Overdose: A British Bad Boy Romance

by Raven St. Pierre

  Perfect.

  Through the sheer curtains, it was difficult to tell if she was making out a figure through the awkward shadows the trees cast on it. She sat there, staring and panting.

  There was no way she’d fall asleep now, not wondering if there was someone out in the yard or not. Instantly, she thought to call out to Simon, but the house was big enough that he’d never hear her to wake him from his sleep, and her phone was upstairs in her purse. She was screwed.

  Ryan kept his baseball bat in the umbrella holder near the back door. That seemed like her best bet. Carefully, Vanessa tiptoed through the kitchen and grabbed the bat before walking back toward the living room with it clutched in her trembling hands. The entire way, she talked herself out of believing someone was really there.

  “You’re imagining things’,” she said to herself, already deciding to spend the remainder of the night upstairs in her bed after this.

  Slowly and quietly, Vanessa traipsed toward the sliding door. She had a white-knuckle grip on the bat as she took several deep breaths and finally snatched back the drapes. Her eyes darted from one side of the yard to the other. It was times like this she regretted buying a house backed up against the woods. Right about now, every tree looked like a person lurking off in the shadows. She continued to breathe heavily as she slowly unlocked the door and stepped outside barefoot.

  It was cool enough that she could see her breath crystallize in the air. She looked down at her feet to make sure she wouldn’t step on anything and then back out toward the tree-lined yard. Nothing. Everything looked clear to her and she was ready go to back inside. However, just as she turned to step back into the living room, deciding this was all nothing more than her elaborate imagination playing tricks on her, she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of a man standing at the corner of the house. Her first reaction was to run instead of scream, which proved to be a mistake if she was going to get away.

  An arm secured around her waist, a hand over her mouth.

  “Shh, shh, shh… Don’t scream, love,” Zander whispered, his lips pressed against Vanessa’s ear as he clutched her body against his. The only reason she didn’t bite the fingers pressed to her mouth was because she recognized his accent. Still, she felt confused and fear hadn’t quite loosened its grip on her.

  When Zander felt the tension leaving Vanessa’s body, he loosened his grip, finally removing his hand from her mouth once he trusted she would remain quiet.

  “What… in the hell… are you doing here?” she whispered angrily.

  Zander continued to hold her, keeping her back pressed tight against his chest as he breathed her in. His eyes drifted shut. “I had to see you,” he answered in a daze.

  She didn’t move. Her eyes shifted inside where she watched for Simon to wander down the stairs. She couldn’t guarantee the commotion hadn’t awakened him.

  “Zander… you can’t be here.”

  He moved her hair aside and kissed her neck, but still gave no answer. She didn’t understand what he was doing here.

  “You have to go,” she urged, managing to slip from his grasp.

  The call she needed to make to him, the one where she planned to cut him off, came to mind again when she addressed him in a whisper. “We can’t do this, Zander. You and me? This isn’t going to work anymore.”

  He ignored her and walked closer.

  She backed up, stumbling through the threshold and back into her living room, accidentally leading him inside, too.

  Through the darkness, she couldn’t find his face. He wore dark colors—a long-sleeve shirt and jeans—which made him even more difficult to see. He reached out and cool hands gripped hers, which caused her heart to race a mile a minute.

  “Zander… I mean it… you have to go.” She said the words, really wanted to mean the words, but they contradicted her body’s reaction to his presence.

  Goosebumps dotting her skin.

  Rapid breaths puffing from her lips as she remembered all he was capable of making her feel.

  His finger pressed against her mouth and she submitted, falling silent. Her eyes adjusted and she could now see him a little more clearly. She focused on the slight glint of his eyes as he zeroed in on her lips. His parted right after and she lost some of her fight.

  “Please… Zander, you—”

  He covered her mouth with his, which stopped her from pleading altogether. She was trembling against him when he fastened both hands to her waist.

  This feeling, her letting her guard down for him, was what made him come to her. He’d sat at home for hours trying to fight it, but, in the end, his urges won. Waiting for this, trying to deny himself the luxury of seeing her, had him so hard it was nearly painful. However, he knew she’d be worth it.

  He worked his hands beneath her tank top, barely getting to feel the soft skin of her torso before her lips were snatched away.

  “Are you crazy? Do you have any idea the trouble Simon would cause if he knew we were… if he knew we…” Her words trailed off when she couldn’t decide how to define their status.

  Zander continued to stare into her eyes, acknowledging the risk they were taking, and then tasted her sweet lips again. She didn’t fight him despite the fact that she wanted to. Or... maybe she didn’t. It was hard to tell. She breathed heavily while they kissed and Zander, without words, convinced her to let him touch her breasts beneath her shirt.

  She felt so good to him, so soft. His fingers grazed over tight nipples as he teased them, eliciting a moan from Vanessa’s lips.

  “I can’t. Not here,” she panted, protesting weakly.

  It was no wonder he didn’t believe her.

  “You can,” Zander said confidently, slipping her shirt over her head when adding, “…and you will.”

  This was by far the most reckless thing she had ever done in her life. The bathroom at the bar was bad enough. The rooftop? But… in her home right under Simon’s nose? It wasn’t just reckless; it was stupid.

  What if he came down and found them?

  What would the repercussions be?

  Vanessa found her strength and put both hands on Zander’s chest while she caught her breath. She looked down at her bare chest and couldn’t make sense of how she kept letting him put her in these compromising positions. She sobered up and grabbed her shirt from the floor, pulling it back over her head and down her torso. Zander didn’t look disappointed; in fact, he looked even more determined than before.

  Vanessa stepped back and he grabbed the shirt again, this time ripping it right down the middle, leaving her completely exposed again. Disbelief washed over her as her eyes found his.

  “Why’re you doing this?” she whispered desperately. But desperate for what?

  An escape?

  A way out?

  …Him?

  The bookcase touched her back—a physical representation of the conclusion she’d just reached in her mind: she couldn’t outrun him anymore.

  “Because I need you. We need each other,” he reasoned, burying his face in her neck while kissing her. She hated that he was pushing so hard, but what’s more… she hated that he was right.

  Tonight, having Simon here against her will, had left her feeling powerless, stressed. But now, with every touch, every caress, every kiss, she felt that stress melting away.

  But what about distancing herself from Zander? That was necessary… wasn’t it?

  It was. She knew this to be a fact, but, here she stood… getting wetter and wetter for him by the second.

  “I don’t like what being with you does to me,” she whispered incoherently as her eyes drifted shut.

  “Shhhh…” Zander whispered, unbuttoning his shirt with one hand as he worked the other inside Vanessa’s loose-fitting pants.

  She stood there, helpless in his presence, listening to Zander pant while he did whatever he wanted to her. The sides of his shirt fell open and his bare chest smashed against hers. His fingers worked inside her while he sucked and kisse
d a hot trail just beneath her ear, so hard she was honestly afraid he’d leave a mark behind.

  Still, she couldn’t find it within herself to stop him.

  “Wait,” she pleaded, contradicting that very word as she pushed her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

  His tongue dragged over sweet-tasting skin as he stimulated her, carrying her away with the steady, in-and-out motion of his fingers.

  Vanessa sucked in a breath.

  Damn, had it only been a week since she’d had him last?

  The yearning she felt made it seem like much longer. She eased her hand between their bodies and gripped him, feeling the imprint of his dick. She went a step further and unzipped his pants. It was then that Zander’s breaths became ragged and uneven, the moment Vanessa freed him from his boxers. His head fell back as he reveled in the feel of her soft hand stroking him.

  He made her stop for only a moment as he snatched her pants off and tossed them aside, leaving her exposed. He planted his hands against the bookcase at either side of Vanessa’s head as she went back to caressing him. However, he couldn’t take it for long.

  The waiting.

  The teasing.

  He’d had his fill.

  It startled Vanessa when she was pulled into Zander’s arms and then gently taken down to the floor. He laid her back and ignored the discomfort as his knees rested against the hardwood slats. Vanessa didn’t seem to notice either as the cool surface met her skin. All she could think about was him.

  Zander slipped on a condom before gathering both Vanessa’s hands above her head, pinning them to the floor. When he pushed his way inside, she moaned aloud by accident.

  The thrill of it sent a chill running down his spine.

  On some level, he got off on satisfying Vanessa while Simon lie upstairs, making her pussy his for however long the sex lasted. The idea of coming inside her, even with the barrier of a condom, had given him such a high, such a rush; one that made it difficult to think of anything else some days.

  Hence, the reason he’d shown up here this evening—unannounced, crazed, reckless.

  The idea of infiltrating something Simon thought should rightfully belong to him, taking the very thing the old man had carelessly lost, was indescribable to Zander. He enjoyed knowing he had access to Vanessa while Simon had been frozen out. And it made it that much sweeter knowing she wanted this, too.

  It’d been her intention to protest more effectively tonight, but in the end, she caved. It was impossible to hide how badly she needed him. Impossible to deny herself this one, simple pleasure.

  That possessive feeling returned and Zander thrust harder and faster.

  “Slow down,” Vanessa breathed when she felt like he’d make her scream out again. He ignored her plea and sank his dick inside her over and over and over again, imagining her ex coming down those stairs and seeing him balls-deep inside her. The thought brought Zander close to coming.

  Vanessa squirmed beneath him and gripped his back tightly in her hands when she wriggled them free from his grasp.

  She called out to him in almost a normal volume, abandoning the whisper she’d used since he’d gotten there.

  Zander smiled and worked his hips faster and harder still.

  His dick throbbed with an electrified tingle inside Vanessa as that familiar feeling came even closer. In his mind, he imagined it the way he’d want it to play out. Simon would hear her faint scream and awaken thinking something was wrong. He’d ease down the hall and down the stairs, still hearing the strange sounds that he didn’t realize were those of another man screwing the hell out of his ex-wife on the living room floor.

  Zander could practically hear the footsteps coming toward him as if it were real. The sensation in his cock built to a crescendo as he continued to imagine it—Simon coming around the corner, flipping on the light, witnessing the moment Vanessa exploded in the most violent orgasm he’d ever seen her have.

  She moaned beneath Zander again, louder than before. He worked his dick harder hoping to make her get just a little louder. He gathered her hands above her head again, only using one of his own to pin them.

  “Let my hands go,” she pleaded.

  He stared down on her and considered her request, but ultimately refused because he knew she intended to cover her mouth. When he smiled and denied her, she turned her face and buried it in her arm to muffle the sounds.

  She cried out and her expression twisted into a pleasure-ridden scowl as a powerful orgasm sent her into a fit of twitches and jerks beneath Zander. He loved every second of it. This moment reminded him of the sweet victory of pleasuring her more than the man she’d recited sacred vows with. He focused on the feel of his cum filling the condom, imagining it entering her body instead, and his eyes slammed shut.

  Reality hit Vanessa much sooner than it hit Zander. He collapsed on the floor and Vanessa’s hands went to her face, taking a moment to assess what she’d just done. She hadn’t been as quiet as she intended to be.

  Ryan slept like a rock. Always. So there was no doubt he hadn’t heard a thing, but what if Simon was up and on his way down?

  She hurried to her knees, scrambling to find her clothes. She found her shirt first and sighed when it came back to her that Zander had ripped it.

  “Not to be rude or anything… but you’ve gotta go. Get your things,”

  she demanded, rushing him.

  He didn’t take offense. Sporting a smile, he grabbed his pants from around his ankles and pulled them up when he stood. His shirt was slung over the back of the chair. Vanessa passed it to him quickly and then folded her arms over her bare chest. She caught Zander staring at her breasts as she tried to figure out how to cover herself without having to sneak upstairs.

  When Zander’s smile grew, she shook her head and couldn’t help but to do the same.

  “I swear you’re insane,” she said lightheartedly, shoving him out the door.

  “One last kiss,” he demanded, snatching her back into his arms again.

  His tongue explored her mouth slowly before he was pushed away with the hint of a smile still lingering on Vanessa’s lips.

  “You have to leave… now!” she urged in a whisper.

  Zander looked at her breasts again and palmed them longingly once more before she shut the door in his face. When he was gone, she hurried to lock up and closed the drapes.

  “What the hell am I doing?”

  She shoved her tattered shirt into the trash and tied the bag before setting it by the garage. Carefully, she eased into the laundry room and grabbed a t-shirt from the basket of clean clothes sitting on top. She pulled it over her head and paused at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. It had to be Simon. Her heart fluttered as she shot her eyes around the living room to make sure nothing was out of place from her tryst with Zander.

  She’d barely made it back to the couch and covered up when Simon stopped in the entryway. She could feel his eyes on her as she pretended to be asleep.

  He detoured into the kitchen, toward the refrigerator where he pulled out a bottle of water before easing the door back shut quietly. He had no idea Vanessa was sweating up under that blanket, wondering if she’d left anything out of place or if Simon would smell the remnants of her dirty deed in the air.

  And what about Zander? Had he really left the premises? Was he still lurking out there watching? She closed her eyes and prayed.

  Simon walked quietly over to the couch one last time and, again, she could feel him watching her, but she continued the ruse.

  When his steps became faint, heading toward the stairs, Vanessa sighed silently once she finally heard him ascending them. Her eyes popped open and she stared at the glass door she’d just put Zander out of, shaking her head as the recklessness of her actions made her heart race.

  This is insane. I’m… insane.

  …We absolutely have to stop.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Seeing Cliff’s fiancé walk in with him this after
noon had been the highlight of Vanessa’s day. The session was one of Cliff’s most productive and proud didn’t even begin to explain how she felt. The fact that he’d taken the step to invite his wife-to-be and how he owned his condition with her present was a huge step.

  “Same time next week?” Vanessa asked with a smile as the two prepared to leave.

  And to her surprise, Cliff’s fiancée was the one to answer, “We’ll be here.”

  Closing the door behind the happy couple, she returned to her desk feeling optimistic. This was a huge breakthrough. Cliff had gone from wanting to hide his problem to being completely open and honest with the woman he loves about his condition. If Vanessa had to guess, he’d start seeing some improvement because she was relatively sure the issue was linked to anxiety. Now that his secret was out, he’d have one less thing to stress about.

  Deciding to check her email before heading out to lunch, she clicked through the junk mail, moving it to her trash folder. There were a few coupons to her favorite stores, an inquiry from an associate in the field who wanted her opinion on a case, and a message from Dr. Keiser.

  She opened that one first.

  Her eyes skimmed the paragraph for important points. In gist, he was seriously considering bringing her on board. She sent him a copy of her resume the same day she reached out to confirm what Zander told her—that Jim had a vacancy she could fill. Submitting her work history was merely a formality. She wanted to be as professional as possible, although she considered Jim to be a close friend.

  A smile crossed her face as she continued to read. He wanted to chat with her in a few weeks and she was sure he was mostly interested in knowing how quickly she thought her plan to dissolve her practice would come together. The answer she hoped to give?

  Soon.

  Being here, working with Simon, was becoming more of a struggle every day. On her list of things to do tomorrow was to contact her lawyer to find out which steps to take to get the ball rolling. She’d only put it off before because she thought it’d be best to wait until the divorce was final. Now that it was settled, she could move on.