Chapter 22 #2
“Jesus, what the fuck are you wearing, Miss Marx? Are you offering me yourself on a platter? Just looking at you is driving me crazy with lust. But you already know that, don’t you?
” He smiles into my neck as his lips fall down to where my shirt meets my shoulders, his mouth hungrily running over my goose bump-covered flesh.
I smile and pull his mouth back to mine.
It has been five days since we made love and I have to say in all honesty I am gagging for it, his words not mine.
His hard erection digs into my thigh and he grabs my behind to pull me onto it.
I won’t even make it to lunch at this rate.
“Josh, we are going out for lunch, remember.”
“I’ll have you for lunch,” he whispers, smiling into my neck.
Hmm, that does sound more appealing, I have to admit. “We can’t. I invited Adrian.”
He immediately pulls back and frowns at me. “Why? I wanted you to myself.”
I smile. “Because I need to get to know him seeing he is probably going to be my only friend in LA.”
“You have me, and I can be a friend with very, very…” he pumps his hips into me, “…good benefits.” He runs his lips down my neck again and my eyes close at the contact. I can’t even play hard to get, who am I kidding?
“And Cam, you will have Cam.” He raises his eyebrows as if talking to a child.
“Cam’s going to be a doctor doing shiftwork at a hospital and when he’s not there…. Let’s face it, he will be playing Dr. Dreamy in bed. Besides I have a lot in common with Adrian.” He smiles and nods as if understanding my point.
“Come on then.” He releases the tight hold he has on my body and I feel the loss of the contact.
“Let me give you a tip, Miss Marx,” he growls as his eyes drop to my skirt and then back up to my breasts.
“If you want to make it through lunch without being fucked on the table, you had better change clothes. This whole secretary thing you have going on—” he waves his hand up the length of my body, “—is making me so hard I might break you.”
I smile and bite my lip. “I didn’t bring any spare clothes, Mr. Stanton. I hope I don’t get into trouble, sir,” I whisper darkly. Two can play this game. If he wants to play bosses and secretaries, he had better well be good at it.
He smirks a smile and does up my top button.
His eyes linger on my lips. “You’re a beautiful slut.
” He turns me so my back is to his front and pulls me against his erection.
“I can’t wait to fuck you with those glasses on.
” He bites my neck hard from behind and smacks me hard on the behind as he pushes me forward.
We walk out through the lobby to wait for Adrian with our hands linked and I am immediately made aware, by the amount of attention we are getting, that the staff have never seen Joshua with anyone.
All of his workers are doing a double take at the affection between us.
The two female secretaries literally swoon at the sight of him, so much so I don’t think they even notice I am actually on the other end of his arm, silly bitches.
Hmm, mental note, watch out for secretaries; he seems a little too interested in secretary getup for my liking.
Adrian joins us and the three of us head to lunch together with our three bodyguards trailing behind us.
Is this necessary? It all seems a bit dramatic.
We go to a place a few blocks from the building and head into the reception.
We are greeted by a waitress whose eyes linger a little too long on my two lunch dates.
She doesn’t even look at me, how annoying.
Honey, wipe the drool from your chin, it’s kind of embarrassing.
While we are waiting to be seated a bustle comes through the restaurant.
A group of reporters have just spotted someone and are rushing toward him as he leaves the restaurant.
I turn to see who they are looking at and I see my boss Henry walking toward me.
“Hi, Natasha, you guys having lunch?” I nod and smile and turn to introduce Adrian and Joshua when I am literally stunned to silence.
My absolute guru, Nicholas Anastas, is walking up behind Henry.
My eyes literally pop from their sockets and luckily Henry knows what’s going on in that messed-up head of mine and takes over the introductions.
“Hi, I’m Henry, Natasha’s boss, and this is Nicholas Anastas.”
Joshua shakes Henry’s hand first. “Joshua Stanton.” He smiles and then shakes Nicholas’s hand.
“Joshua Stanton.” He smiles again. I am standing, stunned to my core.
This man is the most brilliant psychologist on the planet and has written the very bible of psychology.
He is a world-famous author. I am totally dumbstruck—I have no words.
“This is Natasha Marx who works with me.”
Nicholas shakes my hand and smiles. “Hello Natasha.”
Oh my god, he touched my hand…freaking out right now.
“Hello.” I nervously smile. He then turns his attention to Adrian and they shake hands.
“Nicholas Anastas.” He nods and smiles.
“Adrian Murphy.” Adrian smiles. They stay shaking hands a little too long and I have to say the chemistry between them is off the charts.
Nicholas is an older, maybe fortyish, European, six-foot-two, gorgeous man and in perfect physical condition.
He is wearing a charcoal suit and I am a little in awe of his beauty.
He is so much better looking in person than I ever imagined.
He has a presence, like Joshua and Adrian.
I think all powerful and dominant men have it.
His and Adrian’s eyes are locked on each other.
What the hell? Adrian’s eyes widen at the contact and Nicholas frowns as he looks down at their hands.
Shit, what is going on here? Adrian
pulls his hand out of Nicholas’s grip a little too quickly and looks nervously at me as he swallows.
Henry smiles. “Nice to meet you.” Then he walks toward the door.
Nicholas, however, stands still on the spot, his eyes drilling into Adrian.
“It’s been very nice, Adrian,” his husky voice whispers, he nods and is out the door.
Joshua frowns. “What the hell was that about?” he asks Adrian.
“I have no idea.” He wipes his forehead in frustration.
I do wide eyes at Adrian and link my arm through his. “Oh my god, the hottest man on the planet just totally made a play at you.” I giggle. Joshua turns and looks at me deadpan.
“I mean second hottest man on the planet after you, of course, baby.” I smile.
He fake smiles back and nods his head. “Sure you did,” he mouths at me. We take our seats.
“Who was that god?” Adrian asks me, wide eyed.
“Only one of the most intelligent men on the planet. He’s a psychologist. You’re right. He is a god and a bloody good author, not to mention smoking frigging hot.”
Josh puts his menu down and rolls his eyes at me. “Down low on the frigging hot,” he snaps. I smile and grab his hand. I have to say I am loving jealous Mr. Stanton a little too much, he’s just simply too delicious.
I am interrupted by a man who comes through the crowd to our table.
“Excuse me, Mr. Murphy.”
Adrian frowns. It is then I notice Adrian’s bodyguard coming up behind the man.
“Can I help you?” he asks the man. The man looks at the bodyguard and then at Adrian, unsure of who he is. Adrian looks a little embarrassed.
“I’m a friend of Nicholas Anastas,” he says. My eyes must light up because Joshua squeezes my hand so tight, he nearly breaks a bloody finger.
Adrian turns to his bodyguard. “It’s OK, Sam.” The bodyguard backs off and the man narrows his eyes as if summing up the situation and turns back to Adrian.
“Mr. Anastas asked me to give you this. He said to tell you he would have come back himself, but the photographers were following him, and he didn’t want to embarrass you.
” He passes Adrian a business card, dips his head and walks away.
Adrian looks at the business card and frowns and then turns it over to read the back, he then bites his lip and smiles at Joshua.
Joshua is sitting watching Adrian with his elbow on the table, running the side of his pointer back and forth over his lip, his thinking position.
I, however, am just about to wet myself. “Oh my god, Adrian, what does it say?”
He passes me the card.
Let me take you out for dinner
Call me +441.695.8720
Nicholas
“Holy crap, Adrian. He is asking you out for dinner. Oh, and I love the wording so…dominant and sexy.” Anyone would think he was asking me. I’m like a little kid.
Josh smiles and gets out his phone. “That was very Hollywood, don’t you think?” He smiles at Adrian as he raises a brow. Who, I think, has been rendered speechless.
“It was, wasn’t it?” he whispers, wide eyed.
“He looks like that dude off True Blood,” Josh says as he tries to think of his name.
“Who?” I frown.
“You know, the hot ripped guy…European.”
“Yes, Joe Manganiello. He does, Adrian,” I snap. “Oooohh my Goooddd, I looove Joe Manganiello.” I wipe my forehead to accentuate my point as I grab Adrian’s hand over the table.
Adrian frowns. “He was a bit of a Greek god, wasn’t he?”
“Are you kidding—no contest.” I smile.
Joshua starts to read to us from his phone; he has obviously just googled Mr. Anastas.
“OK, here are the facts.” He raises his eyebrows at Adrian. “Greek, forty-two, gay, successful author, estimated wealth at two hundred million.” He frowns as he reads the next bit of the information and pauses. “Tragically his husband died in a snow-skiing accident eight years ago.”
We all go silent.
Adrian eyes widen. “He was married?”
Josh nods. “Apparently to a French lawyer.” Hmm, that’s interesting. I had no idea he was even gay. What in the hell did we do before Google? Josh smiles at Adrian and raises an eyebrow. “The marrying type, hey.”
Adrian rolls his eyes at Josh.
“You’re calling him,” Josh announces.
Adrian frowns. “No, I’m not…I’m in a relationship, remember.”
Joshua goes to say something but glances at me and holds his tongue.
I know he wants to say the words but doesn’t want to appear like he’d condone infidelity.
I smile as I watch him internally struggle with what he wants to say and what he wants to reveal around me.
I must say if Adrian’s boyfriend is as big a dick as everyone keeps telling me I also think he should call him, but I won’t say that either, just quietly.
An hour later the three of us exit the restaurant.
“I’m not coming back to the office, Adrian.” Adrian frowns. “I’ve already organized for Tom to watch the students this afternoon,” Joshua remarks.
Adrian frowns again and pulls out his phone to check an email. “Why, what are you up to this afternoon?” Adrian is concentrating on his phone, sending a message to someone. I look at Joshua. Yes, what is he doing this afternoon actually? I have to wonder.
He grabs my hand. “Miss Marx has been pulling misdemeanors all day and she needs to be punished.” Oh my god, he did not just say that in front of Adrian.
I do wide eyes at him and I want the ground to swallow me up.
My eyes shoot to Joshua as he cracks his neck, his dark eyes bore into mine and I know he wouldn’t care if the pope was standing with us.
He’s too aroused to have his mouth-to-brain filter on.
Adrian doesn’t even look up from his messaging as he smirks and raises his eyebrows. “Too much information, Stanton.” He then winks at me and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Catch you later, baby.” And with that he is gone into the crowd.
Nicholas Anastas sits in the back of his chauffeur-driven car as he watches the three friends leave the restaurant.
He is ruffled. He hasn’t felt such an attraction to anyone like that for a very long time, and to an American no less.
And why do they have security with them?
Who are they? How odd. It was very unexpected and disarming meeting him.
“Peter, I want as much information as you can gather on Adrian Murphy. I’m not sure of where he…actually he was with a Joshua Stanton so check…maybe they work together. I want a criminal record check and past partners, or actually, is he in a relationship at the present moment?”
“Yes, sir,” Peter responds as he pulls into the traffic.
Joshua
Its Sunday, 5 a.m., and I am sitting on the end of our bed putting my running shoes on as I prepare for my run.
My eyes roam up the beautiful body that is asleep like an angel next to me, her dark long hair spread over my pillow.
She’s naked, her beautiful curves calling me back to bed.
Thank god, she kept her shape, I hate thin women.
It may be fashionable to be thin but for me as a man I need a soft lush shape for the testosterone to kick in.
Not muscular either…I like the female form in as natural state as it comes.
And boy has she got the whole package. Dark long hair, olive skin and those fucking dimples.
I can see them even as she sleeps. I smile as her large brown eyes that can see right through me flutter as she tries to refrain from waking.
She calls to me deeply on a subconscious level and any thought that I could have a future without her in it is gone.
A distant memory. She is so ingrained in my psyche that she is as necessary as air.
This is how contentment feels…calm. I have never had such an overwhelming sense that I am where I am supposed to be.
This is right. I smile as the realization hits me: I have never had it and now that I have I am not letting it go, no fucking way.
Wild horses couldn’t drag me from her side.