by Claire Adams
"I think maybe we should leave these two alone, shall we, sweetheart?" Vick said to Gwyneth. She took his hand with a smile.
"Yes, darling. It was nice to meet you both. I hope you're as happy as Vick and I are." Gwyneth sounded sincere. So, she wasn't after Ethan. She was already dating Vick. My jealousy seemed even more outrageous now, and I was embarrassed by own bad behavior.
"I'm sorry for that," I said in a soft voice as our lips finally parted.
"For what?" Ethan asked, tipping my chin up with his strong hand to keep me from staring down at my feet in humiliation.
"For being jealous of you and your former college girlfriend and for telling her that we were a couple."
"It's okay. I did invite you here as my date, so let's just concentrate on making tonight one to remember."
"I like the sound of that."
"Good, now, what do you say we hit the dance floor?" He didn't even wait for my answer. He simply swept me out onto the dance floor with a graceful spin, and suddenly, we were dancing the night away. He was surprisingly good, and I wondered if he had taken private lessons or if it was just another of his many natural talents.
"Are you having fun?" Ethan asked me as he dipped me low and leaned in close as if to kiss me.
"I am, but it's getting hot in here," I said, feeling my cheeks flush. I couldn't tell if it the crowd making the room stuffy or if it being held like this in Ethan's arms, but I was suddenly feeling faint.
"Want to go out for a ride?" His eyes sparkled mischievously. "The fresh air will cool you off and do us both some good. I hate these crowded events and all this P.R. crap. I'd rather just be out riding with you."
"Did you bring a bike?" I asked, thinking the idea sounded wonderful.
"No, but we can use that one." I followed Ethan's gaze to the All American on display on the low stage at the front of the room.
"We can't use the display model," I gasped.
"Of course, we can. I know the owner. Come with me. I have an idea." He grabbed my hand and started dragging me towards the stage.
The band fell silent and the lead singer handed over his microphone to the infamous CEO and owner of the company. I felt suddenly nervous as a spotlight was turned on to shine right on the two of us.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you all for coming here tonight for the launch of my newest motorcycle design, the All American," Ethan said and the crowd listened with rapt attention.
Ethan gave an eloquent speech, thanking all the men and woman who had worked their asses off for him and expressing his appreciation to the public for their support in buying his bikes. It was filled with the right blend of humor and sincere gratitude.
Then, suddenly, he turned to me and said, "Finally, I would like to introduce you all to this month's cover-girl for Speed Magazine, Miss Kayla Brandt. This hard-working beauty went through a lot to make the photo spread for the All American look as effortless as it appears in the pages of this month's issue. She is patient, always ready for another take, and as beautiful inside as she is to look at. Thank you, Kayla. I know that I can attribute most of the sales orders that came in today to you and the fantastic job you did showing off our bike."
"The pleasure was mine," I blushed, hoping I didn't look or sound as nervous as I felt to put on the spot like that.
"You made it look like pleasure. Was the All American as fun to ride as you made it look in the photoshoot?" It was typical P.R. banter and Ethan did it well.
"It really was. I just wish I could do it again," I bantered back. I knew how to play this game from endless advertising gigs I'd done.
"Well, then, let's do it. Come on, hop on." He suddenly climbed onto the seat of the motorcycle standing on display on the stage. The crowd gasped with thrilled excitement, and I had no choice but to play along. My mermaid-style dress was too tight to allow me to join him. Wincing all the while, I grabbed the bottom seem and yanked with all my might, ripping a giant slit up the custom made garment and destroying it. The crowd hooped and hollered, cheering even more loudly. They were loving it.
I hopped on the back of the bike behind Ethan, wrapped my arms around his chest, and he rode down the ramp, through the ballroom, out into the hotel lobby, and onto the street. People all around us were gasping with surprise, and then cheering. It was an incredible feeling.
"Now, let's get away from this bullshit and have some real fun," Ethan said once we were on the streets.
He pressed on the throttle and the bike jumped up to speed, racing through the city. The wind pulled my hair free of its careful styling to flow behind me like a thick ribbon, and I luxuriated in the feel of it. I closed my eyes and squeezed my arms around his well-muscled chest as he raced through deep curves, onto quiet country-side highways, and up into the hills. The view of the city stretched out below was beautiful with all the lights sparkling, and the California air was quiet and warm, with just a slight breeze blowing.
It was a strange disappointment when the ride was over and Ethan pulled the bike to a stop back in front of the hotel.
"Thanks for the ride." I smiled at Ethan as the valet took the bike and handed him his ticket. "It was a lot of fun, and just what I needed."
"So why do you look so miserable?" Ethan's gaze was perceptive and saw right through the facade of my model's smile.
"I guess I'm not looking forward to going back to the crowded ballroom after this. It was really nice when it was just the two of us."
"Well, just because we're here doesn't mean we have return to the party. I have a suite reserved in the penthouse. What do you say we continue this date there, instead?"
There was no mistaking what he meant. Suddenly, our one-night stand was going to turn into a second night of lovemaking. Was I ready for this? Just thinking about the way his hard abs had felt when I was gripping them on the back of his bike, or the way it had felt to have him holding me when we were one the dance floor, I knew that I was. When he had kissed me earlier, the passion of it had awakened a hunger to feel him inside again, and when I had introduced myself as his girlfriend and he had affirmed it, it had made my body quiver with excitement. Yes, I was ready for this; I just didn't know what I was getting myself into or how deep it would go.
Chapter Eighteen: Ethan
I had booked my usual suite at the hotel. I had brought many women up to the penthouse before, but bringing Kayla up there somehow felt different. She wasn't like the other mindless pieces of eye candy I have been with before. I felt a connection with her. She was someone I could talk to, and I loved listening to the sound of her voice.
When she told Gwyneth that she was my girlfriend, I should have objected immediately. A few of the other models I'd dated in the past had tried something similar and I had put the gold-digging bitches in their place immediately, threatening to kick them out of the party if they stepped out of bounds again. But when Kayla did it, the strangest thing happened: I felt my heart swell with the kind of happy excitement I hadn't felt in years. Ironically, she was saying it to the only other woman who had ever made me want to be in a relationship.
With Gwyneth, our romance had ended badly and I thought I had learned from that mistake. With Kayla, however, I was willing to take the risk and open my heart again. The feelings I thought I had closed myself off to were alive and thriving in my heart whenever I looked at her.
I was certain it was a terrible mistake bringing her up to my hotel suite, she would eventually hurt me and I would regret this decision for a long time. When I looked at her, though, and saw her sexy thigh through the slit she had created, all I wanted to do was take her upstairs and fuck her until we both couldn't breathe.
She was adorably nervous on the elevator ride up, trying not to fidget as she stared at the ornate wallpaper inside the elevator. I could tell she had never been inside a hotel as nice as this one, and I was enjoying seeing the wonder in her eyes as I opened the door to the suite to let her in with a grand sweep of my arm.
"Welcome to my s
econd home," I said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.
"You stay here a lot?" Kayla's blue eyes were large.
"I book this room whenever we hold an event in the hotel. I'm always so damn tired afterwards, it's nice not to have to take the long car ride home," I explained, leaving out the part about it also being an easy way to get laid with whatever date I had brought.
"This room is amazing, and so was tonight. Thanks for bringing me," Kayla said as she sat on the edge of the king-sized bed in the center of the room. Her spine was stiff as a board, and although she was trying to play it cool, she was trembling slightly.
I remembered what it was like to be young and poor, just rising up the ranks in this city. Being brought to a lavish suite like this by a CEO was intimidating as hell. I didn't want Kayla to feel so ill at ease, so instead of sitting next to her on the bed, I strolled across to the bar on the far side of the room. I picked out the bottle of Bacardi 551 and poured us each a tall glass.
"I think tonight was a successful debut, not just for the All American, but for you too." I complimented as carried her drink to her and handed it to her with a flourish.
"Do you really think so?" She was so naively innocent and sweet, it was irresistible.
"I do," I said honestly. "The buzz around the party was as much about your cover shoot as it was about my bike. I heard a lot of guests asking who you were, if you had an agent, and wondering if you would be available. I expect your phone to be ringing off the hook Monday morning."
"God, I hope so. That would be amazing." Kayla's face lit up and her body relaxed. "I've been working so hard for the past three years with nothing to show for it. I can't tell you how close I came to just giving up."
"Well, I'm glad you didn't." I held my glass up and clinked it against hers. "To the launch of your career."
She took a large swallow and winced at the strength of it, but then finished it off with a hearty gulp. She was smiling victoriously when she handed the empty glass back to me.
"I want to thank you for believing in me," she said, and I could hear the emotion in her voice.
"Don't thank me; it was easy." I sat on the bed next to her and caressed her shoulder. "I admire you a lot for having the courage to go for your dreams. Making it as a model in this city is tough, but through it all, you haven't let yourself grow jaded or let them turn you into something you're not. That shows class and integrity."
"A lot of people have told me it was my integrity that was holding me back from really making it in this business."
"Well then, how come you're the new cover girl for Speed Motorcycles and sharing a drink with the owner of the company?" I asked pointedly, and she broke out in a wide smile.
"Honestly, I don't know." She blushed.
"I know." My voice was hoarse with passion. "You're an incredible woman, Kayla: smart, beautiful, sexy as hell. I can't tell you how much I want you, but I don't want you to feel pressured about it, like you're obligated to sleep with me just because I hired you to pose for the magazine. I only want you if you want me just as much."
"I do," she said in a husky voice. It was all the permission I needed.
I grabbed her and pulled her to me, crushing her soft, delicate lips with my own. Her mouth opened for me and our tongues intertwined as I tried to devour her. She tasted so sweet, and her body was so soft as her round breasts crushed against my hard chest. My erection was straining painfully in the confines of my slacks. I wanted to just rip off all our clothes and take her right then and there, but that just wouldn't do.
A moment like this needed to be savored. It needed to be drawn out, to maximize every moment, to make the pleasure last and last. I wanted to make Kayla's body feel things she had never experienced before. When she woke up in the morning, it would have been enough to make her stay this time, and I knew just how to do it.
Even though it pained me to do so, I released her from my embrace and drew back.
"What's wrong?" She looked worried.
"Nothing's wrong." I grinned at her with a sexy leer. "Go down to the ice machine and bring up a bucket of ice. I'm going to get things ready for when you return."
"What's to get ready?"
"You'll see. Now, be an obedient little girl and do as you've been told." I winked at her, and she smiled back.
"Yes, sir," she said, and then she was gone.
My palms were actually sweating as I closed the door behind her. I knew I only had a few minutes, and I needed to make them count. Indeed, I needed to make tonight count, and that's exactly what I intended to do.
Chapter Nineteen: Kayla
My heart was pounding with anticipation as I made my way to the ice machine. What wonderful delights did Ethan have in store for me? I remembered how it had felt when he hit my ass with a flogger the night I stayed over at his Beverly Hills mansion. It had been the most incredible experience of my life. I hadn't known that sex could feel so incredible amazing until that night.
I found the ornate, silver buckets stacked up by the ice machine and begin to fill one. I heard someone approaching me from behind and a familiar voice said, "Kayla, I didn't realize you were back at the hotel."
I turned to face none other than Gwyneth. She had an ice bucket of her own in her hands, and we both smiled awkwardly at each other as she began to fill it.
"Yeah, Ethan and I got back a little bit ago, but didn't feel like going back to the noise of the party, so he invited me upstairs for a quiet drink." I felt obligated to explain, even though it was obvious that she knew the truth about what was really about to happen up there.
"I'm happy for you two," she said. I was touched by her sincerity. I felt bad for being jealous of her earlier and wondered if we'd be able to become friends. She seemed to feel the same way as she asked me, "Tell me, is he really doing okay?"
"Yeah, he's doing great."
"Good," she looked visibly relieved. "Those years when he was struggling with his addiction were so awful; I couldn't bear to watch it. He's really doing okay now? No relapses?"
"What addiction?" I asked, feeling taken aback; but Gwyneth mistook my response as being sarcasm and laughed lightly.
"Good, I was worried that a stressful time like the launch of a big new design would set him back. And then, of course, running into people he used to know like he did tonight always carries a risk, too."
"No, I'm serious. What addiction?" I asked more insistently.
Gwyneth looked surprised. "I thought as his girlfriend, surely you would know about it."
"Tell me." I was practically pleading now.
"I don't think it's my place to say anything." She took a step back, widening the distance between us. The bond we had shared just a moment ago already blocked by a brick wall of secrecy.
She looked at me sadly. "Ethan and I had an unspoken pact never to talk about it for his sake. If he wants you to know, he'll tell you himself."
"Just tell me, is it something dangerous? I want to help him if I can." I was pleading and it was pathetic, but what else could I do? The ploy didn't work. Gwyneth just took her shook her head and walked away, carrying her ice with her.
"He'll tell you when he's ready," was all she would say, then she entered the elevator and she was gone.
Feeling frustrated, I returned to Ethan's suite as slowly as I could, wondering if I was getting in over my head by being his girlfriend.
Already tonight I'd heard so many rumors of secrecy surrounding him, and now this question of addiction. Was Ethan a time bomb capable of blowing up in my face at any minute? Was I getting myself involved in someone who was already in too much trouble to fix? Or was Gwyneth just trying to scare me away so she could have her back for herself? I'd been in Los Angeles long enough to know you couldn't trust every rumor you heard. The only way to learn the truth was to talk to the source: Ethan.
I opened the door, determined to talk to him about it, when instantly everything went dark. It was Ethan. He'd been waiting by the door with a blindfold
in his hands, and the moment I crossed the threshold, he tied it over my eyes.
"What's going on?" I cried out, startled. "I can't see a thing."
"Good," I heard his strong voice say sternly. "You've been a naughty girl tonight, telling everyone you're my girlfriend, ripping your expensive dress, and then sneaking out of the party to go joy riding on a motorcycle. I think you need to be taught a lesson, and I'm the one who's going to do it."
Thrills of excitement coursed through my body at his words. I couldn't wait. I allowed him to guide me across the vast room to the bed, where he helped me lay down upon it. The silk comforter felt luxurious beneath me as I stretched out upon it and waited for whatever was going to happen next.
"What's going on?" I stared into the blackness of my blindfold. I could hear him shuffling around me, but I couldn't figure out what he was doing.
"Silence, naughty girl, or I will have to gag you," he said. "Now give me your hands."
I held out my hands in front of me and felt him tie something tightly around them. I guessed correctly that it was the tie from his tuxedo. Next, he yanked my arms up over my head by my bonds, and I felt him securing them to the headboard of the ornate, brass bed I was laying on.
"Are you comfortable?" he asked, sounding concerned. "Is it loose enough to not cut off your circulation?"
I wiggled my arms within the confines of my bonds and answered honestly, "I'm comfortable."
"Good," Ethan said. "If you become uncomfortable, simply say the words ‘yellow light,’ and I'll know I need to slow down or change things. If you want to stop playing all together, say ‘red light’ and I will stop what I'm doing and release you at once. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Are you ready to continue?"
"Yes," I said nervously, but it was a happy excitement and I wasn't scared.
"Look how you've ruined the designer gown I bought for you," Ethan chastised. I felt him grip the dress buy the slit I had created and yank on it, tearing the thin fabric the rest of the way, all the way to the top of the bodice.