“I had no idea he was going to be there.”
“I’ll choke the life out of you before I let another man have you and damn us both.”
Her face turns pale at my harsh words, but she needs to understand if she keeps fucking with me there’ll be dire consequences. I pull into the driveway of a large house.
“Where are we?”
“Come on.” I get out of the car.
Once we’re inside, I watch Cin take in the spacious living room.
“I just closed on this place.”
“What are you going to use it for?”
“I bought it for you.”
Her head whips in my direction. “I can’t accept this.”
“You have thirty days to vacate your apartment.”
“I’m not putting in a notice.”
“That’s fine. One was already put in on your behalf.”
“You must’ve paid a fortune for this house.”
“The price wasn’t a factor in my decision to purchase. It’s good for Sebastian. He’ll have his own room, a big backyard with a swimming pool, and it’s only a block from his school. You want the best for him. I’ll make sure he’ll have it.”
She stares at me, trying to decipher the truth of my words.
“Your mother will have a room as well and there’s a two-car garage, so when she gets a vehicle there’ll be space for it. Do you want a tour?”
“Yeah.”
“As you can see, it’s fully furnished.”
“Who chose all this stuff?”
“I did, with the assistance of an interior decorator. I’ll replace whatever you don’t like.”
“It’s all wonderful, and I’m not picky about this sort of stuff anyway.”
Cin’s eyes and smile grows wider with each room we visit. She throws her arms around my neck.
“Thank you so much for this! My mom and Sebastian will be so excited!” She releases me and darts down the hall to the master bedroom.
Seeing her happy like this pulls at my heart.
“This is all yours,” I say, entering the bedroom.
No expense was spared for her. All the furniture is white marble.
“Do you really think I need a vanity?” She laughs.
“The decorator assured me a vanity is a must-have for all women.” I smirk.
“But I’m not like other women.”
“No, you’re not.”
I pick her up and throw her onto the bed. The alarm on her face hardens my dick.
“Get naked and turn on your belly.” I unbuckle my leather belt and pull it off.
“Why?” Her eyes warily track my movements.
“It’s time for your punishment.”
“No.”
She rolls over and attempts to crawl to the other side of the bed, but I grab her ankle and pull her back. I jump on the bed and sit on her back, facing her pretty ass. She flails her arms and legs, but we know her efforts are fruitless, there’s no way she’s strong enough to unseat me.
“You’re too heavy. I can’t breathe,” she pants.
“Stop fighting and it’ll be over quick.”
“What about my tattoo? It’s still healing!”
“Too bad.” I expose her bottom.
“Art, you can’t treat me like a fucking child!” She bucks beneath me.
“Take your punishment like a woman.” I whip my arm through the air and strike her as hard as I can.
“You fucking asshole! I hate you!”
Cin damns me to hell and calls me every expletive in the English language. I’m satisfied when the skin of her inflamed ass glows a bright red. I fling the belt to the floor, then move to her side. She sits up, shredding my skin with her sharp nails. She screams in fury as I rip her shirt from her body. Her teeth latch onto my forearm, biting down hard. I seize her jaw and squeeze to pry her away.
“Oh, you want to play rough.” I snatch off her shoes.
“Motherfucker!” She begins pounding her fists on my chest.
I push her back down and pull her jeans off.
“No!” she yells.
“Yes,” I counter, forcing her legs apart.
She socks me in the face. I grab her wrists, pinning them above her head with one hand, and free my engorged dick with the other. I ram home, not caring if I cause her pain. Cin’s fiery hot sheath just might reduce my dick to ashes. Fuck, her cunt grips my dick in a vise-like hold.
“Do you want me to stop?”
“Yes.”
“Then why is your pussy so wet?” I nuzzle her neck.
I tunnel through her walls seeking release. Our moans reverberate around the bedroom. She writhes and bucks under me, clamping her pussy muscles down on my dick, causing me to lose my shit. I swiftly move my hips between her thighs, hitting her cervix with each punishing stroke as my balls slap against her ass. Her sex is perfection personified. Adrenaline flows through my veins, heightening my senses. Her inner muscles flex as her shattered cry fills my ears. I erupt, pounding into her until there’s nothing left, and I collapse. Then something amazing happens I’ve never experienced before. Her pussy flutters over my still-hard length and I come again.
“Holy fuck,” I groan. I’m so weak I can’t move. After my breathing steadies, I find the strength to roll to my back.
“How can you hurt me like that?”
“If you’re expecting me to feel remorse for what I did, you’ll be disappointed.”
“Because of you, I have a sore pussy and ass.”
“Next time, you’ll think twice about lying. I’m hoping you don’t, because I do so love to abuse your delectable body.”
“You don’t walk away unscathed.” She looks pointedly at the teeth marks on my forearm.
“Oh, that’s nothing.” I shrug. “I barely felt it.”
“Well, the next time I’ll be sure to take a great big chunk out of you.”
“See, you’re already thinking negatively. You must be planning on breaking the rules again.”
“One day I’ll get the best of you.”
I laugh. Damn, I admire her spirit. “You can try. Get in the shower. We have to go.”
“What exactly will I be wearing since you destroyed my shirt and bra?” she deadpans.
“Go look in the closet.”
She dramatically inches off the bed.
I laugh at her antics. “It looks like you’re in critical condition. Maybe we should stop by the hospital.”
“Kiss my ass.” She walks towards the closet, rubbing her red behind.
“Bring it back over here and I’ll lick it too.”
“There’s no way I’ll be able to sit down today without a bag of ice taped to my ass,” she says, opening the closet door. “Oh my God.”
“Do you like what you see?”
She looks at me with eyes large as saucers. “This closet is the same size as my apartment.”
“Go inside and explore.”
“I’m assuming you didn’t choose these clothes yourself,” she calls out to me.
“Nope, I hired a stylist.”
She comes out with a white G-string hanging from the tip of her index finger. “There’s a drawer full of these. I wonder why.” She arches an eyebrow.
“Well, knowing how much you like them, I made sure you had at least five hundred pairs.” I offer her a Cheshire smile.
“Five hundred?”
“I overexaggerated a little. It’s actually four hundred and ninety-eight pairs,” I joke.
She chuckles. “You’re cute when you’re like this.”
My mood changes instantly. She makes me forget her deceit so easily. Alarm registers on her face when I leap from the bed and converge on her.
I push her, causing her to fall onto the settee in the middle of the closet. “Get dressed and be downstairs in ten minutes.”
“No, I’m taking a shower first,” she says, glaring at me in defiance.
“Are you ready for another battle so soon, little girl?” I wa
lk up to her and reach my hand behind her to run my fingertips along her bruised ass. “You barely survived this one.”
“You confuse me, Art.” She places a soft kiss on my neck. “I’m tired of the cat-and-mouse game between us, aren’t you?” Her russet-colored eyes search mine, expecting to find something that isn’t there.
“No, I live for the game. The question you have to ask yourself this very moment is—are you ready to play again?”
Her eyes narrow. “I’m up for a second round.”
I grab her hair and violently jerk her head back. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
I blink in surprise when she slaps me across the face.
“Bravo. One point for Cin.” I swing her around, sliding my arm over her slender neck.
I lead her to the row of colorful dresses. “Which do you prefer to wear? I’m partial to the blue one.”
“I don’t want to wear a damn dress.”
“I rarely see you in one, so today you’re wearing a dress whether you like it or not.”
Not happy with my response, she reaches up, grabs two fistfuls of my hair, and yanks me forward.
I apply more pressure to her throat. “Be a good girl and let go.”
She accepts defeat and drops her arms to her sides after a few minutes of struggling to gain freedom.
“Which one, sweetheart? We really do have to get going,” I say sweetly, as if we’re a normal couple heading out to Sunday brunch with friends.
“The purple,” she grits out.
I pull the blue dress from the hanger. “You can wear the purple one tomorrow. Are you going to dress yourself, or will I have to do it?”
“I’ll do it,” she snaps.
I dangle the dress in front of her. “Here you go.”
She snatches it from my grasp. “You can let me go now.”
“Victory is mine,” I say, heading towards the bedroom. Before clearing the doorway, I glance over my shoulder. “And, Cin?”
“What?” Her eyes shoot daggers at me.
“No panties.” I wink at her, just to piss her off more. “How about round three later if you’re feeling lucky?”
She picks up a shoe from the rack housing dozens of pairs and throws it at me. I quickly dart out of the closet. When Cin starts to get under my skin, stirring emotions best left dormant, I tip the scale, upsetting the balance and pulling us further from the peace we could have together. I want to trust her again, but my pride stops me.
What an eventful morning. My head has yet to stop spinning from the unexpected turn of events. Art bought me a fucking house. My reservations evaporated once he pointed out the benefits for Sebastian. For the first time he’ll have his own bedroom, and God knows I’m beyond thrilled at the prospect of privacy. After leaving the house, we went to a business meeting at the headquarters of a construction company. Art plopped a laptop in front of me and instructed me to take minutes. I tried my best to be thorough, but the notes are terrible. Being an assistant is obviously not my forte. It wasn’t hard to decipher I didn’t belong among the attendees. To make matters worse I couldn’t stop squirming because of my sore ass. The pain along with sticky thighs was a reminder of our fucking an hour before, making it difficult to concentrate. The meeting was long and boring, but it was interesting to learn Art plans to build a few more Falcon locations in Florida. The executives put on a good show, driving home the pros of Art selecting their company for the upcoming projects. Thankfully, after several excruciating hours, the meeting finally ended. Art gave me a few action items to complete as we left the building.
Now we’re at a fancy Japanese restaurant. I’m out of my element here too, having never eaten this type of food, so Art decided for me. He ordered the food in Japanese, so I have no idea what’s in store. He tried to coerce me into trying caviar, but I vehemently refused.
“Woman, stop fidgeting,” Art barks from across the table.
“I’m certainly not doing it for my own enjoyment,” I snap.
“Using that tone of voice with me will get you another spanking.”
“Jackass,” I mumble under my breath.
“What’s that?”
“Oh nothing,” I say, fluttering my eyelashes and rubbing my chin with my middle finger.
He notices my gesture. “Cute.”
The waiter comes by the table to deliver a platter and top off our wine glasses. My nose wrinkles at the contents on the plate.
“What the hell? This isn’t enough food for a toddler.”
“This is what you call fine dining.”
“Well, I call it a rip-off. What is it anyway?”
“Sashimi.”
“Which is?”
“Thinly sliced raw meat.”
I make a gagging sound. “I’m definitely not eating that.”
“What we have here is Wagyu beef, tuna, cuttlefish, and sea bream.”
“I’ll pass.”
“You need to get out of your comfort zone. Put some grated ginger and garlic on it, then dip it in the soy or ponzu. If you want a little heat, you slather some wasabi paste on it.”
I put on my big girl panties and pick up the chopsticks.
“How do I use these things?”
“First of all, you’re holding them incorrectly.” He chuckles. “Watch me.”
I follow his lead, managing to pick up a piece of fish and successfully dip it in soy sauce.
“If I barf all over the table, it’ll be your fault,” I warn before popping the meat in my mouth. “Wow, it’s actually pretty tasty.” Maybe working for Art won’t be so bad. I’m making a decent salary and having a delicious lunch thrown in is a great perk. What more could a girl ask for?
“See, listen to me and you’ll experience great things.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Hello, Art, I thought that was you.”
I glance towards the vaguely familiar voice. Oh no, it’s the guy from the fundraiser dinner. He takes a chair from the empty table next to us and deposits it beside me before sitting.
“Leonard,” Art says scathingly.
“Cinnamon, it’s a pleasure seeing you again.” He reaches for my hand, but Art grabs his wrist and flings his arm back.
“Please, behave like adults. I prefer not to be featured on What’s Poppin? again,” I say in irritation.
“It’s not a crime to say hello to a friend, is it?” Leonard asks.
“You know what you’re doing,” I accuse.
“I’m here alone and was wondering if I could join you two for lunch.”
“No,” Art snaps, drawing the attention of a few patrons.
“Leonard, please go,” I beg.
“Since you asked so nicely, I’ll be on my way.” He stands, watching me with hungry eyes. “I look forward to seeing you around.”
“The next time we meet there won’t be witnesses,” Art threatens.
“I’m scared shitless,” Leonard says tauntingly, walking away.
“Has he sampled your pussy yet?”
“I haven’t even seen him since the charity dinner,” I say, annoyed.
“You better keep it that way. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” I hiss, incensed by his highhanded attitude, but agree to avoid an argument that would draw more attention to us.
We finish lunch in silence, our light mood gone.
“Where to next, boss man?” I ask from the passenger seat.
“Kids That Swim.”
“What will I do there?”
“My grant writer could always use additional help.”
“Grant writer?”
“She raises funds through private donors, foundations, and government grants.”
“I thought you financed everything.”
“That wouldn’t be a very smart business decision. Sure, I provide a significant amount of my own money, but fully funding the facility isn’t financially sound.”
“Oh, okay. That makes sense.” I obviously have a lot to learn abo
ut business and nonprofits.
Once Art parks, we make our way inside the building.
“Good afternoon, Mr. King.”
“Madelyn.”
“And Cinnamon, it’s always a pleasure to see you.”
“Likewise,” I say, following Art up the stairs.
We stop at an office to the left.
He knocks on the door. The beautiful golden-haired woman sitting behind the desk looks up, offering him, in my opinion, a flirtatious smile. When her eyes land on me, the smile disappears. Interesting. Either they’re fucking or she has a major crush on him. She comes around the desk as we move farther into the room. Out of the dozen times I’ve been here, I’ve never seen her. Granted, I’d only been to the second floor on my first visit.
“I would like for you to meet Cinnamon Belo, my new assistant.”
I hold out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Her eyes travel the length of my body, sizing me up. “Francesca Levy.”
“Cin is available to help with any existing projects.”
She pauses for a heartbeat, clearly not liking the idea. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find something to keep her occupied.”
“Great. If needed I’ll be in my office,” he says, leaving us.
“Well, I’m all yours. What can I do?”
“Have you ever edited before?”
“No, but it shouldn’t be too hard to spot typos.”
“We shall see,” she says snidely, handing me a binder off the desk.
“Is there a problem?” I ask, itching to knock this uppity bitch down a few pegs.
“Not at all.” She gives me a phony confused expression. “Read through this document and make note of any errors you see. There’s an empty office across the hall. You can work in there.”
I nod, leaving the room.
A couple hours later, I head back to Francesca’s office, finished with the task assigned to me.
“Hi, I’m all done,” I say, handing her the binder.
“Thank you.” She pastes a fake smile on her face. “So, are you and Mr. King together?”
“How is that any of your business?” I snap.
“I saw the video. He would never have behaved that way if it wasn’t for you. You’re no good for him.”
“Oh, are you an expert on what he needs?”
“Of course I am. I’ve been with him since this facility opened. One day he’ll realize we make sense together.”
When Art Falls Page 12