Next to Never: Shattered Innocence Trilogy

by Long, A. L.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Rade had already left by the time Dylan woke. She was so exhausted from last night that she didn’t hear him leave. Turning over to grab his pillow so she could take in his scent, a note lay on top.

  Sweetness,

  When you are up and about, have Peter take you to my office. I would like to have lunch with you.

  P.S. Don’t put on any underwear when you dress.

  R

  Getting up from the bed with excitement, Dylan took a quick shower and got herself ready. She put on a floral flared skirt, coming just above the knee, a light knit sweater, and her favorite jean jacket. She wanted to make sure she didn’t wear anything too short considering that Rade gave instructions she go with no underwear. The last thing she wanted was to expose her bare bottom.

  It was a quarter to twelve when she finally finished getting herself ready. Peter was already waiting for her by the entrance door to the penthouse. Because it was unseasonably warm for the month of March, Dylan opted not to grab her coat. As Dylan was leaving, she decided to send Rade a quick text. Leaving the penthouse, should be there shortly. Dylan wasn’t sure where Rade’s office was since she had never been there, but she guessed it wasn’t too far away.

  When Peter and Dylan got to the garage, Dylan noticed that the Bentley wasn’t parked in its usual spot. Instead, there was a black Mercedes sedan. How many cars does this man own? Reaching the car, Peter opened the back passenger door for Dylan then rounded the back of the car and got in. Once Peter was in, his cell phone rang. Dylan wasn’t one to eavesdrop on conversations, but this conversation had piqued her curiosity.

  “Hewitt. No, we’re on our way to Matheson’s office. Are you out of your fucking mind? I can’t do that.”

  There was a small pause. Dylan assumed it was the caller’s turn to talk.

  After a few minutes Peter continued. “Let me handle it. Don’t do anything until I get there.”

  Peter hung up and threw his cell phone on the seat. Dylan could tell Peter was agitated by the conversation.

  “Is everything okay?” Dylan asked. She could see Peter looking back at her in the rearview mirror.

  “Just peachy,” Peter said to Dylan as he gave her a fake smile. Dylan knew something was up with him, but felt it wasn’t her place to push.

  Peter was driving downtown Manhattan when he pulled into a parking garage just off Park Avenue. The building must have been at least forty stories high. It had tinted mirror windows with the upper floors having angled windows until they peaked at the top. The building itself was beautiful. Peter kept driving through the parking garage until he came to the spot where Rade’s Aston Martin was parked. Peter parked the Mercedes next to the Martin and turned off the engine. Exiting the car, Peter opened the back door and helped Dylan out. Just like with the penthouse and her apartment, a key card was required to enter to the elevators. Pulling a card from his pocket, Peter swiped the card and soon the elevator doors opened. There was no one inside. As Peter and Dylan entered the elevator, Peter pushed the thirty-fifth floor on the panel and the elevator began to rise. It took no time at all for the elevator to stop.

  Peter escorted Dylan off the elevator. As the doors closed behind her, Dylan could see Peter was no longer next to her. Dylan presumed Peter had other business to take care of and since she was safe in Rade’s office building, his presence was no longer required. Taking in her surroundings, Dylan noticed the décor was similar to that of the Northgate office. Go figure. The only difference was the lack of a reception area. Walking over to the only desk in the room, Dylan saw an older woman sitting behind the desk.

  “Excuse me, I’m here to see Rade Matheson,” Dylan said as she made herself known.

  Looking at the older woman, Dylan saw she was very approachable. She reminded Dylan of her grandmother with her light blue eyes and rounded face.

  Taking a moment, the older woman greeted her. “Oh, yes. You must be Dylan Adams. Mr. Matheson is expecting you.”

  Dylan smiled back at the older woman. “Yes, I am.”

  The older woman rose from her chair. “Where are my manners? I’m Gwendolyn Parker, Mr. Matheson’s secretary, but you can call me Gwen.” Gwen held out her hand to Dylan as she stood to her feet. Shaking her hand, Dylan could feel the warmth that resonated from her touch. She knew at that moment that Gwen was a compassionate person. “I’ll let Mr. Matheson know you’re here.” Dylan just smiled at Gwen as she left her desk and headed down a short hallway.

  A few moments later, Gwen appeared and let Dylan know she could see Rade. “Mr. Matheson is delighted that you’re here. You can see him just through the doors at the end of the hall.”

  Turning her head slightly to her right, Dylan looked back at Gwen. “It was nice meeting you.”

  Gwen smiled back at Dylan. “It was nice meeting you as well.”

  Dylan faced forward and walked to the door at the end of the short hallway. Lightly knocking on the door, she heard Rade’s voice. “Come in.” Dylan slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. With the door open, she could see inside Rade’s office. It wasn’t what she imagined. His office was very impressive. Even the furniture screamed wealth. All the furnishings were polished dark wood and leather. The desk, which was centered close to the floor to ceiling windows, was enormous. If it hadn’t been for the huge windows, the office would be dark and gloomy, but with the sun shining through, the room was very inviting.

  Rade was sitting behind his desk when Dylan entered. When she heard him talking, she took a seat on one of the chairs in front of his enormous desk. Looking around, Dylan saw the room had bookshelves packed with various books. There was also another door behind the leather sofa, which Dylan assumed was the restroom. His office was three times the size of hers at Northgate. She could never understand the purpose of having such a large office, unless it was to show power, which Rade certainly had. He looked so in control sitting behind his desk. She could tell by the tone in his voice, when he spoke, people listened.

  Ending his call, Rade slid his chair away from his desk and walked to where Dylan was sitting. Standing in front of her, he held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. Realizing what he wanted, Dylan took his hand and rose to her feet. Gazing into her eyes, Rade lowered his head and placed his mouth over hers. Tenderly grazing her lips with his tongue, he coerced her lips apart and began exploring her warmth. He deepened their kiss as she playfully began to entwine her tongue with his. With both hands, he clutched her thighs, lifting her body. Dylan automatically wrapped her legs around his waist. Moving his hands to embrace the cheeks of her ass, he could feel that the skin underneath was bare. Smiling as he pulled his lips from hers, he said, “Good girl.” Kissing the dip in her neck, his need for her grew. He needed to be inside her.

  Spinning their bodies, he set Dylan carefully on his desk. “I’m going to take you now, Sweetness.”

  Before Dylan could speak, his lips were on hers, kissing her with such determination that she could feel her juices trickle down her legs.

  Powerless against his own desires, Rade pulled off her jacket and had her sweater over her head in one swift movement. Her bra was off in the next. The sight of her pale mounds ignited his urgency to taste her. He lowered his head and clasped his anxious lips on her pert nipple. He lavished her softness as she arched her back, giving him full access. He loved the way her body responded to his touch. Overcome by his desire and need to consume every inch of her intoxicating body, Rade lowered his hand down her firm belly until he came in contact with her soaked folds. “God, Dylan, you’re so wet.” Slipping his finger inside her heat, she felt wanton as he slipped in another, pushing her closer to the edge.

  Even though Dylan knew at any moment anyone could walk in on them, she didn’t care. Her thoughts were only on the pleasure that was taking over her senses. Her body was his to take. His to command. With a sudden withdrawal, her spiral into a free fall ended. Dylan’s eyes shot open as she watched Rade moving away fro
m her. Leaving her side, he walked to the door, turning the lock. “We can’t afford any interruptions,” Rade claimed as he walked back to where he left her.

  Smiling back at him, Dylan was enjoying the view as he strutted back to her. The closer he got, the faster her heart beat. Stepping between her legs, Rade could no longer deny her what she lusted for. Unclasping his pants, he freed his engorged length and took her into his arms. Seizing the underside of her tight ass, he slowly penetrated her intoxicating channel, blanketing his shaft with her sweet honey. Soft moans of her pleasure fueled Rade’s fire as he thrust deeper inside her. Rade focused on the moans of delight from Dylan. The more he pushed into her, the louder her moans became and the harder he got.

  With her breathing getting quicker, Rade held back his own freedom. Pulling away, he lifted Dylan from his desk and placed her on her feet. In one quick motion, he turned her and bent her over his desk so her butt was on display for him. With no warning, Rade slipped his cock inside her slick opening and drove mercilessly in and out of her.

  Using her own juices as a lubricant, Rade placed his index finger just to the outside of her puckered entrance and slowly glided his finger in and out of her. Dylan felt the pressure the invasion was causing. She needed more of him as she pushed harder against him. “Careful, Dylan, I don’t want to hurt you,” Rade grunted as he was edging towards his own release. With his finger fully embedded in her anus, Dylan exploded with sheer emotion. She knew no matter what, she would never be able to get enough of him. On the edge of his own climax, Rade pulled his finger from her puckered entrance as Dylan screamed his name. Unleashing his own pressure, Dylan surrendered to yet another mind-blowing orgasm.

  After a few minutes to recover, Rade pulled out of Dylan and walked to the door just behind the sofa. A few moments later, Rade appeared with a warm washcloth, which he gently cleaned Dylan with. Satisfied that Dylan was thoroughly cleaned, he walked back to the bathroom and deposited the washcloth into a laundry basket underneath the sink.

  Dylan was getting dressed when Rade appeared. As he grabbed his own clothing, Dylan slipped into the bathroom to check her makeup. Rade finished a few things for his late afternoon meeting, then walked to the bathroom to check on Dylan’s progress. Stepping behind her, he delicately moved her hair from her neck and whispered in her ear. “You look lovely, Sweetness. Are you ready for lunch?” Tilting her head to the side so he would have better access, Dylan pressed her butt against him. Rade gently kissed her neck. When she looked up at him with her lustful eyes, Rade said, “If you keep that up, Sweetness, neither one of us will be getting lunch.” Smirking, Dylan picked up her purse from the counter. “We better go then.”

  Before Rade and Dylan left his office, Rade let Gwen know he was heading out and he wouldn’t be available unless it was absolutely necessary. Gwen gave Rade a friendly smile.

  “Where would you like to go for lunch?” Rade inquired as they entered the elevator.

  Dylan didn’t know any good places to eat lunch except the small café she normally went to. Looking up at Rade, she said, “You pick it.”

  When the elevator doors opened to the parking garage, Dylan spotted Rade’s Aston Martin. Rade walked to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for her. Once she was securely inside, Rade got in and turned on the car. Dylan wondered where Richard was. It seemed wherever they went, Richard always drove.

  *****

  Rade pulled into the parking lot of a small restaurant. When they walked up to it, a man was arranging chairs around tables in a closed off area just outside the restaurant. Dylan was thinking how nice it would be to eat their lunch outside since the weather was so beautiful for this time of year. Agreeing with Dylan, Rade told the hostess they would like to sit at a table outside. The hostess led them to a corner table just outside the restaurant doors. It was perfect. Not only because it gave a view of the city, but also because it was far enough away from the pedestrians walking on the sidewalk, they could still hear each other talk.

  When their food arrived, Dylan noticed Rade looking at her. Looking directly at him with inquisitive eyes, she said, “What?” Thinking that maybe she had something on her face, Dylan started wiping her napkin across her lips. “Do I have something on my face?” she asked as she continued wiping her mouth.

  Rade began smiling. “No, Sweetness, you don’t. I just love looking at you.”

  Dylan continued eating her Caesar salad. There was something about the way she felt whenever she caught Rade looking at her. She wondered if he got the same feeling whenever she looked at him that way.

  Pushing her plate aside, Dylan looked up at Rade. “Thank you, that was wonderful. I wish you didn’t have to go back to work. It’s so quiet at the penthouse when you’re not there.”

  Finishing his own lunch, Rade patted his lips with his napkin. “Tell you what, Sweetness, give me a couple of hours and you can have me for the rest of the day.”

  Clapping her hands together, unable to contain her excitement, she cheerfully asked, “Can we take a drive to the beach when you get done?”

  Seeing the happiness on her face, he was unable to deprive her of her wish. “I think that could be arranged.”

  Rade dropped Dylan back off at the penthouse. Peter was waiting for her by the garage elevator, ready to escort her back up. Seeing the change in Dylan’s mood, Rade lifted her chin as he looked at her. “It will only be a couple of hours Dylan. I’m sure you can find something to do in the meantime.” Sliding his thumb across her lips, Rade bent down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. Leaving Dylan with Peter, he walked back to his car and drove out of the garage.

  *****

  Dylan wasn’t sure what she was going to do with herself for a couple of hours. At first she thought about going to the library to find a good book to read. Then she had a better idea. She decided to see if she could find any more information on the Wu family. When Rade found her at the park, she didn’t have much time to search the name. She only found that the Wu family had been accused of being affiliated with organized crime. They were only rumors. There wasn’t any real evidence connecting them to illegal activities. Dylan placed her laptop on the small desk in the library. Sitting there, she giggled to herself. “This desk will never be the same.” Never in a million years did she see herself as the woman she was becoming, doing things she knew she only wanted to do with Rade.

  Booting up her laptop, Dylan began searching for the Wu family in the search engine. Seeing the same information was coming up as before, she decided to narrow her search to David Wu. This was the name the jeweler gave her when she was trying to find where the charms came from. When the search wheel finished spinning, more links appeared. As she clicked on the links, she learned that David Wu was the only son of Chen Wu. As she searched more, she found that David Wu was a citizen of the United States, born in Chicago, and went to college at Stanford. His mother was American, but never married Chen Wu. She passed away in some sort of tragic car accident. When Dylan pulled up the event of the car accident, it showed a picture of a mangled car. The article stated that she lost control of her car and it went over an embankment before rolling numerous times. She was killed instantly when her body was ejected. There was a significant amount of cocaine found in her system.

  Dylan thought, “What a horrible way to lose your life.” Clicking on another link, it brought up a picture of the woman with a young boy. Dylan assumed it was David Wu standing next to her. The boy didn’t look Chinese, though. He looked more like his mom. Dylan thought the woman was very attractive. It also revealed her name as Meredith Chandler, and that she was thirty-four when she died. Dylan still couldn’t understand why the Wu Family would be interested in her. David Wu’s mother died when he was five, which would make him about twenty-six now. Even though he was a couple of years older than Dylan, she still didn’t know who he was. This was driving her crazy. The more she thought about it, her only option was to find David Wu and find the answers herself.


  Until Dylan looked at the clock, she didn’t realize the time slipped by. Shutting down her computer, she headed down the stairs back to her room. Not sure what the weather would be like at the beach, Dylan decided to dress a little warmer. The air was always cooler off of the ocean. Slipping off her skirt, she pulled on a pair of underwear and her most comfortable pair of jeans. Even though Rade wanted her without underwear earlier, surely he wouldn’t require her to go without them now. Taking a chance, she chose to leave the underwear on. As she finished with her final touches, she could hear voices coming from outside her bedroom. It sounded like Rade. He was yelling at whomever he was talking to.

  “I don’t care what reasons you had. Do you realize what kind of danger you could have put her in?”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Matheson. I thought I was doing what was best. Next time I won’t make a move without your consent.”

  “Got that right, because it will not happen again.” Rade finished his statement, trying to control his anger.

  As Dylan walked out of her room, she could see it was Peter being yelled at. Dylan didn’t know what was going on between them, but as soon as they saw her the yelling stopped. They looked directly at her and lowered their heads as if she had been the topic of their discussion. Breaking the awkwardness, Dylan said, “Are you ready?” Rade turned towards her and gave her a smile. Pulling his focus away from Dylan, Rade glanced back at Peter with a curt look. “You know what needs to be done.” Peter nodded his head and left the penthouse.

  “What was that all about?” Dylan asked.

  “Business,” Rade said as he turned to face Dylan.

  “It sounded more like an argument to me, Rade.”