One Sinful Year With Mr. Jacobs

Playing House With Sin Itself

Nikolai Jacobs

I should’ve said no.

Fuck. This was already a mistake.

Leo remained pinned to the kitchen doorway, his gaze bouncing between Josephine’s flushed face and my own.

“Yes.” She finally replied

“Why?”

Josephine opened her mouth. Nothing came out. She shifted her weight, one hip c*****g slightly, and that simple movement pulled her blouse tighter across her chest.

“Because it makes sense.” I said before she could spiral.

Both of them turned to me.

“I managed to convince Josephine to be my matchmaker and find me a wife for the whole custody case. But phone calls and coffee dates won’t cut it. I need to see how she works, how she reads people. So she’s moving in for a while. That’s all.”

Josephine shot me a grateful look, her cheeks flushing. That shouldn’t have done anything to me. It did and I hated it

Before Leo could speak, Fred’s voice carried in from the patio. “Who’s moving in with who?”

He stepped into the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel, that familiar easy smile on his face. The same smile he’d had since college when we were young and stupid and thought the world was ours. Now he was older, slower after the strokes, but still sharp enough to gut me if he ever found out what I was really agreeing to.

I met his eyes. “Josephine and I have come to an understanding. She’s going to help me get my life in order for the custody case. And it won’t work long distance, you know.” My heart thudded as I lied to him.

“You two agreed? How did you two do that without stabbing each other?” Fred laughed, surprise and a hint of joy filling his voice

“That’s exactly what I thought when I heard it.” Leo chuckled

Of course he was happy that his best friend and daughter were finally getting along. If only he knew.

“So she’s moving to New York with you? What about Hope Haven here in California?” Fred asked

“Oh she won’t have to move. I’ll be purchasing a small house nearby,” I continued. “Close to Hope Haven.”

“And your son?” Fred asked.

“I’ll have Charlie flown in. That way she can still manage the foundation, and I can handle my work remotely.”

Fred’s eyebrows rose. Surprise settled in his expression. “Well, I’ll be damned. You two finally stopped snarling at each other long enough to help one another.” He clapped me on the shoulder, the grip firmer than it looked. “About time.”

Then his voice dropped, just enough that only I would catch the edge. “Take care of my girl, Nik. She’s all I’ve got left of her mother. Hurt her, and best friend or not, I’ll bury you in the backyard and plant roses over you.”

“What about me?!” Leo chuckled

Fred laughed like it was a joke.

Josephine forced a smile.

I didn’t laugh. I felt the warning lodge in my chest like a blade. Because I knew this was going to be a damn challenge.

God, she looked good standing there in her skinny jeans that hugged her curves and her blouse with the top button undone just enough to show the delicate line of her collarbone.

Four years ago, she’d cornered me at her graduation party, pressed that pierced tongue against mine, and whispered how long she’d been dreaming about me.

I’d shoved her away so hard I nearly broke us both, then relocated across the country the next month.

I couldn’t look at my best friend’s daughter without imagining bending her over every surface in my house and f**k all that attitude out of her.

I thought distance would kill it. It didn’t. The second I saw her tonight, the pull slammed back harder than ever.

She was still so fierce and still driving me insane with one look.

I should have written her a check and walked away.

But the crack in her voice when she talked about losing those kids… I couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand watching her break.

My conscience would bear me up if I didn’t help her and she was too proud to accept my money.

It was just one year. I’d barely be at home. I’d keep it locked down. There’d be strict rules.

I’d help her save the foundation, get my son, then walk away clean.

Fred kept smiling like the world had finally righted itself.

It started drizzling outside and Josephine said something about going out to make sure all her windows were wound up.

Leo and Fred moved to the living room to play video games. Her phone buzzed and lit up on the counter.

I didn’t mean to look.

It was just there, screen glowing in the dim kitchen, the notification stretching long enough to read without touching anything.

Maybe it was her lawyer. Suspense was the last thing I needed.

I glanced at the message preview on her lock screen

Mark: Jo baby please. I heard about the trust fund thing…

It wasn’t her lawyer. It was her ex

I shouldn’t have read further.

I did anyway.

Mark: Jo baby please. I heard about the trust fund thing. I’m sorry about the blonde. I only cheated because you kept wanting weird s**t in bed. Choking you till you almost passed out? Tying you up? Slapping you? It scared me, Jo. I couldn’t handle that level of intensity. But I’ll learn. I’ll do whatever you want now. Just let me marry you. We can save Hope Haven together.

My blood turned to ice and I stared at the screen.

Fuck!

She liked it rough. She wanted to be choked, restrained, marked. Exactly the things I’d jerked off thinking about doing to her in the dark for years. Things I’d never let myself admit out loud because she was Fred’s daughter.

I didn’t notice when Josephine walked in till she grabbed her phone from my hands.

She looked to the living room and saw that Fred and Leo were absorbed in the game before she leaned in

“Just because we’re getting married doesn’t mean you get to go through my phone, Nikolai,” she hissed

Her eyes flashed with anger, that septum piercing glinting as she glared up at me.

And that was the other problem. It wasn’t just the way she looked, it was the way she pushed back.

I didn’t flinch. “Your ex seems to think he still has a chance. And he’s offering to learn how to choke you properly now.”

Her face went pale, then flushed darker. She clutched the phone tighter. “Just ‘cause you’re doing something nice for me doesn’t mean you should be nosy. Mind your business.”

Oh, I wish I could mind my business.

“I am minding my business,” I murmured, my eyes dragging down to her mouth, my mind instantly filled with the filthy image of her on her knees, my fingers wrapped tight around her throat while she gasped my name.

“We’ll sign those papers soon.” I whispered. “Which means your safety, your secrets, and your reputation become my assets. Keep your ex away from my investment.”