26. Saar
Chapter 26
Saar
Cora
I listened to your first episode. Loved it.
Lily
Me too. You’re so relatable and the topic was interesting.
Celeste
So proud of you, babe.
Thank you. I’m having so much fun with it.
Cora
When are you all coming here? It’s been ages.
Lily
I met a guy.
Cora
OMG, now you have to come.
Lily
(Heart emoji)
What about the mystery voice at work?
Lily
He is just a fantasy. It’s not like I can tell my client his voice is hot.
Celeste
You have to tell us everything.
Celeste
Coffee today?
A doration.
Full, uncensored, slightly salacious adoration.
That’s what I find in Corm’s gaze when I descend the stairs.
“Fuck, you’re breathtaking,” he drawls.
I’m wearing a stunning, deep navy satin gown. It’s a one-shoulder, floor-length fitted piece that clings to my waist and hips, before it flows down in a straight, streamlined shape.
The dress would be simple if it wasn’t for the bold detail—a large sculptural bow on the shoulder. It’s big enough that I don’t need a necklace.
And the dress is too long to show my heels fully, so I paired it with large, statement earrings.
I’ve worn a gazillion dresses in my life, and I’ve been adored by thousands when wearing them. But never, ever have I felt as beautiful as today. It’s partly the beautiful dress, but it’s mostly the raw admiration in Corm’s eyes.
“Thank you.” I finally reach the ground floor, beaming at him. “You cleaned up nicely, too.”
A major understatement. This man can fucking rock a tux better than James Bond. Seriously, I think tuxedos were invented for him only. All the other men are riding the wave, but not coming even a close second to my husband.
My husband .
It’s been two weeks since I asked him to grant me a divorce. In that time, he has made my life a fairy tale. Not that I ever realized I needed one. Or wanted one.
But this man excels at everything, so what did I expect? I must say that dating my husband is an unexpected delight.
To the point—not that I told him yet—that I’m not interested in that divorce anymore. I guess the man gets what he wants after all, and I’m defenseless against him.
We’re good together. While I’m still waiting for him to betray me—that’s some hard shit to break—I choose to trust him one day at a time. And what days we’ve had.
I’ve been happy these past two weeks. Besides dating Corm, I started recording the podcast and streamed the first episode, with almost a million downloads. Now, I know the success is due to Nora Flemming’s marketing genius, but I didn’t disappoint.
We uploaded the second episode two days ago, and it surpassed the first one. What’s more important, I’m having fun.
I started seeing a therapist twice a week to work through my parental issues and Vito’s betrayal. It’s a long journey, but just taking charge and owning the issue gave me a much-needed self-confidence boost.
“Now you just want to get into my pants,” Corm teases.
He is not wrong. It’s been two weeks since we stayed in the sex club, and I’ve been staying in the guest room.
I think he’s waiting for me to initiate, truly giving me space. And our date nights end up in this awkward dance in the hallway by our bedrooms when Corm gives me a peck on my forehead, wishes me a good night, and leaves quickly.
Probably to take care of his raging erection. And every night, I hope I can just drag him into my bed or drop to my knees right there in the hall.
But something stops me. It’s like if we went back to being intimate, I would be exposed again. Vulnerable. Prone to get hurt.
I know I can still get hurt. I know abstinence is not going to prevent it. It makes no sense, and yet… it’s like my last line of defense.
But it’s getting harder every single night. And seeing him in that stupid tux, desire pools between my legs. There is no way to put it more delicately. I’m horny as a teenager.
“Am I succeeding?” I wipe a piece of lint from his lapel and keep my hands on his chest, the fabric soft under my palm.
“Don’t,” he warns.
“This dress is tight, but if we’re careful, I might drop to my knees for you in the car.”
He groans. “If you drop to your knees, this dress won’t survive it. Nothing about the things I would do to you could be described as careful.”
His gaze is dangerous. Dangerously tempting.
I swallow.
I lick my lips.
I’m pretty sure I stop breathing.
Fuck the dress. But the thought is erased as soon as he grabs my hand and drags me out.
“Oh,” is all I manage.
“Come on, Saar. I have a deal to close, and I’m in a hurry.”
“Apparently,” I grumble, disappointed.
He opens the door of his Escalade. “In a hurry to come back and fuck my wife.”
Corm makes that displeased sound he does when something doesn’t go his way. It’s somewhere between a sigh and a growl. It’s so distinctively his that despite its undertone, I find it sexy.
I guess living with a sex god and not taking advantage of it can drive a girl crazy.
“What’s wrong?” I put my hand on his thigh.
He puts his phone away. “They still can’t find him. I’m sorry.”
He doesn’t have to say who he is. Vito disappeared, and the authorities can’t find him.
“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. Frankly, I don’t really care. It’s not like he can return my money, or like finding him would lessen the damage.”
“The good news is that my people made quite some progress in disentangling your name from his debts.”
Corm has dedicated a lot of resources to making sure the debts, especially those from dangerous people, are not in my name. I don’t know what it’s costing him or how he does it, but I’m grateful I don’t have to deal with it.
It’s the only part of my financial past and present that I let him handle. I’m in charge of everything else. To Corm’s dismay, I forced Cal and Finn to give me a loan. Well, to their dismay as well.
All three of them would just hand me the money, which I guess may be perceived as chivalrous, but it wouldn’t allow me to learn how to take care of myself.
Cal was probably the only one who got it—Celeste’s influence, no doubt —and agreed to a market value interest on his loan.
Corm is still sour about that, but he’ll live.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and stifle a yawn.
He looks at me with that intense, hooded gaze. “You’ll thank me in about ninety minutes.”
I chuckle. “That’s awfully specific.”
“It’s an estimate, but I think between the traffic to the venue and the necessary time of schmoozing Vladislav, we should be right on time.”
“Right on time?” I bite my lips, my pussy singing with need.
“For you to drop to your knees, and since it will be a post-evening occasion, we won’t need to be careful about the dress.”
“But I like the dress.”
He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, and then leans in, his breath fanning my ear. “I’m fucking my wife on the way home from the venue. If you want to save the dress, you could take it off before getting in.”
“Oh, I thought we were trying to keep your image intact. I wear nothing under this dress, so taking it off will cause a scandal.”
I shiver as the most satisfying growl reverberates through his body. “I’m already pissed about all the assholes seeing you in this dress. But alas, we’ll have to rip it apart later.”
“Will we now?” I tease, but I can’t wait.
But Corm doesn’t react. He’s leaning forward, trying to see something through the window on my side.
“What the fuck, Saar?”
I follow his gaze but see only the pedestrians. Confused, I tilt my head sideways, and I see it.
“Oh, I forgot about that campaign. Jesus, I did that shoot like eight months ago.”
Corm hits the button to open the window and take a better look, clenching his fists.
The billboard is a jewelry campaign, showing only my cleavage with a large necklace.
My hair tied back, I look like I’ve just come out of the shower, droplets of water scattered around my skin. I remember wearing a bikini, but I guess they went with my neckline only.
“You look naked,” he growls.
“Maybe I was,” I tease, but by the death glare he gives me, he may not be in the mood for jokes.
“I’m not having the entire city jerking off to this.”
I try to stifle a chuckle. “You know, they have probably been jerking off to my pictures for years now.”
His nostrils flare, and I’m worried the vein in his temple might pop. At the same time, I’m trying hard not to laugh.
“Are you jealous?” I bite the inside of my cheek, but I can’t help it and grin.
His overreaction is kind of adorable. Stupid and possessive, but who knew I’m into that?
He takes a picture and starts typing furiously.
“What are you doing?” I ask, but his phone rings.
He picks up without a greeting, and I hear a woman talking on the other side.
“Just get it done, Roxy. Find out where else they feature the campaign and buy those spots as well. Outbid, bribe, kill someone if you must, but get those pictures down.” He listens for a moment. “I don’t fucking care—replace them with your nephew’s drawings.” He hangs up.
“I don’t think it can be done.” I shake my head, the warmth spreading inside me.
“Watch me,” he snaps.
I fight my laugh, barely succeeding. “Well, even if you somehow manage to cancel their campaign, it’s going to cost you way more than it’s worth.”
“I’m not putting a price on your safety. Thank fucking God you’re a podcaster now.” He leans back, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“My safety? As much as I appreciate this abandoned display of jealousy, Corm, you’re being ridiculous.”
“My money. My wife. My decision.”
When did I come to love his growls?
The blinking flashlights interrupt the ridiculous conversation. I flinch, bile rising in my stomach. Shit, I forgot the media would be here, snatching pics of the crème de la crème of Manhattan society.
The mood in the car shifts. As if Corm drops his brooding the minute he senses my discomfort. He wraps his arm around me and kisses my temple.
Without confirming with me, he knows. He hits the intercom. “How many cars in front of us?”
“About four, sir.”
“Can you get us to the back entrance, please?”
“Sure. It will take us another fifteen to twenty minutes to outmaneuver the traffic and road closures.”
“That’s fine.”
He smiles at me, and my chest explodes with fluttering wings and warmth. “We’ll be late, and Betsy won’t be happy we don’t get photographed.”
“Fuck Betsy. We’ll arrive together, and that’s what Vladislav needs to see.”
“Thank you.”
He lowers his lips to mine in a slow, languid kiss, and I moan into his mouth, leaning for more, for deeper, for longer.
But he pulls away, adjusting his pants. “Sorry, we can’t. We’d never be able to get in.”
I smile and lean my head against his shoulder, closing my eyes. Home .
Corm’s lips touch my forehead, and I stir. His scent provides an intense sense of safety. I fidget a bit, still unwilling to open my eyes.
Waking up beside this man makes me almost not want to get up. I wish we didn’t have to. Ever. Wait a minute? Am I in his bed?
I startle and sit up. “Oh my God, I fell asleep?”
The bow of my gown is all wrinkled and squashed. The car is moving, but we’re crossing a bridge. I look from one window to the other. Brooklyn Bridge?
“Where are we?”
“I don’t know.” He glances out of the window. “You needed to sleep, so we drove around.”
“What time is it?”
“Past midnight.” He reaches to tuck a strand behind my ear. “You’re beautiful.”
“Did you go to the gala without me?”
He shakes his head.
I must be still dazed and slow from my sleep. “What do you mean? We missed it?”
He nods and takes my hand, kissing my knuckles. “The dress can come off now.” He traces my skin around the rumpled bow.
While my pussy is totally on the same page as him, how can he think about that right now? “Corm, that deal was important to you. You’ve been waiting for that event for weeks.”
“I know.” He tugs at the bow, and the strap comes off my shoulder. He leans in, peppering my neckline with kisses.
My mind is now hazy from my sleep and from his gentle assault. I try to push him away. “You missed an important meeting, so I can sleep. That deal—”
“No deal is as important as your well-being. You needed to sleep.”
Oh my poor heart. Jesus, I love this man.
I love him. The emotion sneaks up on me, unbidden. I need to tell him.
“Would you focus on getting that dress off, finally, The Morrigan?” He yanks at the hem of the neckline and my breasts spring out, the nipples already hard and yearning for his touch.
“Wait. I need to tell you something.”
It would be the first time, and I don’t want it to sound like an in-the-heat-of-the-moment statement.
He wraps his lips around my nipple, kneading the other one in his hand. God, I missed this. I missed his touch. My body is immediately aflame. It’s not even heat I’m feeling. It’s an inferno.
“Corm,” I moan. I don’t know if I’m moaning to stop him or to urge him to continue.
He pulls at the hem of the skirt, but it’s too tight. “We agreed we don’t care about this dress, didn’t we?”
Not really, but I don’t get to protest, because he doesn’t wait and rips the skirt apart.
Everything else happens in the frenzy of touch and feel. Give and take. Control and surrender.
He sheds his jacket, and I undo his pants. He tears off the bodice of the dress, and it ends up discarded on the car’s floor.
“Fuck, I missed this pussy, baby.”
He spreads my legs so wide, I fear he might dislocate my hip joint. He blows air between my thighs where I’m already embarrassingly soaked. It triggers a series of shivers, my back arching away from the leather seat.
“This pussy is mine.” He kisses me there, and then continues kissing me up my torso.
“All parts of me are yours.” This will have to do for now instead of the L word.
He looks at me and abandons the languid assault, capturing my lips. “Sorry, baby, but I have to fuck you rough and fast first. It’s been too long.”
“Then stop talking,” I tease, but it comes out with the same desperation that he oozes.
He arches his eyebrow, like I should be careful what I wish for, lines his cock at my entrance, and drives in.
We growl, and for a beat we still.
“The most tantalizing pussy in the world, Saar,” he grunts. “Gripping my cock so well, baby.”
And then he moves, and fuck, rough and fast doesn’t even cover the intensity.
His belt is scratching my thigh. Our moans fill the car. The leather beneath me is sticky. Nothing about this feels sensual or attractive.
It’s animalistic. It’s wild. It’s savage.
Exactly what I need. I’m weightless and floating. Completely at his mercy, surrendering and cruising so high, I don’t even know if I’m still in this dimension.
Somehow we climax at the same time, which only prolongs the ride, squeezing every last drop of bliss from us.
“Are you okay?” Corm rasps into the crook of my neck, trying to shift his weight a bit.
Sprawled on the seat horizontally, somehow he fits on top of me, and I didn’t even realize he was cutting off my oxygen supply.
But that his first thought goes to my wellbeing again makes my eyes water. “I’m better than okay.” My voice trembles, and Corm looks at me, his eyes filled with adoration.
“I—”
I don’t get to say the words.
“Shit.” He looks up. “Why are we not moving?”
We both scramble to sit, only to realize we’re home. Home? When did that happen? It’s been Corm’s house until… until it wasn’t.
Corm picks up his jacket and wraps it around me. “Put this on.”
I slide my arms into his sleeves while he zips up. Opening the door, he helps me out.
My legs shaking from the earth-shattering orgasm, I lean into him, but he pulls away, studying me with a heated gaze.
“Fuck, I might need you to dress like this all the time. So sexy.” His eyes roam over my body, lost in his jacket, down my naked legs to my heels. “You feel so mine right now.”
The driver leaves to park in the garage, but we don’t move and just stare at each other, heat and adoration swirling between us.
The air is thick with a storm about to break. My own heartbeat feels louder in my head than it should be.
I step closer, and open my mouth to finally tell him.
“Saar.” A familiar voice cuts through the air.
I whip toward the gate where it came from and my stomach sinks, confirming my fear.
Vito.
Corm moves, but before he can step in front of me, my body tenses before my brain catches up.
The sound.
I’ve only ever heard it in movies. Sharp and final, it shatters the air.
“No,” Corm screams.
For a beat I don’t feel anything, my mind stuck in that moment of disbelief, not processing what is happening.
White-hot, searing pain explodes in my head. I think. I feel it kind of everywhere. My body seizes, and the ground tilts. Before I hit it, Corm’s arms are there.
The scent of him envelopes me. Home .
“Saar, baby,” he yells. Or whispers, I’m not sure.
My vision swims, darkening at the edges. I open my mouth and try to focus on the task. I need to tell him.
Why am I drowning? There is no water around me, but I feel like I’m submerged. The pain is fading, but the numbness that follows is even more terrifying.
Focus, Saar. He’s so beautiful. His lips keep moving, but I can’t make out the words. His face blurs, frantic and scared.
Don’t be scared, love. I love you. I open my mouth, but I can’t speak.
I love you.
The thought flickers through my mind, the words so clear, so final.
I open my mouth again, but the world is slipping away.
I love you.