All Chapters of DOOM AT THEIR DOORS: TALES OF ILLICIT LONGINGS : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

I glided down the grand staircase looking like a walking, breathing killer dressed in custom couture, fully prepared to play my role as the dutiful, smiling, obedient Mrs. Adams for the flashing cameras of Paris.I stepped into the foyer, took a deep breath, and prepared to offer my most sickeningly sweet, supportive wife voice.Instead, my foot froze mid-step.There, standing right by the front door with his arm securely wrapped around a waist that wasn't mine, was Aaron. And hanging off his side, draped in a blindingly pink, skin-tight dress that looked like it had been violently ripped off a clearance-rack Barbie doll, was Emilian.She beamed up at him like she had just won a Nobel Prize in home-wrecking.I didn't blink. I didn't scream. I didn't even twitch. I simply adjusted the strap of my evening clutch, walked right past them without uttering a single syllable, and headed straight out the front doors toward the waiting luxury sedan.By the car, Reed stood holding the rear door

Nicholas looked so utterly, completely betrayed that it cut through me like a physical blade. I felt it deep down in my soul. I had done some questionable things in my life,like stealing a stadium lanyard and lying about my French vocabulary but I had never shattered an innocent person's heart like this before.I watched in agonizing guilt as the blue-eyed Frenchman backed away slowly in complete denial, shaking his head in total disbelief, his arms trembling at his sides."Nicholas, please... I can explain," I begged, taking a frantic step toward him, reaching out into the cold air between us. "I really, really can! It’s not what it looks like!""What is there to explain, Jessica?!" Nicholas choked out, his voice cracking with a raw, painful emotion that made my stomach drop into a bottomless pit. "You are married! You came to a local pizza café, you held my hand, you let me buy you Chianti, just to toy with my heart! I was a fool to let you! For the first time in my entire life, I

Aaron then proceeded to kiss me like the entire world was crammed inside my mouth and he was trying to aggressively swallow the zip code along with it.I had zero choices left. I had to return the kiss, parting my lips and playing along like an obedient, deeply infatuated bride for the flashing camera lenses surrounding us."Oh, look at them! They're like a modern-day royalty power couple!""I wish I was in her shoes! Having a billionaire husband who looks at you like you're his entire universe is so hard to come by!"Out of sheer, nuclear-grade spite, I muttered a loud, echoing "Amen," gritting my teeth so hard my jaw felt like it was cracking, silently praying they did have my kind of marital bondage because who in their right mind would wish for a legally sanctioned hostage situation disguised as a wedding ring?Suddenly, without warning, Aaron hooked his hands under my thighs and lifted me right up into the air, letting my legs dangle gracefully by his sides.I let out a sharp gas

I woke up the next morning with my heart already doing parkour against my ribs. The phone sat on the nightstand like a loaded gun. I refused to touch it. Not yet. Not until I’d at least brushed the taste of last night’s regret out of my mouth.I marched straight into the bathroom, turned the shower to scalding, and scrubbed myself like I was trying to erase the memory of sending that text. When I stepped out, towel wrapped tight, I was halfway into a soft blue dress when Martina’s head popped through the door without a single knock.I jumped so hard the towel nearly abandoned me.“Martina! Sweet mother of every saint who ever lived, do you want me to swing this electronic hand fan at your head until it needs a software update? Ring the damn door next time or I swear on Aaron’s black Amex I will turn you into a human wind chime!”Martina’s eyes went wide. “Sorry, ma’am, sorry! Mr. Adams said you should come down for breakfast immediately.”“Tell Mr. Adams he can wait five minutes or ea

"I never used you," I continued softly, stroking his cheek with my thumb. "I have wanted you since the exact second you saved me from Chantal at the pizza café. I lied about being single because the moment I set eyes on those blue eyes of yours, I honestly didn't want to be married anymore! You are what I call the ultimate upgrade. And even when I go back to California... I am going to be thinking about you every single day, and I promise you I will find a way to sneak back into Paris."The heartbreak in Nicholas's eyes slowly melted away, replaced by a radiant, dazzling warmth that made my chest swell.He leaned down, pressing a soft, reverent kiss against my forehead. "You promise?""I swear on my vintage silk wardrobe," I smiled.He climbed into the tub beside me, and for the next thirty minutes, he bathed me as gently as if I were made of fragile glass, washing my hair, massaging my sore shoulders, and making me laugh until my stomach ached.When it was finally time to say goodbye