There was nothing wrong with her, in fact, the quiet seemed to eat at me the entire drive. And the worst thing about it was his car smelled so damn good. The events of today hit me like whiplash, leaving a numbness behind that only his masculine scent seemed to penetrate. Instead of the prickling feeling of panic, his close proximity and the idea of his hands on me were driving me insane.It was as though my body focused on the primal aspect I’d been craving so I wouldn’t be traumatized by the event. A protective mechanism.I was equating marrying Nicolas to severe trauma.Truly, it didn’t seem far apart.There was a difference between lusting after a man and wanting him to be the father of your children. The idea pulled me in two resilient directions: thrill, and terror.The feelings were so tenacious I remained only numb, leaving room for one thing. Warmth hummed between my legs, my skin a nesting ground for electricity and ice.My mamma had watched me walk out the door with Nico ca
I grasped the edge of the counter on both sides of me, trying to ground myself to earth somehow, while he worked my neck with slow kisses and scrapes of his teeth. As his presence consumed my own, my reservations dissolved into smoke.His large hands ran down my sides, from underneath my breasts to low on my hips, his thumbs brushing bare skin beneath the band of my shorts. It was a maddening sensation, and I was dying for him to go a little further, up or down. To just freaking pick one.His erection pressed against the inside of my thigh, and if he would only step forward a few inches, it would be right where I wanted it, needed it.I swayed, my eyes heavy-lidded, when a solid grip came to the side of my neck to hold me still while he pressed hot, wet kisses to my throat. My head fell back on a moan, my hair skimming the countertop with the next nip of his teeth.His hips lined up with mine, his hands grasping the top of my ass, and then his hard-on pressed against my clit in a slow
I couldn’t make love to him and then watch him do it with someone else. And I already knew he had no desire to remain faithful, from what he’d told me in the alley that night. I couldn’t share myself with someone so carelessly and indifferently, especially now, after my past mistake. So I could only give him a part of me—the only one he would want—and hope I would survive.I didn’t expect him to argue or to even care about my refusal. Kissing was romantic in a way, and I couldn’t see him wanting to share that with me.My hands still gripped the counter on either side of me, and when he glanced at my left, the one with the ring, his gaze turned black with contempt. I could taste his sudden animosity on my tongue. Anger wasn’t a reaction I’d expected from him, but I guessed telling this man he couldn’t have something was only a way to make him want it more.“Spread your legs.” His command was cold, rough, and rattled the existing fear.With an unsteady inhale, I complied.His palms ran
When his hands ran up my thighs, nerves came to the surface. Did he want me to reciprocate? Or did he expect sex?A shyness overcame me as I sat up, and I was sure, as he braced his hands on the counter and met my gaze, that he could see it all. He’d yet to even shed his tie while I sat naked in front of him. After the heat settled, it all appeared so much more obscene.“You’ll call me Nico from now on. No more of that Nicolas bullshit.” I nodded hesitantly.All my pleases still echoed in the kitchen, his words cutting through them with an abrasive knife. I didn’t know what I expected then, but I knew it wasn’t for him to turn his back on me, leave the house, and then shut the door behind him. I exhaled, falling against the countertop. Merda. I was in over my head.The tick of the clock brought my gaze to it as I slipped off the island. I’d been engaged to Nico for only one hour, yet I already felt turned inside out, as if he’d stolen a few of my layers and I’d never get them back. I
My brows pulled together. “Why wouldn’t you?” His gaze turned to ice. “Good question,” he said, letting out an outrageous smirk. Something was definitely off about him, and I didn't like any part of it one single bit.I knew I’d walked myself into that and sort of deserved it, but I still bristled from his insinuation. If this was how all of our conversations were going to go, I would go insane before we even got married.I hesitated, not understanding any of this. “We won’t do well together,” was what came out when I wanted to say, You’re the only man I’ve met who could do me permanent damage.“You seemed agreeable enough to me earlier.” His expression had kitchen island and naked written all over it. His statement, on the other hand, couldn't be comprehended by myself, and it all looked strange, to be honest. I couldn’t stop the heat from rushing to my cheeks at his crass reminder, but also because I was quickly losing control of this conversation and growing more flustered by the
At the company, Mira was simmering as she flipped through the pages of one of the stockpiles of documents waiting to be reviewed before the next one. That was why she was scared instead of happy.When she has been promoted by her boss to be his secretary. She had experienced a mild sense of grief with it because it felt like she had been trapped before she could tell her boss how she felt. He was a workaholic who didn't give a hoot about his employees, unless they broke down due to stress.“God, for how long will I keep doing this?” She cried out in frustration.That was why she flared up as she gazed vacantly across the room, the file she was carrying suspended in the air. She knew that she was slowly approaching a breaking point. Her approaching footsteps drew her back to reality. She hastened what she was doing, knowing that she would be in serious trouble if he caught her not doing anything.At some point, she was able to drift along and rest, but that was only when he went alone
"Good day, young master Christopher. I am the caretaker of your father's consortium, and I am going to be your guide for today."A man came forward to Christopher and bowed before him. He had decided to visit the company, as he had been informed by Ben earlier on. From the way that sweat dripped down from the corner of his face, it was evident that he had been waiting there for quite a while.From what Christopher had already been informed, Mr. Matthew was going to take him through the list of his father's companies. Since it was scattered all over the city with various headquarters, they got into the car to begin their tour. The first point of call was Top Hills Technology Enterprise."This enterprise was established by your father about a year before he handed it over to him and has seen a big bang in growth. While we initially began as a battery-making facility for various tech companies, she has ever since grown in other areas. Top Hills phones and Top Hills cars are well known, a
“Alright, let me get this straight to be sure I understand. You're saying Mr. Christopher asked if you would like to be a co-lead in the ongoing Gartrich Project? As in the same multimillion-dollar project our company is working on alongside Rutledge Fay Inc., which took him several months to pull off?”“Keep it down, Tracy. Someone might hear you.” Mia looked around, tucking a loose strand of hair behind the back of her ear. “Yeah, Gatrich project, the same one Broadway Enterprise, the company's major business rival, showed interest in,” Mia said with a shrug, fetching a can of fruit juice from the dispenser. “There's no way you'd be thinking about accepting the offer, girl! That's a big catch! Co-leading? One more word about thinking through the offer, and I'm going to whoop your ass really hard.”Mia rolled her eyes, walking past a couple of chattering employees and greeting one of them, Cathy, the assistant of Gary Simon, head of the personnel department, who stopped in her track