That fiery and spirited act that she puts on in front of me can't stop her lust-filled gaze and intent from exposing itself.
Yet the smothering tension that follows the growing silence between us heavily pounds and pulses in the air as I keep my stare fixated on the interesting young woman who continues to remain silent before me. I take a deep breath and lick my lips. It looks like the intimate atmosphere that begins to manifest in the shared space between us simply stirs the natural desire and instinct within me to the point where I can't help but notice the way Audrey's full lips are suggestively parted and the particular way her heavy breathing sounds in the peace and quiet. And in spite of the plain appearance that she tends to carry on her bare and youthful face, there's some sort of beguiling charm that she naturally possesses in how she quickly shies away from my adamant gaze which can see right through her. It's just amusing how Audrey can't bring herself to look me in the eye at all anymore, her halting expression clearly telling me that she can't answer my question without lying to herself.
"You know what?" Audrey begins to speak in a calm and small voice as she lifts her tough brown eyes toward me. "You can believe whatever you want, Mr. Bennett, but this pointless conversation is over. I'm going to bed. Good night."
The heated brunette takes a brief pause to stow her scattered belongings away into her backpack before she quietly slips into her sleeping bag with her back completely facing me. She doesn't even bother to turn off the lamp that illuminates the whole tent, the light source shining brightly against the partially exposed nape of her neck which can be seen through the dark hair that splits down her back. But all I can feel as I stare at her from behind is an incredibly strange and strong urge to run my fingers through her long and glossy brown locks. The brilliant sheen of her silky-smooth hair makes it impossible for me to resist touching it.
I instinctively reach over with my hand and weave my fingers through the sleek strands of Audrey's thick brown hair. She immediately flinches from the sudden gesture, her shoulders jumping right up to her ears with extreme fright. My fingers accidentally end up grazing against the bare skin of her neck from her reflexive motion which causes a sharp gasping breath to escape from her lips. But even though the young woman happens to react so strongly to the slightest sensation of my touch, she doesn't quite stop me from playing with her hair.
It isn't until I see a faint crimson flush spread across the young woman's cheek that my chest starts to tighten up with anticipation. She appears to be feeling the same longing and heated emotions as I am presently experiencing, only she’s choosing not to actively act upon it. Yet instead of heeding to the subtle warning that was given to me by Crane, I make the impulsive decision to move closer to Audrey’s body so that I can properly see the look that she’s holding in her tenacious brown stare. I peek over and find her long lashes fluttering and her heavy-lidded eyes filled with expectations. There's such a pure and vulnerable expression on her face that I can't help myself from being pulled in by the sight of it.
Beautiful.
I intently brush my fingers through the brunette’s hair once again, but this time I leave my grasp on the base of her head right where her neck is. Another sharp breath is drawn from her lips as I gently rub my fingertips along the surface of her skin. She welcomes my firm touch with a heavy sigh, her honest and uncontrolled reaction stirring the waves of my desire. There’s nothing but passionate lust that pours out from her earnest facial expression and nothing but a sexual drive that oozes from her aura. But it isn’t simply enough for me to just touch the slightest tip of the young woman’s innate desires and then stop all of a sudden.
I want to witness more of it.
"Turn around and face me, Audrey," I command in a low voice.
However, the young woman takes pause at the sound of my order before she tentatively closes her eyes and bites her lip. She blatantly ignores my request without giving me a response, the lack of a sound refusal from her suggesting that she is still on the fence about listening to my call. I can tell from the meek way that she chooses to avoid my gaze instead of going with her usual blunt approach of instantly shutting me down that she wants to adhere to my order. The only thing that is preventing her from doing so is her own pride which she refuses to let go of – but even that matter can be easily fixed with just one simple and easy solution.
“Turn over and look at me, Audrey. This is an order from your boss.”
Her brown eyes swiftly open up again as soon as she hears my final decree. She obediently flips over from resting on her side and turns onto her back where her gaze is unable to avoid mine due to the position that we are both in. But I am completely unprepared for the emotions that sweep through me once I have her finally looking straight into my eyes. All I can see is the desperate yearning in her steady brown stare and the look of pure weakness within them that is begging for me to rescue her from the depths of her burning lust.
And there’s no way I can deny her from it. Not when she clearly wants this sexual gratification and release as badly as I do.
With the lower half of my body anxiously throbbing and aching for Audrey’s warmth, I naturally place my thumb against her mouth and gently caress the soft flesh of her lower lip. An electrifying tingle swells up in my stomach as I rub the velvety surface and begin to recall the feeling of her sweet lips pressed up against mine. Although they may be clumsy and inexperienced at times, these are the same eager and willing lips which I have already stolen a few memorable kisses from – passionate kisses that only add more fuel to my carnal desires. I’m not quite sure what it is exactly, but her kisses are truly something special compared to all of the ones I’ve had the pleasure of indulging in with other women.
Her kisses know how to ruin me.
My head instinctively drops down to the young woman’s face where our lips are almost close enough to touch. I can feel her hot breath blowing against my mouth and smell the strong aroma of her bodily scent rushing through my nose. But the more I foolishly torture myself with the seductive sight of her aroused face and the soft sound of her heavy breathing, the more I begin to realize that I can’t contain my lust much longer. I want to hear her gentle moans and her delicate cries. I want to feel every inch of her warm flesh writhe and thrive from the slightest touch or motion of my body.
I want her to know that she belongs to me.
"If you want me to stop and leave, I will. Just say the word. Otherwise I'm just going to keep going.”
There’s no opportunity for Audrey to give me a response as I force my lips upon her neck and pull the cover of the sleeping bag that she’s in down from her body. I can hear her soft gasps and whimpers trail into my ears while my head slowly goes blank from the adrenaline that is pumping through my veins. Not a single feeling of doubt enters my mind as I give full reign and control over to my carnal instincts. From her neck and her lips to her breasts and hips, I kiss her and touch her wherever my lust leads me to while the sweet sound of her stifled moans of pleasure ring through the air.
Dizzying. Blood pumping. And heart racing. The lower half of my body only grows harder and more desperate for attention with each trembling sigh that escapes from Audrey’s weak voice. However, she throws her arms around my neck and roughly runs her fingers through my hair while passionately returning my kisses with some of her own. The way she aggressively welcomes and accepts my advances with her own forward actions sends a rush of excitement down my spine. This is the mutual agreement and reciprocation that I’ve been waiting to receive from her. Now I don’t have a reason to hold myself back any longer.
But even though I have gotten the silent approval and the green light from Audrey to continue, the torturous grip of my hungering desires starts to become a very heavy burden to carry. Each kiss of her lips and touch of her body rouses the flames of the lust within me. Yet I just can’t stop or resist myself from playing with her soft and sensitive breasts when I can clearly feel her hard and erect nipples poki
ng out of her tight shirt as if they want to be noticed by me. And even if she wants to play coy and hide her sexual excitement from me, those stiff and pert nubs of hers have already betrayed her and shown me that she’s more than ready to spread her legs apart for me.
There’s barely any resistance from the young woman as I pull the shirt off of her body and strip her down to nothing, her exposed and nude body a captivating sight for my eyes to feast on. The lower half of my body tingles from the beautiful, curvy figure that is hidden beneath her clothing and throbs from the earnest expression on her face that is anxiously waiting for me to ravage her. I can already see the wetness glistening between her thighs as I open them up to enter her. The wet and pink flesh that stares back at me instantly taunts me, forcing me to completely let go of the rest of my lingering inhibitions.
I pin Audrey down and slip myself inside of her as a world of pleasure swiftly fills me up. It’s amazingly tight, wet, and warm between her thighs, and I can’t stop my hips from moving in and out of her. Especially not when she tightly wraps her legs around me like she wants more. But it’s not only the raw enthusiasm from her that fuels and excites me. The natural flit and flutter of her eyes as she feels the fleeting passion pass through her makes it seem as if she is tethered between two worlds – both the worldly and the unworldly.
Sweat rapidly builds down my back and across my brow, but I remain unbothered and unfazed by the perspiration. Nothing can stop me when my lust is thriving from the pure enjoyment written in the brunette’s beautiful brown eyes. And nothing will ever make me forget that wonderful sound that flees from her voice as she positively responds to my body. That desperate and lustful expression of hers will be an image that burns on in my mind forever.
But I’m also leaving my own physical mark on her at the same time, a deeply ingrained mark that will continue to dwell within her body for as long as she lives.
A burning mark that will constantly remind her just who it is that she belongs to when she’s feeling that unruly tension between her thighs.
Me.
Chapter 5 - Rylan
"…And that seems to just about wrap up our meeting for now. Thank you and good work today, everyone. I hope you all have a nice weekend."
Everyone around the room quickly stands up from their seats in unison as soon as the lead speaker finalizes the conclusion of the meeting, each individual gradually filing out of the conference room one by one in an orderly fashion. A big albeit stifled yawn escapes from my mouth as I step out of the room in a bit of a drowsy lull and wait with the rest of the crowd to take the elevator back downstairs. However, my tired daze is temporarily interrupted and broken by the sound of the loud ding of the elevator’s arrival as everyone steps inside and tightly packs into the metal box. The number of bodies in the lift slowly taper down with each calculate stop it makes until the doors eventually open up to the lobby of the first floor where my eyes immediately fall on the redheaded female receptionist sitting behind the counter. I naturally approach the woman with a wide smile on my lips, the mere sight of her enough to rouse me out of my lethargic state.
"Welcome back, Margaret! How was your vacation to Europe? Did you get to try out any of the places that I recommended to you?" I cheerfully ask.
The rapid typing and clicking from the receptionist’s keyboard instantly stops once she hears the sound of my voice. Her eyes slightly expand and bulge while they remain pointed at the computer screen in front of her face. The startled woman looks like a deer caught in headlights as she hesitantly lifts her head toward me and cautiously looks to her left and to her right. I curiously furrow my brow at her. The extreme reluctance in her expression is practically impossible to ignore given the fact that Margaret typically greets me with an extremely warm welcome whenever I get the chance to see her. But her reaction and response seems unusually cold and stiff today as if there were something bothering her – as if she didn’t want to be seen in public speaking with me.
"Oh, it was good, Mr. Bennett. Thank you for remembering and asking. The recommendations you gave me were excellent. Thank you so much," Margaret replies in a rather aloof tone and rigid manner. There’s barely any enthusiasm or interest in her voice, much less any desire on her face to elaborate any further on her brief and broad comments.
Yet I still can’t help but let out a slight chuckle at the unusual nature of her answer. "Just good?” I snort. “I would have expected the trip to be a little more than just good considering it was your honeymoon and all. Did something happen on your trip? Everything went okay, right?"
"Yes, everything went absolutely fine.” The redhead nods her head and forces a smile. “My husband and I, we both had a really good time together.”
Another plain and bare bones response from her.
"Well, that's…good to hear, then. I’m glad your trip was good."
Margaret continues to maintain her unnatural smile while clearing her throat. “I really don’t mean to be rude, Mr. Bennett, but I can’t freely talk to you right now like I usually do. My boss has been on my case since I got back from my vacation, and I’ll be in trouble if he catches me slacking off when I still have a lot of work to cover.”
“No, no, I completely understand, Margaret. Sorry to bother you when you’re busy. I’ll…just talk to you another time,” I smile. “See you later.”
The receptionist silently nods her head in acknowledgment of my statement, a fleeting look of relief flashing across her face as she watches me take my leave. I loosely shove my hands into my pockets and begin to contemplate over what just happened with a frown. No matter how much I think about it, the receptionist’s behavior was definitely odd compared to the lighthearted and friendly interactions that we used to have in the past. And seeing her act like this now as if she were inconvenienced by my presence, it almost feels like she’s an entirely different person.
It’s weird.
But now that I take a look around me, why does it also feel like everyone is staring at me?
I turn my head to the side and make eye contact with the first person I can see – a man in a business suit who has his cell phone in his hands. The stranger’s eyes immediately widen from the unexpected connection that our gazes happen to make in that brief moment. A red and flustered expression quickly spreads across his face as he swiftly drops his stare back down to his phone. The same exact result happens when I turn my cheek to the other side and lock gazes with a woman who is seated in one of the lounge chairs. Her whole body stiffens up as soon as she meets my stare, and it doesn’t take long before she also decides to hastily look away from me like the first man.
The bizarre atmosphere and situation leaves me at a complete loss for words. Faces that are normally eager to greet me upon first glance are actively avoiding me today, and even Margaret, who generally loves to talk about anything and everything, wants nothing to do with me at all. None of it makes any sense and I'm getting a minor headache from over thinking about the issue. But just as if the circumstances couldn’t get any worse, I get a rare phone call from the devil herself.
Grandmother.
I weakly sigh. Even though I'm not in the mood to talk to her, I pick up the phone call anyway. "Grandmother, it's only been a few weeks since we last saw each other and you already miss me enough to personally call me-"
"You better have a good explanation for your actions, Rylan," the ominous voice on the other end of the line hisses. I can almost picture the heavy scowl on the old woman's face as she scoffs in exasperation. "It's unbelievable what you've done. And here I had thought you changed. I cannot believe you allowed this happen when you know the consequences."
"Whoa, just calm down for a second, okay? My actions? The consequences? What are you even talking about right now?" I question with a raised brow and an awkward chuckling breath. But in spite of my efforts to calmly discern and unscramble the meaning behind her words, I would be lying to myself if I didn't admit that the frazzled nature of her
speech and tone didn't trouble me.
"Do not play dumb with me, Rylan. It's all over the media outlets already. The whole world knows."
Media outlets?
I immediately rush to pull out the other phone in my pocket to look up the latest gossip and news on the internet surrounding me while the old woman's angry words continue to swarm and buzz like a garbled mess in my ear. However, a tingling wave of surprise and shock washes through me from the moment I hit the search button and read the trending results on the page. There are countless headlines that are littered across the screen about the authenticity behind my relationship with Audrey as well as a bunch of old and private photographs secretly taken of me with other women. Two-timer, cheater, and a liar -- these are all of the implications about myself that I seem to be getting based off of all of the articles I've roughly skimmed through.
So this is the reason why I've been receiving these strange glances from people all day.
And to top off all of the bad publicity that is currently hanging over my head, there just so happens to be a convenient little quote from an unnamed source who swears that she was having a sexual relationship with me during the time my fake relationship with Audrey suddenly blew up to the world. One of the news articles quotes the unidentified woman: 'I have no doubt in my mind that Rylan Bennett was with me that day. There's just no way I can forget about that amazing night we shared together. No way.' I can only shake my head and grit my teeth at the slander written across the page. Yet even if the original source who was quoted saying these things was untrustworthy and unreliable, there’s no guarantee that their statements wouldn’t be true for someone else. Especially since it’s basically a known fact that I am with a different woman every week if not every other day.
Billionaire Daddy's Contract: A Single Dad and Nanny Romance Page 12