(Imagine if you will in a parallel storiverse...)
The scenic view of the green rolling hills beneath a blue sky with marshmallow clouds usually calmed Sasha. But it had been two weeks since the incident and she still couldn't figure out what was up and what was down.
The morning sun bathed her legs with soft golden rays when she reached for her kindle. Aleks had taken her phone and iPad claiming that he was buying her upgrades.
Speaking of her husband, he sat down with huff in the chair across from her. "Here are meds," he said after he placed three pills on the empty saucer next to her water.
Swallowing her anxiety, Sasha side eyed the pills. "I feel fine," she insisted.
"Because you are takeeng meds," Aleks countered.
They had this argument three times a day. But after he had physically held her and forced them down last week, she decided to try a different tactic. "They make me fuzzy. I feel like a vegetable and I can't remember things," she whispered.
Clearing his throat, Aleks unlocked his phone and thumbed in a text. "What theengs?" he asked with a bite to his voice.
Sasha knew to be careful here. If she mentioned Ricky, he'd blow up and insist the man doesn't exist. "Like this book I'm reading," she lied. "I feel like I can't remember it and keep rereading the same chapters. I don't recognize the chef—"
"I hired new chef," Aleks explained before he released an exasperated sigh.
She knew that. He had replaced the entire staff. There was a new chef, a new maid, new bodyguards, new gardener... Basically anyone who would have known about Ricky was gone and she was confined to the house. In fact, Aleks hadn't left her alone. She couldn't even spend time alone in the bathroom before he was knocking on the door and asking her what was taking so long.
She licked her dry lips, feeling like her world was turned upside down and firmly out of her control. "I don't feel normal, Aleks," she stressed.
"Eet takes a while to get used to new dosage," he shrugged.
Noise from behind her caused Sasha to glance over her shoulder. The new chef was bringing them breakfast. He was a French man and Sasha couldn't remember his name because of the meds. "Bonjour," he greeted them but kept his eyes lowered to the ground. He never made eye contact with Sasha and it made her feel paranoid. None of the new staff interacted with her outside of nods and a few choice words.
He placed a plate with an omelet, sausage and toast in front of her before he bowed and retreated.
"That looks deleecious," Aleks noted. His plate had mixed fruit and cottage cheese.
"Did you want a bite?" she offered.
His obsidian eyes met hers and he smiled. "Yes. You want pineapple?"
Food was a safe subject. She set her kindle on the table and tried to relax as they fed each other nibbles of their breakfast.
"Are you going in to work today?" she asked. Sasha hoped her voice was steady and curious. As much as she loved her husband, she needed a break from him. Spending two weeks under his watchful eye with him controlling all of her interactions was suffocating her.
Aleks stared at her over his cup of coffee. His eyes narrowed when he saw her untouched meds in the saucer. "No. Take your meds," he ordered.
"I don't—"
The ripple of anger across his face silenced her. He leaned across the table and refilled her water glass from the jug.
With her heart pounding, Sasha choked down her meds.
***
Maybe Ricky didn't exist. Aleks had told her several times that he wasn't real. Why would he lie to her? Aleksander Tchiviosky loved her. He may be a dangerous man, but he had proven himself to be a devoted husband. She was the one who had cheated.
Groaning, Sasha rolled over onto her side. The bedroom was spinning and twirling in and out of focus.
Aleks' distorted face came into view seconds before he pressed his lips to her forehead. "What's wrong?"
"Baby, these meds make me feel so sick," she complained.
Sighing, Aleks ran a squiggly hand through his crazy hair. He looked like he was standing in front of a funhouse mirror at a fair. When he turned toward her, his nose grew to the size of an orange and a snake tattoo crawled up his neck. "Okay," Aleks said. "I'll call doctor and ask heem to adjust meds."
The doctor she didn't know. "Thank you," she murmured. Sasha closed her eyes to keep from throwing up. Even the darkness behind her lids made her body feel like it was tumbling through an abyss.
She heard Aleks talking to someone, his voice sounding robotic. Then she felt his warm arms around her and the world stopped spinning. "I promeese we'll feegure thees out," he whispered against her temple. "I love you, Sasha."
Of course he did.
***
They were on the patio again. After a day of being drugged, Sasha was finally able to hold her head up. She stared at the sunset unable to appreciate the beautiful colors. Instead her eyes were trained on her husband who was swimming in the pool.
He was gorgeous. His entire body was a work of art. Deadly art. "Sasha," he called to her. "Come swim," he ordered.
She started to get up before she realized she didn't swim well. "You know I can't swim," she called back with a frown.
"I'll protect you," he insisted. "Come. Eet's good exercise."
"But I can't—"
"Now."
Her heart was pounding in her throat when she pushed out of the chair. A part of her was screaming that she didn't know how to swim. But he was her devoted husband and he wouldn't hurt her. "I'll just put my feet in," she announced when she sat down on the edge of the pool. The water felt good on her legs.
Aleks frowned and swam toward her with powerful strokes. He treaded water next to her and ran his large hands up her calves. "Eet's been a while since you've come eento pool," he said when he looked up at her.
"It has," she shrugged. "I don't even have on a swimsuit."
"That deedn't stop you before. What's wrong? You don't trust me?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
Sasha rolled her eyes. "Of course I do. I still feel off from the meds," she explained. "I feel sluggish. And my weave is—Aargh!"
He had pulled her into the pool and she screamed seconds before she gurgled chlorine flavored water. "See," Aleks said seconds before he lifted her up. "I've got you."
Sasha coughed and tried not to choke. She swiped hair and water out of her face while trying to cling to Aleks at the same time. "That was shitty, Aleks," she said between gasps.
"Relax," he encouraged. Despite the cool water his body felt hot when he pulled her against him. "I've got you."
"You better," Sasha smacked his hard chest. "That fucking scared me!"
Aleks hummed. "Come on, keeck your feet."
After kicking around the pool a couple of times, Aleks helped her get out. The sun had set and she was starving for dinner so she went upstairs to shower and change into dry clothes.
Aleks joined her in the shower. It wasn't even a sexy shower, he was just there, rinsing the chlorine off while he kept an eye on her.
It was at this point that Sasha realized her hadn't even tried to make love with her since the incident. Besides a kiss on her forehead and holding her during her drugged episodes, he hadn't attempted anything.
Dinner was in the lounge. She stared at her kindle and he stared at his phone, the untouched meds creating tension between them. She hated to admit it, but the swim was a nice change.
"Thanks for the swim," she said after swallowing a savory bite of chicken and pasta.
Aleks lifted an eyebrow before his screen went dark. "You liked?" he asked when he leaned an elbow on the table.
"It was nice to do something different. I've been feeling so blah," she shrugged before sipping water.
"I know. I'm sorry," Aleks said and his gaze turned to his plate.
"Maybe tomorrow we could go for a walk?"
"Only on property," he insisted.
"Oh." Wanting to argue, but not wanting to upset him, Sasha dropped it. She filled her mouth with more pasta and tried to focus on the positives.
"Let's try no meds tonight," Aleks said finally.
Stopping herself from expressing too much happiness about it, Sasha nodded. "That would be nice. My head needs a break."
Later that night, Sasha stared at the dark ceiling with the glowing light while Aleks was on his phone.
"Are you still attracted to me?" she heard herself say.
The room went dark. "What?"
"We haven't made love in weeks."
There was a moment's silence before he answered. "You aren't well."
"So you hate me?" Sasha sniffed. Maybe he didn't love her anymore.
"What?" Aleks' voice reached an octave of incredulity. "Of course I love you, Sasha. I tell you everyday."
This was true.
Gulping her hesitation, Sasha pushed forward. "But you haven't kissed me on the lips. We haven't been intimate. It's like you don't want me."
She could hear his eye roll.
There was the soft clunk of his phone dropping to the nightstand before the rustle of covers as Aleks readjusted in bed. "I want you, Sasha. You're my wife," he insisted. "But I don't want to confuse or push you. I can wait."
"What if I need more?" she asked.
"Baby, what do you need?"
She needed comfort. To get back to where she was before the affair with the man who didn't exist. She scooted closer to his blazing heat and he opened his arms so she could cuddle. He felt so fucking amazing.
It may be dark, but she had memorized every dip and plane of this man. She knew that with a nudge of her forehead against his chin he would tilt to meet her. Sure enough his lips found hers. It was like she had been welcomed home after being lost.
The warm, gentle kiss wasn't hungry or needy. He was being careful and giving her just enough to remember that he was hers.
His warm hand pulled her closer and she could feel him poking her stomach. Then the kiss deepened with an urgency that mirrored her own, causing her to groan.
Aleks pulled away from the kiss and rolled onto his back with a sigh. He squeezed Sasha against his side. "You need rest," his voice cracked, which confused her. "Yes, Sasha. I want you. I'll never stop wanteeng you."
Closing her eyes, Sasha tried to hug him. She couldn't understand why he sounded so sad.
Even after Aleks had fallen asleep, Sasha stared at the ceiling. The only good thing about the meds he forced her to take was that she slept. But after hearing the heartbreaking sadness in his voice, she couldn't stop contemplating why he was so upset.
Was it because he knew about the affair? Was he planning on divorcing her?
The affair had been an awful mistake. She had tried to end it but Ricky had caught some feelings. Maybe Aleks was upset he had to kill Ricky. But Aleks had people killed all the time so that didn't make sense.
Frustrated with her thoughts going in circles Sasha finally decided to wake Aleks up. It wasn't like he was going in to work anyway.
She kissed his scruff jaw and he sighed in response. "I love you, Aleks," she whispered into his ear.
"Mmm," he hummed in his sleep.
Rubbing her fingers firmly up his abs to his pierced nipple, Sasha squeezed the sensitive flesh.
Aleks hummed again before inhaling a deep breath. "Sasha?" he asked before he lifted his head to look at her.
"I can't sleep," she explained.
His head flopped back down to his soft pillow. "Okay?"
"Okay? So help me go to sleep. Make me come."
Aleks rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "Fuck. Am I dreameeng?"
Needing to send a clear message, Sasha rubbed her hand firmly over his abs and didn't stop until she was able to fill her hand with soft and semi hard flesh. "I want my husband," she whispered when she rubbed him.
His groan was so deep it vibrated through to her bone marrow causing her to sigh. He was on his side moments later and she grabbed his hip and swung a leg over his thigh.
After nudging her chin up and capturing her mouth, he made promises with the gentle thrust of his hips. "Baby, are you sure?" he asked.
"Do you want me to beg?"
He rolled them so she was on her back. Aleks wasn't one to waste time. Within seconds her undies were off and his tongue was undulating against her silk folds just the way she liked it.
Despite his rough exterior and selfish tendencies, Aleks was a pleaser between the sheets. He would make sure she was on the brink of passing out before he got his.
His tongue swirled around her sensitive button and she arched into him. What the hell had she been thinking? No one could please her like this man. He flicked and teased, increasing the speed and adding gentle sucks that pushed her over the edge.
"Aleksander!" she howled with her fingers tugging on his black hair.
"Ugh, Sasha," he groaned. "Again, baby," he demanded before he nipped at her quivering thighs.
Was death by orgasm a thing? Because he was bringing her closer to the end with each climax.
After she begged him to stop, he covered her body with his. His tongue was soft and searching with savory and sweet undertones when he claimed her with a slow gentle thrust.
"Fuuuuck, Sasha. You're so tight," he moaned. Dark eyes searched hers. "I've meesed you," he whispered. His lips were gentle against hers again.
Moving with him, she enjoyed the delicious friction of his invasion. She reveled in how sweet his guttural moans sounded. She needed this. She needed him.
"Mmmm, fuuuuuck," his eyes rolled. "Turn around," he urged.
He had already adjusted them before she realized what was happening. He lifted her ass slightly into the air before he plunged into her tight essence again.
Being flat on her stomach and the slight angle of her hips allowed him to slam into her G-spot.
He adjusted again once he was buried completely inside of her. With her legs together and his positioned outside of hers, the next pump of his hips made them both shout something indiscernible.
What started out as a sweet session of love was ending with a violent slaughter to quench a carnal need.
Their voices chorused together when they reached the pinnacle of ecstasy.
Aleks collapsed on top of her, his slick chest felt wet and cool against her back.
They didn't move. Sasha physically couldn't. After a long moment where she almost fell asleep, Aleks kissed her shoulder and then her neck. "You belong to me, Sasha," he sighed. He sounded exhausted. "Never forget that."
As if he would let her forget.
(So... what do you think is going on with this mess?)