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HAPPY MOM

Author: Monisola
last update Huling Na-update: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

“Of course you weren’t,” Nathan says dryly. He meets my gaze.

His mom definitely has our number. But unlike his dad, she doesn’t seem to mind the deception.

She spends the dinner asking me about myself. Where I went to school, whether I’m close with my family, whether I’ve been married before. Her questions are so briskly confident, I answer them automatically, even the nosy ones.

Nathan barely has a chance to get a word in edgewise. Not that he’s trying very hard. He’s spent the meal with his hand on my thigh, twisting and toying with the fabric of my skirt. The casually possessive gesture is comforting and arousing at the same time.

We’re halfway through the dessert course a rich chocolate mousse I could swoon over when Jackie finally runs out of questions for me.

She watches me and Nathan with a wistful smile. “You really are quite lovely, my dear. He’s finally met someone ambitious enough for him.”

“Thank you,” I say, unsure why she seems sad about that.

Jackie shifts her focus to
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  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   I OWE MY DAD

    Mine, the gesture says. It’s the same thing I’m saying with the custom jewelry in her ears.But it’s as much a fantasy as the ring on her finger.“Tell me about your favorite painting here,” I say, wanting to hear her talk.“My favorite? It’s this one.” She nods to a small pale-yellow square. At first that’s all I can see, but the longer I look at it, the more different shades I see. The yellow is so pale in some places, it’s almost white. In other places it’s rich and warm like honey. The diagonal slants of yellow fall across a deep, dark green background. Or maybe black? The paint on the dark green part is layered so thick, it’s like I want to reach out and touch it.“What’s it about?” I ask.She leans back into me. “Check the title.”I do. “Arden. What’s that mean?”“It’s the forest in a Shakespeare play.”I look at the abstract painting again. Now I can see it, the way the yellow looks like sunlight, slanting through a deep, dark, old forest.Nicole’s voice is soft and content. “I

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   I TOOK MY MOM SIDE

    She half rises, leaning forward and squinting until she can read the writing. “On loan from the collection of Hart Coleman. Oh.Oh.”She looks at me, guilt flashing across her face. “Is it bad if I still love it?”I laugh. “Not at all.” I capture her hand and tug her toward me, so we’re sitting facing each other, legs tangled, faces close enough to kiss. I raise the back of her hand to my lips and kiss her softly. “If this painting brought you to New York” brought you to me“I could even love it too.”Something hesitant fills her brown eyes. “Nathan. Can I ask you something?”“Anything.”Still, she hesitates. I wait.“Why do you hate your dad,” Nicole asks.I sigh. “It’s not one thing. It’s just him. Who he is.”Now it’s Nicole’s turn to wait. I realize I owe her more.“You know he’s got a gambling problem?”“I heard rumors,” Nicole says. “No specifics.”I nod. I feel like I’m dragging the words out of a deep pit inside me. “He gambled off and on my whole childhood. It was embarrassing,

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   YOU ARE A GOOD MAN

    “Oh, Nathan.” Nicole lets go of my hands to adjust the jacket, which has started slipping off her shoulders. “What happened to your friend?”I let out a sigh. “He lost his scholarship, lost his student visa, and got sent back home. But he was smart, and without us all dragging him down, he ended up graduating early from a top university back home. He fell in love, founded a nonprofit. He’s ok.”Nicole raises an eyebrow. “If he wasn’t ok, I’m sure you would have done something about it as soon as you could. How much do you donate to his nonprofit?”“ How did you know?“I see the new grown Nathan” She said. I smile hapilly.Her instincts are right, not that I’ll admit it. I stand up, restless. “Anyway. I swore then that I’d never ask my dad for anything ever, ever again.” I look down at her. “Now you have the whole dirty, messy story.”Some part of me is holding my breath, waiting for her to call me out for selfishly ruining my friend’s life, or naive for thinking I could trust my dad i

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   PRAISE AND CURSES

    “I don’t give a damn if it’s ok. I need you, Nicole.”He says it like that’s the end of the discussion. And maybe for Nathan, it is. He needs me, so he’ll have me, society be damned.Fuck, why is that so hot?Nathan kisses his way down my neck, lingering in a spot that has me squirming and panting. Then his mouth is moving again, feathering over my collar bone, the curve of my breast, then my nipple. He sucks and nibbles, until my hands are buried in his hair, urging him on.“Fuck, Nathan, that’s...” I moan.I notice one of his hands fisted in my skirts. I tighten my hand in his hair, and he groans in pleasure. There’s something about knowing how much he loves this part that turns me wet and needy.I remember what he said the first time we had sex.Touching you like this, making you come? That’s not for you. That’s for me.As hot as it still is to think of those words, I don’t think they’re true anymore. What he’s doing is for him but it’s also for me. It turns him on to take care of m

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   A CHANGE OF CONTRACT

    Then he says it.“I think I’m falling in love with you, Nicole.”I seize around his cock, coming so hard I wonder if I heard those words or imagined them.Then his fraying control snaps, and he’s a demon, taking his pleasure out on me. When he comes, the expression that flashes across his face is sinfully transcendent. Like a fallen angel.He collapses on me, breathing hard. A man once more.Dimly, I realize I can still hear the muffled music of the gala downstairs. So we haven’t been up here for hours. It just feels like it.I think I’m falling in love with you, Nicole.Did he mean that?Do I want him to?I stroke his hair, hardly breathing, waiting for Nathan to say it again.He doesn’t. Not as our heartbeats return to normal. Not as we clean ourselves up. Not as we slip out the back and head home to his apartment.Not as we’re falling asleep together, curled up in his bed.I watch the moon, brilliant and untouchable outside of his window.And that’s when I know. I want Nathan to ha

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   START SOMETHING REAL

    Her mouth twists. “You’d pay me to marry you?”“I...” when she says it like that it sounds bad. “It would be what we’re already doing. But longer. Better.”She looks down at her coffee, thinking.I wait.“What happens if after a year, we want to extend it?” she asks.My heart leaps. “Then we extend it,” I say, casually. “As long as it’s beneficial for both parties.”Nicole chews her lip. Then she slowly shakes her head. “Nathan, I don’t know if this is a good idea...”Crap. I’m losing her. I asked for a shadow of what I really want, and she’s still turning me down.I imagine my life without Nicole’s color, without her warmth, without her voice, but it all feels gray, cold, quiet.I can’t lose her. I can’t.I pull out the napkin contract and add each of the new terms I’m proposing to our original contract. My normally confident scrawl feels cramped. I’m running out of room on this goddamn napkin.I sign it, date it, and slide it across the kitchen island to Nicole. “Just think about it

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   PREGNANT

    Nathan and I have been sleeping together for about a month and a half. Alot.What if ...?No. It can’t be.But what if I’m...?The thought is terrifying and wonderful at the same time.I log out of my workstation and head down to the lobby, in search of a pregnancy test.An hour later,I’m standing over the sink in the work bathroom, staring at a pregnancy test.It’s positive. I’m pregnant.I’m pregnant with Nathan’s kid.I also know, due to some frantic googling while I waited for the test to finish processing, that eating too much grapefruit can interfere with certain types of hormonal birth control.They really should put that on the label.Nathan’s going to laugh when he hears that.At least I hope he’ll laugh.What if he doesn’t want this kid?Because I do. I realize that as I’m staring down at the positive test. With the exception of moving to New York, I’ve always tried to do things in the sensible order.Don’t leave a job, unless you have another one lined up.Don’t start datin

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   BETRAYED

    “The thing is Nathan, you might have fallen for her. But she hasn’t fallen for you. And she didn’t know how to get out of such a big mess.” His voice is dripping with fake sympathy. “So I made her a better offer. And told her all she needed to do was tell me the truth. I promised her I’d take care of everything else, including giving you the bad news.” Any pretense at sympathy vanishes. He grins. “If this was chess, you just lost your queen.”I barely hear him. I feel like I’m trying to breathe with a chest full of ice shards.Nicole betrayed me.I pushed for too much, so she stabbed me in the back.Was she really crying? Because she was scared to tell me no?Why the hell didn’t she talk to me? Why the fuckinghelldid she go tohim?I told Nicole everything about my dad. I told her why I hated him, why I’d never trust him, or ever ask him for anything.And then she turned around and sold me out to my dad the instant I asked for more.I don’t want to believe it. But the evidence is scraw

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  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   THE END

    "I don't know what to think anymore Nathan. This is all just like a nightmare. I may never see her again, or my child. The thought scares me more than anything.""Don't lose hope my friend. I am certain that we will find Nicole eventually. Nothing bad has happened to her. Nicole is a strong lady; she can survive anything. I have a very good feeling that she's doing well. We will find her soon."NICOLE"Ash! Are you leaving already?" Claudia asked, coming into the house. She carried a bag with her, containing some items. Claudia is my close friend from college."Yes Claudia, my presentation at work starts in an hour." I was packing my bags, ensuring that I'm not missing anything. I checked to make sure that my health insurance card and phone are in the bag. I was going to visit the hospital right after work for my prenatal care. The hospital was just a few miles away from where I work.Four months have passed since I had met Claudia at the O’Hare airport as soon as I got into the city.

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

    "He left? Where did he go to? Did he say where he was going?" I asked frantically."No, sir. He didn't mention where he was going. He only packed up his stuff and started leaving in a hurry, he was trying to call someone on the phone as he left"."Are you Ok, sir?" One of the employees asked. I ignored her and thought of what I could do next.It had been 3 months since Nicole disappeared with no trace and I hadn’t been able to get hold of Justin, either. He also left IM Corp after taking a few days off after that day.I received Justin’s contact information and tried to have face to face conversations with him several times, but there was no response from him. Eventually, I hired a private investigator to help me find them. One day, they informed me that they had found Justin working at another tech company, Sinews and living in a new apartment in the city.I cancelled my meetings for the rest of the day and hurried over to see Justin at Sinew with Nathan."Welcome to Sinews. How may

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   I LOVE YOU

    "How official!" He mocked, shielding his body from another violent hit from me."You're just crazy. Please don't forget to get me the plane ticket. I'll be all packed up and waiting for you to return this evening"."Alright. I'll be leaving now. I made you breakfast. Try not to throw up, please. It took me an hour to make those waffles.""An hour? Just to make waffles? Did you use sunlight to cook them?" I rolled my eyes at him. "All for some tasteless waffles."“Hey, if they were tasteless maybe you should save some for me. I didn’t want all that effort to go to waste.” He left the room while I laughed. I was certainly going to miss Justin. That is for sure!NATHAN"What happened? I heard Nicole resigned.” Nathan stormed into my office. I was totally in shock."What are you talking about? You informed me she was feeling unwell yesterday and asked for a sick leave. Isn't that why she still didn't turn up for work today? I checked her office today, but she wasn't there"."Yeah, yeah. I

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   PERFECTION

    “You are the most amazing man in the world. Do you know that? Wait. Don’t answer. I already know what you’re going to say.” A smile fell upon her lips.“Damn right, I am.” I kissed her.Our wedding was a blast. Between the alcohol, great conversations, and all the dancing everyone did, we all had a great time.I was talking with my brothers and cousins when Henry and Aunt Barb walked over.“Boys. I’m happy you’re all together. There’s something I need to tell you.”“What’s up, Mom?” Stefan asked.“Henry asked me to marry him, and I’ve accepted his proposal.” She held out her hand.“WHAT?” Simon spit out his drink.My brothers and I looked at each other and didn’t say a word.“Mom, are you serious?” Sam asked.“Very serious. Do you not see the diamond on my finger, Samuel?”“You haven’t known each other that long,” Sebastian said.“It doesn’t matter if we knew each other for a week. When you know you’re meant to be with someone, you know. Isn't that right, darling?" She kissed his chee

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   WEDDING RECEPTION

    “Good. Then I’ll be connecting your credit card to my Amazon account.”“Now, now, Nicole. Let’s not get all crazy.”She laughed as I pulled her into me.“Shall we go greet our guests and thank them for coming to our wedding?” she asked.“Yeah. Let’s go.” I grabbed her hand. “I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone.” I smirked.“Very funny.”NICOLEAfter the DJ announced us, we stepped into the ballroom while all of our guests shouted and clapped.“I’m going to grab a drink. Do you want a water or something?” Nathan asked.“Water would be great.”“I’ll be right back.” His lips met mine.“In case I haven’t told you. You look gorgeous.” Jackson smiled as he kissed my cheek.“Thank you, brother-in-law.” I grinned.“Hey, bro.” Conner walked over and handed me my drink.“This place looks as beautiful as it did when Georgia and I got married,” Jackson said.“Thanks. I did a good job, didn’t I?” A grin crossed Conner’s lips.“Excuse me?” I laughed.“What?” He cocked his head. “You were stil

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   PRETTY PENNY

    “Thank you.”“Gabriel. Grayson.” She walked over and hugged them. “It’s good to see you both again.”“Good to see you too, Barb.” Grayson smiled.“So, Mom.” Simon walked over and hooked his arm around her. “We’re going to have a little chat once the wedding is over.”“A chat about what, Simon?”“About you and what’s going on.”“Nothing is going on, darling. Put your detective instincts away.” She patted his chest. “I’ll see you boys in the Gardens.”“Your bowtie is crooked.” Nathan walked over and straightened it. “Are you ready?” He gripped my shoulders."Are you? Your day will be here before you know it.”“Speaking of,” Jackson spoke. “Have you and Sofia set a date yet?”“No. Not yet. We’re discussing it.” He smiled.“It’s time,” Christian said as he glanced at his watch. “Let’s go get you married.” He patted my back.* * *I stood there with my brothers and cousins and wasn’t nervous. This day almost didn’t happen for two reasons. One was because we weren’t sure if Nicole was going

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   WALKING DOWN THE AISLE

    I think about it for a moment and realize that I really should focus on building my relationship with my Fiancee and baby daddy. We can do all of that later but now we should focus on knowing each other.Even though we should think of focusing on our upcoming project. He cocks his head slightly. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?I love you and I want to be with you and who knows? I could die before you.”Nathan glares at me. “Don’t talk about dying,” he replies angrily.“But it’s the truth, anything can happen so the age difference doesn’t bother me.”Nathan exhales. “What about your parents then? We should meet them again ?”Laughing, I shake my head. For what?. But I stopped letting them tell me how to live my life a long time ago. They are just going to have to accept you and love you like I do.” I smile at him and lean forward to kiss him.The kiss grows deeper, but Nathan pulls away before it can turn into something more. “If you weren’t so sore right now, I would take you right h

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   SPENDING TIMES TOGETHER

    Her back bows,body quivering and thighs clenching as our bodies grow slick with heat and sweat. Soon enough, she stiffens and shatters in my arms, reaching that desired peak for the second time in minutes.I watch her with adoration,marveling at how extraordinary she looks right now as she rides her pleasure. Groaning loudly now, with her name on my lips, I follow her swiftly, thrusting with careless abandon until we are both riding that high.Later that night,after whipping up something for us to eat, I feed it to Nicole with one hand while grazing her hip with my other hand.After chewing and swallowing,she clears her throat and stares at me curiously. “What made you change your mind?” She asks.“What do you mean?”I reply, handing her another bite which she takes in her mouth.“Well,maybe you cast you spell on me, I am not doing al of this because of the baby alone but because I believe you will be the best daughter to Kiera and our unborn and I love you so much.”I drop the plate o

  • HER BULLY'S REGRET   HIGH PEACHED

    Slowly,my hands trail her upper body and settle on her breasts. Gently I squeeze both just as my mouth peppers kisses along her neck. She quivers, moaning loudly as my mouth descends on her nipple. Never before have I felt this way with any woman, not even Bridget whom I once loved.Although everything is happening so fast,I make sure to remain gentle with her and I take my time caressing her body, learning every inch of it. I am just as eager to pleasure her as much as I am pleasured, if not more.Suddenly,I pick her up and rise from the couch with her thighs wrapped around me. I carry her towards the bedroom she slept in the last time we were here. Once we’re in there, I place her feet gently on the floor and drop a kiss on her forehead before proceeding to pull off my own clothes and underwear.I guideher to the perfectly made bed and help her lie on it before going to lie beside her. “You are an enigma, Nicole, so beautiful,” I whisper into her ear as I begin to trail my mouth acr

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