Deceitful Vows by Brook Wilder
Chapter 1
Paige
Oh damn, that hurts.
Another cramp jabs deep into my gut as I push open the apartment door. I grip the doorframe so hard that I imagine the wood splintering under my bare hands. My fucking period is a day early, and it is coming with a vengeance. I forgot my makeup bag—the one filled with tampons and Advil—when I left this morning for my first gig. And I’m having serious regrets.
I push the front door shut. Another cramp slams through me like liquid lightning. The first day is always the worst, but I can’t afford to miss the gig tonight—a wedding at the posh Twin Rivers Country Club.
I hate shooting weddings, but this one is willing to shell out more zeros than I’ve ever seen. I should’ve charged more.
A moan of pain slips out through my gritted teeth as I hobble into the kitchen for water. The Advil is in the bedroom. If I could stay home, I’d climb into bed with a heating pad. Another moan slips out, but this time, it continues even when I shut my mouth.
My cramps double me over as I detour through the kitchen and into the hallway toward the master bedroom. I hear another moan and wonder why Tim is home in the middle of the day. He didn’t look sick when we left the apartment together this morning.
Concern hurries my erratic steps. Tim moans again.
That’s not a sick moan … I realize. That’s a sex moan.
Oh my God. Is he in there masturbating? Ever since he proposed last year, our sex life has fallen off a cliff. I get myself off too. No shame in it. But he came home just to jerk off?
I pause at the door, unsure if I want to see this. But I need my fucking Advil. If it’s weird, I’ll shut the door again, knock, and pretend that I saw nothing.
Without hesitation, I push the door open and the most unimaginable sight greets me.
Tim is lying on our bed with his feet dangling off the edge and his jeans around his ankles. His hands are raised in surrender toward the ceiling as his eyes are squeezed shut, moaning with pleasure as our mutual friend Carole sucks on his dick.
“Oh fuck, yeah. I’m going to eat you so hard,” he moans, holding the back of her head with one hand.
My cramps have completely vanished. Transfixed, I watch Carole swallow Tim down to the base. Her eyes water and leave a trail of mascara on each cheek. I should be saying something. I should yell at them. But instead, I stand there in total shock as I watch helplessly. Her? He’s cheating on me with her? In my apartment? On my bedsheets?
“Yeah, that’s it.” Tim goads her on, banging one fist on the mattress as another moan punches past his lips. “Oh, that’s the best blowjob I ever had!” Tim grabs her head tighter, holding it in place as he stiffens on our bed.
I gasp, and Carole’s gaze latches onto mine. It remains there until she finally pulls her mouth off him with a loud smack that echoes in the humid room as Tim catches his breath.
The bitch has the audacity to sit up and smirk at me!
I ignore her and fling the door wide open with a bang. “The best you ever had, Tim?” You piece of shit!
His body freezes, resembling roadkill with his elbows bent and his hands up in the air. Slowly, he opens his eyes and lifts his head. I should’ve taken a picture of the weaselly expression stuck on his lame face.
“Babe, I thought you had a gig?” he squeaks.
“I forgot my period bag.” I rush into the room. “When were you going to tell me, you piece of shit? After our wedding? Our honeymoon? I thought you didn’t even like her!”
“Watch your mouth.” Carole gets off the bed.
“I’m not talking to you,” I snap at her before I turn back to Tim. “How long?”
“It’s been going on for a while,” Carole ignores me as she purrs, pushing her chest out. “I was going to make him tell you.”
I suck my teeth. “As if you were doing me a favor?”
“I wanted you to know.” Bitch knew what she was doing. She wanted to get caught. She probably insisted they do it in my bed.
“Get out.” I shake my head angrily. “And take him with you when you go.”
Finally, Tim lurches off the bed, covering his groin with a pillow. “Paige, can we talk?”
“Fuck, no.” I dart into the small bathroom off the bedroom and snatch my bag from where I left it. “You better not be here when I get back.”
He steps into the bathroom, crowding me, but I refuse to go anywhere near his naked body. “Paige, babe, please!”
“No, fuck you, Tim!” I yank the engagement finger off my finger as if it’s burning my skin. I aim it at his forehead and hit my target perfectly. “Don’t ‘babe, please’ me! You want her? Then go with her. She can help you pack.”
He has the nerve to chuckle, but his eyes are wide with disbelief. “You don’t mean that. You need me, Paige. Who else is going to help you with your father? Admit it, that’s why you stuck with me.”
“Wow, fuck you, Tim. I’m not with you to use you. I was with you because …” I stop, realizing that I don’t love him. I can’t even say the word right now. I jab my finger toward his pathetic face. “Don’t be here when I get back. Or your shit is going out the window.”
