God, his touch.His touch sent shivers down my spine and I knew—I just fucking knew if we slept together he’d make sure I came first. None of the bullshit Rich did now, only thinking of himself. Gabe would please me, show me tenderness and then fuck my brains out after he made me come with his fingers and mouth.
But the person I was looking at in the mirror as we got ready for the party, wasn’t Gabe—it was Rich. And he only cared about two things: getting himself off and getting me pregnant.
“You look cute, princess.”Not beautiful. Not gorgeous. Not stunning. Cute as if I were a five-year-old girl getting ready for my first day of school. I was a woman dammit. A twenty-nine-year-old woman! How about sexy? Breathtaking? Good enough to eat?
I smiled back at him and prayed that I could fake it long enough for the plan to take full effect.
Be strong, Autumn!
Rich was dressed in a black suit with a red dress shirt and black tie. I used to find the way he looked in his suit intoxicating but now, as I stared at him through the reflection of the mirror, I felt nothing for him.
I was surprised how quickly feelings could change. It was as if each time he left bruises, a sliver of my heart died and eventually had vanished completely. I didn’t think there was a rhyme or reason as to why people fall in and out of love, but physically hurting someone was likely reason to fall out of love. I wished that I wouldn’t have been blind when I met him.
We met, we got engaged and married, all within less than a year. I should have known it was a recipe for disaster. Everyone was under his spell: me, my parents, Brandi … Rich was a manipulator through and through.
But here I was, getting ready for his party and I was “cute”. Well, la dee da.
“Thank you. Red looks powerful on you.” Rich wanted all the power he could get.
“I want people to know who’s in charge tonight, and redshowspower. Thank you for realizing, princess. You just gave me the boost of confidence I needed for this evening.”
I smiled as I applied a coat of mascara. “You’re my husband. I know you like I know the back of my hand.”
He chuckled. “Are you almost ready? People should be arriving soon.”
“I am,” I replied. “I just need to put my heels on and then I’m good to go.”
He stepped to my side as I put down my mascara tube then grabbed my chin with his hand, forcing me to look at him. “It’s been a long week. After everyone leaves, I want you to keep the heels on and nothing else while I fuck you. You’re to be wet and waiting for me and not wet by the feel of your own hand. I want you thinking about it all night because I’m going to fuck you so hard that if you’re not wet—well,” he smirked, “then you’re going tobruise.”
I gave him a tight smile. “I like the sound of that. I’ll be wet and waiting.”
Our house was decorated exactly as I’d envisioned. The inside had several small, counter-high cocktail tables scattered for people to use to mingle and eat. The lights were dimmed with candles lit on each table, giving everything an intimate feel. Soft music played on our sound system wired through the entire house plus the backyard.
Outside, poles had been set up to line the patio with white lights draped across from one to the other. More of the cocktail tables were placed around the area and around our pool that sat beyond the patio. A fire pit was set up in the center of the patio. It was a nice night, but a lot of our guests were nearby, grabbing a few minutes of warmth before moving on to get a refill of drinks or more food.
Rich introduced me to everyone I didn’t know as they arrived. I kept expecting the one person I wanted to meet face to face to arrive, but as the house filled, Remo was a no show.
“You’re breathtaking, sunshine,” Dad said when he arrived, kissing my cheek.
I blushed. At least someone thought so.
“Autumn, honey. Everything looks lovely,” Mom gushed, looking around as she spoke.
“Thanks, Mom. Lea, our event planner, and I arranged everything.”
“Dan. Sarah. Please enjoy our open bar. Once everyone has arrived, we’ll join you.” Rich gestured toward one of the bars we had set up.
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Dad laughed. Just as Dad passed, he whispered, “Sunshine, everything okay?”
I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. He nodded his head slightly toward Rich when he wasn’t looking and then it dawned on me. Dad knew there was a real reason I wanted to buy a gun. He was fishing for answers other than the lie I told him about impressing Rich by being able to shoot. I should have known better. Dad had twenty-nine years of practice catching me in lies.
I gave a tight smile then whispered, “Yes.”
“If you need to go back, I’ll go anytime. Just let me know.”
“I will.” I nodded, knowing he was referring to the gun range. I gave him a quick hug before they walked off to get a drink.
We greeted more people, then walked outside to where my parents were talking with some of Rich’s cop friends.
