TRUTH

by Sherri Hayes

  I nodded.

  “What do you say I make us some popcorn and we watch a movie?”

  “Okay.”

  “Come on,” she said, dragging me over to the bookcase where Stephan kept all the movies.

  She ran her hand over the titles until she landed on Pretty Woman. I couldn’t remember ever watching it. Lily was stunned when I told her. She insisted it was a classic and that everyone had to watch it at least once. I didn’t argue. I was just happy to do something that didn’t require thinking for a while.

  When Stephan arrived home that night, he held me in his arms and asked me about my day. I started by telling him about my conversation with Lily. He said he was proud of me for facing my fears. It felt good to be in his arms, like I could take a deep breath again.

  Then he’d asked about Cal. “How do you feel about what Ross said?”

  “I don’t understand,” I told him, truly not getting what he was asking me.

  “Karl told Ross I like to hurt women. How do you feel about that?”

  “You won’t hurt me.” I trusted Stephan more than any other person. He’d had plenty of opportunities to hurt me, and he hadn’t.

  He kissed my forehead. “No, love, I won’t. You are precious to me.”

  Time ticked by as we sat together with his arms around me. Everything was peaceful. Everything was right.

  We stayed in his chair until it was time for bed, and he guided me into his bedroom. Like the night before, he stripped me of my clothes, touching me in ways that made me feel warm all over. This time, however, after I was naked, he led me into the bathroom. After removing his own clothes, we stepped into the huge marble shower stall that I’d come to love. He washed me and let me wash him. I loved feeling his body under my hands. There were certain places where I’d touch and he would flex in response. I found one of those areas on his stomach, and I touched it over and over just to see his muscles move.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” He smiled.

  I giggled. “It moves.”

  “You think that’s funny do you?” he asked, stepping toward me.

  “Yes.”

  He moved closer still, until our bodies were flush against each other. I could feel his penis, hard and pressing against me. It had also been subject to my exploration. His body was still so new to me, and he seemed to like it when I touched him, so I kept doing it, trying to learn what he liked.

  I expected him to stop moving once we were body against body, but he didn’t. He gripped my shoulders and continued walking us backward until my back was up against the cool tile wall and my front was pressed against the heat of him.

  “I think you are being a very naughty girl, Brianna.”

  I froze. Was I in trouble? Did I really do something wrong? I felt my anxiety building.

  He leaned forward and kissed me with the slightest brush of his mouth, slipping out his tongue to slide gently along the seam of my lips. It was in complete contrast to what he’d just said.

  “Sir?”

  “You’re not in trouble, sweetheart. I’m not talking about that kind of naughty.”

  I took a deep breath and tried to relax.

  “Okay.”

  “Brianna, I want to tell you something. Are you listening?” he asked as he moved his mouth from my lips and trailed down my jaw to my neck. I tilted my head back instinctively, asking for more. His mouth felt amazing, and it was hard to think straight.

  “Yes,” I gasped.

  “I will never, ever, use sex against you as a punishment. Sex is meant to be fun and pleasurable. I would never do anything to make you feel otherwise, do you understand?”

  I nodded.

  “I want to hear you say it, Brianna,” he said, sinking his teeth with the slightest pressure into the skin just above my collarbone.

  “I understand . . . Sir.” I gripped the tops of his arms, feeling the need to hold on to something even though I was pressed against the wall barely able to move.

  “Good girl. Now I want you to close your eyes and relax. You’ve had your fun exploring my body, and now I’m going to have fun exploring yours.”

  A shiver ran up my spine at his words. This time, however, there was no fear. I loved when Stephan touched me.

  He knelt in front of me, and I looked down, following his movement. He gazed up at me, waiting. It wasn’t until he quirked his eyebrow at me that I realized I was disobeying him. I quickly closed my eyes.

  I heard some movement, then nothing for several seconds. The temptation to look was almost overwhelming, but I controlled myself. I would be good.

  Stephan didn’t make me wait long. He picked up my right leg, and rested my foot on what I assumed was his shoulder. I felt a pressure against the back of my knee, and realized he was kissing me there. First, he only used his lips, and then he added his tongue and then finally his teeth. It was like the skin beneath his mouth came alive and tingled. As he continued, I relaxed back into the wall.

  Just when I began to get used to the sensations, he moved. Up, up, up, he kissed, licked, sucked, and nipped me with his teeth, until he came to the junction between my legs. He kissed everywhere but where I ached for him the most, and I whimpered when he abandoned the area altogether and moved to my other leg. Like before, he kissed the back of my knee, using his entire mouth to explore and probe. The pattern repeated itself as he slowly worked his way back up my leg until he was again between my thighs. By then, I was arching toward him, the space between my legs aching, silently begging him for more.

  “No.” He stopped his kisses entirely, and I wanted to cry.

  Thankfully, after some time had passed, he began kissing me again, but instead of continuing between my legs, he moved up to my stomach. I had to press my lips together, attempting to stay quiet when all I wanted was to cry out in frustration. He’d pleasured me with his mouth the night before, so I knew it was greedy of me to want it again, but I did.

  My stomach muscles contracted under his mouth as he teased them. There was nothing funny about it, and I wondered if this was his way of teaching me a lesson. Was this anything close to what he’d felt when I’d been playing with his stomach? With every touch, my body temperature seemed to rise. No wonder people loved sex, if this was how it always felt. I wanted to reach out to him, but I didn’t dare. He’d told me not to move, and I was trying very hard not to.

  He inched his way up my torso and sucked first one breast, and then the other, into his mouth. I moaned when he dragged his teeth over one of them and then bit down not so gently on my nipple. I could feel the moisture between my legs and knew it wasn’t the water from the shower. I was wet and ready for him to take me whenever he wanted.

  My mouth was open. I couldn’t seem to get enough air to fill my lungs anymore. Every breath in seemed to be filled with a mixture of him and me and sex.

  Stephan reached for my arms and lifted them one at a time, kissing and nipping his way across their length. I was a mess of feeling by the time he reached my mouth again, my arms held firmly above my head with both of his hands.

  He took control of my lips, thrusting his tongue inside and stroking. His hands encircled my wrists, holding tighter. His body was flush against mine, even closer than before if that were possible. I could feel all of him, including his fully erect penis pressing eagerly between my parted legs, teasing my clit as he bumped against it. More. I needed more.

  He repositioned my wrists so both of them were being held by only one of his hands. The new position caused me to arch my back, but he didn’t seem to care. As my breasts brushed against his chest, he groaned and increased the grip on my wrists. Something told me I should be frightened since he had me pressed against the wall, holding me like this, but I wasn’t. This was Stephan, and instead of feeling trapped, I felt safe. I could feel him, smell him, surrounding me.

  I jumped a little when he slipped his hand between my legs, but I recovered quickly. He rubbed his fingers back and forth a few times, and I moaned, trying t
o press against the friction as best I could. Then he pushed his fingers inside me. I couldn’t tell how many fingers, but it didn’t matter. Everything felt so good. The familiar pressure began to build inside me, driving me toward my climax, but before I could reach the peak, he removed his hands.

  Before I could form words to beg him to please not stop touching me, he was back. This time, however, it wasn’t his fingers pressing into me. He hitched my leg up around his hip, opening me further to him, and lifted me slightly before his penis glided inside me, stretching me until I felt completely full. Everything felt more for some reason. My whole body was on fire, from where he held my wrists to where we were joined, down to where my leg was wrapped around him.

  He released my lips and ravished my neck with his mouth as he began to move inside me. There was no going slow. Every thrust of his hips pressed me hard against the tiles, but it only added to the sensation. The only things holding me in place were his hands. My legs were both off the floor and encircling his waist. With every movement, every kiss, I came closer and closer to the goal I was searching for. Every muscle in my body tensed.

  “Come for me!” he shouted against my neck before biting down hard. I felt the sting of his teeth as they dug into my skin, and I screamed. The pressure that had been building between my legs exploded.

  Chapter 8

  Stephan

  On Thursday I ended up working from home since I couldn’t bring myself to leave her alone yet and there wasn’t anything pressing that needed me to be in the office. Nothing I couldn’t delegate anyway. Brianna appeared to be doing fine for the most part, but she always kept me in sight. One time, I came out of the bathroom to find her sitting on the floor just inside my bedroom. She glanced up at me, nervous she’d done something wrong, and I quickly made sure those doubts left her mind completely.

  Ross called again, wanting to talk to her. I stayed close, in case she needed me, but she did well. There were a few moments when I noticed her tense, but she closed her eyes and breathed through it. When she opened her eyes and glanced over at me, I stood from where I was working at the dining room table and walked over to where she was curled up on the couch talking to him. She placed the phone in her lap as I approached, and I could hear Ross yelling through the phone.

  “Tell him to hold on a minute,” I whispered once I was standing in front of her.

  She picked up the phone and did as instructed before laying it back down. I could still hear Ross’s voice getting progressively louder. He wanted to know what was wrong, if she was all right. I’d heard her tell him I was working from home for the day, so why he thought I wouldn’t make sure Brianna’s needs were met was slightly irritating. The man needed to understand that she was my responsibility.

  Ignoring Ross, I leaned down, and placed my hands on the back of the couch. Brianna’s eyes grew wide as I towered over her, but she didn’t move. I brushed my lips against her ear and felt a shudder ripple through her.

  I smiled and stood. This time when Brianna glanced up at me, there wasn’t a look of shock or uncertainty. Her chest rose and fell with increased awareness. She knew the pleasure I could pull from her body, and she craved it. I loved that I was the one able to put that look in her eyes. If I had my way, I would work to see that look from her each and every day of our lives.

  She picked the phone back up as I returned to where my laptop sat. I heard her answer him but not his reply. They didn’t talk long after that, and she seemed frustrated when she hung up.

  I spent most of the afternoon on the phone. First with Jamie, then with Oscar. My lawyer was trying to figure out how to get a restraining order on Reeves without Brianna having to go before a judge. It would be tricky, but he felt, given his connections, he could accomplish it. While it wouldn’t guarantee Reeves would keep his distance, it would allow him to be reported for a violation of his restraining order should he ever come to the building again in an attempt to get to her.

  We also talked about Ian Pierce. Oscar had finally gotten all the financials on both him and Dumas. He was sending them over to my office so I could go through them. We needed to find something in them that would implicate Pierce. Otherwise, it was just Brianna’s word against his. I kept my voice low so Brianna wouldn’t be able to overhear, but she seemed to sense something wasn’t quite right and kept turning her head to check on me. She’d been hurt, abused, and yet she was worried about me.

  Later that night, when we were lying in bed with her head resting on my shoulder, I asked about her phone call. Ross wouldn’t let go of his concern that I would hurt her, no matter how much she reassured him. I didn’t really care what he thought of me, but I didn’t want his opinion to cause problems for Brianna. She shouldn’t have to defend me. It was my job to protect her, not the other way around.

  The next day, I had to go into the office. I didn’t want to leave Brianna, so I decided to bring her with me. It wasn’t ideal, but there was a comfortable couch in my office where she could read while I was in my meeting if she wanted. Jamie would also be there if she needed anything.

  To my surprise, Brianna was thrilled when I told her she would be going with me. The last time I’d taken her to my office she’d been frightened. Then again, she and I had built a lot of trust since then.

  Jamie greeted me when we walked off the elevator, and I formally introduced her to Brianna. My assistant knew about Brianna, of course. At least, she knew that Brianna existed and what had happened with Karl. Jamie, however, was a compassionate person. She loved her job, and I had no doubts about leaving Brianna in her care for the morning. Jamie would make sure Brianna had what she needed.

  I led Brianna into my office and showed her around. My desk was at the back of the room along a large bank of windows overlooking the city. I loved being able to see the outside. It was one of the things I loved best about both my home and office.

  In front of the desk were two padded chairs, slightly angled to give a more comforting feel. To the left there was a small, more relaxed meeting area made up of a coffee table and four chairs. I rarely used the space other than to have lunch with Lily occasionally. Meetings with clients normally occurred down the hall in the conference room, and the employees and executives who came to meet with me used the two chairs in front of my desk.

  On the other side of the room sat a black leather couch. To my knowledge, I was the only person to ever use the couch since I’d been in charge at the foundation. About a year ago, there had been a problem matching up some figures on a grant that had to go out the next day. Karl and one of the other executives had stayed with me trying to sort it out until I’d sent them both home around midnight. That night should have forewarned me about the true nature of Karl Walker, but I’d chalked it up to us all being tired and irritated. Every time we’d rerun the numbers and they wouldn’t add up, he’d become increasingly flustered and throw something across the room. It was usually a pen or a balled up piece of paper. Nothing major, but telling. By the time I had been satisfied the calculations were fixed and the grant proposal was ready, it was nearly three in the morning. I’d been exhausted and crashed on the sofa. Jamie had found me the next morning.

  Brianna brought with her a small backpack of things to occupy her while I was in my meeting today. I tossed it on the couch before I guided her behind the desk with me. Sitting down in my high-backed chair, I positioned her to stand in front of me with her back against the desk and her legs bracketed between mine. She was wearing a skirt that ended halfway down her thighs, showcasing her legs. It didn’t take much for my mind to fixate on how those legs had wrapped around me the previous night, and how great it would feel to have a repeat performance right here in my office. I’d never had sex with a woman at work before, but with Brianna the thought was very appealing. Exhibitionism wasn’t normally my thing, but that was what locks were for.

  Gripping her hips, I pulled her toward me. The movement happened so fast, she reached out to steady herself, holding tight to my shoulde
rs. I smiled. “My meeting is going to start soon. If you need anything, let Jamie know and she’ll get it for you. “

  “Okay.” I detected a note of sadness in her response.

  “Is something wrong, Brianna?” I asked, bringing her even closer to me.

  She shook her head. “No, Sir.”

  I held her face between both of my hands and brought her lips down to mine for a chaste kiss. At the contact, some of the tension eased from her body. She was as reluctant for me to leave as I was to go. I would only be down the hall, however, and I wasn’t expecting the meeting to go past lunchtime. We would be able to spend the entire afternoon and evening together.

  As I was about to pull her in for another kiss, I heard a familiar voice outside my door, followed by Jamie’s frustrated one. “I do believe he’s busy, Dr. Cooper—”

  The door to my office opened and in walked my uncle.

  He stopped, blinked, and then strategically cleared his throat. Given the look on his face, I wasn’t sure if I should be upset by his behavior or amused. He moved his gaze back and forth from me to Brianna, even though her back was still toward him. At the sound of his voice, she’d ducked her head. Her breath ruffled my hair, and I could tell she was no longer as relaxed as she’d been before Richard’s arrival. That alone made me lean more toward irritated.

  “Good morning, Uncle.” The greeting wasn’t overly pleasant, but it wasn’t meant to be. Richard may have tried to make an amends with Brianna, but I was under no misgivings as to his view of our relationship.

  He straightened his posture, broadcasting his displeasure in finding Brianna and I in what he was sure to view as a compromising position. It wouldn’t matter that we were both fully clothed and doing nothing that wouldn’t be perfectly acceptable on a city street. To him, my showing Brianna anything beyond friendship was unacceptable.

  “Good morning, Stephan. I didn’t realize Brianna would be with you today.”