23. Laura
laura
. . .
I was annoyed that she had left me holed up in a stupid hotel room while on a beautiful tropical island, that was all.
I wasn’t annoyed that she hadn’t come home when Penelope said she would.
I was annoyed that she had forced me here with her stupid fucking contract, making me miss client meetings, and then decided not to show up for an entire day.
I had definitely not missed her. Or worried about her.
I knew the Hollywood elites. I hated them. I thought they would be a good clientele when I was first starting out, but they were all the same. Just like that douche Penelope told me was Harley’s manager.
How could he even think of trying to tell me what was ethical regarding my client?
I stabbed a piece of my grilled tuna with a bit too much force. Both Penelope and Harley stayed silent as they watched me grumble under my breath about that fucker.
“No overtime,” I hissed. “How could you let this go on for so long? The back pay alone is probably in the millions. What did the union say?”
Penelope’s eyes darted to Harley.
“They pay off the union, Laura,” she simply replied, no malice or annoyance in her tone.
Why? Why is she not angry?
I would be fuming. I am fuming.
“The literal point of them is to protect you, isn’t it? What about your lawyer?”
I was met with silence, so I stabbed another piece of my tuna.
“Do you want your money or not?” I hissed, waving my fork at Harley. She gave me a soft smile.
She’s fucking smiling like she’s not losing millions. Like they’re not taking advantage of her.
“Are you offering your services to me?” she asked. “I thought you didn’t want to work with actors.”
“You can’t just leave me bored and alone in Hawaii after forcing me to come here with that fucked-up contract of yours,” I huffed.
Harley let out a laugh and shook her head.
“The contract is meant for our relationship, not for me to hire you as my lawyer.”
Penelope didn’t seem surprised about the contract. How much does she know exactly?
“Then hire me,” I said and plopped a piece of tuna in my mouth. Even seasoned by my anger, I had to admit it was the best tuna I’d ever had. Which only made me more annoyed that I hadn’t experienced it at a normal time of day.
“Okay, that’s enough of this,” Harley said with a sigh and stood. “Penelope, please pack this up for Laura and pay the man extra for staying open late for us.”
I didn’t have time to protest before Harley was helping me out of my seat and walking me out of the restaurant.
“What? Now you don’t want my services?” I asked with an annoyed scoff.
“My love,” Harley said in a low voice and forced me to turn to her. For the first time that day, I saw the bags under her eyes. “You’ve been sick all day. Do you know how worried I’ve been? I understand you’re doing what you love, and I love you for it, but can you please rest a little?”
Heat traveled up the back of my neck. That phrase again. My sickness had made me irritable the entire day, but this was the first time I felt a wave of dizziness fall over me.
“Can you stop that?” I grumbled and attempted to pull away from her, but her grip was tight.
“Stop what?”
“Just throwing around how much you love me.”
The smile that spread across her face was enough to make my heart stop. My head spun. My skin felt hot. My entire body was reacting to her in an embarrassing way.
“That’s because I mean it. And I’ll say it over and over again until you grow sick of it. I love?—”
I pressed a finger to her lips to stop her.
I love you.
How many times had I heard that? None.
How many times had it made me feel this way? Also none.
I can’t take it.
“I feel dizzy. Can you take me to the hotel?”
She took my hand in hers, a smug smile on her face.
“As you wish, my love.”
I couldn’t look at Harley. Instead, I ran to my computer and started working as soon as we reached our room.
Can’t she be more careful with her words? What’s with her and that word?
My skin heated. The dizziness only intensified, and I was almost positive it had nothing to do with my “sickness” anymore.
It was Harley and all the fucking attention she was giving me.
And now I couldn’t even work while she was near me .
Sensing I wasn’t going to talk to her, Harley had gone to shower off the day. But she was taking too damn long.
Unable to keep still, I pushed my computer away and marched up to the bathroom. I didn’t even pause at the door; I simply let myself in.
Harley was still there, in the shower, water pouring down on her. The glass separating us was fogged, but I could still make out her frame. She turned when I came in, a sly smile spreading across her face.
I tried not to let my eyes linger on her toned body, but it was hard not to when she was so close. Way too quickly, an ache started forming between my legs.
She wiped the fog from the glass door, her eyes meeting mine.
“Came in for a little playtime?” she teased. “Or maybe this is just how you’re choosing to assert your lost control?”
I huffed and crossed my arms. Heat pricked across my skin. I didn’t fully know why I stormed into the bathroom, just that I needed to see her. I didn’t have a plan for what came next.
“Just making sure you didn’t faint in here or something,” I shot back.
She gave a mock gasp and brought her hand to her chest.
“I knew you cared about me, my love. I’m glad you’re finally coming around to it.”
“Liability is all,” I said as I started to turn. “Hurry up or you really will faint in there. Long day and all.”
“How about I prove to you how perfectly fine I am, hm?”
She turned off the water, opened the door, and stalked out, not bothering to grab a towel.
I tried to avert my gaze from her nakedness, but her hand was suddenly on my chin, gently forcing me to look at her.
I love you.
Her words shot through me like an arrow as soon as our eyes met again.
“You seem to like what you see,” she murmured, taking in my hungry gaze .
More than liked. My body was starting to crave her touch. The traitorous little thing was leaning into her, and my brain had no plan to stop it.
“I’m not in the mood for subpar sex,” I countered and then turned around and marched out of the bathroom with my heart pounding.
I quickly crawled back into bed, and when I was sure she was about to come out, I turned to face the window, bringing the blankets along.
I kept my eyes locked on the glittering patio pool as the bed dipped behind me.
I couldn’t hold in my reaction when her hand traveled from my hip to my stomach and just rested there. A promise. She was making her advances clear but giving me the final say about where her hand would go.
Her lips were at my ear.
“You know there will be nothing subpar about what I do to you, Laura. ” There it was again.
The dangerous, honey-laced way she said my name that had my cunt weeping for her.
“I can make you come better than anyone you’ve ever met.
” Her hand trailed up, skimming one breast. My nipples hardened as her fingers ran gentle circles around one.
“Harder. More often. You know why, my love?”
When her hand fastened around my neck, all the air was pulled from me.
“Why?” I couldn’t help but ask. Her voice was hypnotic, and I found myself wanting to give up control to her.
If she put her hand between my legs, I wasn’t sure I’d tell her to stop. I squeezed my thighs together to quell the ache.
“Because you’re mine. I know you better than anyone on earth. My Laura. My love. Your body knows what your mind refuses to acknowledge.”
My mind is starting to come around.
That was the issue, wasn’t it? Or at least… that’s what it felt like . Being there, with Harley’s body pressed against mine and her lips at my ear, none of my doubts or fears felt real then.
“You’re tired, you should sleep.” My voice came out weak and not convincing at all.
Her warm chuckle had shivers running up my spine. She placed a heated kiss on my ear before settling in behind me, her scent clean and comforting from the shower. Her hand moved to wrap around my waist and pull me to her.
“There’s nothing between us now, my love. If you truly want me to stay away tonight, speak now, or you just may wake up with my tongue on your cunt as I show you just how subpar my skills are.”
My stomach flipped at the threat. But I stayed silent. Her lips were on my shoulder, and I could feel the smile spreading across them.
“So perfect and all mine .”
I didn’t correct her, instead choosing to sink into her warmth and let the stress and exhaustion from the last few days overcome me.
It wasn’t long until I was lulled into a deep, yet dreamless sleep where I had forgotten about her promise.
But fuck, did I remember it loud and clear when warm pleasure roused me.
In my haze, I moaned, trying to fight it off so I could settle back into my dreamless state. But the feeling was persistent. And so was Harley.
She was working me slowly, pulling the pleasure from my relaxed body until I had no choice but to open my eyes to Harley between my legs.
Her firm hands held my thighs against the bed. Her tongue attacked my clit.
“Sleeping Beauty, finally joining the party.”
Her mouth fastened on my clit and her fingers sank into my wet entrance with ease. My back bowed against the mattress and I cursed. It was still dark in the room, and it made it all the more erotic, being unable to see her as she fucked me.
“Harley,” I moaned as my orgasm crested.
My fingers came to pluck my nipples.
She didn’t dignify me with a response; she just picked up her motions, her hand slamming into me as she mercilessly fucked me.
I jerked against her hold as the waves ran through me, making me soar higher than ever before. I choked on my words as I tried to tell Harley to slow down because if she didn’t?—
Another orgasm came crashing through me, giving me no reprieve. This time she did pull away, my wetness glinting on her face in the darkness.
“Two orgasms? How very subpar of me.”
She climbed my body, her lips fastening to mine.
My hand fisted in her hair as I met her passion. Her fingers were strumming my clit before I could stop her.
“You’ve proven your point,” I said as I pulled away breathlessly.
“No,” she said with a chuckle. She leaned down to place kisses on my neck that led down to my nipple. “I don’t think I have.”
When she bit down on the sensitive peak, I cried out, which quickly turned into a gargled moan as she sank three fingers into me, pumping them so hard I couldn’t breathe.
Unfortunately, Harley was right. My body. My mind. She had it all right there in her hand.
This might have just been a silly little bet with her, but there was more to it. And it made me start to realize just how utterly fucked I was.
But in that moment, with her teeth abusing my flesh and her talented fingers making me come again, I didn’t care.
In the darkness, I could be hers.