Chapter 23
Maddy
Riley: I’m SO sorry, Mads. I promise I’ll be home eventually. My boss won’t let us leave until we’re completely done with this project.
I stare at the text from her, sitting on the couch in pure disappointment. “Seriously?” I quickly type out a text back to her about how pissed I am but catch myself before sending it. None of this is her fault, but for some reason, I’m taking it out on her.
Me: No worries! See you when you get home.
I drop my phone on the cushion beside me and then run my fingers over my face. I never want to relive this day. Ever. I stand up and head for my room, pulling out the first bathing suit I can find. I slip into the dark purple bikini, throw on my black cover-up, and then jet out of the apartment.
I just need some air. Or something.
The elevator ride to the roof is quiet, and as the doors glide open on the pool level, the place is completely empty.
Is it closed? I glance around, seeing the empty bar. The string lights around the pool and hot tub are still lit, and the hot tub motor still hums. I consider turning around and going back to my apartment, but decide to stay.
The sky is streaked with orange and purple, the city spread out down below in a way that makes me pause for a split second and forget that I’ve royally fucked up my life. I walk toward the glass railing and rest against it, forcing myself to take a deep breath.
It could be worse, I tell myself. I could’ve immediately been fired today.
“But they could just fire me tomorrow,” I sigh, running my fingers through my tangled hair. I shake my head and then stand up straight again, turning back to the water. I stalk the length of the pool, arms folded across my chest.
“Adrian will definitely want to fire me,” I mutter. “Or they’ll just move me to some other department.”
Both would be equally humiliating, but at least the latter wouldn’t result in me losing this place. Of course, Beck is here, so maybe I don’t want to stay here.
Riley would be crushed, though.
I exhale, closing my eyes for a moment. “Get it together, Maddy,” I whisper to myself.
How did I manage to get here? In the span of one month, I lost my old job, lost my boyfriend, moved into a glassy box in the sky with rent I can only afford with my new job, and then I managed to sleep with all three of my bosses.
I frown at that. I’ve never imagined being involved with more than one guy at a time. Let alone three.
I stop by the edge of the deck and brace both palms against the glass railing, staring down at the city again. The wind up here is cool, a little damp, and it whips my hair into my mouth.
What if they ask me to choose between them?
I’m not sure where the thought comes from, but I don’t want to choose.
I don’t even know if I can. I’ve spent my whole life picking the safe choice—the right college, the reliable boyfriend, and the backup plan to the backup plan.
Even now, even here, I should be searching for a replacement job, not leaning over the city like a sad gargoyle.
And before I can expand on that, a voice cuts through my thoughts.
“I thought you might be up here.” Beck’s voice drifts across the pool.
I spin around, my heart in my throat. He’s in swim trunks and nothing else. And to make it all worse, he looks like the most relaxed human on earth…
Which makes me want to punch him and fuck him in equal measure.
“So…” He squints at me, then the pool, then the skyline. “Rough day?” He meets my gaze again.
I glare at him. “Obviously.”
Beck chuckles and then sidles up next to me at the railing, bracing his arms just like mine. “Bet you didn’t expect to see me.”
I roll my eyes. “Honestly, I thought you’d be with the other two, plotting my demise.”
He snorts, turning to face me. “Nah, I don’t have the energy for plotting after a day like this.” He leans his hip against the glass and studies me, searching my face. “So, why’d you run out of the office like that?”
“I…” I try to conjure up something clever, but I give in, sighing. “I freaked out. I thought you guys were going to fire me.”
He laughs, shaking his head. “We don’t want to get rid of you, Maddy. If we did, you’d already be gone.” He reaches out and grabs my hand, squeezing it gently. “I think you’re the best thing that’s happened to us in years.”
“‘Us’?” I repeat, my voice sounding empty.
He shrugs. “Yeah, us. Me, Adrian, and Caleb. You’re definitely the best assistant we’ve ever had. You’re like the chocolate to our milk.”
I let out a dry laugh. “You’re really bad at analogies, Beck.”
He smiles, his eyes not leaving mine. “Yeah, they’ve never been my forte.” He waits a beat. “But you know, you’re not the only one who’s confused by all this.”
There’s a lull of silence between us. I look down at the city again, thinking about how I can escape from this conversation. I have no idea what he’s digging for, but I’m almost positive I don’t have the answer—not for him or myself.
I sigh, fighting the urge to pull my hand from Beck’s. “This all just kind of feels like a fever dream that I keep waking up in.”
He grins, his eyes trailing down my body. “You’re not dreaming, Maddy. Unless you’re dreaming about fucking me on this deck, in which case…”
I catch my breath as he steps closer, the heat of his body sending a chill through mine. “You’re insufferable.”
“But you love it,” he traces a finger along the top of my shoulder, inching back my cover-up. “I know I love it.” His hand then comes up, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear. He lingers there, his thumb grazing the side of my neck.
I reach out and place my hand flat on his chest, right over his heart. For a second, neither of us moves, and I feel the steady, quick pulse of it beneath my fingertips.
And I hate how bad I want him right now.
“Oh, Maddy,” Beck murmurs, leaning in. “I can’t fucking resist you.” He presses his lips against my upper jaw, sending a shiver through my body.
I tip my head back and meet his eyes. “I want all of you, and I don’t know how to make sense of that.” The words tumble out, desperate and unfiltered.
He doesn’t even flinch. Instead, he just cups the side of my face and leans in, his lips grazing mine lightly. “Okay,” he says, his voice soft. “I don’t care who else you want, as long as you want me.”
I reach for him and drag his mouth to mine, grabbing his lower lip with my teeth. He groans into me, slipping his fingers through my hair and tilting my head so he can kiss me deeper.
I open for him and let him in, letting him take what he wants. The railing digs into my lower back, but I barely notice it. All I can feel is his tongue, his teeth, and the way his hands slide from my neck to my waist, then lower, cupping my ass and pulling me flush against him.
His cock digs into my stomach, and I grind against it, moaning into his mouth as he drags his tongue along my lower lip. I pull away from him, just as his fingers slide into my bikini bottoms.
I gasp as his fingers brush my clit. “Beck, someone could see.”
He glances around at the empty deck and then dips his fingers lower, dragging them through my soaked slit. “The risk makes it more fun.”
I laugh, but it dissolves into a gasp as he slips his hand inside of me, his thumb rubbing my clit. “Beck,” I breathe out.
I slide my hands up his chest, my nails scraping gently over his abs, and he growls into my mouth.
“I need more,” he pants, slipping his hand from my bikini bottoms.
In one smooth motion, he lifts me up and carries me to a lounger and lays me down. His fingers hook into my bottoms and pull them down.
“You’re so pretty, baby,” Beck says as he situates himself between my legs. He leans over me, running his tongue around my belly button.
And I can’t help but giggle. “What are you doing?”
“Worshipping every fucking inch of you,” he murmurs, kissing his way downward. He picks up his pace and then grabs the inside of my thighs, pushing them further open.
And then he runs his tongue across my pussy, leaving me trembling.
“Fuck, you taste good,” he murmurs into me, burying his face, as I slide my fingers through his hair and hold him in place.
“Oh god, Beck,” I moan as his tongue flits across my clit. “Please don’t stop.”
“Never,” he growls into me, lapping up every ounce of me.
I cling to him as my hips start to move, grinding against his face. My orgasm comes almost instantly, and I squeeze my eyes shut as my thighs tense around his head and I ride the high.
“Oh fuck yeah,” he growls, as I pulse around his tongue, my cries breaking through the silent evening air. “I love it when you come on my face.”
I let out a light whimper as I start to come back down. “I need you inside me,” I choke out as he plants one final kiss on my pussy and lifts himself up.
“Maybe you should say please,” he teases, but his hands are already on my hips, yanking me forward as he adjusts himself, stripping his swim trunks off in a swift motion.
“Please,” I beg him, grabbing at his hips and drawing him closer.
His cock is thick and ready, and he leans in, brushing my entrance. He lines up and pushes in, slow at first, letting me feel every inch. The stretch is perfect, and I tip my head back, hardly able to catch my breath at the sensitivity after my orgasm.
“You feel so good, Beck,” I pant, as he thrusts into me.
“Not as good as you feel,” he grunts in response. He snaps his hips, hitting my G-spot over and over, and I dig my nails into his back, the pleasure greater than the fear of ruining my life.
And this is why I can’t tell any of them no.