Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cassius
I wake up warm and feeling like I’m lying on a cloud. This is the most comfortable mattress I have ever been on in my entire life, and I need to figure out what it is so I can get one for my own bed. I have money for things like that now.
I open my eyes, the light bright and causing an instant headache.
Fuck.
Hangover.
I groan, turning over to give the light my back and close my eyes, hoping to go back to sleep.
Harmon has a meeting today, which is the reason we came here in the first place, and I’m sure he will wake me up when I need to be woken up. He won’t let me oversleep. Though, he doesn’t need me at the meeting. He just wanted to bring me along to… I don’t know, really.
I can’t help but hope that it’s because he needed me here with him.
That he’s learned to rely on me, maybe want me around more often.
That’s how I feel about him. I look forward to seeing him and when I’m not with him, I think about him.
I wonder what he’s doing, and if he’s thinking about me too.
So maybe he asked me here because he didn’t want to be without me…
I’m slightly sore, and I smile to myself as I recall last night, clear as day.
His growly voice. The way his fingers dug into my skin. Him sucking my fingers clean. Fucking me until he came.
Fuck, it was so hot…
There is a soft knock on the door, and I lift my head to look that way. Harmon is standing in the doorway, already showered and fully dressed.
“Is it possible for you to be hotter than you were yesterday? Because you are.”
He doesn’t smile, and that has my stomach dropping.
“You’re awake,” he says, very business-like.
“Yep. I’m awake.” I glance at the clock.
8:43. Good. I still have plenty of time to get ready since the meeting isn’t until eleven and it’s in this hotel’s conference room on the second floor.
“Let me guess,” I say, pushing myself up to sit.
It’s better I do this rather than hear it from him first. It’ll hurt less.
“You regret last night and it can’t happen again. Right?”
He studies me, his gaze sharp, then says, “Wrong.”
“Wrong?” I blurt, shocked over his response.
This is how it goes. It’s not what I want, but it is what I expected.
What we did last night was not supposed to happen, and though I am completely fine with it, obviously he’s not.
Though… maybe he is. Maybe I’m wrong about him,
Harmon shakes his head, walking into the room. He sits on the edge of the bed.
“I didn’t come in here to tell you that I regret it. Saying that would be a lie. I don’t regret it, and I’d love nothing more than to do it again—among many other things.”
“Jesus,” I whisper, running my hand through my hair.
“But I do need to say that we have to be careful, and I need to make sure that you can handle this.”
“Oh, I can handle it all right.”
“I mean emotionally, Cassius. I don’t do relationships, and this is… messy.”
“I’ll be fine. Trust me. All good.”
He watches me, his gaze dipping from my eyes to my lips then back up.
He sighs, turning his attention to the floor, then says, “Since the first moment I saw you, I wanted you. More than just as my slave. I knew going in that you were a temptation I shouldn’t dangle in front of me, but here we are.”
“From the very first day?”
Nodding, he adds, “There is something about you that intrigues me. Interests me. Makes me want to break the rules and push boundaries, as you can see. But I knew it wouldn’t be fair to ask that of you—and paying you for sex is wrong.”
“Hey, I’m totally okay with that, too.”
“Are you though?” he asks, his rough tone throwing me for a loop. It makes my chest feel weird. “Maybe you are now, but for how long?”
“Look, no offense, but I’ve done the friends with benefits thing for a long time with a couple of people, and I’ve never had to worry about feelings.
I’m too busy for feelings, Harmon. I have a family to take care of.
I have two sisters that are my full responsibility, and trust me, they’re like having kids. ”
“If you’re sure—”
“I am,” I say, leaning forward and taking his hand. I stare him right in the eyes. “If I wasn’t, I would tell you. I’m not trying to make a mess for either of us.”
“And how do you feel about the contract?” he asks, his voice raspy.
“Should I feel a certain way about it?”
“We’re breaching it. I’ve never done this before, and I’m not sure how to navigate it. I want you to be comfortable while being taken care of. I can’t add all of this into it, that would be wrong, but breaking it isn’t any better.”
I sit back, nodding and thinking over what he’s said.
“Okay, yeah. I get that. So—oh, I know. How about we do this? We will stick to the contract on the schedule listed, but any other time, it’s a free for all.”
His lips turn up on one side. “Free for all?”
I shrug.
“That could be difficult,” he says. “But it does make sense. Perhaps when we renew the contract we can shorten the hours? This way you have time for that family of yours.” He gets to his feet, straightening his blue tie.
“Because what I have in store for you won’t be quick.
” He gives me his back, walking out the door.
“Get dressed so I can feed you breakfast.
The conference room is like a football field and not at all what I imagined it would be like. I expected a long table with lots of chairs and bright lights. Coffee and businessmen and snacks.
The only thing I was correct on was the first two, though there aren’t nearly as many of them as I thought there would be.
“What is this?” I ask as we walk into the room.
“Ah, Mr. Stone. I hope you made it in okay?”
A man with bronze skin, blond hair, and a bright, toothy smile walks up to greet Harmon, holding his hand out to shake.
He’s the only one in the room not wearing a suit.
In fact, his outfit is a little… extra—cream tailored trousers cropped just above the ankle, a sheer silk shirt left casually unbuttoned, and a pair of designer loafers so bold they look more like a statement than a shoe.
“We got in last night, thank you. This is my associate, Cassius Carr.”
I almost laugh at associate. It’s the second time he’s called me that now.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” I say, offering my hand.
“Julio James,” he says, shaking my hand and looking me up and down. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Enough, James. He isn’t interested,” Harmon says firmly.
“What? I’m always in need of models.” Julio shrugs.
“Models?” I question.
But that goes unanswered, just like my first one.
Harmon walks toward a group of men, so I follow behind him. He told me to stay close and pay attention, so that’s what I’m trying to do.
“—Harmon Stone, the CEO of Stone Timeworks. If there is anyone in this room that you should impress, it’s him.”
Everyone chuckles, except Harmon. And me.
“Thank you,” he says politely. “I would appreciate it if you did not try to impress me, and instead just did your best. I need this commercial to be right, and the model is what makes it hit or miss.”
Julio claps his hands, ushering the men away. “So charming, as always,” he mutters to Harmon. “Go take your seats.”
“Come,” Harmon says, leading the way to a row of chairs against a wall.
“Models?” I whisper loud enough for him to hear me as we take our seats. “Do you normally do this in a hotel conference room?”
“Not typically, but it’s all our schedule could work out on such short notice.”
“Why was it short notice?”
“There was an issue within my company, and so I’m working out a new, last-minute commercial to help push the line.”
“What kind of issue?” I ask.
He glances at me, looking as if he doesn’t want to tell me, but then he explains.
“Someone stole a prototype right before it was to be released. By the time we’d noticed, they were already releasing it. So, it’s a serious problem for us.”
“Shit,” I hiss. “That’s ridiculous. What are you doing about it?”
“The legal department has been working on it, but it’s been a pain in the ass. The media got a hold of it and of course making me look like the asshole sells more than the other way around. It’s going to court. It’ll be settled. We just have to be patient.”
“And you think pushing a new commercial will…”
“Take people’s eyes off the stolen product and focus on this style of watch instead.”
“Right. Yeah. I mean, it makes sense.”
“Good. Now focus on the men and tell me which one you like best.”
I sit back in my chair proudly.
He wants my opinion.
We spend the next hour watching men walk out of a door about a hundred feet from us and pretend they’re walking a red carpet.
When they reach us, turn this way and that, adjust their cuff links, their ties, run their hands through their hair.
Every little thing they can to look sophisticated while also bringing attention to the sleek silver watch on their wrist.
Before they come out, their names are announced and I do my best to remember them while they’re doing their thing, so I can tell Harmon which ones I liked.
“So, what did you think?” Julio asks once everyone has taken their turn.
“You did good this time. No one was drunk.”
“Hey,” Julio says, pointing a finger at him but smirking. “That was not my fault. And I fired him on the spot. Ruined his career. Last I knew, he’s begging for change near Grand Central.”
Harmon sighs, and says, “I’ll email you.”
He turns to leave, so I follow.
Behind us, Julio calls out, “I need an answer within an hour, Stone!”
We make our way back to our room, where Harmon loosens his tie and sits on the couch. He hasn’t said a word to me since we left the conference room. He looks stressed.
“You okay?” I ask, going to him.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? Because you don’t look it.”
He turns his head to look at me. “Why would you say that?”
“Because I have two eyes that work very well.”
He huffs a humorless laugh. “Are you okay if we stay in today? I’ll order room service.” He slips his arm around my waist, tugging me to his side.
“As if I have a say.”
“You have a say,” he says, burying his face in my neck and inhaling.
He drags his nose up the column of my neck, nipping at my ear lobe.
Dragging his lips along my jaw, he finds mine, kissing me deeply.
I turn to face him, moving to swing my leg over his lap, but he stops me. “I have a better idea.”
“Oh?”
Kissing me one last time, he gets to his feet and offers me his hand.
I take it, and he leads me through the living room and into the bathroom.
He leaves me by the sink and goes to the bathtub to turn the faucets on.
The water pours in through a wide opening above the side of the tub like a waterfall.
Harmon walks back to me with an intense look on his face.
He undoes my tie, leaning past me to put it on the counter top, then slides his hands along my chest and up my shoulders to push my jacket off.
That too goes on the counter. He untucks my shirt from my pants, undoes my buttons one by one.
He works quickly but gently, getting me undressed until I am completely naked.
His warm hands stay on my hips, and he leans in to kiss my neck, then he gets to his knees and kisses the tip of my hard dick.
“Fuck,” I groan, grasping onto the counter.
“Look at me,” he demands.
I blink a few times, taking a breath before I bring my gaze downward, to him.
The air leaves my lungs as I take in the sight. This powerful man, fully dressed in his expensive suit, kneeling before me as if I deserve it.
He opens his mouth, leaning forward to take me in. His lips close around the head of my cock and he sucks, making a damn show of it. My head falls back, my body shudders.
“Cassius,” he says. “Look at me.”
“I c-can’t,” I say.
“You will or I’ll stop.”
“If I watch, I’ll come in two seconds,” I say, swallowing hard.
“And you think I care about that?” Gritting my teeth, I look down at him. “You know it’s what I want,” he adds. “So just give it to me.”
The tub filling with water echoes around the room but does nothing to drown out my moans when he takes me into his mouth again.
This time deeper, but still just sucking on me like you would a lollipop.
He doesn’t bob his head back and forth like all the other blow jobs I’ve gotten, he just sucks on me like he’s trying to get the cum out.
It works. And fuck does it feel good.
He moans as I come in his mouth, the orgasm nearly bringing me to the floor. When he’s sucked every drop from me, he gets to his feet and leans close, his lips brushing mine.
“You taste so good,” he whispers, then he licks his lips and begins to get himself undressed.