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  “Good,” she said, nodding in relief. “So, things can be normal between us, right?”

  “Sure.”

  She nodded again and turned on her heel to leave.

  “Do you need a ride?” I called after her.

  “No, thanks. I’ll take a taxi.”

  “Where’s your car?”

  “I wasn’t sure I could drive this morning.”

  Did she even have time to stop by her house this morning? She looked a little tired, but it was almost midnight, and she had had a long day. Only now, did I think about something that I didn’t care to find out this morning. How did she get back to the city?

  I lived in a deserted area. There were only a few houses around and I highly doubted she would find a waiting taxi out there; definitely not at 5:00 AM.

  I got into my car, started the engine and waited for Scarlett’s silhouette to disappear behind the corner. In the blink of an eye, she managed to turn my world upside down. I remembered my brother’s words and even thought about calling him, as my perfectly planned life was already fucking falling to shit, just as he had said in his words…

  Chapter 5

  Scarlett

  Being back home was the most amazing feeling. It even smelled like peace that not even Frenchie could ruin. I took a shower; one of the longest showers of my life. I still secretly hoped I would be able to wash the making-my-stomach-hurt-miserably memories away. That was wishful thinking; it didn’t really work unfortunately…

  When I left the bathroom, I noticed the red light on my cell phone flashing. Was it a missed call or a message? My knees trembled at the thought that it could be from Dominick. But the very second I went to check it out, my phone rang and my best-friend’s smiling face flashed on the screen.

  “Jill, it’s almost two in the morning. Did you even consider the fact that I might be sleeping already?”

  “No, I was sure you would be still wide awake, daydreaming about stripping in front of my new boss and hoping he would refresh your memories from last night.” She chuckled on the other end.

  “Oh, God. You are not helping, you know?” I groaned, sinking back against the pillows on my bed.

  “I wasn’t trying to.”

  “What the hell, Jill? Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”

  “Seriously, Scar? Be on your side when such a please-fuck-me-now man with a gorgeous set of muscles is on the other side? Are you kidding me?”

  “Do not ever call him that again.”

  “Why? Does it make the butterflies in your stomach that has been longing for a good shake-up go wild?”

  “What are all these multi-word adjectives about?”

  “Well, you didn’t stop by to talk after the meeting was over, and you never called me. Which makes me think that you need someone to talk to.”

  “You often think disjointedly, but this is one of your worst attempts to make what you’re trying to say clear. I don’t think I am understanding your point.”

  “Whatever. Tell me everything!” She said excitedly, like she thought I could remember what happened, even though I’d already explained to her that I couldn’t.

  I immediately regretted telling Jillian about Dominick. Well, technically, I didn’t tell her it was Dominick, but somehow she figured it out all on her own after she saw the two of us drilling each other to the walls with our eyes throughout the entire meeting.

  “There’s nothing to tell; really. We talked to make sure that we were on the same page.”

  “And what page exactly are you talking about? The Forget-it one or I-can’t-wait-for-the-next-time one?”

  “The former,” I told her, hoping this would get my point across that there will never be anything between Frenchie and me.

  “Oh, well… Are you sure this is what you want? I mean, he’s super hot and you haven’t had sex in forever. Seriously, who goes that long without getting laid?”

  “So what? I’m not going to let him or anyone else ruin my plans for the future, just because you and my vagina think I need to have sex.”

  She laughed into the handset. “God, Scar, you don’t even know how desperate you sound. I will agree with you on one of your points though, your vagina does have needs. So, why don’t you try to give yourself a break and take things easy?”

  “If by easy you mean sleeping with your boss, then no, I will not take things easy.”

  “Ugh, sometimes I want to shake you by the shoulders, ‘cause you miss out everything that life gives you! And I’m not talking about your job. There are other things outside of your work, you know? Well, you can find them in my boss’s pants too, but you get the general point anyway.”

  “Yeah, I get it. And thanks for the reminder, we both have work tomorrow, so I’m going to hang up now, and I’ll see you in about six hours.”

  “Scar, wait!”

  I pushed the end call button and turned off the phone, knowing that she would call me right back; at least ten times before giving up and deciding to further pursue the conversation tomorrow at work.

  Falling asleep wasn’t hard. I was so exhausted, not even thoughts about Mr. Perfect could make me stay awake. It felt like I had just fallen asleep when I heard my alarm clock ringing, my mind was too hazy to realize that it was actually time to get up.

  I grabbed my cell phone off of my nightstand, turned it on, and finally saw the missed message that I forgot to check before going to bed.

  “Make sure next time you leave my bed, we both get what we want,” the message said.

  I stared at the screen, confused. What the hell is he talking about? I thought we both did get what we wanted the other night, hence why I woke up in his bed in the middle of the night.

  So I decided I’d ask, “Didn’t we both get what we wanted?”

  To my surprise, the response came immediately.

  “Well, I can’t seem to remember, I only recall the part where you were begging me to take you right now.”

  Oh, God… He was kidding, wasn’t he? Damn those Margaritas! I might never drink tequila again!

  I hesitated for a couple of minutes before typing the next message, then I hit send before I could change my mind.

  “What do you want?”

  “You owe me at least one orgasm.”

  What? Was he serious?

  “I thought you were fine with leaving this ‘unfinished business’ aside.”

  “I changed my mind.”

  Asshole…

  “I’m sure you can find someone else to finish it for you instead of me, I’m sure there are other women you can pester.”

  “Debts need to be repaid.”

  No shit?

  “Sorry, not this time.” Or any other time for that matter, but I didn’t add that to the text message, I figured he would get the point.

  “I have something that might make you change your mind.”

  Oh, no… I felt my palms trembling.

  “What is it?”

  “Have breakfast with me, and you will find out.”

  Okay, at least he wasn’t going to send my nude photos or whatever it is that he had, to the newspapers or post them online; at least not without meeting with me first, or so I hoped.

  “Fine. Where?”

  “My office. 7:30, don’t be late.”

  Double asshole…

  I looked at the clock on the wall — it showed 6:50 AM. Which meant I had only forty minutes to get dressed and get to the office.

  I took a quick shower even though I had one last night, it helped me wake up, put on the first outfit I could find, and rushed downstairs, hoping I wouldn’t get stuck in traffic, it was New York City after all — the United States’ number one city for bad traffic. It’s so awful that most people don’t even own a car; they just take a taxicab. Fortunately, by the time I made it to my office and dropped my jacket off on my chair, it was only 7:35 AM; I was sure the jerk wouldn’t notice that I was late.

  “You are five minutes and thirty-two seconds late,” he
said the moment I crossed the threshold to his office. I cursed mentally. Why would such a handsome face be given such a douchebag?

  Today he was wearing a dark-gray suit with a white shirt and red tie that made him look even more severe and gorgeous.

  “Sit.” He waved to the chair opposite him. What does he think I’m a dog? I don’t respond to one word commands! Not this chick, sorry dude.

  “Leave your boss-around shit for someone else, I’m not your employee and I’m not your dog,” I snapped, coming to his desk. I didn’t sit down. I stood with my arms crossed on my chest, trying to read what was hidden behind that poker face of his.

  Slowly, his eyes travelled down my face, stopping at my lips long enough for me to notice what he was looking at, and then moved down to my neck and my breasts that he obviously couldn’t leave unnoticed. Pig.

  “Lovely dress,” he commented finally, rising. I shifted uneasily at the thought of him coming any closer to me than he already was. I felt much more secure when he kept his distance from me.

  I didn’t move when he stopped right behind me, and brushed my hair away from where it covered the still visible mark he left on my neck the other night.

  “Do you remember at what point of our play that I gave this to you,” he asked quietly, caressing the hickey with his fingertips.

  “No,” I said, trying to sound indifferent.

  “Then I will remind you,” he replied; his lips brushed my skin, making my heartbeat accelerate. “It was during the first stage of the little game we were playing,” he breathed into the curve of my neck, one of his palms slid down my side. “Your hand was on my cock, your full breasts in my palms; and you were trying so fucking hard to please me.”

  I swallowed, unable to picture anything else except for the images his words made flash behind my closed eyes.

  “You were so willing to give me anything I wanted,” he proceeded, now kissing my neck lightly. I almost groaned at how wonderful it felt, and how badly I wanted his lips all over my body, and not just on my neck. “So obliging and so demanding. How is it even possible to combine two completely opposite emotions?” His lips travelled to my jaw and I didn’t even realize that I had turned to face him; our eyes locked, our lips mere inches apart. “Do you even realize what you are doing to me, ma Belle de nuit?”

  That was it — the moment my rational thinking won and took control; I took a step back trying to get away from him, but only ended up locked between his body and the desk.

  “Nowhere to run?” He asked, excitement dancing in those sexy eyes of his.

  “What do you want?” I asked for what felt like a hundredth time.

  “You. I want you. Here, in my bed, in your office, everywhere I can take you to finally get you out of my system.”

  His palms moved to the hem of my dress and he pulled it up so fast, I gasped when he lifted me up onto the desk that was behind me.

  “What do you think you are doing?” I asked, horrified. Someone might come in at any moment, and I sure as hell didn’t want to be caught like this.

  He ignored my question and smiled cunningly, leaning closer, as if he were waiting for me to stop him. But I was so hypnotized by him, everything about the man felt so intoxicating: his voice with his words, his face with his sexy expressions, his mouth teasing me by kissing my neck, his hands pulling up my dress, his scent filling my nostrils, and I don’t think he thought I noticed the bulge in his pants; I did. I couldn’t leave even though I knew it was exactly what I needed to do, and I needed to do it right now, before anyone came in and saw what was going on.

  The next second his lips were on mine, and he was kissing me with so much need and hunger, I immediately forgot how to breathe. His hands were all over me: my sides, my tummy, my breasts, my thighs…

  I could stop him, I should stop him, but more than anything, I wanted him to keep going.

  “Christ, you can’t even imagine how badly I want to be inside you right now,” he breathed into my lips, before he started kissing me again. I could feel his hand sliding down my stockings to where he could touch my skin.

  “So soft and so warm,” he whispered, biting my lower lip softly. Then I felt his fingers sliding under the hem of my panties and I panicked.

  “Stop,” I said breathlessly, catching him by the hand.

  “Too late,” he replied, pulling his finger to his mouth, licking it and putting it back down my panties, pressing one of his fingers to my clit and stroking it.

  “I mean it,” I said, trying to break free of his mind-blowing hands and eyes.

  “So do I,” he mouthed, now drawing small circles around my clit.

  I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to make myself move. I needed to leave, I wanted to stay, and I needed to stop him, but I didn’t want to…

  Thinking back and forth about what needed and should be done, I finally gave up, I stopped resisting, sent my doubts to hell and leaned closer, watching the familiar fire burning in his eyes. It was one of the few things that I still remembered about the other night.

  “God, you are so warm and wet,” he said quietly, as if he could barely control himself. Then he looked at me with so much intensity, I thought I would explode from that look alone. The next thing I knew his fingers plunged inside me, moving slow and then fast. I cursed myself for living so long without a man; for depriving myself of this amazing feeling. Jeez, I was so screwed…

  “I want you. Right now.” He groaned, his eyes drinking in every line of my face.

  “Tu peux faire ce que tu veux — you can do whatever you want,” I said. And that was that very moment the devil was back, and was grinning down at me with that triumphant smile that said it all: he wasn’t going to take me right here, right now.

  “Now, Sunshine, if you’ll excuse me,” he said, readjusting my dress. “I have work to do.”

  My first reaction was confusion, then it turned to shock, and then to fury.

  He caught my hand before I could slap him, not a hint of a smile on his face. “Next time you want to dump me, remember that karma always has a way of coming back to bite you in the ass, Sunshine.”

  “Next time you want to get into my panties, make sure you have the door locked. Because next time I might not be not satisfied with your fingers, and you don’t want anyone to see your naked ass at work, do you? Now, if you’ll excuse me,” I said, getting to my feet. “I have more interesting work to do than fucking around with you.” Then I headed for the door and slammed it shut behind me.

  “Good morning, Miss,” Stevie said, greeting me, but I was too furious to respond and just nodded my greeting, then I went to my office and leaned back against the closed door.

  My heart was beating wildly, my thoughts were a mess, my cheeks were flushed, and the damn aching between my legs made it all worse. Fucking bastard…

  “You have a package from Mr. Altier,” Stevie said through the speakerphone.

  What?

  “Where is it?” I asked, through the closed door.

  “On your desk.”

  I rushed to my desk as if it were on fire. There was a simple white envelope with my name on it, written in a very beautiful and careful handwriting. Is there anything the asshole does wrong?

  I opened the envelope and froze, staring blankly at the picture I found inside. It showed me, sleeping across Dominick’s bed, with the blanket covering only a part of my back. I could clearly see my face, my hair spread all over the pillow I was embracing, and a part of my breast that was peeking out from under the blanket. My worst fears confirmed — he was an obsessed psycho.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket.

  “Did you like the photo?” The message asked.

  “Screw you!” I typed back. I wanted to scream at him, better yet, I wanted to scream at him and then smack that sexy smile off of his face. How dare he?

  “So you did like it.”

  “When did you take it?”

  “Obviously, when you were asleep after a long and pleasurable sexua
l encounter with me.”

  “How many more do you have?”

  “Plenty.”

  “So you are going to blackmail me?”

  “No.”

  I couldn’t believe my eyes.

  “No?” I typed.

  “I don’t think I need to blackmail someone who has already given me permission to do WHATEVER I WANT.”

  Have I ever regretted anything as much as those stupid words I just had to say to him in the heat of the moment? I don’t think so. I had no idea he was going to use sex to get revenge on me, or well, I guess he used the idea of sex seeing, as we didn’t actually have sex just a few minutes ago, the fucking tease asshole!

  “Where did you put the rest of the photos? I want them all. NOW!”

  There was a pause with the response, and I was sure he made me wait on purpose, knowing how pissed and nervous I was.

  “To get them, you will have to work really hard.”

  You’ve got to be kidding me…

  “Post them anywhere you want. I won’t sleep with you. EVER AGAIN!”

  “Wasn’t going to post them. I have a better idea.”

  I had an unpleasant feeling about the next message from him. “I will send them to your father and show him what a naughty girl you’ve been,” it said.

  Crap…

  “Still not going to sleep with you! I don’t give a shit what you do with the pictures.”

  Two could play this stupid game.

  “Tomorrow night, 10:00 o’clock, my place, don’t put on too many clothes.”

  Seriously? He thought I would buy it? I laughed nervously, both excited and angry. What the hell? I wasn’t going to please him by doing what he wished, so what reason would I have to be excited? Stupid hormones…

  “In your dreams!” I texted, hoping he would back off.

  “Come tomorrow and I will tell you anything you want to know about my dreams.”

  No fucking way!

  I looked at the message one last time, deleted it and asked Stevie to bring me a cup of coffee. I already wasted too much of my time on that piece of shit who didn’t deserve even one second of it.