“She doesn’t want me helping,” I assured her. Not unless it came in a box and said heat for twenty minutes on three fifty. Hell, I’d still probably burn the hell out of that.
The first thing I saw was the cat tree in the corner. Even bigger than the one I had at my house. Snowball would be in heaven. The room was the size of my living and dining room put together. I could have done cartwheels, well, not really. I’d break something, but I could have had I known how to.
“I’m going to let you settle in. I’ll be back in a little while. I brought you some comfortable shorts and a shirt to sleep in if you want to shower,” she offered.
“I’m not stay—”
Click. She was gone.
Yes. I no doubt just got had. It was a scheme and I was suckered into it. The room was lovely, though. The sliding glass doors with my own private patio was perfect for relaxing. Someone took their time choosing the comfortable furniture. I could see myself having coffee in the morning or reading a book in the evening. Oh. The pool. I could walk right over to the pool. I couldn’t see it when I was seated. I liked that privacy, but if I stood, I could see over the perfectly pruned bushes.
I couldn’t help but smile at the excitement burning in my stomach. I couldn’t do this. I wasn’t like them. I had a family, sort of. I had my dad, sort of.
My room was decorated in pink and shiny black. I mean, the guest room. The black duvet cover had tiny gold wedding rings, looped together. Four small ones connected with one big one. I laughed. That was cheesy, but I loved it. I felt comfortable, content, relaxed, and at home. I don’t know. It’s hard to put an explanation on it. I guess I felt like I belonged to something for the first time in my life. Was it wrong? Did it matter if it was?
“Stay here. Forever,” Becker said from the door.
I turned and smiled. He made me feel like this. The girls made me feel like this, and the laughter they brought to me was contagious. Life was about having fun and having a good time. Becker was the first one to tell me that if any of the girls ever felt like they didn’t belong or Becker wasn’t making them happy, he wanted them to leave.
“Forever, huh?” I retorted. Repeating his words was the only thing that came to me. None of it made sense. This wasn’t real life. Not my life.
Becker closed the door and came to me. Mmmm. He smelled fresh. I wanted to attack him, rip his shirt off, and kiss his crisp, clean, muscular skin. Damn he was sexy. His hair was sex messy from the towel. He told me that once. He didn’t brush his hair after his shower at night. He liked it messy when he went to bed. It was like a favorite T-shirt, he explained. I loved the tad bit of scruff that I knew would be gone by the time he was dressed the next morning.
I laughed when Becker walked to me slowly, seductively, staring at me like he was thinking the same thing I was. He jumped sideways and landed on my bed. I loved him in basketball shorts. It went well with his hair style. I thought about us being together, that was exactly how I pictured us living together. Becker in his basketball shorts and me in one of his too-big T-shirts, snuggled together on our sofa. I just didn’t see the other girls there.
“What do you want to do now?”
“It’s sort of late, don’t you think?” I asked, sitting on the bed. I wanted to be close to him. I couldn’t smell him way over there.
“Britney has a hundred and twenty-five cupcakes to frost. Wanna help?”
I was sure my expression revealed my surprise.
Becker laughed and moved beside me. “What were you thinking, dirty girl?” Becker teased, but then let me off the hook by kissing me. Thank god. My cheeks were burning, they were so red.
“I want to take a shower and then we can help Britney,” I said, pulling away. I had to. I was ready to rape him.
“Awesome. I’ll go tell her.” Kissing me again, he pulled me to my feet. “I’m glad you’re here. I want you to be here when I wake in the morning, too, okay?”
“We’ll see. Let’s see how mad Britney gets at me first when I ruin something important.”
“Stop saying that. You put yourself down too much. I’m sure there are a lot of things you’re good at.”
“Hmm, you let me know when you figure out what that is.”
“I know one thing,” he teased, brushing my nipple with his thumb. Damn.
“You want to take a shower?” I teased back.
“No. I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” he sternly said with a smack on my ass.
I showered in my own magnificent shower. The girls made sure I had every fragranced luxury a girl could need. Feeling pampered, I powered my nose and cheeks with the jasmine powder. I dressed in the clothes Christina left for me. It was exactly what I’d wear around my own house. Checkered boys’ boxers and a plain white tee.
I walked barefoot down the hall and to the kitchen toward the laughter. Becker was sitting on a barstool, squirting white frosting in a twist on a sheet full of cupcakes. Wow there were a lot of cupcakes, chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, all waiting for the finishing touches.
“Hey,” I interrupted Becker’s whining about his hand already hurting. Christina covered her mouth after she called him a pussy.
“I’m sorry, Cassie. I didn’t see you standing there,” she apologized. She called me Cassie. That, too, felt welcoming. Too welcoming.
Bumping Becker’s shoulder, I snickered. “You’re fine. You can call him a pussy if you want,” I joked.
Becker touched the end of my nose with white frosting and then sucked it off, leaving the tip of my nose with a kiss.
Christina didn’t care. It didn’t bother her at all that her husband just kissed my nose. Oh, no. What if he kisses one of them, or does something worse, like touch their boob or something. I was sure I wouldn’t be able to brush it off the way Christina did. She instead, raised her hand high. I high-fived her, not really sure why. I guess because I said she could call Becker a pussy. I don’t know.
“Where’s Alana and Britney?” I asked, taking the seat beside Becker.
“Go find them. If I’m getting suckered into this, they’re helping.”
“Okay,” I laughed. “Should I go out there?” I pointed to the little cottage out back.
“You get Alana. I’ll see if I can find Britney.”
“I’ll mix the drinks,” Christina called from behind us.
I walked out to the pool area with the biggest smile. I was happy. I was crazy and happy.
I tapped on the door and Britney called out, “Come in.”
“Hey,” I spoke.
“Hi!” she excitedly said, moving away from her easel, happy to see me. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Yeah, I sort of got suckered into frosting a shit ton cupcakes. I’m supposed to recruit you. This is amazing. You’re very good. Do you always work on five different things at once?” I asked, observing the half painted works of art. A half a moon needed more background, a sandy beach needed the ocean, a bridge needed a flow of water beneath it, a field needed flowers, and I couldn’t see what she was working on at the moment.
“Yeah, always,” she admitted, wiping her hands and removing the smock. “You know Christina is going to purposely get us all drunk, don’t you?” Alana confessed.
“Oh, boy.” I feigned caring. I didn’t care. I was happy to be spending the evening with them, all of them.
I don’t think I ever laughed so hard in my life. Becker sure knew how to pick them. Alana was a riot. Then again, I think she was the first one intoxicated. It didn’t keep her from bouncing around the enormous kitchen, barking orders.
Becker, Christina, and Alana swirled the white frosting on top, forming an assembly line to me. Alana told me right away that I sucked and was making her cupcakes look like they were smashed. I tried to tell them I was horrible in the kitchen. My job was placing the little pink and red hearts right in the middle. I was good at that.
“So, did you guys have like a wedding ceremony?” I curiously asked, carefully placing the little
hearts on top and placing each cupcake in the tower that would safely get them to the church.
“Of course. Don’t you people have wedding ceremonies,” Becker kidded like I was the minority.
“You had three weddings?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
“Sort of. Alana and I got married in Coral, Alabama in a beautiful historical catholic church. There’s photos in the den if you want to see.”
“Yes, of course,” I said, looking right at his smiling face. “What about the other two?”
“Christina and I got married right out back here. It was beautiful. Blue and white lights dangled the entire patio entwined with baby’s-breath.”
“You remember the lights?” Christina asked with a twinkle in her eyes. Obviously something they shared together.
Becker scooted from his stool and kissed her. “Of course, I remember the lights,” he smiled, making her feel like the only one in the room. Damnit. Why couldn’t he be a controlling ass?
“What about you, Brit?” I asked, wanting his lips away from Christina’s.
Becker laughed and slid back to his position beside Alana and continued squeezing frosting from the small hole, swirling it like a perfectionist. Way better than I did.
“The saying that all girls dream about a big wedding with a princess wedding gown is not always true. Britney is our little tomboy.”
“I hate dresses,” she admitted.
“But she looks amazing in them.”
“I hate them, too,” I admitted. I wouldn’t be having a fancy wedding, either. Something simple with just us five. Oh my god. No. No weddings. I wasn’t getting brainwashed to be a part of this. I chugged my drink, something with coconut in it. Subject change.
“Are these cupcakes for the wedding?” I detoured, sliding right around all the ceremony talk.
“These cupcakes are for a little girl’s birthday party,” Britney explained, taking the last two pans from the oven. There was light at the end of the tunnel. Another thirty or so and we’d be done.
“You’re joking,” I stated. “You said she was catering a wedding,” I accused, frowning at Becker.
“He doesn’t listen,” Christina and Alana both spoke at the same time.
“This is a conspiracy,” Becker accused, excusing himself to take a call that I knew was Mason right away. He wouldn’t have been that silly with anyone else.
Britney explained the birthday party. I was thinking of a spoiled little rich kid on snob-nob where all the elites lived, the ones that thought their shit didn’t stink.
“She’s seven. She’s in Luke General Hospital. She’s fighting leukemia. I don’t think she’ll see eight.”
“Oh my god, Brit. I thought we were doing this for some snot nose rich kid. That’s horrible.”
“It’s sad, but she’s a trooper. You’d never know she was sick. You want to come tomorrow?”
“Seriously? Yes. I’d love to,” I lied with too much excitement. I didn’t want to see a little girl shriveling away to nothing while having her last birthday party in a hospital.
“Yay,” she chanted.
Why did I always do that? I was just like my mother. I couldn’t say no if my life deepened on it. And I hated hospitals. What the hell did I just get myself into?
Becker’s hand brushed my back when he joined us. “So, Mason was wondering if we wanted to come over tomorrow night,” he announced, touching Alana the same way he had me. Damnit.
“Yes. I need a night to chill,” Alana was the first one to announce with the other two joining as well.
“Cassie?” he asked.
“Yeah, sure. Why not?” I was doomed. How was I ever going to get away? I needed a plan. I had to escape. Fast.
“Well, he sort of wanted you to ask your friend to come, too.”
“Justine?”
“Do you have any other friends?”
“You’re sort of a smart-ass,” I accused.
“A smart-ass pussy,” Britney helped. I don’t know what the hell happened after that. Britney was on the floor with football painted eyes in frosting, screaming for Becker to let her up one minute, and the next minute the entire kitchen was in shambles. Becker had me around the waist with one arm and Alana in the other. Britney and Christina held threatening spatulas full of white frosting.
“Let them go,” they ordered.
“Not until you put down the weapons,” he countered, ducking behind me before Alana could paint his face with the spatula. It coated my hair and I laughed. I freaking loved this family. More than any other family on earth. That’s what they were. They were a family and they cared about each other—a lot.
By the time we were finished with the party cupcakes, we were all a sticky mess, half drunk, and tired. It was nearly one in the morning. Everyone pitched in and cleaned up the mess. The laughter and chatter settled with the fatigue looming over the room. Becker yawned, starting a domino effect. That caused a laugh.
“I’m going to shower. I’ll see you guys in a few hours,” Alana was the first one to cave to exhaustion.
I watched carefully as Becker wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
“Goodnight,” he lovingly spoke on her lips. I turned away.
“Yeah, I’m going, too. I have a head full of frosting,” I said next, trying to get away before Becker caught me.
“You’re not going to kiss me goodnight?” he asked, stopping me by the back of my shorts.
I turned, landing in his arms. Britney was the only one paying attention. I didn’t want him to kiss me in front of her, or anyone else.
I tried to tell him so with my eyes. Quickly kissing him on the cheek, I spun out of his arms and went to my room. The guest room.
I showered again in the fresh scent of lavender and rose, and crawled into the king size bed. Oh my god. That bed was the best bed in the entire world. It was firm, yet soft, memory foam maybe. It was perfect. The only thing missing was Becker.
Chapter 20
I woke to the sound of thunder a couple hours later. Sitting up, I made my way to the kitchen for a drink of water. Even with the scary sounds of wind, rain, and thunderclaps, I felt at home. The house was built for comfort and security. The hardwood floor was cold on my feet and the air chilled my bare legs.
I stopped dead in my tracks at the end of the hall when I heard the whispers and light kisses. Fuck. Just what I wanted to see. Becker was on the sofa with Alana. Her perfect body straddled his waist and she moved slowly, up and down. I knew I needed to move, turn around, go back where I came from, but I couldn’t. I was frozen. My gut tied in knots, I placed my hand over it, willing it not to hurl.
Becker sucked on her nipples while his hands guided her hips up and down his shaft. Alana moaned when he picked up power and strength, thrusting frantically in and out of her. He covered her mouth with his and she came, moaning with pleasure as she shook and shuddered.
Wait a minute. They’re not done. Becker didn’t go. I was sure of it. He didn’t tense his body and stiffen deep inside her like he did when he got off. Becker didn’t come. Why? Once she was calm, Becker moved her from his lap and kissed her. She thanked him. What? She was thanking him for sex? Wasn’t that what married people did. I stared, wide-eyed, watching and listening.
“You’re very welcome. We better get to sleep. Britney is going to be yelling at us to help load cupcakes very early in the morning,” Becker explained with an exasperated tone.
“I’m not moving,” Alana decided, happy and content after her orgasm with Becker.
He laughed and pulled the blanket from the back. That’s when he saw me. Our eyes locked, mine still wide with shock. I turned and got the hell out of there. Shit. This was such a bad idea. I wanted to go home. My home. Away from Becker and his three wives. He just fucked her right there in front of me. Nope. This wasn’t for me. I couldn’t stand that image. I hated it.
“Cass?” Becker called with two light taps on my closed door.
“Go away. I’m sleeping.?
??
Of course, it couldn’t be that easy. My door opened and I turned away, rolling to my side, away from him.
“Let’s talk, Cassie,” he suggested, sitting beside me.
“Let’s not. It’s late,” I countered, trying to ignore his hand on my hip.
“I didn’t know you were there, Cass.”
“It’s fine. I’m tired.”
“It’s not fine. I can tell it’s not fine. I would never do that in front of any of you. I swear.”
“I’m not any of you,” I assured him. The nerve. Who the hell did he think he was? He was already claiming me. Screw that.
“You know what I mean.”
“No, Becker I really don’t know what you mean. I don’t know what any of this means. This isn’t right. This isn’t the way you do things. You’re supposed to have one wife not three or four.”
“You knew this was how I lived before you ever met me. You were investigating me because you were so interested, remember? Nobody told you to get this involved.”
“I’m not involved. I’m finished with all this. I’m going to go to the hospital with Britney tomorrow and that’s it. I’m done.”
“Cass, you knew I had sex with them. They’re my wives. They have needs, too.”
“You didn’t come,” I pointed out the obvious, sitting up. Hell. I didn’t want to say that out loud. It was none of my business and I didn’t care.
“What?” he asked with a frown. The quick flash of lightening showed the confusion on his face.
“She got off. You didn’t. Why, Beck?”
“I did. I was wearing a condom.”
“Why?”
“Why what, Cass. You’re talking in circles. Slow down and be clearer.”
“You’re just diverting my questions. You did not come with her. I want to know why. Does she think you did?”
“I was satisfied. Don’t worry about that.”
“I think you’re lying, but whatever. Why the condom? You never wear one with me.”
“That is part of the confidentiality discloser. I won’t discuss my sex with the other girls with any of you. You should know this by now.”