Bitter Arrangement: Chapter 16

I get down on my knees in the closet and shift the massive safe into position. I keep thinking about Riley touching my leg yesterday, the little cocky smirk on her lips, the way it completely faded away when I called her bluff, and how she pretended like I didn’t exist for the rest of the night.

The woman’s going to kill me.

And not just because she got me involved with the Mantis.

I sit back on my haunches when I’m done and admire my handiwork. It’s not quite done—I need to bolt it to the floor—but for now, it’s fine. I stand and stretch, cracking my back, and saunter off to find my wife.

Riley’s in the kitchen cleaning her dishes from the last few nights. It takes all my willpower not to wash them myself, since she lets the stuff pile up in the sink until there’s basically no room left and she’s got no other choice. I wash my own and it wouldn’t be a huge deal, but to hell with that.

I already pick up after the girl. Random half-filled glasses, trash from deliveries, occasionally actual food caught between the couch cushions, her makeup left sprawled all over the bathroom sink. If I’m a little bit too obsessed with neatness, she’s a little too fascinated with her own dirty sprawl.

“Nothing I love more than a beautiful woman cleaning up after herself,” I purr as I breeze into the kitchen.

She shoots me a dirty look. “Don’t be sexist.”

“How’s that sexist?”

“You just want women to cook and clean. You know, barefoot and pregnant and in the kitchen where they belong.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Is that what I said?”

“It’s what you implied.”

I lean in closer and put a hand on the small of her back. When she tries to jerk away, I pin her against the counter with my body. “You’re so fucking wrong,” I say softly, glaring at her, annoyed that she thinks I’m just some idiot caveman that wants to shackle her up like some domestic sex slave.

“Sorry, but no part of me believes you.” She leans in close, pushing her hips into mine. “For example, you’re doing it right now.”

My jaw tightens and I force myself to step back. “I have something for you,” I say, already feeling like my surprise has been ruined.

“Yeah? What’s that? A mop and an apron?”

“You’d look fucking good in nothing but an apron,” I say sharply. “But this isn’t for me. Come on, it’s upstairs.”

I march off without waiting. If she follows, great. If not, I’ll take a shower and be done with this frustrating woman.

The curiosity must’ve been too much because her footsteps shadow me. I lead her to the closet and gesture inside.

She hesitates, her eyes straying down to the safe sitting beneath her clothes. “What’s that?”

“It’s for your collection.” I gesture at it. “I haven’t set a combination. You can keep all your little secrets inside there.”

She glances at me, frowning like she doesn’t believe this is real, before drifting over. She kneels down in front of the safe and starts poking and prodding at the mechanisms. “This is a really good one,” she says with genuine surprise.

“Better be. Spent a fortune on it.”

“Seriously, Alexan, it’s top of the line.” She looks over like she’s never seen me before. “Why’d you do this?”

“Because you said you still had stuff at home,” I say, glancing away. I don’t like the expression on her face, like she’s shocked by a simple, kind gesture. “I figured this would help with the transition.”

“That’s extremely thoughtful.” She closes the safe door, inputs a code, and the mechanism locks. “But aren’t you against my thieving addiction?”

“Only when it gets you in trouble. I’m not a complete monster.” I step into the closet and kneel down beside her. “If you want to keep your things in there, it’s all yours. I don’t need the code and I won’t ask for it. But I will help you bolt the thing to the floor so nobody can steal it.”

She smiles slightly. “Nobody would want to take my collection. It’s all worthless.”

“Not to you, it isn’t. I’ll treat it like it’s priceless so long as you care.”

She turns to me. Her smile fades, and I’m aware of how close she is. Her thick auburn hair’s only an inch from my face, and I can smell shampoo and mint and honey. I’m tempted to touch her, but I don’t want to feed that bullshit narrative about how I’m some controlling piece of shit. There’s a difference between wanting to own her and wanting to keep her safe.

Although both would be nice.

She moves closer. Our knees touch, and she sits forward until her body presses against mine. There’s not a lot of room with all her clothes hanging down around us, and she bumps against a dress, making the hangers screech on the rod. I don’t know what she’s doing, but I stay still as she touches my face and stares into my eyes with a curious, confused frown.

“I’m going to do something now,” she whispers and the sound of her breathing is swallowed by the fabric all around us. The room’s dim, the light blocked by more dresses. “I don’t want you to talk.”

“I can’t handle that.”

She touches my lips. “Shut up.” Then she takes a deep breath. “I’m going to regret this.”

She presses her mouth to mine.

For a moment, I don’t move. Our faces are mashed together. Then she turns to the side and I reach up, running my fingers through her thick hair. Her eyes are pinched shut and her lips part ever so slightly.

That’s all I need. I kiss her back, hungrily, starving for her, desperate for her taste as my tongue slides against hers. She whimpers and I pull her against me, tumbling backward awkwardly. She lands on top with a gasp, laughing lightly, eyes shining as I drag her face back to mine, kissing her harder.

God, what a fucking kiss. We’re scrunched up under shirts and pants, there’s a fucking boot mashed in the small of my back, and her safe’s only a few inches away, but I wouldn’t change a goddamn thing.

Because she’s here and she’s mine.

Riley lets out a soft moan as my other hand explores her back. She’s wearing a thin cotton tee and little shorts, and I squeeze her ass tight, my heart racing. She grinds into me, making the hangers scrape against the rod again, and not even an ugly screeching sound can ruin this.

I devour her lips. I taste her tongue. I drink her down and growl into her mouth. My cock’s raging hard and I can’t stop myself as I roll her over, pinning her down onto the floor.

Her legs wrap around my back as my hard dick presses against her core. She’s got those lovely fuck-me eyes.

“Here I was, thinking you weren’t just some sex-crazed cave man.”

“I contain multitudes.”

“Isn’t that Walt Whitman?”

“Who?” I kiss her, biting her lips, and roughly shove her shirt up over her tits. She gasps in surprise as I kiss her neck, peppering her skin with more wet kisses until I reach her bare breasts.

No fucking bra.

I lick one nipple, keeping her hands pinned above her head. She grinds into me, whimpering and making these perfect fucking gasping moaning sounds. Her right breast is pierced, a simple little silver bar with round nubs on either end. I lick it, tasting metal and skin, and she reacts with a low, throaty groan.

My eyebrows raise, and I lick it again.

She grinds into me, mewling like a kitten. Her mouth hangs open, and she clearly likes that. I suck it harder, and she reacts by arching her back.

“Sensitive,” she whimpers.

“I can see that.” I smirk and tease her, my tongue rolling a slow circle. She’s panting as I do it.

“Piercing made it… feel a thousand times more…” She groans, eyes rolling back when I suck it. “Fuck, that’s so nice.”

I kiss her lips as I roughly pull her shorts down to her knees. I go back to kissing her tits as my fingers start to roam her pussy. She’s breathing fast, cursing and grinding into me, her pale skin creamy and fucking perfect. Her pubic hair is auburn too, curly and scratching under my palm, as my fingers slowly sink into her soaking wet pussy. Her pink lips are pretty under my hand, and her pink nipple tastes perfect as I suck it hard and fill her with my fingers.

“Oh my god,” she gasps, grinding against me. “This is so much better than doing the dishes.”

I smirk to myself and drive my fingers in deep. She groans, laughing at how good it feels, and I tongue her nipple again.

“You know what I really want to do today?” I murmur, stroking in and out with my fingers.

“What’s that? I’ll give you anything if you keep going.”

“Perfect, because what I want is for you to come all over my fingers so I can suck them clean and get a good taste of you.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh, wow,” she says.

“Or maybe I’ll make you suck them clean? Or maybe I’ll make you suck my fingers clean while I fuck you from behind?”

“Alexan,” she moans, eyes rolling back. “Nipple. Right fucking now.”

I grin and keep stroking her pussy, fingers sliding in and out at the same perfect tempo, and lock my mouth around her pierced breast.

All I have to do is suck once, and she’s all mine.

Her orgasm takes over her full body. It’s glorious the way her pale, freckled skin turns pink as she comes. I keep licking her nipple and stroking her pussy as she explodes, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so beautiful before in my life.

“Okay, okay, okay, shit,” she says, squirming back, grinning like a maniac. “Now it’s really, really sensitive.”

I pull my fingers out of her and lean back. She lies there breathing hard, tits puddled to either side.

I take her in. Her perfect lips open, her chest rising and falling rapidly, the blush in her cheeks, her knees pushed together, her lovely little mound, and her curly pubic hair. All of her, beautiful.

“That’s my good girl,” I say and lick my fingers. Her taste is salty and sharp, and it’s exactly what I wanted. “You taste good too.”

“Oh my god,” she says, grinning. “That was good. I mean, not what I expected today, but—” She wriggles a little as she pulls down her shirt. “Really good.”

“Don’t cover yourself,” I say, staring hard at her. Still cleaning off my fingers. “I want to think about this later.”

She blinks at me, smirking a little, and then quickly pulls her shorts up. “You got enough of a show already,” she says, pushing up to her feet.

My dick’s so hard it’s pulsing. “I don’t think I got nearly enough,” I say softly.

She pats my cheek. “Thank you for the orgasm.” Then she’s out of there, scampering away like I’m going to grab her and drag her down again.

“Fuck,” I say, sighing as I collapse back against the wall.

That fucking girl kills me.