Chapter 12
Idon’t know how long I stood in Greyson Tides’ office. His words played through my mind. I was his. It was such an arrogant and assumptive thing to say. To think I was an object to be taken and owned by him. I didn’t even know him. But I wanted him. Shit, I wanted him so badly I was aching. Yet all he’d done was give me words. He’d barely touched me.
I brushed the strand of hair he’d touched away from my cheek and huffed from the office, not bothering to give his assistant a goodbye. Folding my arms as the elevator took me back to the main floor, I tried to figure out why I wanted this man so intensely. Why I’d wanted him to lift my skirt the rest of the way and fuck me right on his desk.
Because he was a bad boy. I’d known it from the moment I found out who he was, which was strange because the man who’d helped me on the street my first day hadn’t given me that impression. It was almost like that had been an unguarded version of him.
“Riley,” Ken’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
He gestured for me to join him in his office. I closed the door and sat, still discombobulated from my interaction with Greyson.
“Matt no longer works for us. I’ve removed him from the building. I’m sorry for what he did.”
“You knew?” I asked, glancing around and wondering who else in the office had heard his lies.
“I was the one who reported the incident to Greyson. I overheard it in the lunchroom and put a stop to the rumors.”
“It wasn’t true,” I said quickly, irritated that my new colleagues now thought I was the office slut. No wonder they’d distanced themselves.
“I know, which is why I brought it to Greyson rather than just shutting down Matt’s talk. I’ve addressed it with the rest of the staff.”
I could feel the tension in my neck. “That’s just great,” I muttered.
“Listen. Don’t let this experience bias you against the team. They’re good people. Matt’s been on probation for other incidents, and this was the last straw. Greyson seems interested in seeing you succeed, so don’t let this bother you.”
I knew exactly why he was interested in seeing me succeed: he’d put some unrequited claim on me.
“The company Christmas party is in a few days. He insists you attend so we can make it up to you.”
Raising a brow, I sat up. “I don’t do Christmas parties.”
I’d heard the others talking about the lavish annual Christmas party Greyson Tides threw for his employees and the more influential people in town. I wanted nothing to do with the holiday festivities. This was my first year away from Mason, and I knew it would be melancholy. I’d left him right before Thanksgiving and even that had hurt. We usually spent that weekend decorating the house and putting the tree up. The thought threatened to drown me.
“Riley?”
I looked back up at Ken. “Sorry. I guess I’m just still upset by this Matt thing. I don’t think I can do a Christmas party.”
I stood, needing to get away.
“Think about it. If Greyson says you’re going, trust me, there’s no way you’ll avoid it. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? Get away and clear your head.”
I nodded and left, gathering my things and logging off for the day. I was a jumble of thoughts and emotions. Anger at Matt for his asshole move, shock at Greyson’s words and even more so at my acceptance of them, and sadness from thoughts of missing Christmas with Mason.
I walked around the city, planting myself on a park bench and staring off into space until it grew too cold. Reluctantly, I trudged home, which offered another set of confused thoughts—the uninvited guest who had turned into an invited one. What he’d done to me had been undeniably erotic. I’d never come so hard, and I’d never had a man dedicate all his attention to my climax. And, oh, how I’d climaxed. Just the thought of it had my thighs shaking. His touch had been ecstasy. Everything about it was wrong, but now that he’d given me a taste of what he could do, I craved more. Almost as much as I craved Greyson Tides.
Greyson’s hand on my thigh, his words of ownership sent a warmth flooding between my legs. I chewed my lip, thinking how familiar that touch had been, how the scent of his cologne had lingered on his skin with a strange familiarity.
Pausing at my door, I grasped for the thought that was forming in my mind but lingering just beyond reach. With a shrug, I let the thought go and opened the door, my heart thudding as I spotted the beautiful bracelet that was lying atop the blindfold. My stranger had left me another gift, a row of emeralds and diamonds that sparkled in the light. Another gift. An expensive gift. Before, they’d been simple—flowers, coffee, small things that told me little about him other than he knew my tastes. The blindfold that had left me quivering with anticipation, fear blended with excitement.
But this… I picked up the bracelet. This was the gift of a man who had money, a confident man who was making a statement.
My mind was stringing pieces together, grasping for the one to solidify the thought that was forming.
“Whoa, that is one nice piece of jewelry.” I jumped, dropping the bracelet at Ava’s voice. “Now I’m convinced you have a sugar daddy, and you won’t convince me otherwise.”
Turning to her, I shook my head in denial, seeing that I’d been so distracted by my thoughts that I’d left the door open.
“I don’t know what I have,” I mumbled.
She lifted a brow, one I saw now had a hoop through it.
“That’s new,” I noted, pointing to it.
She shrugged. “I enjoy adding piercings and tats every now and then. I’m not sure I like this one, but I’m giving it a test run.”
There were times I envied Ava. She was so free-spirited, braver than I saw myself. Mason would have called her reckless, but I admired her ability to be who she was without worrying about the constraints that held me back. I’d never even gotten a tattoo, and considering how many my brother had, that was saying something.
“It’s cute,” I said, retrieving the bracelet from where it had fallen and returning it to the table. “But I like the stud in your nose better.”
“Yeah, that one’s my favorite.”
I turned back to her. “You have more than those two…and your ears?” I tried not to gape at her, but it was hard not to, especially when she said, “The clit was painful but so worth it.”
My eyes grew so wide, I swear I looked like a cartoon character. Ava laughed hard enough that she had to hold on to the door.
“I love shocking you, Riley. You’re so easy.”
“So, you don’t have one?”
“Oh, I definitely have one and the guys love it. But then, I prefer it when they have piercings, too.”
The thought made my cheeks burn because, as much as I loved a bad boy, I’d never been with one who’d braved that.
“All right, you need to share details,” I said.
“Done. How about we order takeout and watch a movie at my place?”
The tension slid from my shoulders and with a relieved sigh, I said, “Sounds perfect.”
I didn’t want to be in my apartment, the reminders of my stranger were too prominent. And I didn’t want to be alone with memories of Greyson’s touch on my skin, either.
“Let me get changed and I’ll be down in a few.” I kicked my shoes off but before she left, I stopped her, saying, “And I want you to tell me what you know about the Christmas party Greyson Tides throws every year.”
Now it was time for her eyes to go wide. “Oh, I forgot about that! You’re one of his employees, so you get to go!” Her excitement was palpable, and she looked about to jump up and down.
“I don’t think I will. Christmas parties aren’t really my thing.”
“Are you kidding me? I hate those things, too, but I’d die for a chance to go to that one. It’s always the talk of the town. He spares no expense and each year the theme is different. They throw it in that fancy hotel we passed when we were shopping. You know, the one that looks like it costs a fortune to stay at.”
I remembered that hotel. It was extravagant and looked like someplace Mason would have picked to stay. There was a red carpet leading to the doors and two well-dressed doormen in uniform. I could only imagine what the inside looked like. Mason had taken me to an island resort when I was younger. His best friend, Tyson, had gone with us. Tyson was like my second big brother, and he was a player. He’d hooked up with women most of the trip, leaving me and Mason to joke about his flavor of the day. The hotel where we’d stayed was breathtaking and had a pool that overlooked the ocean, workers who catered to your every need, and everything set up to perfection. It had been a wonderful trip that was now tarnished by the knowledge that Mason owned the resort. Yet another lie that had surfaced when the truth came out.
The hotel Ava and I had passed by reminded me of that resort. For a moment, my mind wondered if the rooms were just as beautiful, the beds soft and plush enough to surround me as Greyson’s body pushed me into it.
Shaking my head to free the image from my mind, I said, “I don’t know. Apparently I’m expected to go but…” How did I tell her I would be a mess without Mason the closer the holidays came, or that I was craving Greyson Tides like my body craved food, or that I was having a bizarre affair with a stranger who snuck into my room at night and tongued me until I fell apart. “I’ll probably stay home.”
“You’re insane,” she grumbled. “Get changed and get your ass down to my apartment so I can talk you into going. No one in their right mind would miss that party.”
She was still complaining about my decision as the door shut behind her. My eyes fell back to the bracelet, and I picked it up, my fingers lingering on the beautiful gems. Maybe I needed to go, if anything, just to break the routine that was setting in and the complacency that was building around a situation that should have had me worried.
Changing quickly, I grabbed a bottle of wine and headed down the hall to Ava’s determined to leave my thoughts of Greyson Tides, my stranger, and soul shattering orgasms behind.
My stranger didn’t returnthe next two nights and if he hadn’t surprised me each morning with coffee and a treat, I would have been worried. It didn’t seem normal that a stranger who regularly broke into my apartment could make me happy, but he did, and with each passing day, a part of me missed his touch. This morning, another bracelet appeared, this one not as flashy. A simple silver chain with tiny pink and white peony charms attached to it. I’d worn it to work, fingering the tiny flowers and wondering where he was and who he was. The nagging thoughts in the back of my mind kept telling me I was missing something, but every time I tried to focus on it, I encountered an interruption.
Ready to kick my heels off and snuggle in for the night, I unlocked my door. My stomach knotted, and I bit my lip to hold back the excited cry. The blindfold sat on my table in the middle of the scarves. Alongside it was a container of takeout soup from the local deli. Ignoring the soup, I picked up the note.
Wear this and nothing else.
My heart thumped uncontrollably, and I chewed my lip, wondering if heeding his request would give him the okay for more. I didn’t know that I wanted more. Something about that seemed wrong.
“Shit, Riley. Everything about this seems wrong,” I muttered.
I dropped the blindfold and picked up the soup, my mind whirring. I wanted to feel his touch again, but anything more seemed like too much. Changing into my sleeping shirt and a pair of shorts, I scrolled through the news on my phone, ignoring the blindfold and my jumble of confused thoughts while I slurped my soup.
When it was too late to ignore it any longer, I picked up the blindfold, running my hands along the smooth material before removing my clothes and crawling into bed. Curling under the blankets, I took a deep breath and tied it around my eyes like I had the first time. As my stomach clenched with nerves, I laid down and waited, the anticipation building with each passing minute. But nothing happened. The door didn’t open, no one emerged from the closet, and eventually, I grew too tired to avoid sleep’s call.
The touch of hands startled me awake as my wrists dug painfully into the scarves now tied to my headboard. I let out a small cry. He was back, and I trembled with anticipation.
“No screaming, baby girl, unless you’re coming.” His words tore a moan from me, his voice low and muffled, but no less sexy.
His hand skirted along my body, the comforter no longer covering my nudity. My stomach quivered, my knee drawing up when his thumb slipped through my arousal. The hitch of my breath caused him to chuckle against my stomach, a reaction that seemed like a comfortable one shared between two lovers rather than what we were.
“My safe word and rules are still in force,” I mumbled through my moan.
“Of course they are,” he said, his mouth on my calf, making his voice hard to distinguish.
I relaxed, his fingers plunging into me at the same moment. My back arched with the sensations that gripped me. He’d left my legs free this time, and I drew my knee higher.
As he moved up my body, his stubble tickled my stomach and his hardness pressed into me. I avoided pushing into it like I wanted to. He had hovered over me the first night, but now it was firm against me and ready for me to yield. But I wasn’t ready to cross that line, and Greyson Tides’ words hummed through my head. I was his and no one would touch me. Yet, this man was touching me. He was sucking on my breast, ripping a cry from me as he rubbed my other nipple between his fingers. He flicked his tongue over my nipple then dragged his hands down my body, which quivered at his touch. That touch was firm but gentle and so different from what I was used to that I melted into it just as I had the first time. Every inch of me was on fire, his touch bringing me closer to breaking with every passing second. He dragged his mouth over my stomach, then between my legs until his tongue was against my clit. Another moan fell from my lips, his fingers rubbing through my arousal, then plunging into me. My body responded, pleasure bounding through me in ripples. I cried out, wishing it was his cock and wanting him to fuck me, knowing it was wrong but wanting it anyway and resisting my desire to beg him to take me. With each lick, my need for more rose, my climax teetering on the edge until he twisted his finger, and I came undone, my body clenching down around his fingers, my thighs pushing at his shoulders. My cry was intense, ripped from a part of me I’d hidden away with the trauma and pain of the last few months.
“That’s a good girl,” he mumbled, his voice hoarse.
His touch left me, and there was an emptiness that shouldn’t have been there. The scarf loosened, and as I freed myself, I debated bringing the blindfold up, liking the suspense of not knowing. When I finally lifted it, he was gone, and I flopped my head back, not bothering to untie myself. He’d left me spent, depleted, and satisfied without satisfying himself once again. It seemed like a good guy thing to do, yet he clearly wasn’t one…just like Greyson Tides. It was bad enough that Greyson had me infatuated. Now I had my stranger. Two men who had crossed the line in different ways. Two men who were owning me in ways I didn’t want to admit.