Page 18 of So Close

AMY

“Baby, we have to go.”

Darius’s voice startles me. When his arms circle my waist from behind, I have to fight the urge to spin around with my fist swinging toward his handsome face.

Heart hammering, I struggle with my anger. “God! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

His body is warm against mine, his signature scent infusing the air in my walk-in closet. It’s my favorite room in our condo, a former guest bedroom I closed off from the main hallway and opened to the master bedroom. All white and mirrored throughout, the open shelves display my purses and shoes, while the racks are precisely arranged as specified by a professional organizer. It is the closet of my dreams, but I can’t find anything to wear.

I swear the maid is stealing and randomly rearranging my things so it’s harder to notice what she’s taken, but Darius says I’m imagining things. I amSo. Fucking. Sick.of no one believing a word I say. Except for Suzanne. How twisted is it that the one person on my side is someone I can’t stand? At least I can trust her.

“You’re jumpy today,” my husband murmurs, his firm lips grazing my shoulder.

“What the hell am I supposed to wear?” It’s so important I get it right. Aliyah will be there with her judging gaze. And Kane. Most importantly, Lily is back from the hospital after a few weeks in physical therapy, and she may make an appearance. I’ve rifled through her closet at least a dozen times, and I know her style is dark, sultry and dramatic, which is the total opposite of Aliyah’s predilection for light, sexy and classic.

So … how do I overshadow Lily without hearing passive-aggressive backhanded compliments from my bitch of a mother-in-law? I picture duct tape wrapped around Aliyah’s head, sealing her vicious mouth shut, and I almost laugh out loud. The cool gray of the tape would clash so perfectly with her warm neutrals. And howfabulouswould the strands of her bottle-blond hair look stuck to the adhesive when she rips it off with her clawed nails?

“It doesn’t matter what you pick,” Darius breathes, his voice low and rough as his hands push into the cups of my bra. “You’ll always be the most beautiful woman in the room.”

I study our reflection in the full-length mirror that covers the entire wall at the deepest point of my closet. I’m wearing a new lingerie set, a deep emerald green with black stripes and black lace. I’ve recently purged most of my undergarments and nightgowns, replacing the creams and golds of my former palette with moodier colorways. Kane won’t be disappointed if I ever get naked for him again.

I watch my husband’s fingertips find my nipples and tug them gently, sending an echoing pull between my legs. His lips are on my throat now, his breath humid against my skin.

Is this how Darius started banging his assistant? Did she sashay into his office one day and send all the fuck-me-now signals? How quickly and easily did he decide to pull up her skirt and bend her over his desk? Did it start with a blowjob, or did he slide right into deep cunt drilling?

And why wouldn’t she want him? I thought bitterly. He’s tall, dark and gorgeous with a great smile. When his voice husks with lust and his honed body heats with desire, he is irresistible. My ring on his finger probably makes him more so.

In the mirror before us, I see a fantastically complementary couple. My stylist’s approximation of Lily’s shade of hair is darker than his, cooler, while his is warm. His golden skin emphasizes the blue eyes that are an Armand trait. His shoulders are broad enough to frame mine and make me feel delicate. In the depths of my closet, surrounded by endless shades of beige and white, he dominates and makes my blood thrum in my veins.

“Can you FaceTime your mother and see what she’s wearing?” My breath catches as his fingertips glide down my stomach.

“Who cares?” he retorts, his hand flexing painfully on my hip in rebuke.

“She does! She’s always making fucked-up comments about how I look and act, what I eat and drink, where I go and who my friends are!”

He shushes me. “Amy ... I’ll be the first to admit she’s overbearing and opinionated. But family means everything to her.”

My teeth grit together. They are all fucking blind, every single one of her children. Kane is the only one who knows what she’s actually capable of because she ditched him when her second husband didn’t want to deal with her brat from another man. “She doesn’t see me as family.”

“Of course she does. You’re my wife.”

Rolling my shoulders back, I try to shake him off. “You’ll never see her the way she really is.”

“Oh, I see her.” One hand tightens around my breast, holding me captive. His gaze meets mine in the mirror as his other hand slips into my panties and parts the lips of my sex. “I see how she wants all of her children working together, living our lives together. She wants us all tied in a neat little knot so she can just tug a thread, and we’ll all be bundled up tight.”

My back stiffens as his fingertips find my clitoris and begin to circle. Anger sizzles in my blood. “Fuck her. And fuck you if you think I’m going to live like that.”

His teeth sink into the tender skin between my neck and shoulder. “Youaregoing to fuck me, or at least be fuckedbyme, right fucking now.”

“Darius –”

Two long fingers push inside me, finding me wet from the expert manipulation of my nipples and the dark note of threat in his voice. He knows all my buttons, knows how to push them. I hate him for that. I imagine tossing my head back, breaking his nose and feeling the hot blood spurt on my skin.

“You think Kane’s the only one who can rescind the agreement and give you back control of your precious company?” he hisses in my ear, even as his fingers begin to thrust. “My mother acts like we’re all a big, happy family, but it’s killing her to have Kane at the head of Baharan. She’s making moves, babe, secret shit she’s trying to spin as being helpful but is really about taking over.”

I go slack in his arms; my knees relax to give those talented fingers easier access. His palm presses and rubs against my clitoris with every push and retreat, driving me closer and closer to orgasm.

“I’m documenting everything,” he says tightly. “Her electronic signature is on every step. All roads lead back to her.”

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