Page 73 of Sweet Venom

Her pussy all but soaks my cock from his words. The sounds of our joint arousals permeate the room while Tate's balls slap against her ass. I pull her breast into my mouth, and it sets her off. Her pussy immediately starts spasming as Tate says, "That's it, baby. Milk our cocks."

I lose it at the same time I see Ellis still his thrusts and shove in deep, shooting ropes of cum down her throat. The second he pulls out of her mouth, she falls on top of me, sending my heart into a panic.

"Shit, Vivian. Tell me you're okay."

"I'm okay," she pants, "I just need a minute. I promise I'm more than okay."

"I'll start the shower." Ellis says before leaning down to stroke her cheek and adding, "I love you, baby."

Tate gets off the bed and grabs his pants, throwing them on before kissing her forehead and saying, "I love you, Vi. I'll clean up and make breakfast."

She nods and offers a small smile before he walks away, and I tilt her head so that her eyes meet mine. "You're too good for us, vipera. You know that, right?"

"Will you ever stop calling me that?" she asks as she gently strokes her fingers over my chest.

"No. In the beginning, I hated you for your venom. I thought of you as a disease, an ailment to be cured, and while your love is indeed an affliction, it's no longer the punishment I once thought it to be. Afflictions are not sent in vain; they reveal to us our disease, and mine was not loving you. Your love is Sweet Venom."

Epilogue

THE VIPER

1 YEAR LATER

"Say, were you able to get the new designs out to production? Are they on track to be in the gyms by fall?" I ask, making sure I'm remembering everything.

We moved to Seacliff once Caterina was born, and Ellis converted the old movie theater room into my home office so that I could work from home with her. Sayward stays at the Palo Alto condo in case someone is needed at the gym or club. We aren't that far away, only about an hour's drive, but if we happened to be out of the area during peak rush hour and were needed ASAP, she could quickly get to Blush or Covet. But today, she drove to Seacliff to help me with Cat.

"Yes, and Indie really liked the addition of the E.S.T tag on the bottoms of the workout bralettes and the tops of the leggings.

The past year has been nothing short of life-changing, to say the least. It took me a few months after Indie left to come around. My parents' death didn't sit right with me. I felt as though, even in their death, I was being held accountable for their lifelong resentment, but I had to move forward. I was tired of being angry and hanging onto my hate got heavy. It made me weak and kept me a prisoner in my own mind. I had to let go to heal and see the strength and beauty behind the ugly grooves of my scars.

Cat opened my eyes to a whole new world. After she was born, I didn't see my grandmother's coldness the same. While I disagree with how Indie handled things related to knowing about my parents' ill-treatment of me, I think she did the best she could. We haven't discussed any of the past in detail, neither of us caring to rehash things that can't be changed, but we've discussed enough to at least understand each other, and for me, that's enough.

"Also, she mentioned dinner this weekend. She's flying in and wanted to ensure nothing was on your schedule. She asked that I didn't inform you of her inquiry but…"

"Thanks for the heads up. If Indie said this weekend, I'm sure that means she'll probably be in tomorrow, and it's only Wednesday. She's been dropping hints about moving here. There's nothing left for her in St. Louis, and I think she's impressed with the success of the athleisure line. I have no doubt she wants to get her hands dirty." I point at Sayward and add, "So, get your big girl pants ready. She's a shark. Don't let her push you."

After I had time to find forgiveness and move forward from everything that happened in my past, I was able to fully embrace my future and be the mother and wife I wanted to be. That also meant making amends with my grandmother. I couldn't let my relationship with my grandmother hang in the balance and inadvertently continue to foster unrest. She's too old to have more children. There is no one else to leave her legacy to, but my heart wasn't in fashion like hers is. I wanted to grow my gym.

Sayward has been a blessing in disguise. It was through her working out with Tate at the gym on his scheduled shift that we found a new niche. A few other women noticed the one-on-one time that Tate took with her to help her slowly strengthen her core muscles, so we started adding physiotherapy to our class lineup. It blew up so much that we had to hire more trainers. It turns out there is a huge market for women suffering from injury, disease, or deformity who avoid gyms altogether because they don't know where to start and don't want to be judged. Tatum has always had a passion for working out like me and this called to his heart since he watched Sayward struggle for so long. So he decided to go to school and get certifications that helped him learn more about exercise and therapy related to injury. It's really helped us grow the gym with a focus centered on healing.

It was during one of those sessions that I popped in to vent about one of my grandmother's latest emails discussing my future with Fiori that Sayward suggested I could do both. I could still pursue my passion for the gym and please Indie. She proposed that I branch out and create an athleisure line for Fiori. Our name had historically been rooted in high-end fashion and couture pieces. I was nervous about the pitch because once the idea was in my head, I let my heart get ahead of itself and all the doors my namesake could open, but I knew none of it would happen if Indie disapproved. Initially, she was skeptical, but she didn't dismiss it. If it meant I was going to take part in the company, she couldn't, and with time, I've even managed to impress her.

"You need to get going. Don't worry about the Fall line or Cat. I got this."

"Yes, you're right. Okay, Cat's in her bed napping. Here's the monitor. We should be back in two hours."

She takes the monitor and quirks a brow. "If you get the news I'm hoping for, it better be more than two hours.”

I breathe nervously and try to speak only good vibes into the universe. "If you don't hear from me, you'll have your answer. If we're not back, Sebastian's plane lands at 5pm so he should be here no later than 6pm"

She laughs before saying, "I know exactly what time his plane lands. He's already sent three text messages in the last ten minutes since he knew you were leaving her with me. The first was a request for proof of life, the second was his ETA, and the third was a request to FaceTime."

I can't help but smirk at her comments. Sebastian is obsessed with Cat, and this is his first time being away from her since she was born, and he doesn't like I'll be leaving her for a few hours. He trusts that Caterina is safe in his sister's hands, but he can't help himself. Luckily, Say knows his overbearing helicopter dad ways do not reflect his opinions of her. Sayward and Sebastian have grown extremely close over the past year. I'm so glad she decided to stay in California with all of us. She told me the only reason she ever wanted to leave was because the memories were too hard to bear but finding Sebastian and having a niece have brought her so much joy. Sayward is one of Caterina's favorite people, and mine too. She's the sister I never had, but old habits die hard, so I ask, "You're sure everything is good? I can take her with me if I need to."

I never want to cause a problem between her and Seb or put her in a spot that makes her uncomfortable. She's still working through her own therapy sessions, ones she could never afford or seek help for before finding Sebastian and getting on her own feet financially.

"Yeah, yeah, go. I'm not worried about Seb. His bark is worse than his bite." She shows me with her hands, and I go, not wasting another second because today is important.

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