Chapter 16

-Jared-

I entered the house that Astrid and I now shared, greeted by a blanket of darkness and silence. I hoped this indicated she had retired for the night. However, as I passed my designated bedroom—the one she favored for our shared encounters—I discovered her sprawled across my bed, engrossed in a book, devoid of any attire.

"God," I groaned, lightly knocking my head against the doorframe, my desire to engage with Astrid intimately at a low ebb.

She glanced up from her book, a mischievous grin adorning her features. "Welcome home, honey," she teased, her tone laced with playful mockery.

"Why aren't you sleeping? It's past midnight," I remarked, a touch of exasperation coloring my voice.

"Forget what you promised?" she quipped.

"Promised?"

"That we'd pick up where we left off after you visited your little plaything, letting her leave her marks all over you. Shall we resume?" she taunted.

"I really am not in the mood," I informed her, moving into the room and making my way to the closet to disrobe.

"It's not about mood," she retorted from the bed. "We have a responsibility. Either you find a way to get hard, or I'll find a way to do it for you."

I returned, my shirt half-unbuttoned and my belt dangling, fixing her with a steely glare. Astrid lay on her back now, a smug smile playing upon her lips as she parted her legs provocatively.

"You decide," she taunted. "We can do it the fun way or the extra fun way."

"Which is which?" I inquired, trying to maintain a semblance of composure.

"Well, the fun way grants you a choice. In the extra fun way, you don't get a choice, and I have my way with you."

"I thought we agreed that's not the method for conceiving a child," I rebutted, a note of frustration creeping into my voice.

"Don't worry, I won't take your ass until I've made you come enough times inside me, and we've started our little family," Astrid declared.

"I fear that's your plan regardless of which route I choose," I retorted sharply.

"You're correct, but in the first scenario, you at least get some say in how we fuck."

"I don't see it as me having much say," I countered.

"Didn't I allow you to go out tonight? Huh? Didn't I let you have your fun with your ‘slave'?" Astrid challenged.

"You ‘allowed' me to go out tonight? I think you're forgetting that you don't control me, Astrid," I snapped back, retrieving the wedding ring from my pocket, feeling as though I was symbolically submitting to her as I slipped it on before undressing further.

"If you say so," she chuckled dismissively. "But it doesn't change the fact that we have a limited time frame to conceive, so we should be trying as often as possible."

Leaning my head back, I stood naked in the middle of the closet, longing to simply brush my teeth, clean up, and go to sleep. The last thing I wanted was to be ensnared in my wife's efforts to conceive, but I knew Astrid's threats weren't empty. She was waiting for the right moment to exert her control, toying with me.

I leaned forward, resting my hands on the drawer in front of me, and an image of Alison flashed into my mind. I chastised myself for even thinking about her. Earlier tonight, I had vowed to move on, but one glimpse and I was drawn back in. I reminded myself of Alison's humiliation when I caught her with the collar, her tears, the way she surrendered to me.

Groaning, I felt my cock harden. Oh no, I thought. It was working, my mind replaying the evening's events, like our encounter in the hallway leading to the kitchen in her parents' house, or the moment she acknowledged she was mine.

My cock was fully erect once more, a testament to the efficacy of Astrid's methods, and I cursed myself to the deepest pits of hell for succumbing to them. Yet, begrudgingly, I acknowledged their effectiveness. If I were to make Astrid leave the room again, I had to endure this ordeal. Just one release, I reasoned, but could I manage that? Deep down, I knew it wouldn't stop at one orgasm. Astrid would demand multiple until she achieved her goal of pregnancy. If there was a God, I prayed fervently for his intervention, for perhaps tonight, with his grace, we might succeed.

I pushed away from the drawer, still carrying traces of Alison all over my body, yet I didn't care what I smeared on Astrid, as long as we got through this. Astrid smiled her awful smile, close enough to make me go soft again.

"Turn," I instructed her firmly.

She chuckled, rolling her eyes as if my command were silly, but complied nonetheless, assuming a position on all fours. I simply couldn't look at her face. That smile that sent shivers down my spine. Approaching her, I felt a creeping unease enveloping my entire being. It wouldn't be as gratifying as it was with someone else, but it was thoughts of that someone else that would sustain me through this.

Positioning myself, I entered her, eliciting a small groan from Astrid at the abrupt penetration. Yet, I doubted she derived much pleasure from this act either. She merely relished in my discomfort. She reached down, stimulating herself, as I thrust fully inside her, prompting a gasp that made my skin crawl.

I began the rhythmic motion, hoping for a swift conclusion, but the orgasm felt like a distant dream. My cock remained hard, and I filled my mind with images of Alison, recalling how I had ruined her using her desires, yet the climax remained elusive.

I had to push harder, give it my all if we were to succeed, and then, perhaps, never touch each other again. Astrid grew louder, urging me to quicken the pace as she continued to pleasure herself, pushing back against me.

I leaned my head back, fixing my gaze on the ceiling, anything to divert my attention from the woman before me. It helped to some extent, edging me closer to that peak, but then Astrid's moans and whimpers began, her inner muscles constricting around me as she reached climax. The sensation of her pleasure, rather than arousing me, turned my stomach.

Without hesitation, I pulled her closer, muffling her sounds of ecstasy with a firm hand over her mouth. I couldn't bear to hear her enjoyment. Wrapping my other arm around her, I ensured she remained immobile, under my control, as I focused on a different sensation, sound, and taste—all belonging to one person: Alison.

With each thrust, I delved deeper, allowing my hips to take over, shutting out Astrid's presence and immersing myself in memories of Alison. I recalled every moment we shared, every instance where I had exerted my control over her, stripping away her resistance and molding her.

I remembered her compliance tonight, her calls for me, her yearning. The pleasure surged, consuming me entirely, until I was lost in a whirlwind of ecstasy, no longer aware of my surroundings. I groaned, succumbing to the euphoria, because in that moment, I was not in that room—I was elsewhere, with someone else, and it drove me wild.

With one final thrust, orgasm ripped through me, causing me to thrust into Astrid deeply, filling her. As my body convulsed with release, my hand slipped away, and I became aware that the panting beside me wasn't the same. Reality crashed back, and when I opened my eyes, Alison was not before me.

Astrid turned her head, smiling at me, but I pushed her away, withdrawing from her and leaving her there as I rushed to scrub my skin raw. I could hear her laughter echoing behind me, knowing she had achieved her goal.

While she had allowed me to use her as I pleased, the truth remained: I was the one who had been used. The realization turned my stomach, and I slammed the bathroom door shut, locking it tightly. Turning on the water, I stumbled to the toilet and retched, feeling a wave of nausea as old sensations wash over me.

When I was finished, I slumped against the cool wall, overwhelmed by a flood of memories that felt oddly unfamiliar.

I could hear the water cascading, its rhythmic patter against the tiles echoing through the dark hallway. Treading lightly, I felt a chilling aura envelop the house. A cough escaped me, the remnants of sickness clinging stubbornly to my small frame, but there was something missing. She had been there, cradling me, comforting me as I writhed with fever, but then he had arrived, whisking her away. She hadn't returned. For what felt like an eternity, she didn't return, often retreating to her bed in tears.

I half-expected to find her there again. Even in her moments of despair, she would offer me a reassuring smile, assuring me that everything was all right. Approaching my parents' bedroom, I pushed the door open wider, disregarding the sound of water flowing in the bathroom, only to find the bed vacant. Turning back, longing for that familiar embrace, I resolved to search elsewhere. My gaze fell on the closed door opposite, and stretching onto my toes, I grasped the handle and turned it.

The door creaked open, alerting the occupant to my presence, but what lay before me froze me in my tracks. Water continued to cascade from the shower above, pooling around a figure reclined in the tub. Our eyes met, a feeble smile attempting to grace her pallid lips as blood trickled down the side of her face.

"Jared..." she called, her voice far weaker than its usual soothing tone. "Jared, look away..."

I couldn't tear my gaze from her, the relentless downpour accentuating the crimson rivulets tracing her body.

Suddenly, I jolted awake, disoriented for a moment until the reality of the room came into focus, its coldness seeping into my bones. Glancing down at my trembling hands, I struggled to recall how I had ended up here. Memories flooded back, reminding me of the tumultuous day I had endured, culminating in this haunting dream.

Stumbling toward the shower, I turned the water to scalding. A sharp pang shot through me as I stepped beneath the steaming cascade, my body too cold to withstand it, yet I paid no heed. Even as my skin turned lobster-red, I scrubbed, washed, and soaped every inch of myself, but still, it didn't feel like enough.

"Just kill me now," I groaned, sinking forward and bracing my hands against the wall. Although such words had crossed my lips before, I knew there were too many tasks left unfinished for me to succumb. While my obligation to the family loomed large, I hadn't chosen this familial burden. It was Vince I had chosen, and the rest felt like excess baggage thrust upon me.

Yet my true focus lay with the women I encountered at the club—those with distant eyes and others whose gazes held a spark of hope. They needed assistance, and I couldn't abandon them now.

Turning off the water, I dried myself off and returned to the bedroom. Astrid was nowhere to be found, and I realized I had spent two hours unconscious on the bathroom floor. It was nearing three in the morning.

With a resigned sigh, I acknowledged that I wouldn't get much sleep, and I had no desire to rest on those tainted sheets. Despite my intention to change them, exhaustion overcame me. I collapsed onto the bed, completely nude and unsheltered, yet strangely unaffected by the chill. Sleep claimed me almost instantly, and finally, I found rest.