Chapter Twenty
Steele
I unbuttoned my suit jacket and loosened my tie. I went to the minibar, pouring myself another scotch before I sat on the couch. I rubbed my jaw, my mind spinning like a top. What was I doing? Bending over backwards for this woman? When I heard the message on her phone from her landlord, I acted. Her things were going to be removed and she would lose her flat.
It was bad enough I kept her hostage, but at least now she had her things with her. I felt guilty about making her lose her job, the least I could do was to ensure she didn’t lose her belongings, either.
I still wasn’t sure what to do with her. Topher hadn’t made any contact, and none of my people had uncovered any information about where he was hiding. I thought for sure he’d make a move against me, but it still hadn’t happened. He probably knew what I was doing with his daughter, and his silence told me he didn’t care.
And what was I doing with his daughter? Playing house? The last few days had drastically changed our relationship. I didn’t view her as my hostage, and after the way she fell asleep in my arms, I knew she thought of me as more than her captor. But where did that leave us? I wasn’t a relationship man, and there was no way I was going to open up my life to anyone. But Ashlynn had started to get under my skin, and I’d confided in her. No one, not even Cooper, knew my mother had been a prostitute. I buried the records deep down, paid the right people and ensured those secrets died with her. But I told Ashlynn. And it felt…like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.
My phone rang, and I answered it.
“Steele, when are we going to pull off the Louvre heist?”
I’d completely forgotten. That was the original reason I came back to France. But instead of getting down to business, I’d taken Ashlynn out to dinner, watching as her full lips devoured her meal, and her silken hair shone under the dim candlelight. I’d pulled the rose out of the vase to give to her before we left the restaurant, but I’d forgotten it was in my jacket pocket. I placed it on my nightstand and then pulled up the calendar on my phone.
“I can do it Friday,” I said, looking at the schedule. I didn’t have any major products coming in or out that day, and the director of the museum was heading to Cairo to procure a large piece of Egyptian art. It should be easy enough to get my crew in and out. “Contact Stephano and ensure the replica is ready in time.”
“Will do. How’s it going with your little toy? Did you fuck her yet?”
I gripped the phone, anger flowing through my veins. I didn’t want Cooper to think about her that way, like she was some conquest. “I don’t want to talk about her.”
Silence on the line. “Steele, be real with me. What’s going on? Do you want to meet for a beer?”
I glanced at the clock. “Nah, it’s too late. Tomorrow?”
“Sure thing,” he said, and I hung up the phone.
There was a knock on the door, and I opened it. Ashlynn stood on the other side of it, wearing a tiny pair of shorts with cows on them and a matching tank top. I raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. If she was comfortable in sleepwear adorned with livestock, so be it.
I removed my tie all the way and threw it over the back of the chair as she stood there, her feet bare.
“I wanted to say thank you,” she said, moving farther into my suite.
I unbuttoned my dress shirt and tossed it on the chair.
“It was really sweet of you to bring me my stuff, and what you did the other night—” she tried to continue, but she stopped when I removed my undershirt. I knew she liked my chest and the rest of my body, but right now my back was to her, and she could see the full extent of my scarring.
I turned back around, and her eyes were wide. She’d felt them already, but seeing them directly in the light was something different.
Ashlynn crept closer to me, and I closed my eyes. I turned, wanting to hide my face. But then I realized that presented her with the scars directly in her face. Before I could grab a shirt, I felt her trace them with her soft finger, feeling the ridges and valleys, the pits and indentations.
“Steele, what happened to you?” Her voice came as a whisper.
I didn’t want to have this conversation, I wanted her to be screaming my name instead. I turned back to face her, and pushed down my slacks and then did the same with my boxers.
Her eyes moved down, and her face reddened. I loved watching her get frustrated, like seeing my cock harden for her made her as shy as a schoolgirl.
“Stop changing the subject.”
I put my arms around her waist and pulled her into me, my face inching towards hers. She exhaled sharply, and I cupped her face in my palms and looked into her eyes. I’d never touched a woman like this. More often than not I screwed a woman from behind or she’d suck me off quick and fast. Or they would ride me and I’d just stare at their tits as they bounced in front of my face. But everything was new with Ashlynn. I’d let it slip that this wasn’t normal for me, but I’m glad she didn’t bring it up again. I wasn’t ready to discuss it, and I wasn’t prepared to analyze what this might become.
I kissed her forehead, her soft skin aching for my lips. She closed her eyes, and I kissed her eyelids, and she gasped softly. Her eyelashes fluttered, and I kissed them as well, before finally moving down to her lips.
I explored her mouth with mine, gently working her tongue. We took turns being the aggressor, and I was practically panting when she licked the roof of my mouth and then bit my bottom lip.
“Do you want this?” I questioned. After her previous accusations and the attack from Lord Stanley, I had to know for sure.
She looked at me pointedly, and then removed her top. Her breasts were gorgeous. Instead of pink, rosy nipples, hers were a very light brown, which I found intriguing. I had a hard time peeling my eyes away.
“That’s not enough, love. Tell me you want me to fuck you.”
She moved into my chest; the smell of her hair was intoxicating. She was smoother than the finest scotch and provided a greater buzz.
“You know I do.”
I couldn’t resist. “Beg me.”
Her hand hit my cheek with a loud smack, and I smiled. “That’s my girl,” I responded, pulling her against me harder. “That’s good enough for me.”
I attacked her mouth once again, and she moved with me towards the bed. I pulled my pants and slacks all the way off, and she perched on the soft sheets. I knelt before her, like the queen she was, and slid the ridiculous pajama shorts down. She wore nothing underneath them, and I hardened a little more, wondering if she came in here specifically hoping for sex.
Her name was on my lips as I kissed her knees and worked my way up to her thighs. She let out a soft sigh, and it only excited me further. I relished the sound. After her attack, I wanted her to remember that sex was pleasurable, not something dirty or filthy. I moved her up along my bed, placing more tender kisses along her stomach. I dipped my tongue into her navel, going slow and trying to be gentle. Being gentle wasn’t my thing, but I felt it was what she needed.
She must have disagreed, because she tugged on my hair, urging me on. I hovered over her body, hard and aching. I dipped my head to kiss her on the lips, but she moved underneath me quickly, before reaching down and positioning me where she wanted.
“Not so fast, love.” I rubbed my nose against hers, trying to set a slower tempo.
She ignored me and tugged on my hips. I closed my eyes, giving into the heat and pace she was begging for. Tilting my hips, I pushed inside of her, sliding easily this time now that she was broken in from our previous tryst. Once I was completely inside her, I paused for a second, wanting to savor how warm she was, how good she felt around me, but she bucked her hips, showing how impatient she was. I moved faster, torn between wanting to make it last, while driving her to the release she was clamoring for. Luckily, after a few thrusts she started to shake, perspiration beading along her forehead.
I wanted to praise her, whisper words of admiration in her ear, but she seemed too dissociated from the entire event to hear them. But this wasn’t what I wanted. I wasn’t going to let her pretend I was just some generic male in her bed.
“Ashlynn…eyes on me.” I tilted her chin up, but her eyes were still closed. “Now,” I asserted.
She ignored me, her eyes clamped shut. I could feel her nails digging into my back, could feel her heels press against my ass as she tried to goad me into moving faster.
Instead, I stopped altogether.
She opened her eyes, irritation evident.
“Move,” she bullied, trying to restart our rhythm.
I pushed her hair over her shoulder, then leaned down to kiss her on the lips. She kept her mouth closed for a few seconds, but eventually she started to move her lips with mine. I restarted my thrusts, slower this time.
She closed her eyes again, and I stopped. Tears of frustration trailed down her cheeks.
“No. Look at me. Don’t close your eyes. You can pretend this isn’t happening all you’d like, but it is. Tell yourself pretty little lies in the morning when we’re done and the pleasure is a memory lingering in your body, but right now, you’re gonna be with me or this isn’t happening.”
My speech seemed to work, because her eyes locked on mine, and I moved quicker and harder, working myself into a sweat as I overpowered her. It didn’t take more than a few thrusts before she came, hard all around me. She screamed out hoarsely, closing her eyes as she shuddered. I let her keep them closed, knowing she was beyond obeying at this point. Instead, I focused on how tight she felt surrounding me, and I let myself go.
This was going to be a long night.