by Laura Gray
“I thought you said you wanted to discuss this face-to-face?” Edwin snapped. “What happened to that?”
Archer leaned closer to Edwin, nearly towering over him. “You heard her.”
“I'm not talking to you, okay?” Edwin said to Archer, a vein on his forehead throbbing. “So shut the fuck up.”
“Maybe if you’d opened the door before, she’d have time to talk to you,” Archer said with a shrug. “Right now, we’re late for a very important date. So get the fuck out of my way, or I will make you.”
“You—” Edwin stopped himself, his face reddening. “You can’t do jack shit to me!”
From across the corridor, Ellie could see a burly, threatening bouncer clad in black from head to toe, entering the hall, taking large steps towards them. She glanced nervously between Archer and Edwin. Were they about to get into a fight? Is this what Archer meant by ‘follow my lead?
“This is the kind of guy you date, Ellie?” Edwin mocked, leaning away from Archer. “Guys who threaten to beat other people in clubs?”
Archer laughed out loud. “You think you’re actually worth me beating you up? Nah, I was just going to let Emilio take care of that.” The bouncer had reached their side. He politely tapped Edwin on the shoulder. When Edwin turned, his knees seemed to tremble at the sight of the seven-foot-tall man that hulked over him.
“You sure you want to stand in our way?” Archer asked him pleasantly.
Gritting and gnashing his teeth, Edwin pulled his arm down, one eye constantly trained on the enormous bouncer that hovered over him.
“That’s what I thought,” Archer said happily, pulling Ellie’s palm up to give it a kiss. Ellie barely contained her surprise as his lips touched her heated skin. The color of Edwin’s face seemed to flash from red to purple.
“Come on honey, let’s get out of here,” Archer finished.
Holding her chin high, Ellie followed along behind Archer, looking right past Edwin, refusing him the courtesy of making eye contact with him. Sure, he’d finally opened the door for them, but he'd left them there for over an hour before he came to their rescue.
“You’ve changed, Ellie!” Edwin called loudly from behind. “You weren’t like this before!”
“No, I wasn’t,” Ellie said, mostly to herself. She saw Archer peek at her from the corner of his eye. He quickly looked away when their gazes met.
“Edwin came back to open the door,” Ellie explained to Connie and Arjun, who sat on the edge of their seats, waiting for the rest of her story. The fact that Archer was a billionaire really seemed to change the gravity of the situation for them. “Just before Edwin came back, Archer told me he didn’t want to talk about his dad. And I agreed, of course.”
“Edwin came back?” Connie asked with a raised brow. “He wanted to play the hero, did he?”
Ellie shrugged. “He opened the door and just stood there, staring at us. He kept trying to talk to me, but Archer sort of talk-blocked him.”
“He what?” Arjun chortled.
“You know, he grabbed my hand and gave it a kiss, and he told Edwin we were running late for a very important date—”
“Ooooh,” Connie crowed excitedly. “That would have driven Edwin crazy.”
“It did,” Ellie said seriously. “You know, I always thought of myself as someone who wouldn’t enjoy someone else’s misery, but yesterday, I really, really did.”
Connie laughed loudly. “I’m beginning to like this Archer guy.”
“Edwin actually tried to stop us from going, he kind of blocked the way with his hands,” Ellie explained to them. “I thought they might get into a fight, but turns out the bouncers there like to...listen to Archer. One of them came by to help us and this guy was massive, okay? I’m talking, seven feet tall.”
Connie and Arjun nodded in understanding, eyes wide.
“Edwin obviously freaked when the bouncer appeared and he pulled his hand away. Then Archer and I got out of there and came back to my place,” Ellie finished, setting the TV on mute and putting the remote aside. She didn’t want Archer to overhear such caustic news about himself.
“Whoa,” Connie said slowly. “Quite a night.”
“Yeah,” Ellie snorted.
“So, what are you going to do about this guy?” Connie asked, tucking a dark red lock behind her ear. “Do you want to see him again after today?”
“I don't know,” Ellie responded honestly.
“Do you...like him?”
“Okay, what are we, kids?” Ellie raised a brow. “I like him, kind of, that’s why we hooked up. I just don't want a serious relationship. If he wants to be friends or—”
“Friends with benefits?” Connie prompted.
“I don't think friends with benefits ever really works.” Ellie shrugged.
“Agreed,” Arjun said with a nod, turning back to the TV to change the channel.
Ellie sighed, getting up from her seat. “Well, I better go in there. He might be awake.”
“If he asks you out, at least get a couple of fancy dinners with him,” Connie said jokingly. “What’s the harm?”
“I don't know.” Ellie shrugged.
“Okay, answer me this, then,” Connie said, leaning forward. “If he left today and you never saw him again, you’d be cool with that?”
The question made Ellie pause.
The minute Ellie’s heels touched the ground of the second floor of the club, she let go of Archer’s hand and let out a loud whoop.
“That was fucking amazing!” she cried, laughing loudly.
“I know,” Archer said raising his hands with a pretense of humility. “I know.”
“I mean, did you look at Edwin’s face?” Ellie said, jumping excitedly. “He was..he was just—”
“He wanted to punch me,” Archer said loudly over the music. “He wanted to punch me in the fucking face.”
“Exactly!” Ellie said, clapping loudly. Archer chuckled at her bubbling excitement. She grabbed his shoulder to steady herself—the liquor and excitement blending with the throbbing lights of the club made her suddenly feel as though she were five times lighter.
“That was perfect! I can’t believe you did that,” Ellie said to Archer. Her eyes followed the curve of his cheekbones, desire flaming within her. It had been a long time since Ellie had felt this way. She’d blamed the first few pangs of attraction on the alcohol, but it was undeniable now.
“I wanted to do that,” Archer said, pulling closer to her so she could hear him over the raging music. “He was a jerk.”
“I agree.” Archer’s arm flexed underneath her fingers as he offered her the beautiful flask once more.
Ellie took two long draughts from the bottle and passed the remains to Archer, who finished it off in another two draughts. He slipped the flask back into his jacket and Ellie watched it disappear.
That flask belongs to his dead father, Ellie realized suddenly. Archer didn’t seem to be in a rush to be somewhere anymore.
“Are you leaving?” Ellie asked him softly. He leaned in closer to her to whisper. “No.”
Ellie hadn’t realized they’d begun to dance amongst the grooving crowd. The music and the whiskey brought with them the rush that Ellie had hoped to enjoy tonight.
A ray of brilliant blue light of hit Archer’s irises and passed—they glowed like icy green fires. Ellie was enthralled by the sight. His arms were around her waist now, his scent heavy in the air around her. Something about him pulled at Ellie—she found herself moving closer of her own accord, her heart thumping erratically. She inhaled deeply—Archer smelled of musk and freshly mown grass.
His palm had reached Ellie’s face. He cupped her cheek as he stared deep into her eyes as though they held answers to his questions. Ellie raised her chin as he pulled it up, pressing his lips against hers.
It was like a silent explosion occurred between them when their lips touched. Heat radiated through Ellie’s face as she kissed him back, tasting the whiskey on his lips greedil
y. Archer’s hands tangled within her thick, black mane, pulling her closer to him. The length of Ellie’s body pressed against his, her breasts pushing into his hard chest. His tongue was in her mouth then, eager and hot. Ellie was beginning to feel dizzy, her skin flushed with heat and desire she hadn’t experienced in a long, long time. She didn’t care that people surrounded them, that Edwin might walk out at any moment and find them. She was melting in his embrace as she explored his mouth with her tongue.
They ended up in Ellie’s room twenty minutes later, their hands all over each other as they slammed her bedroom door shut behind them. Archer’s body was hot and hard—Ellie couldn’t keep herself from touching it. She hooked her finger underneath the fabric and pulled off his shirt, revealing his strong, chiseled chest. She noticed three odd-looking horizontal scars on his abdomen. She touched them with her fingers gingerly, placing tiny kisses along their puckered skin.
Archer moaned at her touch, he grabbed her arm and yanked her up, wringing his fingers into her dense hair. He dipped his tongue into her mouth once more, guiding her towards the bed. The back of Ellie’s knees hit the bed and she fell back onto her mattress, her hair splaying around her like a halo.
“You're stunning,” Archer growled before flipping her over so she lay on her stomach. Slowly, Archer pulled her zipper down, placing feathery kisses as he unearthed new skin. Ellie shivered as he trailed his lips down her back, licking her hips as he slipped her dress off her body.
He flipped her over once more and Ellie saw that he was naked, his dick standing tall and erect. The sight of it made her mouth water and her pussy ache. Climbing on the bed so he hovered over her, Archer raised her leg and hooked it around his waist. He slipped on a condom and then slid into her dark depths, his eyes rolling into his head as she clenched around him.
“Oh!” Ellie moaned as the length of him filled her up. It had been ages since she'd tasted ecstasy so heated and wild. Archer drove into her in delicious, rhythmic moments. Each time he slammed into her, he hit her deepest, most pleasurable buttons, making her groan in pleasure. The tempo rose as the dance of their flesh wore on, their eyes locked into one another with fevered intensity. As Ellie rocked closer to an orgasm, her nails dug into Archer’s tight, creamy flesh, the muscles in her abdomen clenching with all their might.
“Don't stop,” she pleaded as her orgasm neared. The hair on her skin stood up on its ends.
Archer grimaced as he increased his pace. His sweaty skin glistened in the low light as he rolled into her harder and faster, his muscles flexing around her body. Ellie cried out as she fell over the edge and the blinding orgasm took over. She shuddered and shivered as he finished with her, resting his face in her supple bosom to catch his breath. He took in large, deep, gulping breaths as he looked up at her with the wickedest grin in his deep green eyes.
“Ellie?” Connie asked, pulling her out of her reverie.
“Yes?” Ellie asked her stupidly.
“You didn’t answer me. Would you be cool with it?” Connie repeated. “If you never saw him again?”
“Yeah,” Ellie shrugged, brushing away the memories of the night that assaulted her. “That’d be okay, I guess.”
“Well, let me know what happens,” Connie said, joining Arjun on the couch once more. Ellie gave them a smile.
“I’m sorry about your night, guys,” she said, carefully looking at both their expressions.
“That’s really okay,” Arjun said with a half-shrug. “We looked for you for a while, but we knew we didn’t have to to worry—you weren’t drunk when we left you. You could take care of yourself.”
“How was your night, though?” Ellie asked. “What did you guys do?”
Connie shrugged. “Just the usual club stuff. Dancing, drinking, throwing up in the cab. Him, not me.”
“Hey,” Arjun said, affronted. “That was a secret.” Connie gave him a mocking grin.
“That’s it?” Ellie pressed. “Nothing else to tell me?”
“Nope,” they both said in unison, eyes glued to the television.
Ellie smiled to herself. There was one part of the night she hadn’t told them about.
“Let’s go back to my place,” Ellie said to Archer in a heated whisper. He grinned at her, pulling her towards the staircase of the second floor.
“Emilio can meet us outside,” Archer said. “He’s gonna take us to your place.”
“So, is Emilio is your driver? He looks kind of scary for a driver,” Ellie said, gazing at Archer’s handsome face. She loved that she could openly stare at him, now that they’d kissed.
“He’s a bit more multi-purpose than that,” Archer said. “But yeah, he’s mostly a driver.”
“I’m not gonna lie to you,” Ellie slurred. “That sounds really shady.”
Archer laughed—out loud this time, as though he meant it. The sound was infectious, it made the corners of Ellie’s lips turn up on their own. The corners of his stunning green eyes crinkled once more and her heart thudded harder.
“Which way’s the door in this place?” Ellie wondered, turning her head around to catch a glimpse of the way she’d entered.
“It’s that way, across the bar. Come on,” Archer said, pulling at her hand to guide her. Ellie kept looking around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Arjun or Connie in the crowd. Her cell didn’t work, even on the ground floor of this place.
“I’m never coming to this bar again,” Ellie muttered.
“Yeah, what kind of building doesn’t have a fire escape?”
“Seriously! I have half a mind to—” Ellie stopped in her tracks when she saw it—the unmistakable blue shimmer of Connie’s cocktail dress. She wasn’t standing alone. She had her arms wrapped around someone. Someone dressed in a plain black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans.
Ellie gasped loudly. “Oh my god!”
Arjun is making out with Connie!
Connie is making out with Arjun!
Ellie narrowed her eyes and shifted to get a better look at them. There was no denying it—it was them. They stood there in the club, their bodies entwined with one another, Arjun’s fingers tangling themselves within Connie’s long, red hair.
“What are you doing?” Archer asked her, pulling at her hand.
“Those are my friends!” Ellie said, pointing at the kissing couple.
“You want them to...join us?” He looked confused.
“No, they’re friends! With each other!”
“Whoa,” Archer said. “That’s some friendship.”
Ellie took a step towards Arjun and Connie and then, she paused. She watched them go at it for another two seconds and felt a bemused expression reach her face, to her own surprise.
They’ll tell me when I need to know, she decided, turning back to face Archer.
“Well, I think they’re both doing fine,” Ellie said with a grin. “Shall we get going?”
Archer nodded.
“Well, I’m going to get going, you guys,” Ellie said to Arjun and Connie. The two of them had decided to play a round of FIFA against one another.
“Alright, let me know what happens with the billionaire boy,” Connie said airily.
“Yeah, I’ll keep my guillotine prepared for when he gets out,” Arjun said. Connie laughed and punched his arm. Ellie smiled and walked over to her bedroom door. It was time to face the music.
Her hand hovered over the handle of a door for a moment when only one image flashed in her mind. Her and Archer, sitting by the water tanks in the evening light.
She twisted the handle and pushed the door open. As she stepped into her room, she saw that his white shirt had been picked up off the floor where it fell last night. The black leather shoes that had been haphazardly tossed beside her bed had been arranged neatly to one side, ready to be worn. She knew that he was awake before she turned to see him sitting upright on her bed, waiting expectantly.
“Hello.” Archer Bradford’s emerald eyes invited her gaze once more. “I was wondering when
you’d return.”
Chapter 3
A Proposition
“You look well,” Ellie said awkwardly. She didn’t know what to do with herself. It had been a very long time since she’d had a guy in her room. Archer’s refined looks and his obviously expensive attire looked out of place in Ellie’s messy room.
“That was very nice whiskey we had there,” Archer said with a guarded smile. “No hangover.”
“Yeah,” Ellie said. “$6 million dollars worth of whiskey ought to be good.”
Archer blinked. “You didn’t know that last night.”
“My friends are awake, they told me.”
“Did you also happen to figure out who I am?” Archer’s question was a low rumble.
“Your father is Gordon Bradford,” Ellie replied plainly. “You missed his funeral yesterday.”
“Yes, that’s correct,” Archer said evenly. “I was surprised yesterday that you didn’t know who I was.”
“You hid your shock well.”
“Thank you,” Archer said, his vivid eyes hidden behind a tuft of his dark brown hair. “For last night, I mean.”
“You’re thanking me?” Ellie asked quizzically. “I was the whole reason you missed your dad’s funeral.”
“Yeah, I was in two minds about going,” Archer stated matter-of-factly. “You just made the decision for me. In hindsight, I think it was for the best.”
“You do?”
“As I said, I wouldn’t make a difference by being there.” His tone was final.
Questions came to Ellie’s mind but she pushed them away. I don't need to know those answers. He obviously doesn’t want to talk about it and I’m not going to make him.
“So...what now?” Ellie asked him, shifting uncomfortably on her feet.
“Wow, ‘what now’?” Archer chuckled sarcastically. “You don't do this very often do you?”
“Do what?”
“Have guys sleep over here?”
Ellie crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I’ll have you know that I’ve had plenty of guys sleep over here.”
“Plenty?” He raised a mocking eyebrow.