16. Chapter 16 – Peyton
Chapter 16 – Peyton
A s soon as I stopped at the front desk of the fancy restaurant, I already knew exactly who had something delivered for me.
Dane.
He challenged me when I informed him he could not interrupt me during my workday with Mr. Bryce, displaying once again his disregard for boundaries.
The Ma?tre de retrieved a small red box from behind the desk and handed it to me with a polite smile.
I leaned forward and asked quietly, “Do you know who delivered this?”
The man’s eyebrows rose, but he simply shook his head, before turning to someone checking in for their reservation, dismissing me.
I walked away from the desk in a daze, catching the dim hallway to the bathroom in my peripheral. I guess a dark hallway was a better place than the table to find out what kind of unhinged gift he sent this time.
Because I knew it would be unhinged. He had no other speed .
I glanced around to make sure no one was in close proximity and pulled the small envelope off the top, flicking it open to reveal the card inside. I paused as I ran my thumb over the handwritten card, as if the manly script made it feel more personal somehow. And then I read the message.
Put this on immediately and do not take it off until I tell you. If you disobey, I’ll make you regret it.
-Your Stalker
My heart was racing as I lifted the top of the box, revealing its contents, and instantly slammed the lid down on it.
“No.” I whispered in horror. My face was the shade of a tomato as I looked around again and then ran into the restroom, locking myself in a stall before I dared to open it again.
To hell with dinner and Mr. Bryce’s sudden niceness. I was going home. There was no way I could do what Dane demanded of me.
No way in fucking hell .
I lowered the lid on the toilet and sat down, cradling the box on my lap, and peeked under the lid again. And as expected, the high-end sex toy I’d had in my cart online for months now sat atop a satin cushion like a prized jewel. “Fucking hell.” I whispered.
It was a wearable vibrator shaped like an elegant butterfly. I had seen it talked about in a spicy group on Facebook and intrigue colored me tickled pink as I looked it up that same night. The problem was, it was three hundred dollars. Who the hell was buying sex toys that expensive?
Dane, apparently.
My phone dinged in my purse and I gritted my teeth, knowing full fucking well I turned it off hours ago. Grabbing it, I wasn’t surprised at all to see Dane’s cryptic and creepy message bubble on my screen.
I want to watch you put it on.
I rolled my eyes, knowing the bastard was stalking me through my camera because he was that crazy. But to be honest, his obsessive interest in me made me so bubbly and excited. There was no actual anger towards him, but I was stressed to no end that my boss was waiting for me at the table and I was holding a sex toy in my lap in the restroom, gifted to me by some hacking stalker that fucked me in the woods the night before.
Do it Puppet. Or I’ll send the video of you squirting in your bed to Mr. Bryce’s phone immediately.
Trying to ignore the way my nipples tingled, I cringed at the idea.
To check if anyone else was in the restroom, I looked under the stalls as best as I could, but it was empty. I turned back to my phone and glared at the camera, whispering “I so don’t have the time for you right now.”
Then do what I said and go back to your date.
“It is not a date!” I snapped and rose to my feet. Thankfully, the fancy restaurant had large stalls because before he even threatened me, I knew I’d do exactly what he wanted me to. I hung my purse on the hook on the door and propped my phone on top so it was staring at me.
As I shimmied my skirt up to my waist, revealing my garter and thigh highs, I stared directly at it and then took the toy out of the box. My eyes lingered on it, my hesitation lasting just a second longer than it should have. But then, I decided to throw caution to the wind.
I wanted to fucking feel alive, and Dane did that for me.
So I pulled my underwear and bodysuit to the side and put the toy right against my clit, sliding it back and forth to wedge it exactly how it was supposed to be and then covered it back up with my clothing. Before I pulled my skirt down, a new message popped up.
Turn around. I want to see your juicy ass.
I rolled my eyes but turned my back to the phone and spread my legs, popping my ass out and shook it for him. Fuck my hesitations and reservations. I was horny and more excited about life than I had been in months.
Maybe even years.
Good girl, Puppet. Now go back to your date.
“Yes, Sir.” I hummed, pulling my skirt down and blowing the phone a kiss mockingly, knowing calling him Sir would annoy him. The last time I did it, he spanked my ass red before he fucked me. I wondered what he would do this time as I pushed my phone into my purse, along with the note, and leaving the stall. I threw the box away, washed my hands, and stared at myself in the mirror before heading back to Mr. Bryce.
With bright eyes and flushed skin, I exuded a captivating and sexy vibe.
Dane did that.
His attention and affection, even as weird as it was, made me feel sexy.
“I’m so fucked in the head.” I whispered, walking back across the restaurant to the table.
As I got closer to Mr. Bryce, I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by his undeniable sexiness, even though I despised him. Our table was in the corner, tucked near the fireplace, and I didn’t realize how downright romantic the entire thing looked and felt until I got to my chair.
He rose from his seat and pulled my chair out, putting his hand on the small of my back to help me down, and I shivered from the contact.
“Everything okay?” He asked, standing next to me, so I had to lean way back to look up at him. On my eye’s way up, they stopped at his belt which was nearly eye level and I swallowed down the groan that wanted to escape my lips.
“Perfectly.”
“Good.” He took his seat and motioned to the wine that had arrived in my absence. “I ordered for us while you were gone.”
“Thank you.” I lifted the glass to my lips and the second the wine touched my tongue, I hummed in appreciation as a flavor I’d never found in a wine burst across my taste buds. “What is that?” I asked questioningly. I was no wine connoisseur, but I drank enough to know it wasn’t normal.
“Chocolate.” He watched me carefully as he took a sip of his own.
“Interesting.” I took another sip and nearly choked on it when the butterfly buzzed to life against my clit.
In theory, I knew Dane would turn it on, eventually. That was the point. He was playing with me like a toy. His toy. His Puppet.
But the sensation was light and teasing in an incredibly pleasant way.
Whether he was warming me up or teasing me, I didn’t know. But I would welcome whatever he wanted to give me. I’d be his good little toy.
Mr. Bryce watched me from the other side of the table and I looked away, taking in the atmosphere of the restaurant so I didn’t give myself away.
“What was in the box?”
Now I really did choke. I snapped my head to him, clearing my throat to breathe around my shock, and stared at him. “The- what?”
He nodded his head to the side, pointing out a large stained-glass wall sat between the restaurant and the reception area. Through the center of the glass, you could clearly see the desk. “The red box you were delivered.”
“Oh,” I stammered, trying to figure out what the fuck I was going to say as more blood pumped to my tickled clit instead of my brain. “My sister.” I rushed out, coming up with something on the fly. “I told her I was in the city for the day, but she was busy, so she was just having a key to her apartment dropped off in case I wanted to stay overnight instead of returning to Hartington.”
“Why wouldn’t you return with me the way you came?”
Fuck, the man did not just say the word came. “Um, like I said, it was just a nice gesture. I have no intention of using it.”
“Hmm.” He hummed, but our server’s arrival with a few dishes in his hands stopped him from questioning anything else. “Ah, here we are.”
The server laid down multiple dishes on the table, each holding a different type of food that I couldn’t name. “Enjoy.” He said with a slight bow and then backed away.
“Holy moly.” I whispered in awe. There wasn’t a single plate set directly in front of me like I would have guessed, instead they created a circle in the center of the table.
“So,” Mr. Bryce started, with a quick rub of his palms together and an expression of excitement on his face. “I’ve ordered us two of my favorites and two I’ve never had before. I figured we would family style it all and explore together.” He handed me an empty plate and then pointed to the plates explaining the dishes. “That way, if you don’t like something, you can just move on to the next.”
Maybe it was the vibrations warming my clit, or maybe it was his uncharacteristic friendliness, but Lincoln Bryce fascinated me as he started dishing things onto my plate.
“Thank you.” I whispered, and he paused, plate in mid air with what looked suspiciously like snails on it.
“For what?” He scowled briefly, like the words were foreign to his ears.
“For being kind.” I stated plainly, accepting the plate so it wasn’t stuck in mid air any longer. “For making me feel comfortable.”
He sat back in a chair slightly and mulled that over in his head. “You’re welcome.”