by BL Mute
I rush back inside and try to hunt them down, but I have no luck. I’m not sure if they’re in my room or if I left them somewhere else. Once I make it back down the stairs, I check the small table by the door and see it’s empty too.
When I open the door again, I see Carter pulling out of the garage. Jogging up to the passenger side of his Mercedes, I tap on the glass. When it rolls down, I swallow my pride. “Can you give me a ride to work?”
His brown eyes trail my body carefully, paying close attention to my tits. “Depends. Are you ready to admit that last night was real?”
I look above the car’s top because I don’t want to face him when I answer. “Okay. It happened. Now can we go? I don’t have time to call an Uber, and I can’t find my keys. I don’t want to be late.”
The locks disengage, so I open the door and slide inside, assuming that’s a yes to my question. I remain quiet as he pulls out of the drive and starts down the road in the direction of the country club. When we make it halfway there in silence, I feel satisfied, but it’s short-lived. I knew Carter wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut.
“So, you ready to spill the beans yet, Bunny?”
I prop my elbow on the handle of the door and hold my head to look out the window. “What are you talking about?”
“How you’re sleeping with Mac.”
Despair creeps into my blood, heating my cheeks and making my stomach tighten. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He chuckles and turns into the country club’s drive. “It’s okay. We have all night together. I’ll get it out of you eventually.”
“What?”
He puts his car in park as it comes to a stop. “You didn’t read the schedule, did you?” My silence gives him the answer he needs. “The mayor is hosting an event here tonight, hence why we aren’t coming in at the usual time. It’ll be me and you catering, serving drinks, and bussing tables all night.”
Great. Like shit can’t get any more complicated at this point. “Lovely.”
I exit the car and slam the door, then walk inside. I pass the front desk, ignoring Candace’s hello, and head straight for the kitchen. Maneuvering around all the waiters and chefs, I hit the back wall and grab the clipboard that houses my schedule. Sure enough, Carter wasn’t lying. Not only do I still have to meet with Mac, but since this will be my first event—not one I’m attending as a guest—I’m stuck with him so he can train me. At least for the first few hours.
“Told ya,” Carter chirps in my ear, grabbing my arm before he leads me further back into the laundry room.
He reaches to the top shelf as we enter, then throws a black pencil skirt and white button-up at my chest. He plucks a bow tie from the box in front of him, then steps toward me and wraps it around my neck.
“For your sake and mine,” I start, “just stay out of my way tonight.”
He inches away from me and reaches behind him, hooking his fingers to the back collar of his shirt and pulling it over his head. “Why? Too scared you’ll cave and let me stick my hand in the cookie jar again?”
His metaphor makes zero sense to me, but I can’t even focus on his words. His abs stare at me as his chiseled pecs move up and down to the rhythm of his breath. I notice a trail of light freckles I didn’t see before. Maybe because it was dark, or maybe because I was drunk. Who knows? I follow them from the front of his shoulder, all the way down his stomach, until they disappear into the waistband of his pants.
God, Lydia. You act like you’ve never seen a hot, muscular man before, I chastise myself, snapping myself from the lust-filled haze.
One, this is Carter. Not only did Mac tell me to leave him alone, but he’s also my stepbrother. And two, I don’t even like him.
“It’s not me I’m worried about, Carter,” I finally answer. “Clearly, you’re the one who can’t get enough. Just look at you,” I drag my eyes over his body again. “You’re the one following me like the lost puppy you are, just hoping I’ll let you inside of me again. And by the way, I wasn’t acting like last night didn’t happen because I didn’t want to admit it. I seriously forgot. Must not have been that great.” I shrug and leave him standing alone to lick his wounds I’m sure I most definitely just caused to his ego.
I hurry to the front bathroom and change my clothes, then go back to the dining room and start making myself appear busy. I lay cloth napkins at every placeholder with a name and make sure the fork, spoon, and knife are lined up in the right order. I’m so engrossed in the pointless project that when someone starts to talk behind me, I jump.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” the woman laughs. “I was just asking if you could run more supplies upstairs. The closet is running low, but we will need it stocked for the evening.”
I nod. “Sure. I’ll grab a cart and get it up there.”
“Thank you. I don’t have the time right now, and I know I’ll forget when I finally do get a free second.”
“No problem. If you need anything else, just let me know. I’m shifted until ten, and I don’t really know what I’m doing,” I laugh.
She smiles. “I remember watching you run around with Carter while your dads had meetings. We were all new once. Just be happy you have the advantage of knowing the layout of the place.”
My chest tightens with her words. “Did you know my dad?”
“I did. He’s the one who hired me when this place first opened. He was very sweet. I was sad to hear about his passing.” Her smile falls.
At first, I didn’t think she looked old enough to be working when I was younger, but looking at her closer, I notice the gray strands peppered into her dark hair tucked tightly into her bun. Her age peeks through the lines around her lips and the corners of her eyes, but she’s still beautiful.
I glance at the name tag pinned to her shirt before I speak again. “He’s definitely missed. I’m glad he left such a good impression on so many people.”
Her smile returns as she starts to walk away. “He really did. I’m glad I got a second to talk with you, but I have to get back to work. Just find me if you need any help, Lydia.”
“I will. Thank you, Rosie.”
As she disappears to the front of the club, I walk back into the kitchen and move into the laundry room. I grab one of the empty carts against the wall and load it with sheets, towels, duster replacements, and a few cleaning supplies before heading back to the front.
Instead of walking up the steps that sit in the center of the lobby, I hang a left and pass the bathrooms, then stop in front of the elevator doors. I hit the button, then input my code on the keypad, and the doors open almost immediately. I push the cart inside, tuck myself in behind it, and turn. I push the number two and wait for it to close. After a few seconds, the metal doors start to come together, but at the last second, a black boot wedges between them, forcing them back open.
Carter steps inside with a smirk on his face, and it makes me roll my eyes. “Can’t stay away, can you?” I question.
He shrugs as the doors start to close again. “Maybe I don’t want to.”
Here we go with hot and cold Carter again.
I let out a deep breath and close my eyes. I will not do this, I think to myself. “Carter, last night was a onetime thing. It’s not happening again.”
He pulls the emergency stop, causing the elevator to jolt to a halt, then turns to me. “It doesn’t have to be a onetime thing, Lydia.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Yes, it does.”
“Why?” He crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head.
“Because you’re an asshole and my stepbrother. I don’t need any more complications in my life.”
“Complications?” He shakes his head. “I don’t have to be a complication, Bunny. I can just be a secret.” He moves closer to me, pressing my back against the wall, and runs his hands over my shoulders.
I close my eyes again and let my head fall back and rest against the wall. Every ounce of reason inside me flees as h
is warm breath hits my cheek. “Let me be your secret, and you can be mine. No one needs to know…” He trails off, planting soft kisses along the column of my neck.
I want to tell him no, but the butterflies in my stomach won’t let me. I haven’t felt this way in forever. Even my time with Malcolm doesn’t give me this. Maybe it’s the thought of knowing I shouldn’t, or maybe I like Carter and just don’t want to admit it, but what’s the harm? I have my secret with Malcolm, so why not add another?
“A secret?” I ask, opening my eyes.
His dark brown eyes bore into me with seriousness. “Our secret.”
He tugs the front of my shirt, pulling me into his body. The rhythm of our breaths sync together as we stare into each other’s eyes. “Why do you want me, Carter?”
“Because I was told I couldn’t have you.”
“So, am I just some game? A conquest to shove in your dad’s face?”
“You’re more than that.” His hand finds my thigh, and his fingers start inching up, pushing my skirt out of the way. “We aren’t kids anymore, Bunny. Stop running away from what you want.”
“How do you know I want this?”
His hand stills on my thigh. “Because of that. As soon as I stopped moving, you held your breath. I bet you didn’t even realize it, but I did. And when I get close, your body tenses like it’s waiting for me to touch it. You watch me, too, when you think I’m not looking. I know what lust looks like. Maybe you need to look in the mirror to see it.”
I look past him at my distorted reflection in the metal wall of the elevator. Even though my face looks like an abstract painting from the texture, I can still see the pink paint my cheeks from the blush he’s caused, and heat claws at my throat.
His fingers start moving again, not stopping until they brush the front of my panties. He knows he’s right. He doesn’t need me to say it. “And look.” He removes his hand from under my skirt. “You’re already soaked. If that’s not want, then I don’t know what is.”
His fingers shine in the light, showcasing my arousal. He examines them proudly before locking his eyes back to mine and inserting the same fingers into his mouth. His lips lock around them, sucking every last drop of me clean.
“Mmm,” he moans, “I’ll never get tired of that taste.”
My lips part as I take in a breath. His words make my core tighten and friction build. All I want to do is ease it, and it’s like he can read my mind. He pushes his front into me, pinning me to the wall, and uses his knee to spread my own. His hand dips low again, but this time he goes straight into my panties.
The tips of his fingers start rubbing small circles over my clit, and it makes my body relax. I let my head fall into his shoulder and wrap my arms around his waist, careful not to disrupt his movements. “This is so wrong,” I whisper to myself.
“But it feels so good,” he replies.
He runs his middle finger along my pussy a few times, coating it with my wetness, then pushes into me. He starts slow, letting the walls of my pussy relax and adjust before he inserts another. His thumb finds my clit again as his fingers pump into me a little faster. I squeeze him for support and pray I don’t fall from the pleasure hitting me in waves.
When he curls his fingers inside me, a scream claws its way up my throat and bursts out my mouth. He uses his free hand to cover it, and I know it’s because we should try and keep this quiet, but it makes me want to defy him just to see what he does. When I do something Mac doesn’t like, it’s met with a punishment.
I bite the soft skin of his palm as I dig my nails into his back. His head falls back with a hiss, and the pace of his fingers quicken. After a moment, he moves his face back and pushes his forehead to mine. His eyes seem darker now and filled with something wicked. No, not wicked—lust.
“The pain does nothing but make me want to fuck you harder,” he finally says through clenched teeth.
The deepness of his voice makes me want to do it again, so I do. I let my teeth sink into his flesh as my hips grind into his hand, following the same tempo. I chase my orgasm as his fingers fuck me, and it’s almost too much. The feel. The pleasure. The forbidden.
“Come on, Bunny. Come all over my hand.”
His words send me over the edge. I explode around his fingers and into his palm. He gives me a minute to ride out my orgasm before he finally removes his hand. When he does, it looks the exact same as before, only with more wetness. His fingers glisten, and so does his palm, no doubt from the nirvana I felt.
He turns quickly and pushes the emergency button, and the elevator starts to move again. It doesn’t take long for the doors to open on the second floor and him to walk through them as I adjust my skirt. “It was a pleasure, Lydia,” he says, licking his hand and disappearing down the hall.
I shake my head at myself and scoff. How the fuck did I allow that to happen again. And more importantly, why am I already fantasizing about the next time—because I know there will be a next time.
I move out of the elevator and pull the cart behind me until I hit the storage closet. I arrange everything on the shelf, then place the cart by the wall. I take a minute to compose myself before walking out and heading to Mac’s office like the note on my schedule said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
MALCOLM
I lean against my desk and wait. As I’m about to glance at my watch, my office door creeps open, and she enters. She lets it click closed behind her, then flips the lock.
“You’re on time.”
“I saw your note on the schedule, and I guess you can say I learned my lesson.”
I smile. “Last time wasn’t caused by of your tardiness, Lydia.”
She scoffs with the fakest smile. “I assumed it was rolled into it. Figured I wouldn’t chance it this time.”
I bite my tongue because I can’t be mad at her logic, but if only she knew how much I enjoy withholding orgasms. It’s one of my favorite things, but I’ll spare her of it this time.
“What did you do on your day off yesterday?” I change the subject as I stand and walk toward her.
A blush inches up her neck and lands on her cheeks. “I went to a party with Carmen.”
I nod and step closer. Running my finger over her chest and to the peak of her cleavage, I speak again. “Did you fuck anyone there?”
She swallows hard. “No.”
“Are you lying? Because liars get punished, Lydia.” I snatch her phone from its place in her bra.
“I didn’t.”
I flick the first button of her button-down open. “If I find out that isn’t the truth, I’m going to be upset.”
Her breath hitches. “I have no reason to lie, Malcolm. If I fucked someone else, I wouldn’t hesitate to throw it in your face. Tell you how their dick was better than yours. How they made my body feel completely alive in ways you never could.”
The sincerity in her voice sparks the anger in me I’ve been trying to bury. Her tone says one thing, but her words say another. I don’t question it anymore though. I can’t. It’s not like I have proof of her doing anything, which is a fuckup on my part. When she came back, I stopped keeping tabs on her since we would be in the same house, but maybe I should start again for situations like this. I push the thoughts away and snag the phone from her pocket and slip it into my own.
“I have no choice but to believe you, Lydia. But mark my words, you’re mine until I say otherwise. You’re in debt with me.”
“Debt? There is no debt. You’re just blackmailing me because I refuse to lose another parent. I won’t put my mom through any more bullshit. And I’m not an object, Malcolm. I am a person.”
I ignore her statement and move behind her. I place my hands on her hips and walk her forward until we hit my desk. Slowly, I bend her over. “I couldn’t give a fuck less what you say at this point. I like it when you’re angry. It makes this more fun.”
I inch my hands up the back of her skirt and pull the zipper down. I let it fall to the floor, leav
ing her ass wrapped in her panties and on display for me. She steps out of her skirt then props herself up on her forearms.
I turn her around, letting her back lie across my desk, and force her legs around my hips. I nudge the bottom of her shirt up, ready to stake my claim on her entire body, but when I lean my head down to kiss her stomach, I stop. “What is this?” I ask, pointing to the small purple bruises on her hip.
They’re so small I would have missed them if I weren’t up close and personal with her skin.
She tugs her bottom lip into her mouth, then releases it. “I ran into my dresser getting ready the other day. The handle of the drawer got me.”
I stare down on her, waiting for the truth, but she doesn’t budge. I step back, making the hold her legs have on me fall. I pull her up, then turn, taking her position against my desk. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”
With one hand, I grip her hip, making sure my fingers line up with bruises, then use my other to strike her ass. A squeal escapes her, so I tighten my hold as a warning. Almost instantly, a red welt starts to appear in the shape of my hand, and it makes me smile.
“Who was it, Lydia?” She shakes her head vigorously but won’t answer. “Did he make you come?”
“I didn’t sleep with anyone.” Her voice is lower than before.
“Maybe you can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me.” I rip her delicate panties on one side. When they slide down the opposite leg, I set my cock free.
I pull her backward until her slit is teasing the tip of my cock. She may not want to admit it, but she gets off on this shit—me being an asshole to her. I can tell because already her pussy is wet. She wants me. I thrust my hips slightly. The tip of my cock slips inside of her, and I can feel myself get harder.
“How did he fuck you?” I ask, pulling her back onto me even more.
Her ass seats itself onto my thighs as her pussy swallows my length. “What do you want to hear, Mac? Lies of this imaginary fuck?”
“I just want an answer to my question.”