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Splitting Karma
Synopsis:
Taylor
Williams didn't grow up with the loving parents, white picket fence, and a dog.
She’s struggled to get where she is and knows that with all she's endured, life
can only get better. At 28 years old, she hails as one of the country's top
divorce lawyers and is ready to slow down and start a family with her husband.
The only problem is he shuts her out and has treated her like everything but a
wife since the night he came across her and his boss in a compromising
situation. In spite of her innocence, she's determined to make it up to him.
Isaac
Warren is bad business; the kind of bad business that requires focus and determination
in order to stay alive. It’s also the kind that caused him to shut himself off
from serious relationships after the brutal murder of his fiancé three years
ago. Now his cold exterior keeps him at bay from everyone except those he
considers family and right now that list doesn't have room for anything more
than the occasional tryst and nothing more, especially not with the highly
acclaimed lawyer he's accidentally stumbled upon.
*This novel is only recommended for
readers 17 and older*
Excerpt:
My eyes flew open as I quickly
sat up in the bed. What was that noise, a door slamming? I scanned the dark
bedroom and waited for another sound. The voice I heard shouldn’t have
surprised me, but it did.
“Where
the hell is my dinner?” Aaron’s voice boomed through the house.
I
scrambled from the bed, falling to the floor, my feet tangled in a mess of
sheets and blankets. Ignoring the pain in my wrist and hip from my ungraceful
fall, I slipped my robe on and practically ran down the flight of stairs.
“Taylor,
get your ass down here! A good wife wouldn’t let her husband go hungry!”
I
spotted him standing in front of the open refrigerator, his back to me. Without
a word I made my way to the oven where his food was already fixed and waiting.
I could feel his eyes on me, tracking my every movement as I slipped in front
of him and grabbed a beer from the fridge. I refused to meet his eyes. Instead
I stole a glance at the time on the microwave. It was a quarter past three. Working late again, huh? “I made you
shrimp carbonara. I hope you like it,” I said as I placed the beer and food on
the island in the center of the kitchen. Finally meeting his eyes, I pulled the
stool out for him. He said nothing, simply stared at me. My heart pounded in my
chest. Why wasn’t he responding? “I
kept it warm for you,” I said as I closed the refrigerator and took his hand.
Without protest, he let me guide him to his seat. I tried to give him a quick
peck on his lips, but he turned his head away. A smirk played at the corner of
his lip. My lips settled for his cheek and I stepped back. “How was your day?”
I asked.
“I
want to take a shower when I’m done eating,” he replied.
And
just like that, I was dismissed. I took my time going upstairs, hoping he’d
call me back. I could at least get a hug, right? I knew that would never
happen, but that didn’t stop me from lingering on the stairs. The only sound
that came from his direction was the fork as it scraped the plate and the
occasional soft thud from him placing his beer bottle on the counter after he
sipped. By the time he made it to our bedroom I had a fresh pair of boxers and
pajama bottoms laid out for him and the shower was the perfect temperature. He
undressed as he made his way past me in silence. I quickly scooped up the trail
of clothes he left in his wake. While he showered I tossed his towel into the
dryer, so that it’d be warm for him when he used it.
“Dinner
was actually very good. I’m impressed,” he said when he finally emerged from
the bathroom.
“Thank
you. I’m glad you liked it.” I tried not to be, but I was mesmerized by his
body. At 32 years old, he looked just as good as he did when we first met and he
was only 25. His smooth, brown skin pulled tight against muscles that teased me
with their presence. Not big and bulky, but just right for his 6’ 4” frame. His
wavy hair was always kept cut low, cropped close to his head. Beautiful brown
eyes stared back at me from behind dark lashes. If he’d smile - which I knew he
wouldn’t - I’d see perfect teeth lined up behind those thick lips. He glanced
at the boxers on the bed then smiled smugly as I gave them to him. I snapped my
mouth shut, realizing he knew I was admiring him.
“Take
that off,” he commanded.
I
glanced down at the nightie I wore under my robe then back at him. My confusion
allowed him a moment of amusement. With that same smug smile locked in place,
he removed the towel that hung loosely from his waist.
“Your
turn,” he challenged.
My
heartbeat picked up its pace again as I hesitantly removed my clothes. He
closed the gap between us and let his fingertips skim across my chest. I fought
the urge to touch him, while silently begging him to touch me more. I hoped
against all odds that this wasn’t as far as he would go. He hadn’t made love to
me in months. He still blamed me for his embarrassment. He blamed me for his
boss’s actions. My only crime was accompanying my husband to his firm’s annual
charity banquet in the evening gown that he picked out for me. I looked
beautiful in it. It gave me curves where I knew I had little to none. It gave
me a confidence boost that I knew I didn’t even need. Well, at least not at
that time. Right now a confidence boost would be greatly appreciated. When
Aaron’s boss, Bryan, told me he wanted me to help him with some of the
evening’s presentations, I was flattered and honored. I agreed to retrieve the
notes for a speech he had forgotten
in his office, but when I got there he cornered me and tried to kiss me. I’d
never been in a situation like that, so I had no idea what to do. When I pushed
him away and slapped him, he came back even stronger. My body froze in fear as
his hands gripped every part of me that he could touch. When he tried to force
his tongue into my mouth I bit him. He laughed and went for my neck. Over his
shoulder I saw Aaron and the two other partners from the firm standing in the
doorway. One of the other partners, Kaleb, asked what was going on. I tried to
tell them he attacked me, but he assured them it was just an innocent hug. He
said I’d had a little too much wine – I only had one glass and I didn’t even
get to finish it - and he’d caught me when I tripped. A hug was my way of
thanking him. Aaron hadn’t said a thing. He only stared at me, rage carefully
concealed within his gaze. Of course he hadn’t said anything. He was up for a
promotion to become a partner at the firm; his lifelong dream. He’d given Bryan
and the others a tight smile before reaching for my hand and telling them he
had to take his drunken wife home.
That was six months ago…six long and lonely months.
“I
can’t even make love to you anymore,” Aaron whispered as he slipped an arm
around my waist, pulling me closer him, my body flush against his. The erection
that should have been pressing against me was nowhere to be found. For Christ’s sake, we’re both naked!
“Aaron,
please? You can.” My pleas fell on deaf ears. He let me go and slipped his
boxers on.
“Wake
me up at seven,” he said as he climbs into our bed.
“You
know I didn’t betray you, Aaron.”
“Taylor,
I’m going to sleep. I have a long day ahead of me.”
“Aaron,
please? Just talk to me. I didn’t do anything wrong. You can’t keep shutting me
out like this,” I pleaded. I was innocent. I was there for him. I was put into
that situation because of him. I’m his wife. He was supposed to protect me. It
didn’t matter if his career was on the line. His marriage should have been his
priority. I should have been his main concern. Instead he blamed me. He told me
I was lying; Bryan would never do anything like that. Instead of protecting me
when I needed him, he turned his back on me and made me out to be the culprit.
I didn’t think I would survive that. I still don’t think I will. “Aaron?”
Silence was my companion.
The promotion decision wasn’t
supposed to be made until two months later, but the partners announced Aaron as
the recipient that following Monday. I pushed my feelings aside and became the
supportive spouse; celebrations and lavish outings with my husband and the man
who attacked me. Posing for pictures, being nice, and accepting keep quiet gifts like the perfect little
wife. Aaron had shunned me since then. I made it my mission to get him to
forgive me, but it still hadn’t happened. Six months is a long time to bear the
burden of an act you didn’t commit. I put my nightie back on and climbed into
bed. Although I longed for it, sleep abandoned me.
