Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ALORA
Arousal heats my blood and I rewind it on double speed until I see him talk to his guards. I slow it down as he says something to them, what did he say?
“Guard the door. Don’t let anyone go out there.”
“Oh.” My hand flies over my mouth. “He knew he was going out there to do that.”
Why the hell would he come to my store and wank for me on my security tape?
To turn me on.
Excitement screams through me and I know this makes me as bad as him but damn it he’s making it really hard to continue on this good girl act.
I watch as he undoes his zipper, his large erection comes into view and my insides begin to flutter.
Bang…. Bang…bang…goes my heart.
He spits into his hand.
Spits.
I feel a rush of arousal down below.
He takes himself into his hand and begins to stroke himself with his dark eyes locked on to the camera and I hold my breath as I watch on.
Dirty innuendo I can resist, but this…this is next level. This is porn where I could fuck the male lead if I wanted to.
And I really do.
Hard.
I watch it until the end and I rewind it and watch it again and then again. He did this for a reaction, he’s putting the ball in my court.
What do I do, what do I do?
I get up and walk around the store as I think. I need to be strategic about this, he came here with the specific purpose to bait me.
Any normal woman would cave under these circumstances…hell, I want to so badly.
What would happen next if I played into his hands?
I pace back and forth as I think, I would call him, he would talk dirty and ask if he can come over. We would have wild sex and then he would leave in the morning and because nothing has been established or talked about other than sex I probably will never hear from him again.
I drag my hands through my hair, honestly…. How can I not call him?
No woman is this strong.
And he knows it, he’s weaponizing my sexual attraction to him. Baiting me into action and trying to force my hand. I already know that I like him too much to be a casual fuck buddy.
But what do I really want from him?
Effort.
It doesn’t have to be a marriage proposal, and hell, we probably wouldn’t last anyway, but I want to feel respected. I want a real chance of something more.
I continue to pace as I think.
If I was going to do the exact opposite of what he’s expecting…what would I do?
Not call him.
Make no contact and pretend I didn’t watch the tapes as if unbothered.
I put my head into my hands, I honestly don’t think I’m that strong.
Do you want him for one night or do you want a chance of forever?
Okay, determination runs through me.
I haven’t come this far with him to only come this far. We already did the fucking thing and it nearly broke me. I’m not doing that again.
I walk back into my office and send the security footage to my email; I check that it arrived and then I resend it again just to be sure.
I can’t lose this footage whatever I do, it’s my new favorite show.
I screw up my face as I delete it off the security tapes, Ouch…this feels like a crime to humanity.
I flop back into my chair. I’m not calling him. I’m not even acknowledging that I saw it.
I get a vision of him spitting into his hand and I smile, it’s going to be a long hard night with my vibrator.
EDWARD
In the darkness I pace back and forth on the deck of my yacht, I check my phone.
No missed calls
“Call me, fuck it,” I murmur, infuriated.
I glance at my watch, 10:30 p.m…. did she even fucking watch it?
Never have I met a more infuriating woman. My cock is near painful, throbbing with want. She knows I need her.
She’s forcing her hand, trying to make me toe the line.
Well, fuck that…because I’m not.
I keep pacing and run my hands through my hair as I think, should I just call her?
No.
“Is everything alright, sir?” Philippe asks as he appears. “Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine,” I snap. “Leave me be.”
“Yes, sir.” He nods and disappears.
I check my phone again.
No missed calls.
ALORA
“So….” I sip my coffee, should I tell her?
“So what?” Helene asks as she looks around, blissfully oblivious that I have a dirty little secret.
Well…it’s more of a big secret, nothing about Edward Prescott is in any way little.
“Can you keep a secret?”
She rolls her eyes. “What do you think?”
“So Edward left a present for me on our security tapes last night.”
“He did?” She frowns. “Like what?”
“He may have….” I smirk as I search for the right wording. “Touched himself.”
Her eyes widen. “He touched himself?”
I nod.
“Like how?”
“Like….” I smile again, this conversation is unbelievable even to me. “Like…really hard.”
Her mouth falls open. “He did not.”
“He sure did.” I giggle into my coffee. “The best thing I’ve seen onscreen in my entire life.”
“Oh my god,” she whispers. “I need to see this.”
“No,” I scoff. “You are not watching it.”
“Oh, come on,” she moans. “Let me watch it.”
“No way.”
“So you went over there, right?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“What?” She screws up her face. “You called him?”
“No.”
“Are you fucking serious right now?”
“I want a chance of something more and I know he is trying to force me to make this about sex.”
“Everything is about sex, you idiot.”
“Not this.”
“Oh my god.” She puts her head into her hands. “Have I taught you nothing?”
“Too much, actually.”
“So did he call you?”
“Nope.”
She drags her hand down her face. “Go home right now and FaceTime him naked.”
“No way.”
“I’m not even joking, he is the hottest male on the planet. Stop playing games with him.”
“He’s the one playing games,” I fire back. “If he wants to see me he has to make more of an effort than jerking off in my back room.”
Her mouth falls open as her eyes hold mine. “He jerked off in the back room. Did he come?”
I smile and her eyes widen.
She simulates sliding down her chair. “God…I see what you’re doing for others. When is it my turn?”
“It was so hard not calling him, but I have faith that he’s going to call me.”
“He has to, right?”
“Honestly—” I shrug, “—I don’t even know.” I think for a moment. “Luckily I’m going to Paris this weekend. It will take my mind off it.”
“Why on earth would you ever want to take your mind off seeing Edward Prescott jerk off for you?” She thinks for a moment. “Wait, did he have lube or….”
“He spat in his hand.”
Her eyes roll back in her head as she fans her face. “I’m. Dying.”
I giggle. “Me and you both.”
Paris….
The cure for all. The right to the wrongs, everything is rosy in Paris.
At least it is for me.
I smile into my glass of wine at my tiny table for one as I look around the romantic restaurant. Candles are on the tables and people are chattering away and having a grand old time.
“Can I take your order?” the waiter asks.
“Oui.” I smile. “You can.”
I check myself out in the elevator mirror, fitted dress, flat ballet shoes and my hair swept up into a ponytail.
I think I’m nailing the cute corporate look…
well, at least giving it a red-hot crack.
I’m excited for today, Nel Davenport is the contact of contacts, and if all I was supposed to reconnect with Edward for was to meet her then so be it.
She texted me yesterday about our meeting this morning and I’ve never been more excited.
The elevator doors open and I stride out into the foyer, I’ve got this.
Even if I haven’t, I’m going to fake it till I make it.
I walk into the restaurant and look around and I see her sitting by the window with her laptop open.
I nearly skip over to her. “Nel Davenport?” I ask.
“Yes, you must be Alora Sorenson?” She smiles as she stands.
“Hi.” My voice comes out high and squeaky.
Play it cool
“I mean…hi,” I say lower as I hold out my hand to shake hers. “It’s nice to meet you.” God, she’s beautiful. Even more stunning in real life than in photos.
“I hope you drink coffee.” She gestures to the table. “I already ordered.” A cup of something black as the depths of hell sits in front of me.
Eesh….
“Thank you, I love coffee.” I smile, not a lie, I do love coffee, just more the type that doesn’t kill you.
“So….” She looks me up and down. “You’re a friend of Edward’s.”
“Oh, well.” I act casual. “An old friend, but we reconnected recently at a charity auction.” I shrug as the need to elaborate takes over, I’ll go with his story, “I went to college with his sister in London and when he found out that I owned an antique store he wanted me to meet you about the refurbishment of the hotel.”
“Oh, how fascinating.” She smiles all dreamily as she leans on her hand. “You’ve known Edward for a long time then.”
Hmm….
Something tells me that Nel Davenport is interested in more than the refurb.
“I have.”
“So were you as shocked as I was?”
“About?”
“Him and Hermione breaking up.”
“Did they break up?” I act oblivious.
She looks left and right as if about to commit a crime. “My sister’s best friend’s cousin is Hermione’s personal assistant.”
“She has an assistant?”
“Yes, and out of the blue, Edward called it off with her a few weeks ago,” she whispers. “Apparently she’s devastated.”
It’s blatantly obvious that she likes him, and I begin to hear my jealous heartbeat in my ears. “When was this?” I ask.
I haven’t heard from Edward at all. I have, however, watched the security footage an alarmingly large amount of times and my poor vibrator has been working double time.
“I don’t know, apparently he abruptly broke up with her but nobody knows why.”
Boom
Boom
Boom goes my heart.
“So when he messaged me yesterday and said he was coming to Paris to see me….” She cuts herself off with a shrug. “I mean….”
I wait for her to finish her sentence….
Wait, what?
“He’s coming here?” I stammer. “To see you?”
What the hell?
“Oh my god,” she whispers as she sits back. “Here he comes now.”
I look up and see him walking though the restaurant, gray suit and dark hair, looking like he just stepped off the catwalk. He has two bodyguards trailing behind him.
“Ladies….”
“Hello, Mr. Prescott.” She swoons.