Honest Liar

by Anna Brooks

“How the hell can you afford that?” I realize how rude that sounds and quickly backtrack. “I’m sorry, that was rude. It’s none of my business.”

  “You ever heard of a firm called AOI?”

  “I’ve heard of it. It’s a big IT company, right?”

  He nods and tucks his hands in his pockets, then rocks forward on his toes and quirks an eyebrow.

  “Holy shit. Alex Owens Industries.”

  I look around my empty and dirty house, suddenly embarrassed that I have a freaking millionaire in it, and scramble to the kitchen. “Can I get you something? Water? I don’t even know if there are glasses in here. Shit!”

  “Josey, stop.”

  His fancy shoes get louder as they get closer, but I continue digging around for something, anything. I reach up in the cabinet. “There’s gotta be a cup or something in here.”

  “JoJo, stop.” His breath at my ear, his front against my back, his hands wrapped around my wrists. “Stop.”

  He lowers my arms, sets them on the countertop, and intertwines our fingers. One of his hands loosens, and he slides a finger up my bare arm, because of course I would be in a tank top and booty shorts and not realize it until now, and he pushes my hair off my neck. The very slight stubble on his face tickles my neck and I giggle.

  A rumble passes through his throat and immediately my thong dampens. “I love your laugh.”

  “I didn’t know you had an opinion about it.”

  His lips graze my neck, so softly it’s barely there. “I have a lot of opinions about you.”

  “Really?” A small nip on the sensitive flesh causes a tingle to float across my skin.

  “Oh, yeah.” His tongue trails from under my ear all the way down to my shoulder.

  “Like what?” I whisper.

  He slides his free hand under the front of my shirt and circles my belly button. “Like your skin is as smooth as I imagined it would be.” His other hand slides up my arm and he gathers all of my hair in one hand and pulls my head back, then kisses me.

  A closed mouth kiss like this shouldn’t be so erotic, but holy shit, my knees get so weak they bang against the cupboard.

  “That if I ever see your lips wrapped around my cock, I would die a happy man.” He presses his hard length into my backside and I swallow hard against his mouth.

  He drops to his knees and puts his hands on the waistband of my sleep shorts. “Can I? Please.”

  I nod and he slides them down my legs. His hands push my legs apart a little bit, and I feel his breath against me. “Stunning.” Without a warning, his tongue licks at me, and the groans vibrate from his throat directly to my clit. “My opinion is that you taste better than anything that’s ever been on my tongue. And remember, I’m worth a lot of fucking money, so people only serve me the most expensive and lavish food and drink you could think of. And you, my dear”—he licks me again, but this time, swirls his tongue around the throbbing bundle of nerves—“are by far the most delectable.”

  “Jesus, Alex.”

  He slides a single finger inside me as my head falls forward.

  “Nobody calls me that anymore, did you know that?” He slowly stands and leans over me, his entire body encapsulating mine. “They either say Sir, or Mr. Owens, or Alexander.”

  “I’m sorry.” My words are mumbled since my face is resting on the linoleum counter top.

  “Oh, no. Don’t apologize. I love it.” He takes his finger out and presses down on my clit, rubbing short, fast circles there. “I also have a very strong opinion that when you come, your pussy’s gonna get so tight I won’t be able to pull my fingers outta you.”

  Two of his long fingers stroke and slam into me. From this angle, him behind me and his arm wrapped around me, his very impressive, hard length is rubbing between my butt cheeks, and the flutter starts low in my belly.

  “See,” he grits. “You’re already almost there. Show me.” He reaches around with his other hand and cups a breast through the cotton tank top. “Show me how tight you can get. Let me feel it, Josey.”

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I chant, as the flutter combusts inside of me and explodes between my legs. An orgasm straight from a porno rips through me, and I moan and cry out as I ride his fingers. He drops his arm and holds me up as every muscle in my body turns to mush.

  He stands behind me, fingers still inside, his arm still holding tight around my waist. I finally begin to calm down and attempt to push up. When his fingers slide out of me, I feel a sudden void, and I whine in protest. My panties are lifted back up and his warmth leaves me.

  His shoes click away at a fast pace, and muttered curse words come from the living room. When I turn the corner, he runs into me. He quickly reaches out to steady me, and his worried expression breaks my heart. “I’m so fucking sorry, Josey. I didn’t, I don’t—fuck!” He lets me go and continues pacing.

  “Hey, Alex, I’m fine. I wanted that as much as you did. In fact, I think I needed it. So please. You did nothing wrong.”

  He stills and rubs his eyebrows with the thumb and index finger of one hand. “You sure? Because I did not mean for that to happen.”

  “I promise.”

  “God, come here.” He holds his arms out and I walk into them, finding an odd comfort and strength in a man I really know nothing about. “I only came here to make sure you were okay and to explain myself.”

  “How did you know where I was?”

  “I had my security team follow you until I could get here.”

  “Wait.” I pull back and look into his eyes, the ferocity in them a surprising calm as opposed to the confusion I’m feeling right now. “You were supposed to be out of town for a couple of days, you said.”

  “I was.”

  “What happened?”

  “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Alex—”

  “No. I fucked up.”

  My fingers entwine with his and I lead him to the couch. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were right away?”

  “Because when I saw you, it immediately brought back every single feeling I had as an adolescent teenager. Hatred, lust, anger, desire, jealousy, worthlessness… and I didn’t know how to react. The only thing I knew was that I wanted you to be safe and I had the means to do that, so I did.”

  I sit silently, because I’m not sure what exactly I should say. Yes, this man has my hormones in overdrive and I just did something with him that is completely out of character for me, but if I didn’t feel comfortable with him I never would have. And there’s some type of magnetism between us that is the absolute last thing I need right now.

  “Come back to my place with me.”

  My eyes find his and if it were possible, they smile at me.

  “Your kitchen is all messed up, your stuff hasn’t arrived yet, and it’s not safe for you to be here.” I shake my head, but he continues in a rush before I can speak. “Besides, you don’t have anything in your cupboards; I couldn’t possibly walk away and think of you being hungry.”

  “Alex, I’m not poor. I mean, I’m not as rich as you, but I have money. I can order a pizza or something. Besides, I don’t want to trouble you anymore. You already left your business trip because of me.”

  “It’s really no trouble. But,”—he stands and clears his throat—“I can’t sit here and look at you wearing next to nothing and keep my cool. I’ve already fucked up with you and I don’t want you to think I’m a complete Neanderthal.”

  “I don’t think that.” I stand with him and look around the empty space. Aside from some furniture, I really have nothing. “If you can give me a couple of minutes, I’ll change. I’d love to take you up on your offer.”

  “Of course. Take your time.”

  I jog upstairs to put on more clothes and gather my suitcase, then I stop in the bathroom to look at myself in the mirror. My long reddish-brown hair is tousled and my cheeks are still flushed. “Are you making a mistake?” I ask my reflection. But then I think back to my days in high school
, and I remember him. He was always quiet, never said much, never caused trouble. He wasn’t picked on, but he didn’t have many friends, either.

  How fucked up am I that I didn’t recognize him? What kind of person was I that I was so preoccupied with myself that I didn’t notice the kid who sat behind me in homeroom for two years? Barry’s girlfriend. That’s why. That’s all I was the summer after my sophomore year until a year ago. I allowed a man to overshadow who I was, and it was almost too late before I realized it.

  I won’t think about him. I’ve moved on. He doesn’t matter anymore.

  Besides, I never went out and had a one night stand, I didn’t have a divorce party, so my spending the night with a guy isn’t the worst thing, right? Women do it all the time.

  Holding my head high, I shut off the lights as I make my way back to Alex. “I’m ready.”

  “Shall we?” He holds his elbow out, and I try not to act shocked at his chivalry.

  My arm joins his and I lock the door from the inside, then step onto the porch with him.

  “Where are your shoes?”

  “Oh, I stepped in dog shit and don’t have another pair packed.”

  “Yes.” He pauses. “You said that yesterday. I apologize for forgetting, otherwise I would have gotten you a pair.”

  “It’s fine, I can be bare—”

  He leans down and lifts me bridal style, and grabs my suitcase in the hand under my knees. “Alex, I can walk.” I laugh.

  “You’re not walking without something on your feet.”

  He takes me to his large black SUV, drops my suitcase, opens the passenger door, then sets me inside. When the vehicle starts without him inside yet, I gasp. He tosses my suitcase in the back and presses a button on the hatch that causes it to close on its own.

  By the time he finally gets in the vehicle, my ass is warm atop of the heated leather seat. “Fancy.” I motion around to the wooden accents and complicated computer screen in place of a regular radio.

  He shrugs but doesn’t answer, and by the time we arrive at the hotel, I’m greeted at my door by a bellhop who hands me a pair of slippers. When I turn over to roll my eyes at Alex, he’s shutting his door already. “Thank you,” I say to the elderly gentleman, who nods and scurries away.

  Another man greets Alex just as he’s coming around to my side. Alex holds his hand out for me and I take it, then hop onto the ground, my feet cushioned by memory foam. I wordlessly follow him to the elevator and when we arrive back on the penthouse floor, he finally lets go of my hand.

  “You’re more than welcome to stay with me. In fact, I’d love your company, but I understand if you’d rather go to your side.”

  “Can we watch a movie or something? Maybe order room service? I never ate dinner and I’m kind of hungry.”

  “Why didn’t you say something? Of course. What would you like?”

  “Oh, it’s fine. Not anything crazy, just some snacks. It’s late.”

  “Follow me.”

  I reach for his hand automatically, and his fist tightens around mine as he leads me through an even larger, more luxurious mansion than the one I stayed in last night.

  “Have a seat in here and scroll through the movies. I’ll order some food and change out of this suit.”

  “Sure.”

  A small hesitation halts his movements, then he leans forward and kisses my temple. “Be right back.”

  I cruise through the movies and a knock sounds on the door, but Alex still isn’t back yet. “Do you want me to get that?” I holler, but get no response. The knock sounds again, so I get up and open the door.

  “Ma’am.” The same man who brought me my spaghetti nods at me and I smile back.

  “Hey, again.”

  “Your suitcase and room service, ma’am.”

  “Okay, sure. Come in.”

  I follow him into the living room, where he lifts a tray off of the rolling cart and places it on the large glass table that sits the entire length of the black leather couch. He sets a bottle of iced champagne and two flutes down as well, then pushes the cart away and finally rolls my suitcase inside. “Would you like your suitcase in a certain room?”

  “No, thanks. I’ll just take it.”

  “Very well.”

  My stomach rumbles, and since Alex isn’t out yet, maybe I can shove some food in my mouth before he returns. When I lift the silver lid, it echoes around the large space. Every snack item I could think of is on here. Crackers, fruit, veggies, nuts, chocolate, sausage, and even olives and pickles. Definitely sustenance is needed, so I grab a few crackers and eat them quickly. Alex walks into the living room just as I’m realizing how difficult it is to swallow three crackers without water.

  I begin to choke and run to the kitchen where I spit half-eaten crackers out into the sink before I try to slurp down some water straight from the faucet.

  “Shit, Jo. You okay?” Alex’s warm hand rubs circles on my back and lightly pats it when I cough again.

  “Yep,” I wheeze out. “Just need a second.” Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, I splash water on my mouth to make sure no cracker residue is left.

  I miss the handle as I blindly try to shut the water off. I feel his fingers wrap around mine and he uses both of our hands to push the lever down. A towel appears in front of my face and I wipe the water off, then finally turn to face him.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Wrinkles form between his eyes and the level of concern he shows makes my heart flutter.

  “Yes. Just embarrassed.” He follows me as I make my way back to the other room, and when I plop down on the couch, he sits right next to me. His leg rubs against mine, and it pisses me off that he’s wearing sweats. I want to feel his skin against mine.

  “Would you like something other than champagne?”

  “Alcohol sounds perfect.”

  A perfect pour later and he hands me a glass. “To your landlord for forgetting to leave a key.”

  The chime of our glasses clinking together is the only sound, and I shyly look away as I take a sip. This is definitely better than what I had yesterday. I can’t help the laugh that bursts out, but Alex isn’t amused.

  He sets his glass down and glares at me. “Is there something funny?”

  “No.” I shake my head and grab his wrist, which he yanks back. “Hey. I wasn’t laughing at you.”

  His chest heaves and I soften the tone of my voice. “I was thinking how much better this champagne is than the stuff I had last night. That I spilled on your back. That’s all.”

  He swallows and stands. “I’m sorry, Josey.” His quick but long strides take him out of the room in a few short seconds.

  “Fuck,” I whisper to myself and slam the rest of the champagne from my glass.

  I moved here to get away from the complications of a man, to remove myself from a toxic situation and for once in my life focus on me. Not only was the horrible trip down here not part of the plan, but meeting a man who is such a contradiction definitely wasn’t.

  What is it about him, though? Maybe part of it is that I remember him as a teenager. Sure, I never talked to him, but I remember him. And now, Jesus, now he’s this gorgeous man who should probably take up a career in modeling, who makes me have butterflies in my stomach like I’m a teenager again. Even more than that, there’s something behind his eyes. There’s something dark and damaged and damn it, I want to be the one to fix him.

  Classy as I am, I pour a swig of champagne down my throat from the bottle and take off in search of him. This place is huge, and behind all seven doors that I’ve opened, the rooms have been devoid of Alex. A noise draws my attention to the end of the hallway, and I stop at the glass to watch him.

  An endless pool takes up most of the large room, the water pushing a wake against him as he swims. His long body moves in a perfect fluid motion, tension in his shoulders and back, the muscles tighten with every stroke.

  Without a sound I step into the room to find heated tile floors. My clot
hes fall to the floor and I’m left in only my bra and panties. I step to the end of the pool where his head is and try to slide in gracefully, only I slip on the edge, and not realizing how strong the current is, I’m pulled under the water.

  My life flashes before my eyes and I can’t believe this is how I’m going to die. Death by idiocy. I flail my arms and legs, my lungs burning as they lack oxygen. Suddenly I’m pulled out of the current and gasp for air once it hits me that I’m above water.

  “Fuck, Jo. Breathe.” Alex pushes the wet hair from my face and lifts my head up by my chin. “Relax, breathe.”

  Even though my hands are wet, I still use them to wipe the water away from my eyes. When my lids flutter open, Alex is the first thing I see. His lips pressed down in a hard line, the wrinkles between his eyes prominent—his tell that he’s worried.

  “I’m sorry.” I cough.

  “Why the fuck are you sorry? Jesus, Josey, you scared the shit out of me. Are you okay?” His hand rubs soothing circles on my back and I finally look around to find I’m straddling him on the steps of the pool.

  “I’m fine.”

  He leans towards me and kisses my forehead, then gently presses my head against his chest while his fingers run through my tangled hair. I wrap my arms around him and hold on, loving the feel of being in his arms. Cool water helps to calm me down and just as he hardens beneath me, he stands. Immediately I miss the warmth his body provides… the feelings I have toward him confusing me at an even faster pace.

  “Here.” He wraps me in a large fluffy white towel, and I don’t look away when he begins drying himself off with his own. As he’s scrubbing his hair, his neck twists and when our eyes connect, his lower jaw becomes slack and I lick my lips.

  A wordless minute later, he tosses his towel on the ground and sticks out his hand for me to take. He leads me out into the dark hallway and turns a corner, then motions for me to enter the room first.

  His bedroom is not what I was expecting. The white bedspread blends in with the white walls. He pulls the pale gray curtains to cover floor to ceiling windows. The bed and dressers are a beautiful natural oak color, just a shade lighter than the hardwood floors.