The Retreat - The Conclusion

Author's Note: For those of you who have waited a long time for this, thank you for your patience. I started this story 10 years ago but never finished it. When I tried to go back and just finish the story, I couldn't do it without making significant changes. I've changed in a decade...the characters I write have to change too! :-)

If any details in this ending don't make sense, it's because I've gone back and changed and expanded the beginning chapters for publication.

I'm posting this ending here on Literotica so as not to leave readers hanging any longer. If you never read the original story I posted, you can find it under my old member name: Haremgirl. I suggest you read it first, or this won't make any sense.

Happy reading to all!

Haremgirlreturns

(aka Lynn Coppersmith)

*****

The Retreat - the Conclusion

The drive into the city took longer than normal. Snow was falling heavily and had accumulated on the roads. Combined with heavier traffic due to New Year's Eve, it made for slow going. What should have taken an hour and a half took almost four hours.

They didn't talk much during the trip. Nick concentrated on driving, and Jess spent much of the time trying to call and text her brother-in-law, Steve, and mother without success. Her sister had told her that Steve was out of town on a last minute business trip that couldn't be cancelled. They had thought it would be alright, since her due date wasn't for a few more weeks, and she usually went well past her due date.

Just as they reached the outskirts of the city, Jess finally reached Steve. He promised to be on the next flight home. She promised him that she would stay with her sister until he arrived.

Nick and Jess both breathed a sigh of relief when they pulled up at the emergency entrance to the hospital. It was well after midnight, and they were both tired. Nick squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"You go ahead," Nick ordered. "I'll find a parking spot and meet you in there."

"Thanks, Nick." She gave him a quick kiss. "I'd better run." She stepped out of the passenger door and turned to smile at him once more. "Ask for Justine Peterson in labor and delivery. There should be a waiting room there. I'll come and find you as soon as I can."

Nick nodded. He watched her as she closed the car door and ran into the hospital. He finally found a parking spot and cut the engine.

Nick released a heavy sigh. Things had changed drastically in the space of a week. He still couldn't quite believe he had proposed and Jess had accepted. It had been completely spur of the moment. Surprisingly, he hadn't felt any twinges of unease about it. Like so many other things with Jess, it simply felt right.

During the drive to the hospital, hearing Jess talk to her sister about how far apart her contractions were, all he could think about was the possibility that Jess might already be pregnant. With his child. It made everything so real. In a few short months, he could be driving Jess to the hospital. The thought filled him with joy. Everything he wanted seemed suddenly within his grasp.

He was more than a little amazed by his own transformation. A week ago, the future had been boring and bleak. He had been without love or true joy in his life. Now, he was having a hard time keeping a silly grin off his face.

He locked the car and headed into the hospital. There would be plenty of time to celebrate later, with Jess. For now, he just wanted to find her and make sure her sister was alright.

*****

Three hours later, just before dawn, Jess held her sister's hand and watched as her nephew emerged into the world. He was tiny and wrinkled, his small head covered in wet, dark hair. As the doctor laid him onto Justine's stomach, he began to squirm and cry. It was obvious that he had a healthy set of lungs on him. Everyone in the room laughed.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Peterson. You have a healthy baby boy."

Both Justine and Jess were crying and laughing as the nurse quickly dried the baby and snuggled him onto Justine's chest. Justine squeezed Jess's hand and smiled up at her.

"Thank you for being here, sis. I couldn't have done it without you."

"I was honored," Jess said, giving her sister a hug. "I'm just sorry that Steve didn't make it in time. I know he's going to be so disappointed."

Justine's grin was wicked. "That's okay. It'll give me something to hold over his head forever. That will teach him to take a last minute business trip. I better get an expensive piece of jewelry as an apology!"

"Brat! You know he wouldn't have even gone if you hadn't insisted it would be alright. I don't know why he puts up with you," Jess said with a teasing grin and a shake of her head.

"Because he adores me, of course."

Just then, they heard a text message alert on Jess's phone. "I bet that's Steve now," Jess muttered, fishing her phone out of her jeans pocket. "Yep. He says he's five minutes from the hospital and will be here really soon. Why don't I go meet him by the entrance, and I can bring him to you? This hospital is like a maze."

"Sounds good," Justine answered, already focused on cuddling her newborn.

When Jess left the room, she immediately spotted Nick sitting in one of the chairs in a nearby waiting area. She approached him with a wide smile.

"She had a little boy," she sighed. "Everything went great, except her poor hubby missed the whole thing."

Nick hugged her and dropped a kiss on top of her head. "Glad to hear it. How are you holding up? You must be tired."

"I am. I definitely need some coffee. But first, Steve just texted that he's almost here. I'm going to go meet him by the entrance so he can find his way in here faster. Then, I'd like to hang around just a little longer if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Why don't I go find us some coffee. Steve could probably use some too. Then, I'll meet you back here."

"Sounds great. Thanks, Nick."

They shared a quick kiss and then parted ways. Jess hurried to the main entrance to meet her brother-in-law. Steve had been her best friend since eighth grade, and they were as close as brother and sister. When she saw him trotting up, she gave him a teasing grin.

"Might as well slow down there Bro, the baby's already here."

"Oh man! I was hoping I would make it in time."

They exchanged a warm hug. Jess smiled up at him.

"You'll be happy to know that both Justine and the baby are healthy, and he is so cute. Come on. I'll take you to them."

Jess put an arm around his waist and led him down the winding corridors and up the elevator to his wife's room. She was chatting nonstop, telling him about the delivery.

"I might have been able to make it if I had heard her messages earlier. I didn't realize my phone was dead. I didn't get all the messages until I plugged it in to charge. Then, I got here as fast as I could."

"Yeah well...you know that my sister will never let you live it down, but she's already hinting that you could make it up to her with something expensive and shiny."

Steve shook his head and grinned. "That's your sister, always looking for an excuse to buy jewelry."

"You know it!"

"Thank you for being here to watch over them both for me."

"There's nowhere else I would have been, Bro."

When they reached the room, Jess stopped and smiled up at him.

"You go on in. I'll wait out here for a little while so you have some private time with Justine and the new baby."

Steve gave her another hug and kissed her on the nose. He grinned down at her while he held her face between his hands.

"Thanks for everything, Jess. I love you, sweetheart."

"I know. I love you too." She stretched up and kissed his cheek and squeezed his chin fondly. "Now go."

She gave him a shove and smiled as she watched him enter the room. She could hear her sister squeal with delight at the sight of her husband, and she turned away with a contented sigh.

Nick stood twenty feet away, holding a tray of coffee cups. She noticed that his face was pale, his features as hard as granite. Her eyes opened wide with concern, and she quickly crossed to stand in front of him.

"Nick? What's wrong?"

He stared at her for a few more seconds, and then he turned aside and tossed the coffee into a nearby garbage can. He grasped her upper arm and began towing her down the long hallway toward the exit.

"Wait! If you are ready to leave, I should at least say goodbye to my sister first."

"Send her a text," he growled, never pausing as he pulled her down the hall. "Tell her you'll visit tomorrow."

"But Nick . . ."

"Save it, Jess. I'm taking you home. Now."

She frowned as she practically trotted to keep up with his angry strides. She had no idea what had happened to change his mood, but she sensed it was something that wouldn't wait.

He led her to his car, held open her door while she climbed inside, and then crawled behind the wheel, all without another word. After he had paid for parking, he shot her a seething glare.

"What's your address?"

She told him her address in Midtown, and he turned the car in the right direction. She could sense that he was in no mood to answer her questions, and since he was also busy negotiating the busy streets, she maintained her silence. However, once they got to her place, she was determined to get to the bottom of whatever was going on.

They finally arrived, and she waved to the doorman as she led Nick through the lobby of her high rise. When they reached her apartment, she let them in, tossed her purse onto the kitchen counter, and turned to face Nick.

"Okay, Nick. Tell me what's going on."

Instead of answering her, he shoved her roughly against the wall and kissed her fiercely. All intelligent thought fled as Jess returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around him and hanging on for dear life.

He hadn't meant to kiss her. He'd meant to hurt her. Frighten her. Punish her. Instead, he'd kissed her. The kiss took on a life of its own, and Nick was drawn into the vortex just as violently as Jess. When he finally managed to tear his lips off of hers, they were both breathing raggedly.

"Nick, please tell me what's wrong."

"Shut up," Nick growled.

He grabbed both her wrists and lifted them above her head. Then, he held them pressed to the wall with one of his hands. He wrapped the other hand around her neck and squeezed lightly. When Jess' eyes widened with fear, his lips curved in a cold smile.

"I ought to kill you," he said softly. "I ought to snap this beautiful, soft, pale neck for what you've done."

Jess was trembling, and her voice came out as a shaky whisper. "Nick, let me go. You're scaring me." When he continued to glare down at her without answering, she tried again. "Nick, if you would just tell me what's wrong, we could talk about it . . ."

"I said shut up," he said, squeezing her throat a little harder. "No more talking, Jess. No more lies. I don't want to hear another word from your beautiful, lying, manipulating mouth."

He squeezed hard enough that she couldn't breathe, and Jess began to squirm and struggle. Dark spots began to appear on the edges of her vision, and she started fighting in earnest. He was so much bigger and stronger than her, she couldn't budge him in the slightest, and she started to panic.

Nick suddenly eased the pressure and allowed her to breathe again. She gasped and coughed, tears streaming from her eyes. Nick kept his hand around her throat, watching her torment with obvious satisfaction. After she had managed to suck in several deep breaths, he raised a taunting brow and gave Jess a stare that dared her to say a word. She gulped but remained as quiet and as still as her frightened trembling would allow.

"How can someone so beautiful be so deceptive?" he murmured. "You're like a poisoned apple, tempting and beautiful but toxic."

He finally released her throat and ran his fingers down her cheek and across her mouth. He lingered there, stroking her quivering bottom lip. Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks in rivulets. His eyes hardened, and his mouth firmed into a thin, determined line.

"Where's your bedroom?" he growled.

Jess swallowed hard, wincing from the soreness in her throat. "Through there," she croaked, jutting her chin toward the hall.

He hefted her over his shoulder and carried her to her bedroom. He shouldered her door open and dumped her in the middle of her bed, where she bounced before landing in a startled sprawl.

Without saying another word, he turned away and began rifling through her drawers. Jess eyed his back warily and began to crawl off the bed, inching her way toward the door.

"Don't move a muscle," he growled.

His back was to her, but his menacing tone sent shivers of fear tickling down her spine. She gulped but froze in place on the bed. Her pulse was thundering in her ears.

"What are you looking for?" she whispered with a puzzled frown. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and her voice rose with her mounting fear. "Nick?"

He ignored her and kept opening and slamming drawers until he finally gave a grunt of satisfaction. He pulled out several silk scarves and tossed them beside her on the bed. He crawled onto the bed, shoved her roughly down onto her back, and straddled her waist. The only sound in the room was the combination of their tortured breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

Nick focused on that breathing. His thoughts and emotions were roiling and he took several deep breaths as he stared down at her.

Jesus Christ, he was an idiot. A stupid, naïve, blind, foolish fucking idiot. He had let her get to him again! After he had sworn never to trust her again. He had walked it with his eyes wide open and handed her his heart so she could chop it into little pieces. Wasn't that the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results? He was fucking insane!

When he saw her there in the hospital corridor with the same guy she had been with at the frat party all those years ago, Nick had nearly collapsed on the floor. It was nightmarish déjà vu. All the pain from her betrayal ten years ago had come rushing back and had slammed into him like a brick wall.

He had heard her telling that man...the man who was now her brother-in-law for fuck's sake...that she loved him. She had kissed him and touched his face so tenderly. It had been as if the past week and all that she and Nick had discussed about a future together had never happened. Then, she had turned around and seen him. Her eyes had opened wide, and she looked so guilty. She obviously hadn't known that Nick was standing behind her or that he had witnessed her intimate little exchange.

In that moment, Nick felt as if she had ripped out his heart. He had wanted to hurt her. He wanted to rip her heart out like she had done his. Not once but twice! God damn her for making him trust her again...for making him dream about a happy future with her. She had made his dreams come true and then crushed them on the same fucking day. It was unbelievable!

With businesslike efficiency, he yanked her sweater and tank top over her head. He released her bra with a flick of his fingers, and Jess gasped as he yanked it from under her and flung it to the floor. Goosebumps rose all over her body.

He grasped her wrists and began tying them with one of the scarves, securing them tightly together. Then, he tied the other end of the scarf to the headboard.

"Nick, please talk to me." she said nervously. "Nick, what are you doing?"

He had tied her up several times before, and she had always enjoyed it. But this was different. This time, his fury was obvious. She was frightened, because she had never seen him like this.

"I'm doing whatever the hell I want. That's what you promised isn't it, Jess? You said you would let me do whatever I wanted with your body. Have you changed your mind?"

"Not about that, but . . ."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you've changed your mind. You seem to do that every other second. I can't believe I let you fool me again."

"I don't understand. What have I done to make you so angry? Nick, please, if you'll just..."

He interrupted her brusquely. "Snap your fingers." He watched while she complied, and then he gave a satisfied nod. "If you do change your mind and decide you're ready to end it between us, just snap your fingers. But know this. Once you snap those fingers, I'm walking out that door, and I don't ever want to see you again. Is that clear?"

"Nick, what's come over you? You asked me to marry you!"

He laughed bitterly. "Still playing your little games," he muttered, stripping off his own clothes in record time.

He unfastened her jeans and yanked both them and her lacy panties off her legs roughly. He pulled her legs wide apart and began tying her ankles to the outer corners of the footboard. When he finished, he gave a satisfied grunt and stood looking down at her.

She was terrified. But her body was responding to Nick despite her fear. Her skin was flushed, and her nipples were furled so tightly that they ached. She could feel the moisture pooling between her thighs as he assessed her nude body. She was completely at his mercy, but she kept telling herself that he wouldn't actually hurt her. At least she hoped not. She panted with both arousal and fear.

He climbed onto the bed once again, and knelt between her thighs. He placed one hand over her lower belly and shoved two fingers into her roughly. He met her eye and arched one taunting brow as he fingered her to a steady rhythm.

"You're so wet, Jess. You're always ready for it, aren't you? Always looking to get fucked? You like using this perfect body to tease and tempt and get what you want, don't you Jess?"

There was no way Jess could answer his taunting questions. She didn't think he was really expecting an answer anyway. All she could do was focus on the pleasure he was bringing her. She couldn't help but thrust her hips up eagerly against his taunting fingers.

After the week they had just spent together, he knew her body too well. He knew just how to please her by squeezing her clit and occasionally stroking deep inside her. Within just a couple of minutes, he had her on the brink of a dazzling orgasm. Her eagerness only seemed to further inflame his temper.

Nick abruptly withdrew his hand, laughing when she gave a whimpering moan. Her frustration was agonizing and she sobbed as she pulled against her restraints. He crawled up the bed until he was straddling her chest. He stroked his erection, and his intense gaze met her tortured one.

"Well, I'm done playing your games, Jess. From now on, I'll simply take what I want from you. I'm going to treat you like the lying slut you are."

He bent forward and grasped the headboard with one hand and used the other to aim his cock at her lips.

"Open up," he ordered.

Jess opened her mouth to say something, and her eyes widened as he shoved roughly into her mouth. He smiled grimly down at her and began to use her mouth crudely.

"That's it, Jess. Suck me. You're going to take my cock all the way down your throat this time, baby. Remember, all you have to do is snap your fingers if you want me to stop. But you won't do that, will you Jess? Because you actually like being fucked. The more the merrier, right? No wonder your mouth feels so fucking good. I bet you've had tons of practice. How many men have you sucked cock for like just like this, Jess? A dozen? A hundred?"

He was neither patient nor gentle. In fact, he seemed to delight in torturing her by making her gag. He made a cruel game of it, and Jess sputtered and gagged as he forced himself steadily further and further into her mouth. It wasn't like before, when he had gently coaxed her to take him all the way in. This time, she felt used and degraded. All the while, he taunted her with vicious, hateful accusations.