Chapter 4

My breath frosted in the chilly mountain air, though following the long hike to get to the top, I barely felt the cold. The sun beamed down, warming my skin and bathing the breathtaking view in blissful yellow light. All of Sanderson spread out before me at the base of the mountain. It was one of my favorite views.

Bethany sat on the cliff edge, a sketch pad in one hand as the other stroked short lines across it to immortalize the view. Her blonde hair hung in a high ponytail, bouncing along to the rhythm of her hand as the sketch came to life before her. She had doffed her jacket, her skin-tight athletic shirt outlining her heavy chest and flat stomach while her tights hugged every one of her juicy curves.

I shook my head, banishing those thoughts from my mind. I instead sat next to her, idly kicking my feet as I gazed out onto the view.

Bethany bumped my shoulder. “Are you okay? You’ve been, kind of ... run down, these last few weeks.”

I tried to keep my face neutral, though I’m not sure how well I succeeded. “I’m fine. Work is just kind of rough.”

She rubbed my thigh. “I’m sorry. Anything I can do to help?”

I shook my head. “Thanks, Beth, but it’s just something I need to work through.”

Her brow knit with worry, those cute blue eyes growing wider. “Dan, please, let me help. You need to relax.” She cut me off as I tried to explain. “I know, we’ll have a karaoke night. Tonight. I’ll break out the machine, we’ll have some drinks, and you can just relax. Candice can keep Amy occupied, she said she’ll be over at your place tonight anyway.”

I flinched at Candice’s name. Her sapphire eyes always promised another toe-curling, back-scratching, window-shaking fuck session with even the most casual of glances. My cock twitched. I needed to stay away from her.

“Please? Let me take care of you, you look so stressed.”

I sighed. I just couldn’t bring myself to say no to her heartfelt plea. “Alright, just for tonight.”

She thrust her hands up in celebration while squealing happily. “We are going to have so much fun!”

Another cold shiver ran down my back as my phone dinged that afternoon. I’d developed a nervous twitch every time it chimed, because I always knew who it was from. I sat back from the laptop and hesitantly flipped over the phone.

It was from Candice.

Can’t wait to see you tonight. I’m so wet thinking about you.

A short clip played. Elegant legs, that could only be hers, spread for the camera.

I deleted the conversation and blocked the number. It didn’t matter, though. She always got another one.

I nearly dropped the phone at the sudden knocking at the door.

“Daddy? Can I take the car tonight?”

“Uh, sure, I’ll just have Beth give me a ride.” The unfortunate reality of having a single car was biting me in the butt now. “It’s running low on gas, so can you fill it up on your way back? Grab an extra twenty from the dresser.”

“Okay, daddy. Thank you.”

I turned back to the laptop, trying to organize our finances, something that I’d been putting off for too long, but Candice kept sending me racy photos, getting more and more explicit with every message. I finally gave up trying to work on the spreadsheet as my cock throbbed in my pants. I really hated that woman.

I opened the door to my office only to freeze at the scent lingering in the hallway.

“Hi, Dan.”

Candice leaned casually against the wall opposite the doors, an innocent smile on her face, but that predatory gleam in her eyes as she tapped her phone. My phone chimed.

“Aren’t you going to get that? It might be important.”

“Candice,” I growled. “Stop.”

That smile grew wider, showing off her teeth again.

She moved like a snake, swaying her hips as she drew closer. I could practically see a forked tongue flick out and taste the air between us. I instinctively shrunk back, even as I tried to stand my ground. The soft thud of my back against the wall told me I’d failed. She pressed the entire length of her body against mine, her hard nipples digging into my chest as her scent flooded my nostrils.

Her breath was hot in my ear as her fingers slowly ran down my chest. Her teeth nibbled on my earlobe. I cursed my raging erection once more as it twitched against body.

“Why don’t you make me?” she whispered.

I couldn’t think of what to do. What would Allie think if she found Candice like this, all over me? How would I explain this to Amy?

“That’s what I thought,” she chuckled, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. “Now, be a good boy, and fill mommy up.”

“Candice!” Beth’s cry from down the hall startled me, but hardly even made Candice flinch. “You are going way too far with teasing him!”

I didn’t know how much of that she had caught. I prayed to God none of it.

Candice turned her head to her sister, not bothering to remove her body from mine.

“I’m just showing a bit of sisterly love. What’s wrong with that?”

Beth glared at her and marched closer. Candice rolled her eyes and stepped back, releasing me from the wall. How a woman six inches shorter than me could make me feel so small was something I would never figure out.

“And what, exactly, are you doing here?” Candice asked.

Beth puffed up to her sister, which was an amusing sight as the five-foot-nothing woman squared off with her taller sister. “Dan is stressed out, so I’m taking him to relax.”

Candice turned her head to me, venom in her eyes. “Is that so? He’s a big boy, he can take care of himself.”

“I don’t know what is going on with you, but you are stressing him out. Come on, Dan.”

Bethany grabbed my wrist and dragged me past her sister. It may have been my imagination, but an icy sensation of something sharp seemed to bore through my back where I’m sure she was glaring.

“I’m sorry, Dan. She can get really aggressive sometimes. She’s always been a bit of a bully. You just need to stand up to her. I promise, she’ll stop teasing you so much if you do.”

I sank back into the comfortable folds of Beth’s couch as she launched into an animated rendition of ‘Let it Go’. Bethany had an amazing voice, and she always gave it her all. I couldn’t help but laugh as she threw her arms wide at the crescendo, holding that note amazingly long and ending with that sultry look that the Disney animators really had no business putting into a kid’s movie.

She bowed and blew kisses to the imaginary audience, catching the pillow I tossed and pretending they were flowers while the display tallied the score. It didn’t really matter what it threw up there, it always maxed out for her.

She plopped down next to me, cuddling my arm. “So? Feel relaxed yet?”

I sipped the remains of my margherita, having lost count of how many I’d had some time ago. “Really relaxed. Thanks, Beth. I really needed this.”

I let my head loll back onto the couch, the fluffy pillows cradling me comfortably. I had been so tense following that confrontation with Candice, but I’d turned off the phone, and she had no way to harass me now. I could finally relax.

“Oh, let me get you something. You said your neck was tense, right? I have a nice balm that’ll help.”

She gave me a peck on the cheek and hurried into the other room.

I closed my eyes and sighed happily. I was at the perfect point of being happy-drunk and wanted to ride it out for a while yet.

Bethany came back, a jar of something or another in her hands.

“Okay, just stay there. This is my favorite balm, you’ll love it.”

She straddled my lap and opened the jar for me to smell. A sweet and fruity scent emitted, reminding me of spiced oranges and vanilla. She took a small scoop, rubbing it between her hands before gently rubbing the sides of my neck with it.

“Oh, you are tense,” she said as she applied more pressure to loosen the muscles. “You really should try to do some meditation or yoga.”

I groaned as her fingers worked my neck, that sweet scent calming me. She began to work her way down to my collar, that steady pressure relaxing me even further.

“Take off the top buttons, my hands are kind of greasy.”

I popped the top buttons, and she worked both hands along my collar toward the shoulders. I laid my head back and closed my eyes, relishing the sensation as it washed over me.

“Let me get one more thing.”

I didn’t open my eyes when she got up. I was so close to falling completely asleep that I didn’t even budge when she sat down again. Her fingers tugged at the other buttons, pulling my shirt open and running her warm hands along my chest. I sighed happily.