HARD LEX: A Billionaire Romance (NIGHT OF THE KINGS SERIES Book 5)

by Shayne Ford

  A bad feeling falls through me.

  Heart racing, I shut the door and dart to my office. As soon as I enter the room, I close the door behind me, swipe the phone screen and check the text.

  A message from Lex to the Bondage girl stares at me. Empty. There are no words. Only a question mark.

  I’m about to pass out.

  It was a trap by all means.

  DAHLIA

  We arrive in London Thursday afternoon after a pleasant flight on his private jet.

  By pleasant, I mean his charming company, the gourmet food, enough space to stretch my legs, and a stunning view.

  Nothing in his behavior gives him away.

  We spend hours discussing books, politics, and art. He seems in a good mood. In no way, he leads me to believe that he knows about my other life.

  But I’m no fool.

  I’m hardly at ease. Every gesture he makes and every word he says gets analyzed several times.

  I’m sure he knows I am her and she is me. He must know. That’s why he sent that message. It was a test. A confirmation rather.

  What am I saying? He sent it on purpose, so I know he is aware I’m lying.

  And yet he makes no move. He’s probably waiting for me to make one first, and that’s the biggest trap of all.

  I do my best to calm my nerves, and behave as normal as I can, considering how close I am to him. He’s no longer fucking with me, yet he’s not terribly warm either.

  Most of the time he addresses me with his business-like voice. On the few occasions, he calls me Dahlia he uses a softer voice. Only to forget about me a moment later.

  Damn him.

  A car takes us to the hotel.

  He occupies a luxurious suite in one of the most expensive hotels in London while I get settled in a room a few floors down.

  The first event we are set to attend is a dinner with possible future business partners and their wives.

  I pick a simple strapless, cobalt-blue, satin dress, and beaded stilettos. A subtle layer of makeup enhances my features.

  I brush my hair, pull it all back and style it in a tousled bun. I clip on sparkling, dangling earrings, and glance in the mirror one last time before I grab my purse and phone.

  I call him. Instead of getting an answer from him, I hear a knock on the door.

  “Coming.”

  Rushed, I spray perfume on my wrists and neck and dash to the door.

  He doesn’t wear a jacket, only a sleek, fitted dark garnet shirt, and black pants. A belt sets off his trim waist.

  My eyes linger on his belt long enough to prompt him to smile.

  “Ready?” he asks, cocking an eyebrow as I still in the doorway.

  “Yes.”

  I close the door. Side by side, we walk to the elevator. We ride down in silence, his eyes on his phone, my gaze on his hands.

  The doors peel open at the first floor. I wait for him to signal which way he wants to go.

  Casually, he wraps an arm around my shoulders and guides me to a hallway that takes us to the other side of the hotel. Moments later, we reach a large terrace with lush plants, subtle lights, and round tables.

  The hostess leads us to a private booth.

  Gallantly, he pulls the chair out for me and orders drinks. Within moments, our guests arrive.

  Two couples. The men are older than Lex, the women, slightly younger than their husbands.

  I’m introduced by Lex by my name, and not my job position. The women are friendly and well-versed in international living. Soon we engage in conversations about London, travel and summer vacations on French Riviera as if I ever had one.

  The men discuss business, and from what I glean, the plan is to set European quarters for Sexton International.

  A few minutes after ten o’clock, they say goodbye to us, and just as I furtively check the time on my phone, a group of men and women slip by us.

  A female voice scratches my ears.

  “Lex?! Lex Harrington?”

  Surprise beams in her voice.

  I flick my eyes in her direction, swiftly scanning her.

  She’s thin, blonde, has a tiny waist and legs up to her neck. The men in her group pull to a halt as well, recognizing Lex.

  He rises to his feet and shakes hands with them, the women warmly kissing him on his cheeks.

  The blonde has absolutely no problem lending his lips to him. I roll my eyes. He catches sight of it and smiles.

  They all exchange pleasantries and just when they seem to head to the door, and I’m about to sight with relief, they come up with the marvelous idea for us to join them.

  Lex has no problem with that, and since I’m in no position to say no, they insist on dragging us out of the hotel and a few blocks down the street into a fancy club.

  I quickly learn that the men had done business with Lex while the women, well, they seem to be friends of sorts.

  The blonde glues to Lex like a rash, and I quickly find myself left out of their group.

  They’re a different crowd than the people we had dinner with. After a few more drinks, they are in the mood to dance, and it comes as no surprise that the blonde woman who sports a skimpy pink dress, begins tugging at Lex’s hand.

  Perched on a bar stool not far from me, he seems in no mood to join her on the dance floor.

  Unfazed, she comes up with a solution to the problem. Lasciviously, she starts to sway her hips and arch her back, dry humping the air in front of him.

  The alcohol flushing through her blood doesn’t help at all, her motions screaming for attention. He enjoys the show–– I think. There’s no expression on his face telling me that.

  A new tune comes on, and instead of doing her waving routine, she pulls closer to him, and lodges herself between his legs. My stomach does a spin and pushes up my throat.

  His elbows prop back against the bar, his drink dangling from his hand.

  She leans forward, pressing her chest against his, and whispers something in his ear.

  He lingers too long not to be suspicious, and that’s when I see her hand. The place is dimly lit, and yet I see it clearly. She slides it up his thigh before she smoothly runs it to his groin.

  A sudden cough bursts out in my chest.

  He flicks his gaze in my direction.

  “Are you okay?” he asks.

  The blonde swings her eyes to me as well.

  “Uh-huh,” I say, still coughing.

  I slip off my chair, straighten my back, and set my glass on the counter.

  “I’m leaving,” I say curtly, evading his eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Without another word, I spin around and dash to the door. The evening hits me with a wave of warm air and a smell of damp pavement and grilled food coming from a nearby restaurant.

  “Dahlia?”

  His voice echoes right behind me, but I’m in no mood to talk or wait, so I pick up the pace and soon I almost run. His footsteps rush behind me.

  I slip inside the hotel and dart to the elevator. He catches up with me when the doors begin to slide.

  He flicks his hand inside, making them stop and pull back slightly.

  He steps inside.

  “What’s your problem, Dahlia?”

  I pivot to him, fire shooting from my eyes.

  “What’s my problem?” I shout.

  “Yeah...” he throws at me, unfazed.

  My eyes dip.

  “I don’t have a problem,” I say, pointing at his crotch. “You have a fucking problem in your pants. A problem the blonde woman at the bar could’ve taken care of easily. ”

  He bites his lip, laughter spilling in his eyes.

  “You think it’s funny?” I bark.

  He nods, amused, his nose creasing with a naughty grin.

  “Why did you have to drag me all the way across the ocean so I can see women tugging at your pants.”

  “I needed your comprehensive skills in my business, Miss Fox. That’s why. I thought you wanted this job. No?�
� he asks, terribly entertained, but I can’t taste his humor.

  He takes a step in my direction, and my back hits the wall.

  I hold my head high and counter his gaze. His eyes bore into mine.

  “I did want this job or any job for that matter, but I didn’t think it’s gonna be a living hell.”

  “Why is that, Miss Fox?” he asks, tilting his head down to me.

  I get distracted by his lips.

  The elevator doors open on my floor. He hits the button for his level, and the doors shut smoothly.

  My heart flips, beating randomly.

  “Why is your life a leaving hell?”

  My focus shifts to his mouth again, focusing on his lips as they curl into a smirk.

  “You make it a living hell. And you made it that way right from the beginning. You went from being good and attentive to me to being a total ass.”

  “Well, you kinda volunteered for it, Miss Fox.”

  The doors pull open, and he tears away from me.

  “What do you mean?” I shout, rushing after him.

  He swipes his card and pushes the suite door open. I enter a large room. The place looks amazing, but I have no time for sightseeing. He suddenly steers left, heading to the bedroom.

  Before I can follow him inside, he slams the door in my face.

  I push it open, fuming.

  “What do you mean?”

  He spins to me.

  “You know what I fucking mean,” he says, angry.

  “No, I don’t,” I toss at him boldly.

  He erases the last sliver a space between us, and leans to me, so menacing I find myself, bending backward to stay away from him.

  “You knew it the first night you lap danced for me.”

  My blood freezes. His eyes go sinisterly cold.

  A wicked grin slips to his lips.

  “Oh. You thought I didn’t know?”

  No, I didn’t think so. Not from the very beginning. How could he possibly know?

  “Who told you?” I mutter, horrified.

  I can’t fucking believe him. He acted out all this time, playing this game, and tormenting me so that he can have fun?

  “Nobody told me. You really think I’m stupid?”

  “No, no... I didn’t say that,” I say, fumbling for words. “But how could you possibly know?”

  “I asked you if you had a sister and you said yes. You danced like her, and you reminded me of my secretary, and just because you didn’t talk or didn’t show your hair and eyes, didn’t mean I didn’t know. And then, there was something else. I haven’t picked up a woman to fuck at Silver in a very long time. I wasn’t interested. But with you, it was different. You were dying to fuck. You were wet before you slid your knees on either side of me and started to roll your hips above my crotch. And you got me harder than anyone else had in a very long time, so I knew it’s not a matter of chance. I figured out it’s more than that. It wasn’t hard.”

  “Why did you let me embarrass myself all this time?”

  Smiling, he sways his head.

  “You didn’t embarrass yourself. You loved it, and I did too. I didn’t want to fuck the girl from the office, the one who was intimidated by me. I wanted you to feel comfortable with me, and it turns out that being someone else for a couple of hours worked out well. For both of us. ”

  “That’s another way of saying that you don’t like me without my mask.”

  He clicks his tongue.

  “No. I think you don’t like yourself without the mask. You must’ve felt free for the first time in your life. Being that empowered, dirty woman with no past and no future and no one to judge her.”

  “Even so, it didn’t stop you from being an asshole all this time.”

  His eyes glint with a smile.

  “I thought you’d grow a pair and come clean.”

  “And say what? Hey, Lex, I know you’re my boss, and technically you just hired me, but I what you to know I got you hard last night under a false pretense, and now I can’t stop thinking about you, and I’m craving you between my legs and in my mouth all the time.”

  He laughs softly.

  “Yeah... That would’ve been a good start,” he says, studying my face, and my reaction. And my face, now burning with a blush. “You can’t even talk about it, can you?”

  I lock eyes with him for a moment, examining him as well.

  “I need to go,” I say, tearing away from him.

  “Perfect,” he says, checking the time on his phone. “We can ride the elevator down together.

  “Where are you going?”

  He laughs in my face.

  “That’s not your business.”

  “Is that blonde?”

  “Maybe. Why do you care anyway?”

  “I don’t.”

  “Fine. Then let’s get going.”

  I throw him a glance, and he gazes at me, his eyes unreadable.

  I spin around and head to the door, his footsteps right behind me. We take the elevator down. Two levels. The doors pull open. Hesitant, I glance at him. Hands tucked in his pants, he looks at me with hooded eyes. No word on his lips.

  “Ugh!” I growl and dash outside.

  I throw a last glance over my shoulder and catch sight of his blue eyes sinking so deep in me, I feel a flutter in my belly.

  I push the door to my room open, kick off my shoes, peel off the dress and crash onto the bed.

  Every moment that ticks by, makes my gut twist.

  I grab the phone and do the last thing that I should do.

  Bondage Girl: Are you up for it tonight?

  I wait. One minute becomes five, and my hope turns to ashes. He’s not gonna play this game. It’s not fun for him anymore, now that I’m out in the open.

  After five more minutes, I leap up the bead and head to the bathroom. My phone beeps.

  I practically dive for it.

  Lex: Yes.

  Bondage Girl: I’ll be at that bar in fifteen minutes. Wait in the front in your car. You take me outside the city. No one wears blindfolds. Still... I’m not gonna talk much.

  Lex: Fine by me. Make sure you don’t wear underwear.

  I smile.

  Bondage Girl: Done.

  8

  DAHLIA

  I throw the phone on the bed, take a quick shower, and pick a dress off a hanger. It’s a black and white and hugs me tightly.

  I slip in my shoes and vanish out the door. The night is still warm and the air humid as if it’s getting ready to rain.

  It takes me less than five minutes to arrive at that bar. His car is right at the front. A black Ferrari, identical to the one he has at home.

  The door lifts up, and I slip inside. He throws me a side look, a crooked smile curling his lips.

  “I like the outfit,” he mutters and peels his gaze away from me as he spins the car around.

  Smiling, he runs a hand through his hair, brushing a few stray bangs away. I almost forget to breathe as I take him in.

  All these weeks, I knew it but never fully realized it how caught I am in him. As if he reads my mind, he throws me a quick glance, smiling mysteriously.

  “What are you looking at Dahlia?”

  “Nothing.”

  I look out the window, and muse for a few moments.

  “How could you fuck me all this time and then give me all that shit at work?” I ask.

  “You made it easy for me, baby.”

  “And you had no problem at all?”

  “Why would I? It wasn’t me who was caught between these two worlds.”

  “I wasn’t...” I wave him off. “Never mind.”

  “So you’re a trained dancer.”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “Why lap dancing?”

  “Why business?

  “Hmm... Practical, Miss Fox?”

  “I needed the money,” I said with an even voice, and remain silent.

  “You’re good at what you do,” he says after a few moments, serious.

/>   He glances in my direction, and we lock eyes for a moment.

  “Are you making fun of me?”

  “No. You’re good at what you do, in the office and outside.”

  “You mean business and lap dancing.”

  “Yes. The only problem is that you get disheartened easily.” He pauses for a moment. “You lack confidence, and that’s the only thing that pulls you back. You shouldn’t fear you’ll lose your job.”

  “Yet I could lose my job. Especially now.”

  He chuckles softly.

  “And why’s that?”

  “Fucking an employee is akin to marriage and sex. One kills the other.”

  He grins.

  “You think I’d find you less attractive because you work for me? Or that I’d kick you to the curb when I had enough of you?”

  “Both.”

  “Good thinking, Bondage Girl. You want me to fire you ahead of time so that we delight ourselves in carnal pleasure?”

  “No. I can’t afford to lose my job,” I burst out.

  He glances at me.

  “Confidence, baby. Even if you lose your job, there’s someone out there smart enough to realize how good you are.”

  “Are we talking about jobs?”

  He laughs wolfishly.

  “Yes, we are.”

  Soon we leave the city behind and drive through rolling hills, and old villages, following a snaking, empty road.

  It’s past midnight.

  Lights are sprinkled here and there, but for the most part, it’s only us, the field and the starry sky.

  He takes a side road and stops the car next to a group of trees. A large field sprawls in front of us. He turns the engine off.

  I look up at the sky, a path of cold lights shining brightly above us. A chorus of frogs and crickets fills the air.

  He glances up as well. I study him as silence falls over us.

  “I love star gazing,” I say, shifting my eyes to the sky. “Wish upon a star...” I say quietly after a while as I take in the immensity stretching beyond our immediate universe. “What would a man like you possibly want, Lex? You seem to have everything...” I say with a mellow voice, suddenly in a pensive mood.

  I give him a side glance.

  He smiles softly, yet he doesn’t look at me.

  “What’s everything baby? I have money and power, but everything else is relative. Nothing is mine. Things come and go. I’m a mere spectator. Sometimes not even that because I’m too busy to waste time, reflecting on life. Everything stays with me for a fleeting moment, and as I get busy making plans, it slowly pulls away. That’s the essence of life. You only see it and appreciate it when it’s gone.”