28. Chapter 28 – Sloane
Chapter 28 – Sloane
I rolled over, stretching my arms out above my head and groaning at how good it felt. There was simply nothing better than that feeling of a first stretch in the morning after a wonderful night’s sleep.
Well, maybe there was something better.
Many things, actually.
Things that all came from Tamen’s expert body and mind. God, the things that filthy man could think up to do to me. And say! Oof, the man’s dirty talk game in that pert British accent, made me quake.
Prism had opened a month ago, and we both had been working non-stop every day, figuring out the new business kinks and hiccups, leaving us only very limited time together in between my obnoxious need for beauty sleep, and his awkward inability to lie in bed past eight am. Morning people were so weird.
My phone buzzed next to me and I grinned, feeling stupidly giddy the way I did most mornings when I woke up to some sort of good morning text.
These were not cutesy or romantic texts. These were texts from the mysterious man who always evaded daylight like a vampire.
Tamen didn’t do romantic things; at least not in a conventional way.
Swiping my phone open I read his words and snorted to myself at how far out of touch he was.
I heard you were talking shit about me.
I rolled my eyes and typed back a witty response.
Do you want me to repeat it all for you, or did you hear enough?
Pack your shit, we’re going to Vegas.
Romance? Who is she? Not with Tamen. He was all whiplash and windburn from his mood swings.
Throwing my legs over the side of the bed so I wouldn’t be tempted to fall back asleep before my Pilates class across town, I replied.
I don’t take orders, asshole. I give them. Try again.
Unblocking Tamen had been a necessity to run Prism in tandem, but I sometimes missed making him work for access to me. His reply came back too fast to build up the fun of the game.
Sloane, you get on my last bloody nerve sometimes.
I replied and got out of bed, heading into my closet.
The feeling is mutual Bully, now say please.
As much as he tried to pretend he was a big boring pain in the ass, Tamen actually enjoyed sparring with me like this. In a way, I think it made him feel like he could be nicer to me in person if he was a jerk digitally.
I stumbled through my clothing options, trying to decide on my outfit when my phone went off again, this time signaling a different notification. This time, it was an e-payment made by my very terrible, bully of a boss.
I’ll pick you up at ten. + $1000.00
His text reply came in right after that.
See you in an hour, Rainbow.
Well shit, since he asked me so nicely. Truth be told, I didn’t want to go to Pilates, anyway. And I was always down to go to Vegas, it was the only place on earth that made me feel slightly normal compared to the others in the crowd. Sin City was the place that the weirdos and the outcasts went to feel a sense of acceptance.
And the dry heat was my personal favorite.
Abandoning workout clothes, I did what any sane person did when their insane fuck buddy offered a trans-continental trip up on a random Tuesday morning.
I exfoliated, duh.
It was Vegas, after all, with Tamen. I wasn’t planning on staying clothed for much of the trip if I could help it.
“Explain to me exactly what we’re doing. You didn’t even tell me how long we’re going for.” I chatted as we soared through the sky, somewhere over the Midwest.
“We’re taking a trip.” Tamen replied, barely glancing up from his phone. “I don’t have our return flight booked yet, but a few days.”
I glared at him, which he didn’t see, because of the attention whore his phone was being at the moment, and pursed my lips, looking back out the window to my right. We were flying in a private jet, and while it was not my first time on a luxurious flight like this, it was my first time as an actual client.
Usually, I was the entertainment for the flight, or at the very least, for wherever we were flying to.
The flight attendant came back to our seats, handing me another strawberry mojito and topping off Tamen’s club soda. She was efficient and didn’t seem bothered by the fact that she was being actively ignored by Tamen for going on the fourth hour straight.
Well, that made one of us, I was over it, however.
“Do you think she ever goes the extra mile to make her clients happy?” I asked, staring at the way her tight waist almost sat on top of her flared hips as she walked away. She’d look divine in a white garter belt set that accentuated the stark difference between the two parts of her body.
“I’m sure she’s excellent at her job.” Tamen replied absently. Again.
“So, if I asked her to help me join the mile high club, she’d do it?” I didn’t look at him on purpose, but I watched his head snap up from his screen, finally, out of my peripheral. We were facing each other, though it was probably the first time he had looked at me all flight.
“Excuse me?” He cautioned, with a low baritone in his voice.
“You know,” I shrugged, still staring at where she disappeared into the galley between the cabin and the cockpit. “Do you think she’d let me kill some time until we land?” Finally, I glanced at him briefly, “Or maybe one of the captains could step away. Does it really take two people to fly the jet? That’s just an in case of emergency kind of thing, isn’t it?”
He drawled, in his British accent, “Rainbow.” I loved hearing it aimed my way.
“What?” I sat back in my seat and stared at him head on, sipping my drink. “I’m bored.”
“You’re going to get yourself a spanking to kill time, if you’re not careful.”
Ah, there he was. My bully was finally paying attention to me again. “Well,” I uncrossed my legs, loving the way his eyes instantly fell to the short hem of my white and blue sundress as it rode up, “if I’m going to get a punishment, I’d might as well get my reward first.” Rising to my feet, I stepped out into the aisle like I was going to follow the sexy brunette to the galley when Tamen’s big hands shot out, wrapping around my waist like a vice and pulling me down to his lap. The plush leather chairs easily accommodated my knees on the sides of his hips as I straddled him, finally getting his eyes to focus on only me.
“You’re acting like a spoiled brat,” He chided, rocking me forward until I was pressed firmly against his lap between my spread thighs. “It’s very unbecoming of you.”
“You kidnapped me and then ignored me.” I purred, unbuttoning the front of my dress as his eyes battled between following my fingers and staring at my face. Tamen hated eye contact, but I noticed he worked hard to maintain it with me. Only with me. “Why do you always avoid eye contact with everyone but me?”
Everyone else only got fleeting glances of attention from time to time. But with me, each moment of focus felt like a direct power exchange, filling up my bank with his affection, knowing it cost him greatly to do it.
He groaned and looked away, almost like he was proving me wrong for the fun of it before he answered. “I spent a lot of time studying people. Through eye contact.”
A snippet of his past. I tried hard not to pant in his lap like a dog eager for another treat. But I was salivating over more information. “What do you mean?”
He sighed and ran his hand over his face, but I ran my hands over the wide expanse of his chest, forcing him to ground himself to me. It worked, his blue eyes moved back to mine, and he held on there. “I can find anyone’s vulnerability in their eyes. Sometimes right away, sometimes it takes a while, but the end result is always the same. I know their weakness in the end.”
“So why do you always look away? I would think knowing someone’s weaknesses would serve you well in your—” I shrugged, “choice of recreation.”
He didn’t take my joke lightly, though, tightening his hands on my waist as he took a deep breath. “There’s an incredible burden that comes with knowing someone’s biggest fears. It’s heavy and most of the time, I don’t want to know it. But I have no choice because of the time spent warping my brain to learn how to discover it through eye contact.”
“Your father made you learn it.” I stated, not actually asking, and he gave me a small nod.
“It was one of my first s kills to learn.” He glanced out the window, but I didn’t take it personally. “Sometimes knowing how to hurt someone in the worst ways is a curse fit for the devil himself. Not a man like me.”
“What’s my vulnerability?” I asked, swallowing down my fear as I took a chance for him to actually hurt me. Did I have a weakness? Was there one definitive thing that would destroy me if exploited by a man like Tamen?
“Don’t, Rainbow.” He shook his head. “Drop it and let’s move on back to the mile high club. You want to join, I’ll induct you.”
“Please,” I pressed, using my hands on each of his cheeks to force him to look at me. “Answer my question and we can move on. I promise.”
He groaned like the war waging in his head was too much and then sighed. “You really want to know?” He asked, “You want to know what part of your insecurities I’d exploit if you were just a job to me? You want me to tell you how I’d destroy you?”
“Yes.” I whispered, not completely sure after all. But I couldn’t turn back now, not since seeing the intensity in his eyes as he asked.
“I’d make you love me.” He replied, leaving me breathless, as if my lungs were frozen. “Because that’s your weakness, Sloane. Your biggest vulnerability is you believe you’re incapable of loving anyone. Of being loved back. So to destroy you, I’d trick you into loving me. Then I’d own you. And then I’d ruin you with it.”
“I—” I stammered, sweat beads grew along my spine as his words swirled around the surrounding air. Just because he could, didn’t mean he would. I knew him better than that. “You wouldn’t—”
“Enough.” He cut me off with a pained shake of his head. “I said I’d tell you and then we’d move on. No more.”
“Tamen.” I tried once again, unable to just let it go. But he was ready to move on like he hadn’t just cut me from throat to belly button, exposing my biggest fears to a monster capable of using them against me.
“I just wanted to relax for a few days with you, Sloane.” He sighed, closing his eyes and leaning forward to rest his forehead against my sternum. As if the move was a natural one I’d been practicing for years, I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him to me as I dragged my nails over the back of his scalp. “I just wanted to spoil you in Vegas for everything you’ve done for me and for Prism. That’s all.” He said in a pained voice as he tightened his arms around my waist. “I just wanted to treat you like a Goddess for a few days in one of my favorite cities. I didn’t want this.”
I swallowed, forcing air into my lungs and blinked away the tears that angrily burned along my lashes as I fought to get control of my emotions and fears.
“Ooh,” I shimmied, and bit my lip. “Tell me more. I love being spoiled.”
Hesitantly, he leaned back and stared at me, before choosing to move on, just like I did, even though it felt wrong. Finally, he cracked a small smile and slid his hands under the skirt of my dress and relaxed back into his seat. “You’ve been incredible the last few months, taking on new tasks and surprising me at every turn with your magnificent mind and dedication. And I want to spend a few days doing whatever pleases you.”
“Whatever—” I mused, leaning in to brush my lips over his, “Anything I want?”
He chuckled and deepened the kiss I was teasing him with. “Just know that whatever you torture me with for your enjoyment, I’ll get revenge on you with my form of enjoyment.”
“Deal.” I agreed instantly as his fingers brushed over my panties. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”