Chapter 7
KIT
I’ve just finished my dinner, which I ate without really tasting it, and am seriously considering heading back to the bar to see what’s going on now and who’s about, when there’s a knock at the door to the apartment.
Hmm. Who’s that going to be? I let my butler go for the night and I didn’t tell the Americans where in the hotel I was staying, so, apart from an unexpected staff member, that only leaves one person it could be.
I try not to get too excited as I walk to the door to open it.
Just in case. I’d rather not have to deal with any more disappointment right now.
I’m already feeling agitated after seeing an online ad featuring Katya in her new modelling campaign for the fashion brand she’d been obsessed with for ages.
Her ultimate fantasy. Her dream come true.
How do you compete with that?
I know, I know, I should be avoiding looking at the internet while I’m here, especially social media, but I was bored, okay, and needed a distraction.
Taking a breath and fixing a casual smile onto my face, I open the door.
It’s not a staff member.
My spirits rise and my pulse picks up.
‘Dash?’
‘Don’t say anything. Okay? Just… please, don’t ask me to explain why I’m here right now. Not yet anyway,’ she says, a tight frown creasing the soft skin of her brow.
I blink in confusion, then pull myself together and nod, looking at her expectantly. I don’t want to get my hopes up only to find she’s here for another round of blowing me off. Rather than blowing me.
Shit, don’t go there right now, dude.
‘Can I come in?’ she asks. There’s a weird vibration in her voice that I’ve not heard before.
I nod again and stand back so she can walk in through the door and past me to the sitting room of the apartment.
She doesn’t sit down though, just stands there looking at me, her eyes narrowed and her brow still pinched as if she’s angry with me about something.
I’m not sure what I’m meant to have done though. All I did was invite her for a drink with my new friends earlier.
Although, I guess I was a bit lecture-y about the issue she’s having with getting freaky with me last night.
But I was only trying to put her mind at rest.
And yeah, okay, maybe trying to change it.
Sue me.
She’s clearly nervous and is scratching gently at the sides of her legs in a way that makes me think she doesn’t realise she’s doing it.
Interesting.
I wait for her to speak, hyper aware she asked me not to question her about why she’s here.
I’ll happily wait, just appreciating the cool beauty of her until she’s ready to talk.
She opens her mouth, then snaps it shut again. Then lets out a frustrated-sounding snort, her lips pressed into a grimace. Her fingers continue to tap at her sides.
Breaking eye contact with me, she turns away and wanders further into the room, reaching out to run her fingertips over the back of the modular sofa. Even when she’s edgy about being here with me, her movements are as graceful as ever.
Halfway into the room, she abruptly turns on her heel and quickly strides back to where I’m still standing.
Her gaze snaps to mine again, but this time there’s a fierce look in her eyes, like she’s made a decision and is determined to let me know what it is.
‘Look – can I kiss you? I really want to kiss you right now,’ she states.
This I was not expecting. But it’s not exactly an unwelcome surprise. It’s intriguing. And exhilarating.
My stomach tightens and I feel myself get hard.
Because I really want her to kiss me right now. I think I want it more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
I’m fucking craving it, in fact.
So I nod one more time, keeping my gaze firmly locked with hers.
She hesitates for one long, tormenting moment, before taking a step closer to me, then another, until we’re only inches apart.
The air’s vibrating around us.
My skin prickles with need.
This is sweet, slow torture and I’m loving it.
I really want to reach out and touch her, but I’m not going to. I’m going to let her lead this dance. She obviously needs to. To get some control back over her life, I guess.
Finally, she leans in and presses her mouth against mine, the intensely familiar scent of her filling my senses.
My entire body responds to the light contact of her lips on mine and I have to force myself not to step into the kiss and take over.
I want to thrust my tongue deep into her mouth and taste the sweetness of her.
To slide my hands over her soft curves. To feel the slickness between her legs coat my fingers.
Fucking hell.
My imagination is already twenty steps ahead of what’s happening in real time and I really need to slow my racing thoughts down so we’re both at the same speed.
Thankfully, she moves closer, pressing her full, soft breasts against my chest and opening her mouth against mine. I feel the tip of her tongue slide against the inside of my bottom lip, and I force myself to be still and let her explore my mouth, reacquainting herself with it.
We always did kiss each other well. With passion and purpose. None of that annoying nibbling and pecking some people seem to go for.
A low, throaty moan comes from deep within her and I almost lose my cool, managing to hang on by a thread as she presses even harder against me and moves her mouth firmly over mine now, pushing her tongue deep into my mouth.
It’s invasive and brilliant and such a fucking turn-on.
I’m loving this.
But at the same time there’s something bugging me.
I take a second to bring myself back into the room.
She’s trembling.
It gives me pause.
I don’t want her to be anything less than 100 per cent sure that she really wants this. So I lift my hands to circle her upper arms and gently, but firmly, separate us so I can look her in the face.
‘I know you don’t want to talk,’ I say, my voice gravelly with need. ‘But I have to make absolutely sure you’re really into this and that you definitely want to have sex with me. You’re enthusiastically consenting, yes? I don’t want to just assume anything here.’
‘Yes. This is me enthusiastically consenting to fuck you.’
‘Good. Glad we cleared that up. One more thing. Tell me what you want.’
She draws in a shuddery breath, but keeps her gaze locked with mine. ‘I want you to fuck me. Hard. Like you used to. I’ve been numb since it all happened and I just want to feel something again.’
I look into her face, wanting to take a minute to reassure myself she really means what she’s saying. That she’s not going to regret it later.
I see only confidence and resolve in her expression.
‘Okay. I’ll be back in a minute,’ I say, stepping away from her.
‘Where are you going?’ she asks, sounding a bit panicked, as if she’s worried I’m going to hightail it out of a window or something.
‘Getting condoms. They’re in the bathroom,’ I say, flashing her a meaningful smile.
‘Oh. Yeah. Of course, good thinking.’ She shakes her head at herself, widening her eyes, then rolling them as if she can’t believe she was being so obtuse.
‘Give yourself a break, Dasher, it’s hard not to be befuddled by my charisma,’ I joke, wanting to keep the mood light.
It works. She laughs and rolls her eyes at me instead.
‘Back in a mo,’ I promise, flipping her a grin, then heading into the bathroom.
I close the door behind me quietly, needed a moment on my own to get my head straight before we engage in this madness – which it probably is, to be honest.
Crazy, but necessary?
It was inevitable I suppose, from the moment we locked eyes with each other in the hotel’s reception yesterday, that this was where we’d end up. Even if we were both pretending it wasn’t.
Staring into the mirror, I check in with myself.
Is this really such a good idea? Especially as we split up before because our outlooks on life are so disparate?
But this isn’t meant to be a serious thing, I remind myself. And we’re both different people now. More mature and experienced. And unlikely to cross each other’s paths again after we leave this hotel.
I’m actually in a much stronger place now, mentally, despite Katya abandoning me.
That suddenly all feels so far away. Like it could have happened to someone else. That’s the Chloe effect, I guess. She’s a real head-turner.
So this could be a liberation. A proper conclusion to something that’s always felt like a loose thread dangling in the darkest recess of my mind.
The entirety of my body is saying, For Christ’s sake, just do it. My pupils are shot with lust and I’m trembling a bit too. In a good way. An adrenalized, motivated way.
I need this to happen right now.
And it’ll only be sex.
It’s the wrong time for both of us to get into anything heavier.
Yeah, I can do this without getting all emo about it, for fuck’s sake.
Grabbing a couple of condoms from my wash kit, I shove them into my back pocket, then check my appearance and give myself one last definitive nod before opening the door and heading out of the bathroom.
Walking back into the living area, my heart pounding in my chest, I come to a screeching halt when I see her standing there waiting for me. She’s biting her lip and her fingers are twisted into her skirt. She’s the embodiment of explicit sexual need.
It’s such an intensely erotic visual my breath catches in my throat.
‘Jesus,’ I say, without thinking.
‘What?’
She looks suddenly worried, like she’s afraid I’ve changed my mind about doing this.
‘You’re so fucking beautiful,’ I say to reassure her. ‘I think my legs are going to give way.’
‘Ha. Funny.’
‘I’m not joking.’
‘No?’
‘No.’
She lets out a nervous giggle, still looking a bit unsure.
‘Come here,’ I say, keeping my expression serious.
I like to command.
And I love seeing how her pupils blow out and colour appears on her cheeks as she responds positively to it.
She always did like me in control in the bedroom.
It seems she still does.
Well, good fucking job because that’s definitely working for me right now.
* * *
Chloe