Married Lovers Read Free Page A

kind of younger Kevin Costner thing–it was a vibe women found most attractive. He got hit on all the time by actresses, models, young executives, other men’s wives, but he always turned them down. Ryan Richards was one of that rare breed–a man who believed in the institution of marriage. He’d married Mandy for better or worse–and just because it had turned out to be a nightmare did not mean that he should cut and run–although sometimes he yearned to. Neither did it mean that he should cheat the way most of his married friends did. He had principles, and staying faithful was one of them.
    It had all started out so well. Mandy–pretty and sweet and caring–she’d presented herself as perfect wife material.
    He’d met her at the première of the second movie he’d produced. A gritty drama about a woman on Death Row. And even though he was in his early thirties at the time, he was more than ready to hook up with the right girl. He’d had it up to here with the wanna-be model/actress types. He found them to be vacuous, boring, ambitious and too pretty for their own good. Mandy appeared to be the right girl at the right time. She made interesting and insightful comments about his movie, and not in a fan-like way. Her words were smart and to the point, and he was delighted to discover that she could actually hold an intelligent conversation about film-making. Another major plus was that even though she was very pretty in a petite way, she had no desire to be an actress. “One of these days I plan on raising a family and being there for my children,” she’d informed him. Ryan was immediately impressed.
    At the time he had not realized that Mandy was Hamilton J. Heckerling’s daughter. Of course she knew exactly what to say to up-and-coming producers; she’d been raised by one of the biggest showmen of all time–Hamilton Hamilton J. Heckerling–a legend in his own lifetime–a throwback to the moguls of yesteryear.
    By the time Ryan discovered who her famous father was, they’d been on three under-the-radar dates, and had extremely satisfying sex several times. Young Mandy was certainly no slouch in the bed department; she’d given him a series of blow-jobs the like of which he’d never experienced before, and he’d been around–nobody could say that he hadn’t enjoyed his single days.
    After he found out who her father was, he’d decided that it didn’t matter–in fact, it was kind of a kick. And even though all his friends warned him about marrying into the Heckerling family–he’d done it anyway.
    Foolish.
    Stupid.
    Dumb.
    But he was in love at the time, or at least he’d thought he was.
    Several of his friends got together and insisted on throwing him a bachelor party. They’d told him they were taking him to Vegas. Instead they’d commandeered a private plane and flown him off to Amsterdam for a long weekend of lust, adventure and debauchery. His final fling.
    It had turned out to be one long memorable weekend, four days he would never forget.
    When Mandy learned that he’d flown to Europe without her, she’d been furious. If she’d found out what had really gone on during the trip, she would’ve been more than furious. But she’d married him anyway. Mandy was a girl who always got what she wanted, and the man she wanted was Ryan.
    Their marriage had taken place on a private beach adjacent to Mandy’s father’s twenty-five-million-dollar estate in Puerto Vallarta. Ryan had opted for a close family affair, but Mandy had begged him to acquiesce to her wishes. “Daddy doesn’t ask for much,” she’d said, all sweetness and light. “I’m his only daughter and you can’t blame him for wanting my wedding to be a memorable event. It’s the least we can do for him.”
    So he’d given in.
    Their wedding was attended by six hundred guests–eighty were his friends and family–the rest of the people he didn’t know, although Mandy assured him they were all important players in the