The Man I Thought I Knew

by E. L. Todd

  I leaned my head up to kiss him, feeling my thighs squeeze together because I was so anxious. I loved the scruff along his jawline, the darkness of his eyes, the way he looked dangerous and harmless at the same time.

  He kissed me back, his eyes open, looking at the desire in my eyes. “Fuck…” His hand pushed up my dress and gripped my thong, and he slowly pulled it down to my thighs. He pulled away altogether to get it off my ankles. Then he wrapped the material around his dick and stroked himself for a moment before he helped himself to my nightstand, fishing out a condom and rolling it on.

  I tugged on the headboard, instinctively wanting to reach for him, to pull him on top of me so he could take me to cloud nine.

  He grabbed both my knees and pulled them apart, getting them wide open before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my entrance.

  I rolled my hips automatically, giving a loud moan because a simple kiss was more than enough to light me on fire. I tugged on the bars again, my thighs parting wider.

  His hands scooped under my ass, and he kissed me again, his eyes on me, his tongue circling my clit before his lips sealed over me entirely and gave me a hard suck.

  “God…” My head rolled back, and I looked at the ceiling, not caring if Charlie heard me. I’d heard him with girls before, and I placed a pillow over my head to silence the squeak of the bed.

  Dax crawled up my body and positioned himself between my open legs, tilting his hips so the head of his dick could touch my entrance and slowly sink inside. He held his strong body on top of mine, his dark eyes looking into mine as he sank deeper and deeper.

  I inhaled a deep breath, my legs starting to shake. “Dax…”

  He moved all the way inside, leaving his balls against my ass. He brought his face close to mine but didn’t kiss me. Then he started to thrust—hard.

  “Yes…” This was exactly what I wanted, wanted it the moment I saw his gorgeous face in that stunning suit. He could fuck like other men couldn’t. He could pound my pussy like he knew exactly where all my triggers were.

  He did it harder and harder, breathing hard and grunting, making the headboard slam louder and louder.

  I raised my head to kiss him.

  He pulled away, like all he wanted to do was stare at me as he fucked me. He grabbed the top of my dress and tugged it down, making my tits pop out. “Fuck me.” He clenched his jaw as he kept slamming into me, fucking me like he was really enjoying this, like this was a fantasy that really got him going. “Yes…”

  He lay beside me with his eyes closed, his body still flushed and pumped from all the work he’d done, even though we’d finished fifteen minutes ago.

  “You going to untie me?” I lay beside him, my dress to my waist, my tits out, my wrists still at the headboard.

  He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. “No.”

  “It better be because you’re going to fuck me. Because I ain’t gonna sleep like this.”

  “Ain’t?” He turned toward me, a slight grin on his face.

  “Damn right, ain’t.”

  “I hope you know that’s not a word.”

  “God, please don’t be the grammar police. I know how to write, and I know how to use slang, because I’m hip like that.”

  He reached up and tugged on the tie, making it come loose so my hands would be free.

  “Thank you.” I tossed the tie to the edge of the bed. I turned into him, snuggling into his side, my dress wrinkled and my heels kicked off to the edge of the bed. “You gonna sleep over?”

  “No. I’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

  “Alright.” I preferred not to share my bed because it was too small for a man of his size, but I’d started to get used to it, the way he sighed right when he woke up, the way he spooned me from behind or pulled me close if I was on the other side of the bed.

  He turned to me and gave me a kiss before he got out of bed. He pulled on his boxers then slowly started to put each piece of his suit back on his body.

  I stood up and adjusted my dress before I grabbed the tie. I caught the tag as I turned it over.

  Louis Vuitton.

  He had a Louis Vuitton tie?

  That meant it was like three hundred dollars.

  My heart started to race, finding another perplexing fact about him. Why was a man in a nearly empty apartment wearing a designer like this? He hadn’t even had any suits in his closet when I was over there.

  He pulled on the jacket then turned around. “Everything alright?”

  I almost confronted him about it, but I didn’t. I bit my tongue because Charlie would have told me to. It was a weird thing to say anyway, to question Dax about wearing something expensive. Maybe his mother gave it to him as a birthday gift or something. “Yeah.” I handed over the tie.

  He secured it around his neck, perfectly tying it without the need for a mirror—like he did that every single day.

  I walked him to the front door. Charlie was absent from the living room, probably in the bedroom watching TV as he fell asleep.

  Dax turned to me before he opened the door. “Do you have plans on Friday evening?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  “No plans to provoke the mob or something?” he asked, slightly playful.

  “Well, not right this second, but anything can happen.”

  “Have dinner with me. I want to talk to you about something.”

  “Why don’t you just talk to me about it now?”

  He stared at me for a while, breathing a deep sigh as he considered it. “Because it’s not the right time.” He leaned down and kissed me before he walked out of the apartment.

  Like always, I watched him go, stared at that tight ass in those slacks.

  Twenty-Four

  Carson

  “You wanted me, boss?” I stepped into Vince’s office, staying near the door because I didn’t expect this to take long.

  “Clear your schedule for the day. I have another assignment for you.”

  I never said no to work, but I already had so much going on. I was juggling three articles at once. “What is it?”

  “Vivica was supposed to interview the CEO of Clydesdale Software for an editorial piece. When we approached them about the article, they specifically asked for her.”

  “Then why are you making me do it?”

  “Because she broke her fucking foot last night.” He threw down his folder.

  “What about Charlie?” If I was going to nominate someone to take over, I was going to suggest my best friend.

  “He’s already on assignment in Brooklyn. Look, the meeting is in thirty minutes. I just need someone to go, and you’re here.” He lifted the folder. “Here’s all of Vivica’s notes. Just make it work, alright?”

  “I haven’t even had time to research any of this.” I walked into the office and took the folder.

  “That’s why I’m asking you. You’re the only one who can think quickly on their feet.”

  I took the compliment and pulled the folder close. “Well, thank you. Why are we doing an editorial piece, though?”

  “My sources tell me there’s some shady stuff going on at that company. We get him on record talking about the company and whatnot, and then use that as a backdrop later.”

  That was brutal. “Alright. What’s the guy’s name?” I flipped through the paperwork but couldn’t find it.

  “Dax Frawley.”

  I slowly turned back to him, my eyebrow raised.

  “What?”

  “His name is Dax?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  It was an odd coincidence, since Dax had told me he worked at that very software company…and his name was Dax. But he never mentioned he owned the place, and that was something that would have come up by now. I’d known him for nearly five weeks at this point. Why would he lie about his job? It just didn’t make sense. I wanted to jump to conclusions, but Charlie’s rational voice was in my head, telling me to give Dax the benefit of the doubt.

  Beca
use I was sprung on this man.

  “Carson?”

  I snapped out of my thoughts. “Yeah, I’ll take care of it…”

  I checked in at the lobby and held up my ID. “New York Press.”

  The security officer buzzed me through. “Top floor. Check in with the assistants first.”

  I got into the elevator and took the long ride to the very top, nervous even though I was never nervous. I wasn’t intimidated by anyone, afraid of anything. But I was afraid I’d walk into that office and see the face of the man who had been in my bed last night.

  That couldn’t happen.

  I couldn’t have two men in a row I cared about be liars.

  I couldn’t handle another betrayal…not when I was still hurt from the first one.

  Dax wouldn’t do that to me.

  Right?

  The doors opened, and I checked in at the front desk with a young blond woman. “Hi, I’m here for the interview with Mr. Frawley.”

  “Of course. Vivica?” She looked through her schedule.

  “Vivica had a medical emergency, so I’m filling in.”

  “Alright.” She nodded to the couch. “He’ll be with you in a second.”

  I took a seat, having left the folder at home because I already knew everything I wanted to ask. I’d quickly browsed through Vivica’s notes at my desk before I’d left for the interview. I had my recorder with me, hanging on the chain around my neck along with the ID card.

  A minute later, the blonde walked to me, in a pencil skirt and heels. “He’s ready for you.”

  I got up and followed her.

  She led me to the double doors, both charcoal black. She held the door open for me.

  “Thanks.” I stepped inside the large office. There were two couches facing each other, bookshelves on either side. The desk was located on the far side of the room, in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. I stepped inside and stared at the man leaning over his desk, his hand on the pad of his laptop as he scrolled through something at the last minute.

  Brown eyes.

  Dark hair.

  Scruff along his jaw.

  A designer suit on a chiseled body.

  I stood still as I stared at him, his eyes focused on the laptop as he finished up whatever he needed to take care of before giving me his attention. My heart hadn’t beat this hard in a long time, not since I’d found out my husband was a piece of shit. My eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Didn’t want to believe what they were seeing.

  I would normally scream or lose my temper, but I was quiet, speechless.

  I waited for him to look at me.

  He shut his laptop and straightened. “Just needed to finish something.” His hands moved in his pockets as he came around the desk. He lifted his chin to address me, but instead of opening his lips to speak, he halted in place.

  I stared at Dax, so livid I wasn’t even sure what to say. Sometimes men took swings, and I never took it personally. Sometimes things didn’t go my way, but I never got mad. But right now, I was furious…fucking furious. And I knew why.

  Because I was hurt.

  I was hurt for a lot of reasons. More than I could share at that moment. But the biggest hurt of all was that Dax knew I’d been hurt, betrayed, and then he did it again. He’d lied to me. Fucking lied to me.

  When he recovered from the shock, he moved forward again. “Carson, let me explain—”

  “You’re a billionaire CEO. No explanation required.” I turned away and opened the door. I left it open on purpose, so his assistants could hear the insults I unleashed. My head turned his way, and I kept my voice calm, holding the higher ground and keeping my dignity. “And a liar. A fraud. A phony. And overall, just a really shitty person.”

  “Why are you back so soon?” Vince came to my desk.

  “He rescheduled.” I made up a lie because I didn’t want to say I ditched the interview for personal reasons.

  Vince nodded. “Alright. If Vivica is up for it in a few days, I’ll give the article back to her.”

  “Yeah…”

  Vince walked away.

  My phone had been ringing nonstop because Dax kept calling me. I got so tired of it that I just blocked him.

  Charlie walked into the office a moment later, his satchel over his shoulder. He came to my cubicle but stilled when he saw the look on my face. “Geez, what happened?”

  “Why do you assume anything happened?”

  “Because you look like you’re about to cry.” He kneeled so no one else could overhear our conversation.

  I was hurt, but I wasn’t going to shed a single tear over that asshole. “I don’t cry, Charlie.”

  “What happened?” he whispered.

  “Let’s talk about it later.”

  He still looked anxious and refused to leave, like the concern was too much for him to walk away.

  “Let’s just say that my hunch about Dax was right.”

  The second we left the office, Charlie was on me. He couldn’t ask me anything in the elevator because people were with us, but when we were on the sidewalk, the words launched out of his mouth. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about the fact that I knew something was wrong, but you told me to deny my instincts. This is all your fucking fault, Charlie. My instincts have helped me survive, have gotten me where I am today, and I knew there was something up with that asshole, but you told me to ignore it.”

  “Whoa…” He raised both hands in the air, visibly offended. “Let’s take it down a notch, alright?”

  I immediately felt guilty, knowing Charlie just wanted the best for me, just wanted me to be happy. “I’m sorry…” I ran my fingers through my hair and stared at the sidewalk for a second. “I just… I’m fucking furious right now.”

  “What happened?” He came closer to me, his hands gripping my arms. “Did you see him with someone else?”

  “No.”

  “Then what?”

  “Vince made me pick up Vivica’s editorial. I was supposed to interview the CEO of Clydesdale Software. Well, guess who the CEO is.”

  His eyebrows slowly furrowed. “Dax?”

  “Yep. Fucking billionaire in a designer suit.”

  He dropped his hands. “So, this guy is a billionaire, and you’re mad because…?”

  “Because he’s a liar and a damn hypocrite. He told me to lower my walls and give him a chance and all this bullshit, and he was lying about who he was the entire time. I don’t even know this guy. He took me to some fake apartment where he obviously doesn’t live. It’s all a lie. It’s all an illusion. He even asked me to be exclusive, and he still didn’t tell me who he was. Who the hell does that?”

  Charlie’s eyes fell the longer he listened to me.

  “The worst part? He knows how damaged I am from my divorce, how much that fucked me up, how hard it is for me to trust someone. And he chose to keep lying to me. He chose to mislead me. Who does that?”

  He slipped his hands into his pockets and released a sigh. “Yeah…I get what you’re saying.”

  I held up my hands. “Who is this guy? Seriously? Everything I know about him is a lie.”

  “Well, I doubt it’s everything…”

  “And I couldn’t care less about him being a billionaire. That doesn’t make him look better, but worse. He lied to me because I’m insignificant to him. He’s got all the power and money, and I mean nothing.”

  “Okay, the guy is a jerk, but he’s not evil. I doubt that’s how he thinks.”

  “Whatever. I walked in there and saw him in his fancy suit in his fancy office, and he looked like a damn pussy, his eyes wide because he’d been caught. Same fucking look on his face as when I caught my husband with his pants down.”

  He bowed his head and shook his head slightly. “I’m sorry, Carson…”

  “It’s not your fault.” Hearing the genuine disappointment in his voice dulled my anger, made my voice grow quiet. I crossed my arms over my chest and ignore
d the people passing us on the sidewalk.

  “No. You recognized the signs, and I told you to ignore them. I’m sorry about that.”

  “You just wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

  “Well, I was wrong, apparently.”

  I rubbed my arms as I felt the throbbing in my chest. “If it were some other guy, I would just shake it off. But…I really liked him. He was… It doesn’t matter. I should have known he was too good to be true. Guys like that are never real. Their only purpose is to break your heart.”

  He came closer to me and wrapped his arms around me. “I’m sorry.” He held me close and rubbed my back, his chin resting on top of my head. He gave me an affectionate squeeze, making me feel loved, making me feel like I still had a lot to be thankful for.

  I sighed into his shirt, loving his support. “I’ll be alright.” I forced myself to pull away and put on a brave face. “I’m not gonna let a man destroy me, not again. Let’s just move on.”

  He continued to wear that look of pity. “Carson, you’re going to find the right guy… I know you will.”

  “Maybe. And he’ll be nothing like that piece of shit Dax Frawley.”

  I sat on the couch with a beer in my hand, watching the game and trying not to think about the man who’d burned me. A day had passed, and I was still furious. A good night of rest hadn’t diminished the rage.

  I wasn’t just mad at him—but myself.

  The signs were there, but I ignored them.

  I let him play me for a fool.

  How many other women had he done this to?

  Why did he have to do it in the first place? A sexy billionaire could get laid whenever he wanted.

  A loud knock sounded on the door.

  Charlie turned to me. “Expecting anyone?”

  I shook my head.

  He walked to the door and checked the peephole. Then he turned back to me. He mouthed, “It’s him.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fuck off, Dax!”