“They said they saw your smoking hot body on the sex tape and your appearance and dominant sexual prowess completely fitted with their brand image.”
“Um, okay,” Sasha replied, feeling a little awkward. She’d never thought of herself as having a smoking hot body and she certainly hadn’t considered that the sex tape could become something that would fit it in with a company’s “brand image.” But she guessed this was just the way the world of the rich and the famous operated.
Pippa handed her some papers to sign. “Just a contract to say you won’t be wearing any other brands for the next two weeks. There’s a couple of pages to sign. Make sure you get them all.”
Bemused and slightly befuddled, Sasha wrote her name on the documents.
“We need to get you a better signature,” Pippa said, examining the paper. Then she tidied them away into her folder and beamed. “We ought to celebrate.”
Pippa went to the fridge and started pulling out bottles, pouring, stirring, squeezing limes. When she returned, she had a pitcher of mojitos.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Sasha said, thinking of the way alcohol broke down her inhibitions.
Pippa raised an eyebrow. “Oh please, darling. You’re not a small town girl anymore. This is your new life. Amore dresses and mojitos at lunch.”
She poured a glass for Sasha and held her own up to chink. There was a moment’s hesitation.
Pippa raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? You have to wake up early for work tomorrow?”
Her sarcasm made Sasha let out a short laugh. Pippa was right. No more career to worry about. She’d made the decision to follow Thomas so she may as well enjoy it.
Finally, Sasha shrugged and clinked her glass against Pippa’s.
“Cheers,” the British woman said. She smiled sweetly and took a sip. Then she placed her glass down. “Lobster time!” she cried.
Sasha looked around. It seemed as though no one else would be joining them. Just an awkward meal for two then…
Once the dinner was served, Pippa settled down. She was a vibrant woman, the sort Sasha aspired to be; engaging, with huge expressive eyes that drew you in; ambitious; vivacious. Like Thomas, she had the ability to make you feel like the most important person in the world.
“You must tell me everything about you and Thomas,” Pippa said.
“There is no me and Thomas,” Sasha replied. “I don’t think there ever really was. ”
“Pft,” Pippa said, flapping a hand. “You don’t believe that do you? He was raving about you for days, in his own Thomas way.”
Sasha couldn’t imagine the stoic actor raving about anything. “What do you mean?”
“Darling,” Pippa said. She was clearly becoming a little bit tipsy and spilled her mojito as she flung her arm out. “He’s crazy for you.”
“He doesn’t seem to be.”
“He’s just in a mood. It won’t last.”
“You mean…”
“I mean you’ll be back in one another’s arms quicker than you can blink. I’ll tell you a secret.” Pippa leaned in and her eyes sparkled. “This whole relationship charade, the PR stunt. It was not my idea.”
Sasha frowned. “You mean it was Thomas’s?”
“Yes!” Pippa squealed. “My plan was to bury the whole thing. Focus on the crime part, draw attention to the messed up sister, you know. Make it clear that Thomas was a victim. You didn’t enter into my plans at all, no offence. But Thomas insisted we protect you. That’s why he ran off to your house despite my protestations.”
“Oh,” Sasha said.
That was before he’d found her with Chris and her incriminatingly packed bags. That was before he’d learned of her betrayal.
Thanks to the mojitos, Sasha’s tongue had loosened somewhat. And she had so much to get off her chest. Plus, she liked Pippa, she felt able to confide in her.
“Things changed,” she said. “Once he was at my house. He found out about Chris.”
“Chris?”
“My ex. Thomas thought we’d slept together. But we hadn’t. Chris was just coming to drive me home. If my mother was well enough, it would’ve been her who’d come to collect me.” She thought bitterly of how different things would have been had it been her mother standing in her hallway asking her to come home rather than Chris. “Thomas doesn’t believe me that nothing happened.”
Pippa shook her head. “They’re so possessive, men, aren’t they? So jealous. Especially the ones like Thomas.”
Sasha couldn’t help but find herself enjoying Pippa’s company. She really put her at ease and made the drama of the situation seem insignificant. She seemed so put together and down to earth, like nothing could phase her, especially a man like Thomas Lloyd. Sasha couldn’t help but think the English woman would never be stupid enough to succumb to the charms of someone like Thomas; that was probably why she was so able to work with him and boss him around.
Sasha finished up the last of her drink. “You really think he’ll forgive me?” she said, smooshing the ice at the bottom of her glass with her straw.
Pippa took the cup from her hands. “Absolutely.” She poured Sasha another glass. “And sooner than you expect.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
Sasha cocked her head to the side quizzically. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Pippa said in a hushed voice, “that if you went in there and seduced him right now, I don’t think he’d be able to say no. Thomas Lloyd has an insatiable appetite. Food. Drink. Work. Money. Sex. He’s driven by consumption. Such a visceral creature like Thomas is not going to turn down the chance to make love when it comes knocking.”
Sasha sat back laughing. “Well I sort of tried that already. He fell asleep.”
“One setback,” Pippa said with a wicked grin. “Are you going to give up after one setback?”
Sasha shook her head jovially. “Why are you so desperate for me and him to sleep together?”
“Because,” Pippa said, drawing out the vowel sound, “he’s been so much easier to handle since he met you. You make him happy. And when he’s happy my job is literally a thousand times better.” She patted Sasha’s arm with her perfectly manicured nails. “You’re doing me a favor, darling.”
Sasha smirked. She took a gulp of her drink and stood. “Well, okay then.”
Her chat with Pippa had emboldened her. But her heart still pounded as she paced across the plane to Thomas’s room. She paused at the door. Should she knock? No. The bold, demanding woman that Thomas desired in her wouldn’t knock. She’d walk in and take what she wanted.
She opened the door and strode in. Thomas was sleeping, lying flat on his back fully dressed.
Sasha leaned down over his ear, letting her hair tickle his face. She whispered, “Thomas.”
He stirred awake. “Intern?”
“Don’t call me that,” she purred.
Thomas woke up fully, abruptly. His eyes snapped open and the hungry passion she’d seen in them before was there again immediately. He knew what she was there for, he knew what she was offering, and he wasn’t going to turn it down. He rose up to a seating position and circled his hands around Sasha’s waist. Then he pulled her down onto his lap.
Chapter Twelve
Their mouths explored one another’s, tasting the alcohol each other had consumed. They breathed in perfect synchronicity. The passion was all consuming, the power of reconciliation driving it to a fever pitch.
Sasha’s hands were in Thomas’s hair, then scratching lines of desire into his back. His hands were on her breasts, her ass, her waist, feeling every part of her like he’d never felt a woman before. He tugged at her clothes desperately, as though she couldn’t be naked fast enough. Sasha yanked them off, discarding them on the ground.
As soon as her breasts were free from the constraints of her bra, Thomas placed her nipple in his mouth. He sucked and licked, his tongue circling her nipple. All the while he pulled her into him so tightly it was as though he wanted to con
sume her.
Thomas reached for a condom in the top drawer of his bedside table. Sasha unbuckled his belt and slid his hard penis out, holding it in both her hands. Thomas groaned as she massaged the tip with her thumbs. He moved her hands away and rolled the condom down the length of his shaft.
The second he was ready, Sasha spread her legs apart and maneuvered over him. She slid down, enveloping his cock within her. Sasha groaned and Thomas sucked in his breath through his teeth. Feeling him inside of her again was like relieving a craving, like a junky getting a hit. It was heaven.
Thomas thrust his hands into her hair, twirling it in his fingers tightly. He was so gripped with pleasure his head was tipped back, exposing his throat. Sasha licked the flesh and was rewarded by his erection hardening even more inside of her. She looped her arms over his shoulders, squeezing the muscles beneath the fabric, and rode him hard and fast.
“Oh Jesus,” Thomas moaned. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
Knowing he was loving what she was doing made Sasha even more aroused. She knew it wouldn’t take long to reach where she wanted to be.
“I’m close,” she gasped.
She felt Thomas unwind his fingers from her hair. He cupped her right buttock with one hand, moving her body in a motion that made him grit his teeth with pleasure. He looked her square in the eye, licked the first two fingers of his spare hand, then slid them against her clitoris.
She cried out, unable to hold back. It felt so good and brought her right to the precipice of her climax.
“I’m going to come,” she murmured.
Thomas tightened his grasp on her ass, pulling her into him more deeply. She moved her hips faster, as fast as she was able. The pleasure was insane, amazing, all-consuming.
Her climax began. Silent at first, with every part of her body clenching. She held her breath and threw her head back. Stars danced across her eyes and then the burst came, the burst of pure pleasure.
She screamed out. The sound of her orgasming tipped Thomas over the edge. He grabbed both of her buttocks in his hands and wrenched her hard into him, pushing his penis into her as far as it could possibly go. He squeezed her flesh tightly. His eyes were closed, his teeth gritted as he thrust into her once, twice, three times. Each thrust made her scream out. On the fourth thrust his own cry of pleasure joined hers.
Climaxing together, they moved to the rhythm of their throbbing bodies, riding the wave of bliss right to the last moment.
At last Sasha’s orgasm began to peter out. She slowed her movement, letting the last throbs send spasms of delight through her. She’d never orgasmed for so long before and even though it was ending, she could still feel it echoing all through her body.
Finally, she drew to a halt and dropped her head on Thomas’s shoulder.
They stayed like that for a moment, panting, gasping for air, breathing in each other’s body heat, feeling the slipperiness of each other’s sweat-soaked bodies.
Sasha came back to her senses and rolled off Thomas. She panted, basking in her pleasure as he went to tidy himself up.
So Pippa had been right. The way to Thomas’s forgiveness was through the language of sex. She’d expected it to be harder to get him to come back around to her, but it had been easy. This arrangement was going to work out even better than she’d expected...
She wriggled under the sheets and exhaled with contentment.
Just then, Thomas returned from the en suite bathroom. “What are you doing?”
Sasha opened one of her eyes and peered at him. “Waiting for you.” She rolled onto her side and circled her fingers around the sheet beneath her. “Ready for round two?”
“I’m tired,” Thomas said.
Sasha gave him a sexy look. “I’m not surprised,” she purred. “That was some pretty vigorous thrusting…”
“Sasha,” he said, interrupting her. “I want to sleep.”
She shrugged. “Okay. We can sleep.”
Thomas shook his head. “I want to sleep. Alone.”
Sasha sat up abruptly. “What? I thought that…”
“Thought that all you had to do was screw me to get me to forgive you? It doesn’t work like that. Not for me.”
“So you can sleep with someone even when you’re pissed with them?”
“Don’t be childish. You know it’s half of the appeal.”
Anger quickly replaced the satisfaction she’d been feeling. “That’s a disgusting thing to say.”
Thomas rolled his eyes. “Don’t act like you didn’t get anything out of it.”
“Because I thought we were reconciling!”
“Well we weren’t. I haven’t forgiven you.”
“But you’ll still fuck me.”
“If you seduce me while I’m tipsy and half asleep, yes.” He bent down and handed her her clothes. “There’s plenty of bunks. I’ll see you when we land.”
Sasha took in the bundle in her arms. Her mouth was open with shock. Thomas didn’t even look at her as she slipped her clothes on.
“This won’t happen again,” she said as she reached the door.
“We’ll see,” Thomas replied, shutting the door in her face.
Chapter Thirteen
They landed several hours later. Thomas left the plane without even looking at Sasha. His behavior towards her made her feel dirty and desperate, like a cheap prostitute. She knew her come on was partially because she was inebriated and goaded on by Pippa, but it still made her feel ridiculous.
Outside of the aircraft it was bright and hot. The sun beat down almost oppressively.
Pippa gave Sasha a thumbs up as they descended the staircase. She must have heard their screaming orgasms. Everyone onboard the airplane must have. Pippa clearly thought the union between Sasha and Thomas had meant a full reconciliation. She didn’t realize that everything was worse than before.
Sasha tried to hide her embarrassment.
A private car was waiting for them. Thomas got straight in, followed by Pippa. The guards gestured for Sasha to go next, then took up the rear. She was going to have to get used to being followed by security.
As Sasha slipped inside, she noticed that Pippa had purposefully left the seat beside Thomas free. Sasha took the seat opposite her instead and furthest from Thomas. Pippa looked bemused by her actions. The whole time, Thomas was completely silent, gazing out the window as though unaware of anyone around him.
The car pulled away. Pippa opened her folder. “The lawyers are coming tomorrow morning to talk about what we can do about Crystal.”
Thomas grunted.
Pippa rolled her eyes. She looked at Sasha. “And Amore are coming for the photo shoot...” She looked at her watch. “... in about three hours.”
“Photo shoot?” Sasha said.
“Yes, you knew that didn’t you?” Pippa replied. “If you’re wearing their clothes you’re going to have to be in their photographs.”
Sasha felt stupid for not having realized that.
“So,” Pippa continued. “Sasha, hair and makeup will take two hours. Then we’ll be shooting on location. It will be a long evening.”
The car raced through the beautiful landscape, past clean, white-sandy beaches and huge palm trees. Sasha had never seen anything like it. Her family had been too poor for holidays when she was growing up, and she’d been too focused on her studies to join her University friends whenever they went on trips. She’d only travelled a few times, and even then only to budget hostels. This place was like something from a dream, with rows of uniquely designed houses with gorgeous front lawns. It seemed so decadent to own a house on an island like this just for a holiday. Decadent and lonely.
When they pulled up the drive to Thomas’s house, Sasha gasped. The house was an enormous glass fronted mansion. There was a lawn stretching up to the front steps with a fountain. It was the most beautiful place she’d ever seen.
Inside was just as elaborate. Pale wooden floors, a grand sweeping staircase and chandelier. There was somethin
g incredibly English about the look of the place. It was like an architectural modern wonder from the outside, but an English country manor on the inside.
Thomas immediately strode off to the master bedroom and locked himself away.
Pippa looked at Sasha. “So it didn’t go as well as we’d hoped?”
Sasha shook her head. “He’s still mad at me. Actually, I think he’s more mad at me than before. He couldn’t even look at me in the car.”
“Oh darling,” Pippa said, kindly. “He’s upset about Crystal, not you. That’s what’s on his mind. Trust me, he’d be in a far worse mood if you two hadn’t…” She wiggled her eyebrows in a cheeky way.
“So you heard?” Sasha said, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks.
“Oh I heard alright,” Pippa said laughing. “I get why he wants to hold onto you.”
Sasha shook her head. “I don’t think it should happen again.”
Pippa flapped a dismissive hand. “Why not? I thought you were meant to be all sexually liberated these days.”
“Just because Amore thinks I am, doesn’t mean I really am. Fucking someone who’s angry with you… it’s just weird.”
“Weird?” Pippa cried. “Darling, it’s fabulous! Knowing that you’re that irresistible is a massive turn on. Don’t you agree?”
Just like that, Pippa could turn everything around again. She had a knack for down-playing a situation, an ability to dampen the emotional turmoil Sasha was in. Everything was easy-breezy for Pippa, just a series of setbacks to solve. Reconciling Sasha and Thomas was probably just another bullet point on the agenda in that folder of hers.
But Sasha wasn’t so sure what she felt anymore. Her mind was a jumble, just like it always seemed to be when it came to Thomas Lloyd.
“Let me give you the grand tour,” Pippa said, taking her by the arm.
She led her round the house then up to the guest bedroom where she’d be staying until, in Pippa’s words, Thomas “pulled himself together.”
“Now, freshen up ready for the Amore people,” Pippa said.
Sasha did as she was told, too overwhelmed and confused by everything that had happened to argue. A mixture of alcohol and orgasm had left her muggy-headed. Once today was over, she made a note to get into some kind of routine in order to re-establish normalcy. She’d always been an early riser, a morning jogger, but ever since Thomas had flipped her life upside down things had been completely out of sync.
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