12. Addison
12
ADDISON
W arren’s manor was dark. His security detail was outside patrolling; I could see their flashlights every now and then when I looked out the windows to the yard.
There were more of them than I’d ever seen, even at my father’s estate.
I guessed it was warranted. I bet I wasn’t the only person who hated Warren for the piece-of-shit person he was.
A man like Warren had to have tons of enemies. The real question was, Why am I the first one to infiltrate his life? My purpose was lightly disguised, and Warren had already expressed his doubts.
It wouldn’t be long until he was sure of my true motives, though I hoped it would be after I was long gone.
My body was alight with nervous energy. I couldn’t spend another hour in my room, staring at the ceiling. I was getting antsy.
Every moment I stayed there, lying on the comfy sheets, was another moment that I wasn’t out getting revenge for my parents. Even after a couple of days, I still hadn’t stumbled upon anything notable.
And I couldn't let myself become complacent.
I felt it happening. Felt my body relaxing into a life filled with riches and little wants. I thought the anger would keep me going for longer, that every time I felt his million-thread-count sheets or smelled his thousand-dollar cologne, I’d be filled with a burst of hatred for the man.
And I was.
But life since the downfall had been hard.
And who on this planet wouldn’t take a breather when the down comforter threatened to drown them in the softest feathers they’d ever felt?
I wished I wasn’t so affected by the luxuries in his house. They had belonged to me once too. My life hadn't been that much different from his. I could still remember it.
Could still taste it.
Eight years wasn’t that long.
But it felt like a long time since I was able to live so comfortably. So easily.
So living with the threat of Warren fucking the brat out of you is comfortable now, is it?
I shivered at my inner voice as images of me kneeling in front of Warren immediately came to mind.
Heat swam in my belly. My mouth watered at the unrealized fantasy of him zipping down his pants, taking out his cock, his hand tangling itself in my hair, and him finally fucking my face like I’ve always?—
I wished I wasn’t so affected by the man in his house .
I covered my mouth with the back of my hand as my skin heated.
He’s a monster. A monster. A monster. A monster.
I chanted it in my head until I couldn’t anymore, snapping myself out of whatever lustful haze had fallen over me.
I opened my bedroom door and walked down the hallway again.
A chill had settled, and I cursed myself for not bringing a jacket. The flimsy burnt amber two-piece silk night set was nice and buttery, but did nothing to protect me from the cold that infiltrated Warren’s home like a curse.
But it was one of the safest items of clothing Warren had stocked my closet with. Everything else was more similar to the lingerie I wore during the auction than something to actually sleep in.
My bare feet padded against the wood, only stopping when I came to the door of his office.
I couldn’t understand why Warren wanted me so far away from him. It would make more sense for him to force me inside his room so he could use me whenever he pleased.
Maybe he hates me even more than he wants to fuck me.
I paused outside the door across from his office, listening if Warren was moving in his bedroom. When there was nothing, I let out a sigh of relief.
It’s two a.m.; he’s probably sound asleep.
If there was a time for me to move, this would be it.
I hurried into the office and shut the door behind me. The normally quiet lock sounded like a bomb going off in the silent night. The office was dark, illuminated only by the moonlight coming from the window and the soft glow of the computer screen.
I gave it a moment, then two, then five before I was sure that Warren wouldn’t come barging in after me.
Holding my breath, I tiptoed toward the computer.
This is it. Even getting this far was a miracle. Just a little further.
My breath hitched and my heart picked up speed as I got closer, making sure I made no noise. Not even the floorboards creaked under me.
If he keeps anything in the house, it has to be in here.
I rounded the desk but stopped in my tracks as I came across a not-so-empty seat. Warren was there, sitting back, eyes closed.
Fear washed across me. My first instinct was to turn on my heel and run back to the safety of my room.
But I held still.
He twitched lightly, sending fresh panic through me.
I swallowed thickly, waiting for him to sense my presence and berate me for being in there.
But it never came.
His deep breathing filled the office and calmed my heart. It was risky. If I wanted to be safe, I should turn back and try again some other time… but I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to gain access like this again.
Or that Warren would leave me alone enough to explore.
My eyes fell to his face that was lit up just enough to make out his features. Strong cheekbones. High brows. A jaw that looked like it was carved from stone.
He’s too handsome for his own good.
It was annoying, really, and impossible to ignore. But wasn’t the devil supposed to be handsome too?
I grabbed the mouse, wiggling it, and stopped when brightness lit the room.
I looked at Warren, but he didn’t so much as flinch. He was still deep asleep. If I cared about him, I might wonder why he was sleeping in his office so late at night and looking like he hadn’t slept in days.
But I don’t.
At least that’s what I told myself even as my mind tried to think of all the different reasons why he was here instead of in bed.
His profile was up on the screen, the password bar ready for input. I reached for the keyboard, which brought me closer to him than I would have liked. His scent infiltrated my senses.
Warm. Deep. A mix of sandalwood and whiskey.
Maybe he’s drunk off his ass and won’t wake up with whatever I do.
Wishful thinking. Foolish thinking.
I quickly typed in the only few numbers I knew meant anything to Warren.
My obsessive crush when I was younger should have given me everything I needed to figure it out. Birthdays. Company creation dates. Awards. Everything was at my fingertips.
I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. I had to be careful. I didn’t want to get myself locked out.
With shaky fingers, I entered one. The password bars shook.
Fuck. I held my breath, typing in another date.
It shook again.
There were only two things I thought Warren would hold important enough to use as a password. His birthday and his father’s.
I looked down at Warren, noting the dark circles and frown lines.
There’s one more.
I doubted it would work. My hand shook as I entered the date that changed my life forever. The one that took a chunk from my heart and left my mother inconsolable.
My father’s death date.
When it unlocked the computer, it filled me with an emotion I didn’t want to name.
Did he take pride in what he did? Was that the reason he kept it as his password?
He’s more evil than I thought.
I imagined him logging into his computer every day, reminding himself how he brought down his once best friend.
The thought of blackmail was pushed to the side, my hand grabbing for something, anything . I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but my body was working faster than my mind.
Just as I grasped something sharp, Warren turned around in his chair, his hands around my wrists, forcing my back against the desk. My breath was knocked out of me. Pain shot up my back.
I held up my weapon to his neck—a golden letter opener glinting in the dim lighting. My hand was shaking with the force with which I was gripping it.
Warren’s face was close, his eyes shining with anger, his lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw clenched. He was undeniably pissed off that I was in his office.
But there was another thing.
He pushed himself between my thighs, his pelvis pressing against me, obviously getting harder the longer he looked at me.
“Now what are you going to do with that, Addi?” he asked, his tone amused though he kept a straight face.
“Stop calling me that,” I hissed, floundering for an excuse that would get me out of this situation.
He thrust his hips into me, making sure I knew how turned on he was, and I swallowed my light whimper.
He was so close. So overpowering.
I was much shorter than him, a measly five foot three to his six foot four. But I wasn’t afraid; the way his body enveloped mine was something I'd fantasized about.
“Then what should I call you? Baby? Darling? Or would you prefer something a bit dirtier? Bitch? Slut? Whore?”
My entire body lit up at the nicknames, but I didn’t know which was worse. I could handle Warren’s anger. His degradation. But kindness? I wouldn’t know what to do with that.
“You bought me,” I said. “I think there’s only one word for that.”
His eyes lit up. One of his hands came to grasp my neck, squeezing it before he used his thumb to brush the underside of my jaw.
“Next question then,” he said. “Why are you in my office in the middle of the night and threatening me, baby ?”
Damn it. How did he pick the one I like the least?
The computer display switched off and it filled me with hope. Maybe he hadn’t realized that I had managed to log on.
“Revenge,” I said simply, trying to go with a semi-truth.
“Does revenge mean grinding on my cock?”
To prove his point, he thrust up against me. The flimsy sleep set did nothing to protect me from him. His heat seeped into me, igniting my body in an obscene way.
I was so responsive to him it was embarrassing.
I pressed the letter opener harder against his throat.
“Does that make you feel in control, baby?” he asked.
“I am,” I said with a growl.
His cold face broke to give me a smirk.
“Good. Hold it there while I punish you.”