8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
Alden swipes his key card, and the door to his suite opens. He holds the door for me, and I slip past him into the dark room. He leads me to the living room and immediately heads for the in-room bar. The only light is from the small lamp in the corner he switched on, imbuing the room with a soft, ambient glow.
His hair is dishevelled, like he has been running his fingers through it constantly, and his dress shirt is wrinkled. From his spot, I notice how red his eyes are.
I watch as Alden fills a glass with what I think is whisky and gulps it down. How many of those has he had? It’s not my place to comment on his drinking habits, and it sure as shit isn’t my place to show him concern. Not that I have any.
“Want one?” Alden asks, catching me staring at him.
“No.”
I walk around the living room to calm my anxiety. I’m the one who finally put our foreplay to rest and took action, and yet, I can’t help but feel like I’m going to throw up. A loud clang gets my attention, and my head snaps to Alden, who fumbles with a bottle of something he’s knocked over.
He catches my eyes, mumbling, “Sorry.”
I move toward him, seeing the mess he’s made. “You’re drunk.”
He shakes his head, setting his spilled drink down on the marble surface. “I might not be completely sober, but I’m not drunk. I call it tipsy-premium.”
“Maybe I should go. Let you get some rest.” I gesture to him. “You don’t look like you’re in any condition to… you know.”
Alden’s lip quirks, a wicked smile on his face. “You’re not taking advantage of me if that’s what you’re worried about. And besides, tonight’s a special occasion.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I frown.
But Alden blows past my question. “I’ll prove it to you.” He extends his arms.
“What are you—”
He attempts to walk in a straight line, heel to toe, like I’m a cop who just pulled him over and asked him to prove his sobriety. He’s a little wobbly, but he does it.
He finishes with a proud smile. “See.”
Shaking my head, I laugh. “If you’re sober enough to drive, who am I to question if you’re sober enough for this?”
I down the drink from the bar, hoping some extra courage is at the bottom. As much as I front being this confident, sex-positive person, I still feel incredibly intimated from time to time. This being one of those times.
“I thought you didn’t want one,” Alden points out.
“I changed my mind.”
Alden takes the glass from me. He turns away, and I spot a dribble of whisky on the side of his mouth. The temptation to lick it is too strong. I lean into him, dart my tongue out, and lick the stray drop off his skin. We both freeze. I don’t know what came over me, but there’s no going back now. I rock back, stealing a glance at his face to see his eyes burn with lust.
I back up, but he matches each step I take, like a lion slowly entrapping his prey. By the time I run out of room, backed into the glass door that leads to the balcony, Alden’s lips are hovering over mine. Anticipation and need are burrowing deep inside me, and my lower stomach clenches.
Alden hesitates, his lips brushing mine. It’s like he is debating whether to go through with this. My heart races, waiting for him to make the first move. His hot breath dances on my skin, lighting a match under my flesh.
“Kiss me already,” I groan.
He grasps my chin, tilting it toward his mouth. I expect his touch to be rough, but it’s jarring when it isn’t. That’s the second time tonight he’s caught me off guard like that.
“Be patient. And I’ll make sure you get what you need.”
My heart jumps to my throat, the air suddenly expunged from the room. I search Alden’s eyes, and they flash something back at me. Something urgent.
Alden presses himself against me. His sudden closeness makes me shiver. I can feel every part of him, every ridge and dip of his hips, his solid chest, his massive bulge. And I melt into him. Before I can speak, give him another chance to tell me how impatient I’m being, his lips are on mine, sucking the breath from my lungs.
The kiss is slow at first, hesitant, but it quickly escalates and becomes needy. Teeth scrape against teeth and tongues clash, fighting for dominance. It’s just like one of our arguments. Alden grips a fistful of my hair, tugging to the point of pain. But I don’t mind it. Another wave of pleasure rips through me. I moan, but his mouth swallows the sound thoroughly.
His hands roam my body, squeezing and contracting over every inch. They find the edge of my dress, tugging at it.
“Off,” Alden whispers, detaching from my lips.
I take the dress off quickly, not wasting any time. His lips are back on my skin, leaving open-mouth kisses on my neck, my jaw, my cheek. He pulls back, his hazy eyes taking me in.
“This is so much better than anything I was picturing,” he whispers.
He grins mischievously, his eyes widening as he extends his hand to caress one of my breasts. I can’t help but writhe and moan at the contact. It has been so long since I have been touched like this—my own hands not doing the feeling justice. My eyes shut, and I relish in the feeling as Alden’s knee parts open my legs.
My pulse hammers against my throat, sinking lower and lower. I need him. A thought I never expected to have about Alden. He lowers his head, taking my clothed breast into his mouth, nipping and biting, dampening the material.
I grasp onto his head for purchase, digging my nails into his scalp. “Shit, shit—” But my cries stop, and catch in my throat when he pulls back.
Alden tugs my bra down harshly, sucking the nipple into his mouth like a man starved. My mouth hangs open, too astonished at the sensation. I tighten my grip on his hair to steady myself.
I feel a muffled groan from him as he brushes against my nipple. My thighs squeeze together. “ You taste so sweet… ” He bites my nipple before pulling back.
“Fuck,” I groan. A tear runs down my cheek at the tension leaving my body.
Alden straightens, reaching behind me to pull the doors to the balcony open. He notices the tear and wipes it away, looking at me with a tenderness I wasn’t expecting. There’s a moment between us before he motions with his head, and I follow him out. He slides the door closed, pressing me into it so my stomach is flush with the cold glass. His cock presses into my ass, his teeth scrape against my neck, and his hands rest on my hips.
“Are you going to do something or just feel me up?” My patience is thinning.
I keen and rub my ass against him, hoping to get any reaction out of him.
“You’re asking for trouble with that attitude, Monroe.” He squeezes my hips. “I know you’re used to getting your way, but not here, not now, not with me.”
A spine-tingling shiver runs through me. Alden’s weight is gone. I strain to see what he’s doing. He sinks to his knees, his nose nudging my ass.
“What are you doing?” I ask, even though, on every level, I know the answer.
He looks up at me. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
At any other time, his question would have infuriated me, but I feel nothing but turned on at the moment. I lay my palms flat against the glass. Alden’s hands rub the back of my thighs, my ass. He takes his time and leaves no inch of my skin untouched. He drags my thong down and slowly nips and bites his way to where I need him most.
I whimper, and Alden hums, spreading me open for him. He slides a thick digit through my folds. “You’re so wet already.”
Speechless, I can only nod. He does it again, prompting a throaty moan from me.
“Alden…” I whimper.
“Hmm?” He thumbs over my clit, setting my nerves on fire. “Something you need?”
“Hmph,” is all I can get out.
Alden stops what he’s doing. “Use your words, Monroe. Tell me what you need.”
“ Please ,” I mumble. “K-keep going.”
“That’s music to my ears.” He chuckles breathlessly as he inserts two fingers, pumping them in and out of me at a steady pace.
My groans intensify into moans and heavy breathing as he pumps faster. My walls clench and unclench, my stomach knotting tightly.
“I—fuck.” I press my entire body weight against the glass door and hope that it won’t shatter.
The next thing I know, Alden’s mouth joins his fingers, latching onto my clit and sucking. I feel a trail of my slick run down my inner thigh, followed by unbridled squelching. I am wetter than I’ve ever been for anyone, but I don’t dwell on that fact.
Alden licks and sucks and tastes me for what feels like hours, coaxing me nearer and nearer toward the edge. My thighs begin to spasm, but he never lets up. His tongue flicks over my swollen clit, and I nearly collapse. Alden’s arm bands around my waist to hold me up.
It’s like he can sense that I’m close. “Come for me, Monroe, just let go,” he says hoarsely.
His mouth is back on my pussy, humming until I come. It’s fast and hard, his skilled tongue making me wonder what he can do with his cock.
I’m breathing heavily, limply trying to hold myself up as I crash and burn back down to Earth. Alden flips me around gently, planting a kiss on my inner thigh. His tongue follows to lick up all my juices. He’s methodical as he does, and I watch him, fascinated. Then he stands, towering over me. He slides his hand back down to my pussy, his thumb teasing me, making me shiver.
Alden brings his thumb to my mouth, coating my bottom lip with my arousal. “Taste it,” he growls. And I don’t hesitate, tasting the glistening wetness with my tongue. “Do you like it?”
I nod. It’s tangy and sweet. Alden grunts in approval, his fingers catching my chin before I can lean back. He captures my mouth in a bruising kiss and bites my bottom lip. I don’t stop the moan from tumbling out of me as he sucks at the spot, soothing the dull pain.
“Get on your knees,” he says.
The throbbing between my legs is back. Alden catches my hand, helping me down onto my knees. His eyes never leave mine as he pulls my hair, tipping my head up. His thumb rubs the corner of my mouth, and I know what he’s asking.
I open my mouth and await what comes next. He undoes his belt with one hand, letting it drop to the ground. His cock’s size is visible as it strains against his boxers. I can’t resist and lean in. His smell is intoxicating. Clean soap and something headier, something indescribably him. Alden’s fist is buried in my hair. When I place a kiss on his stomach, it tightens.
He groans. “Don’t do that.” But he doesn’t try to stop me.
My fingers find his waistband, and my hand slips past it, cupping him. He throws his head back, muttering something I can’t hear. I stroke him faster, squeeze him harder.
“If you keep going…” he trails off, his throat bobbing.
“I know,” I snicker, testing the waters.
Alden’s hand finds mine, tugging me back. “Stop.”
I stop and sit back on my heels.
“I was saying that if you keep going, you’re going to make me come in my boxers, and I’d much rather come down your throat.”
I shake my head, thinking I definitely didn’t hear him right. But I did. Alden really said that to me. I’m a throbbing, sticky mess, and his words are affecting me more than I thought they would.
He yanks his cock out. “Squeeze my thigh if it gets to be too much.”
Nodding, I open my mouth and grab his muscular thighs, gripping them tightly as he thrusts down my throat.
“That’s right, just like that,” Alden coos.
I take a deep breath through my nose, hollowing out my cheeks to take more of him. Alden’s fingers tangle in my hair, tugging roughly as he guides himself deeper. I sputter when his tip hits the back of my throat, eyes watering. Alden pauses, easing up a bit before he pulls out completely, only to push back into my mouth, rough and fast.
“God… you’re doing so good, so good …”
I clench at his words. I’ve always been a sucker for sweet words and praise.
He sets a demanding pace, fucking my throat until it feels like it’s raw. The warmth in my belly travels down to my core, my pussy fluttering. Drool is dribbling down my chin, but I don’t care. I peer up at him through my lashes, watching as he comes undone.
His rhythm becomes sloppy with the need for release.
“Goddammit—” Alden groans before I feel his come pool in my mouth.
His breathing is ragged, choppy. He convulses, fisting his length to get every drop out. Alden is heaving as he steps back. I swallow everything, thumbing a drop that escapes down my chin, licking the digit clean.
Just when I think I can’t take anymore, Alden manhandles me and positions me onto all fours as he settles behind me. He presses himself against my back, his jagged breath hitting my ear.
“Do you think you can give me one more?” he pants.
“Y-yeah,” I gasp, just as breathless.
He reaches over to his discarded pants, fishing out a condom. If anybody ever interrogated me and asked if I found Alden ripping open the condom wrapper with his teeth like an animal attractive, I would fold so hard.
There is no warning, only a low grunt as Alden lines himself up with my entrance, shoving inside me. He thrusts into me repeatedly, each thrust more punishing than the last.
“Shit—” Alden groans.
It isn’t long before I feel my walls tightening and squeezing around him. Alden’s arm scoops me up, pressing our sweaty bodies flush together as he continues to drill into me. Our moans mix with the slapping of skin to create an unholy harmony of obscene sounds. Alden uses his free hand to rub tight circles over my clit, bringing me to the edge.
“No one has ever looked so good taking my cock,” Alden murmurs against the shell of my ear.
I whine, grabbing onto the back of his neck, letting him sink his teeth into my collarbone. His arm flexes as he applies more pressure onto my clit, my pussy tingling in response.
“ Fuck— ” But I’m coming before I can finish my string of profanities.
A few more thrusts, and I feel him twitch inside me, his thrusts becoming rushed. A buzzing starts beneath my skin. Alden’s grip around me tightens. He comes with a sharp groan, slumping over my back. We’re both too breathless to move or speak for a long while. After a while, Alden slips out of me, and that feeling of being filled is gone.
The sliding door gives Alden away as I hear him head inside. I collapse forward, my breath ragged. He returns a few minutes later, changed into a new set of clothes. He doesn’t say a word or acknowledge me; he only leans over the balcony, a glass of whisky in his hand, staring into the dark.
“I’ll go.” My knees ache as I get to my feet. “Let you, I don’t know, check the stock market or something.”
I stop when he doesn’t respond. No witty comeback? I find my discarded underwear and dress quickly, eager to leave as soon as possible. Alden still hasn’t said a word, hasn’t looked my way once. Who would’ve expected him to be a jerk after that? No surprise there.
I throw on my dress over my messy hair and walk to the sliding door, head held high.
Before I cross the threshold, I stop and look back. “It’ll be hard to purge that from my mind, but I’ll try my hardest.”
Alden glances at me and scoffs. “Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy it.” He takes a languid sip.
I cross my arms, feeling the breeze through my thin dress. Goose bumps scatter across my skin, and I can’t tell whether it’s from the temperature drop or Alden.
I edge closer to him but maintain a safe distance. “We made a deal. We aren’t talking about this anymore.”
He flexes his jaw, his eyes scanning my face. His expression falls short before he rights it. “Talking about what?” There’s an unmistakable glint in his eyes.
“Thank you.”
Alden shrinks inward, like he’s shielding himself from my eyes.
“You’re still here,” he says, peering at me before he continues his brooding. “I thought you were leaving.”
“I will in a minute. Look, I just want to make sure you hold up your end of the deal. You won’t breathe a word of this to anyone. If you do, I’ll lose my job.”
He releases a heavy sigh. “I understand, Monroe. Believe me, I don’t want this getting out, either.”
My tongue jabs the side of my cheek. I feel like I should’ve seen that remark coming. “Well, at least that’s sorted.”
Alden faces me, arms crossed. “Anything else? I still have some work to get done before I call it a night.”
It feels like the Arctic out here, and I should feel anything other than this biting, raking niggle of rejection. But it’s there. Burning into me. Rather than address it any further, I stuff it so far down that my throat clogs. Because Alden Van Doren isn’t anything other than a one-night fuck. He made that perfectly clear, and I should treat him as nothing more.
“Nope. Nothing. We have absolutely nothing else to talk about.” I yank open the sliding door, only giving him a brief look. “See you around.”
With that, I leave his suite, aggravation churning in my stomach.
When I get to my apartment, I unlock my door, head straight for the bathroom, and peel my clothes from my body, depositing them in a trail on the floor. I take a quick shower, the fatigue from the day finally catching up to me. Entering my bedroom, my phone pings from its spot on my dresser, and I pick it up. A wave of icy dread washes over me as I see who the sender is. Harriet . My mom.