The Endgame

by James, Cleary

  He gave a relieved smile. ‘Thank you. I’m glad to hear it.’

  ‘Though I’m not sure she’d be impressed with your table manners the first night we met,’ she teased.

  He frowned. ‘God, I’m so sorry about that. But I’m not actually in the habit of stripping and groping my female guests at the dinner table.’

  ‘You’re not?’ She quirked an eyebrow.

  ‘If I’d known–‘

  ‘Hey, I’m just teasing,’ she said. He looked so pained, she was sorry she’d brought it up. She had only meant to tease him, to lighten the mood.

  ‘I want you to tell me if I do anything you don’t want, Lisa,’ he said seriously.

  ‘Okay. I will.’

  ‘You want to know what turns me on?’ he asked softly, tracing a finger down her neck and across her collarbone, so lightly it almost tickled.

  She shivered, nodding.

  ‘Watching you come,’ he said, his finger brushing across her nipple, ‘and knowing I did that to you. Knowing that I’m giving you pleasure – making you wet,’ he said, his hand sweeping down between her legs. ‘Feeling you want me as much as I want you.’ One finger began gently stroking the soft flesh of her folds. ‘Hearing you moan and scream because of what I’m doing to you. That’s what turns me on more than anything, Lisa.’

  Her breathing became jagged as she felt the heat building inside her again at his words, the touch of his hands working its magic on her.

  ‘I want you so much.’ He bent and gave her a soft kiss on the lips while his finger continued its stroking. ‘I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you.’ He was working her clit now, tantalisingly slowly and languorously, and she rocked against his hand in frustration, seeking more friction. He kept up the relentless torture, gazing into her eyes as she whimpered and clutched at him as she came.

  This time when he reached for a condom, she urged him on top of her.

  ‘I like you on top,’ she said when he hesitated. ‘Just don’t hold me down.’

  He supported his weight on his hands and drove into her, moving slowly at first, rhythmically, and then picking up the pace. She stroked his back, loving the feel of the muscles beneath his warm, smooth skin as he drove them both to another mind-blowing orgasm.

  He rolled off her and they collapsed, panting side by side on the bed. Grayson reached for her, but she pulled away.

  ‘I should go,’ she said, glancing at her watch. It was almost midnight. She sat up and turned away from him, disconcerted by how much she wanted to stay – to let him wrap her in his arms and pull her close. This was just a business transaction, she reminded herself. She couldn’t get involved.

  ‘I wish you could stay,’ he said, echoing her feelings. She felt the bed give as he sat up behind her. He dropped a wet kiss on her shoulder.

  ‘I have to go.’

  ‘I’ll pay you double if you stay the night.’ He kissed her neck. ‘And I’ll make you breakfast in the morning.’ He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. She felt the roughness of his stubble against her skin.

  She longed to be able to say yes, but she shook her head. ‘Sorry. I can’t.’

  ‘Just sleep with me,’ he whispered. ‘We can just sleep.’

  She sighed. ‘It’s not that. I need to be home when Mark calls.’ Tempting as the money was, she couldn’t risk missing Mark’s call. He mustn’t have any reason for suspicion.

  He sighed. ‘Will you come again tomorrow?’

  ‘If you’d like,’ she said, pleased that he wanted her again. If he wanted her often enough, she could be gone by the time Mark came back. ‘I can come any night this week,’ she said, turning her head to look at him.

  ‘Come every night this week,’ he said, smiling at her.

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Absolutely. What about days too?’

  She nodded. ‘Whenever you want me.’

  ‘Be careful what you agree to,’ he said. ‘Because I want you all the time.’

  She steeled herself to talk about money. She couldn’t let a few moments’ embarrassment stop her from getting what she wanted. ‘I’m sure I can handle it,’ she said with a shrug. ‘But it will cost you.’

  She saw his slight flinch, though he tried to disguise it. But she couldn’t afford to feel bad for him. She had to be tough, businesslike.

  ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘But as you pointed out, I’m a wealthy man. I can afford it. How much?’

  She tilted her head, looking at him questioningly.

  ‘How much for the whole week – all your available time, day and night? Unlimited access?’

  Her breath hitched. She knew she should be ashamed to be negotiating like this for the use of her body, but her heart was already racing at the thought of all that money. She could tell he was desperate for her. She could name her price. She took a deep breath. ‘Ten thousand pounds,’ she said steadily.

  ‘Deal.’

  Just like that. Grayson had just agreed to pay her ten thousand pounds in cash as if it was nothing! With one word, he had guaranteed her freedom, given her a future. She was reeling, but she struggled not to betray any emotion. She would absorb all this later when she was alone.

  ‘Unlimited access up to midnight,’ she amended, just to make sure everything was clear between them.

  ‘Done,’ he said. ‘My little Cinderella.’ He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

  She was amazed at how easy it was – that he’d agreed so readily, without trying to negotiate or haggle. It was an obscene amount of money to pay for a few nights with her. She was just an ordinary woman – not particularly skilled in bed, nor especially beautiful – and nowhere near as sophisticated and experienced as the women she imagined he was used to. She couldn’t understand what drove him to it. He was kind, smart, drop-dead gorgeous – there must be plenty of desirable women who would be only too eager to sleep with him and wouldn’t charge for the privilege. And if he wanted to pay, he could find someone much more skilled in bed who would charge a lot less. Still, he was also very wealthy and could afford to indulge his every whim. If he wanted something, he could buy it. Fortunately, he wanted her.

  ‘You shouldn’t waste your money on me,’ she said, the words coming out of her mouth before she even realised what she was saying. Damn it, she didn’t want to talk him out of this. But she couldn’t help feeling guilty towards him. He was a nice man. He deserved to be with someone who wanted him for himself, not for what they could get out of him.

  ‘It’s not a waste,’ he said. ‘You’re worth it.’

  She highly doubted it, but she refrained this time from telling him how deluded he was. ‘I’m glad you think so,’ she said simply.

  ‘I’ll have the money ready the next time you come – in cash.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed, clutching the sheet to her, feeling very aware of her nakedness now. Considering everything she’d done with him, it was ridiculous to be shy of him now, but she suddenly felt very exposed. ‘Um ... could I have a shower?’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ He threw back the sheet and got out of bed. ‘Come on, I’ll show you where everything is.’

  Reluctantly she dropped the sheet and stood. He was paying her a fortune for unlimited access to her body for a week; the least she could do was let him look at it. She would just have to get used to being naked around him.

  Grayson had no such inhibitions as he took her hand and led her to the bathroom. When he had shown her how to work the shower and given her clean towels, he left her alone – though Lisa got the feeling he would have liked to get in the shower with her. She wouldn’t have minded that herself, if she had enough time. But she needed to get home quickly now.

  As she washed Grayson’s saliva from her skin, she tried to dismiss him from her thoughts equally briskly. She liked him a lot, and he made her feel amazing, but he was just a means to an end, and he could never be more than that. It would be all too easy to fall in lov
e with him, but she couldn’t let that happen. She had to remain detached – there was too much at stake to allow herself to give into feelings that might weaken her resolve and risk losing the freedom she had endured so much to achieve. She was here for one thing only – his money. She had to remember that. Still, she couldn’t help wishing that things were different – that she could have met Grayson under different circumstances. If only she’d met him before Mark. Maybe something would have happened between them. She could have allowed herself to have feelings for him ...

  She was grateful that Grayson wasn’t there when she got back to the bedroom and she got dressed and dried her hair in privacy. Then she called a cab on her mobile and sat on the bed as she waited for it to arrive. Only when she heard the doorbell did she go downstairs. Grayson was in the hallway, dressed in a bathrobe.

  ‘Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she said as she went to the door.

  Grayson went ahead of her and opened it. ‘See you tomorrow. Thank you for coming, Lisa.’ He bent and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

  ‘Bye. You have my mobile number. Call me if you ... change your mind.’

  ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ he said firmly as she turned to go.

  Grayson watched the taxi pull away, then closed the door and went into the library. He poured himself a large whiskey and settled into one of the big armchairs by the fireplace, wishing Lisa were sitting opposite him in the other one. He didn’t want to go back to bed just yet – not when she wasn’t in it. He felt conflicted by this arrangement they had. On the one hand, he was getting everything he wanted – and on the other hand, nothing. Lisa would be sexually available to him every day this week, as often as he wished. She would give him her body, but she wouldn’t give herself to him – and he was beginning to realise that that was what he most wanted.

  And what about when the week was over? He would be left with nothing – less than nothing, because he had a feeling that the more he had of Lisa, the more he would want from her, and when they were done, he would be left with this empty, gnawing hunger that she had created and that no one else could satisfy.

  He didn’t like what the money said about either of them. If it made Lisa a whore, what did it make him? He wasn’t happy about exploiting her in that way, despite her assurances that it was what she wanted. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was in some sort of trouble, and though he knew this was the only way she would let him help her, his conscience still nagged at him. He wished he could talk to Isabel about it, get her advice. But he had promised Lisa he wouldn’t tell anyone about their arrangement.

  At least he knew she wanted him. He could console himself that she wasn’t hating every minute of it when she was with him, just enduring it for the money. He couldn’t have agreed to it if he thought that, no matter how desperate she was. But she had wanted him that night in the library. He had left it up to her, and she had made the first move. And she had wanted him tonight – there had been nothing fake about that look in her eyes. It was small comfort when they had only just begun and he was already starting to feel the pain of losing her.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The next morning, Lisa woke feeling happy and optimistic for the first time in ages. She could finally see light at the end of the tunnel, and the chance to restart her life seemed almost within reach. She couldn’t ignore the fact that part of her feeling of wellbeing was down to the warm glow she felt whenever she thought of last night with Grayson – the way he had touched her, how his eyes had burned when he looked at her. But she tried not to dwell on that. Still, she couldn’t stop the images that occasionally flashed across her mind and brought a little smile to her face. And try as she might, she couldn’t deny that she was looking forward to seeing him again tonight. It had been a long time since she had felt such eager anticipation.

  Even Mark’s callous boorishness last night hadn’t been enough to crush her spirits. He had Skyped about half an hour after she had got home. He had only spoken to her to issue a series of orders about how she was to spend her time while he was away, and to quiz her about her day, checking up on how long she had worked out, what she had eaten, who she had spoken to. If only he knew, she thought, experiencing a little thrill of spiteful glee at having a secret from him.

  Then he had told her to strip and touch herself for him, and they had had Skype sex. She had been alarmed to find that she felt dirty after it in a way that she hadn’t after having sex for money with Grayson. She was just glad that Mark was on the other side of the world and she didn’t have to actually endure his touch, his teeth tugging and biting at her skin, his hands rough as they pinched and dug into her flesh.

  ‘Oh, baby,’ he had panted when he was finished. ‘I miss you so much. That was great, but I can’t wait to get home and fuck you properly.’

  Never, she thought. If she had her way, he would never touch her again.

  ‘Me too,’ she had said, smiling sweetly. Then she had closed the laptop and gone upstairs, relishing having the bed to herself. She had slept peacefully in blissful solitude, and sprang out of bed this morning feeling determined and purposeful. She ate breakfast, and worked out extra hard in the gym, challenging herself to run longer, to lift more weight – not for Mark’s sake, but for herself. She was on the treadmill when her mobile pinged with a message from Grayson. She was almost afraid to open it, suddenly afraid he might have changed his mind about their arrangement. But instead it said:

  Have an hour free at 1.00. Meet me for lunch?

  She answered yes immediately, and he texted back telling her to meet him at his offices.

  This time she was immediately admitted to Grayson’s offices. The receptionist was obviously expecting her, and Gaby greeted her with a friendly smile.

  ‘I’m here to meet Grayson for, um ... lunch,’ Lisa told her with a shaky smile. She couldn’t help feeling discomfited. She didn’t think for a minute that Grayson would have informed Gaby that she would be stopping by to provide sexual services for him when he had an hour to spare. But it probably wouldn’t take her long to figure out what was going on when the two of them were locked up in his office for an hour with a ‘do not disturb’ order in place.

  ‘Yes, I know. Whatever you’re doing to him, keep it up,’ Gaby said cheerfully. ‘He doesn’t take a break often enough.’

  Lisa blushed, feeling more embarrassed than ever. She doubted she’d get such wholehearted approval from Gaby if she knew exactly what it was she was doing to Grayson.

  ‘I’ll just tell him you’re here,’ Gaby said, picking up the phone.

  Lisa expected to be told to go through to his office, but after speaking with Grayson, Gaby said ‘He’ll be with you in a moment,’ and waved her to a chair.

  ‘Oh. Thank you.’ Thinking about it, Lisa decided it made sense that they would go somewhere else. Yesterday she had taken him by surprise and it had been spontaneous. But he wouldn’t want to risk having sex in his office on a regular basis, and today he’d had time to plan. She was glad that he was being discreet, and she could at least preserve her dignity with Gaby.

  ‘Hi,’ Grayson appeared at the entrance to the office, pulling on his jacket. ‘Ready?’

  Lisa nodded and stood. ‘Bye,’ she said to Gaby as she joined him.

  ‘I’ll be back in about an hour, hour and a half,’ Grayson said to Gaby.

  ‘No rush. Enjoy yourselves,’ Gaby called to them as they left.

  Grayson took Lisa’s hand as they walked to the lifts. ‘Thank you for coming,’ he said as they stepped into the lift.

  Lisa shrugged, knocked off balance once again by the way he treated her as if she was a girlfriend. ‘It’s what you’re paying me for,’ she said.

  ‘Thank you anyway.’ He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. ‘It’s really nice to see you again.’

  He led her across the lobby with a hand at her back and out through the revolving door into a waiting car. She was surprised when Grayson told the driver where they were
going – a five-star landmark hotel in Mayfair. She hadn’t expected him to take her somewhere so up-market. It certainly wasn’t the sort of place that would rent rooms by the hour. But then, Grayson could easily afford to take a room there for the day, even if he only intended to use it for an hour or so. Besides, he was a classy guy – he wouldn’t want to go anywhere seedy, even for a lunchtime quickie. She was glad he was taking her somewhere nice – it made the whole thing feel a little less sordid and sleazy. At least she was a high-class hooker, she thought wryly.

  But her heart sank when they arrived at the hotel and Grayson led her straight past reception and into the ritzy restaurant. She zoned out as he told the maitre ‘d that he had a reservation and they were led to their table. So much for not feeling sleazy, she thought, her heart pounding. She had thought they would have the privacy of a hotel bedroom. She wasn’t prepared for getting it on in a crowded restaurant.

  The place was busy with the lunchtime rush, and the walls reverberated with the buzz of conversation and the clatter of plates and glasses. The clientele was mostly made up of suited businessmen and women. They looked high-powered and professional, and Lisa began to feel very uncomfortable and out of place. She didn’t imagine any of the other women were here to get felt up under the table or to give their man a little light relief over lunch. Certainly none of them looked like prostitutes – but then, hopefully neither did she.

  They were shown to a corner table, and she felt very far from her comfort zone as Grayson sat beside her on the banquette. The waiter handed them menus and bustled off. She took in the room with its plush furnishings, crisp table linen and sparkling glasses and bit her lip, feeling nervous. Glancing around, she tried to judge how much she and Grayson could be overseen from the other tables, and how easy it would be to touch him under the table without anyone knowing what was going on. Her stomach curdled at the thought. Mark sometimes liked to play games in public, discreetly finger fucking her in a restaurant, or getting her to give him a blow job under his desk at the gallery. But she found it humiliating and embarrassing, and she had always hated it.