Chapter 40
40
Cat
H e pulls me from the room and leads me down a hall.
“Where are we going?” I laugh as he nearly runs up the marble staircase that leads to the second floor.
“I need you,” he bites out. He slides to a stop on the balcony, then rounds on me. Sounds of merriment drift up from the crowd below, a reminder that we are very much not alone. Theo’s expression has a feral edge, like he might push my dress up and fuck me, but it will be out of his control.
“What are we doing, Theo? Is this for the list?”
He steps in, and the look in his eye forces me to take a step back. And another, until my back hits cool stone, and we’re enclosed by the velvet drapes that line this part of the balcony. Theo keeps coming until his broad shoulders and that impossibly handsome face fill my vision. His eyes are wild still and desperate.
He still hasn’t responded.
“The list,” I repeat. I need to circumscribe this, need to put him neatly in a box. “There’s public sex, and a really good blow—”
“Cat.” His voice is hoarse, and his face is pained .
“What?”
“Stop talking.”
His lips slant over mine. Theo’s kiss is open-mouthed, hot, desperate. He makes a hungry sound as I kiss him back. His hands are everywhere, kneading my hip, cupping my jaw. He’s drinking me in like he’s starving, like if he doesn’t kiss me right now , he’ll die.
I feel like I’m soaring as I push my hands under the shoulders of his jacket. He hisses a noise that might be yes and pushes me back into the wall.
Theo is rough and wild, and I love it .
He pulls one leg around his waist, then the other, until it’s just him and the wall holding me up. One buck of his hips, and I’m gasping into his mouth. He’s hard and hot, even through his suit pants, and oh god, right there. I cry out, and his hand comes over my mouth. My eyes fly open. His green ones are filling my vision.
“You need to keep quiet,” he murmurs. “The whole dance floor is below us. Can you do that?”
I nod, and he removes his hand.
He rolls his hips again while he watches my face.
“Fuck, Theo.”
He smiles sharply. “If you insist.” His mouth drops to my neck, and his fingers push my gown up to my thighs.
“This isn’t on the list.”
“It’s on my list,” he grits out. He kisses me again, hard and fast, before he presses his thumb over my clit. I choke back a cry.
“You’re so wet, princess.” His shuddering breath tells me he likes it. “Did you like when I was teasing you earlier?”
I nod, and he rewards me with another stroke. Pleasure streaks through me. My eyes are half-lidded, enough to see that Theo is watching me as he pushes my thong to the side and finally slides his fingers through the wetness between my legs. He watches me as he pushes one thick finger inside me. He kisses me before my gasp can give us away. And then he fucks me with his hand while he holds me up. It’s everything I can do not to cry out as he uses the heel of his palm on my clit and his fingers inside me, twisting and circling. He’s winding me tighter and tighter and I’m going to fall. Any second now, especially when he adds a second finger and I feel so impossibly full of him. My stomach is heavy and warm, and my legs are shaking.
“Theo, I can’t—” The ballroom is too close, and it’s too much. My breaths come harder, frustration rising, until Theo’s lips press into the crease of my neck, soft and warm. His stubble abrades my skin.
“I’ve got you, baby,” he says. “Let go for me.”
He’ll be there to catch me if I fall, and that makes all the difference.
He kisses me as I ride his hand, and his fingers plunge hard and fast into me. He swallows the sound of my orgasm as I moan into his mouth and clench around his fingers. The pleasure is sharp and sweet, and I sag against the wall when I’m done shaking.
Holy shit. My breaths are shallow and fast. I meet his eyes. He looks desperate still, like that orgasm took the edge off for me, but only stoked his hunger.
“The list, Theo.”
He lets my other leg drop. “Which item?” His voice is a harsh whisper. His hand goes to his belt buckle, and suddenly, I want nothing but this. Nothing but Theo and the way he looks at me like I’m the only woman he sees. Like watching me come on his hand fulfilled his every fantasy.
“Learn to give a really good blowjob,” I say.
He chokes a breath. “Really?” His lids close briefly.
“Are you okay?” I whisper.
“Give me a minute.” He swallows, his throat working. “Why do you want that?”
“It seems powerful,” I say.
“Powerful,” he repeats. “Yeah, I guess it is.” His mouth lifts. “Get on your knees.” The command pings through me, primal and satisfying. I comply.
“You want this?” His hand cradles my jaw. His thumb brushes my lips. His voice might be hard, but his eyes are soft. “I like it rough, Cat. You might not enjoy this.”
“Yes.” The word escapes on a breath. Rough sounds delicious .
He undoes his belt with sharp, jerky movements, and when his cock finally springs free, I freeze. He’s big. Really big. I saw how big he was at the pool, but now he’s about to be in my mouth, and he’s smirking at me like he knows what I’m thinking. I don’t have time to react, because his thumb presses into my lip until my mouth parts. With a zing of awareness, I realize I’m at his mercy. And I don’t have to know how to do any of this, because Theo will walk me through it. Theo, who’s looking at me like he’s never wanted anything more than fifteen minutes with me behind a curtain.
“Open your mouth, baby.”
I love that he isn’t too nice for this. That instead of treating me like glass, he’s fisting his cock and forcing my lips open.
I suck him inside, savoring the taste of salt and skin. His hoarse sound of pleasure is everything.
“You want me to talk you through it?”
I make a sound of agreement and twine my tongue over the top of his cock. I can’t reach all of him. Not even close. His hips buck, and he laughs softly. “Maybe you don’t need me to talk you through it.” I do it again, just to hear his harsh exhale. “I like a little edge,” he says, his voice low and dark. “Use your hand. Yeah, like that. No, more. Grip it.”
I tighten my grip, and he gasps a breath.
“Now suck.”
I suck. He groans.
“More. Use your teeth. Scrape them—oh fuck, like that.” His cock thickens in my hand.
I let him hit the back of my throat, and he braces himself against the wall. I can watch his face like this, see how his mouth goes slack when I use my hand and my mouth at the same time.
“Cat, that’s too good.” His eyes are shut and his hips are chasing my mouth every time I suck him inside.
I feel impossibly powerful. Like a goddess, or a queen. His hand tangles in my hair.
“More,” he grits out. “Can you do that?”
I nod .
He hits the back of my throat again and again. He’s guiding me, taking from me, falling apart for me. I don’t have to think, I can just be.
“That’s too good,” he whispers. “Oh baby, like that, use your hand.” He chokes another breath. “Will you swallow?” His eyes meet mine.
I nod again.
“Fuck. I’m going to—” His cock jerks, and he spurts into my mouth, salty and thick and not at all gross. In fact, sucking him down while he watches me is the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced. “Take it all,” he commands, pumping into my mouth. “Don’t waste a drop.”
My eyes go wide, and he grins. “Didn’t know I was into that,” he says, and I want to laugh. When he finally slips out of my mouth, he lingers, breathing heavy, leaning against the wall. I sit back on my heels, trembling.
“That was hot as fuck,” he whispers.
I start to laugh but cover my mouth so no one downstairs can hear us. Theo is laughing too. The sound fills me up. He pulls me up under my arms and helps me set my dress to rights. He’s grinning the whole time. I am too.
“This is dumb,” I whisper. “We’re dumb.”
“I’d do it again,” he says as he checks the back of my dress. “I’d do the whole damn list with you behind a curtain.”
My chest pinches. Because after tonight, it doesn’t seem like the list will ever be enough.
I wake the next morning to Theo knocking on my door. I open it blearily. He’s clothed. Damn. He sent me to bed last night with a wicked grin and a promise that his door was unlocked, but I couldn’t do it. Without the list between us, I’m not sure where we’d stand.
“What?” I stare at his stupidly handsome face, rough with stubble. His hair is wild, and he’s just in sweats. This is the Theo I like. A little bit raw, rough around the edges .
He passes me his phone. “I’m sorry to wake you like this. But you needed to see.”
I scan the article, not sure at first of what I’m seeing. “Peterson International to be controlled by disowned Peterson heiress.” I lift my gaze to Theo’s. Concern is written on his face.
“Your father,” he says. “It’s your father.”
I read the words out loud. “Peterson International, the multi-million-dollar conglomerate, will go to Catherine Peterson, in a drawn-out inheritance battle that leaves the company in the hands of the twenty-eight-year-old former heiress. Ms. Peterson has been the subject of much public scrutiny after her family publicly announced that they were disinheriting her after a series of scandals, culminating in the alleged theft by Ms. Peterson of valuable jewels from her family home. Ms. Peterson is married to Theo Archer, a partner at Kings Lane, who is known for his antics and tabloid scandals across the globe.” Shit. “I’m sorry,” I say.
Theo lifts a shoulder. “It’s not untrue. Keep reading.”
“Gregory Peterson, the current CEO of Peterson International, has said he will do anything to stop the takeover. ‘This is a travesty,’ he said. ‘My daughter has no interest in running a company and neither does her husband. He’s an empty-headed partier, and her takeover attempt, if you could call it that, is just a youthful rebellion. She’ll get bored like she always does, and then thousands of people will be left hanging. It’s a shame, really. We had succession plans in place for my business partner’s son to take it over. For a number of reasons, we think he’s far more qualified. We’re hopeful that the Peterson International shareholders will seek to oust my daughter from the board as soon as possible.’ The share transfer won’t take place until the end of the year, by which point, Ms. Peterson will be twenty-nine and still obtaining her MBA.”
I silently pass the phone back to Theo. “I expected this,” I say hollowly. “I expected—” My voice cracks. “Him to come for me. I kept hoping he’d change, but I shouldn’t have. He’ll do anything for power. I’m just collateral damage. ”
Theo’s hand lands on my shoulder. “It’s a pretty crappy way of getting what he wants,” he says gently.
“I’m sorry you’re caught up in this,” I say. Somehow that makes it all worse. Theo is being hurt by this and I have to fix it. I take a shuddering breath. I need to be strong. I’ll be running a company soon. “You should divorce me. My father is going to keep coming for me, and I don’t want you to be caught up in it.”
“We’re not getting divorced.” His words ring with finality and I give a jerky nod. He gives me a faint smile and tugs me toward the living room.
“I have to figure out how to respond. I can’t be weak, Theo. I can’t let him have the last word. The shareholders need to trust me. They’re mostly board members, and they can try to oust me. I need to go—”
“Cat,” he says.
We’re standing in the living room, and I don’t know how we got here. “Yes?” I look up at Theo’s face, soft and serious and still rugged with sleep.
“Sweetheart. Come here.” He sits on the couch and indicates that I sit on his lap. And it makes me so fucking weak, but I do.
When his arms close around me, it’s everything.
“You’re spiraling,” he says. His voice vibrates through the cheek I have pressed to his heart. The strong thump-thump anchors me. His hand strokes the nape of my neck.
“A little,” I say ruefully.
“Tell me,” he says.
“I just—I don’t know what to do.”
He makes a humming sound for me to continue.
“I’m not made for this. I have an English lit degree, for fuck’s sake. I’m near to failing my corporate finance class. I only got an internship because you gave me one. I can’t get a single board member to respond to me. I am not qualified to run a company. What my father’s saying isn’t a lie.”
Despair yawns, ready to swallow me whole .
Theo’s hand stills, squeezing gently. “I don’t think that’s true at all.”
I lean back so I can look at his face. “It is.” I have to make him understand. “I think—” My voice breaks again, and I suck in a shuddering breath. “I think maybe I’m not a very good person. And my father is right. I do get bored. I’ve never accomplished anything.”
“But you are now,” he says.
“I haven’t accomplished anything yet .”
“Be patient,” he says. “It takes time.”
“I don’t have time. Don’t you see that? I’m twenty-eight. My only work experience is at a bookstore and behind a bar. I don’t know how to drive. I opened a bank account for the first time last year so that I could put my tip money in it. I’ve done nothing. I have nothing to say about my life except that I went to a lot of parties and know how to tell a dress’s size from ten feet away. And you…” I trail off. I don’t want Theo to think I’m jealous of him.
“Tell me,” he says. His arms tighten.
“You’ve done so much,” I whisper. “You had nothing, and you did it alone. And I don’t know if I can do the same, as badly as I want to.”
Theo sets me away from him. This is it. I was too fucking honest, and I went too far. Now he’ll hate me because being jealous of this man who grew up taking shit from my father and working three jobs is ridiculous.
“You’re not alone,” he says.
My thoughts screech to a halt. He doesn’t look angry at me.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not alone,” he says. “You have me. I’ll help you. Whatever you need. I’m good at this.”
“Theo, I—” I can’t take your help. You’re going to leave again, and I’ll be all alone.
“You don’t need to do everything yourself, Cat. CEOs have executives behind them. You’ll have me.”
“For the next ten months,” I say quietly.
“For the next ten months, and after, if you still want my help. I can be an adviser to Peterson International.” He smiles at me .
An adviser. I haven’t really let myself picture the end of this marriage, but now I am. Theo, a face in the tabloids, a man I used to know. Theo, a voice on the other end of the phone, talking business with me before he goes on a date with some perfect, accomplished woman.
“Stop frowning.” He presses a finger to the wrinkle between my brows. “It’s a Friday. There’s nothing you can do today. We’re going on a yacht, remember?”
“Should I?” I bite my lip. “I should study. I can do more studying, and the better grades will help. I can ask Callie to put out a nice article about me. I can—”
Theo silences me with a kiss—a soft, sweet kiss that has me swaying toward him. It ends far too soon. I blink up at him.
“No panicking. It’s a Friday. Better grades will not help. What will help is selling this marriage so that I can help you take down your father.”
“You’ll help me?”
“I just said that. Whatever you need, Cat, I’m here.” He spreads his arms wide on the back of the couch, like he can be a bastion of strength against all the ills of the world.
I should say no. I should do this on my own, because Theo will be gone in ten months, and I’ll be alone again. I didn’t fight before, when I was trapped. I should fight now. I should push back against this intrusion, because he’ll be gone soon.
But someone to shoulder some of this for me…It’s too tempting to resist.
“Thank you,” I say.
He gives me that cocky grin. “Gregory Peterson won’t know what hit him. Now get dressed. I ordered breakfast, and I’m going to need my fuel for today.”