by Nikki Bella
I saw his car move casually down the road and I got the feeling he didn’t want to be spotted. It was kind of exciting to be playing this game underneath my father’s nose. It was a delicious treat not unlike the Italian chocolate dessert that I couldn’t get out of my mind.
He rolled down his window and then he leaned forward like he was propositioning for an afternoon delight. “I don’t suppose you would be looking for a ride? I can promise to get you there, but there’s no telling how long it will take. I tend to explore those hidden places nobody thinks about.” I enjoyed the verbal sparring match of sexual innuendos and it made my panties stick to me like a second skin.
“I’ve already told you that I like to drive stick and I don’t mind the long way around. It helps to prolong the anticipation.” I was bending forward giving him a bird’s eye view of my cleavage on full display for his hungry and eager eyes. “I’m sure you see something on the menu and we can certainly discuss those things over ‘cock’tails.” I intentionally emphasized cock in the word cocktails and he was licking his lips with the hidden meaning behind my words.
The door swung open and I climbed in not the least bit nervous about being alone with him this time. I was doing everything that I could to keep my hands to myself, but the way that his pants were bulging had me delirious like I was coming down with something.
I opened the window thinking that the cool breeze would lower the heat between my legs, but it did nothing to contain the scorching presence of my excitement.
“I’m sure you’re wondering how I was able to find you without calling you. I have a lot of money and it didn’t take much to have one of my best IT personnel track you down using your cell phone. I don’t normally go to these measures, but for you, I felt like I could make an exception.” I was anxious and feeling like my tongue was tied in a knot with the truth not far from spilling from my lips.
He was no longer a stranger in my bed and I began to think how delicious it would be to go full circle and find a hotel catering to a more influential clientele. Silk sheets and him going out of his way to make it up to me would’ve been the way to go.
“I should be angry with you for invading my personal space, but I think I’ve come to know you better than anyone. You don’t consider it a violation of my trust and you’ve always been about doing things your own way.” I wasn’t trying to put him down, but sometimes he needed a reminder of how his actions could have consequences.
“I feel this need to apologize and I never take into consideration other people’s feelings. It’s a bad habit I’m trying to get out of, but it’s the only way I know. Be patient with me and I promise that I won’t let you down. I’ve been thinking about how to break the news to your father and I’m not sure there’s any really good way to do it. We could start by talking to your mother and she might be more receptive.” Nicholas was a man who knew how to hold millions in the palm of his hand and I found it amusing that he was afraid to stand toe to toe with my father.
“I feel like you have consumed all the air out of my lungs and I look at you and I can’t breathe. With that being said, I believe my mother might be the right path to take before announcing our intentions to my father. I know he’s having a surprise masquerade party in your honor, but don’t let him know that I was the one that told you.” My father was not subtle and his intention was to bleed him dry of whatever cash he could grab from his checkbook.
“Subtlety has never been your father’s strong suit and I guess I’m going to have to act surprised when I show up tomorrow night for what I was told was going to be an intimate dinner with the family. It might be a good idea to leave any talk about us being together until after the festivities. We don’t want him to be in one of his moods and unable to mingle with those willing to give to his campaign.” I thought for a moment he was trying to weasel his way out of this budding relationship. I didn’t think we had anything with this secret between us.
I could’ve easily allowed him to take off the band aid quickly last night, but it didn’t seem like the right time. We were having way too much fun to break the mood with talk of betrayal.
“I shouldn’t have told you about the surprise and he won’t be very happy if he even suspects you found out from some other source. You’ve always been a consummate actor and I worry that maybe you’re just telling me what I want to hear to string me along. I’m holding onto you with both hands and I never want to be alone.” I didn’t want to fall so easily, but he made the love I had become more prevalent with each day passing by. I couldn’t let it slip away and he was the only one I wanted to spend all of my time with.
“You’re never going to be alone and I feel like we were made for one another. There’s still something I need to say, but every time I try to say it you shut me down. I understand you don’t want to get hurt, but we can’t be together with what I have to say hanging above our heads.” He was trying to do the right thing, but I was terrified of my reaction even though I already knew what he was going to say.
“Will you look at the time and I have an appointment that I have to get to.” I gave him yet another mind-boggling kiss leaving him with my lipstick marking my territory. He looked stunned like he had just been jolted with an electric wire to his privates. I was avoiding the elephant in the room knowing full well there was going to come a time where I could no longer keep things at a status quo.
Chapter Twenty-One
Nicholas
“We’ve been together all these years and you find it necessary right now to spring this on me. I should be appalled, but I’m actually proud of how easily you have gone behind my back. I shouldn’t be upset and you did learn from the master’s hand.” I had been distracted and my best friend in the world had decided to use that against me.
Jackson had slipped in at the last minute, undercutting me and claiming that there was nothing personal behind his back stabbing ways.
“I know how you work and standing in your shadow has bothered me for some time. I had to find a way to move on without you and this deal I have signed is going to be quite lucrative for me and my new company. I hope there aren’t any hard feelings, Nicholas and this is all about business.” It was exactly what I would’ve said, but he was doing it with a soft shoe like a consummate tap dancer in competition.
“You know I don’t need the money, but I can’t understand why you would go to these measures when I have made you millions every year since our partnership began.” I was always on the lookout for him finally learning the most valuable lesson of them all. It was time for me to cut the apron strings and to let him sink or swim on his own.
“We both knew this day was coming and it was just a matter of time. I never had the courage to go out of my comfort zone in business and I only wish that I could translate my personal life into the boardroom.” I could easily destroy his credibility by letting the cat out of the bag about his extracurricular affairs.
“Jackson, I probably would’ve seen this coming had I not been occupied doing something else and believe me this is the last time you’re going to find me unaware. I make one mistake and I never repeat it.” He didn’t even do me the courtesy of facing me as a man and we were conducting our business differences over Skype.
He had a towel wrapped around his neck and there was a bead of perspiration dripping from his hair. I could see a well built young man behind him setting up for their next exercise. He had a personal trainer and he was learning to handle his business and keep his body in fine shape at the same time.
“There’s no reason to be upset and you could call this healthy competition.” I heard somebody clearing their throat and I turned to see Samantha standing there looking as innocent and sweet as she had ever been.
“I should take this personally, but I would have done exactly what you did if I were standing in your shoes. I admit losing you is a blow, but I will soldier on without you. Don’t be surprised if I leave you in my dust.” He wasn’t even paying attention and he was staring out t
he double doors at the lights of the big city.
“I was wondering how it was possible that I could slide underneath your radar. I found my answer and I hope a piece of ass is worth millions in continued revenue over the span of 10 years.” I thought about it and having him fight me was going to be like two immovable boxers in the ring.
“I still consider you a personal friend, but the dynamic has changed where we no longer will be able to talk about business without wringing each other’s neck. I want you to remember that you might know where the bodies are buried, but I also know some of your dirty little secrets.” I saw the look of stunned surprise on his face and I cut him off with him lifting his finger in an argumentative way.
I was feeling a little frustrated and my Pied a Terre was this penthouse at a very exclusive building. Swinging the glass doors open to the balcony, I was mesmerized by the sight greeting my eyes. I had a glass of wine in my hands and I was standing by the edge looking down at everybody.
“I’ve never seen you in your element and it was kind of exciting. I’m sorry about your friend and I know how you feel about Jackson. I only caught the tail end of your conversation and I can only hope I wasn’t the cause of you losing him.” She was giving herself way too much credit and everything that happened with Jackson was on my shoulders. It was a burden that I had to carry and a lesson in humility which I wasn’t expecting.
“I’m not your typical man and I have the ability to compartmentalize my feelings from my personal life and my business life. I will never be the kinda guy to bring you flowers for no good reason and I hope you’re sure about getting involved with me. I do like your attitude and we can certainly finish each other’s thoughts in a different way.” She was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and I had designs on extracting her from them even if I had to use the Jaws of Life.
“Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the secret rendezvous and going to places where I can’t even pronounce the name. These last few days has shown me what I have been missing from a life of being pampered. You obviously have a high opinion of yourself and confidence is sexy. Men like you tend to break girls hearts before moving onto the next conquest.” She had me pegged, but I was trying to do better and be the man she wanted me to be.
“What we have together means the world to me; Samantha and seeing you walk in unannounced didn’t send me into even a mild panic. I’m usually the one to invite a girl up here and they don’t just show up out of the blue. You’re changing my way of thinking and maybe it’s time for me to lose the caveman mentality.” The denim shirt hugged her breasts and the one button on top looked like it was threatening to bust loose.
“We’ve come a long way and I’ve told you things that not even my best friend knows. It can’t be easy having your friend break the trust between you. I don’t know what the future holds, but I want you to be a part of it. It might be scary to offer any kind of real commitment, but anything worth doing isn’t easy.” She was a breath of fresh air and she knew how to navigate the choppy waters of my personality.
“I’m sure you can hear and see the reason why I hold this place with deep affection. It was my very first Real estate holding and I can’t bring myself to let it go without somebody prying it from my cold dead hands. This was the beginning of my rise to wealth and prosperity. I still have my very first dollar that I earned when I was 12 years old. It’s framed in my bedroom and I sometimes take it out to remind me of the man I don’t want to become.” My father was a domineering tyrant and it was either his way or the highway.
“I don’t expect you to change and I know how deliciously evil some women can be when they finally get their hooks in a man. They think just because they have a ring on their finger that it entitles them to some kind of power. The one thing you don’t have to worry about me is the very idea of leading around by the nose.” I could tell there was still distance between us and I knew the reason for it like the back of my hand.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I want to be a better man. Someone deserving of the kind of love you can give me and to return those feelings 100 times over. I’m sure there are going to be times I’m going to fall into old habits, but I’m going to trust in you to pull me back from the abyss before the darkness swallows me whole.” Everybody looked so small and insignificant like I could place each individual person between my thumb and forefinger and crush them without a moment’s thought.
“You’re not the only one wanting to change their ways and I grew up privileged without a care in the world. I know your reputation and how ruthless you can be given the right incentives. If I were Jackson, I would be shaking in my boots and wondering when the anvil was going to come down to bring to a halt my short reign of power.” We could grow together, but not with this rift between us. There was something unsaid and keeping things to ourselves was where we were going to fall into a dangerous cycle.
“I know men say this all the time, but you’re perfect just the way you are. You bring light into the shadows of my life. It’s hard to fight these feelings when I can barely breathe without feeling like my chest is constricting. I don’t think we know the meaning of taking it slow and we jumped into this, feet first.” I had no interest in twisting her ideals and the pain we shared of our childhood only brought us closer.
It never felt so real and kissing her in the moonlight convinced me she was a creation from god’s hands. The cold nights being alone bled into one another and this was the first time in a long time I had anything more than business to wake up to in the morning.
“I’m not perfect and nobody can be. I don’t want the responsibility of making you see me on a pedestal and it’s so easy to fall from that dizzying height. I want us to be on equal footing and never take each other for granted. We have a lot to lose and a lot to gain depending on how things progress from this point.” Life was about changes and nothing stayed the same which was a motto I lived by.
“You can’t say that and looking at you makes me believe in angels. There’s always a reason for everything and having you come into my life was nothing short of miraculous. I was living for the kill in the boardroom, enjoying the way people suffer at my hands and you showed me there’s more to life than money. ” I thought for sure that I was going to choke on the word. I swallowed hard, but I no longer felt the trapping of society holding me down.
“That’s precisely what I’m talking about and we both have flaws which have molded us into the person we are today. Don’t make the mistake of thinking there’s nothing about me you wouldn’t want to change. We will learn quickly living together about those little quirks which might drive us crazy. I propose that we live together in sin without making any long-term plans.” What she said did make sense on paper, but I couldn’t think of anything that might drive me crazy. I could be selfish by leaving the toilet seat up, but I could also cook a mean steak on the barbecue. I could balance things out on the scales of a relationship.
“I’ve never had a relationship last more than a few days and I’m not saying that so that you can run out the door leaving behind a cardboard cutout of yourself. I’m giving you the facts and I’ve never been this honest in my life. I want to walk with you hand in hand in this life and be damned anybody that crosses our path.” I escorted her back to the elevator and she told me that black tie was optional.
“Nick, I want us to forever kiss like lovers do when the relationship is fresh. We can never allow ourselves to become complacent.” Our fingers lingered like the presence of electricity was coursing through our veins. I wanted to tell her the truth, but each time it became increasingly difficult.
I had let too much time go by and saying anything was going to be the death of me. The worst was yet to come and I was a coward to let this play on any longer than necessary.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Samantha
Everybody was hiding behind masks waiting for the guest of honor to arrive and I had on this little black dress. It was silky against my skin. My body was pleading wi
th me to grab him when I saw him and then drag him someplace private. The very thought of screwing his brains out right here underneath my father’s roof was causing my lust to boil over.
We were assured that he was on his way and would come through those doors any minute. The house was quiet, barren of any sound other than the muffled whispers of those in attendance. I was staring at the door beside myself with anticipation and he was the monkey I couldn’t get off my back. He was the intoxication running in a direct line between my legs.
The knock on the door was greeted by my mother wearing something casual. She really did look great in a pair of jeans and the sweater did very little to hide her natural assets.
The whole room erupted with flashing lights and catcalls of approval. The applause was deafening and he feigned surprise. It didn’t look like an act and I gave him credit for playing along despite the fact he already knew about the party.
He came over to stand beside me while I was fingering the buffet from behind the table. His hand was behind me and how he could think of doing anything untoward right here in front of these people was brazen.
“I’ve been thinking about you for the last few days and I haven’t been able to think of anything else other than what we did on the boat and on the island. I want us to find some time alone together and seeing this is your turf, I’m going to leave it up to you to find the appropriate venue.” His words caught me off guard and I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, putting my finger to my lips like I was thinking about it when I had the perfect place in mind.
“We’re going to have to wait, but I don’t know how much more I can stand without having you in my mouth again. I might want to have the appetizer before the main course. Give me 5-minutes and excuse yourself from whatever conversation you find yourself in. My parents’ bedroom has a master ensuite on the other side of the house. I know I’m being bad, but maybe you can teach me a lesson with a firm hand.” The bathroom in question had a claw tub and a six-person shower with two huge shower heads with different settings.
