Stanton Bliss(13)

I bite my bottom lip to stifle my smile. Truth be known, I think Joshua liked screaming at me today, too. It felt normal that he was angry with me – a relief, even.

“What would you like for dessert, Joshua?” I whisper.

He bends and whispers into my ear. “I think you know, my beautiful slut.” His breath on my neck gives me goose bumps and a shudder of excitement runs through me.

I will never tire of this conversation, of this feeling.

Three hours later, dinner is over and, after going for a long walk and stopping at a bar for a drink, we have arrived back in our home.

“I’m having a shower, Presh. Are you coming?” Joshua kisses me on the forehead as he walks past me sitting in the lounge.

“Yes, be there in a minute.”

I watch him disappear into our bedroom, and without thinking, I pick up his phone from the coffee table. As if on autopilot, I scroll through his contacts until I get to the one I want.

James Brennan: 0414356232.

I close my eyes in regret.

Holy f*ck.





Chapter 3

Snooping. The double edged sword. The Heaven to my Hell.

You think you want to know something, but then you wish you didn’t know it. Margaret has been speaking to James Brennan, not just once, but a lot of times. Two hours in the middle of the night. How do you speak to an abuser that you hate for two hours? What is there to say?

I lay in bed as I go over the conversations Margaret and I have had before in regards to James. She said she loved him at one stage, but then he turned into an abuser and she hated him. Was that just all f*cking bullshit? Did he really beat her? Did Robert beat her and she has used James as a cover? What the hell is going on?

I hear Joshua fussing around in the kitchen and the sound of the shaker with ice. I smile. My man is back on his protein. This is a good sign. Normalcy is returning to his life.

He walks in while taking a sip and sits on the end of the bed. “Morning, Presh.”

I smile at his I’ve-been-to-the-gym glow of perspiration. “Good morning, Mr. Stanton.”

He smiles sexily at my playful tone. “What would my wife like to do today?”

“Hmm, let me think.” I smirk.

He bends and kisses the top of my foot as he runs his hand up under the blanket towards my thigh. “Do you need a wake up f*ck?” he whispers as his eyes drop to my lips.

“Sex maniac,” I mouth.

He winks mischievously as he bends and kisses my thigh through the sheet.

“How long are we staying here?” I ask.

“How long do you want to stay?”

“A bit longer.” I grab his hand. “I don’t want to go back just yet.”

“Of course, but I will have to work from here, though, and I do have to be back in two weeks for a meeting.”

“Ok.” I smile gratefully. “What time do your parents leave?”

“I think their flight leaves about seven tonight.”

I nod and I look out of the window towards the ocean in thought.

“We will have lunch with them today, if that’s ok? I may not see them for a while. They’ve both dropped everything for us for six weeks. My father needs to get back to work on Monday.”

My eyes meet his. “Are him and your mother working it out?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know, I haven’t asked. Their f*cked up relationship hasn’t been on the top of my agenda.”

“Hmm.” My mind ticks over at a million miles per minute.

“What’s happened with James Brennan?” I ask. “Did you ever have him charged?”

He shakes his head. “No, with all the shit that went down, in the grand scheme of things, he was forgotten.”

My eyes hold his. “Did he pay you back the money?”

He raises his eyebrows. “Funnily enough, Murph said it hit my account yesterday.”

I frown. What the hell is going on? Maybe she was just talking him into paying the money back?

“What’s going on with your father and him?”

Joshua gets off the bed and walks into the bathroom. “I don’t know and don’t care. Dad said he was taking care of it. God knows what that means?”

“Is James still married?” I call out.

“Fuck knows,” he calls back.

Hmm, why doesn’t he know anything? God, he’s annoying. I need to get some answers. I get out of bed, quickly dress and head outside while Joshua showers. Max is sitting out the front garden reading the paper and another guard is at the front, sitting by the main gates, reading a book. Max looks up, sees me and smiles broadly.

“Hello,” he says through a smile.

My heart melts a little. Oh, I do love Max. “Hi.” I smile in return. “You ok? I feel like we have hardly spoken since I got back.”

He nods. “Are you ok is the real question?”

“Yes, I’m good.”

His smile turns down sympathetically.

I hesitate before I ask. “Max, are Margaret and Robert staying in the same hotel room?”

He seems taken aback with my question and frowns. “I don’t believe so.”

Oh, right. I pause to think for a minute. “How long since they have slept in the same room?”

“I’m not sure, not since Joshua went to prison. I stayed at the house to watch over Bridget and your mother and they had separate rooms at that time.”