I thought about the glamorous girls and their tantrums, the mysterious robes in the wardrobe and the way Trevor held me as we slept… the way he sucked on me until my legs gave way.
“Yeah, it was cool.”
She raised an eyebrow at me.
“Just cool, eh?”
I remained quiet.
“Anyway,” she changed the subject. “You’re not in this room anymore.”
“Really?”
“Yep… Management also decided that you needed a change of scenery. You’re getting an upgrade.”
“What?”
“This way,” she wagged her finger at me.
She led me down the hall, her hips swaying from side to side as she expertly strode in her skyscraper heels. I wondered how long a woman of her age had spent in heels. I reckoned inside those shoes her feet were like a bag of broken bones.
“You’re in here,” she pushed open a door to reveal a hidden staircase.
As we reached the top she tapped a number into a keypad and a securitized door swung open.
“The code is five-five-four-twenty-three.”
“Ok. Hang on, let me make a note of that. What was it again?”
But she was already halfway down the stairs, her heels clicking on the metal steps.
“Enjoy it, kid. I don’t know what you did last night but you must have done it well.”
I looked in the door and gasped. The office was huge with a luxurious mahogany desk and a leather chair so big I wasn’t sure I’d fit in it. As I stepped in I saw the envelope on the desk, golden brown and embossed with Wylde’s insignia. I tore it open. It smelled like Trevor’s cologne as the note tumbled out.
Good luck in your new office. Stay beautiful.
My heart skipped and my palms became sweaty. No matter how grown up I was I did something I hadn’t done since I was seven, I jumped up and down on the spot and squealed.
“Ah, my God!”
I sat at the desk and ran my fingers over the smooth wood.
“Beautiful…”
Then I thought of poor Cecil. He didn’t deserve that. He was a nice man, had cats to feed. I suddenly felt like a jerk. And what had I really done to deserve such a nice place? I’d let him go down on me… It seemed like I was getting the better end of that deal.
I leaned back and plunked my feet up on the desk. This was mine… and I felt like a boss. Then the phone rang and I almost jumped out my skin.
“Jesus!”
I stumbled off the seat and looked at the receiver as though it would bite if I touched it.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Did you like your present?”
“Yes! Thank you so much.”
“It’s no problem. You deserve somewhere comfortable,” Trevor said.
“I’m not quite sure what I did to deserve it, though?”
“You were perfect.”
“Perfect?”
“You wouldn’t understand. You’re too sweet to get it.”
“Oh…”
“Anyway, I have a meeting now but I just wanted to check you like it.”
“I love it!”
“Awesome.”
“But what am I supposed to be doing in here?” I asked.
“Whatever you want,” he replied. “The world is your oyster.”
And he hung up.
What the hell did that mean? I stared at the silent phone as though it would somehow give me an answer. Then it rang again.
“Erm… Hello?”
“Don’t touch the robes,” the female voice whispered.
Then the line went dead.
Chapter Twelve
The snow was falling heavily, settling across the city like wisps of cotton wool. I leaned my forehead against the window and watched as it tumbled past the glass. It made everything a blur like I was encapsulated in my office with only whiteness outside.
Don’t touch the robes.
The words wouldn’t leave me and neither would the caustic female voice that had so angrily whispered them. I felt faint, dizzy with panic at the thought of being watched.
The day had ticked by slowly as I tried to busy myself with the most mundane of tasks. I rearranged my furniture, filed things that didn’t need filed and made coffee for everyone down the hall, twice, for no other reason that I needed to be around people, needed to feel as though I was safe.
“Don’t touch the robes,” I whispered. “How did they see me?”
I looked up at the clock and saw it was almost five. A knock on my door sounded before I heard the code being tapped into the keypad.
“Hey,” Karen entered with a steaming mug. “I thought you could do with this. It’s green tea.”
“Thanks,” I took it from her and felt my fingertips burn.
“You’ve been looking stressed today.”
“Yeah,” I nodded but didn’t elaborate. “Just a lot on.”
She pursed her lips in thought like she was holding in a thousand unspeakable thoughts.
“Be careful,” she said at last before turning on her heel.
“What? Wait!”
I reached out and grabbed her by the arm.
“You’ve worked here for years haven’t you?”
She stopped and looked to the ground, brushed at the patch of her shirt where I’d held her.
“I’ve been at Wylde Enterprises since Trevor Senior was here,” she said as her chest swelled with pride. “He was a good man, a hardworking man of the people.”
I could tell he meant a lot to her.
“You were very fond of him, weren’t you?”
She nodded. For a moment it looked as though she was close to tears, but she turned away to hide her face.
“Yeah… I was.”
“Karen,” I sat in my chair and gestured for her to sit opposite me. “I can’t help but feel there’s something going on here.”
“Something going on?” she sneered.
I didn’t know how to explain it. Apart from a strange party and a weird phone call I had nothing else to go on.
“Have you ever been invited to a party at Windermere?”
She narrowed her eyes as though she wasn’t sure whether she should tell me or not. Then she let out a sigh as she relented.
“I used to go to them all the time before Trevor Junior was born. Those were wild times but they’re over for me now,” she waved a hand dismissively.
“But I get the impression they’re a really big deal like…”
“They’re more than just business meetings…” she interrupted me.
“I couldn’t shake the feeling the others didn’t want me there.”
Again, she narrowed her eyes.
“Well listen, kid. You tell me, you were there. Was it a big deal or not?”
“It didn’t seem that way. Not really.”
“Then there’s your answer,” she stood up and clutched at her clipboard. “Don’t add meaning where it doesn’t exist,” she winked, her false eyelashes waving goodbye to me.
“But wait!”
She stopped in her tracks and audibly huffed.
“Just one more question.”
She stood with her back toward me, one hand on the door ready to push it open.
“The ro-robes,” I stuttered. “Who wears them?”
She didn’t answer but her unsaid words were deafening. I could hear her breathing, the sound of her chest rattling with the remnants of a thousand cigarettes.
“Are they just for dress up? Or is it something more? I can tell they weren’t just Halloween costumes.”
Her hand was trembling, her false nails tapping on the door. She looked over her shoulder and shook her head.
“Don’t pry where you don’t belong.”
And she dashed out the room, her heels clattering on the stairs as she fled.
Chapter Thirteen
My feet were aching as I headed home. I slipped off my shoes as I stepped onto my floor and felt the soft carpet between my toes.
/>
“Aah.”
I padded to my apartment, the last one at the end of the long, windowless hallway. Soft, classical music played softly in the distance as one of my neighbors relaxed at the end of a long day.
But as I walked to my door, my hand outstretched with my keys dangling from the end of my fingers I realized it wasn’t the neighbors. The music was coming from my home. The door was unlocked, cracked open a few inches revealing enough light to show me someone was inside. I held my breath, held my face up to the gap in the door and saw him there, the tall silhouette in the lounge. There was something sharp in his hand, the harsh electric light glinting off the metal.
“Trevor?”
I walked in.
“Oh hello my darling.”
He spun round and popped the cork from the bottle he was holding, the corkscrew shining as it dripped red wine like blood falling from a slash.
“I-I-...What are you doing here? I mean, shit that sounded so rude but, what are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d surprise you.”
“You’ve succeeded.”
He smiled and poured a glass, handing it to me with a wide grin on his face.
“How did you like your new office?”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Well I hope it brings you many happy memories,” he said.
It sounded odd in my head, like hollow words that meant nothing.
“I’m sure it will.”
I took a sip of wine. It was almost as disgusting as the absinthe, tart and bitter, but I gulped it down anyway. He was standing in front of me, his elbow propping up his firm body against the breakfast bar as if it was a real one. I wanted to ask him about the robes, was desperate to tell him about the phone call that still made the hairs on the back of my arms rise but I couldn’t bring myself to speak. Instead, I just watched him and wondered why he was really in my apartment and whether he had keys to everyone’s homes. It was a chilling thought.
“I don’t think you’re really here just to drink wine.”
He smiled, the cleft in his chin widening as his lips spread.
“You’d be correct,” he said as he ran a hand through his hair. “Is it really so terrible that I just want to spend time with you. You’re gorgeous Tammy and just so… different to what I’m used to.”
“Different? You mean because I’m from a small town and I’m not some rich socialite that it somehow excites you? Like I’m some piece of rough you can have some forbidden pleasure with?”
He frowned.
“Jesus, you’re not used to being complimented, are you? I was going to say you’re different because you’re not stuck up like the others.”
“Ah.”
My cheeks burned.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re cute when you’re angry.”
He drained his glass and slammed it down. His eyes seemed wild as he looked at me, great blue depths of mystery that could drown a girl like me. As he stepped closer I let myself fall into his arms, became limp as he kissed me hard.
He scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the bed where he pushed me down into the mattress with his body weighing heavy on me.
“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” he grunted as he fiddled with his zipper. “Haven’t stopped imagining what my cock would feel like deep inside you. Tell me, how many men have been inside this pussy?”
He pulled my panties to the side, felt the slick wetness over his fingers as he pulled my lips apart.
“Tell me, Tammy. How many men have been inside you?”
I didn’t want to lie. He’d find out sooner or later.
“None,” I gasped as I felt the tip of his penis push against my opening. “I’ve never let anyone go all the way before.”
He stopped for a moment, his eyes widening.
“You’re not lying are you?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“Fuck,” he groaned.
It hurt as he entered me, stung as though I was being burned, then the pain subsided and I was filled with pleasure. It came over me in waves each time he entered me and I was frantic, desperate for me as I dug my nails into his back. My screams eclipsed the music that was still lilting in the kitchen. I thrashed and begged for more and he was deeper inside me, thrusting hard as our hips ground together.
“Oh God!”
His teeth were gritted together with his face burning a crimson red.
“I can’t- I can’t hold it.”
He struggled to speak as his thighs began to shake, his body convulsing in a quickening rhythm. His fingers were in my hair, holding my head against the pillow as his hot breath scorched my cheek. He dipped his head into my neck as he shuddered one last time, his buttocks clenching as he ejaculated inside me. Then his body slacked and he collapsed across me like an expended rubber band, soft and exhausted.
“Jesus, fucking Christ,” he breathed. “You’re… You’re gorgeous.”
He was still struggling to breathe as he kissed me, his lips trembling against mine.
“I-I can’t believe you’re a virgin,” he rolled over and stared up at the ceiling. “Were a virgin rather.”
I lay stunned. The stinging in between my legs returning as I came to terms with the fact that I had given away my last piece of innocence... And I’d do it a hundred times over. I lay my head on his chest and traced a finger down to his stomach. His skin was damp with sweat and salty to taste as I kissed him.
“Hey,” I whispered in his ear. “Do you think we can do it again?”
Chapter Fourteen
The bedroom was dark when I opened my eyes but a crack of light sent a shard of yellow across the hallway floor. I rolled over to feel for Trevor’s body but all I felt was a warm mattress. As I yawned and got my bearings I began to hear his voice, muffled and secretive from the lounge. The clock on the wall showed it was four am, what the hell was he doing up at this hour? A business call… That must be it. But as I tiptoed down the hall, his voice becoming louder and I realized it was personal.
“Ophelia, stop screaming, please. Quit crying, won’t you?” he whispered angrily. “If you don’t calm down I can’t help.”
Ophelia… I felt my hands clench into fists beside me. I took another step forward and felt a twinge between my legs, a snap of pain from where he’d entered me. Couldn’t I spend an entire night with him without that girl getting in the way?
I watched him through the gap in the door. His head was in his hands as he perched on the edge of the sofa. He was still naked with a long streaking shadow covering his body. His face was dimly lit by the moonlight as it glowed through the window. It accentuated his sharp features and that strong aquiline nose that belonged on a portrait of an ancient royal. It showed the way his nimble fingers were rubbing at his forehead and the way a large line was forming on his brow from where he was frowning, a single vein pulsing with anger in his temple.
“Stop being a bitch!” he spat and shook his head. “It’s impossible to deal with you when you’re like this.”
I could hear the muted voice of Ophelia from the phone, shrieking and livid. It sounded like an animal being tortured, like a heartbroken harpy as she begged for death.
“Look, sis,” he held the phone so hard his hand shook, “Have you spoken to Dad?”
Sis?
“Holy shit!” I mouthed silently before clutching a hand to my mouth.
Ophelia was his sister. Why didn’t he just say that? Why all the mystery? I trembled, naked as I leaned against the wall. Like a stranger in my own home, I watched him in his despair. Then he said the words that made a shiver run up my spine.
“Just because she saw the robes doesn’t mean she knows anything.”
I gasped and took a step back, a floorboard creaking as my weight landed on it. He looked up, his eyes meeting mine.
“Ophelia, I’m going to have to call you back.”
He hung up.
“Come here,” he ordered.
<
br /> I kept stepping back, further and further until I was back in the bedroom.
“Come here,” he repeated, his voice getting angrier. “I’ve been getting shit from women all day I don’t need it from you now!”
“What’s going on?” I shouted.
It was such a vague question for all the answers I wanted. I stumbled backward and landed on the bed. He was quickly on me, kneeling on either side of me and holding my wrists.
“Calm down,” he said. “It’s not what you think it is.”
“What is it then?” I struggled against his grasp. “Why didn’t you tell me she’s your sister?”
“Why would I? The last time I checked I wasn’t obligated to tell you anything.”
He let go of me, let my arms flop to my side as he climbed off me.
“I don’t normally tell every girl I meet my life story. Maybe you’d like a copy of my family tree or a birth certificate perhaps?”
“Ok, there’s no reason to be like that,” I grumbled as I rubbed at my wrists. “I just thought it was odd that was all.”
For a long, tense moment we sat in silence, our backs to one another with nothing but the cold, dark air around us. I fiddled with a strand of hair and tucked it behind my ear. A shock of goose bumps ran up my arm and I shivered. I crawled back under the covers and pulled them up over my head like a child in a makeshift fort. Somehow it seemed easier to talk to him this way.
“What’s wrong with her anyway?” I asked from the confines of my blanket.
“She’s having some problems right now.”
“Problems?”
“Look, it’s too complicated to explain now but yeah… She’s having a tough time.”
“Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?”
“No… Well, she did but now she doesn’t and-“
“What about that other girl?”
“Marnie? Forget about her.”
“Do none of the girls you know have normal names like Sarah or Sandra or something?”
He laughed. I felt a draft over my feet as he lifted the covers, then fingers digging deep into my ribs. I squealed and rolled over as he dived beneath my blanket, tickling me and covering me in his great weight.
“Come here!”
Too Curious Complete Series (Books 1-5) Box Set Romance Series: (An Alpha Billionaire Romance Series) Page 5