Obsessive Cravings (Wicked Cravings Book 1)

Chapter 6

After my long day of shopping with Ava, I was thankful my new apartment décor came with a wardrobe because my small closet wouldn’t have held the new clothes I bought while we were out. I spent Saturday night cleaning out my old clothes, ready to embrace the new. At one point, I found the scarves that my mother had brought back with her when she’d accompanied my father on one of his business trips. I’d only been about five at the time and the rich colors of the waist-length silk scarves had fascinated me. Mason would scold me for sneaking into her closet and playing dress up with them.

I was ten when my parents died, and the courts gave Mason custody of me. He’d been old enough and my parents had left enough money to care for me. I hadn’t realized he’d built his own network by then and likely influenced the courts to let him take care of me. I’d never questioned why anyone would give a nineteen-year-old custody of his ten-year-old sister. As we’d been cleaning their things out, Mason had found the scarves and given them to me. They were a piece of my mother, a memory that I cherished, even if Mason’s touch now tarnished them.

I hung the scarves around the corner of my headboard, liking how the colors caught in the fairy lights.

The rest of the weekend, I scouted the city, checking out the local restaurants and familiarizing myself with streets I hadn’t ventured down. It amazed me that even with all the people in this city, I was still as lonely as I had been in Treemont. Ava was only one person out of thousands, and although I kept looking, I hadn’t bumped into the kind stranger again. I was still angry at myself for not getting his name and number.

What did it matter? My track record with men was sketchy, and he probably had a wife and kids. Besides, my mind kept wandering to the elusive Greyson Tides, already giving him a personality and a rock-hard body to go along with the sexy voice that filled my fantasies. There wasn’t a man who could compete with that, no matter that I kept telling myself he was likely the exact opposite.

I walked into the office on Monday morning with my mind on nothing as my cup of coffee warmed my hands. Snow was falling, the bitter cold of winter in this part of the province reminding me how much I missed Treemont. I stopped to say good morning to Matt at the front of the office when the doors to the building opened and a burly man walked in, taking a protective stance next to the door. Within seconds, in rushed my good Samaritan, followed by another massive man whose eyes scanned the lobby before he took a position on the other side of the door. I stared, wide-eyed, at the man who had left a lasting impression on me, even though I hadn’t seen him since he’d handed me back my purse and flashed me that gorgeous smile. My body grew warm as he glanced my way, those dark blue eyes stealing my breath. He didn’t stop, didn’t say hello. He simply gave me a sly grin and continued walking. My eyes followed him as he got into the private elevator at the far end of the office. He kept his eyes on me, that penetrating gaze leaving me drenched by the time the door closed.

“Who was that?” I asked Matt once my brain started working again.

“Greyson Tides? You don’t know who Greyson Tides is after a week here?”

I drew my eyes from the elevator and looked questioningly at Matt, my heart thudding.

“Greyson Tides? That was him?”

“You need to get out, Riley.”

Greyson Tides, the owner of the firm, the most powerful man in the city, had been my savior that first day here. My knees nearly gave out when I realized he’d been the same one who had filled my apartment so wonderfully. I pondered if he’d known it was me.

“Does he ever come down here?” I asked, trying not to seem obvious about the obsession that was mounting in my mind. The one that had already grown dangerous as I’d made him into something that was very close to the real-life version.

“No, he stays in his office when he’s here. And we’re barred from it. There’s a keycard for the penthouse office, so don’t get any ideas. Every woman in this office drools when Greyson Tides walks through, but he doesn’t give them any notice. Keeps to himself.” He shook his head. “One girl tried sneaking up there before they installed the keycard. They fired her on the spot. His security goons escorted her out and shipped her stuff to her.”

“He doesn’t play, does he?”

“No, and it doesn’t pay to get involved with Greyson Tides.” He moved in closer to me, whispering, “He’s a dangerous man and he owns everything and everyone in Bridgeville.”

Matt walked away, leaving me to reconcile the version of the man who had rescued the purse of a random stranger and walked her to the coffee shop her first day with the image of the reclusive businessman. I bit my lip, staring at the elevator and wishing I could get another glimpse of those heart-stopping blue eyes or hear the way his deep baritone drifted down my spine like a sensual touch.

To my dismay, the rest of my day was dull, dragging painfully slow. I was working with clients now, which lent some speed to the time, but when I wasn’t busy discussing finances, I was thinking of Greyson Tides. I couldn’t get him off my mind. The way those blue eyes had seen deep into my soul and how that smirk he’d given me had made my legs twist with want. If I was obsessed with him before, it had only grown two-fold.

“Riley.” Beth interrupted my thoughts. She was a sweet woman, a few years older than me, with strawberry hair and big green eyes. “We’re grabbing drinks at happy hour. Come with us. Matt says you need to get out more.”

I laughed, knowing it was the truth. Maybe a drink would help take my mind off Greyson Tides. At least, that was my hope. But by the time I’d had two drinks and binged on enough nachos to feed a football team, he was still in my thoughts. Yawning, I called it a night, pulling my coat on as I said my goodbyes.

“I’ll walk you home,” Matt said, grabbing his coat as I wrapped my scarf around my neck.

“That’s okay, I can manage.”

“She who didn’t even know the company head when he walked by thinks she can find her way home,” he teased.

“You didn’t know Mr. Tides?” Beth said, leaning in as she said his name. “The god of Bridgeville.”

“God of Bridgeville?” I asked.

“The man is a walking god. He’s gorgeous,” she said, a blush filling her cheeks.

“Aren’t you married with a kid?” said Rick, another colleague.

“That doesn’t mean I’m blind,” she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. “I can look, I just can’t touch.”

Laughing, I answered her question, saying, “No, I didn’t know who he was.”

“She does now,” Matt said.

Yes, I did, and now the man was back on my mind again. “If you insist on walking me home, let’s get moving and no more talk about Greyson Tides.”

“Thank you!” he said. “That’s all any woman seems to talk about around here.”

Beth rolled her eyes, and we said goodbye before Matt led me out. His company was pleasant, and we chatted the entire way to my apartment.

“You know,” Matt said as we arrived in front of my building. “The company frowns on dating between colleagues, but if you ever want to, I’d be up for taking you out. Show you the city at night, maybe have dinner at a restaurant that doesn’t offer your usual fries and diet soda.”

“Are you asking me out after you just told me there’s no dating allowed?” I sensed the color creep into my cheeks.

He shrugged. “I’m a bit of a rule breaker.”

“I’ll think about taking you up on the offer. But…I’m not sure that will be anytime soon. I just got out of a…relationship and I’m not ready.” Just saying the words brought the emotions forward. It had been nine months, but the hurt and betrayal still seemed raw.

He raised his hands. “No pressure. Just putting it out there. Hopefully, this won’t make it weird tomorrow.”

“It won’t,” I said, giving him a smile before heading in.

I couldn’t believe he’d asked me out. Matt was a nice guy, and it probably would have been something good for me. Nice guys were never the ones I ended up with, however, and given my current circumstances, I didn’t want to entangle anyone in my life, especially anyone who could get hurt. Or anyone who wasn’t Greyson Tides.

And he was back on my mind again. “Dammit,” I muttered.

Throwing my coat on the chair, I got ready for bed, changing into my jammies—the standard tank top and undies I always wore. Climbing into bed, I stared at the ceiling, my mind still on Greyson Tides. He was in my brain, and I couldn’t get him out. There was something sexy about his eyes, about the way he carried himself. Power oozed from him. Sex oozed from him. Even his voice that day had made its way into my body and found a place to stay.

I hadn’t had sex in ages, swearing off men after the last fiasco. I’d been too fearful of getting hurt again. Not that there had been any way to even meet a man other than Mason’s men. He had locked me down, his men guarding me to and from work, watching my every move until the night I’d run away. He’d even moved me into his guesthouse for those months, my furniture put in storage after he forced me to give up my apartment. I’d found that storage unit and hired movers to move it all to Bridgeville. It had taken plenty of sneaking around to do, but I’d succeeded.

Sighing, I brushed my hand over my breast, wishing I’d invited Matt up to satisfy the need that seeing Greyson Tides had infected me with. Although I wasn’t certain anyone could satisfy it. My stomach clenched as I thought of Greyson’s dark eyes and those large hands touching my body. Imagined that seductive voice whispering in my ear as he threaded his hand through my hair. He looked like he would be the perfect balance of commanding power, enough to pull my hair in just the right way to drench me.

The thought set me on fire, and I cupped my breast, rubbing my nipple between my fingers while imagining it was his fingers. My stomach trembled, warmth growing between my legs. I kicked the blankets from my body, my other hand sliding below my underwear. Closing my eyes, I pictured his hands roaming my body, and I bit my lip, a soft moan slipping through my teeth. My fingers hit my arousal, spreading it over my clit. I clenched my legs, drawing my knee up and sinking my finger in, wishing it was him filling me instead. I imagined his touch, firm and forceful, those blue eyes breaking me as his hand held my neck, constricting my breath. The thought had me arching my back, and I tipped my head, rubbing my clit as my climax built. I pinched my nipple, tugging it as I drove my finger further. Pulling it back out to my clit, I rubbed along it, growing wetter the closer I grew to release. Plunging two fingers in, I cried out, my orgasm ripping through me. My legs crossed as the waves rippled and I envisioned Greyson Tides climaxing with me, his hands squeezing my hips tight as he growled my name.

When the force of my release waned, I relaxed, bringing my hand back up. Closing my eyes, I wondered why a man I’d seen twice had this effect on me and if I could refrain from blushing at my dirty thoughts the next time I encountered him.