Chapter 14
Ihadn’t seen Greyson Tides in days. I searched for him every time I entered the office, glanced through the lobby, or made an excuse to get coffee from the client coffee bar to catch a glimpse of him walking through to his elevator. He’d left me disappointed each time, as had my stranger. After that last night of pleasure, he hadn’t returned. His gifts continued, however, surprising me every morning.
Returning to my apartment, I absently fingered the more extravagant bracelet he’d left me. It was beautiful. The emeralds in it matched my eyes, and I wondered if he’d chosen it for that reason. If he had, it meant he had seen my eyes in the daylight. I shrugged away the disturbing sense that thought brought to me, rationalizing it just as I did the fact that this man somehow gained access to my apartment daily without me knowing. The word stalker tried to seep into my consciousness, but I was too far into the fairy tale I’d told myself this was to give it any notion.
It was likely good that I hadn’t seen Greyson. The claim he’d laid on me in his office still tingled through my veins, the feel of his hand on my skin still as prominent as my stranger’s touch. When he made his next move on me, I’d have to reconcile the need I had for my mystery man with the one I had for Greyson. I fingered the bracelet again, pushing the worry away and smiling as I walked into my apartment, my eyes falling on the beautiful dress draped over my table. The Christmas party was tonight. I’d said I wasn’t going, but Sherry had visited me before leaving the office and reminded me that Greyson expected me. Her words had sent a jolt of currents soaring through me. Greyson Tides wanted me there, and I had no doubt he’d make his next move, whatever that might be.
I closed the door and moved to the table, fingering the satin navy dress. It was so delicate, something that seemed foreign to my life now. I ran a finger over the sparkly silver shoes that sat upon it, noting the designer brand label. There was a note tucked in one and I picked it up.
I expect a dance with you tonight.
My stranger. He’d left me the dress and would be at the party this evening. I shivered in anticipation, my mind going through all the possibilities of finally finding out who he was. And of having both him and Greyson in one room. I didn’t know what to expect from that situation. Greyson had staked his claim, but my stranger had his own claim on me. Sure, it was one that was built on a very sketchy foundation, but it was one I couldn’t deny.
A necklace lay on the dress, the diamonds shimmering, and I absently touched them. Diamonds? Emeralds? Dresses that looked like they cost a fortune? My stranger had money, and that thought stirred something in my mind along with the other nudges that had flitted in and out of my thoughts the past week. There was something I was missing—the scent that lingered in the air, the firm and familiar touch, the lavish gifts.
I glanced around the apartment at the expensive furnishings Greyson had given me. I knew the difference between luxury brands and bargain brands. Mason had been my guardian long enough, and everything he bought me was high-end. Greyson Tides had money at his disposal, time on his hands, and a smirk that burned through me like the tongue of my stranger on my skin.
I rushed to my cabinets, pulling open the drawer where I kept every note the stranger had left me. And the note from Greyson. Holding tight to the newest note, I held Greyson’s up to it, inhaling sharply as I saw the similarities.
Dropping the notes, I backed up. Greyson Tides was my stranger. I should have seen it earlier, never understanding how my stranger could enter my apartment and forgetting that Greyson had decorated it while I wasn’t there. He had to have a key. My stranger had never broken in. There was never a sign of forced entry. That was why his touch was familiar and the scent that filled my senses when he came to me. It was Greyson all along.
I sat on my bed, trying to reconcile the fact that both men who infatuated me were the same man. Greyson had been the one to bring me to ecstasy each time. His touch was the one I was craving every night. Chewing my lip, I looked back at the dress. He was playing a game, and I wondered why he’d gone to so much trouble. Maybe he just had strange fetishes…but he’d stated I was his in his office. Claiming me. I thought of the way he’d lifted my skirt, his hand running up my thigh, and how familiar his touch was. It had been a blatant show of power, a sign he expected I wouldn’t see. All this time, he’d been toying with me, letting me crave him while taking a taste of me. Watching me, knowing my every like and dislike. I thought of the first time I’d met him, thinking it was a coincidence. It hadn’t been. He’d been following me even that early, claiming his stake on me that first day.
Standing, I picked up the dress. If Greyson wanted to play a game, it was time to play along with him. I should have been angry, but everything about this situation went against my rational thoughts. Greyson Tides went against them. I’d wanted him from the moment his blue eyes met mine. I’d wanted him when he’d claimed I was his and that he’d kill anyone who touched me. I’d wanted him when he had me tied up and writhing against his tongue. I still wanted him, but this time, I wanted him on my terms, and I wanted all of him. The game was about to become mine.
I took my time getting ready, thinking through my plan as I did. The dress fit perfectly. It flowed to cover my feet, leaving just the sparkly tips of the stilettos showing. The back dipped dangerously low, and I was glad my breasts were small because I couldn’t wear a bra. I could have used something for support, but Greyson had started a game I intended to play. Seeing his reaction to my free breasts seemed like something worth risking. I piled my hair up in an elegant bun, leaving long wisps free. I looked like a princess from a fairy tale…my fairy tale. If only I could show Ava…shit, wait until she found out Greyson Tides wanted me. I hadn’t told her about my stranger. I wasn’t sure how she would react, and the fact that I’d continued to let him play was warped beyond any understanding I could attribute to anyone hearing the story.
If Greyson desired me, he was going to have me. And after tonight, if I had my way, he’d have me completely because when I was through, I would own Greyson as much as he wanted to own me.
I was mattingmy lip gloss when my phone buzzed.
Greyson Tides.
Damn, how had he put his number in my phone? And how had I not noticed? The message simply said a car was waiting for me. A car? He’d even sent a car for me. I rummaged through my closet for something pretty to cover my shoulders from the cold. I had nothing that would work, but my scarves caught my eye. Their extra-long length had made them perfect for tying me up, an act that juxtaposed the memory and delicate beauty of them. They’d now come to represent a forbidden affair, one that toed the line of criminal only because I had invited it. To anyone else, it would be grounds for prison time. But I wasn’t anyone else, and neither was Greyson Tides. Shrugging, I grabbed them and layered them before draping them elegantly around my shoulders. They hung the perfect length down the front of the dress, as any other wrap would. I touched the top one, noting how the rich red hue complimented the blue in the dress. My heart beat at the overt sign, and I wondered if he’d play along or if my boldness would make him step back. He didn’t strike me as the type of man to back away so easily from a game he’d brazenly started, one he’d determined he’d already won.
Giving myself a last glance in the mirror, I rushed from the apartment and down to the black sedan that was waiting on the curb. The driver nodded to me and opened the door. I felt like a princess on her way to the ball. He’d even cleared a path in the snow so my shoes wouldn’t get wet. As I settled into the seat, I wondered if that had been Greyson’s instructions or just a thoughtful gesture from the driver.
I rested my head against the seat, my stomach a bundle of nerves. Thoughts of Greyson and everything he’d done since I first arrived filled my head. From saving my purse to decorating my apartment to sneaking in my apartment and pleasuring me. Anger should have been the emotion I was feeling, but he’d done nothing to hurt me. I knew hurt. I knew betrayal. I knew fear. And nothing he’d done had brought me any of those emotions. Once I trusted that he wouldn’t hurt me, I’d invited him to touch me. I’d invited him into my life.
The hotel was on the upper end of town, near the shopping district. It stood tall and regal, warm light spilling from its doors as my driver helped me from the car. The doormen held the doors open for me while I walked up the red carpet, feeling like a movie star.
Blue and white snowflakes adorned the pillars in the lobby and the staircase that led to the second floor, where the ballroom was. I held my breath as I climbed, my nerves tingling through me like butterflies on a spring day. Just like the night I’d fled Treemont, there was no turning back now. I was in charge, and this was my game now, no matter what Greyson Tides expected.
Music streamed from the ballroom, a pale bluish light adding to the ambiance as I took my first steps in. I couldn’t stop myself from gaping, my eyes taking in everything down to the tiniest of details. I’d been to a few parties Mason had hosted, but none were as extravagant as this. Tables sat throughout the room with vibrant blue and white roses. A chandelier with too many crystals to count hung above a dance floor, sending sparkles of light out that looked like snowflakes in the blue haze of the room. Frosted garland and twinkling lights hung from the ceiling. Royal blue cloth with tiny snowflakes embroidered into it covered each table. White tea lights in long glass cylinders sat in the center, surrounded by more roses, these white with blue frosted petals.
I could have looked in wonder the entire night had my focus not settled on Greyson. He was standing in the far corner, resting against the wall with his arms crossed. It was clear he didn’t want to socialize. This was for his guests and not for him. I wondered if he bothered to attend every year or if he was only there for me. The thought sent a cascade of tremors through me. He lifted his blue eyes to me, a sexy curve forming on his lips. He looked even yummier than he usually did. His auburn hair was dark in the lighting, making his blue eyes even more startling. The tux he wore fit perfectly and left me hungry with the way it emphasized his toned figure. My heart stammered, and I hated the effect he had on me. How easily he unraveled me with just the intensity of his gaze.
My path didn’t falter. I avoided the stares and the murmurs as I walked through the tables and stopped halfway on the dance floor. It was time for me to take control of whatever game Greyson was playing. I raised a brow at him and parted my lips, seeing how his gaze faltered for just that moment. People continued to dance as the music slowed and Greyson left his place on the wall. His eyes didn’t leave mine, and I knew we’d be the talk of the city in the morning. That I’d likely no longer have a job because Greyson Tides was the company’s owner, and I was in a position under him. I didn’t care. I wanted Greyson, and I knew he wanted me. He’d already laid his claim on me. He’d ripped orgasms from me that were more powerful than any I’d had and ingrained the touch of his hands on my skin as well as the pressure of his tongue on my clit.
“Miss Brinks,” he said, stopping just shy of me. There was something sweet about the adoration that sat in his eyes, and it warmed my heart.
“Are you going to dance with me, Mr. Tides?” I asked. “Or is that inappropriate?”
He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close, taking my hand in his. It felt natural, like he was meant to hold me, our hands fitting perfectly together.
“Like how you staked your claim on me?” I whispered.
He gave me a coy grin. “You look delectable, Miss Brinks. Maybe I’m paying you too much.” He fingered the bracelet. “Or is there another man I need to worry about?” he said against my ear. He drew back, his eyes dark. “I think I told you what I thought about anyone touching you.”
My insides quivered, warmth flowing between my legs. “Then I suppose you’ll need to fight for me…Greyson.”
His eyes searched mine and I could read the humor in them. He didn’t know that I suspected, and he liked the game he was playing. I couldn’t wait to take his power and stake my own claim.
He leaned close to my ear again, “I told you, Riley. I will burn this city, this province, this world down around you before I let anyone touch what’s mine.”
I couldn’t stop my sharp inhale, his words weakening me to my core.
The music stopped, but he didn’t let me go, even as another song started. His gaze was intense, and he seemed to see deep into my soul.
I leaned closer to him, letting my lips graze his neck, and murmured, “Then burn it down.”
His eyes danced with hunger, melting me with their ferocity. For a moment, I almost forgot about the game and where we were. His hand slid up my back, the touch on my bare skin firm and confident. My body rebelled, the dampness between my legs growing and, as if he knew, his lips turned to a coy grin that had me teetering in my heels. I needed to move before I lost control of the game and gave in to my need for him. We were in a hotel. There were plenty of places for him to tear my dress off and take me like I was craving. And if I didn’t make my move, that’s exactly where he’d have me.
“It’s time to finish laying your claim on me and no safe word will stop you this time, Mr. Tides,” I said, backing out of his hold and feeling how his hand twitched like he wanted to keep me there.
I let my wrap slip, and he caught it as it fell. His eyes took in the scarves before he glanced back at me. The smile he gave me was mischievous, and it left my knees weak.
I turned and left him there with the scarves. I’d played my cards; now, I would wait to see if he would fold to me.