Chapter 28 Breathtaking
brEATHTAKING
SEBASTIAN
Once we’re all cleaned up, Declan flops back on the bed beside Lily, who has pulled on one of the robes that come with the suite.
I study her for any signs of regret or discomfort from where I’m standing in the doorway of the bathroom, finding none.
“That was fun,” Declan says as he stretches, every glorious inch of him on display.
Lily’s eyes run slowly down his body, and I wait for her trademark blush to appear.
But it doesn’t come.
She seems to be completely at ease as she turns on her side to face him, which is still not quite computing with everything I’d believed about her.
I’d spent almost the entire session watching only her, waiting for her to slam on the brakes. To tell me this is all so far outside her comfort zone. To tell me she hates me for introducing her into this fucked up world I live in.
Instead, she brings her gaze up to mine and a small smile plays across her lips.
And when Declan rolls onto his side and reaches inside her robe to play with her breast, she simply closes her eyes with a blissed out look on her face.
Absolutely fascinating.
And also incredibly dangerous for my barely contained self control.
“So how exactly did this all come about? Between you two, I mean? I thought you didn’t sleep with the patrons, Sebastian?” Lily asks, her eyes still closed as Declan slowly undoes the sash on her robe with one hand, his head propped up against his other fist.
I clear my throat, and he glances over his shoulder at me with a smirk as he strokes his hand down her abdomen. She’s practically purring under the attention, so I decide to let it play out however she chooses.
Pushing off from the doorframe where I was leaning, I move to sit on the edge of the bed next to Declan, watching the way the skin on Lily’s lower abdomen pebbles under his touch.
“I don’t now. Declan and I met when I first opened the Rose Hill location, and I hadn’t quite worked out how not to blur the lines between work and play,” I reply, and she opens one eye to look at me.
“But you still sleep with him?”
There’s no trace of jealousy in her tone. She’s always been a curious person who likes to understand how others think and feel, and I guess that extends to my rather unconventional sex and work life balance. I just hadn’t expected to ever have to explain it to her.
“Sebastian and I have an understanding,” Declan pipes up, tracing invisible patterns over her skin, smirking as she shivers and closes her eyes again.
“No one in my life knows about my… interests, we’ll call them.
At the club nights, it meant I was able to explore that side of myself without having to worry about the truth being revealed before I was ready for it to come out on my terms. And that’s still the case.
I enjoy those nights, but it’s infinitely better when I’ve got this one pulling the strings, and pushing my boundaries. ”
Lily nods, her breath hitching slightly when Declan’s finger starts to gently circle her nipple.
“Okay, so I get why it works for you,” she replies.
Her breathless tone is the only real hint at how she’s affected by his attention, as her gaze is fixed on mine once again. “What do you get out of it?”
I move to lean back against the pillows and run a hand through my hair.
“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but most of the people I sleep with work for me, in one capacity or another.
And those interactions are more for their benefit than mine.
Aside from Imogen and our mutually beneficial arrangement that suits us both.
And I guess, to an extent, Annika. But I could never bring myself to seek any of the others out for sex, because it would feel like an abuse of power that I’m not comfortable with.
I have a lot of sex, but it’s seldom for my own benefit.
And I’m content with that, but sometimes it’s nice to have people outside of that bubble that I can turn to for release. ”
Her back arches as Declan’s hand moves further south, but her eyes are filled with understanding as she nods.
“I get that. But then… tonight… that wasn’t about you. Did this ruin your plans to let lose for a night by having me tag along?”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “If I wasn’t comfortable with you being here, Lily, I wouldn’t have suggested this outing.”
A smile plays across her lips, but it disappears a moment later as her lips part and she draws in a long breath when Declan finally turns his attention to her clit.
I watch his fingers roll over her clit. It’s obvious he’s taken a liking to her.
While there’s no jealousy on my part while I watch his fingers dip in and out of her pussy, I’m surprised at how eager I am for more interactions like this with her.
Now that I’ve seen how willing she is to experiment, a million different scenarios run through my head.
But it’s images of the scenarios where we’re alone and I’m fucking her nice and slow while kissing her softly that are telling me this is all going to end badly.
Because in those scenarios, it’s not about the physical act, but the emotions that those images invoke within me.
And that scares the absolute shit out of me.
Once Lily comes again, Declan rolls towards me, running his eyes slowly down my naked body and halting on my once again fully erect cock. I shove all thoughts of feelings aside and allow myself to lie back, closing my eyes as he takes me in his mouth.
I let all other thoughts drift away and focus simply on enjoying this moment and not having to think about anyone else’s pleasure for a brief moment in time.
The next morning, despite the late hour we arrived home, I’m still up at my usual 6am.
I’ve forgotten what it’s like to simply rest. My life is a constant cycle of work, work, and more work.
If it weren’t for all the sex, I’d worry I was going to work myself into an early grave, but the endorphins seem to work wonders for my productivity.
When I get down to the gym, I’m surprised to see the light pouring from the small dance studio.
I’d thought Lily was still asleep when I had quietly let myself out of my suite.
I had expected her to sleep all morning after we’d made it back upstairs close to 3am.
We’d spent hours with Declan, fucking and being fucked, and it had been glorious.
But while I’m used to nights like that, Lily most certainly is not, and I’m honestly stunned she has any energy right now.
I recognise the song playing from Chasing Destiny’s backlist, a slow and hauntingly beautiful song that I know she used to listen to on repeat. I walk to the open doorway, despite the fact that I usually prefer to work out in solitude.
That need for quiet never seems to extend to her. I don’t know that I’ll ever be ready to acknowledge why that it is.
Her body moves effortlessly through a series of flowing dance moves.
It’s almost as though the music is a part of her, and it’s mesmerising to watch.
I’ve seen her dance a handful of times over the years, but it was always at professional performances for her studies or with her dance studios.
Watching her now, where there’s no audience to impress or teachers putting her through her paces, it’s obvious that she was born for this.
I know she’s aware of my presence, but she doesn’t falter in her steps once. Even though Annika had mentioned that she’d been distressed yesterday morning when she thought all her creativity had dried up, I see no evidence of that now.
I lean against the doorframe and marvel at the change I’ve seen in her over the last two months.
Is it really only that long?
I’ve grown so used to her presence that I’m struggling to remember what it’s like around here without her. Especially now that I’m not worrying about hiding my true nature from her.
The song ends, and she stops in the middle of the room, breathing hard as her eyes meet mine in the mirror.
“That was breathtaking, Lily,” I tell her, ignoring the tightness in my chest at the arousal in her eyes while she studies me.
This attraction between us is intoxicating, and after years of ignoring my feelings for her, I don’t know how to process it all.
“Thank you,” she says quietly.
We continue to watch each other for a few beats, and then I straighten and give her a nod, before leaving the gym and going for a run instead.
And when I return to my suite an hour later, her bedroom door is closed, and I’m not brave enough to seek her out again.
On Tuesday evening, just as I’m wrapping up a call with the manager of one of the hotels we own in Germany, there’s a light knock on the door.
“Come in,” I call out, checking the time on my phone.
I hadn’t realised it was so late, having been pulled into several conference calls in the Northern Hemisphere as their days were starting.
“Hey,” Lily says, stepping into the room and softly closing the door behind her.
I move my chair back slightly and watch her walk towards me. “Everything okay?”
I’ve been avoiding her since watching her dance in the studio, and the sight of her now is enough to take my breath away.
She’s changed into an oversized white jumper that hangs off one shoulder, her long legs bare beneath it.
“Yeah. Just wanted to see if you were coming up soon?”
She rounds the desk, stopping between my chair and the desk, looking down at my upturned face.
I lean back in my chair and run my thumb along my lower lip while I study her, and her eyes track the movement as she slides onto the desk.
“And why was that, Lily?” I ask, resisting the urge to run my hand up her thigh to see if she’s wearing any underwear under that jumper.
“Well,” she says, leaning back and resting her hands on the desktop. “I was getting a little lonely up there waiting for Annika to finish work.” She shifts her legs apart as she holds my gaze.
“Were you now? Do you need me to tell you a bedtime story?” Giving in to temptation, I slide my hands up the back of her calves, stopping at her knees.
“I need you to do something about this ache between my legs,” she says, her voice wavering a little, even as she boldly holds my gaze.
Like she’s nervous but doesn’t want me to see it.
Indecision wars within me. I know what I want. I want to bury myself so deep inside her that she’ll feel me for days.
But that way lies ruin. For both of us.
I can’t fuck her.
But I can still make her feel good.
“I have another meeting in a moment.” I trail my fingers lightly up and down her calves as I hold her gaze.
She pouts, and I am only just able to resist surging forward to bite her lower lip.
“Can you be a good girl, Angel?”
Her eyes flare, and she nods, taking a shuddering breath when I slowly trace circles at the back of both her knees.
“Let’s see just how much of a good girl you can be, Angel.” I press a kiss to her inner thigh before sitting back to look at her. “I want you to turn around, bend forward and hold the back of the desk. Do not make a sound. If you follow these instructions, I will reward you at the end.”
She swallows, and I see a flash of nerves in her expression.
Moving slowly, she slides off the desk, turns and bends forward to the right of my computer, pushing that perfect, round arse back into my hand.
I push her jumper up slowly and confirm what I’d suspected… No underwear.
“Nicely done, Angel. You came ready to play.” My laptop starts to ring loudly, and I stroke my hand gently over her arse as I move to answer it. “Now remember. Don’t. Make. A. Sound.”
And I click the green button, joining the meeting with my club managers in Amsterdam and Berlin.