Sasha sat up straight.
“Is that him?” Julia said with a knowing look.
“Yes. I’ll…”—Sasha stood—“…take it in the bedroom, if that’s okay with you. I need some privacy.”
“Of course. I’ve got my television to keep me company.”
Sasha bolted up the stairs and slammed the door to her bedroom shut. She answered the call.
“Thomas.” Thanks to the jog up to her room, she sounded breathless. That wasn’t going to do much for her whole damsel in distress thing.
There was a long pause before Thomas spoke.
“Hello,” he said simply.
It felt like years had passed since she’d last heard his voice. She hadn’t been sure if she would ever hear it again. The relief that he’d called her was almost overwhelming. It was so comforting; his English accent was like a gentle caress, and she had to hold herself back from blurting out, “I miss you.”
“Have you reported this to the police?” Thomas said.
“Reported what?” Sasha asked.
“The note.”
The note. Of course. She’d almost forgotten. Thomas wasn’t calling her for a chat; this was a pragmatic call. She was a problem that needed solving, nothing more.
“No,” she said, trying to hold back the deflation in her tone.
“Then do.”
“Okay.”
Was that it? Just a clipped conversation and the advice to call the police? Was Thomas really going to just leave her in this mess?
Sasha was about to give him a piece of her mind when Thomas said, “I’ll send one of my team to your mother’s house.”
“I’m sorry, you’ll do what now?”
“Is this a bad line?” Thomas said sarcastically. He spoke again, this time more slowly, pronouncing each word. “I’ll send one of my security guys to your mother’s house. Is that okay?”
Hearing a flash of the old Thomas knocked Sasha for six.
“Y-Yes,” she stammered. “That’s great. I appreciate it. Thank you.”
There was a long silence. Sasha was expecting the English actor to say goodbye or hang up the phone, but he didn’t.
“And how are you, Thomas?” she said.
She could hear him hesitate on the other end of the line.
“I’ve been better,” he said, finally.
Sasha paused, unsure what to say or do next. He was waiting for her to make the move.
“I’m here, for you, you know,” she said. “If you need to talk. I know you don’t feel like you can trust me anymore, but deep down you know I’d never do what Pippa, Alicia, or Crystal did to you. I’d never sell you out.”
There was another pause, so long this time it was excruciatingly uncomfortable.
Then finally, Thomas said, “I know.”
Sasha’s heart started thudding. Did that mean he forgave her? Or that he could forgive her one day?
She was just about to open her mouth to speak when Thomas’s voice sounded out through the earpiece.
“But I need time, Sasha. I can’t just get over something like that.”
“Of course,” she said, almost giddy with relief. “I understand.”
She could hardly believe that there was still a chance for her. Thomas could take all the time he needed in the world if the outcome was that they would be together again.
Emboldened by the revelation, Sasha felt her voice grow stronger.
“Are you still in England?” she asked.
Thomas chuckled. “I am indeed. In fact, I’m at Aunty Mabel’s house.”
Sasha felt a small smile tug at her lips. Afternoon tea and cucumber sandwiches had been on Pippa’s agenda for them while she was in England. Sasha had been scheduled to meet his extended family, but everything had fallen apart before she’d gotten the chance.
“And how is it?” Sasha asked.
She remembered how worried he’d been about seeing his family after the sex tape scandal and Crystal’s return to rehab.
“It would be better with you here.”
Sasha was so taken aback her heart missed a beat. Had he really just said that? It was her turn to leave an excruciatingly long silence.
“Thomas, I—”
“I miss you, Sasha,” he interrupted. “I miss my intern.”
Sasha froze. He’d said the magic word, the name he called her to let her know he wanted sex. Did that mean…could it possibly mean…surely not? He’d just told her he wasn’t ready to get into anything.
“I thought you needed time,” she said.
“Time to trust you again, yes,” he said in his calm, strong manner. “But that’s just what my brain needs. My cock on the other hand...”
Sasha’s insides clenched. She bit her lip, as a ripple of excited anticipation ran through her body. “There’s not much I can do about that,” she replied. “We’re in different countries.”
“And yet we’re speaking together. Oh the marvels of modern technology.”
As it dawned on Sasha that Thomas was proposing they have phone sex, she felt the immediate telltale signs of arousal—the heat between her legs, the wetness in her panties. However, she’d never had phone sex before. Despite the myriad of new and interesting ways Thomas had made love to her, the idea of doing it over the phone was daunting to her.
“Thomas, I—”
“Don’t know what to say?” he interrupted. “I’m sure you’ll think of something, intern.”
That was when she knew what he wanted from her.
“Don’t call me that,” she purred.
Straight away she heard Thomas sigh. “God, I’ve missed fucking you.” From the other end of the line, she heard the sound of his belt buckle unclicking.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” she said.
“If you could see how hard I am for you right now, you wouldn’t be asking that,” Thomas replied.
His words sent spasms of arousal running through her. She remembered his cock, the taste of it in her mouth, the sensation of it sliding into her, filling up every part of her. She wished desperately to feel it again, to touch it, to see it, but there was no way. Unless...
Sasha thought of the previous evening, of the way she’d made herself climax watching the video of them together.
“Have you seen the sex tape?” she said.
“No. Why?”
“Put it on.”
She heard Thomas laugh. “You kinky little thing.”
She hurried over to her own computer, her legs already feeling weak beneath her. She went online and found the footage. On the other end of the phone, she could hear Thomas clicking buttons.
“Put on the one in the bedroom,” she said. “I want to see your body.”
She hadn’t seen that one yet, and from her memory, it was the moment she had given Thomas an orgasm as good as he had given her. But she could hear Thomas’s hesitation. That was the video that showed his scarred body, something he had been deeply insecure about before Sasha.
“Can we watch the other one?” he said.
“Thomas, if I don’t get to see your cock, I’m hanging up.”
He laughed again. “You drive a hard bargain, intern.”
“Don’t call me that.”
Sasha clicked play and the video began. Seeing the bedroom in Thomas’s Chicago apartment brought back a whole host of sensations to her—the silk sheets beneath her back, the feel of Thomas’s throbbing, thrusting penis inside of her, the feel of his fingernails digging into the flesh of her ass as he wrenched her body into him, and the glorious moment when they’d reached climax simultaneously and their bodies had pulsated in unison. But more than anything, it reminded her of Thomas’s vulnerability, of the bridge he’d crossed for her that day, of the emotional connection that had been forged between them in that moment.
“Do you remember?” she whispered into the phone.
“I remember,” came Thomas’s breathless reply.
On the video, Sasha was unbuttoning Thomas�
�s shirt and opening it up, pressing kisses down his scarred flesh as she went. Then she moved her mouth to Thomas’s nipple. His on-screen gasp was matched by one down the phone.
“That was the first time,” she said, “that a woman had licked you there.”
“Yes,” he whispered.
She watched as Thomas lay back against the silk sheets and she ran her tongue over his muscled skin before her hands stroked down his chest and began to slowly unzip his fly.
“Are you taking your clothes off?” Sasha said into the phone. She listened to the sound of his fly unzipping in real life.
“Yes,” he said.
“Are you hard?”
“I’m hard.”
A thrill ran through her. She watched her on-screen version remove Thomas’s pants, revealing a huge erection over which she rolled a condom.
“Your cock is amazing,” Sasha said.
“Are you naked?”
“I can be,” Sasha replied. “What shall I take off first?”
“I miss your tits. Take off your bra.”
She did as he commanded. Her nipples were protruding from arousal. “Now what?” she said.
“I miss your taste. Take off your panties.”
She bit her lip and quickly slid off her panties. “I’m wet,” she said.
“How wet?” Thomas said.
“Soaking,” she replied.
He groaned.
She watched herself straddle Thomas and begin moving her hips slowly in a figure eight.
“Touch yourself,” she said into the phone. “Do it slowly.”
She heard him moan into the phone and watched him on the screen, guiding her movements with his hands on her ass. She slid her fingers inside her vagina and clenched as she remembered the sensation of Thomas’s cock moving within her.
“I wish you were licking me,” she said.
“I wish I was, too,” came Thomas reply. She could tell he was speaking between his teeth. “Are you masturbating?”
“Yes,” she replied with a gasp. “Slowly. Just like on the screen.”
The Sasha and Thomas on the film were beginning to move faster.
“Speed up,” Thomas said. “Do it faster.”
Sasha wedged her cell phone between her ear and shoulder, then brought her spare fingers to her clit, adding to the sensation of her fingers that were already inside of her. “It feels so good,” she gasped.
“Fuck,” came his strained reply.
On the screen, Thomas sat up and pulled his arms around her back, pulling her tightly into him. Sweat glistened off his skin, and the sheets were twisted beneath their bodies. Sasha felt her pleasure mounting as she watched them kissing, their mouths hungrily exploring one another’s. She watched her breasts squashed up against his muscular chest, the way her hair flowed down her back, and the way her ass looked as she began rocking gently.
“Your body is sublime,” Thomas said.
“I love watching myself fuck you,” she replied.
On screen, she was bouncing faster and harder, leaning back with her hands on his shoulders, kneading his flesh, and digging her fingernails into him. The look on her face was one of pure joy. Thomas on the video had his gaze locked on her, and his expression was like a snapshot of complete ecstasy. Seeing him so aroused by her made her start racing towards a climax.
“I’m coming,” she gasped.
“I want to hear.”
She held the phone close to her mouth, letting him hear each one of her panting breaths, each one of the moans that involuntarily came from her throat.
“I’m close,” Thomas said through his clenched teeth. “So fucking close.”
“Look”—Sasha gasped, so close to orgasming she could hardly speak—“at the screen.”
The Sasha and Thomas on-screen were pounding their bodies into one another, driven by sheer desire, absolute lust. Her hands were gripping his hair, his her ass. Their gazes were locked on each other. Then, they were both climaxing, at the same time, crying out in unison.
“There!” Sasha cried, and all at once she felt the muscles inside of her tighten around her fingers then begin to spasm as her orgasm took hold.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Thomas gasped, and then she heard him let out a guttural roar.
The sound of his orgasm over the phone and the sight of his orgasm on the screen made the feel of her own orgasm in the moment intensify. The throbbing wasn’t slowing, if anything it was getting even stronger.
“Fuck!” she cried.
“Yes. Yes. Keep going. Keep going.”
Finally, the Sasha and Thomas on the screen became still. In the real world, Sasha’s orgasm began to subside. Then the video cut out.
“Wow,” Thomas said, panting into the phone. “That was like having a foursome with myself.”
Sasha laughed, feeling dazed and breathless. Her cheeks were hot. “I know.” She took a deep breath. “Did you come?”
“Yes, absolutely everywhere.” Thomas let out one of his carefree chuckles. Then he exhaled. “We were so good together.”
“Yes, we were.”
“I wish…”
“What? What do you wish?”
There was a long silence.
“I wish that you hadn’t ruined it.”
The line went dead. Sasha listened to the sound of nothing.
“So do I.”
Chapter Twenty Six
Sasha looked at the black screen of her cell phone. That was so typical of Thomas, taking her to the height of ecstasy one minute then bringing her crashing back down to earth the next. She was about to berate herself for always getting swept up in his game when she realized that a part of her liked it. The highs and lows of being with Thomas were the exact opposite of the stable niceness she’d had with Chris. That he could make her feel the whole gamut of emotions on the emotional spectrum was part of the reason why she loved him.
Love. There it was. That word again.
Sasha shook her head and began putting her discarded clothes back on. Her body pulsed with pleasure, every little nerve ending alive with sensation. Sex with Thomas had given her a newfound love of her body and all the things it could do. She would never have known how empowering it felt to watch herself have sex if it hadn’t been for Thomas. If there was anything good to come out of the whole scandal, that would be it.
She’d just put her clothes back on when she heard a strange noise coming from outside. She paced to the window but was stopped in her tracks by a shrill cry.
“Sasha!” her mom called.
Sasha bolted out her room and flew down the stairs. Her mom was in the living room, pointing wildly at the window.
“Someone was there!” she cried. “Someone was looking in!”
Stomach churning with anguish, Sasha pulled back the curtain and stared out at the black evening. She couldn’t see anyone.
She went to the front door and peered out through the peephole. There was no sign of a person.
“Whomever it was, they’ve gone,” she called back to her mother, trying to sound calm and in control. Inside, she felt anything but. She went back into the living room.
“Who would be snooping around?” Julia asked. She looked terrified, her eyes wide with fear.
“It was just one of Thomas’s fans,” Sasha said as nonchalantly as she was able. “I’ll let the cops know.”
As soon as she mentioned the cops, her mom’s scared eyes grew even wider.
“The police?” she cried, panicking. “Are we in danger?”
Sasha tried to calm her. “No, it’s okay. It just comes with the territory. They’ll be harmless, but it’s still good to send out a warning signal and let them know that it’s not okay to snoop around someone else’s property.” She tried a shrug, hoping it would make her look blasé about the whole thing. “It’s trespassing, ya know?”
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Sasha and Julia both jumped a mile, shattering Sasha’s pretend bravado in an instant.
&
nbsp; “Don’t answer it!” she cried at her mother.
Julia was clearly panicking, looking around wildly. “The cops!” she shouted. “Call the cops!”
Before Sasha got a chance, a blinding light flashed through the curtains. Sasha never thought she’d be relieved to see the paparazzi, but intrusive pictures were preferable to a chopped off head.
“It’s just the paps,” she said with a huge exhalation. She put the phone back down. “We need to make sure the curtains are shut properly.”
She went over to the window and flipped the bird at the man standing on her lawn. The haters will just love that, she thought, as he snapped several pictures of her stern expression and rude gesture. She shut the curtains to block the view of the photographer outside.
“Let’s go into the kitchen, Mom,” she said. “We’ll have more privacy at the back of the house.”
Trembling, Julia agreed.
“Sasha,” she said, as her daughter pushed her through the hall in her wheelchair. “I wish you hadn’t gotten involved in all this nonsense.”
Guilt whirled inside of Sasha. So far, her mom had been pretty understanding. She’d welcomed her, soothed her, and made her feel safe and loved. This was the first indication she’d given that she was disappointed in Sasha’s behavior.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Sasha said. “I wish I hadn’t either.”
Chapter Twenty Seven
Thomas’s security guard arrived that evening. Sasha recognized him as one of the men who’d accompanied them on his private plane when she’d first left Chicago.
“Bill, isn’t it?” she said, as she gestured him inside.
“Yup,” the man replied. He was a burly guy, all stocky and thick-necked, with peering, suspicious eyes.
“Do you want a coffee or anything?” Sasha asked.
The man glanced around the room. “Nope,” he said without looking at her.
Clearly, he wasn’t much of a conversationalist.
“Well, you just do whatever it is you do,” Sasha said. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
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