Chapter 12 #2
The entrance was fairly simple, a door with full glass walls flanking it, but inside was a different story.
In the center of the room sat a grand wooden desk with gold everywhere.
Elevators flanked the desk and by the windows were seating options.
An art deco chandelier hung from the ceiling, sparkling like a diamond.
On the wall to the right was a directory of businesses and I quickly searched for Lovelace Financial.
Floor thirteen of fifteen. I shook my head, recalling that most buildings didn’t have a thirteenth floor because of superstitions.
Leave it to my goth queen to find one that did.
Before I knew what I was doing I walked to the elevators and pressed the up button.
When the doors opened and I was inside, I pressed the button for thirteen.
My stomach churned as the elevator climbed upward, and the counter clicked higher.
A ding sounded as I reached her floor, and I stepped into a hallway with a business at each end to the left and right.
But directly in front of me was hers. The glass doors offered a full view of her reception area, and it was starkly opposite from the vibe in the main lobby.
Everything was modern in gray and white with the occasional black accent.
It was exactly what I would’ve expected from her.
Professional yet she found a way to integrate darkness.
Before I could poke around anymore, a woman with gray-laced hair came into the lobby from somewhere in the back of the office.
Dread coursed through me at being seen. I didn’t want to cause a commotion, so I hurried back to the elevators, pressing the down button a few times to get the elevator to hurry up.
Thankfully she hadn’t noticed me. Once I was back on the ground level, I pushed through the doors onto the bright street and walked to a park a few blocks away to regain control of myself.
Being outside for a while would hopefully calm my nerves, and I could get back and do some heavy recording this afternoon and evening, even though I hadn’t seen Raven.
The day was beautiful, the sky a bright blue contrasting with the green foliage, and I was actually enjoying being outside.
There were quite a few people around since the weather wasn’t as hot anymore, which I appreciated.
Summer wasn’t really my thing, but then again, no season was my thing.
Dropping onto one of the various benches lining the paths, I scrolled my phone while the light breeze played with my hair.
After only a few minutes a dog barked, and I looked to my left, damn near dropping my phone on the concrete. Raven was walking toward me.
Just before she passed, her gaze met mine, and the world fell away.
Nothing mattered except her. She was seeing me, Ryan.
Not hearing my voice, not reading words on a phone or computer, but seeing the real me.
Of course, she didn’t know who I was, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous as her gaze stayed locked on mine.
The women I had been with over the years hadn’t sparked any kind of feeling, since most were shallow as fuck.
When my parents cut me out of their lives, I learned that I liked solitude—the yearning for their attention of my childhood nowhere in sight.
Being my own person and never having to hear how someone else thought I should live my life was freeing.
The last thing I wanted was to end up with someone who was like my mother and her friends, someone who didn’t care about me, anyway.
All women weren’t like them, but I was still hesitant, my insecurities at the forefront.
Getting my pleasure from knowing how many women listened to my audios to get off with the occasional hook up was fine with me.
But that was before Raven. She was different. I was pining after her like a lovesick teenager.
I watched a faint blush creep onto her pale skin, and my trepidation dissipated. She looked away and fumbled in her pocket, drawing out a phone to answer it. Except the phone hadn’t been ringing when she took it out.
She hurried past me, and I watched her until she disappeared around a corner in the distance. I stared, unseeing, and replayed the scene in my mind. She was even more stunning up close. She was utter perfection.
I walked back to my car in a daze. All I could see were those gorgeous green eyes staring at me. Raven’s face wasn’t getting out of my head no matter what I did.
Traffic was light since it was early afternoon so I got home quickly. Hurrying to the studio, I started working on the current job. With renewed enthusiasm, I got a decent amount of content recorded before the noisy evening when people began arriving home from work.
I thought about Raven the entire time, putting us inside the dark romance story.
When I paused for the female character’s lines, I imagined Raven’s voice speaking them since I didn’t have to say them myself in duet style.
Filling the breaks with her professional yet seductive voice made everything seamless.
Halfway through the story, things got interesting.
The main female character, Lena, was asleep in bed when the main male character, Ronan, broke into her house and went into her room.
His motivation for following Lena was that she’d broken his heart years before and as he watched, he was falling for her all over again.
I took a sip of water, and my voice filled the booth.
“Stay still, Lena. The louder you scream, the more I’ll make it hurt.” Her eyes grew as round as saucers. Yeah, she knew exactly who I was. That would make this even better.
Suddenly the fight left her completely as she gazed up into my masked face. I knew she was still in love with me after monitoring her texts and calls so I knew she wanted this—wanted me. “I’m going to move my hand and you’re not going to make a sound, got it?” She nodded with a whimper.
I released her mouth and of course she disobeyed, but instead of a scream, she whispered, “Ronan.”
I slammed her head into the mattress. “I said no talking, Lena.” She nodded vigorously in response.
“You’re going to be silent while I drive you mad with pleasure.
You’re going to see what you let go of all those years ago.
I’m going to fuck you so well you’re going to regret leaving me for the rest of your life. ”
Half an hour later I finished the lengthy scene as I heard a door slam in the apartment above me.
Narrating Ronan fucking Lena in the mask while imagining it was me fucking Raven instead had me raging in my pants.
I understood why women were obsessed with these books.
They were fucking hot, but they were more than that.
They were raw and beautiful in a way that easy romances weren’t.
Real life wasn’t a fairy tale, and sometimes the path to your happy ending wasn’t always something from a Disney movie.