by Anna Collins
Bye bye, Drake. Thanks for taking my mind off of my problems for a little while.
The doors opened, and I walked sluggishly to my apartment, dragging my feet as my eyes refused to open a millimeter wider. My body was just begging for sleep now, and with the alcohol’s help, I would be sleeping well tonight.
I saw a pair of legs on the floor in front of my apartment and my brows furrowed, following those legs to the rest of its body. My eyes widened as I spotted a sleeping Apollo propped up against my door, his head nodding off slightly.
Well, that was just great. The person I was so not looking forward to seeing right now was leaning against my door, and there was no way for me to get inside without alerting him of my presence. Wonderful. Just wonderful.
I didn’t know if it was the alcohol or if I was just so pissed off at him, but I walked up and pushed him off of my door with my foot, my heels digging into his upper arm as I kicked him off. He awoke with a start and looked up at me with wide eyes, but I ignored him, digging inside my purse for my keys.
“Callie,” he said, and I thanked my lucky stars I managed to open my door without much fuss. I got inside quickly and tried to close the door on Apollo’s face, but the man used his foot to keep it from closing. “Callie, please. Just let me talk to you,” he pleaded.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t have time to speak with you right now. I have another kidnapping to get ready for,” I said sarcastically, still trying to shove the door closed. He placed his hand on the side of my door and pushed harder.
“Please, Callie. Just give me five minutes,” he said, and I groaned before stepping back, allowing him to get inside and close the door behind him. I crossed my arms and glared at him.
“Five minutes and the clock is ticking,” I said, and he took a deep breath, not saying anything. Thirty seconds passed in silence, and I rolled my eyes at the wasted time, immediately regretting it because my head started pounding right after.
“Jesus, just--,” I started to say, but he cut me off. Classic Irons’ move.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and I just stared at him emotionlessly. “I’m sorry I accused you of kidnapping my son,” he said.
“That’s not enough,” I replied.
“I’m sorry for saying you had an ulterior motive,” he tried again, and I sighed.
“Still lacking.”
“I’m sorry I accused you of being a vile person!” he shouted, his eyes flaring as he glared at me. I smirked thinly, making him see how much I enjoyed riling him up. The bastard deserved it.
“I’m sorry for everything I said. I didn’t mean any of it. I was--,” he pushed his hands through his hair, pulling at them like he wanted to tear them right off his scalp. He took his hands off of his head and stared at them as if they could somehow hold the answers, the words he was having trouble to say. “I was just so worried about him, Callie. I lost it. I completely lost it, and I took it out on you. And I’m sorry,” he said, breathing the last word out.
I was trembling, not from anger, but from how his words affected me. Despite my bravado at staying mad at him, my heart was beating out of my rib cage, practically screaming for me to forgive him and jump into his arms. My heart could be a little dramatic like that.
But the brain was placed above the heart for a reason, and I was going to use that part above all else now.
“You’ve said your piece, and I have a huge headache,” I finally told him and he furrowed his brows at me, not understanding. I waved him off and started to walk toward my room. “Go. Shut the door on your way out.”
My hand was literally an inch away from the door knob when I felt Apollo grab my other hand and pull me back toward him. I spun around, and Apollo pushed me against the wall, caging me in between his arms, leaning closer and closer to my body.
I looked up into his eyes, and I could see a multitude of emotions swirling in them, ranging from anger to sadness, to desperation, and something else I couldn’t describe. He was breathing through his mouth, his breath mixing with mine as he bent his head lower, closer towards my face. I swallowed the saliva gathering in my mouth as I tensed up, his gaze pinning me down and rendering me unable to turn my head away.
I couldn’t turn away. Damn it, I didn’t think I wanted to.
I opened my mouth to tell him to get off of me, but he covered it up with his own, making my eyes widen. I gasped into the kiss, and I felt his tongue slide into my mouth, making me moan.
With just one kiss, he managed to fry my brain, causing it to short circuit and relinquish its controls over to my heart, which happily steered it towards a naughtier place.
My hands slid into Apollo’s scalp, pushing his head closer, angling my head so I could shove my tongue deeper down his throat. I felt his hands wrap around my waist, his fingers squeezing it almost painfully before one of his hands crawled up my body and cupped my breast, like he was weighing it out before he molded it, causing me to moan.
I felt his knee separate my legs, climbing higher and higher until I felt it brush against the apex of my thighs. It pressed against my center, and I couldn’t help but pull away from his mouth so I could concentrate on swirling my hips, grinding myself against his thigh. He started nibbling the soft part of my ear instead before going lower, planting small, open-mouthed kisses on the edge of my jaw and my neck. I felt his teeth grazing across my skin, and I shivered, moving my hips faster to relieve some of the tension gathering up inside of me.
He continued to kiss me there until I felt his lips brush against the part between my neck and shoulders. He then proceeded to bite me there, making my eyes snap open in shock. He quickly soothed the mark with the warm slide of his tongue, and I lost it, my hands clutching at his shoulders as I came, and my mouth opened with wonder.
Wow. I never thought I could come without sex before. And this was certainly the first time I’d ever done something even remotely erotic against my apartment wall, or any kind of wall.
He removed his hand from my breast as he leaned back, giving me a heated stare that I was sure matched my own. He took his knee out from under me, and I couldn’t bring myself to look down and see if I had left a spot on his knee from how powerful I had just come earlier.
I was feeling a little ashamed at how easily I gave in to him and came apart just like that. It probably looked like I had never had sex before or something.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated, his eyes staring up at the ceiling as he tried to control his breathing. Well, at least I was not the only one affected by what had happened.
“Are you really?” I asked.
“I’m sorry about what I did earlier,” he clarified, and I narrowed my eyes at him.
“And how about what you did now?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of me protectively. He looked straight into my eyes and shook his head.
“I’ll never be sorry for doing that,” he said.
“I’m still mad at you,” I told him, and he chuckled.
“That’s fine. I’m quite persistent in getting what I want, anyway. I don’t mind working harder for your forgiveness,” he said, his tone more confident than repentant, like forgiving him was inevitable.
I scoffed at his arrogance.
“I’m not accepting your resignation, by the way. You’re sticking around as my “assistant” until you finish my book,” he said. I gritted my teeth in frustration. If it had been any other employer, I would screw professional etiquette and just stop coming to work. That would serve him right, really.
But he knew as well as I did that it was highly unlikely I would ever get an offer like this again. I needed this job very badly. But he’d told me a couple of times that I was the only one he could trust to do the job, the only one he knew had the guts to stand up to him and make sure his manuscript was as perfect as he wanted it to be.
He needed me just as badly as I needed him, and I could use that to my advantage.
“I’ll withdraw my resignation,” I said, and I watched the corners of his
mouth lift up in a satisfied grin, triumph glinting in his eyes. “But, on one condition,” I said, and he raised an eyebrow at me.
“I don’t think you’re in a position to demand something of me,” he said, and it was my turn to smile.
“I beg to differ. You know I’m the only one who can help you write your book, and your perfectionist self won’t let you consider anyone else,” I said, and I saw his jaw tense up as he locked his teeth together.
“What do you have in mind?” he finally said, and it was time for me to give him a smirk of my own.
“I want to be credited as your editor,” I told him, and he shook his head immediately.
“No.”
“Then I’m walking,” I threatened, and we glared at each other, the both of us willing the other to back down. I was not going to give up on this one. If I was going to be forced to work on his autobiography, then damn it, I sure as hell wanted to be recognized for it.
It felt like we had stared at each other for an hour, but it probably lasted only a few minutes. Finally, he moved his palm over his face with a sigh, and I knew that he had given up.
“I’ll think about it, okay?” he said, and I smirked, victorious. That was as good as a ‘Yes’ in my book.
“Okay,” I said, and he nodded before looking at his watch and muttering a curse.
“It’s late, and we need to get up early tomorrow,” he said, and I tilted my head.
“Tomorrow?” I asked.
“We have a meeting with Tech Zone Inc. in the morning. We’ll be discussing their plans for using my land as the base for their company,” he explained, and I hummed.
“Is their company any good?” I asked.
“It will be, which is why it will be a good investment on my end,” he said, and I smiled as I witnessed his gift of precognition at work. Besides his enormous wealth and good looks, Apollo was known for his apparent knack of knowing which companies would thrive and which would sink to bankruptcy. You could bet that 9 out of 10, he’d be right on his investment, and it seemed that Tech Zone was something he could bet his money on.
“Are we okay?” he asked, and I nodded.
“I think so,” I replied. “How are you going to get back home? I didn’t see your car anywhere,” I told him.
“I’ll take a cab,” he answered, and I glanced at my wall clock and winced at how late it was. How was he going to get some sleep? “I’ll sleep during the ride,” he said, reading my thoughts. My mouth opened and my brain couldn’t catch the words before it came out.
“You can sleep here.”
Fuck.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Apollo
Did I hear her right? She just invited me over?
I waited for her to take back her words and tell me to take a hike, but the only reaction I got was her face blushing crimson and her eyes wide as saucers like she was surprised she had asked me to stay the night.
I was tempted to take her up on her offer, but I had to ask her again. I didn’t want to stay if she didn’t want me to.
“Are you sure?” I asked, and her surprise faded into a feigned nonchalance.
“Of course I am. A cranky boss isn’t something I want to deal with so early in the morning, you know. It’s hard enough dealing with you in your normal state,” she said, and I shook my head.
She accused me of being mercurial? She constantly switched from wanting to jump my bones one moment to wishing I never existed. If anyone was giving anyone mixed signals, it was her.
She seriously had to just make up her mind. I knew I had.
“I’ll see if Nick has left some of his clothes here,” she said, and I had to scoff at that.
“No thanks. I highly doubt he has anything of my size,” I told her. Before she could say anything else, I started to unbutton my shirt and pull it off of me.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice raising a pitch higher.
“Getting ready for bed,” I answered, and she shook her head vehemently.
“You are not sleeping on the bed. You get the couch,” she said. I looked at the couch and raised an eyebrow.
“I wouldn’t fit in it,” I said.
“Then make yourself smaller! Fold your knees, I don’t know..,” she said, her brows furrowing in irritation.
“Why don’t I just sleep with you?” I asked, intentionally wording my question that way instead of asking to sleep in her bed. She caught on quick though, and her eyes narrowed at me.
“I don’t trust you to not do anything frisky,” she said, and I laughed at her honesty. I raised my hands up in the air with a smile.
“I promise I won’t do anything that would ‘sully’ your virtue,” I said. She gaped at me, and I couldn’t resist dropping my other hand. “Scout’s Honor,” I swore, and it was her turn to scoff at me.
“I highly doubt you were ever a boy scout,” she said, and I smirked, confirming her suspicions. She sighed heavily and nodded her head towards her room before walking ahead, and I mentally gave myself a pat on the back as I followed after her.
She opened the door to her room and went on pulling the comforters off the bed and then placing it neatly on the floor. She then grabbed one pillow and dropped it on top of the comforter before looking at me expectantly.
“I’m sure the floor is big enough to accommodate you,” she said, her voice laced with honey, giving me a smile that was overly sweet. I narrowed my eyes at her.
Hell no. There was no way in hell I was sleeping on the floor when there was a perfectly good bed right there.
Before she could protest, I quickly wrapped her in my arms and laid her on the bed before pulling the covers up and jumping in. I pushed her back down on the bed and wrapped my arm and leg around her, keeping her from moving.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she shrieked, and I buried her face in my chest, shushing her.
I couldn’t believe I had to resort to such a childish attempt to get her to bed, so she’d let me sleep there, but I convinced myself it was for the best. She started fidgeting in my arms, and I pulled her tighter against me, making sure not to crush her and cut off her air.
“Just sleep, Callie. You know you can’t win this,” I told her.
She stopped moving for a while, and I closed my eyes, thinking she had probably fallen asleep. My eyes snapped open though when I felt her small hand above my waist and the other press on my naked chest as she sighed.
“The decent thing to do would’ve been to ask if you could snuggle,” she murmured, and I chuckled silently. I pressed my lips against her forehead and closed my eyes once more.
This woman was impossible.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Callie
I woke up with a jolt as Apollo thrashed around in the bed, his forehead beading with sweat and his chest rising and falling heavily. I crawled over to him and held on to his face, tapping his cheek lightly to wake him up.
“Apollo! Apollo! Wake up!” I shouted at him, and his eyes opened wide, his glacier-blue eyes looking around the room wildly before settling into my face.
“C-Callie,” he whispered, and I nodded.
“It’s okay,” I cooed, rubbing his face lightly with my thumbs. “You’re okay. It was just a dream,” I said.
He blinked up at me and suddenly our positions were reversed, my body flat on my back as he loomed over me, his eyes searching every part of my face before diving in, taking my lips into the most passionate kiss I’d ever felt.
He placed his hand at the back of my knee and raised it up so it would wrap around his waist, and I moaned as I felt his erection through his jeans, feeling its girth and length even through the cloth. I shivered as my brain launched into a fantasy of that huge member impaling itself inside me.
Like a mind reader, Apollo forced his tongue into my mouth and mimicked the way he would drive his dick inside me, making me quiver with need. Jesus Christ, like I needed a demonstration…
I couldn’t take it anym
ore. My mind had thrown in the towel and allied itself with my heart now. They were screaming at me to give up and just give in to what my body was craving for. What only Apollo could give me.
“I want you, Calista,” Apollo said, his voice rough with need.
I really shouldn’t give in to him. It was too soon. Nick and I had just broken up last night. The wound was still fresh. And Apollo hurt me earlier-
He bent his head down and licked a long line on my neck up to my ear, making me whimper.
“Please,” he whispered before nibbling at the shell of my ear.
Oh, screw it.
I pushed him off of me and sat down to pull my dress over my head, his eyes zoning in on my black cotton bra covering my less than impressive sized breasts.
He didn’t waste any time, and neither did I.
I held him by the neck and pulled him back towards me, slamming my lips on his, making him groan and snake his fingers at my neck and under my chin, deepening the kiss even more.
He placed his hands over both of my breasts, squeezing and molding them while he drove his tongue in and out of my mouth, driving me crazy in the process. I pulled on the tendrils of hair on the back of his neck as I responded to him while my other hand couldn’t get enough of feeling the muscles on his back, feeling them ripple under my touch.
I felt his knee start to dig between the apex of my thighs and I opened my legs wider for him. He took his hand off of my breast, and I actually whimpered at the loss. It was embarrassing to sound like I was begging for a man to fondle me, and my mind was still clear enough to think about such a thing. I couldn’t think about that now. I wanted to lose my mind tonight, and the sound probably turned him on more than thinking I was pathetic.
He placed his hand on the back of my knee, raising my leg up so it would lock around his waist, and I had to gasp as the feeling of his knee brushing against my clit intensified. I ground my hips against his knee faster, and when he placed his other hand behind my back to lift me up so he could take my nipple into his mouth, my body started to quiver with pleasure. I thought men were compartmentalized in their way of thinking, always just focusing on one thing at a time. So then how could Apollo be so adept in pleasuring me at different points of my body? Like, holy hell…
