by CJ Laurence
As I raged an internal battle with myself, he brought his hand to my arm. His eyes met mine as he traced it across my skin, leaving a trail of shivers in its wake.
I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the surges of tingles his singular touch sent through me. Before I knew what was happening, his soft lips were on my neck. He left a trail of gentle kisses across my skin before his hands picked at my blouse, easing each button from its home. His mouth continued to induce me into a sensual filled world as he made his way further down my chest.
His hands wound their way around my back and he stepped us backwards. I met the cool surface of the wall just when the last of my buttons popped undone. My breaths came in short, shallow rasps as he peeled my bra from me. I opened my eyes to meet his own dancing with lust and desire. He inched kisses across my exposed chest, tickling me with his tongue. Fierce shudders shot straight between my legs and I had to bite my lip to contain my moans of joy.
His attention wandered to my pencil skirt, unzipping it in less than a second. My mind begged him to delve inside my underwear. I needed to feel him, skin to skin. His fingers stroking my sensitive spots would be all I needed to melt into a pool at his feet.
His luscious lips began to work their way further south as he inched my lacy thong down my legs. I began trembling in expectation of where his delightful mouth was now heading. My hands found his silky hair, running through it when a groan escaped me. He eased my underwear over my feet. Parting my legs with his hands, his lips placed delicate kisses at the top of my thighs.
His touch left my body for a few seconds, leaving me a quivering mess in front of him. When his mouth clamped down over my tingling sweet spot, my knees buckled. Drawing mind numbing patterns over me with his tongue, it didn’t take long for me to submit to him. His strong arms caught me when my legs finally gave way. He held me up as he searched my eyes for a few seconds before kissing my throbbing spot with a grin.
I opened my eyes in a haze of stars, my head still spinning. I think he’d just clarified which direction this was going to go.
Chapter Nineteen
I spent the rest of the day on an unbelievable high. In pure Paul style, just as home time came around, he squashed any good feelings I enjoyed by revealing he was working tonight. The disdainful scowl that spread across my face said everything.
“You know I won’t be sleeping with anyone else, Kyra. Just relax.”
My internal war raged once again, making me wonder whether I could actually do this or not.
“It just feels wrong, Paul. You’re going to be in a house full of gorgeous women who are all up for anything that goes. It’s just…weird.”
He quieted for a minute. “Kyra, I don’t want to make an issue out of this. You are reacting to this like we’re in a relationship. It shouldn’t matter what I do when we’re not together; that’s the beauty of not being with someone like that. This is a perfect example of what I was talking about when I said I don’t do relationships.”
His words cut deep as he confirmed yet again he wasn’t interested in anything more than this “friends with benefits” situation. I knew we weren’t together but I still couldn’t help a tiny bit of hope rising that my Friday night would be filled with sex with my fuck buddy.
I grabbed my stuff before heading for the door. “Okay. Fine. But don’t expect me to jump when you click your fingers.”
I didn’t hear from him for the rest of the night, which resulted in more hate-fuelled thoughts running round me. The more I thought about him and what he was doing whilst I was sat at home alone, the worse it got.
Saturday, I went for lunch with Ash, moaning to him about the recent happenings.
“You need to grasp the whole idea of this fuck buddy thing. If you can’t deal with it, then I think you need to reconsider.”
“But fuck buddies are usually at it at the weekends, are they not? That’s what most people do on a weekend. Except me, of course, because mine is too busy wanking over other people getting fucked.”
Ash laughed. “So join in, then. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!”
“Seriously? Don’t go there again.”
His amused expression changed to a serious edge. “Have you heard from Mum?”
I narrowed my eyes as my jaw clenched. “No.”
“I know she’d love to hear from you…”
“Well, she has my contact details. It works both ways.”
He left the subject alone after that, departing not long after to trek down to London for Ben’s set tonight in the club. By four o’clock, I was back home, alone.
I sighed and resigned myself to going through old photo albums, reminiscing. It was a terrible idea as all I ended up doing was crying and wishing things had worked out differently. If only Dad hadn’t died, if only Scotch hadn’t died, if only Mum hadn’t married a toy boy and moved abroad, if only we still had a good relationship. If only, if only, if only; those two words were the story of my life.
Tim, Mum’s toy boy, was a good-looking guy. He was a proper cowboy and a damn fine one at that. The problem was he knew it. The age gap between them was nearly twenty years and I’d never quite figured out why he married my mum. Mum was gorgeous for her age. She took great pride in her appearance and she definitely didn’t look her fifty-two years. She had been married to him for two years now and we hadn’t actually spoken since the wedding.
The reason for that was that her delightful new husband deemed it appropriate to make a move on me, his new step-daughter, on his wedding night. He earned himself a kick in the nuts and me telling my mother what happened. She saw it all as a bunch of lies and me just reacting badly to her re-marrying. The smug look on his face when I left their ranch to fly back home was something that would always haunt me.
It had been too long now for either my mum or me to give in and pick up the phone. It hurt that she hadn’t believed me and it hurt that she picked him over me.
Ash didn’t know where to be in regards to it all, so he kept out of it. He liked Tim and didn’t know whether to believe me or not. Like me, though, he couldn’t understand why he couldn’t catch a woman his own age.
I was lost in my thoughts and beating down my rising anger when my phone chimed with a text.
Paul: Are you busy tonight? XXX
I snorted and ignored him. An hour later, I received another text.
Paul: I would love to see you. ;-) xxx
I hadn’t forgotten my warning to him yesterday about expecting me to jump when he clicked his fingers. So again, I ignored him. Not in the mood for cooking, I ordered Chinese. Several minutes later, a knock sounded on the front door. I frowned thinking how the food couldn’t even be cooked yet.
I opened the door, rolling my eyes at seeing Paul stood there.
“Hi.”
“What do you want?”
He smiled. “I came to see you.”
“No, you didn’t. You came here thinking you could get lucky after you ditched me last night. I thought I made myself quite clear when I said I wouldn’t be jumping when you clicked your fingers.”
He chuckled. “Okay. I can see this is a bad time.”
I raised an eyebrow as a response.
“Okay. I’ll…see you on Monday.”
“Yep.”
I slammed the door shut, feeling rather proud of myself. I’d barely sat down before my phone beeped with another text.
Paul: You know I could make you feel better. ;-) xxx
I smirked at his words and persistence but I refused to give in. I had to make a point. He couldn’t control me like a dog.
Me: Doesn’t mean you will. See you Monday.
Chapter Twenty
I heard nothing more from Paul. When I arrived at work Monday morning, I had a note on my desk detailing he was out for the day. I smirked, wondering if this was due to my rejection of him. I paid little attention to the thought since tomorrow I was dress shopping with Molly. I was excited and also dreading it a bit as she was a fiend w
hen it came to clothes.
The next morning, with still no word from Paul overnight, I’d barely stepped out the shower before she was banging on my front door like a woman possessed—half an hour early.
After a rather speedy drive, which had me thanking my lucky stars I was still alive, we were stood in a rather exquisite shop being tended to by a lady who reminded me of my nan. Her five-foot height, glasses on a chain, and green tartan suit made me want to offer her cups of tea. Molly was working her way through the rails of dresses at a rate of knots.
“Ky, why don’t you find something you like?”
I did a double take. “What?”
“I can’t be the only one having fun. Come on, what harm could it do?”
I scratched my head, frowning. “I’m supposed to give you opinions on your dresses? Not only that but I think I’m missing the key ingredient that would require me to try on a wedding dress.”
She laughed. “Oh, come on. Stop being a spoilsport. We’re supposed to be having a girly day.”
I sighed, giving in. I picked my way through all the silky dresses, almost becoming swept up in the emotion of dress hunting. I stumbled across a lace dress, an off-white colour. It was off the shoulder and had two layers that crisscrossed each other. It trailed down to the floor in its simple style.
“That’s gorgeous,” Molly breathed from behind me. “Go try it on.”
I looked up to see her with a handful of varying dresses as she disappeared in her changing room. I nibbled my lip, wondering if it would be so wrong just to try it on. Joan, the shop assistant, had run off after Molly. I shot into the spare booth, feeling giddy with excitement at trying on my first wedding dress.
The smooth fabric slid over my body and I began to feel a sense of reality settling within me. I dared to look in the full-length mirror, admiring the fitted design hugging all my curves. A small amount of material pooled at my feet and the off the shoulder design drew attention to my bare neck and chest. I fiddled with my hair band, letting my hair loose. I scrunched some up and some down, becoming lost in my own reflection painting me as a picture of seductive elegance.
Molly’s screeching voice came from outside. “Are you done yet?”
I drew back the curtain, trying to hide my grin.
“Oh wow. Ky, you look absolutely amazing. You have to buy that dress.”
“Don’t be daft.”
“Why not? At least you’ll be all set ready.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, Molly. I am not buying a dress before I’ve even got a boyfriend, let alone a proposal. Besides, by the time I get down the aisle, weddings will be out of fashion.”
She giggled and shook her head, motioning her hands over her own dress. “What do you think?”
The slinky dress clung to her tight body like a second skin. It was a light gold silk with a mermaid type fitting lower down. The sweetheart neckline accentuated her ample chest.
“It’s lovely. It really suits you.”
She nodded, grinning. “I can’t believe I’ve found it already. It’s the first dress.”
“So? If it’s the one, it’s the one.”
My mind served me images of Paul stood in a dark suit, waiting at an altar for me. I shook my head as if it would make the pesky images disappear.
“You’re right. I’m going to buy it.”
I sighed as she allowed Joan to fuss over her fitments for any alterations. Nearly an hour and just shy of two thousand pounds later, Molly was driving us back to hers with orders for us to enjoy a takeaway this evening. Chris was picking his brother up from the airport and wouldn’t be back until the early hours.
As we pulled into her driveway, Chris’s car was sat there. She frowned, throwing her seatbelt off and disappearing into the house before I could even blink. I followed her inside, only to be dragged into the lounge by a squealing Molly.
“Ky, this is Scott. Scott, this is my best friend, Kyra.”
My eyes fell upon a tall, broad, dark-haired man. His brown eyes settled on me with an amused expression creasing his handsome face. His bronzed skin told of his tale of sunny destinations whilst his white t-shirt clung to his incredible body.
I blushed. “Nice to meet you.”
He gave me a dazzling smile. “And you.”
Molly shoved me towards the sofa, declaring we were having pizza for tea. She grabbed Chris on her way out to “find the menus,” leaving Scott and me in an awkward silence.
He cleared his throat. “So, err, you had a good day?”
I smiled and dared to meet his dark eyes. My heart pounded from the intensity oozing from them—it left me with little doubt that his whole attention was on me. He had an aura about him that just hypnotised me instantly. Something about him drew me to him like a bee to honey.
“Not bad, thank you.”
“Did she find her dress?”
I nodded, giggling. “First one. Thank God.”
“That’s good. I gather she has rather a lot of energy.”
“You have no idea.” I wrung my hands together as I tried to calm my nerves. “So, where have you flown from?”
“America. My father owns an oil company out there.”
“Oh. Molly never mentioned Chris’s father owned something as huge as that.”
“We have the same mother, different fathers.”
I nodded, understanding a little better how two brothers could look so different. Chris was a good-looking guy in his own right but his thin frame, blond spiky hair, and nerdy glasses combined with his IT technician job did little to serve him up as a macho man. Compared to Scott here, they were like chalk and cheese.
As Molly and Chris reappeared, we relaxed into chitchat. He was so easy to get along with, I found myself wondering about him in ways I’d only ever thought about Paul. Whenever I stole a glance at him, I would catch him looking at me too, resulting in us both giggling from across the room.
As the early evening turned into night, Molly drove me home, bombarding me with questions about my thoughts on him. I let nothing on as I crawled up to bed thinking of someone other than Paul for a change.
Chapter Twenty-One
I sat at my desk the next morning with a big grin on my face. My thoughts were dominated by Scott at the present moment. When Paul appeared in front of me, all big smiles and pleasant words, my heart melted once more at the sight of him, all thoughts of Scott vanishing into nothing.
“What are you grinning about so wildly?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Nothing. I’m just happy.”
“Are you talking to me today?”
“It would appear so.”
He chuckled before disappearing into his office.
Before I could even move to grab my cup of tea, Molly burst through the office door, squealing in excitement. “He wants your number.”
My cheeks rose to new temperatures. “Shhhh,” I said, motioning my head towards Paul’s office.
She threw a look of scorn towards the open door. “So what? At least Scott isn’t afraid of relationships.”
I resisted the urge to facepalm myself as a groan full of dread seeped through me. “Molly…”
“So, can I give it to him?”
A cough emanated from the open doorway. I squeezed my eyes shut before daring to turn my head and open them. Paul leaned against his doorframe, arms crossed, a hint of a smile tweaking up the edges of his lips.
“Don’t stop on my account.”
Molly glared at him. “We’re not.” She turned back to me. “So, can I?”
Heat burned through every fibre of my body as two sets of eyes awaited my answer. Neither answer I could give would satisfy them both. I dared to glimpse at Paul for a brief moment before remembering his words on where our relationship stood. I wanted him in ways he said he couldn’t contemplate. Perhaps Scott was the thing I needed to help me fizzle out my fear of commitment.
“Sure.”
Molly clasped her hands together before running back downstairs i
n a whirlwind of shrieks. An awkward silence fell between Paul and me for a few seconds before he spoke.
“So, who is after your number, may I ask?”
I smirked. “Why so interested?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not. Just a general wondering, considering her little dig at me.”
I remained silent and turned my attention to my work.
“Okay, let me put this another way.” He paused for a second, catching my attention as I lifted my gaze to see his face edged with a serious tone. “You tell me who wants your number or I’ll discipline Molly for her disrespect towards a director.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Wow. Really? You’re going to pull rank now?”
“No. I’m merely offering to exchange…information.”
“Exchange information? Well, I already know what Molly said to you so there’s kinda nothing for me there.”
He smiled and stepped forwards, dropping his arms to his side. “Well, she’s got a squeaky clean record. Wouldn’t want it tarnished with any formal warnings, would we?”
I narrowed my eyes at him and I spat my words out with venom. “Her fiancé’s brother wants my number.”
His facial expression changed to one of surprise. “Oh.”
“Have you finished?”
“And you agreed for him to have it?”
I stood up, making it obvious I was less than amused. “Well, you just heard that for yourself, did you not?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I just—”
“What, Paul? We’re not in a relationship, remember? This is one of the reasons you spoke of as to why you don’t do them. If someone wants to take me out and potentially take things further, then I’m not going to say no. Not when I have little else to keep me from doing so.”
I winced as the last sentence flowed past my lips. I wanted to take the words back as soon as they came out but I couldn’t. The effect they had on him was obvious. He nodded, a flash of resignation settling in his eyes before he retreated into his office in silence.