Chapter 27 Collette
Shit! Shit! Shit! How did I let this guy worm his way into my life?
I was now calling the man I was investigating by his first name as if he meant something to me.
The problem was that he did mean something. He meant a whole lot. I wanted to be something special to him.
This whole thing had gone the wrong way. I was falling for someone connected to my brother’s murder. I wanted him and needed him to like me for me. Not because I was trying to get near him for evidence. That was quickly becoming the least of my concerns.
He needed to think I was on his team and believe that I was doing everything he wanted so he’d let his guard down.
How could I make him think that I was growing closer to him? He’d rejected all of my sexual advances. That was the only thing I had in my toolbox that would be able to make him want me.
I needed to find another angle. Something that would bring him past the point of not trusting me while I kept my heart intact.
There was a tightrope, and it wasn’t going to be easy to keep from falling off. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to stop the fall if it landed me in his arms.
Was it simply because he’d been nice and gotten me hot and bothered? I’d never let myself be this vulnerable with another person before. It wasn’t something that I could afford in my situation. Most of the time it could get me killed.
Something about him made me drop my defenses and let him pass all the walls I’d built over the years. It wasn’t like me to ignore all the red flags. Especially when they were waving with the blood of my brother’s murder.
Then again, all the things I’d thought were true about him hadn’t turned out to be true.
What if I had been wrong this whole time?
***
The next two days sped by, and I didn’t have any time to wonder or think about my situation.
Things were moving at breakneck speeds at the office, and all of my time was spent working on making sure that things went smoothly.
If Ian was stressed, there was no way that he’d be willing to let his guard down even a little bit. I had to keep things on track so I could make my move. I maintained extremely obedient, didn’t snoop, and worked my butt off.
All of the adjustments that we’d been working on were just one part of the puzzle.
It wasn’t until Saturday at Ian’s condo that I got a chance to test a few of my theories.
He’d brought most of the work home the night before since we’d been there late. It was going to be a long weekend and we were going to work through most of it.
Lunch arrived with a delivery from Rossi, and I groaned, not wanting to get on the floor to eat right then. But all that training had me getting up to move toward my pillow on the ground next to Ian’s spot.
“No, stay. We’re working and this is a different type of circumstance.”
Ian paused to tap my shoulder, forcing me back into the chair. Relief flooded through the drop of my shoulders.
I moved the stacks of papers aside to make room for the food. I was starving and my stomach let out an agreeable rumble.
Ian picked up the containers and slid mine toward me.
“It’s been hard not knowing what the rules are, hasn’t it?”
he sympathized, opening his food.
“There were days in the beginning that I wondered what was the right thing and what was wrong. Now, I can figure most of it out from your cues.”
I shrugged and pointed to the food in front of me. “This though, is something I consider a reward.”
The fish platter was done artistically, ready to be plated and served. It was the perfect order in-meal for the person that wanted others to believe they could cook.
“This is my perfect fantasy though.”
I groaned around a bite of food.
I’d always had a thing for food. Probably because I hadn’t had it as much growing up and wanted to make sure that I never went without.
It had been hours since breakfast and this hit just the right spot.
“Eating after working hard?”
Ian laughed.
I tilted my head. “No, this.”
My hand waved to the room.
“Having a library full of books, food, and someone to laugh with are all the perfect ways to spend the afternoon.”
I smiled over at him. “It’s how I used to escape when I was younger.”
Ian watched me as I spoke. His eyes lightened up at me sharing about myself. Nobody had ever taken enough interest in me before. That I wanted to give him a little bit more.
“When things didn’t go well at the home I was in, I’d sneak out to the library and spend hours there. They never turned me away, and it was safe there.”
“Books were safe and never tried to harm me. I could get lost for hours and not have to worry about what was going on in the world around me.”
I took a bite of food, breaking the honest moment. Discomfort caused me to fidget.
“Your face gets a wistful look when you’re talking about it.”
He reached across the table and took my hand. “Anytime you want to come in here and read, feel free to do so. I don’t get to relax as often as I’d like but there’s no reason for you not to enjoy it.”
I stilled at his touch and his offer. Warmth flooded my body. I wanted more.
“It was one of the reasons I decided to become a librarian. Being surrounded by books felt like home. There’s so much to learn and it was never boring. I’d have a new theme to check out each month and consume all the books I could find on that subject.”
He continued to eat, but I could tell he didn’t want me to stop talking.
“Each story held a new adventure. Some to far off lands, others closer to home about wars here, or stories of people’s lives. Those were my favorites.”
I didn’t want to tell him that most of the ones I read were about families with parents that loved them. It had been my comforting thought that there were people out there that loved each other. I just wanted to have that in my life, even if it seemed unattainable most of the time.
“How did you survive all those years and come out so normal?” he asked.
“You call this normal?”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m the most fucked up person you’ll ever meet. Well, maybe not the most, you might be right up there with me in terms of messed up.”
The sass came out, and I couldn’t help it. But his reaction didn’t make me sorry.
“That might be the most honest and hilarious thing I’ve heard in days.”
Ian was laughing with me. “You’re also completely correct. I’m not what anyone would consider normal.”
He shrugged. “I mean, I keep girls in my basement because that’s not at all creepy or serial killer like.”
The wink he shot me sent a thrill through my body. I should keep talking as long as he’d let me, but I was shocked that he was enjoying himself and didn’t seem to be upset about it.
What was it they said about those that were kidnapped? Try to be seen as human to your captor. Make them identify with you and get to know you so they wouldn’t want to kill you.
“People always assume that because I run a company the size of Holdt Tech, that I’m a social person. I fucking hate people. Like seriously, I can’t stand them. They’re never what they say, and while I can be generous with employees, I’d rather go out on my boat and not speak to anyone for an entire day.”
“How on earth do you manage to work with others all week?”
This wasn’t what I’d expected at all.
“When my mother died in my younger years, I didn’t have much interaction with people. There were servants around to do my bidding, but no one that I could talk to or confide in.”
He finished his food and put the dishes into the take-out bag.
“My father was a horrible person. From the things he did, I learned not to trust people. Even now, I assume that they’re going to stab me in the back. Having someone in my home is a huge step for me, but even an introvert gets lonely.”
The look on his face was so sad.
“How did your mother die?”
I knew it was a personal question, but it might help me understand where he was coming from.
“He killed her.”
He hurried to reassure me. “Not literally, but he was the cause of why she died.”
“Oh my god. I’m so sorry.”
Words couldn’t convey how bad I felt for him. While I had lost my parents as a baby, I understood that it would have hurt to have had them and then lost them.
Andy might not have been a parent to me, but he had been the only family I’d ever had. I was always going to miss him and want to text him. He’d been my person.
As a child, the effect would have been devastating. I couldn’t imagine having to deal with that, and I had imagined a lot of things over the years.
“She wasn’t eating properly. He wasn’t monitoring her. There was no way to keep up with her illness.”
He ran a hand through his hair.
“If he’d had proper technology back then even though he had her under lock and key, it could have been prevented.”
He noticed my horrified expression.
“Yes, I’m a lot like my father in some ways, in others, I’m very different. She could have left if she’d wanted, but after years of being in her room, she withered away. From what I could figure out when I questioned the staff, she quit eating and nobody noticed.”
“It’s why I’m trying to make wristbands that monitor glucose through perspiration. There needs to be an affordable way to monitor sugar levels without pricking fingers all the time.”
“Most people can’t afford the test strips or other ways to stay on top of it. I’ve got a design with R&D to make a watch that will connect to a phone and send reports to the doctor or emergency agency when things go dangerously low.”
I stared at him. That was so much to take in, and nothing I’d ever have expected.
“You’re trying to make sure others don’t go through what your mother did.”
It all became a little clearer. He took care of his assistant in the way he would have taken care of his mother’s needs. Watched over her so that she wouldn’t be left alone to die.
It made me understand him in a little different way. Maybe better in that I could sympathize with him. The problem with that was that it made him seem a little more human.
Against my better judgment, I was starting to like him more and more each day. Even respect him as a person, but certainly as a businessman.
He knew what he wanted and went after it. Making things better for others was one of his goals even though he didn’t like people.
We gazed into each other's eyes, then he picked up the dishes.
“Back to work,”
Ian commanded gruffly.
The rest of the afternoon was spent working on the problems that needed to be taken care of.
Instead of staying there, I was surprised when Ian had us wrap it up before ushering me to the limo.
It was as if he’d let down enough of his guard and didn’t want to take a chance on letting me in more.
We drove in silence back to the cabin.
I wasn’t sure if I’d done something wrong, but it was obvious something had changed. I didn’t speak on the elevator ride down, running through the past day and all the other days in my head.
Ian walked me inside the basement room, but instead of leaving, he went to sit on the couch.
I automatically took a seat next to him. I craved his touch and wanted to find out how he would feel in real life.
All the sexy words that he’d ever spoken to me came flooding back. Sitting next to me, his presence ignited a new fire. I leaned closer to him.
It would be okay. This wasn’t like it was a permanent thing. There was nothing wrong with wanting sex. It was just fucking and didn’t mean anything.
Convincing myself wasn’t hard as my breath caught with the thought of how good he would feel inside me.
“Are you okay?”
He turned with a concerned expression.
“Yes,”
I answered, empowered by his attention, I rose and slid my body over him. Lust began to take over as my legs straddled him.
“I’m choosing this.”
I leaned my lips over to his. “It’s time to put your words into action.
A groan came from deep inside his throat, but his hands rubbed against my arms. He was rigid underneath me as I gave into his demands for complete surrender.
“So, where do we go from here?” I asked.
“Are you certain?”
Ian asked, his body completely still.
“Yes.”
I was going to explode with unsatisfied lust if we didn’t do this.
“Well, I need you to strip for me.”
He didn’t speak again, but stood and took me into his arms, taking all the guesswork out of the situation.
When his hands finally touched me, I simply melted into his arms.
“It’s time for us to find out if all that sexy chemistry is going to work.”
He brushed his lips against mine, still teasing.
“Take that dick and fuck me,”
I demanded, but it came out as more of a moan when he trailed a hand down my back, resting gently on my ass.
He smirked. “I’ll excuse the language for today since you’ve been under a lot of stress, but I’ll take that for enthusiastic consent.”
He backed me toward the bed and pulled off my clothes as he continued to trail kisses up my neck and behind my ears.
Having his hands roam, squeeze and caress on me after weeks of being teased by his voice felt so good. My body had little shocks that heated up my skin and zapped every erogenous zone with a higher stimulation. I was ready to come apart at the seams.
With no shirt or bra on, he moved down to my collarbone and breast.
I heaved a sigh of contentment when his mouth closed around my nipple and he sucked hard. My gut clenched and my sex slickened more for him.
“Yes, please, Ian.”
I mumbled. I wanted him to know that I wasn’t lost in the moment and knew exactly where I was and who I was with.
His tongue swirled circles around each nipple as his hands slid down to remove the last of my clothing.
“Ah,”
he groaned as his fingers slid down between my now wet slit, coating his fingers.
Weeks of edging and wanting to be touched had turned me on in an instant. There was no stopping my body from responding to his administrations.
“Ian, take me now, please.”
I groaned, wanting him to fill that empty space between my legs.
Foreplay was wonderful and had its place, but I didn’t need to be wound up any longer. The teasing needed to end because the fire inside me was ready to burst free and I was dying to have him with me.
“As you wish.”
He flipped my body where I was lying face down on the bed with my ass sticking up in the air.
I expected to feel his hard cock slide inside me, but instead, I almost jumped when his tongue began to fuck in and out of my warm pussy. Alternating with taking my clit into his mouth for a suckle then ramming his tongue back in. He never stuck to a rhythm so my body never knew what was coming. Only pleasure.
My hands gripped the bedsheets, twisting them as he applied more pressure. It felt amazing. I was soaring high.
His tongue plunged deep inside of me and I came apart when his finger ran over the top of my clit with the lightest of pressure.
All of that time spent being taken to the edge and not quite reaching a climax had me gasping as he stopped. He switched over to his fingers and continued with a pulse pounding rhythm until I’d finally let loose and came for him again.
My lungs fought for air, and my body dissolved into a pile of jello. Certain that I didn’t have anything left in me, I was taken completely by surprise when he flipped me over onto my back.
“You wanted me to fuck you, well now I am.”
With those words, he lined up the tip of his cock and shoved it inside hard and fast.
“I don’t want you to forget our first time together.”
His breathing labored above me.
“Not a chance,” I panted.
My nails gripped his arms and dug in as he continued to rail me, going deeper with each thrust.
Even though I’d just cum twice, I wasn’t going to let that stop me from doing it again. I could never release enough for him. He owned my body that it would never not bow to his touch.
The more the merrier, especially when it came to having orgasms.
His breathing quickened and I could tell that he was close, but so was I.
With a last grunt, he slammed into me hard enough that I was certain there might be stars swimming before my eyes.
My insides clamped onto his hard cock, milking every drop from him and I let out a scream of pleasure before collapsing completely spent on the bed.
Breathing hard, he held himself up on his elbows, but it looked as if from sheer willpower and not extra energy.
“How’s that for a first time?”
His smirk of confidence was so annoying.
I pushed him over onto the bed so that I could get up. “Eh, it was okay. There’s always room for improvement.”
“What?”
He held his hands over his chest in mock horror. “Improvement? Oh, how you wound me, dear lady.”
I winked and put my clothes back on, not bothering to clean up. I’d do that later. He watched me, his face falling back into its usual hard-to-read expression.
Ian kissed me hard and then walked to the elevator. When the doors opened, he stood there, looking somehow like he was hesitating.
“Remember that you chose this.”
The doors shut on his words.
What did he mean by that? I thought that was over now that I’d told him I chose him.