it only made sense.

I underwrote Plack Industries at Financial State, and understood the company and their operations. Dad had insisted that, at the end of the day, Plack Industries was our Company and, when he retired, Kent would take over as CEO and he'd like me to take over as CFO.

Kent had pushed me too, but for different reasons. Soon after getting
really
married, his jealousy meter jumped to an eleven on a scale of ten. He would ask about every single new employee that worked at Financial State. It had been quite annoying, even though Caroline, my former co-worker, thought it was the cutest thing.

After months of pushing and persuasion, my new family had won out. I had decided that Plack Industries was our legacy, and I wanted to be a part of bringing the Company to the next level. Before I had taken the job, though, I had a serious discussion with Kent about separating business and pleasure. As of now, he continued to struggle with that aspect of the hands-off-at-work rule.

I shook my head, breaking myself out of my random thoughts. In typical workday fashion, we strolled past security, through two glass double doors, and past the receptionist area. Before we went our separate ways, I tiptoed to kiss my husband and the familiar butterflies tickled my belly. His kiss lingered on my lips, and I breathed him in.

His hands reached for my waist, but I pushed him off playfully. Work and pleasure? Not going there.

He flashed me a dimple as I veered right toward my office and he turned to go up the elevator to his.

For the rest of the day, I busied myself on my computer for a particular reason I didn't want to acknowledge. I glanced at the calendar. It was my mother's birthday, the deadbeat who had abandoned me time and time again. She’d racked up bills under my name that had put me in heaps of debt. Looking back at it now, maybe if things were different, it would have not led me on the path that I lived today. I wouldn't have needed Kent's help. I wouldn’t have agreed to his deal to pay off my debts in order for him to attain his trust fund. And who knows, if I hadn't taken that arrangement, we may never have fallen in love.

A thought of her filtered through my head, one where I was five and had made her a birthday card colored with an array of different shades of pink balloons, because pink had been her favorite color. She had been passed out drunk on the couch, and I placed the card by her head so it would be the first thing she saw when she woke up. My breathing slowed and a pang shot straight to my heart. It happened every time I thought of her. If I didn't push it down, it would cripple me into nonexistence, until I wouldn't be able to get anything done at work. I couldn't afford to slack since we had our quarterly meeting for upper management today.

I forced myself to focus and, by doing so, time passed quickly. When I glanced up from my desk, my small desktop clock indicated a time of 11:30. A sense of relief flooded my insides because I knew Kent would be picking me up soon.

I scooped up the printed quarterly financial statements, hot off the printer, and headed to the copy room to make copies for our meeting after lunch.

Standing by the copy machine, I busied myself sorting through the papers. The door creaked shut, but I concentrated on the task at hand and continued to count copies, not wanting to lose my place. Suddenly, strong hands wrapped around my waist and I smiled, still keeping count.

"Hey, baby." Just his voice alone had my heart pitter-pattering faster against the chambers of my chest.

"Hey," I said. "Twenty-Five, twenty-Six." My fingers flipped through the documents I had hold of, and then I leaned against him as his warm tongue slid along that sensitive spot on my neck. My nipples pebbled against my shirt. I loved how he did that. "We're at work." I sighed, keeping my placing of my fingers between the papers.

Desire pooled deep in my belly when he flicked his tongue to my weakness, just below my ear. It was as if that direct spot was my
on
button. He knew what to press to get me hot and heated.

"It's lunch time, and I'm hungry," he growled.

His fingers trailed lower to the front of my thighs and stroked between the apex of my legs. My knees turned weak and liquefied in his hold. Feverish goose bumps skittered across my skin.

"And there's only one thing that can satisfy this hunger," he growled into my ear.

"Stop." I turned to face him, glad that the door was closed behind us. "Someone might walk in."

The look on his face told me he wouldn’t mind the live demonstration. My words excited him, and he pushed me against the copier, his eyes filling with mischief. "Oh, wouldn't that be fun," he joked.

I was about to protest again, but the hard edge of the machine pressed against my waist and all was lost. My brain mushed up like mash potatoes. My free hand threaded through his locks, and he leaned down to capture my lips in his. I molded into him because he had this power over me. An undeniable power, like a puppet master controlling his puppet.

He opened me with his tongue and my resolve weakened as I turned to putty within his hold. "Stop." My soft voice failed me. It was in contrast to what my body was doing, my hands gripping his shoulders, my flesh rubbing against him, my moans leaving my mouth.

He reached for my ass and began to lift me, but I stilled, knowing full well we were going to make love on this copy machine if I didn't stop him. We'd never made love in the office. It was the cardinal ‘no-no’ rule. We couldn't go there because, once we started, I doubted our ability to stop. It would be easier to do it again and again and again.

Then again…

No.
We couldn’t.

"Stop," I said more firmly, moving from his grasp.

He ignored my plea, reached for my waist and bent down to kiss my neck. All my senses were overloaded with everything that was my husband, my sexy alpha male, and once again I melted into his touch, my words meaning nothing. His hand trailed down to my shirt, moving up and down my center, and I let out a low, exasperated sigh.

Finally, I pushed him off me in one swift movement and backed away, catching my breath. My cheeks heated red as a rose and everything south was tingling with want.

I needed distance from the devil tempting me with his sexy body and the power of what he could do with mine.

A mischievous glint shined in his eyes, and I could hear his thoughts loud and clear. I straightened my skirt, pulled it down, and evened out the wrinkles.

"Don't come closer," I warned, still trying to find my bearings. To have any semblance of self-control, I needed to keep him away. I needed space, air, and a lot of distance.

But who was I kidding? I don't think oceans could keep the heat from our relationship, and I wondered if this was the norm with other married couples. I welcomed the passion between us, but not at work.

He flashed me his winning smile and did the opposite of what I told him, only advancing. I retreated further back, now butting up against the second copy machine on the opposite wall. My breathing hitched. There was nowhere else to go. "I mean it, babe," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

He continued to stalk toward me, each step bringing more goose bumps to my skin.

"I'll scream, I swear it," I promised.

He only grinned. I knew that look. This spoiled entitled male, who had gotten everything he'd ever wanted, thought that my saying 'No' was a challenge. A challenge for him to conquer. I couldn't blame him, my voice quivered with desire.

"You'll scream alright,” he chuckled darkly. “But I'll be inside you when you do it." A dimple popped out on his cheek.

Gah!
Evil male seducer.

His words filled my belly with pure desire, but I couldn't give in. Especially at work. The closer he moved, the more I felt my resolve weakening, wanting him to touch me.

He maneuvered an inch from my face and cornered me between the copier and boxes of legal papers. I peered up into his chestnut eyes that were filled with a hunger threatening to swallow me whole. No doubt mine were filled with the same lust.

"You already had me last night and this morning," I whined. "No." I hated how weak my voice sounded.

"It's lunch time, the floor has cleared out, and I'm still hungry," he said, pressing flush against me. He leaned down to whisper in my ear, sending shivers down my neck with a direct hit to my core.
Boom!
"I need you to meet me in the car in the parking garage."

"No," I said softly, trying to control my hormones from raging.

"Don't make me come back here and get you," he whispered. His warm breath tickled my skin. "Because if I have to come back here, I'm going to take you on that copier so hard, everyone’ll hear."

He backed away, but not before everything south tingled from his words. "And you know, you're not very quiet, even if you try to be." He winked, turned, then walked out, leaving me a panting, horny mess.

He wouldn't.

My pulsed stammered against my wrist.

Shoot.

He so would.

K
ent
:

I undid my tie, rushed to the garage, and hopped in my car. There was no doubt she'd meet me. I had seen the hunger in my eyes mirrored in hers. It was her own damn fault. She had been born with an innocent face, but she had a banging swimsuit body and I couldn't stop focusing on her ass in her new suit. She had only been making copies, but I doubt anyone could look hotter than Beth doing mediocre duties.

I had only meant to pick her up to grab some lunch, but my other head had alternate plans in mind.

I texted Beth one last time, feeling mischievous. If I knew my wife, which I did, she was beet red. I vowed to make it my lifelong mission to keep her flushed one way or the other.

Whoever said marriage was boring was dead wrong. I guess they weren't with the right person, because so far, marriage had been an exceptional ride that I never wanted to end. The key was finding the right person.

My parents had been married almost forty years, and anyone could tell they were meant for each other. There was no doubt in my mind that Beth was meant for me.

My smile widened when she staggered toward the car. She reached for the door, peered in, and jumped back as though there was imminent danger in the car.

There was——me.

She stood, face stern and her arms crossed over her chest. Bad move. It only accentuated her perfect breasts. "I need you in the car, Beth," I said, voice tough, face serious.

"No." She shifted her weight from one foot to another and her eyes skittered around, though there was no one in sight. "Not now." Her body language betrayed her words as she bit her lower lip and let out one long sigh. I recognized that sigh and a hint of a whine in her tone. It didn't sound very convincing.

"Let me take you for a ride." My eyes crinkled, and I patted the passenger seat beside me, which made her mouth twitch into a smile.

In the next beat, she bit that smile back and furrowed her eyebrows, as though she was pissed that she had let that emotion slip.

"We can't." She had a forced firmness in her tone, if only her eyes told me the same, she would be believable. I reached for her hand, rubbing the inside of her wrist with my thumb. Goosebumps prickled her skin.

"Baby, just get in the car." I flashed her my winning grin, the one that seemed so innocent but was far from it.

"Get in. We need to get lunch." I leveled my voice and at least tried to sound believable.

She sighed, audibly loud, blew her bangs away from her eyes, and jumped into the front seat. I pressed pedal to the metal and sped off, climbing higher and higher in the enclosed parking garage, the opposite way of where we should’ve been heading to lunch. I stopped when we reached a secluded dark area of the garage.

Adrenaline rushed through me at the anticipation of what was to come next. "Out," I commanded, stepping out of the vehicle and walking to her side of the car.

I yanked open her door and was greeted by a very frustrated wife. She pushed her lip out, fastening her seat belt in place. At that moment, I knew she didn't have a chance.

I came closer and peered down at her, my eyes moving to her now fastened seatbelt in a parked car.

"I need you out of the vehicle, Ma’am." I used my best cop impression and placed both hands on the top of the car. My expectant eyes fixed her in her spot.

When she didn't budge, I unfastened the buckles of my belt and whipped it against the door. "Out."

"No!" She tried not to laugh but failed.

My cock strained against my pants, needing to break free. I loved it when she played coy, and she knew that I loved chasing her. I'd chase this woman to the ends of the earth if I had to.

When she shook her head, bit her lower lip, and peered up at me from her lashes in a flirty come-and-get-it-way, I knew it was game over.

I reached over to unfasten her seat belt and pulled at her waist. She didn't fight me as I lifted her, opened the back seat of the car, and threw her in. After I shut the door behind us, our mouths collided.

I pulled back a fraction, my fingers already pulling up at the hem of her skirt. "You've been a bad girl, Bethany Marie, and I'm going to have to teach you a lesson." My lips crashed down against hers and my hands were everywhere, groping her sensitive skin. The tiny moans escaping her mouth increased my hunger for her. With one hand, I cupped the side of her face and kissed her deeply, swirling my tongue against hers, while my other hand inched up the inside of her skirt and caressed her ass.

I could make love to my woman for hours, but we didn't have the time. When I moved her off of me, her hand flew to my forearm, her eyes smoldering with want.

"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. Up, beautiful."

I moved to the middle of the seat and lifted her to straddle me. Her pencil skirt bunched up to her thighs and my hand went to her neck, feeling her erratic pulse beneath my fingertips. Her breathing intensified to the point where she sounded like she was out of breath. With my expert hands, I unbuttoned her white silk blouse, while I bent down to suck on the tender part of her neck.

All at once, she was undoing the button of my slacks and pulling down my zipper. When she held my hardness between her fingertips, my breathing quickened. My fingers trailed to her waist and lifted her until I felt the wetness of her heat against my tip.

I stilled and lost all focus. "Shit," I mumbled under my breath. I didn't have any condoms. She rubbed herself on my hardness, and I lost all sense of reason. "I don't have a condom on me," I groaned.

With her forehead against mine, she let out a disappointed moan. "Really? Really, Kent. After all that?"

I moved her panties to the side and slipped two fingers inside her, disappointment seeping into every single pore. "You're soaked," I breathed. And then I decided I didn’t care about anything else other than being inside her. I seized the sides of her panties, tore the delicate fabric in half, and tossed it on the floor.

"Crap," she said, breathlessly.

"Sorry." I was far from apologetic as I positioned her above the tip of my cock and slammed into her. Pure sensation ripped through my body. Her head flew back, and she palmed the ceiling of the car as I took her on one of the best rides of her life.

* * *

B
eth
:

After our sexapade, we had to make a little pit stop. I ran to our parked car, in front of the drug store, and watched Kent’s amused eyes in the driver's seat. When a draft of wind crept up my skirt, hitting my bare butt, I narrowed my eyes at him. I stepped into the car, shutting the door behind me.

"I hate you," I told him, but there was no bite in my voice.

His sexy dimple flashed on his cheek, which only made me laugh. "I told you, you don't have to wear any underwear. No one would even know," he said, squeezing my leg. "Except for me of course." He winked and shifted the gear to drive.

"Shut up." I tore off the tag from the overly large pink underwear from the drug store. It was the only size they had left. "I can't believe I'm going to wear underwear I haven't even washed," I whined, holding them up.

"Another pair of granny panties. Love it."

I slipped them on under my skirt, and we laughed together. I glanced around, making sure no one could watch me change through the window. Inside, I released a silent sigh of relief and straightened my shirt.

When Kent turned the street into the drive-thru of McDonalds, I reached for his fingers and reveled in the comfort of his hand in mine. We preferred fine dining, but we only had ten minutes to get back to the office in time for our meeting. This definitely constituted a fast food emergency.

He ordered our regular: large fries, Big Mac burger, and six-piece chicken nuggets with barbecue sauce. I fed him fries by the fistful as he drove us back to the office.

"Hey," he said, through muffled chews.

"What? I thought you were hungry."

He placed his hand on my leg, inching his way up my skirt. "Oh, I'm hungry." He peered up at me with lust in his eyes as we pulled into the parking garage.

I shook my head and chuckled. "You're insatiable, sex fiend. Maybe I need to contact a counselor. Commit you." I reached in the bag, noticing how the grease from our food had soaked the bottom. Shrugging, I popped a few fries into my mouth.

"You're the only cure for this addiction." His fingers inched further up my thigh, but I pushed him off.

"None of that. We're here." I stuffed the rest of the Big Mac in my mouth and reached for the door. "Give me two minutes and then come in right after me." I leaned over to kiss him on the lips, then I pulled away, but he tugged me forward by the lapel of my jacket and held our kiss longer together.

I moved from his hold because I knew where this one kiss could lead, and I reached for the handle on the door.

"I love you," he said as I stepped out of the car. "And I love your damn sexy granny panties."

I stuck out my tongue in a teasing manner, smiled, then dashed into the doors of Plack Industries. After sprinting to my office, I glanced at my watch and darted to my computer. I needed to print out the rest of my packet for today's meeting. I had ten minutes to make fifteen more copies.

In the copy room, I ran the projections through the machine. Sweat formed at my brow. I hated being rushed, which made me slightly irritated at myself that I had given into Kent's requests during lunch. It had seemed playful and fine at the time.

The more minutes that passed, panic rose within me, and I rubbed the back of my neck, watching the white sheets of paper shoot out of the copier. My pointed black Prada heels tapped against the ceramic floor as the seconds ticked by.

My phone rang in my pocket, and I picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"

Silence welcomed my greeting, and my heart stopped in my throat. Dead. Not beating.

Though I wasn't for sure, there wasn't a return number in my cell, I still knew it was her. My biological mother was on the other line. Usually, I never picked up for unknown callers, and every time I had pressed end to an unfamiliar number, I always wondered if it was her calling me.

This time, I knew.

When the caller on the other line did not hang up, I released a shaky breath. "Jamie."

Then the line went dead.

"Happy Birthday," I whispered to the dead line. Because in a normal scenario, one where I had a relationship with my mother, that's what I would be saying to her.

My fist tightened at my sides, and I snapped myself back to the present. When the last of the copies spat out of the machine, I dashed down the hall, into the elevator and to the conference room, pushing down any memories of my mother. The last time I had spoken to her, I had been kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend, who had put a gun to my head. What I needed to do now was eradicate any memories I had left of that woman. Problem was, she was my mother. It wasn’t easy. I’d been trying.

A few people, including Dad, were already congregated in the room, not yet seated. My shoulders relaxed, and I took my regular spot at the dark mahogany table. My eyes scanned the room, but Kent was not present yet.

I knew he had to prepare for his portion of the presentation. Just when I was about to take out my phone and text him, he strolled through the doors, papers in hand. His eyes quickly darted to mine as he took his spot opposite me, right next to his father.

"Sorry, I had a late...lunch." His eyes raked me in, and I immediately warmed. When he wore his signature teasing smile, I tore my gaze from his and pretended to sort through my papers. My ears burned up at the knowing look in his eye.

Dad took out his reading glasses and glanced down at his copies in front of him. "Where did you go to eat?" he asked innocently.

Kent laughed under his breath. "I had my meal in the car."

My head shot up, and I gave him a look of warning, sweat forming at my temple.

"You know.” He shrugged. “Got tied up in a couple of things. So had to rush lunch. Usually I like to take my meals nice...and slow, to savor every single bite. But today was an exception."

I kicked him under the table, and he stifled a laugh.

Faith, Kent's secretary, was wearing a secret smile, and I wondered if she knew about our hot and spicy meet-up.

I shot him another death glare, but he only continued. "Lunch was great, but dessert was even better."

"That's good." Dad wasn't paying attention as he squinted at the papers in front of him. He turned to me, pointing at the numbers on the bottom of the page. "Beth, can I get a breakdown of the operating expenses after this meeting?"

I took my pen out and jotted notes in my portfolio. "Yes, I'll email you the line-by-line breakdown." I gave Kent one more evil stare that seemed to make his smile falter. Yes, be afraid. Be deathly afraid, oh husband of mine.

Dad lifted his head and cleared his throat. "Okay, let's get this meeting started. I have a three o'clock with a supplier after this."

Kent was up first. He stood, passed out his presentation, and walked to the front of the room. His demeanor changed, a stark contrast to his playful self a minute ago. I loved watching my husband in action. He discussed the current US operations of Plack Industries.