This Cruel Love (A Dark Hearts Stand-Alone Novel Book 2)
Page 24
We parked up at the back of the club, and went in through the back doors. Dennis was inside, giving some kind of briefing to a group of men at a table in the main bar area. He waved over to us as we entered, but didn’t break up his meeting. Steve was restocking the shelves, and when he turned and saw me, he grimaced. I could see Emily, the new bar girl, collecting glasses and milling around the tables. She didn’t look too pleased to be working a shift with Steve, that was for sure.
“Morning boss,” Steve chirped, giving Jackson a fake-ass smile.
“Steve. Have you sorted out the ads for the new bar staff yet?” Jackson didn’t even look at him as he spoke.
“No, boss, but it’s on the top of my to-do list.” He was so smarmy he made my skin crawl.
“Make sure it is.”
As if on cue, Cill walked through the door to the offices and into the bar area to greet us.
“Jax, nice to see you bothered to turn up today. Are you here for business or pleasure?”
Jackson rolled his eyes and pushed past Cill to make his way to his office, holding my hand firmly in his as he did.
“Come on, angel. We won’t be long.”
“Angel?” Cill smirked. “And here I was thinking you didn’t do pet names. Do you have one for me?”
“Yeah, pain in the ass.”
“I think I prefer Cill. Sounds more… deadly… unpredictable. Like I could flip out at any moment.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me like a fool.
My phone started to buzz in my pocket, and when I pulled it out I could see my dad’s face smiling back up at me.
“You should get that,” Jackson said, and released my hand. “I’ll be in the office when you’re finished.”
I bit my lip, feeling nervous and hesitant.
“The sooner you speak to him, the sooner you can move on.”
He was right, of course. I couldn’t avoid my parents forever.
“Hey, Dad. What’s up?” I tried to sound breezy, even though I felt like a swarm of bees was attacking my insides.
“Sweetheart, we haven’t seen you for ages. Why is that? When can we see you, darling? Your mother and I are starting to get worried. Has that Justin got you on lock down or something?”
He sounded the exact same as he had the last time I’d spoken to him. A happy, jolly dad, with nothing but pride for his family. I don’t know why I’d expected anything different.
“Justin and I broke up, Dad.” I waited for the cheer or congratulations from him. I knew he wasn’t Justin’s biggest fan. Truthfully, I was surprised Gloria or Mick hadn’t spilled the beans about my new situation. They usually loved to share news, but they must’ve kept this gem to themselves. First time for everything, I suppose.
“I’m sorry to hear that, sweet pea. All the more reason to come and see us then. You need family around you, RiRi. How are you holding up?” His comfort surprised me. I hadn’t expected sincerity.
“I’m okay. I think it was probably for the best. Plus, it’ll save you an arm and a leg on weddings this summer.”
He gave a low chuckle. “That’s true. Your brother is certainly going all out with his wedding. Cassie was ordering doves the last I heard. She wants to release them during the ceremony. All sounds ridiculous to me.” I could just imagine my level-headed dad rolling his eyes at Cassie’s flighty, absurd ideas. She was kind of unique.
“It’ll be a day to remember that’s for sure.” I didn’t like to ask if it was still on. Dad obviously wasn’t privy to the same gossip that I was.
“So, what are you doing with yourself, RiRi? What’s taking up so much of your time that you’re too busy to see your old folks?”
I toyed with the idea of telling him I’d met someone else, but it just didn’t feel right. I was sure my dad would see it as a rebound thing, and I didn’t want that. Not to mention the small problem of Jackson’s dad and the whole suicide thing. Instead, I went with the safer option.
“I’ve been working, Dad. I’m doing some fundraising for a local charity. You know, drumming up support and getting the word out.”
“Well, I haven’t heard anything about it, so it sounds like you could do with a bit more help from your old dad. Get your hard work recognised and on the map round here. What charity is it?”
Yep, Mick and Gloria had definitely kept quiet. I hesitated, not sure how much I should reveal about the extent of my involvement with Jackson. Yet again, I played it safe.
“It’s a charity supporting mental health and homelessness. It’s a new venture, so you wouldn’t have heard of it.”
“That sounds great, sweet pea. Why don’t you pop by the office on Monday morning? It’s the annual shareholders meeting and there’ll be a lot of potential investors you can schmooze over my complimentary breakfast. Not to mention a much-needed catch up with Travis and me thrown in.”
Hearing his voice made me realise how much I’d missed my folks. I needed to see them. I should’ve made more of an effort recently. I’d become so preoccupied with Justin’s drama, I’d neglected the two people who loved me unconditionally, despite their past misgivings. I could look beyond that. I had to. They were my mum and dad. No matter what’d happened in their past, it was none of my business. I owed them forgiveness. They were only human, after all.
“Okay. I’ll do that. Have a skinny latte and a muffin waiting for me.”
“Blueberry? Consider it done.”
We said our goodbyes, and when I hung up the call, I had to admit it felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
“Everything okay?” Cill looked at me with trepidation on his face.
“Yeah. He said I should go and see him on Monday. It’s his annual shareholder’s meeting, and he thinks it’d be a good opportunity to drum up support for Jackson’s charity. A breakfast network and catch up kind of thing.”
Steve was staring at us as we spoke, and I didn’t like how he was eavesdropping on what was a private conversation. Luckily, some guy I’d never seen before came out from behind the bar, collecting the trash and making a total nuisance of himself. Not one for tolerance, Steve stomped off to the kitchens to carry on scowling.
“Do you think Jackson will mind me going?” I whispered nervously.
“Why would he mind? It’s your dad, Ryley. It’s no one else’s business but yours whether you see him or not.” Cill sighed. “Listen, I know he’s told you all about the whole fucked up revenge shit, but trust me when I say this; you are what’s important to him now. Not some over-exaggerated, well over-thought, useless revenge plan.” He leant closer to me as he spoke. “And between you and me, it always seemed crazy and insane anyway.”
I felt relieved to hear that from Cill. It wasn’t just me who thought Jackson was consumed by a rage that was unjustified.
“Plus, the guy is calling you his angel. I’m thinking you could ask for anything and he’d give it to you.”
We heard a grunt and both turned to find Steve stood in the doorway to the kitchen, looking like he was chewing on a swarm of wasps. I narrowed my gaze at him, but it wasn’t worth the energy to call him out on it.
“Are you jealous, Stevie boy?” Cill’s brow was furrowed and he looked as perplexed by Steve’s interest in us as I was.
“Errr, no.” Steve pushed the fridge door closed a little too heavy-handedly, which made Emily shriek, then he stomped off back to the kitchens.
“What a drama queen. Ignore him. Go find your man and give him a much-needed distraction from all of that paperwork I’ve been avoiding that he’s no doubt drowning in up there.” Cill nodded upstairs, and I hopped off the bar stool, but stopped before I got to the door.
I checked that nobody was in earshot and turned my attention back to Cill.
“Should I be worried? About other women? Exes?”
Jackson had consumed my heart and soul in a way no other man ever had; it kind of scared me. I needed to know if I had any skeletons to contend with from his extensive, and safely-guarded secret closet.
“How do you know?” I knew only too well how crazy a scorned ex could get.
“Because he’s never kept anyone around long enough to fool them into thinking he gives a shit. Except you, of course. You’ve always been the exception to the rules. You’re a game changer.”
I nodded, biting my lip. I didn’t realise how much I’d needed to hear that until now. It made the sick feeling in my stomach ease slightly. I swivelled on the spot, suddenly desperate to see him again, even though we’d only been apart for minutes. That man was like a drug to me, and I didn’t need rehab to feel better. Only him.
I tapped on his door lightly and let myself in. Jackson looked stressed out, and was running his hands through his hair as he scanned the stack of papers piled up on his desk.
“You okay? Need some help?”
He relaxed when he saw me, and beckoned for me to come in.
“Lock the door behind you, angel. I think I need something, or rather someone to take my mind off this shit.”
I pushed the door to and turned the lock until it clicked shut. His eyes never left mine as I stood watching him from the doorway, and I noticed a hint of the devil in him. Like he was plotting something dirty and forbidden. I glanced around the office, feeling familiar emotions stir inside me from the last time I was here. The Jackson I enjoyed being with at our home was an entirely different creature to the one sitting behind his desk now. This Jackson was more like the beast I’d met three months ago, albeit a less scary and more seductive one.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re plotting something?”
“Because I am, and this right here…” he swept his arms around his office, “…this is my kingdom.”
“You feel powerful here, don’t you?”
“I always feel powerful, angel, but here… I make all the fucking rules. Did you put on something black and lacy for me?”
I nodded, sucking on my bottom lip and sinking my teeth into it to stop me groaning at the thought of him peeling it off later.
“Then get that fine ass of yours over here.”
He rolled his chair back slightly to indicate that he wanted me in front of him. I sauntered over to where he sat, looking every inch the king he was in this world of his, and I perched on the edge of his desk.
He reached forward and ran his fingers up the side of my thigh, pushing the fabric of my dress up. Then his fingers skated underneath and over the lace of my panties. He sucked in a breath and lifted my skirt to see what I had on for him. The heat in his gaze made me wet for him, and desperate to please.
“I like it. Very, very sexy. Now take your dress off.” He sat back in his chair, no doubt to enjoy the view. “Slowly. Nice and slowly, angel.”
I lifted the dress over my head as slowly and seductively as I could, dropping it on the floor at the side of his chair. I was perched in front of him in my black lace bra and panties, and from the way he licked his lips, he liked what he saw.
“Up,” he commanded, so I hopped up onto his desk and put my legs either side of his chair, giving him the view I knew he’d want. My heart was pounding out of my chest so hard, I could hear the beats in my ears, thumping like a movie soundtrack to complement our erotic encounter. I gripped the edge of his desk with both hands to steady myself. This man always made me tremble with anticipation and need for him. I knew I had to steel myself in preparation for a more domineering, commanding Jackson than I was used to. In this office, in his realm, he was unstoppable.
“You have no idea how fucking sexy you look right now.” He leaned forward and brushed his fingers along my thighs and stopped as he reached the top. Then he snaked his arms around my back and pulled me to the edge of his desk. “I want to fuck you over my desk, make you scream my name as you come over and over again. I want to come all over you, inside you. Any way I can. I want it dirty, angel. Really fucking dirty.”
I’d never heard him speak like this before, and I liked it. I felt so horny I could barely talk, my mouth was so dry.
“I’ll do anything for you,” was all I could manage, but my body was screaming, ‘Hell yes! Fuck me as dirty as you want’.
“I want to fuck you in ways you’ve never been fucked before. Make you come harder than you’ve ever come.” He cupped in between my legs. “This, all of this, is mine. Mine to play with, mine to do what I want.” I rocked against his hand; his words were making me wet and needy.
“Mine,” he growled.
“Yours.”
He ran a finger along the seam of my panties, then underneath, feeling the wetness that pooled on his command.
“Always so wet, so ready for me. I love that.” He pushed a finger inside me then pulled it out. His eyes seared into mine, and he sucked his finger into his mouth, tasting my arousal and humming with desire.
“Sweet. Just like you.”
The erotic way he looked at me as he sucked his finger made my pussy clench, and I felt like I’d die if I didn’t have him inside me soon.
“Touch me again. I love your touches.” I leant back, resting my hands behind me and pushing my hips forward, but he shook his head and tutted.
“I make the rules, remember. I’m the fucking king and I say when and where you need to be touched.” He was enjoying his dominance and so was I.
“Take it off.” He pointed to my bra, and I unhooked it, letting it drop from my arms onto the floor.
“Perfect.” He reached both hands forward to cup and caress my tits. “I’m gonna come all over these.”
He took my nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, making me gasp, then he bit down and I hissed at the pain laced with subtle, tantalising pleasure. He lathered his tongue over me to ease the burn before sucking and biting again, sending me into a spiral of ecstasy. I leaned forward into his mouth and dragged my nails over his scalp as he tortured and teased my nipples. He was relentless and thorough in his game of pleasure-pain. I closed my eyes and threw my head back, lost in the myriad of bliss he was creating. The fact that I was sitting there in my black lacy panties, like a prize just for his sole gratification, as he sat forward, fully dressed in his suit, was even more of a turn on. I felt vulnerable, but not weak. He might have been calling the shots, but I knew my strengths too. And right then, my body was controlling him as much as he was controlling me.
I rocked back and forth as he tended to my breast, sucking, nibbling, and loving them.
“More,” I gasped, pulling on his hair so he’d look up at me and see my desperation for him.
He popped a nipple out of his mouth and stood up in front of me, all the time rubbing and kneading my breasts in his large, warm hands. His nostrils were flared, and his eyes showed me he was already under my spell.
“On all fours, angel. I want you bent over on my desk with your ass in the air. I need to see you.”
I turned my back to him and crawled up onto his desk, my ass in his face and my breath coming in short, shallow gasps as I waited to see what he was going to do next.
“Now this is a view I’ll never get tired of. Your ass is beautiful.”
He squeezed both of my ass cheeks with his hands and spread them, making me groan at the delicious sensation it triggered in my pussy. He slid his finger into the side of my panties and then ran it along the crack of my ass and down across the wetness of my pussy. “And this is the prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen. Just perfect.”
He peeled my panties slowly down my ass and along my thighs, sighing heavily with desire as he did. The slow, torturous movements made me wriggle and squirm in front of him. I was becoming frantic with the anticipation of what was to come.
I peered behind my shoulder to see what he was doing, and the way he was studying me, drinking in the view, made me tingle with want.
“Eyes ahead, angel. I know what you need. Trust me.”
I felt his warm breath on the inside of my le
gs as he licked his way up my left thigh and then my right, stopping as he came close to the tingling, needy prize that waited for him. I could sense his face was close, so I nudged my ass backwards, letting him know how ready I was for him. He chuckled, and I cried out as I felt his tongue take one long delicious lick from my clit, through my folds and up further, further than he’d been before, over my ass.
“Oh.” I stumbled forward, caught out by the sensation of his mouth on me there.
“All of this is mine. Remember that, angel. Every perfect inch of you is mine to taste, lick, touch, and fuck.”
My heart stopped in my chest. I’d never done anything like that before. Justin always tried to talk me into doing anal, but I shot him down. But right then, with Jackson, I didn’t feel the same reluctance. I’d honestly do anything for him. I wanted him that badly.
“I haven’t done… that before.” I wanted to turn round to gauge his reaction, but I didn’t. I kept my head forward like he wanted.
“Fuck, Ryley. That makes it even sexier. I’ll be the only one to ever take you here.” He pushed his face forward in between my legs and licked with strong, pointed laps. Then he pulled back and grabbed my ass cheeks, squeezing them hard and pulling them apart so he could see me better.
“I will fuck you in the ass, Ryley. I’ll make it feel so good for you, baby.” I didn’t doubt it. Everything he did felt awesome. My man was a genius in the bedroom, a master of my orgasms. “Not today though, angel. You’re not ready. I’m not that much of a bastard. Today is all about pleasure. Only pleasure. And all for you.”
His arm reached forward, pushing between my shoulder blades and easing my shoulders down. I leant on my forearms for support, my limbs trembling with anticipation. Could he see that? Did he know what he did to me? I guessed he did, as he yanked my ass up high, his arm holding me steady around the hips as he buried his face between my legs.
His skilled tongue darted inside me as his stubbly chin grazed my clit, grinding and eliciting guttural groans and moans from me. I pushed back against him as he licked and bit my folds, then sucked my clit into his mouth and circled his tongue round and round before flicking it across in that way he knew drove me crazy.