by Snow, Jenika
Her eyes are completely focused too, trained right on me, as if she wants to slug me in the nose. I grin. I like this fire in her. It’s a hell of a lot different than the fake as fuck socialites that run in my circles.
I think about my arousal for her, knowing that I haven’t been with a woman in a long fucking time. I’ve not even been interested in one until seeing Macy; that’s how I know I’m in trouble where she’s concerned.
I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off of her.
Suddenly, this bargain has an added plot twist to it besides sticking it to Senator Harris and his bitch of a wife.
Macy’s about to learn that what I want, I get.
And what I want is her.
It’s as simple as that.
Macy
The fact that I agreed to go through with this says I am either crazy as hell, or not as hard as I thought I was. Because I should have called his bluff, I should have told him to fuck off, that he’d have to catch me first and prove I did anything wrong.
But I just stared up at him and gave him my name, all but admitted what I’d done.
And here I am, trying on dresses like some paper doll, all because he blackmailed me.
Even though I don’t know Braden, I know the kind of man he is. He gets what he wants, when he wants. That’s clearer than the fact that I look out of place in this damn dress.
He takes no shit from people. And if he said he would call the cops on me, I know he would have. And no matter how tough I act, going to jail scares the hell out of me. It’s not enough for me to stop picking pockets and having sticky fingers, but enough that if he is willing to let me off the hook and all I have to do is go on a fake date with him, then hey, I can do that.
I stare at myself in the full-length mirror with the dress he picked out, wondering what the hell I am actually doing. This is so unlike me, and I’m so out of place here.
I’m a ponytail, jeans, and ratty band T-shirt kind of girl. But here I am, standing at some exclusive boutique that closed down just for Braden. I stare at my reflection in the elegant evening gown that costs more than I’d make in a year.
“Let me see,” he barks out from behind the curtain, his tone a harsh demand.
I clench my teeth together. I’m not used to anyone talking to me this way. It’s usually the other way around, where I’m giving the demands, I’m making my own way. But with Braden I’m on this whole different level. I feel so very feminine around him, as if I want to bend to his will, to just give in.
I grip the edge of the curtain and pull it open aggressively, narrowing my eyes as I stare at him sitting in the plush chair across from me. He’s leaning back, his big body in a relaxed pose. He looks good, damn good in that three-piece suit, his dark hair impeccably styled, his fingers resting on his chin, as if he’s thinking way too hard.
He doesn’t move for a moment, doesn’t even speak as he looks me up and down. His gaze is like fingers along my body and I feel my nipples harden underneath the silk of the gown. I curl my fingers into my palms, my nails digging into the flesh painfully.
I don’t like this reaction I have for him. It seems out of place, consuming. It’s not something I’ve ever experienced before. And not only does it arouse me, but it pisses me off.
I’ve never needed anyone in my life. I’m a foster system kid, bouncing from home to home. I’ve never had a family, never even wanted one. I also don’t do relationships of any kind. No friends. No boyfriends. Ever.
It’s just easier that way. It keeps you from getting hurt.
I’m young, but I’m street-smart, and I feel I’m years older than I actually am. I have to be in order to do what I do. To survive.
But Braden is completely different, my total opposite. No doubt he has had everything handed to him on a silver platter, has family money, and is obviously extremely well-off.
I’m gum that would stick to the bottom of his expensive designer shoe.
But he doesn’t look at me that way. He looks at me like he ...wants me.
Finally, he stands, and I straighten, feeling tingles race along my arms and legs. His gaze moves down to my chest and I know he’s staring at my breasts. I know he can see how hard my nipples are. I can’t breathe in that moment, not as he steps closer, not as the scent of his cologne and his overpowering masculinity wash over me.
He’s unlike any other man I’ve met.
Braden is wealthy but not arrogant about it. He knows he’s in control, and it’s that kind of power that turns me on, apparently.
“Gorgeous,” he murmurs in a low, husky voice.
He lifts his hand and picks up a strand of my hair that fell from my ponytail. For a moment he just stares at it as he rubs it between his fingers, as if memorizing the texture. But then, as if he knows he’s in some kind of trance, he lets my hair go. A second later he takes a step back and that hard mask covers his face again.
He turns and looks at the sales associate, who stands off to the side with her hands clasped behind her back and her head lowered. She looks submissive as hell. And I wonder if I looked exactly like that just moments before, drunk from his very presence.
This is insane.
I am insane for how I feel for Braden. I know nothing about him aside from the fact he clearly likes to blackmail people to get what he wants. Or maybe it’s me he likes toying with.
Then again, I did steal from him.
I guess it’s par for the course, as if we’re equal now.
“We’ll take it. I want all the accessories as well: shoes, undergarments.” He glances at me and looks me up and down again, as if he’s visualizing me in those panties and bra. I feel my face heat. “Get dressed. I’m taking you to get jewelry.”
And just like that I find myself turning around, as if he’s the puppet master and controls the strings that are connected to me.
I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I’m in too deep now.
Braden
“I’m not having sex with you.”
I look over my shoulder at Macy and I keep my face expressionless, even though I want to smile.
She can deny it all she wants, but I see the desire on her face, catch the way she looks at me when she thinks I’m not watching. She wants me as much as I do her. She can pretend she doesn’t, but I think we both know it’s going to happen eventually.
It’s just a matter of when.
Today proved that as nothing else could. I spent the day buying her clothes, watching her reactions and learning more about her than she’ll ever know. Every moment I’ve spent in her presence just makes me desire her more.
I don’t do relationships, never have, but I’m definitely going to enjoy fucking Macy out of my system.
“I don’t remember asking you,” I tell her as I shrug out of my jacket.
“Then why are we in a hotel room?” she grumbles, her face deepening with color as if her thoughts jumped right down into the gutter.
I can’t decide if she’s embarrassed or turned on. I’m pretty sure it’s a mixture of both and I like it. I lay my suit coat over the chair and unbutton my cufflinks. As I put them on the entrance table I give her a warning look, a side-eye glance that tells her I won’t put up with her bullshit.
“If these come up missing, I’ll make sure you pay for them—in any way I see fit.”
Her cheeks turn pinker. “Oh please, those things wouldn’t cover my rent.”
“They would if you pawn them.”
“Cash is easier.” She shrugs and I shake my head.
I can’t figure out why I like this girl, but damn if I don’t. She’s sharp-witted, smart and makes me want to laugh. I don’t know when the last time was that anyone did that. I think Macy manages it without even trying. I set the rest of my things on the dresser by the bed.
“Where are you going?” Macy asks as I start to leave the room.
I stop and look at her.
“I was going to go to the shower. I had planned
on going alone, but you’re more than welcome to join me,” I invite her, giving her a smile that dares her to accept. Maybe if I challenge her she won’t even fight the attraction boiling between us.
“I thought we were going to some dinner? Isn’t that what these fancy clothes that you bought are about?”
“We are, but I didn’t say my dinner party was tonight.”
“Oh… I guess I just assumed.”
“The dinner is Sunday evening,” I inform her.
“What?” She sounds surprised. “But that’s like two days away!”
“I feel better knowing you can count,” I tell her drolly, teasing her.
“Stop being a dick for a minute. That’s two days away. What on earth am I supposed to do for two days while I’m here?”
“You strike me as the resourceful type. I’m sure you’ll think of something, Macy, but if you get bored, I know what I’ll vote for.”
“Sure,” she says. “When hell freezes over.”
“I feel the air getting colder already,” I tell her, grinning.
Macy will come to me. If she thinks working for it will be a turn off, she’s sadly wrong.
It just makes me want her even more.
Macy
I watch as the bathroom door shuts, hear the shower turn on, and all I want to do is scream.
This man infuriates me, makes me want to rip out my hair for how frustrating he is.
I look at the hotel room door, contemplating leaving. And although I could easily ditch him, take the fancy, expensive shit he bought and sling it on the street, instead I sit my ass down on the bed. He knows my name, and a man like him surely has resources out his ass.
There’s no way he won’t be able to find me. There’s no way he won’t make good on his promise that if I don’t play by his rules, do what he says, he’ll have the cops hauling my ass away for theft.
I clench my jaw as I stare at the bathroom door, picturing him in the shower, the water running over his big, hard body. The truth is, he fucking annoys me, but he also turns me on. I’m wet between my thighs, and my nipples are hard enough they’re pressing against my shirt.
His arrogance, the way he grins at me, knowing full well he gets under my skin, pisses me off even more. He knows I want him, knows he can have me if he just pushes a little harder.
I look around at the hotel room, the swankiest place I’ve ever been. I feel out of place, and my mind instantly goes to what I can sell. God, he and I are from two very different worlds.
There are gold-leaf accents, marble countertops, and even a small crystal chandelier hanging above the bed. There’s a whole other room attached to where I’m currently at, a sitting area with two couches, a massive flat-screen TV hanging on the wall, and a coffee table between them.
It looks like a small apartment.
I don’t even want to think about how much this place costs a night. And although I lied and told him stealing his stuff and selling it wouldn’t even pay for my rent, I know it would and more.
On the street, this stuff can go for pretty penny, but I wasn’t lying when I said cash is easier. It’s less of a “paper trail.”
I lie back on the bed and throw my hands over my head, closing my eyes and just lying there. I could get used to this type of life, where I don’t have to worry about how much money I need to pay my bills or to eat, where I don’t have to worry about if my fingers are going to be sticky enough that day and pay off for all the work I’m doing, all the people I’m ripping off.
I don’t know how long I lie there. I hear the shower turn off, but refuse to move. I don’t care what he says, what he thinks when he comes out and sees me sprawled in the middle of the bed like I own the place.
If Braden wants to keep me here for the next two days, that’s exactly what I’m going to do… make myself at home.
And we need to get some things straight. I have some rules of my own. If he thinks he can push me around, control what I do until after the dinner, he’s got another think coming.
He’ll find out soon enough that I’m not the type of woman to bend easily, no matter how attractive a man is. And a part of me thinks that’s what he’s used to, women who surrender to him, submit to whatever he wants.
I’m the complete opposite, and he’ll figure that out, maybe even regret taking me to this dinner.
I hear the bathroom door open and I push myself up, keeping my hands behind me and bracing my upper body. Steam billows out from the bathroom as he steps out, a white, plush towel wrapped around his waist, his chest on display, I feel myself suck in a breath of air.
Braden’s chest is hard and muscular with a rippling six-pack, defined pectoral muscles, and biceps that would have me weak in the knees if I wasn’t already sitting down.
He saunters out and heads toward the bag he brought with him. All I can do is sit here and stare at him.
I lick my lips, my throat feeling dry and tight. “We… we have some things to discuss if I’m gonna be here for the next two days.” I try to sound strong, but my voice comes out soft, almost weak. I swallow, trying not to gawk at his body, but it’s nearly impossible.
He looks over his shoulder at me with an eyebrow raised. “Then talk,” he says nonchalantly. He faces me, and it takes all my will power to stare at his face.
I open my mouth, not sure exactly where to start, or what to say, but before I can say anything, he reaches down and drops his towel. On instinct, I lower my gaze. A small gasp escapes me as I stare at the massive dick hanging between his legs. He’s long and thick, not even aroused, but he’s big enough that I can only imagine how much larger he gets when he’s sporting an erection.
I curl my hands into the comforter beneath me and slowly lift my gaze up, following the trail of dark hair that stops right below his navel, continuing up until I look into his eyes.
The gorgeous bastard is smirking.
“You wanted to talk?”
Braden
Controlling my erection with Macy’s gaze on my cock might be my greatest achievement. I have to let her think I’m not desperate to have her. But fuck, the truth is I am. It’s like she’s entered my blood stream, made me addicted to her. I can’t stop thinking about her.
“Could you put some clothes on first?” she mumbles, her cheeks shining bright.
She’s definitely not so cocky now. I like that I fluster her.
“You sure you want me to do that?”
“What does that mean?” she asks.
“The way you keep staring at my dick makes me think you’d rather I stay just like this,” I goad her.
“I just haven’t seen one that … small before,” she says, victory shining in her eyes.
I smirk. She’s got a sharp tongue on her. “That must explain why you’re drooling.”
“I am not. You really need to get over yourself, Braden.”
I step closer to her and she leans back. I, of course, move in closer. I let the tip of my index finger slide along her bottom lip. She jerks her head away like my touch burns. Maybe it does. God knows the heat from her makes me feel like I’m burning alive.
“I guess your lips are just naturally wet then,” I tell her. She narrows her eyes at me and I find myself leaning down over her. “I’d be careful about the looks you give me, Macy. I take them as a challenge, and I’m the kind of man who loves a good challenge,” I warn her.
“It’s not a challenge, Braden, it’s disgust.”
“Are you used to boys instead of men?” I ask her, sounding bored, yet I’m anything but. I feel like my entire body is electrically charged. I haven’t felt this alive in … well, ever. Business has turned me into a man that’s bored and cold most of the time. I sure as hell don’t feel bored right now.
“What are you talking about now?”
“I’m saying I’m a man, and I can tell when a woman’s body is responding to me,” I respond confidently. “You’re turned on right now, and don’t insult us both by denying it.”
I sit down on the bed beside her and it’s all I can do to keep from laughing when Macy grabs a pillow from behind her and slaps it down on my lap.
“I refuse to talk to you with that waving between us,” she mutters.
“If it’s distracting you that much, I could tell you what will make it so it’s not standing at attention.”
“Does this type of approach usually work with the women in your life?”
I smirk. I could tell her that there haven’t been women in my life for a while, but that makes me sound pathetic, when the truth is no one has held my interest … at least until a street urchin with blond hair the color of sunshine tried to pickpocket me. Jesus, maybe I have lost my mind.
“You have no idea,” I tell her, not lying, but leading her to believe she’s just one of many.
“Then no wonder,” she huffs.
“No wonder?”
“It’s no wonder you felt the need to blackmail me for company if the women in your life are all so stupid.”
“You think a woman would have to be stupid to want to fuck me?” I ask, willing her to keep that little smart mouth coming at me. She has no idea who she is dealing with, or the fact that it turns me on.
But she will…
“I didn’t say that, but since you mentioned it…” She shrugs, not finishing.
“You really shouldn’t call yourself names, Macy.”
“I didn’t. What—”
“We both know I can prove easily how much you want me right now.” I lower my gaze to her chest. “If your nipples get any harder, they’re going to rip through that shirt you’re wearing. So, does that mean you think you’re stupid because you’re dying to fuck me?”
“I am not.”
“How wet are you right now, Macy? Why do I get the feeling you’d drench my cock the second I got between your legs?”