Point of Contention (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (17 page)

got her naked and in his arms. Soon, he told himself, soon, he’d be

with her, and then whatever happened would just happen. He’d had

ideas, and every time they were together in any sense, his cock

overrode his common sense, and all he wanted to do was fuck her

until he couldn’t come anymore. Kay was turning into a personal

problem for him. He wanted to be objective because she was an

employee, but in his mind, they were well beyond that. He envisioned

them together, as a couple, always in the heat of some sexual moment.

Stuart decided he was going mad, crazed with lust from the first

time he saw her. At first she’d seemed forbidden fruit because of

Travis, but now he couldn’t use that as an excuse. What he had to do

was clear his mind and decide what he was willing to offer her

beyond sex. Never before had he ever wanted a woman permanently.

Worse yet, he knew she was only there temporarily, for an internship

as she put it, until she decided what she wanted to do with the rest of

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her life. Maybe he’d change her mind and she’d stay on.

Just the contemplation of the concept made him break out in a

sweat. No, he reinforced to himself, he wasn’t the marrying kind, not

the forever after man she would most likely want. He wondered if

they could just have an affair? But what would become of him when it

ended? Would she leave the Lodge, and would it ever be the same

place he’d built, would he ever be the same? The thoughts made his

mind ache further, and he forced himself to walk outside for fresh air.

Just looking up at the stars made him feel better, as if the world

weren’t closing in on him quite as drastically as he was thinking it

felt.

If he and Kay got together, they’d have to deal with the emotions

at that time. Spending his time wondering was a waste, for he knew

he had no real idea of her personality. But, he decided, it would be

interesting to learn.

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Chapter Thirteen

Monday turned into a whirlwind of a day, spent in home centers

and furniture stores. For Stuart, Kay decided, it seemed an object

lesson on shopping. For her it was a small window into the man she

was falling in love with—no, she decided, she was in lust with him.

They’d left early in the morning and stopped for breakfast on the

road. Kay studied the plans he’d brought along and asked questions

Stuart apparently hadn’t begun to think about and most importantly,

didn’t have answers to. She joked easily with him and at times

thought they’d known each other for a lifetime. It was easy to accept

him dropping his arm around her shoulders as they stood before a

display, Kay pointing out the differences in maintenance between

Formica and stone counters. They discussed lever handles instead of

knobs, and gas cooking as opposed to electric. By noon, they were

both overloaded with information and needed to get out of the stores.

Since it was his day, she let him set the tone and the pace. Within

her reach at all times was a pad and pen, and she knew her notes

would be invaluable to him at a later date. He pulled into a fast-food

chicken restaurant and drove her to the local park to have lunch. The

soft afternoon breeze made them both lazy after their meal, and it was

easy to relax back against his chest when Stuart pulled her to him, his

back resting against a large tree.

Kay nestled against him and closed her eyes, wondering what it

would feel like to have him touch her. His fingers stroked her upper

arms, and he sent a chill through her that radiated to him. He tensed

behind her, and she let out a laugh.

“What are we going to do, Stuart?”

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“I don’t know, Kay. I’ve never been in this position before.” She

started to pull away to look at him, but he held her in place. “I’ve

spent my whole life making sure I didn’t get emotionally involved

with any woman, and now…”

“Now, what? I came along and screwed up your plans?” Laughing

lightly, she added, “Reality’s a bitch sometimes, Stuart. How are you

going to handle it?”

“You’re having way too much fun at my expense, Kay.” His arms

tightened her to him, and she closed her eyes. “The problem is I don’t

really know anything about you, yet I’m drawn to you, Kay. I don’t

know why, but I am, and it bothers me to no end.”

“Poor Stuart, would you rather I disappeared from your property,

and then you could go back to brooding at the world all alone?” While

her voice was light and teasing, it held an undercurrent of seriousness.

“No. It wouldn’t matter where you were location-wise, you’re

embedded within me, Kadence.”

“If I left, you’d forget me, with time.” This time she pulled from

his warmth and turned to look at him. “I have no right to make you

uncomfortable in your own space, Stuart. Technically, I’m an

employee. I could leave and make your life easier.”

Studying her face for a long time, he finally shook his head. “It’s

not that easy. No matter where you were, you’d still be in my mind.

Kay, beyond that…”

“We’d be good in bed together, Stuart. But an affair with you

would be complicated, beyond our boss-employee status.”

“What are you looking for? Why shut yourself away down here

when you could work in any restaurant in any town? Why, Kay?

That’s the piece of the puzzle I’m missing. Help me to understand.”

“Because I’ve done the city thing, and New York was Eric’s

territory.” She let a shudder run through her, and Stuart tried to pull her back toward him.

“What did he do to you, Kay?”

She knew he knew the basics from listening in on her

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conversation weeks earlier, but figured he wanted to hear her version,

in her words. “It doesn’t matter,” she started, but he cut her off.

“Yes, it does. Your marriage to him would reflect on ours.”

Kay didn’t know who was more surprised, her or Stuart, when the

words left his lips. She stared at him for a long time and watched his

eyes close against her attention.

“Stuart?”

“Let it go, Kay, please?”

She watched him for a long moment before she lay beside him,

her head resting on her hand. Her free hand traced along his bare

forearm, and with each stroke she became bolder, her fingers learning

his skin.

“He cheated on me,” she said in a low voice. “He thought I would

be moldable into the perfect wife. Educated so I wouldn’t embarrass

him in front of his business associates, not too hard to look at from a

certain perspective. I fit his criteria. What I didn’t fit was his attitude toward infidelity. I was supposed to be so happy and grateful that I

was the one he actually married, his afternoon diversions weren’t

supposed to bother me. I was supposed to keep my mouth shut and

accept it as a ‘dick’ thing.” She laughed aloud and rolled onto her

back. “Obviously, I didn’t accept it or keep my mouth shut.”

“The man was a fool, Kay.”

“Thank you, Stuart. I agree, and I won’t get married again unless I

feel it’s for the long haul and we both understand each other’s core

values a lot better. But that doesn’t mean I’m not looking for

companionship and a sexual outlet.” She let a few seconds pass before

going on and moved back on her side to see him better. “I’m not

averse to relationships, just as long as we both work from the same set

of rules. Even if they aren’t conventional, as long as we all agree to

the terms.” She watched him stiffen at her words.

“What did you mean by ‘we all agree to the terms’?”

Kay gave him a noncommittal smile and rolled on her back,

sheltering her eyes from the sun with her arm. At first she’d thought

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to tease him about a threesome with Travis, but the idea struck her

hard, made her pussy wet and made her start to think in different

directions. All her life she’d been told marriage and one partner were

the accepted norm. Maybe she was different. Maybe she could break

the rules as long as her partners agreed. The concept was so foreign to

her she almost laughed aloud but accepted this wasn’t a joking matter.

Deep in her being, she understood the unconventional might be

her best goal. Having Stuart as her lover and partner would be good,

and adding Travis on occasion would definitely be interesting, from

her perspective. Kay lay there a long time beside Stuart and wondered

how he’d react if she told him what she was thinking. Maybe one day

they’d be close enough for her to speak her mind. While she and

Travis had teased about another man joining them in bed when they

first met, they used dildos for a second cock to please her. The idea of two real men’s throbbing cocks in her gave her an inner ache like

never before. She sighed and wondered what Stuart would think if she

brought her toys to bed with them.

Stuart moved beside her and cleared his throat, bringing her back

to the moment.

“Was it a difficult divorce?” He’d moved back against the tree to

put some distance between them. Kay wondered if he did it on

purpose to keep from reaching to touch her. For right now, that was

okay with her. She needed to think clearly and with a level head

before she let this whole arrangement blow up in her face.

“No, not really. We had a prenuptial agreement.” She rolled onto

her stomach and laughed, shaking her head. “We were both attorneys.

We couldn’t have married without one.”

“But? I get the feeling I’m going hate this man for something

beyond treating you poorly. What did he do, Kay?” It was a long time

before she finally spoke, and she closed her eyes momentarily against

the memories before she did.

“He got his mistress pregnant.” When she drew a deep breath, he

held his hands still. She focused on them instead of watching his

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expression. Somehow she wanted him to touch her but knew it wasn’t

the time. She didn’t want his touch while talking about her ex.

“When I first found out about her existence, I insisted we go to

counseling. Only after the first sessions, I was the only one going.

Somehow he always had an emergency. That in itself made me

wonder about our future, but when I found out Diana was pregnant…

He told me he stopped seeing her, and he’d told her I was a shrew

wife who he was separated from, but I wouldn’t divorce him.”

“How did it finally all come to an end, Kay? What was the final

catalyst?”

“Diana came to see him one Saturday when she knew he’d be

busy. She was going to surprise him when he got home. But, she

showed up at the door and was shocked to find me in Eric’s

apartment. I was stunned at first, realizing she’d been in my home,

and I lost it. Just the concept of him taking her there was enough

to…but after a few minutes we both calmed down, and over a pot of

tea, we cleared the air between us. We both realized he was playing us

against each other. It pissed us both off to say the least. When we

were able to talk rationally, we pieced the truth together. He’d only

brought her to the apartment once, in the beginning of their

relationship, two years earlier. God, we’d only been married a short

time and he already had a mistress. After that, they always used her

apartment. He told her I had his apartment under surveillance to use

against him in court. She never questioned him beyond that.

Apparently when she did, he’d get…nasty with her.” Stuart pushed

himself forward at her words, and she shook her head. He let his

shoulders fall back against the tree but didn’t relax. “He wouldn’t hurt me. I was his wife for public consumption. The perfect little woman

who kept a home, had a career, and kept her man happy. What a joke

it all turned into.”

“What finally happened?”

“I asked her for a week, and she didn’t tell him about our

meeting.” Kay rolled onto her back and stared at the sky. “By the

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following Friday, his clothing and personal items were packed, our

bank accounts had been divided, all nice and legal according to our

agreement, and the divorce papers were drawn up. I managed to get

him alone while he was still at his office late in the day and had my

lawyer meet me there.” She laughed aloud and turned back to him.

“He wasn’t happy to say the least. I did everything according to our

papers, and he had no recourse. I’d had a fidelity clause inserted, and

he was egotistical enough to think I wouldn’t use it. When I told him

about my meeting with Diana, he hit the roof.” Kay studied Stuart for

a moment before adding, “Would you like to know how he justified

his lying and cheating?” Stuart didn’t attempt to voice his opinion,

only shook his head. “He told me it shouldn’t matter to me, that he

was, and I quote, ‘just banging her,’ while me, he made love to.” She

laughed openly and rolled away. “Like that was supposed to appease