It only takes a few minutes of rinsing and loading the dishwasher before dishes are finished, leaving me with erratic thoughts of Vanessa’s red lips wrapped around Tomas’ cock.He’s not with her right now, Olivia. Knock it off.

The idea pops in my head suddenly. With a scowl, I move to the living room, and pull out my tablet. Once the browser opens, I type in their names and ‘blowjob video’ into the search bar. To my horror, a link pops up immediately. My fingers shake as I tap the trackpad, and the video immediately opens.

The thumbnail shows Vanessa on her knees, blood-red lipstick smeared down her chin, right along with Tomas’ cum. I feel queasy as I click the ‘play’ button and the video starts. They’re clearly in his office. Tomas backs into the office as Vanessa pushes him against the wall. She’s in a short, floral dress that Tomas eyes lustily.

She drops to her knees, rocking back on her heels as she pulls out his cock. Vanessa doesn’t hesitate to take him in her mouth, gagging on his girth. Tomas tips his head back, and my cheeks blaze as the wetness pools between my thighs. I reach my hand in the lacy waistband of my panties, immediately sighing in relief as my fingers rub my clit.

He grips her hair tightly, a chunk breaking off in his palms. There’s no tenderness between the two of them. Tomas gives a sudden yelp, and pulls away from Vanessa’s mouth. “No teeth, you fucking whore,” he says before his palm connects with her cheek.

I gasp as she whimpers, a shock of pleasure jolting through me. She adjusts herself on all fours, her bare pussy flashing the camera.What the fuck is wrong with me? I’m sick. Why do I like this?

“You can rub that soaked pussy. I know you’re a needy little thing,” Tomas says. I pause and look around, panicked that he’s here, coaching me through this fucked up scene. Vanessa moans as her fingers reach back to her clit, rubbing with an air of desperation. Slick sounds from her wetness rival mine. My thighs tremble with each circle.Fuck, I’m going to come from this.

Tomas seizes her neck, thrusting himself balls deep relentlessly. Vanessa gags and grinds against her hand as he uses her mouth. It’s sexy, but there’s no love in it. He tenses and pulls back as she readjusts herself. Her pert mouth forms a little ‘O’ as he jerks himself off over her face, taking no mind to where his semen lands.

My orgasm finds me suddenly. I ride through the wave of pleasure before deleting my browser history and slamming the case shut.What did I do?I don’t know if I feel better or worse.

Chapter Three

Tomas

“Tomas, thanks for coming.” James looks up from a stack of papers on his desk.

“Of course.” My gaze drops to his semi-bloodshot eyes, black and purple bags underneath them. He looks worn down. Olivia and I haven’t been over for Sunday dinner in thepast few weeks, due to competing schedules. I wonder what’s happened since then?

“Of course. Sorry we haven’t been over recently. Our schedules have been crazy.”

He waves me off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not here to lecture you about making my daughter call me more. I wish she’d call more, though.”

“What is this about, then? Did Jonathan tell you about Vanessa being in my lab, because—”

“No, DeLuca. Stop getting ahead of yourself. I did hear about that, though. And I’m concerned. But this is about Maura,” he says in a shaky breath.

“Maura?” Why does he need to talk to me about Maura? I like Olivia’s mom, but the two of us aren’t particularly close.

“What’s going on?” I ask, confused. James runs a hand over through his hair, a forlorn expression on his face.

“She was just diagnosed with breast cancer. They expect that she’ll be gone within two years. Realistically, they think one,” James says quietly, his voice breaking.

His expression makes sense. It’s one I know intimately, full of hollowness, numbness, and hopelessness.

I open my mouth to speak, but promptly close it. There’s nothing I can say. “I’m sorry,” I swallow. He nods slightly, acknowledging that my empathy doesn’t help her. “What kind?” I ask.

“Triple negative breast cancer,” James answers, fiddling with his folded hands.

I avert my gaze to my lap, trying to give him some privacy. This conversation is never easy. “It’s aggressive, but there are treatment options,” I say.

“Unless you have an experimental treatment in your back pocket readily available, they don’t think it will respond to anything.” James studies me, a silent plea in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, James. What I have is too risky. It hasn’t even started clinical trials. I couldn’t do that to you or Olivia. I promise I will do everything in my power for you, Maura, and Olivia, especially to help keep Maura comfortable.” I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I put Maura in unnecessary danger.

James nods, but purses his lips and looks away. I half expect him to argue and scream, but he doesn’t. Him accepting defeat is worse. Any way I flip the coin, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.

“Thank you, Tomas. Olivia will need you through this. She’s been through a lot already. I didn’t realize how much exactly until she ended up with you. Thank you for bringing her back to life,” he says, wiping tears from his eyes.

“I’m not going anywhere, James. I don’t know when, but I want to ensure I have your blessing when the time comes.” He gives me a long look, assessing me with hazel eyes that resembles Olivia’s. It was stupid of me to bring up.Of course he wants better for Olivia, you dumb fuck. Look at your history.

“Of course,” he says with a terse nod. I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding. We rise simultaneously, clapping each other on the back. James has been a good friend. He gave me a second chance when I needed it most. Now it’s my turn to repay the debt. I know I’m much older than he was expecting Olivia’s boyfriend to be, but we’re so good for each other.