by Sarah Bailey
He nodded, inching his chair closer to the desk whilst I flipped around the tablet laying on there.
~~~
Ed and I spoke for the rest of the afternoon, going over various details until we’d hashed everything out. I was pleased. He knew a lot more about the property industry than I did. His knowledge would prove useful, although he was likely groomed to work in the family business. I should keep my guard up with him, but I found I couldn’t. Ed had always been sweet to me.
I looked at my phone when he left. There were four missed calls and twelve text messages from Aiden. I sighed, checking through them. They all pretty much said the same thing as his original message. He was desperate to speak to me.
ME: I’m leaving the office now. Please don’t be mad. Love you x
I hoped it was enough. I didn’t feel like having it out with him over the phone. The thought of it exhausted me.
Except Aiden was having none of my text message. As soon as I’d seen he’d read it, my phone started ringing.
“Hi,” I answered.
“Avery, you need to go back to your own flat tonight.”
I frowned. He didn’t sound mad at all. Just concerned.
“Why?”
“Chuck has a man on your place. If you don’t turn up there, he’s going to start wondering where you’re staying. He’s suspicious enough as it is.”
My uncle had a man watching my house. This was absolute bullshit. I wanted to storm into his office and demand he call his dogs off. That would not be a smart move, so I settled for inwardly seething instead.
“How do you know?”
“He told me. I expected him to keep tabs on you. I know the guy, he won’t harm you.”
I stuck my head out of my office door.
“Hang on… Clara, can you call a driver to take me home, please?”
Clara looked up from her desk. I really didn’t want to deal with the paparazzi camped outside our office.
“No problem, Miss Daniels. I’ll ask him to wait in the lobby for you,” she said, smiling at me.
I nodded, ducking back into the office.
“Will I see you tonight?” I asked Aiden when the door closed behind me.
The thought of spending time apart made my heart ache. I’d not spent a night without him since I’d gone back to him. I couldn’t imagine falling asleep without Aiden’s bulk wrapped around my back.
“Was that ever in doubt?”
“Bring supplies and dinner.”
“I take it you’ll be wanting me to make said dinner.”
I smiled, snagging my coat and scarf from the stand in the corner of the room.
“No, I’ll do it.”
“I’ll see you soon, princess.”
He hung up without waiting for my response. I put my coat, scarf and gloves on, stuffing my phone in my bag. I headed out the door, waving to Clara before getting in the lift. I rode down to the lobby. No one else got in, which I could only be grateful for. I was in no mood for small talk with random employees.
The driver was waiting in the lobby. He gave me a nod when I approached him.
“This way, Miss Daniels,” he said.
I recognised him as my dad’s driver from when he was alive.
“Thank you, Davis.”
The reporters were on us, shouting various questions as soon as we were out the door. I ignored them all, focusing on keeping one foot in front of the other. Davis shielded me from them all the way to the car and got me situated in the back. We were off when he got in the front and pulled away from the curb. I sat back, watching the city pass us by. I’d only been to my flat once since Aiden took me. We’d had the locks changed as a precaution.
It felt weird to return to what should be my home. Aiden’s felt like home to me now, but I did miss my studio. I’d converted the second bedroom since it was just me living there. It had everything I could ever need, although I wouldn’t have much time for drawing with running the family business.
When we pulled up, I thanked Davis as he came around and opened my door. He walked me up to the front door.
“You have a good night, Miss Daniels,” he said, giving me a nod as he descended the steps again.
I looked up and down the street, wondering where on earth this guy Uncle Charlie had on me was. I supposed if he was doing his job properly, I wouldn’t be able to see him. I let myself in the front door and then into my flat on the ground floor. It was freezing cold.
Sighing, I didn’t take my coat off as I went through into the kitchen at the back. I dug around in the boiler cupboard, turning it on and then adjusted the thermostat. Next, I went into my bedroom, changing my work clothes for warm pyjamas and a dressing gown, stuffing my feet into my novelty sheep slippers. Not particularly sexy, but I was too cold to care much about my appearance.
I had an entirely new wardrobe courtesy of Aiden. It felt strange to see all my old clothes. It just felt plain wrong to be in here in the first place. I wanted to be back at Aiden’s where everything smelt of him and I felt safe. There was no point lamenting over the fact I had to stay in my own home.
Walking across the hallway, I went into my studio, running my hands over the various half-finished drawings on my desk. I looked at my easel where the painting I’d been working on before Aiden took me sat. It was a half-finished portrait of my dad. Seeing it brought tears to my eyes. I’d started it for his birthday which would’ve been next week.
I had no idea what to do with it. Finishing it seemed wrong but leaving it here would be a painful reminder of the man I had mixed feelings about. I turned away, clicked the light off, walked out of the room and shut the door. That was something I didn’t want to deal with.
I went back into the kitchen and almost jumped out of my skin. Standing at the patio doors, half hidden in shadow was Aiden. I knew it was him from the way my heart thumped uncontrollably and the gleam of his silver eyes. I unlocked the door and stood aside for him. He walked in, dumped a bag down by the door and set two more on the kitchen counter.
“Shit it’s cold in here,” he muttered.
“The boiler was turned off. It’ll warm up soon.”
I shut the patio doors and locked them again. Him coming through the back had been unexpected, but with the house being watched, I could understand why.
He gave me a half smile. I promptly bundled myself up in his arms, resting my head against his solid chest. Neither of us moved or said anything for several minutes. The tension in my limbs faded away. Aiden made the world seem right again. His presence calmed me.
“Did you watch my conversation with Frazier?” I asked, unable to hold back the question.
“Yes. You didn’t tell me about your cousin before.”
“Frazier put me on the spot, but it’s the right decision. He knows the industry and business. Plus, I’m eighty per cent sure he’s aware of the other side of things.”
I pulled away from him, going over to the shopping bags he’d brought and started pulling out things. Last time we were here, we’d emptied my fridge out, so it was bare. I noted he’d bought me stuff he knew I liked to cook.
“Angling for Mexican tonight?” I asked, holding up the soft taco shells he’d bought.
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he grabbed me by the waist and pressed me against the counter. Untying my dressing gown, his hands slipped under my t-shirt. His fingers were like ice on my skin. I shuddered.
“I don’t trust anyone in your family. Don’t let your guard down.”
He bit down on my earlobe.
“And I don’t want dinner right now, princess. I want you.”
Chapter Ten
Aiden
It made me so fucking mad that she decided to involve another family member without consulting me. I was already struggling with the knowledge she’d had a sexual relationship with James. This was the icing on the cake. I tried so hard to keep my need to control her at bay. I was failing her on so many levels. This
fucking girl really was going to be the death of me.
“Strip. Bedroom. Now.”
I stepped back from her. She turned to me, eyes wide.
“I’ve been in the office all day. Can’t we eat first?”
I held back from grabbing her and forcing her in the bedroom. One of my hands curled into a fist at my side. Her eyes went to it.
“Aiden, what’s wrong?”
I really was being a fucking dick. How many times had I told myself I needed to be better for her? Here I was, losing my shit all over again.
I walked away, shrugging off my coat and planting myself in one of her dining table chairs.
Get a fucking grip.
“Nothing. We can eat first.”
My fingers itched to be on her. My need to have Avery at my mercy returned with full force. Battling with my darker urges was always a fucking problem.
She walked over to me and ran her fingers through my hair. I almost growled in response. Her hands on me didn’t help my rapidly disintegrating control.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Just make dinner.”
Her fingers stilled at my tone. She retracted her hand, instead, pressing it to my shoulder as she got down on her knees in front of me. Her hand dropped, running up my thigh. I didn’t stop her when it reached my throbbing cock. Her eyes met mine, something dark simmering in those hazel depths.
“How about you feed me this instead?”
Her fingers made quick work of my jeans. My mouth went dry when she pulled my cock out and ran her hand along its length. Instead of her being at my mercy, I was currently utterly at hers.
I groaned when she ran her tongue around the crown of my cock. Fuck. She really knew how to drive me crazy. I barely had time to breathe when she took me in her mouth. She wasn’t gentle. Her teeth grazed my skin and I jolted upwards, shoving more in her mouth. My hand immediately went to her hair, fingers digging into her scalp.
“Fuck. Fuck. Don’t stop, Avery, please. Fuck.”
She kept going, taking more until I hit the back of her throat. Her small hand wrapped around the base of me. I wanted more. I needed fucking more. I wanted her to take everything. She was fucking mine.
She didn’t stop. A minute later, my cock was buried down her throat and I was in heaven. I stared down at the top of her head bobbing up and down. For a girl who’d never sucked cock before we met, she certainly knew how to work her mouth. I was so fucking close to blowing my load already.
My eyes fell on my wrist where her initial was branded onto my skin. The reminder I was hers just as much as she was mine. It sent me over the edge. I grunted, my cock spurting hot, sticky streams down her throat. She didn’t move away until I dropped my hand to my thigh.
She got up off the floor, swallowed and kissed my cheek before walking towards the kitchen. She washed her hands and proceeded to pull out a chopping board and a knife.
“How long do you think Uncle Charlie will have someone watching my house? I don’t really feel at home here.”
I blinked, staring at her. My girl had just sucked my cock and now she was calmly chopping up chicken and talking to me like nothing happened. What the fuck did I do to deserve her?
“You don’t feel at home here?”
“No, yours is home now.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. On the one hand, I was happy she knew she belonged with me. On the other, her being at mine came with added danger now she was back in the world.
“We just have to give it a few days.”
I tucked myself back in my boxers and jeans, aware that I was still half hard for her. Would this attraction ever dampen down? The need to fuck my girlfriend until she was a panting mess on the floor.
I watched her prepare dinner in silence as she hummed to herself. She looked cute all wrapped up in her dressing gown and fluffy slippers. I knew underneath there, a curvaceous body I craved with every waking moment was waiting for me.
My control was slipping again. I reminded myself she needed to eat and then I could fuck her. And fuck her I would. I eyed my bag as if I could see what I’d stashed in there before I left my flat sitting in amongst a change of clothes.
What would she think when I showed her? It’s not like she hadn’t seen what was in the box under my bed. She knew my desires. Except we hadn’t exactly used anything from there since she’d come back to me. There was no way she’d be expecting this.
She brought dinner over to the table a few minutes later. Spicy chicken tacos. She’d made these for me before. Avery had a thing about Mexican food.
She told me about her day whilst we ate. I hadn’t had time to watch her with her cousin because I’d been busy with a job for Chuck. It involved chasing up some of his dealers. Always messy work.
“I mentioned to Ed about the charities I want the company to sponsor. He didn’t bat an eyelid when I spoke about women’s refuges,” she said.
“Why would he? He doesn’t think you know about their shit. They all think you’re playing right into their hands.”
“I suppose so. I guess I wanted to get a reaction, to see if he is actually innocent or not.”
“If he is innocent, then what?”
She rubbed her forehead.
“I don’t know, Aiden. I guess I just don’t like the thought of wiping out my entire family if some of them don’t know about the shit the others have gotten up to.”
I was certain some of her cousins had no idea what was going on behind closed doors. I wasn’t after them. The ones on my shit list were Chuck, Troy and Troy’s younger brother, Arthur. And all the other men who paid handsomely for her family’s services, including Frazier fucking Shaw. That sick cunt was fast approaching top of the list after his visit to Avery today.
“I don’t kill innocents. You, of all people, should know that.”
She looked at her plate, her doe eyes flashing with pain. I hated reminding her of the day I’d taken her. It was a fucked up start to our relationship.
“I know you don’t.”
I knew in the eyes of the law, I was a murderer. A cold-hearted killer. The girl in front of me had witnessed that first hand. And she’d fallen in love with me anyway. Avery saw my other sides. She knew the real me behind all the fucked up shit I’d done.
I reached over the table and grasped her hand, stroking my thumb down the back of it.
“Princess, if they don’t know about it, they’re safe, okay? I promise you that much.”
“I know. I just… Ed is so kind. I can’t imagine him being involved in it, but what other conclusion can I draw? Why else would my dad have pushed me towards having him help me with the company?”
Mitchell never did anything by halves. It wouldn’t surprise me if her cousin was groomed for the role.
“We’ll find evidence either way.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.”
I wished I didn’t have to put all this pressure on her. I wished we could be a normal couple who talked about normal things instead of calmly discussing whether or not we’d have to kill her cousin at the dinner table.
“Do you want to back out of this, princess? Is it too much for you?”
She looked up at me, confusion in her eyes.
“No, that’s not what I meant. I have to do this. If Ed is involved, then he has to face the consequences of his actions.”
There was the girl I’d fallen in love with. Strong and resolute. I’d never told her this would be easy. I squeezed her hand before letting go. She gave me a half smile, then she stood up and started gathering up the plates. I helped her stack the dishwasher.
“You still want me naked in the bedroom?” she asked, putting a hand on my arm when I straightened.
My cock twitched at her words. I nodded once, not trusting my voice. I didn’t want to turn into a feral animal at the thought of what I was going to do to her. She left me in the kitchen, going out into the hallway. I snag
ged my bag from the patio doors before following her.
Avery was stripping out of her clothes when I entered her bedroom. Thankfully, the flat had warmed up, but her skin still had goosebumps all over it. Under her clothes, she had a push-up bra on with little bows and matching underwear. My mouth watered at the sight of her.
“I’ve changed my mind. I want you to keep that on,” I said as she was reaching around her back.
She dropped her arms immediately. Walking over to the bed, she sat down on the edge and waited. I dumped my bag on a chair in the corner and slipped off my trainers. I unzipped the bag and pulled out the harness and ropes I’d brought with me along with the cuffs to attach her limbs to it.
Her eyes went wide when I turned around and brought it over to the bed.
“Um, Aiden, what is that?”
I didn’t answer her. I tugged her underwear down, slipping it off her legs. Then I took the first part of the harness and secured it around her neck, the second part around her waist and the last two loops around her thighs. She let me wrap the cuffs around her wrists and ankles, eyes on me the whole time.
“Aiden… please, what is this?”
I took each of her wrists and attached them to the loops on her thighs. I pressed her down on the bed.
“Aiden…”
Pressing her legs up, I attached the cuffs around her ankles to the collar around her neck by two lengths of rope. I pulled them tight so she was essentially completely immobile with her knees bent up to her chest and her pussy on display for me.
I stepped away and looked at my handiwork. Avery was completely at my mercy. It made my cock throb, seeing her trussed up. I walked over to her bedside tables and flicked the lamps on before turning out the main light. I preferred to have more intimate lighting for this.
“Tonight, princess, you will keep your mouth shut and take what I’m giving you. Do you understand?”
Her doe eyes met mine. I was sure she didn’t know whether to be terrified or aroused.
“I understand,” she whispered.
“Good.”
I made sure to stand in her eye-line as I took my clothes off slowly, wanting to savour every moment she had to wait for me. Her eyes never left mine.