Closer (A Dark Romance, Book 1): The Closer Trilogy

by M. C. Vann

  “What? Why do you think I would do something like that?” he asked, his voice now turning earnest.

  As he shifted toward me again, I continued to move away until my back hit the headboard. “Because I know you. At least a part of you … the part that lately wants to hurt me,” I spoke. His jaw clenched as he swallowed, remaining silent to my accusation. “Just admit it and tell me the truth, you slept with Vivian, didn’t you?”

  “Vivian?”

  “Yes, her. I called you earlier, worried that you had gotten into some car accident or something and when she answered—”

  Henry snickered, cutting me off, and I grew even angrier. How could he laugh at this point?

  “This isn’t funny,” I told him sharply.

  “Ally, you’re misunderstanding me. Vivian and I didn’t sleep together.”

  “But she—”

  “Let me explain,” Henry interrupted. “There was a meet up after the gala with some friends and Vivian happened to be there too. Her phone died, so she asked to use mine. What exactly did she say to you?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I said, refusing to listen to his alibi. I knew who the real Henry was now, and I wasn’t going to fall for his game. He was definitely playing with me. “You don’t have to explain yourself because I don’t believe you, and I’ve had enough of your lies.”

  I shifted off the bed and before I could take a step, Henry’s hand stopped me. He spun me around so that our eyes locked immediately.

  “Ally, I’m going to say it again, I didn’t sleep with Vivian,” he responded, putting emphasis on each word. “You have to believe me, or else—”

  “Or else what?” I said flatly. “You were with other people for the whole night, leaving me alone. And now, you’re threatening me to believe you when the evidence is right in front of me? I just can’t. I don’t believe you.”

  “Let me prove it to you then,” he said seductively and softly. He pulled me back down to sit on the bed.

  “No. There’s no need for that,” I said, ignoring his request to prove his innocence to me. I attempted to get off the bed again before he could make a move, but his grip tightened around me.

  “You’re not going anywhere tonight, Alexandria,” Henry asserted as he forced me back onto the bed. “You’re going nowhere, not until I say so.”

  “Stop it! What do you think you’re doing?” I asked as panic surged in me. I backed away to the headboard, but Henry’s large hands caught my ankles and pulled me under him. I tried to kick my way out, but he had my feet locked under his knees as he climbed over of me. Soon his own weight pressed on top my body, caging me between him and the bed. His hands clasped onto my wrists and he swiftly placed them above my head, and before I could tell him to stop, he leaned downward and wrapped his lips intensely on mine. Paralyzed under his control, his lips descended upon my neck as I continued to struggle.

  I wasn’t going to give into him. I couldn’t. I didn’t want my first time to happen this way.

  But Henry was just too dominant.

  Too merciless.

  And too determined to win this war between us.

  As the seconds ticked by, I realized I was only fighting a battle against myself. Yes, I was repulsed by Henry, but I couldn’t deny that the movement of his wet lips was slowly seducing every inch of me. I was being pulled into him without even knowing it. The way our hips kept meeting. The way my hands stopped resisting.

  My struggling came to a halt, and I finally surrendered to his desire — willingly. I kissed him back, letting my emotions take control. I felt him retract for a slight moment, taking note of my unannounced submission. His large hands loosened their grip on me and set me free. As his eyes stared deeply into mine in the darkness, I thought about how much trouble I was getting myself into. I thought about kicking him in the nuts and pushing his body off me, but my hands found their way around his neck, signaling for him to kiss me.

  What was this man doing to me?

  “Henry...,” I whispered, just as his lips hovered over mine.

  “Hmm?””

  I shook my head nervously. “I … I haven’t …”

  “I know,” he answered tenderly and admiringly. “I already know.”

  How did he know?

  Before I could dwell on the unanswered question in my mind any further, he reached for one of my hands and rested it lightly against his cheek. He closed his eyes and placed a subtle kiss into my palm. I remained hushed, awed by his sudden gentle touch. He had been so rough with me these past few days. The sensation felt unfamiliar, but yet pleasant.

  “I want you,” he whispered breathlessly. The words fell from his lips so candidly, making it difficult to refuse what he wanted and what I wanted.

  Our heavy, quickening breaths were the only sounds audible in the room as his fingers grazed the side of my cheek. He glanced into my eyes with a glint of allure as he leaned in closer.

  And this time I let him in, wholeheartedly.

  I closed my eyes and lifted my jaw to receive the touch of his lips. My stomach tightened into a million knots and my heart drummed in my ears as his lips collided onto mine. This time, his kiss sent an exotic beating throughout my entire body.

  He gripped and flipped me over on top of him, my knees falling at his sides. Surprised and unsure of what I should do next, he straightened to sit up and continued to kiss me as his arms wound around my waist. His hand held onto my hip so that our bodies remained one while the other reached down to caress my bottom.

  My hands moved from his jawline to the top button of his shirt as I kissed him back passionately. To my own surprise, I was pretty speedy at unbuttoning his shirt and once it was entirely off, I took a moment to study his bare, firm chest. The pads of my fingertips dangerously brushed over his smooth and firm skin all the way to his abs. I marveled for a slight moment before his lips demanded mine again.

  His hands gently slipped underneath my silk nightgown and pulled it over me. He threw the gown onto the floor and then removed my bra, exposing my bare top. I stood there in a state of susceptibility as he eyed me up and down, drinking me all in. Soon his lips aimed at my neck and assaulted my skin with his wet tongue. His lips descending down my neckline, the sensation, unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

  Suddenly, Henry lifted my body into his and pushed me down onto the bed. My back collided onto the firm surface roughly just as my head barely touched the foot of the bed. With the weight of his body almost crushing, he came onto me harder this time. I felt his tongue upon my lips, invading deeper inside of me as it explored every inch of my mouth. He ground his hips against mine as our lips continued to lock, my body becoming defenseless by the second.

  After placing a kiss on my bottom lip, he traveled slowly down in a straight line from my chin to my breasts and further below. As his intoxicating lips neared my weakest point, his fingers slipped through the sides of my panties and graciously pulled them off me. The pounding in my chest intensified and my breaths increased heavily as I felt his tongue upon me, detonating every nerve in my body. My chest rose and fell quickly, paralleling the increasing force of his kisses. He finally stopped before I could succumb into my growing high, leaving me longing for more.

  He moved upward to place a swift and sweet peck on my lips before he moved onto his knees. I surveyed the dark, rigid lines outlined on his body as he unbuckled his belt and removed his dress pants and boxers, revealing his member.

  Not knowing what he was going to do with me now, he casually lifted my left leg onto his chest. I gushed in embarrassment as I anticipated his next move. I felt his lips pressed onto the sole of my foot and then slowly climbing up my leg, each kiss sending more tingly sensations throughout my body. His other hand slipped under my right knee, anchoring my thigh against his side while his lips finally found their way back to mine.

  “Ally,” I heard him call my name in between kisses. “I need you. Now.”

  The wor
ds were enough to send me over the edge. His wild eyes fixated on me and only me. Only I wanted to make him feel this way.

  One of his hands started to caress my hairline while the other descended downward.

  “This will hurt a bit,” he warned me with concern. “But it will be the most beautiful thing you will ever experience. I promise you.”

  I nodded the littlest of nods, trying to remain sane. As he gently and slowly pierced me, I felt a subtle, sharp pain cut through me. I winced in pain and he kissed me, attempting to distract the discomfort. He penetrated deeper into me with every stroke as his lips smashed onto my neck and soon my hips began to move on their own to be in rhythm with his. His hands found mine, lacing into my fingers as his intensifying thrusts fired endless waves of euphoria throughout every neuron in me. The overwhelming sensation felt like a gratifying volcanic erupting within me and whatever happened, I didn’t ever want the impact to stop.

  I wanted this man.

  No. I needed this man.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  I woke up suddenly aware that I wasn’t sleeping in my room, but it was definitely another room in Henry’s house. Blurry images of us from last night passed through my mind. I shook my head with an irrepressible smile on my face and attempted to get a grasp of the surreal situation. I rolled over on the bed, expecting to see Henry there, but it was empty. My heart dropped for a moment, thinking he had left me in the middle of the night. But when I saw him standing in front of the mirror fixing his tie, relief filled me.

  He was still here. He was back to his old self, right? I had to at least try to bring him back to me.

  I quickly reached over the bed for the white shirt he wore last night. The large shirt fits loosely on me and the long cut comfortably covered my thighs. As I approached his broad back, I slowly snaked my arms around his waist and leaned into him. The fresh smell of his cologne enough to dissolve any thoughts. The funny feeling from last night was still there in my stomach.

  “Good morning,” I said. “Thank you for last night.”

  I waited for his reply, but he didn’t say a word. I gently tightened my arms, desperately holding onto the hope that he would say something to me, something good. After he was done rearranging his tie, he placed his hands over mine. But instead of caressing them, he callously shook them off. My hands fell back to my sides as Henry turned around to face me. The cold, ruthless look that I greatly dreaded to see was already engraved on his face.

  He brushed a thumb across my cheek. “Should I accept it? Your gratitude?”

  Unsure of how to reply, I only searched his eyes for that glimmer of hope — that glimmer of the old Henry — but I quickly realized there was nothing. Nothing, but darkness in there. Nothing, but malice and spite.

  “I can’t believe you actually fell for that,” he continued, twisting the knife lodged in my chest.

  “Fell for what?” I dared to ask.

  Henry maliciously smirked with a sneer expression as he paced behind me. I felt him lean in my right ear with a wicked thought on the edge of his lips and whispered lowly, “You’re too easy.”

  “Easy?” I repeated, repulsed by his words. “So, last night—”

  “Meant nothing to me,” he interrupted bluntly. “Consider it as part of your obligation for the debt you owe me. But by your performance last night, I’m having a hard time putting a price on it.”

  I had spoken too soon. He wasn’t here. He was nowhere to be found.

  “You ... you seduced me to get me into bed? All the things you said to me last night … were just lies? How … How could you?”

  “Because I can,” he justified, walking to stand in front of me again. “And I did.”

  My knees trembled for a second, and I nearly fell. The pain in my chest magnified as I stared into his leering eyes. The lack of compassion in them — and in his heart — was incomparable to anyone else’s. How could I give in to my feelings so recklessly? How could I have been so foolish and blind to his scheming ways?

  He lifted a hand to wipe away an unanticipated tear that had fallen down my cheek, the gesture anything, but amiable. I quickly swatted his hand away, disgusted by his touch. I didn’t want him anywhere near me. He stole the most important thing to me — to a woman. He tricked me into thinking he actually wanted and needed me. He was heartless.

  I could hear the blood pounding in my ears as anger raged in me. My arm raised on its own to slap him, but before my hand could make contact with his cheek, his hand swiftly caught a hold of my wrist. I tried my other hand, but he easily saw through me.

  “Why are you playing with my heart like this, Henry?!” I cried at him as I struggled against his grip on me. “How could you do that to me?!”

  “Because you deserve it, each and every bit of it,” he replied. He dragged me back to the bed and pushed my body roughly onto the surface. The force he used almost caused me to lose my breath. “The pain she felt, you’re going to feel it ten times more. Just mark my words. You will, one way or another.”

  I watched Henry grab his phone off the dresser and stormed out of the room, leaving me grief-stricken.

  She? Who was Henry referring to?

  Recovering from the scene, I pushed myself up to sit straight, but even that was a struggle. Sobbing from a broken heart, my shaking hands clenched into fists around the bedsheets, the only piece of evidence from last night. The intimacy we shared burned to shreds. It meant nothing to him. The excruciating truth was hard to swallow. It trickled like poison through my veins, slaughtering every last ounce of happiness within me. Time became obsolete as I retreated back into the sheets.

  Henry would never return to me. Never.

  When it was time, I convinced myself to get up and take a shower. But the scorching hot water couldn’t purge me of Henry’s touch on my body. I washed every part where his lips had kissed, every inch where he had taken me to the utmost, as roughly as I could. Red traces appeared on my skin, but the memories didn’t fade.

  No matter how fiercely I tried to forget, it was impossible to erase everything from my memory. How could I forget? Only I’d bear the scars from last night. Only I’d be the one to suffer. Only I.

  The redness in my eyes wasn’t hard to see from all the crying I had done. No matter how much makeup I placed on, it did no good.

  But instead of suffocating in this house, I thought it would be good to go out and search for a job, something to distract me for the moment. Henry’s office was locked and even if it weren’t, he wouldn’t have allowed me to use his computer anyway. I drove myself to the nearest library to use one of the computers there and applied for a couple of jobs that interested me.

  With the qualifications that I possessed, I could only apply for part-time jobs and though that was more than I could ask for, I felt so ... incompetent. I thought back to Annette’s impolite words from last night at the gala and I hated myself for admitting it … but maybe she was right. I didn’t have a degree. I didn’t have much world experience. What use could I be to any employer?

  While driving around — I didn’t want to return to that house yet — I accidentally turned onto the street in which Henry’s hotel was. As I drove past it, I thought back to the last words he had muttered to me before he stormed out this morning.

  The pain she felt, you’re going to feel it ten times more.

  This woman he spoke of … I could still see the pure rage buried deep in his eyes as he uttered those words. Who was he talking about? What did she have anything to do with me?

  I wasn’t going to sit around and ask myself this question. I needed to know and I wasn’t going to leave until Henry gave me a direct answer.

  I rehearsed my speech in my mind at least twenty times before I actually mustered the courage to get out of my car. The last time I was here, the night of our wedding day, Henry completely turned into a different person.

  I hardly noticed a black vehicle pulling out of the driveway as I entered
the entrance to the lobby. I didn’t stop by the guest services since everyone knew me already. I rode the elevator to Henry’s office floor and as I stepped out of the elevator, the receptionist greeted me.

  “Is Henry free? I need to see him,” I said, trying to sound professional as if I carry some important matters to speak with my husband. But to me, it really was.

  “Mr. Pearce is not here, Mrs. Pearce. He just left for a business trip five minutes ago. You may have missed him on your way in. Did he not inform you?”

  “No,” I replied, bothered why Henry didn’t give me the notice. “He didn’t tell me anything. Where did he go?”

  “Toronto.”

  “Do you know how long he’ll be gone?”

  “Two weeks,” she responded promptly.

  Two weeks? Henry was going to be gone for two weeks? I didn’t know whether to be happy or irritated by the piece of information. Definitely happy, I tried convinced myself.

  I smiled. “Thank you.”

  But before I left, I had the sudden urge to be his office. The empty space was somewhat peaceful. My eyes darted to the spot where we shared our first kiss. Unknowingly, I found myself walking closer to the exact place where it happened.

  Sighing, I gazed out of the window. The view was beautiful, as always. But it felt dull and lifeless at this moment. Along the horizon, I could see airplanes taking off from and landing into O’Hare. I imagined Henry sitting on one of those planes, looking at his laptop or phone, as the answer to my question flew away with him.

  —————

  I called both Lily and Adam, but neither of them were in town. They were spending time with their families for the holidays which reminded me of my own.

  I finally struck up the courage to visit Eve and the kids. After all, it was Christmas Eve, and I needed to bring them the gifts I bought for them earlier this year. On the way to their house, Eve called me incontestably upset that I was already in town and hadn’t called her. Nancy had probably informed Eve about my return from the honeymoon … from hell.