Chapter 24: Mr Garcia: Chapter 24

The room continues to spin. I walk into the bathroom and lean on the sink. I stare at my reflection in the mirror. My face has a sheen of perspiration, my hair is tousled, but it’s the disgust in myself that makes my stomach roll.

No.

I may be a lot of things, but a lying cheater I am not.

Fuck, this is a nightmare.

What the hell went on last night? I search my brain for a recollection of anything.

Let me think, I was sitting at the table.

Bart came over and sat down.

He told me that April’s contract was good to go and that I should sign it.

Then…

I screw up my face to concentrate really hard.

Nothing.

I need to see Bart. I know for sure that he was there. I march back out into my room and retrieve my phone. I dial his number, but it rings out. I glance at my watch. It’s still early. Maybe he’s in the shower.

I call Melody, the tour manager.

“Hello.”

“Hello, this is Sebastian. Can you tell me what room Bart is in, please?”

“Hi, Sebastian. Let me check.”

“Okay.”

I wait on the line until she comes back, “He’s on level 6, room 624.”

“Thank you.” I hang up, throw on my suit, and five minutes later, I’m walking up the corridor toward room 624. Jeremy is approaching from the other direction.

“Morning.” I nod.

“Good morning,” he replies, and we both stop once we get to room 624. “Are you here to see Bart?” he asks.

“Yes.”

He looks at me deadpan, and I can feel an undertone of anger. “Me, too.”

I fake a smile. Great. Don’t tell me that I’m arriving in the middle of a domestic. I’m not in the mood for their fighting shit this morning. I turn toward the door and knock.

Jeremy stands behind me, waiting for the door to open.

I knock again.

“Looks like he’s not here,” I say, half relieved.

“Stand aside, Melody just gave me a key.” He holds the card up to the scanner.

“That’s not necessary.” I get the feeling that something is going down between them. “I’ll come back later.”

The lock releases, and Jeremy pushes the door open. Bart is fast asleep in bed with a naked woman on either side of him.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jeremy cries from behind me.

My eyes widen.

Fuck.

Jeremy marches in, picks up a jug of water, and he pours it over Bart’s head. “How could you?” he cries.

Bart wakes with a jump. He looks around confused and shocked. “What’s going on?” He jumps back when he sees the woman. “Who are you?” he cries.

The woman smiles and stretches. “Hi, baby,” she purrs.

“How could I be so stupid?” Jeremy cries before he marches from the room.

“Jeremy!” Bart yells. “I don’t know…” He scurries out of bed and falls onto the floor, disorientated. “What the fuck is going on here?” He’s naked with scratch marks all over his back and a large love bite on his neck. Red lipstick is smeared all over his face.

Hell, this is bad.

“I swear to you…” Bart cries. “I don’t know.” He looks around the room, completely shocked by what’s going on. He wraps a towel around his waist and chases Jeremy out into the corridor. I hear Jeremy going ballistic, with Bart hot on his heels.

Hang on. The same thing that happened to me has happened to him.

I think we were drugged.

I walk over to the bed. “Who are you?” I yell at the women.

“What?” They wince as they screw up their faces.

“What did you put in our drinks?” I demand.

“What are you talking about?” The blonde one scowls as she climbs out of bed. She’s naked and has a killer body.

I grab her by the arm. “I’m calling security. Right now.”

She rips her arm out of my grip. “What are you talking about, you idiot? I’m a call girl. Bart ordered us and paid for the entire night. Check his credit card if you don’t believe me.”

What?

Oh hell.

Bart comes marching back into the room. “Get the fuck out of here!” he cries to the two women. He storms into the bathroom and slams the door.

They both look to me for direction.

“You heard the man!” I snap. “Leave. Now.”

They collect their things, and I walk to the window to stare down at the street, so I don’t have to look at them while they dress. Disgust fills my every pore. I’ve never had anything against working girls. They’ve always excited me.

Today, it feels wrong. I feel dirty.

I turn back to them. “Were either of you in my room?”

“No.”

“Tell me the truth,” I growl.

“Your security guard came and dragged you away before the fun even started.”

I close my eyes in relief.

Thank God.

The girls dress, and they leave in silence.

I knock on the bathroom door. “Bart?”

He stays silent.

“They’re gone.”

He opens the door. Devastation is written all over his face.

“I think we were drugged.”

His eyes widen. “You, too?”

“I woke up and remembered nothing. I know for certain that I hadn’t had that much to drink.”

“What the fuck?” He begins to pace. “Who would do this?”

I shake my head, totally confused. “I don’t know. Who would gain anything by setting you up with two prostitutes?”

Bart stares at the wall for a moment and narrows his eyes as they fill with contempt. “I know.”

“Who?”

“My wife.”fucking

“Surely not.” I stare at him. “You really think she’d stoop this low?”

“She’d do anything to make Jeremy leave me.” He drops his head. “And I think he just did.”

I glance up at the mirror behind the cash register. Oh man, I look like a freak.

Who wears their sunglasses inside shops? Women with black eyes, that’s who.

I’m supposed to be working from home today. I worked all morning, but this afternoon I’ve snuck out in search for a dress for the wedding this weekend.

I have to look perfect. I am meeting Sebastian’s lifelong friends, after all. I hope this bloody black eye fades before then.

I think I found the perfect dress. First store, first dress I tried on. When is shopping ever this easy?

“Next,” the cash register girl calls. I step forward, and my phone vibrates. I look down to see the name:

Jeremy

“How are you today?” The cashier smiles as she takes my dress and rings it up.

“Good, thanks. How are you?” I stuff my phone back in my bag. I’ll call him back later.

It’s just gone 9:00 p.m. when I climb into bed. I turn the television on in my bedroom and lie back. Time for some trash TV. My phone rings, and the name April’s Fool lights up the screen. I was wondering when he was calling me.

“Hi, there,” I answer with a smile. “I thought you’d forgotten me.”

“I’m downstairs. Buzz me in.”

I sit up in a rush. “What? Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

I run to the security camera and see him standing there with his overnight bag. Excitement fills me, and I push the buzzer as fast as lightning. I glance around at my apartment. Shit, it’s pretty messy. Oh well, it is what it is.

I do a little jig on the spot and open my front door as I wait for him. He’s here.

Gah, I’m seriously pathetic over this man.

Oh crap, my dress I bought for the wedding is laid out on the chair. I quickly roll it up in a ball and throw it in the linen cupboard. I don’t want to seem too eager.

The elevator dings, and he comes into view wearing his custom gray suit, carrying his black leather overnight bag. He looks every bit like the walking orgasm that he is.

His eyes find mine, and he gives me a slow, sexy smile. “Miss Bennet.”

“Here I am.” I do a little wiggle on the spot. “Looking hot in my flannelette pajamas.”

He chuckles and takes me into his arms to kiss me. “Flannelette works for me.”

“What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t back until tomorrow.”

“You wouldn’t believe the day we had.” He takes my hand, and we walk into my apartment. “I need a shower.”

“Okay, have you eaten?”

“Yeah, we had something on the way home.”

We walk into the bathroom, and he strips off his clothes and gets under the shower. I sit on the toilet to talk to him.

“So, what was so bad about your day?” I ask.

“Get this.” He soaps himself up. “Remember how I said I didn’t remember speaking to you last night?”

“Yeah.”

“I think I was drugged.”

“What?” My eyes widen. “By whom?”

“Bart’s wife.”

My mouth falls open.

“You can’t tell anyone this.”

“I won’t. What happened?”

“I woke up and couldn’t remember anything. I started freaking out, so I went to see Bart. I got to his hotel room at the same time as Jeremy, and when we opened the door, Bart was asleep with two naked girls beside him. He was covered in lipstick.”

My eyes widen in horror. “Oh no.”

“But he doesn’t remember anything, either.”

I frown. “What?”

“His wife had him drugged and ordered hookers. Then she called Jeremy this morning saying that she couldn’t get in touch with him and asking if he could check on him for her.”

“Hang on, why weren’t they together in the room, anyway?” I ask.

His eyes hold mine.

“Yes, I know about Jeremy and Bart.” I scoff in a rush. “Everybody knows. It’s not half obvious.”

He shrugs, relieved that he didn’t reveal that secret. “How would I know? It’s a fucking weird set up if you ask me. Married to a woman with a boyfriend on the side.”

I roll my eyes. “Sleazebag.” My mind goes to Jeremy. “Oh no, poor Jeremy. Shit. He called me today, and I didn’t pick up.”

He keeps soaping himself up. “So, yeah, Jeremy and Bart had a huge fight, and Bart was freaking out and screaming at his wife on the phone who swears it wasn’t her.”

“Wait a minute. Why were you drugged?” I frown.

“I was unlucky enough to be sitting next to him when the drinks arrived, I guess.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stands to attention. “What did you do last night?”

“Nothing, thank fuck. I was freaking out for a while there, but I spoke to the security guard. He found me drunk in the bathroom, and he walked me back to my room early.”

I stare at him. Something is off with this story. “So, you weren’t with the women?”

“No.”

“Why did you think you were at first?”

“There was lipstick on my collar.” He keeps washing himself.

Alarm bells start to ring. “Where did the lipstick come from?” I ask.

“The girls in the bar. Apparently, they came over and were trying to talk to me, getting all flirty. Thankfully, I got the hell out of there. Poor Bart didn’t have the same fate.”

I stare at him as I imagine the scenario he is setting. Hmm.

Interesting.

“Fucking nightmare.” He exhales heavily. “I’m glad to be home, put it that way.”

“How do you know the security guard walked you home?” I ask.

“I saw him, and he told me that he walked me to my room and that I got into bed while he was still there. I checked all the details, don’t worry.”

“And nobody else was in your room?”

“No. I told you that.”

I don’t like this.

“Bart needs to go to the hospital and get drug tested. This is a criminal offence,” I tell him.

“He is going. That’s why we came home early.”

“Well, you should go, too.”

“I’m fine. Nothing happened to me.”

“How do you know? What if something did? What if you had sex with one of those hookers? What if they took photographs? What if this is some elaborate blackmailing scheme? You’re the Deputy Prime Minister, Sebastian. If anyone is a target to be blackmailed, it would be you, and not that stupid sleazebag Bart.”

“I would know if I had sex with someone, April.”

“How? We have so much sex that you wouldn’t be able to feel a change in your body.”

He rolls his eyes and continues to shower.

I stare at him. “I want you to go and get tested.”

“I’m not. Drop it.” He puts his head under the water and begins washing his hair. ‘All I’ll be doing is wasting six hours at the hospital for no reason.’

Ugh, infuriating, stupid twat.

I walk out into the kitchen as my mind goes into overdrive.

Something is off.

Darkness looms around the corners of my bedroom, just like the shadows in my mind.

Sebastian is fast asleep, lying on his side, facing me. I watch as his chest rises and falls, the flutter of his lashes, and his lips that slightly part when he breathes in.

I’ve never been so besotted with someone before. Sure, I’ve been in love and been in lust, but with Sebastian, it’s different. Everything is magnified. The speeches he gives, the way he looks at me, the way he wears his suits… even the way he smells.

I have this overwhelming feeling that something isn’t right. Something is going on in the background, and I need to work it out before it blows up in my face.

Protecting him is all that matters.

I’ve been in the pits of hell, and I am weathered for any storm, but I can’t let it go.

I can’t drop this feeling, no matter how hard I try.

I will not allow that witch Helena to hurt him ever again.

I get a vision of her in his office last week. The entitled way in which she hid whatever it was behind her back, as if she was owed something. How dare she come here with an agenda?

I hate her.

Maybe more than I hate my ex, and that’s saying something. At least he accepted the divorce and, sure, he wouldn’t move out of our house, but he was never vindictive.

Sebastian stirs, and his eyes flutter open. He reaches for me and pulls me closer, “Why are you awake?” he whispers in his husky voice. He holds me cheek to cheek.

“Bad dream.”

He kisses my temple. “Go back to sleep, baby. I’ll protect you.” He rolls me over and nestles in behind me. I hear him slip back into regulated breathing as he dozes back off.

But who’ll protect you, my love?

I stare at the wall, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I’m filled with conviction; I know what I must do.

And I will.

I rearrange the lapels on Sebastian’s suit jacket. “I’ll walk you down. I want to grab a coffee.”

“Okay.” He tugs at my hips, bringing my body against his crotch. Can we ever just hug without it being sexual?

Obviously not.

“You do make it very hard to leave, Miss Bennet.” Our lips meet in a tender kiss. I smile up at my handsome man and run my fingers through his thick, black hair.

“I’m looking forward to our weekend away.” I smile.

“Me, too.”

He takes my hand and leads me out of the door. We take the elevator and walk out onto the street, where we see the black car waiting for him. We head toward it.

“April!” a voice calls, we turn to see Duke.

My heart drops as I come to a stop. “Duke.”

Oh, crap.

Sebastian tries to drop my hand, and I grip it harder, keeping him close.

“Duke, this is Sebastian.”

Duke nods, and Sebastian forces a smile. “Hello.”

He tries to release my hand again, and I hold it with white-knuckle force.

“Are you two…?” Duke frowns as he looks between us.

“We are,” I reply.

Sebastian rolls his lips, uncomfortable with this conversation.

“Can I speak to you?” Duke’s eyes flick to Sebastian. “Alone?”

Sebastian tries to escape my vice-like grip, and I squeeze it in a silent warning. “No, Duke, I’m sorry. There is nothing further to say. We’ve been over it a hundred times.”

“I… I can’t move on,” Duke splutters.

Sebastian drops his head. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

My heart breaks but I keep a hold of Sebastian. He needs to be here for this conversation. I don’t want him to feel insecure all over again.

“I’m in a relationship with Sebastian, Duke. I’m sorry that we didn’t work out, but you need to accept my decision.”

Duke’s nostrils flare, his angry eyes find Sebastian. “She’ll never marry you. She doesn’t want children. She’ll spit you out like she did me.”

Sebastian stares at him, remaining silent.

“Duke,” I sigh.

“Tell him,” Duke spits. “Tell him you never want to live with someone. Tell him you never want to get married.”

Sebastian tries to pull his hand free. “Stay here, Sebastian!” I snap, losing the last of my patience.

“No.” He pulls away and walks toward the car.

My eyes find Duke. “You and I weren’t right for each other,” I say softly. “And I know that for certain now that I’ve met Sebastian. You will understand, too, when you meet the right person. I promise you.”

“She will never marry you. She’s broken!” Duke calls to Sebastian, losing the last of his control.

Sebastian stops and turns back toward us.

Oh God, could this conversation get any worse?

“We’ll see,” Sebastian replies sharply. “You will respect her decision and stay away from her.”

My eyes flick to Sebastian.

“Goodbye, Duke,” he snaps. “My condolences, but we won’t have this conversation again. This is your first and last warning: stay away from her. April, let’s go.”

He takes me by my hand and ushers me into the back of the waiting car. The door shuts behind us, and I stare at Duke on the pavement as we pull out into the traffic.

Sebastian sits beside me, his steel gaze looking out the window as we drive.

“Did you write up that prenup for my protection or to prove to yourself that you’re serious about this?” he snarls.

I swallow the lump in my throat, remaining silent.

A bit of both.

He glares at me, as if reading my mind, and I wither a little. “April is going to my house,” he announces to the driver.

I frown. “But—”

“You will be spending the day at my house. You can work from there. Like it or not.”

Jeez.

“And if he dares come near you again—”

“Okay, okay, Sebastian,” I whisper. “Calm down.”

His cold gaze returns to the streets flying by, and I feel my heartrate slowly return to normal. I watch him and try hard to hold in my smile.

Caveman Garcia is hot.

“Flight 121, boarding,” the attendant announces throughout the airport.

It’s Friday morning, and we were supposed to leave for the Maldives for the wedding yesterday, but Sebastian had to work late last night.

It’s okay, as long as we get there at some point. I don’t care when.

I’m wearing a fitted black dress with a denim jacket and white slip-on shoes, trying to be casual and dressy at the same time. I have my bag packed, my body primped to perfection, and my nerves firmly intact.

I’m meeting Sebastian’s friends this weekend, and I know how important they are to him. First impressions are everything, and I really want to make a good one.

I have this thing that when I’m nervous, I go quiet, and I know it makes me appear rude.

Remember to talk, remember to talk.

“Let’s go.” Sebastian takes my hand, and we walk out through the gates. It’s a smaller plane than what I’ve ever been on before. That would be just my luck, finally meeting the man of my dreams only to die in a fucking plane crash.

He glances over at me and frowns. “You alright?”

“Yep.”

“You’re quiet.”

I shrug. “Perhaps a little nervous.”

“Nervous?”

“What if your friends don’t like me?”

He gives me a breathtaking smile and pulls me to him. “How could they not?”

He kisses my temple as we walk. “I like you, and that’s all that matters.”

It’s just after 2:00 p.m. when the plane comes to a stop on the runway.

“We’re here.” I bounce around in my seat.

Sebastian smirks, picks up my hand, and kisses my fingertips.

“What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get there?” I ask.

“April Bennet.”

I giggle. “No, I mean, like do, do. Like a doing thing.”

He raises an eyebrow, amused by my childlike excitement. “April Bennet.”

I smile as I pull his face to mine and kiss his big, pouty lips. “Thanks for bringing me.”

The seatbelt sign goes off. “Let’s go have some fun.”

“Okay.” I stand so quickly that I hit my head on the overhead. “Ouch.”

“Careful,” he warns.

We walk up the aisle, and as we get to the doors, we are hit with a wall of heat. It’s like a blazing hot oven.

I gasp as the air leaves my lungs.

“What in the sauna do you call this?” Sebastian mutters under his breath.

“Right.” I get the giggles as we walk down the plane’s stairs. “Please tell me we have aircon in our room.”

“I fucking hope so. My balls are hard boiled in these jeans.”

I burst out laughing, and he laughs, too. Oh, it’s so nice to be somewhere different together. So much of our time together has been spent in the shadows.

I feel like we are finally a real couple, doing grown up, couple things.

Hand in hand, we walk over the tarmac and into the airport. Once through security, we see a man standing with a sign that reads:

Garcia

I hunch my shoulders together in excitement.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Garcia?” the driver asks.

Mrs. Garcia.

“Yes,” Sebastian replies.

“This way, please.”

“Thank you.” We follow him out to a black Audi, and we climb into the backseat.

Woohoo, we’re on our way.

An hour later, we turn off the main road and into a fancy looking driveway. The landscape is tropical and well-kept. It’s super beautiful. We come to a large, circular driveway, and the driver pulls over.

“Here we are.” He gets out and retrieves our bags from the trunk, leaving us to walk through to reception.

It’s all open air, and I can see through to the huge exotic resort pool that’s surrounded by deckchairs and waiters delivering cocktails to people. Behind all that is the most beautiful, crystal-blue water I have ever seen. The sand is white.

Wow, this is Heaven.

“What ocean is that?” I ask Sebastian.

He looks out and rolls his lips. “Indian Ocean.”

“Really?” I frown. I take out my phone and Google it.

“Indian,” he repeats.

“Just checking.”

“Do you have to check everything I say?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Oh.” I sigh, slightly dejected. I was sure it was something more exotic. It sure does look like it. I’ve never seen water so blue.

Sebastian gives me a sexy wink in an I told you so statement.

I smirk.

“Can I help you?” the receptionist asks.

“Yes, checking in, please.”

“Of course.” She smiles, her eyes lingering on Sebastian. “What was the name?”

“Sebastian Garcia.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh, yes, of course, sir. You’re from the United Kingdom. We’ve been awaiting your arrival. The extra security is in place. Please let us know if anything isn’t up to your standard.”

Sebastian fakes a smile, unimpressed. “Thank you.” He hates a fuss, and I know that his security team back home would have organized this without his consent.

“Did you have a good flight?” she asks, her eyes lingering a little too long on my handsome man.

He did, bitch. Back off.

I fake a smile, too. And hurry up about it.

“Paulie will show you to your room.” She hands over the key. “You are in the North Wing Penthouse.” She gestures to the left. “If you go around past the pool and restaurants, your penthouse is on the ocean front.”

“Thank you.”

Paulie steps forward and nods. “This way, please.” We follow him out through the gardens, and we cut through a pool area.

“Seb!” Someone calls.

We turn to see a blonde guy waving. He starts to jog over to us. Seb smiles and waves back.

Scratch that. A blonde god is jogging over to us. Square jaw, blonde hair, and rippled abs.

Jeez, who is this?

“Hey, you made it,” he laughs and shakes Seb’s hand.

“This is April,” Sebastian introduces me. “This is my rent a friend, Spencer Jones.”

I chuckle as I shake his hand.

“Hey.” He smiles. “Nice to finally meet you.”

“You, too.” I smile and hunch my shoulders. Awkward.

“Come see the others,” Spencer says, gesturing to the pool.

“We’re on our way to our room,” Seb replies.

“It will only take a minute.” Spencer grabs my hand and begins to drag me toward the pool. “Look who I found!” he announces to the others.

A man looks up from his deckchair, and his big brown eyes meet mine. Okay, fuck. Who the hell is that gorgeous specimen with his dark hair, square jaw and… eish, power for days? “Julian Masters, this is April.”

I smile as I nervously shake his hand. Jeez, strong hands too.

“This is his wife, Brielle.” She’s pretty and natural-looking—younger than me by the looks of it.

“Hello.” I smile.

“And this hot as hell woman is my wife, Charlotte.” Charlotte is heavily pregnant and wearing a bikini. Her stomach is huge.

“Hi.” I smile.

Oh, great. They’re all lying around together in their swimsuits. This is my worst fucking nightmare.

The two women jump from their deckchairs and kiss me.

“It’s so great to finally meet you, April,” says Brielle.

They both kiss Sebastian on the cheek, and he affectionately rubs Charlotte’s stomach. I can tell that they’re close.

“Okay, we have to go to our room. This poor guy is waiting for us,” Sebastian says.

We look over to see Paulie is waiting patiently under the palm trees.

“See you later,” Sebastian calls.

I give them a wave, and we both turn and follow Paulie.

We make it to our apartment, and my mouth falls open.

Wow.

It’s directly on the sand, overlooking the beach, with huge open bifold doors running along a gigantic deck. It’s made of timber with a thatched roof, and it looks like it’s come straight out of an island holiday brochure.

It’s possibly the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.

“This is the bedroom.” Paulie shows us through. The four-poster bed is strategically placed in the middle of the room, with a large green marble bathroom just off it, with an oversized sunken bathtub.

But it’s the glass wall view I can’t get over. There’s aqua blue sea as far as I can see.

“You have twenty-four-hour room service for anything that you need. Just dial 9.”

“Thank you.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No, thank you,” Sebastian says as he tips him.

Paulie leaves us alone, and Sebastian’s eyes find mine.

“Seb.” I smile. “This is incredible.”

His eyes glow with tenderness. “It is, isn’t it?”

I know he isn’t talking about the place. He’s talking about me.

He takes me into his arms and kisses me, slow and tender, leading me down the path that we travel, where nothing else matters but each other.

I know I’ve been in love before, and I know I must have felt like this, but I don’t remember this closeness. The attachment between us is so deep.

“Let’s go swimming in that Indian Ocean,” he murmurs against my lips.

“But… your friends?”

“…Are a little too much sometimes, even for me.” He kisses me deeper, his tongue curling around mine. My feet lift off the floor. “I want you to myself today.”

My heart flutters. It’s as if he can sense that, after the chaotic and busy week we’ve had, I need time with him alone. Just the two of us.

“We’ll go out with them tonight.” He walks me back to the bed. “But today, you’re all mine.”

If Heaven was a day, this would be it.

We swam, we laid in the sun, we made love, and we took a late afternoon nap to the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shore.

Sebastian is the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. There’s not a mobile phone in sight. In fact, I think he even switched it off. That’s unheard of.

But now we have dinner with his friends.

I hold my arms out. “Do I look okay?”

I’m wearing a strapless, fitted grey dress and sandal heels. My blonde hair is down in beach waves, and my makeup is minimal.

I’m relieved that I gave myself a little bit of a spray tan. I would have looked like an anemic snowman if I hadn’t.

Sebastian smirks at me. “You look beautiful.”

I inhale deeply.

“Stop it.” He takes my hand and lifts it to his lips to kiss my fingertips. “It’s just another dinner. This is not like you. I’ve never known you to be nervous before.”

“Well, this is important.”

“Why?”

“Because…” I shrug. “They’re your friends, and I know that first impressions count.”

He pours me another glass of champagne. “I have a plan.” He passes the glass to me, and we toast.

“Such as?”

“You drink copious amounts of cocktails to eradicate your nerves.”

I smile against my glass.

“And I’ll take advantage of you when we get home.”

I giggle. “I think you’ve taken advantage of me a few times today already.”

“You took advantage of me.” He slides his hand down my body and up under my dress. He cups my behind, and I smile as I sip my champagne.

The man is a bona fide sex maniac.

He puts his mouth to my ear. “How does that sound?” he whispers.

Goosebumps scatter up my spine. His fingers slip under the side of my panties, and he glides his fingertips through my sex.

“Hmm.” My eyes flutter closed as I take another sip of my champagne. “Keep talking.”

He bites my neck with force at exactly the same time as he impales me with two thick fingers.

Oh…

My knees nearly buckle out from under me.

His dark eyes hold mine as he works me, his thick fingers touching my most secret place. “Oh, my girl loves to fuck my hand.”

My eyes close.

He jerks his hand hard. “Doesn’t she?”

“Yes,” I whimper.

He lifts my leg to sit up on the chair, and he starts to really work me. Two fingers… then three, his teeth grazing my neck, biting my ear, and his quivering breath skimming my skin.

Four fingers…

Ouch.

I clench around him, and he smiles against my neck.

“You have no fucking idea how hot you feel stretched out like this.”

My body shudders, and I bear down on him.

He puts his mouth to my ear. “You’re going to come on my tongue tonight.” He growls. “Hard.”

Oh, yes…I am.

I shudder, and he takes his hands out of my pants and stands up straight. With his dark eyes fixed on mine, he sucks his fingers dry.

I pant as I melt into a puddle.

“I want to come now,” I whisper.

“No.” He straightens my dress and pulls it down. He neatens up my hair.

I pant as I watch him, my sex still buzzing from the beating he’s just given it.

Wet, swollen, and utterly stretched.

Needy.

“Later.”