Broken Vows (Domestic Discipline Romance) (9 page)

"We can get back into skiing, too. The Durango Ski Resort is only thirty miles away and the boss is an investor, so we get free lift passes. Some of the best slopes in the world are out there, and we have free accommodations at Vail, too. He has investment property there, as well, but I don't have all the details, yet.

"All we have to do is put our things in storage, get on a plane, and start a new life. Renovating the property will keep us together until the job with Peak Designs becomes full-time. It's a win-win situation all the way around."

"Durango, Colorado," Jenny said taking a deep breath. She could hear the excitement in Josh's voice. He had not sounded this excited about anything in a long time. "Is it as western as it sounds?"

"It has all the amenities, but yes, it is very western," Josh admitted. "A big chunk of the town's income comes from the tourist trade in the summer and the skiers in the winter. I asked you to trust me, Jen. We would have some adjustments to make, neither of us has ever lived in the country before, but I think we can make it work. After what happened today, two-thousand miles between me and your mother sounds about right."

"I agree," Jenny said as she climbed into his lap and straddled him. "I do trust you, Josh. Everyone says marriage is a 50/50 proposition, but it's not. It is 100/100. I am giving you 100-percent plus. We have to give our marriage everything, and then give it more. It's simple, wherever you go, I go. I look forward to our new start."

Josh tightened his hold on her. "Thank you."

"You are welcome. Now, show me how much you missed me," Jenny teased.

Josh gave a tug to her towel and tossed it away. His eyes darkened with instant desire, and his penis bolted into alertness.

"Has it only been five days?" he said, lying back on the bed and kicking off his sweat bottoms while still holding her against him on top. "How do you want it?"

"Like at Mrs. Perrywinkles," Jenny said, leaning over nipping at his lips to remind him of their one memorable night at the bed and breakfast in Maine. The name of the establishment was their code for certain erotic activities.

Josh rolled her over so he was on top. He devoured her mouth, her throat, trailing kisses down the path between the swells of her breasts. He took one nipple into his mouth sucking and savoring it, then treating the second nipple with the same devotion and skill. His hands trailed down even further and his thumb pads stroked her clitoris making her writhe with need.

He did not have to ask what she wanted. He knew her body as well as his own. He scooted down lower, lifted her legs over his shoulders, and buried himself in her. He flicked his tongue expertly over the lips of her sex, and then over her most delicate parts. She rocked and thrashed, as suddenly an orgasm was there. Her belly tightened, her thighs went rock hard with tension. He never stopped his delicious torture until she was spent and shaking, but it was far from over.

His Jenny had a touch of kink in her. Josh used spanking as a disciplinary tool. Jenny liked a little spanking to inflame her sexual drive. He rolled her over on her stomach, pulled her onto her knees, spread her legs, and positioned her hands on a headboard slat.

"Hold on," he whispered. The first crack of his hand across her buttocks was not hard, but she sucked in her breath in anticipation of what would follow. The second and third spanks were harder. He added a few playful swats before his hand went around, found her center, entered her, and stroked her. He could feel her tensing. With one hand, he continued teasing her. With the other hand, he smacked her bottom again, and again.

He finally backed off to position himself at her inviting entrance. He was swollen and in desperate need of attention. Entering her in one long stroke, he plowed into her, harder and harder, as she moaned each time he filled her. Her desire only increased his need to be inside her, feeling her tighten around him. In… out… in… out, he delivered every thrust clear to his balls.

She went over the edge into another orgasm, torturing him with her convulsive contractions around him. He went rigid driving into her deeper, over and over until he exploded, once, twice, yet still restraining himself from fully letting go. They clung to each other, breathing hard, soaked with sweat. Jenny rolled over on her back and he plunged into her again as her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. Now, he pounded into her as she surged upward to meet his every stroke until she sucked the very last blast of his seed into her core. They lay together, not wanting to separate, wanting to enjoy the aftershocks of the gift they had given each other. They drifted into sleep, damp, and smelling of sweat and sex.

A loud wail jolted them out of their stupor. They could hear Adam's cries loud and clear through the baby monitor. Jenny rolled out of bed and grabbed a robe. Josh rolled over, but she pinched him on the butt.

"Hey, what?"

"You can remake the bed and shower while I take care of the baby," Jenny said with a smile.

"Huh," Josh groaned. He rolled over to see the twisted, tangled sheets and blankets. He smiled at the memory of their lovemaking, and he smiled for the
now
of them. In the early years of their marriage, it was not uncommon for them to remake a bed to actually sleep. Sometimes, more than once a night.

Jenny held onto Emmie's hand while balancing Adam in his car seat. A large diaper bag hung from one of her shoulders, a tote bag over the other, as they deplaned at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Emmie pulled a little pink carry-on suitcase behind her. Josh pulled off their checked baggage from the luggage carousel, but still waited for the stroller. Jenny dragged her bags and children over to the nearest chair where she dropped into the seat. With two small children, she sometimes felt like a pack mule.

Josh had made all the plans for the trip to Durango and this was only the first leg of their journey. They would spend the night in Chicago. In the morning, they would fly into Denver, and then take a short flight to Durango.

The last several weeks had been beyond hectic. Once they made the decision to move, Jenny and Josh were fully committed to the plan. Most of what they kept for future use was now in storage. Josh had hired a moving company and a van had left a week earlier with everything they considered necessary for day-to-day living. Jenny had thought downsizing for a move to a smaller, unfurnished house was hard. Weeding down to the bare necessities was almost impossible. However, they had to do it since their temporary home was fully furnished.

They agreed it would be best if Denise did not elitist friends who would smooth her indignation and offer condolences for her loss of her beloved daughter. Denise would never let her country club set know of the break between herself and her daughter. They would never know Denise considered Jenny ungrateful and crassly insensitive. Still, Jenny's last weeks in Waterbury were emotional and unnerving.

Three days after the bowl-smashing incident, her mother launched a campaign to get back into Jenny's good graces. It appeared Denise had finally realized she might have gone too far. Jenny met her mother's first phone call, a weak attempt at an apology, with contempt. Denise declared she had been distraught and had not really meant any harm. Jenny listened for a moment before hanging up on her mother. Each successive apology seemed sincerer than the last, but Jenny was not buying it. Eventually, Denise was practically groveling if groveling included an attitude where she was misunderstood and Jenny was brainwashed.

Jenny blocked both her mother's phone numbers on her cellphone to stop receiving incoming calls from Denise. She purchased a cheap prepaid phone and set its ID to 'unknown caller' so whenever she called her mother, Denise could not identify or track the number. This allowed Jenny to keep in touch with Denise without her mother being able to return her calls. Luckily, Denise did not own a computer and was not cellphone savvy. She used her phone to make and receive calls, that was the extent of her use and understanding of the device.

"I made it," Josh exclaimed, dragging their luggage and paraphernalia over to Jenny, and then heading for the nearest luggage-cart kiosk. When everything was on the cart and Adam in his stroller, suddenly life was easier again.

"We have to go through this all over again tomorrow," Jenny said, taking a deep breath.

"True, but we will be rested and hopefully in our new place by midafternoon." He bent down and spoke into her ear. "Also, your mother will have no clue where we are heading once we are past Chicago."

"Excellent point," Jenny agreed. "You do realize she will find us, eventually."

"We will worry about it when it happens," Josh said, wrestling something out of his coat pocket and squatting down to his daughter.

"Emmie, you left this behind on the plane," Josh said sternly, showing her Fuzzy. When Emmie made a grab for Fuzzy, Josh turned her around and jammed the little stuffed dog into her backpack. He turned his daughter back to face him saying sternly, "If the flight attendant had not noticed you carrying Fuzzy earlier, you would have lost him. Tomorrow, he travels in the suitcase. There will be no arguments and no screaming because we do not want to lose Fuzzy, do we?"

"I wish she would," Jenny said softly when he rose and took her arm.

Josh met her eyes. "She will. This is a new start for all of us."

* * *

"Mr. Mitchim." Josh shook hands with his attorney, who met them at the airport in one of the Land Rovers from the property. "This is my wife, Jennifer Grayson, and my daughter, Emmie, and son, Adam."

"Very pleased to meet you," Mr. Mitchim said, smiling at his clients. "Let's get you loaded, you can drop me off at my office on your way through town. I heard this is your first trip west, Mrs. Grayson."

"Jenny, please," she said, shaking the hand of the attorney whom Josh had said represented their new employer and would act as his go between. "It is my first trip west, and I am looking forward to it. Have our things arrived?"

"Yes, ma'am, the freight was delivered to the house the day before yesterday," Mr. Mitchim nodded. "Your surprise has arrived too, Mr. Grayson."

"Good," Josh said, grinning.

"Surprise?" Jenny questioned.

"A surprise is a surprise. I am not giving any hints," Josh said firmly as he carried suitcases out to the vehicle in the parking lot. They dropped Mr. Mitchim at his office downtown and then stopped at a convenience store for fresh milk, bread, and a few other items. It was enough to stave off starvation if they found the cupboards bare, although Mr. Mitchim had assured them the guest quarters were cleaned, stocked and prepared for occupancy.

"Worried?" Josh asked as he turned off the main road.

"I can't help it," Jenny admitted, looking anxious. "We have never lived out in the country. It is beautiful though."

Josh drove onto a long gravel lane, which twisted and turned as they climbed, and suddenly they were in a clearing.

Jenny's mouth nearly dropped open as she got out of the Land Rover. They were in front of a mansion. It actually appeared to be a series of three connected houses. There was a massive lodge-like structure in the middle with two smaller houses on either side. A massive deck ran along the entire front of all three houses.

"We're living there in the guest house," Josh pointed to the two-storied house on the right of the main house. "Turn around, Jen."

Jenny turned around. This time, her mouth did drop open. She was looking at a picture-perfect magazine cover… a magnificent expanse of mountain meadows, impossibly tall trees, and a large lake, surrounded by the San Juan Mountains.

"It is something, isn't it?" Josh asked.

"It is incredible," Jenny exclaimed.

"Okay, on to the next reveal," Josh said, opening the back doors of the vehicle to unload his children.

* * *

Jenny was in shock as she stood in the living room space of the guesthouse surrounded by boxes. The 'small' guest quarters were twice the size of any apartment she and Josh had ever occupied in New York during the early years of their marriage. The living room had a cathedral ceiling, and a stairway led up to two loft bedrooms with a shared bath. The kitchen was small, but filled with modern stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops. A little breakfast nook was off to one side. There was a half bath on the first floor, along with a closet containing a washer and dryer.

"Is it too small?" Josh asked in concern.

She shook her head and laughed. "We will get along great here. If the guest house looks this good, what does the main house look like?"

"We got the best of the three," Josh admitted, secretly thinking of the exorbitant cost to get the guesthouse livable in his short timeframe. "We'll check out the main house later. The place on the other end was the housekeeper's, it looks as if it were decorated in early 'garage sale.' I can't even describe the main house. Will there be enough room for Emmie and Adam to share the small bedroom?"

"Josh, everything is wonderful," Jenny exclaimed, moving deeper into the kitchen. "Oh, my God, come here and look! Look at the view from the kitchen window!"

Josh stepped behind her. "We have the same one from our bedroom."

"Which has floor-to-ceiling windows
and
a balcony!" Jenny turned away from the view and threw herself into his arms. "How long can we stay?"

"Until the job is finished. The owner isn't in any hurry, so it could be a while. It might not be so idyllic after the snows start."

"I think I can cope," Jenny laughed. "We have an extra bonus, too!"

"What's that?"

"It will be like a second honeymoon," Jenny exclaimed. "This reminds me of where we stayed in Vermont."

Josh looked around in disbelief. "We stayed at the Travel Lodge Motel Cabins. It was so small, when we opened the bathroom door, the door hit the bed. The heater didn't work, either."

"I know," Jenny said smiling. "It made for great snuggling."

"Definitely a bonus," Josh agreed, laughing. "Do you want your next surprise, now."

"There is more? Are we going to the main house? Is it awful?"

"Not yet, and yes, parts of it are horrible," Josh said, pulling out his cell phone. Whoever he called, he only uttered one word, "Now."

Jenny looked around puzzled. "What?

Josh grinned. "Good things happen when good girls are patient." He rolled his eyes upward, hummed a bit, pursed his lips as if he were whistling, and rocked back on his heels. At a knock on the door, he winked. "That's for you, I hope you like it."

Jenny opened the door and almost fainted. "Mila!" she screamed as she grabbed her younger sister and hugged her tightly.

* * *

Josh found a small toolbox and took it took it to the kids' room. He had unpacked the box with the disassembled crib and carried the pieces upstairs. Jen and her younger sister, a runaway at seventeen, were still talking a mile a minute. He expected the gabfest to last a while. He had already taken apart the second twin bed in the kid's room and carried it out to a shed.

"Do you need help?" Mila Grant stood in the doorway with Jen standing beside her. She didn't look anything like Jenny, she was taller and blonde. Now, she wore overalls with a bulge in the middle indicating she was pregnant enough to be showing.

"Are you any better than your sister at putting things together?" Josh asked.

"Jen and I aren't anything alike. She likes the indoor, fussy, girly things. I can handle a screwdriver," Mila said. Josh didn't doubt it for a second. Until recently, she had been a Sergeant in the Army. She also had a degree in mechanical engineering. "We thought we better stop talking and start organizing, or Adam would be sleeping with you guys tonight."

Josh got to his feet and handed her the screwdriver. "Since he is still in diapers, I would prefer we get his crib together. If you will do this, I will carry the essential boxes to where they go for unpacking."

Jenny followed him downstairs stopping two steps above him to lean down and kiss him. "Thank you, so much. How did you find her?"

"Apparently private investigators typically start their searches in two places, the internet, and the military services. The one I hired found her on the second day of his search. She has been in the Army since she was eighteen. It was a simple matter of getting her last known address and making a phone call. She is here on probation, which she knows. If you don't want her here, she goes."

"Of course, I want her here," Jenny exclaimed. "I have been worried about her for years."

"She is your sister, Jen, but it doesn't mean you have to like her. She is probably an entirely different person now at twenty-five than when you knew her last as a kid of seventeen," Josh warned. "I haven't had a lot of time to talk with her and we were limited to phone calls, but frankly, I am impressed. She put herself through college while serving in the Army. I don't know too many details beyond that."

"We are still working on those details," Jenny said. "She's my sister and I love her. Mila said she immediately threw her stuff in her car and started driving after your call."

"She did tell me she is between jobs," he warned. "She only recently left the service but hasn't found a job yet, and she is pregnant. I liked Mila, what little we saw of her before she ran away. She has grown up since then though. You have to decide if you like the
new
Mila."

"She didn't leave because of me, Josh. She left because of differences with our parents."

"Why does that have a familiar ring?" he asked. "By the way, she is under direct orders from me to not contact your mother, or give out our location or phone numbers. She said she has had no contact with Denise for almost eight years, and she wants nothing to do with her. I heard a lot of bitterness in that statement. Right now, she is living in the housekeeper's quarters. It's the smallest space, but there is only one of her. It's in pretty bad shape, though. She said it was better than living in a tent."

"Whatever your reasons, thank you," Jenny said kissing him again. "Why now?"

"I saw the sadness on your face while you were packing her pictures. I don't like seeing you in any kind of pain, Jen. I know we tried before and found nothing, but I thought it was worth another shot. This time, it turned out to be remarkably easy."

"Which makes me ashamed I didn't try harder before," Jenny whispered.

"Don't. You weren't hiding, Jen. She could have contacted you at any time. Give it a while to discover what kind of a person she has become. At least you have a chance to be sisters, again." Josh did not tell Jenny his detective had compiled a complete dossier on Mila Grant and her life for the past seven years. There were no red flags, no arrest records, only numerous personal recommendations. He had thought it safe to invite her back into Jenny's life, and consequently his and their kids.