by Coco Cadence
My eyes widen. “Give that back. Right. Now.”
“Or what?” he taunts, biting his lip. “You gonna throw yourself at me?”
“I might. Give it to me.” I hold out my hand.
“I think I’ll prefer the throwing yourself at me part. We can use a little extra practice in the marital fights.”
My hand shoots out to grasp his, but he holds it up in the air, far away from me.
“Dammit!” I say, standing on the tips of my shoes, but it’s no use.
He slowly opens his hand to reveal what’s inside. My vibrator, of course. And he holds it between his index finger and thumb like it’s some kind of magical bullet that can destroy anything.
“Leo …” I growl.
He holds it in front of him. “This belongs to you?”
“Yes, now hand it back.”
He smiles. “Interesting …”
Before I have a chance to grab it, he turns the bottom part around, turning it on.
Oh, holy shit.
The grin plastered on his face is both humiliating and infuriating. I’m contemplating on whether to kick him in the balls, punch him in the throat or just blatantly jump from this plane to escape embarrassment.
“This explains a lot.”
“Oh, fuck off. Do you take pleasure in torturing me?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, I do find it very … pleasuring to torture you like this.”
“Screw you …” I grate my teeth.
He laughs. “Oh, Samantha, you are way too punishing on me. I’m not as cruel as you think I am, even though I might come across as such.”
“Definitely. Are you done laughing now?” I say as I hold out my hand.
“Not sure, it depends on if this little thing got you what you wanted … Did it get you off?”
I frown, licking my lips. “I’m not even going to answer that.”
“You don’t have to,” he muses. “I can see it on your face.”
“Can you see something else on my face, like the angry redhead whose about to punch you if you don’t give that thing back?”
“I can definitely see something else … especially the desire to finish what you started.”
He leans forward again, causing me to arch my back as he towers over me. “Is this what you enjoy, Miss Webber? Spending some time alone during work, pleasuring yourself?”
“I don’t need to answer that,” I snarl.
“Oh, but you do, since you work for me, and you’re basically wasting valuable time here.”
My jaw drops. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a little enjoyment at work, and I would definitely not discourage you from doing exactly that.”
Now I’m flushing even more.
“But to use this thing?” he says. “And then not come?” He shakes his head. “There are much better ways.”
“Like you know all about that …” I say.
“That’s exactly my point. I do.”
I’ve had about enough of his smugness and my own flushed skin.
“Right,” I snort. “I didn’t take you for a man who cared anything about what a woman wants.”
“You took me wrong then.”
Wow, the way he says it, all dark and with a low tone, covers my skin in goosebumps. So serious all of the sudden …
“Whatever,” I say, clearing my throat. “It’s not like you know me. At all.”
I try to push past him, but he places his hand elsewhere, trapping me once again.
Let’s change that,” he says. “I think it’s time we got to know each other a little better.”
“We can go over our notes when we’re seated again. Can I have my thing back now?”
“It’s called a vibrator, Samantha. Don’t be scared of the word. I’m not, and I certainly don’t mind you using one. However, I can definitely recommend a few better ones …”
I’m a bit stumped for words, uttering nonsense with my lips half-parted.
“It’s okay; you don’t have to say anything. I’ll take care of your needs.”
“W-what?” I mutter.
“Well, as my wife, I should take care of your needs, don’t you think?”
“Um … I guess. But you don’t know anything about me. You don’t know what I need. And what I definitely don’t need is another asshole in my life.”
He makes a sort of ‘tsk’ sound. “You keep saying that word, but you’re wrong about that part. You don’t know anything about me, either; nor what I need. Does that make you an asshole, too?”
“No, but that’s not what I mean, I–”
“For example, I might’ve been thinking for ages about how good it would feel to have a certain beautiful, curvy woman in a tight top and skirt walk into my office, go to her hands and knees, crawl under my desk, and suck me dry. After which I would drag her out, bend her over my desk, and fuck her senseless.”
My mouth has completely dried up, and my breath is faltering.
He blinks as a quick smile appears on his face. “Of course, that’s all hypothetically speaking. Fantasy is fantasy.” He grins. “Because what boss would fuck his employee?”
I can’t stop the whimper from coming out.
He leans in. “Did you know?”
“W-what?” I murmur, my lips quivering as he comes so close I could almost taste him again.
Goddammit, why does he do this?
“That’s what I like.”
I shake my head.
“Thought so.”
And then he backs off and turns around. Just like that.
I’m left partially leaning forward, expecting a kiss, which didn’t happen. I can still smell his intoxicating aftershave as he walks through the aisle with a confident stride and an ass so tight I could squeeze it.
Oh, fuck me, I’m screwed now.
Chapter 10
We go over and over each other’s letters, making sure we don’t miss anything. We even quiz each other. I now know he enjoys his steak medium-rare, has at least one glass of wine every day to relax, and likes to take long showers. He enjoys anything that has to do with women (of course, that’s a no-brainer), loves dressing well, and enjoys fishing from time to time (I didn’t see that one coming). He also likes to play video games in his spare time (I definitely did not see that one from a mile away), and he sometimes likes to gamble (no wonder he was in Vegas).
He dislikes girls who make everything difficult (I think that remark meant for me specifically, but whatever), hates loud music (I might use that against him sometime), men who behave like pigs (I snorted reading that one), his sister (ouch), his parents (more ouch!), bad writing, and obligations. Ha, I guess we have one thing in common.
Well, it’s nice to know all this, but I still don’t know shit about him, and neither does he. It’s just not possible to write your whole damn life on a little piece of paper, let alone know yourself well enough to be able to explain it to everyone.
I think it’s wiser to stick to the important stuff like who our family is, where we went to college, what we do for a living. For instance, I know his sister’s name is Emily, that he has a brother named Adrian and another named Christopher, and that his parents are Tricia (short for Patricia) and Frank. If I can only remember not to call his brother Christopher … Leo told me that he hates it; he prefers Chris.
I hope I don’t screw up.
I’m getting worked up over nothing, but damn, my job depends on this and I can’t mess up. My armpits are already sweaty by the time the jet has landed. We leave the airport in a personal limo that Leo has arranged for us. I don’t know how much time we spend driving toward his parents’ house, but the closer we get, the more anxious I feel. I tell myself to calm down, but when I spot Leo peeking at me with a lopsided grin on his face, I get the urge to make them pull over so I can run far away.
It’s stupid, I know. He’d never let me leave.
I snort to myself, thinking not even bad jokes are going to save me f
rom this. It’s happening, whether I like it or not. So I better put my big girl panties on, pretend I’m the nicest fucking wife he could ever have and get it over with.
And then I can go back to being the snooty assistant I’ve always been.
I’m surprised to find out his parents actually live in an estate far from the city center, close to the edge of a forest. Their land is huge, and it takes us a minute to drive from the gates up to the house, which is also enormous. It reminds me of those castles the queen of England owns, except his mother isn’t the queen, and this is ridiculously unbelievable. Completely in awe, I let him escort me out of the car, but then he comes to a stop a few feet away from the door. He pulls my hand and turns me toward him, narrowing his eyes.
“Do you remember everything I told you?”
“Yes, I think …”
“Don’t worry about it. Just relax and act natural.”
“I’m about to meet your parents, it can’t get any more absurd than this,” I say.
“Oh, yes it can … wait until you meet them.” He chuckles. “Or worse.”
I frown. “Worse?”
His lip curls up into a smile. “I’m glad it’s just them and not my entire family.”
That makes my pupils dilate. Oh, god no. I don’t even want to think about it.
“Well, let’s just get this over with. The sooner it’s done, the faster I can get back to being just your assistant,” I muse, as I take a deep breath.
“Hmm … pity,” he hums.
“What?” I glance over my shoulder at him.
“Oh, nothing.” He walks to the door. “Let’s just go inside.”
He rings the doorbell, and the moment his finger leaves the button, my heart begins to race. Some guy in a suit opens.
“Leo, how nice to see you.”
“Hey, Dave,” Leo says, and he leans in close to my ear, whispering, “Our butler.” His hot breath creates goosebumps on my skin, but there’s no time to linger. The butler is already holding out his hand.
“Come in; the Kings have been waiting for your arrival.” He looks at me. “May I take your coat?”
I smile nervously as I let him take off my coat and step inside the hall. It’s so high, and there’s a white staircase in the middle, leading up to what must be at least fifteen rooms in three different hallways. Expensive wooden paneling covers the walls, and the marble on the floor is so white and clean, I could eat from it.
“Oh my …”
“Leo?” I hear a faint voice coming closer and closer. A woman in a dark red dress steps out from a room with a gentle smile on her face.
“Hello, Mother,” Leo says, smiling.
She walks toward him and gives him a short hug. “Oh, Leonard,” she says. “It’s been too long.”
“Leonard?” I repeat, making a face, swallowing back a laugh.
Leo shoots me a look with narrowed eyes that could kill. I almost choke on my laughter.
When she releases him, she looks at me and says, “So you must be … the girl.” Her shoulders rise, and she makes a short squeaky, happy-fake sound before hugging me so tight I can barely breathe.
“It’s so good to meet you,” she says.
“Her name’s Samantha,” Leo says. When his mother releases me again, he grabs my hand and squeezes it softly, cocking his head to give me a fake, love-struck smile. “My Samantha.”
His father comes up to me, rubbing his grey stubble. “Frank.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” I say.
“Yes, it’s such a shame Leo hasn’t told us anything about you,” Tricia says.
“For good reason,” he sneers.
“Oh, Leonard, now is not the time to start arguments.”
“Yeah, Leonard,” I say, winking. “Your mother is just trying to be polite.”
She smiles at me with a smug look on her face while Leo grinds his teeth. I can almost hear him seethe; the hissing is quite unmistakable. I chuckle. This is going to be fun.
Chapter 11
This late dinner is horrible, horrible I tell you.
Why? Well, it took me exactly five minutes to slam-dunk a tiny piece of potato into Tricia’s wineglass. Add that to the fact that I mumbled while introducing myself to his brothers because they were so goddamn sexy, and I’ve just made a complete fool out of myself. I keep stumbling into everything, tripping over the rugs, bumping into people; I even accidentally poked Emily with my elbow. That didn’t go well with her. She seemed livid, throwing her napkin on the table and groaning as if she went totally mad. She refuses to look at me now. I get why Leo hates her.
“So, where did two meet?” Frank asks us.
“Oh, Vegas.”
“Vegas …” he repeats.
Leo kicks my shin and flashes a look at me.
“Oh, no, I mean, we got married there.” I laugh it off, getting red as a beet again. “We met at his office.”
“Oh, interesting.”
“Yep, she was one of my models.”
“Oh, really? You model?”
“Uh …” I look back and forth to Leo, getting lost in this maze of lies. He shrugs and nods. I guess I should go with it.
“Plus-size,” I say.
“Yeah, the magazine is looking to expand its base.”
Tricia smiles. “That is wonderful. Well, I’m sure you two had a great time in Vegas. Do you have some pictures? I’d love to see them.”
“Oh, no, not yet,” Leo says, coughing. “They’re still at the photographer getting processed.”
“Oh … well, I must say, I was rather stunned when I heard the news. I would’ve loved to have been there during the exchange of the vows,” Tricia says, taking another sip of her wine.
“Yeah, I would’ve loved to have you there, too, but this was a spontaneous act … of pure love.” Leo looks at me, sighs, and puts on an unprecedented performance. It almost makes me laugh out loud.
“I can see you two are very fond of each other,” Frank muses.
“Very much …” Leo repeats, gazing at me.
“Well, let’s leave those lovebirds to eat,” Tricia says, chuckling to herself. “After all, they must be hungry after that long trip.” She looks at me. “Is it to your liking?”
“Oh, very much, Mrs. King.”
“Nonsense, call me Tricia.” She laughs. “I’m not that old.”
“Of course,” I say with a blush on my face.
I continue eating in the hopes that they won’t ask any more questions that’ll embarrass the hell out of me.
Adrian keeps throwing me weird glances from across the table, and it makes me feel so awkward. I’m already red as a tomato, but I know it can get worse. It can definitely get worse.
I lean to the side and whisper to Leo, “Hey, is there something stuck on my face or something?”
“No, why?” he says.
“Is it my teeth then?” I say, flashing him a smile.
He laughs. “Well, you do look ridiculous. Maybe that’s it.”
I shove him quietly under the table. “Shut up. I’m trying to do my best here.”
“I can tell,” he muses, drinking his wine. Something tells me that he’s being sarcastic in a not so funny way.
“Do you want me to get up and tell everyone the truth?” I whisper-yell.
“Do you want me to fire you on the spot?” he retorts.
I growl.
“You two seem like you’re having fun.” Suddenly Adrian draws my attention back to him. He raises his eyebrow in a cheeky way and smiles at me. God, so smug, he reminds me of his brother. With his tan skin and brown hair, they almost look like twins.
“Jealous, much?” Leo asks.
“On the contrary, I’m quite glad I don’t have any of that.” He leans back.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He’s allergic to women,” Leo jokes.
“Hey!” Adrian laughs. “I’m just waiting for the right one.”
“Yeah, right. You just wanna ju
mp in and straight out of the sack with them.”
“Leopold! Watch your language,” Tricia says, frowning.
“Sorry, Mother,” he says, clearing his throat.
Adrian leans forward across the table. “He’s right, though. No way I’d let myself get tied down this quickly. No offence.”
“None taken,” I say. “You wouldn’t get a piece of this regardless of your preference.”
“Oh, ouch,” he says.
Leo laughs, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “Good one, Sam.”
“I would be hurt by that comment if it wasn’t for the fact that I honestly do not care. And not because you aren’t a nice piece of ass.”
“Adrian!” Now it’s his father yelling. “What is up with you two?”
“Sorry, Dad …” Adrian totally ignores him, keeping his focus on me. “You’re quite the catch. I mean, you’re pretty, you seem nice, and you’re smart, as far as I can tell.”
“Thank you,” I say, blushing.
“But my brother caught you first, which is what I’m trying to say. I don’t steal.” He smiles and leans back again. “I’m happy for my brother that he finally found someone to share his … thing with. Whatever that is.” He smirks, and then they both burst out into laughter as if it’s some sort of subliminal joke I’m totally not getting.
“What’s so funny?” Emily asks. “Last I recalled, our brother isn’t the one to like any type of spare time, let alone spend it with a girl. He’s too busy playing with his magazines.”
“Hey, don’t talk shit about me with my girl here, all right,” Leo says. “You don’t know what I like to do in my spare time because you don’t care.”
“Hey, let’s all calm down, okay?” Chris pitches in. Finally, he speaks up. He’s been silent the entire night. I wonder if it’s because of me or if he’s always this way. “We don’t want to give Samantha over here a bad impression of our family by acting like a bunch of little kids.”
“Says the guy who plays with bikes all day,” Emily says.
Chris throws her a look, and she stares right back at him as if they’re trying to engage in an epic staring contents. Wow, awkward. This entire dinner is just awkward. I wish it would be over soon.
“Guys, please …” Leo says, sighing.