Always Been Mine (11 page)

I moved back up, groaning as I moved my mouth over all of him, but his sounds drowned mine out. I slid my mouth up and down, my hand grabbing his base, his noises encouraging me to move faster.  His hands had been gripping the sheets, as if they were the only thing holding him back. Now one hand moved to my hair, grabbing a fistful, pushing me down further, making me take more. Then, just as suddenly, they were tugging at me, as if to pull me off. I ignored them, sitting up on my knees to get better access, and taking him as deep as I could. “Baby, I can’t… I can’t. Take. Much. More. Please…” His words came in short spurts, as if it took every ounce of energy he had to talk. I smiled as I pulled off him, out of breath myself. I didn’t have a chance to ask what he wanted, before he was pulling at my arms, pleading with me. “Fuck me, Jo. Jesus! Come ride me. Now! I need to be in you.”   

Matty was beautiful all the time. Matty, sprawled naked on my bed, was sexy. But, Matty demanding, telling me what to do was fucking hot. I looked up at him, half tempted to do what he asked. He was covered in sweat, an amazing feat for someone not doing anything. Lying there, looking like that, commanding me, caused a flutter in my stomach and I could feel myself getting even more turned on. He was driving me crazy, but I had no intention of giving him what he thought he wanted.

I moved my hands onto the sensitive section of his inside thigh, digging in every time he tugged on my arms and went back to work, every groan, every word, every swear he uttered, made me enjoy my job even more. It wasn’t long before I felt his muscles tighten and heard his warning, telling me he was close, ordering me to let him go, to take my mouth off him. I didn’t. Instead, I pulled my hands from his thighs and circled one around his base, one around his two friends. My mouth filled with him as he climaxed, his hands pulling at my hair, trying to get my mouth away from his sensitive area again. I pushed down, making sure he’d given me all he had to give before I kissed my way back up his body.

I was surprised when his lips met mine, his tongue pushing its way past my teeth, his hands pushing into my back, forcing me to lie on him. When I ended the kiss, he moved my head to his chest, sighing as he held me tight. "You will pay for that, later." I smiled at his reaction. I put my hands on his chest and pushed against him, looking into his eyes. He looked exhausted but he had a goofy smile on his lips.

“Is that what you had in mind?” The confusion on his face, as he tried to figure out what I was talking about, made me laugh. My hand moved down, tracing his right pubic bone, feeling a slight bump in the skin where the words I’d seen last week were forever imprinted on his body. “Is that what you hand in mind when you got this?”

He grinned, realization crossing his beautiful features. “Nope. Never in my wildest dreams did I picture that." He sighed. "What I imagined doesn’t even fucking come close to that.”

“Good.” I grinned, moving my hand up to his heart, tracing my favorite tattoo.

"You really like that tattoo, don't you?" I met his eyes, knowing he wasn't talking about the claddagh.

I nodded. "I really do." My voice was low. "It makes me want to... do it." I laughed, a little embarrassed. “Now I really need a shower.” I pulled back, intent on getting out of bed, but he held me tight.

“If I asked you to call out of work and spend the day with me, would you do it?”

I nodded without even thinking. I didn’t want this day to end, either. “In a heartbeat.” Matty sat up, pulling me with him, and then untangled himself from me, standing up. Grabbing his phone, he punched in a number, and held it out to me. I heard Connie’s voice mail answer. “Good morning, Connie. I’m not coming in today.” I sighed, not sure what to say. I filled her in on my schedule and then told her I’d see her Monday. Smiling up at Matty I handed the phone back. “Your turn, lover. I’ll be in the shower.” I got half way across the room before I turned back to find him watching me with that goofy grin still on his face. “Don’t make me wait too long. Ok?”

**********

I glared at my reflection, twisting my lips, turning my head from side to side, looking at my neck from every angle, trying to decide how I could possibly cover the bright red bite marks. Unzipping my makeup I sorted through the containers to see what I had; not much. I could try the concealer, but…

“You look amazing right now.” I snapped my head up, meeting his eyes in the mirror. I hadn’t known he was watching me. He had towel dried his hair and then wrapped the white terry cloth around his waist, but his shoulders still glinted with water from the incredibly long and incredibly steamy shower we had just taken. He leaned against the counter, facing me. 

“Ha!” I grinned at him. “You’re blind.”

He frowned, pushing his hip off the counter and moving to stand behind me. He met my eyes in the mirror again. “Do you see that?” He nodded his head towards our reflection. “Does that look like a guy that would fuck an ugly girl?” 

His lips twitched, the only sign he was kidding, and I burst out laughing. “I love how modest you are.”

His arms came around me, highlighting the stark contrast between my pale white stomach and his tanned, toned arms. He leaned in, eyes still on mine, and kissed my neck. “And I love to hear you laugh. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you happy.” They were simple words, but words that made my heart beat fast. His mouth moved down toward my shoulder, and my breath caught.

“I thought you were hungry.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “If you don’t stop that right now, we won’t make it out the door.”

I saw the corner of his mouth twitch again, before he continued his line of kisses. “I’m sure you’ve got something I could eat.” His words, low and full of innuendo, shocked me. My mouth fell open, in an unflattering way, and I could feel my cheeks glowing red. He laughed against my skin. “Fine.” He pulled away, a pout on his face. “But later we’re picking this up, right here.” I had no doubt that he meant it.

There weren’t many cars in the lot when we pulled into the restaurant. I wasn’t surprised, we were a little early for the normal lunch time rush. Matty reached for my hand as he came around the front of my car towards me. I took it, sliding my fingers between his as I smiled up at him. He leaned down, kissing me on the tip of my nose, making me giggle. The guilt I’d had last week from this type of contact with him was gone, and I was just enjoying him.

He held open the door, just like he did every Friday when we came here, but he never let go of my hand, stepping into place beside me as soon as we were both inside. It was like he was telling the world that I was his, to back off. After last night, and this morning, I found the gesture reassuring. He wasn’t ashamed of us.

Taking a minute to adjust to the dimness of the Thai restaurant, I glanced over to the counter where the hostess usually stood. Seeing it empty, I skimmed the dining area. She was at a large table in the corner, filling water glasses for a group that appeared to be having a business meeting. Knowing she’d be over to seat us in a minute, I laid my head on his shoulder and snuggled into Matty’s side, watching the orange fish swim around in the tank in front of us.

Matty sighed happily, letting go of my hand, moving his to the small of my back. I closed my eyes as his fingers drew small circles over my clothes. I was so relaxed that I could have stood there for hours, cuddling with him. I heard the hostess call to us, tell us she’d be right over, and then I felt Matty stiffen, straightening up a bit. His fingers stopped moving on my back, but his arm got tighter, holding me closer. I stood, trying to see what had alarmed him. Following the direction he was now glaring in, I saw a head of curly blonde hair and I felt myself tense.

Standing at the table of businessmen, staring straight at us, my husband—I guess soon to be ex-husband was more appropriate—looked both surprised and annoyed. Excusing himself, he walked our way. It wasn’t a large space, and I pushed away from Matty as he approached. I felt Matty turn, his eyes on me, but all I could do was reach out and grab his hand. Hoping he would understand why I separated us, I squeezed his fingers. He squeezed back.

“Joey.” Will nodded at me in greeting, giving me a small smile. He opened his arms, pulling me into a hug. I didn’t know how to react, and for a minute we stood there in an awkward pose. His lips came close to my ear. “I haven’t told them yet. Please?” He didn't need to explain, I knew what he was asking. Sighing, I lifted the hand that wasn’t holding Matty’s up to Will's back, returning the hug. The company Will worked for prided itself on its family values. Things like divorce, broken families and adultery didn’t have a place on their moral compass. It would be one thing if his boss saw Matty and me out together; I would be the adulterous whore. But, with Will here, it was a whole other ball game.

Part of me wanted to laugh in his face; he had done this, created this mess, not me. I sure as hell wasn’t going to help him clean it up. He was the one that had the affair, why in the world would I help him save face? Another part of me hated his job, and didn’t care if he did lose it. I’d sacrificed hours and hours of my time with him so he could climb the ladder, be dedicated the employee. Hours that could have been spent working on us, saving us from ending up exactly where we were. If he hadn’t been working there, he never would have met her. However, as much as I wanted to, and at that moment I really, really wanted to, I couldn’t just hang him out to dry. I just didn’t have it in me.

Stepping back from his embrace I plastered a smile on my face and greeted him warmly, loud enough so his co-workers could hear me. Will’s eyes met mine as he gave me another small smile, and I saw his shoulder sag slightly with what I assumed was relief. His eyes traveled down, then, seeing my neck for the first time, the smile froze in place and his eyes narrowed. Shit! I’d been in such a rush to get Matty out of the hotel that I hadn’t used concealer to completely cover the marks. Instead, I’d just dusted some powder over them, hiding them as best I could.

Will turned his attention to Matty, holding out his left hand, jaw clenched. I noticed then that he was wearing his wedding ring again. Well, there went the theory that Rachel didn't know he was still married. “Matt.” He greeted my friend, even though it was clear he’d rather have ignored him. Matty had to drop my hand to shake Will’s, stepping closer to my husband as he did. The two were almost the same height, with almost the same build; broad shoulders, muscular arms, toned chests, slim waists, followed by long powerful legs. That’s where the similarities ended, though. Matty was dark, his sun kissed skin made him look like he hailed from an island, his short hair was almost black. Will was the complete opposite, his light skin much darker than his normal pale complexion, thanks to the hours he spent outside, his blonde curls falling in various lengths over his head.

The differences weren’t just in physical characteristics, though. Matty was dressed in the pair of jeans he’d had on last night, the worn-in ones that were frayed in the sexiest places possible and clung to his hips and ass, fitting his legs in just the right way. His black tee shirt wasn’t snug, but it was tight enough to show thick arms and a solid chest. Will, always the professional, didn’t have the words casual Friday in his vocabulary. He was wearing one of my favorite suits; a Ralph Lauren charcoal grey stripe 2-button front that he’d paired with a light purple shirt and a gray and purples striped tie. He looked like a model, as if he’d been born to wear the ensemble.

Matty took Will’s outstretched hand, but I saw him pull back his shoulders, obviously irritated. “Billy.” Matty’s voice was hard as steel. “Nice tie.”

Will’s eyes narrowed once again. “Thanks. My wife gave it to me. I’m not sure what happened. She used to have such great taste.”
Ouch
. I stepped forward, ready to interject because I didn’t like where this was going and the last thing we all wanted was a scene.

Before I could jump in, Matty yanked on Will’s hand, catching him off guard, and Will stepped forward, close enough so the two were almost toe-to-toe. Matty’s voice was low, but very clear. “How’s your girlfriend feel about that?”

Still holding Matty’s hand in his, Will shrugged. “About the wife or the tie? I’m not sure. We don’t do much talking.” I inhaled sharply, unable to believe the words I’d just heard. Will glared at me. “Doesn’t look like you two do, either.” Turning back to Matty he sneered, “How’s your girlfriend feel about that?”

“Ex-girlfriend.” Matty never took his eyes off Will, but I saw his free hand cl
ose into a fist and his jaw clench. He only chuckled, though. “Jo and I do plenty of communicating. I find her to be very,” he paused, “vocal.” I gaped at him. I wondered how long the two of them were going to carry on their pissing contest. Matty let go of Will, turned toward me, and gave me his lop sided grin. “You’re wrong, by the way. From what I’ve seen, Jo’s always had impeccable taste.” He looked back to Will, his face showing pure disgust. “Unfortunately, she had some slips from time to time.” He turned back to me, leaning in, and kissing my temple, he whispered, “Do you want to get takeout instead?” I nodded. There was no way I was going to eat here with Will and his friends. “K. I’ll order us our usual.” Standing and glancing back at Will, he smiled. “See you round, Billy boy.”

I watched him head over to the counter before turning back to Will. I didn’t know what to say to him. “You don’t like Thai.”
This was the last place I thought I'd see you
.

He shook his head. “Nope. But, we’re in the middle of brainstorming and I was out voted.” He sighed. “We need to talk at some point.” I nodded. That we definitely did. “Do you have plans tomorrow?”

Matty and I hadn’t talked about it, and I hesitated, glancing back to where Matty was leaning on the counter, talking to the hostess. He seemed to sense me watching him and turned his head, giving me a heart-stopping smile. I wanted nothing more than to go put my hands in his back pockets and make out with him like we were a couple of horny teenagers. I grinned, just thinking about it. His smile grew, as if he was reading my mind, and he bit his bottom lip. I almost groaned, catching myself at the last minute. I turned back to Will, shaking my head. Will was staring at me, his mouth tight, cheek muscles twitching.

“Well, if you do have some time, it would be great if you could home so we can talk.” His voice was cold. He held out a hand to me. “Just call me, ok? Come on, let’s go talk to…”

I gasped, cutting him off. I had reached out to take his hand so he could lead me to his co-workers when I noticed one of the workers standing up and looking our way curiously. I let my hand drop, searching his face. The petite brunette was pretending to adjust herself in her chair, but I knew from the way she searched out the two of us that she was actually wondering why it was taking us so long. Why had he not told me she was here? He at least had the courtesy to look ashamed.

             
“I told you it was a work meeting.” He sighed again. “I should have mentioned that Rachel was here. I’m sorry.” He moved his hand to the small of my back, a move that had me glance over my shoulder at Matty. Will turned, too. “Although, you are here with him, so we're even. Maybe we could go on a double date some time.” His voice was ice cold again.

             
I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. I wasn't going to fight with him. “Can we please just get this over with?” Will nodded and guided me to his table. I was able to greet almost all of his co-workers warmly, and more than half gave me a hug. I liked this group of men. I walked around the table, chatting to each of them, asking about children and wives, vacations and pets. Most of them joked with me, asking about the kids or telling me stories about something Will had done lately. The general consensus was that with our children gone, I was keeping Will busy doing adult activities. Adult activities that made him show up to work super tired on Monday morning and left the bite marks on my neck they were all graciously ignoring.

             
By the time I got to Rachel, Matty was walking toward the table. Will stood up, as if to keep me from talking to his whore, and introduced Matty as my best friend and co-worker, telling everyone how great Matty was. I almost laughed when Rachel’s eye traveled over Matty and she lapped her lips as if he was some sort of tasty treat. Will was still standing, introducing his boss to Matty, so I moved behind him, sitting down in his chair to talk to his neighbor.

"Hello Rachel! How are you?” The young woman smiled politely at me, but I could tell she was uncomfortable.

“I’m well, Jo. How are you? The house must be so quiet without the kids.” Matty moved slightly, and I knew that he was paying more attention to my conversation than his own. 

I let my eyes sweep over the girl. How old was she? Twenty-four? Maybe twenty-five? She was adorable, I had to give him that. The red sleeveless dress she wore wasn’t revealing, but it was form fitting, with a coordinating belt buckled around her unbelievably tiny waist. The outfit was so different than the one I’d seen her in last weekend, I was relieved to know that she didn’t dress like a complete trollop at the office. She smiled at me, showing perfect white, straight teeth. Her brown eyes held nothing but kindness.

I leaned in close so only she could hear. “I’m not at the house. I’m in a hotel, so any time you feel like going to the house, just stop on by. Will’s there alone.” Her eyes got big, as if she didn’t know that I knew about her and my soon to be ex. Her mouth opened like she was going to say something. Then she closed it. I smiled at her when her eyes fell on Will and she looked like she might slap him. “He didn’t tell you I moved out?” Brown eyes snapped back to mine and she shook her head.

Matty chose that moment to step close, offering his hand to the little woman next to me. She handed him her right hand and he immediately brought it to his lips, brushing the top of her hand, then he winked. She giggled and flushed bright red. Seriously? Did he have no shame? But, I could only grin. "I'm Mat
eo." He told her in a low voice, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

She sighed. "Rachel." 

Giving her his beautiful, I-bet-I-can-get-your-pants-off-in-twenty-minutes-or-less grin, he told her it was nice to meet her. Not looking at me, he held her eyes. “Our lunch is ready, Joes. We should get back to the office.”

I grinned at him, standing up. “It was nice to see you Rachel.” Avoiding looking at Will, I smiled at the rest of his coworkers as I made my way around the table. “Have a good lunch. I hope you get tons of work done.” Will moved between me and Matty then, grabbed my hand. Turning back to his table, he told then he was walking me out. I turned to give them one more smile and realized that Rachel wasn’t even looking at us; she was smiling at Matty, who was waving goodbye to her.

Will walked me to my car, holding my hand the entire way, even after we were out of sight of his friends. Apparently he wanted to keep up the charade. I tried to pull away once we were through the door, but he didn’t let go. “Hey.” His voice was soft. I turned to him. “Thank you. I’m sorry to put you on the spot like that.”

I almost shrugged, and then the irritation I’d been holding in came out. “I come here every Friday, William. If you ever listened, you’d know that.”

“I do listen Joey.” He sighed. “Maybe I wanted to see you.” His voice was still low, and he stepped closer to me. He reached a hand up, running his fingertips over my cheek and onto the side of my head. “You won’t return my calls.”