“Am I okay to come in?” she asked softly. I simply nodded.
I watched as Eden took a timid step through my office door. I seized the moment to drown in the sight of her. She wore a simple black dress that hugged her curves so tightly yet so perfectly, showing just enough cleavage to make me focus for a second too long. My eyes skimmed down her body and landed on her heels. Purple, high, and sinfully sexy.
Fuck me.
Her cheeks flushed under the intensity of my dark gaze and my ego soared. I got this reaction out of her, by simply looking at her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked softly, her eyes dropping for a moment to the floor below. “Is something wrong with what I’m wearing?”
She could not be serious. “You have absolutely no clue, do you?”
“About?” The blueness of her eyes captivated me into realization. She was serious. She really did have no clue.
“What you…”
The soft knock on the door put a halt to our conversation. It was probably for the best, it stopped me from spilling my thoughts out all over the place. Eden shifted on her heel and turned toward the window and gazed out into the city. I slammed my eyes shut and sucked in two deep breaths, praying that calm would take over my highly unpredictable body and mind.
“Come in.”
Lauren pushed open my office door slowly and the moment she stepped in her eyes shifted between me and Eden in what I could only describe as expectation. What did she really expect to be happening? She coughed quietly to gain Eden’s attention, who then turned around sharply.
“Simon Davenport has arrived.” Her cheeks instantly flushed. “He also has someone else with him.” Lauren turned her attention to Eden, and I did not miss the sparkle in her eye or the small smirk that flittered over her lips. I swear they started communicating without saying a work to each other. I looked between both of them as they did some weird girl only code. I was confused as fuck.
“Thanks Lauren. Send him in.”
Lauren slipped through the door leaving Eden and me alone. I began tidying up my desk, and I couldn’t help but notice Eden fiddling with her hands as she stood awkwardly in the middle of my office, her eyes downcast to the marble floor below. I crossed the room until I was standing just before her. Her blue eyes rose and looked at me so innocently, so nervous, so intrigued. Grabbing her hands in mine, I felt her stiffen slightly yet she didn’t pull away. If anything, I swore she moved closer to me.
“You need to calm down. You are brilliant at what you do. Would I have hired you otherwise?” The smallest of smiles swam over her lips and her hands squeezed mine ever so slightly. I’d take it. “You are going to blitz this meeting, okay?”
She nodded.
I led her toward the vacant seat on the opposite side of my desk. She dropped my hand and took a seat, crossing her legs at the knees. Yep, the edge of her dress rose in the process. I reluctantly and painstakingly tore my eyes away from her upper thigh and looked toward the door as it crept open.
Simon Davenport stepped through the door with a presence that deserved respect. He was a crazy Australian who didn’t take shit from anyone. He was famous for being brutal in the boardroom, and he scared the fuck out of me at the best of times, but he was also someone who I definitely enjoyed working alongside. He was a man of few words but recently every correspondence we had involved him telling me about his grandson Max, Savannah, the beautiful Australian girl with a mouthful of sass that was as close to his daughter as anyone and his son-in-law Tate who owned the Red Velvet bars.
Simon greeted me with a firm handshake and a pat on the back. Standing beside him was a guy who looked similar to my age and instantly I recognized him as the front man of the band that was being featured on the upcoming issue.
“You must be Eden Rivers,” Simon’s accent was still thick even after living in the states for a few years.
Eden rose from her seat and moved until she was standing beside me. She was exuding confidence, and I fucking loved it. The smile on her face, the way her shoulders were back, and the glint in her eye showed me that she knew exactly what she was doing. This was the Eden Rivers I wanted to see.
“What the fuck?” The tattooed man questioned in astonishment and the next thing I knew Eden was in his arms and there was absolutely no fear on her face. She was ecstatic. “Baby doll what are you doing here?” He continued.
Baby doll.
He cupped her face and dropped his lips to her forehead, immediately the sweetest of smiles appeared on her face. I was lost. Completely and utterly lost.
“I’m assuming you two know each other.”
My statement came out harsher than I intended and suddenly I was under scrutiny of everyone in the room. Simon shot me a smirk while the guy who still had his arms around Eden finally took a step back and his eyes darted between Eden and me suspiciously.
“Blake and I are friends from back home,” Eden said with a huge smile on her face.
“Ky, this is Blake Ryan, front man from The Fallen. They will be the feature band for the shoot. He is also an annoying pain in my ass on most days.” Simon introduced and Blake held out his hand which I shook firmly.
“Well this just made being here so much more worthwhile!” The excitement tainting Eden’s voice wasn’t missed.
Well that was a kick to the guts, and I couldn’t ignore the twist to the heart and punch to my ego. I couldn’t let it show though. I was simply the guy who was paying Eden for a job whereas the guy who she was smiling at was someone who she seemed very friendly with.
I shook off the feeling of defeat and went back into Ky Crawford mode—the Ky Crawford who worked obscene hours, who didn’t let women get to him, and who sure as hell didn’t let jealously tinge his thoughts.
“Okay, enough of the catching up. Can we all take a seat and sort through the details.”
Eden stepped away from Blake and returned to the seat opposite me. I needed to get my emotions in check and it was time to get this meeting underway. I finally raised my eyes from my laptop and fell into her blue eyes. She looked back at me with apprehension and I could see the nerves started to reappear. I reached over the desk and covered her hand with mine, giving her a quick squeeze of encouragement. Her lips twisted into the perfect smile and before me I saw her switch on confident Eden Rivers.
“Eden, if you can start by letting us know what you envisage for the shoot and then what you will require from us in order to carry it out.” I suggested and out of the corner of my eye I saw Simon grinning at me like a complete fool.
Eden amazed me. Hearing her talk about her ideas and her vision for the shoot was incredible. She had ideas for all of the shoots she would be doing, she informed us of what her requirements would be, the time frame she would need and she gave us examples of different techniques and styling she wanted to incorporate. She was in her element.
I finally got involved in the meeting and went into business mode. I gave my directions and expectations, and Eden watched closely with the tiniest of smiles playing on her lips. To be honest it was a turn on showing her what I did, how I did it, and what I expected. I was in my element. As the meeting came to an end, Blake’s phone rang and he sprung to his feet and excused himself. It had been decided that the main shoot would occur in two weeks and that Eden would accompany the band to the studio where they were recording their latest album and those shots would also feature.
“If we are done, I think I should be getting back to the hotel and try and get my head around this meeting and start scouting some locations. It was really great to meet you and thank you again for this opportunity.” Eden smiled gratefully at Simon and shook his hand with confidence after she stood.
“The pleasure has been all mine. This guy hasn’t stopped raving about you.” Simon gestured at me, and I gritted my teeth. She didn’t need to know that every recent conversation I’d had with Simon involved her in some way, but it was true, and he was clearly loving every minute of div
ulging it.
Eden’s eyes met mine, and I felt my lips twitch into a subtle smile. “I’ll walk you out.”
I knew I still had more to discuss with Simon, but I wanted a moment with Eden before she disappeared. Following her out of my office and down the hall toward the elevators, I fell silent. I had a billion and one things I wanted to ask, and so many things I wanted to suggest, but I seemed to have lost my balls somewhere during that meeting.
“So are you going to tell me ho—” I started to ask.
“Eden! Wait up!”
We both turned at the sound of Blake’s voice and watched as he jogged down the hall with a huge smile plastered on his face.
“You, Colby, and I need to do dinner while we are here. He would love to see his girl.”
Eden’s features softened as she looked at him. “Colby is here?” She asked breathlessly.
Okay, now who the fuck was Colby? And why did the sound of his name make her blush, and more importantly, what the hell was the meaning behind his girl?
“Shit, I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you when we are all here and organize something. I am so fucking happy to see you!” Blake leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek and gave me a solid nod before he ran down the hall and disappeared into the elevator, leaving Eden blushing and me in somewhat of a confused state.
After she watched Blake disappear into the elevator, Eden turned to me. With a smile, she lifted her hand to her hair and proceeded to untie her loose braid and with steady finger tips unraveled her hair until loose curls hung over her shoulders. I don’t think I breathed the entire time she did it. That simple move shot straight to my cock who enjoyed it just as much as my eyes. She had absolutely no fucking idea at all.
“Ky, Eden, I just saw that we have all missed one signature on the contract.” Simon’s thick Australian accent sounded from my open office door. Eden and I headed back to my office, her escape being foiled.
“You’ve got it bad,” Simon mumbled softly as I passed him. I shot him a glare that screamed ‘piss off’ and walked straight to my desk while Eden lingered at the door. Fuck. Did she hear? Her cheeks weren’t flushed so I assumed she was oblivious to Simon’s ridiculous statement.
I scribbled my signature on the piece of paper in front of me and then slid it across the table toward Eden.
“Well I will let myself out. You two kids behave yourself,” Simon suggested with a smirk.
The door clicked behind him leaving Eden and me alone in my office. Eden had crossed the room and now stood looking at a piece of artwork I had commissioned by a local up-and-coming artist. My head was screaming at me to leave, to disappear and get myself in check, yet my body refused to escape the temptation before me.
“I told you that you had nothing to worry about.” My voice startled her, and she swung around to face me.
“I was so nervous. I swear I stuttered at one point.” Her soft laughter filled my ears.
I pushed away from the desk and crossed my office until I stood next to her. Her gaze shifted back to the painting, and we remained in silence as we got lost in our thoughts. My mind went back to Blake’s comment about Colby, and it sat precariously in my thoughts, dangling and teasing me.
“I didn’t know you were someone’s girl?”
She turned to face me and her eyes said a thousand words before she finally spoke. “I’m not anyone’s girl.”
I didn’t know what came over me. All sense of reality escaped and suddenly in my office I lost control. I took one step toward her and I gently tucked her hair behind her ear and one of my arms circled her waist. My senses were overcome by her perfume and the scent of her shampoo. Her eyes widened and the moment they dropped to my lips I couldn’t stop the desire roaring to life. I dipped my face closely to hers, tightened my grasp on her waist, and then I felt her sharp exhale of breath on my craving lips.
“Don’t. No!” she pleaded, her hands lifting to my chest and pushing me away.
I stumbled back knowing that I had completely and utterly fucked up.
“Look Eden—”
I didn’t get another word in. Within seconds she was rushing out of my office leaving me sinking in a pit of confusion and anxiety all the while I was being swallowed by raw need for this woman.
One minute I had been floating on cloud nine, getting lost in the presence of Ky Crawford, and the next I was fleeing the building, gasping for air, like it was on fire.
The meeting went better than I could have ever imagined. My confidence ignited the moment I began to speak and both Ky and Simon had fallen into a silent trance as they absorbed my ideas and visions for the shoot. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Then there was the moment I locked eyes with Blake Ryan, one of my closest friends who seemed to have forgotten to tell me about this little meeting. I felt like I had slipped into an alternate universe seeing him standing before me, but I couldn’t ignore the feeling of calm that swam through me the instant he held me in his arms. Then finding out that Colby was going to be in town, it was almost too much to comprehend.
And then there was Ky.
Confusing yet intriguing Ky Crawford.
I rushed down the sidewalk as quickly as my stupid high heels would allow. My mind kept replaying the feeling of Ky’s breath dancing on my lips and the weight of his hand, so delicately yet with so much ownership, on my waist as he pulled me into the firmness of his chest. It was so unexpected, so frightening, yet so exhilarating and that was what freaked me out.
I had said no to him.
I said the one word I promised myself I’d never say. What the hell had I been thinking? No meant consequences, it meant pain, it meant torment, it meant ramifications, and it was only a matter of time before they would be unleashed on me. Ky would be coming for me all because I said no.
The moment the cab pulled in front of the hotel, I realized I had a sea of people in the foyer to get through before I got to the sanctuary of my room. Thankfully my room was on the ground floor so I wasn’t confronted with the awkward elevator ride with strangers while I fell apart. I paid the cab driver, shot out of the cab and with my head down, I moved through the foyer, down the hall until my eyes finally locked onto the door that would lead me to safety.
It was only after I had locked and dead bolted the door behind me that I finally took in a shuddering breath. My exhausted body slid down the back of the polished wood door and fell into a heap on the floor as my safety of solitude arrived. A waterfall of tears slid over my cheeks as I drew my knees to my chest. This was my life. This was what I had been living with. It was those moments of intense panic that gripped me, the confusion and fight of my heart versus head and the constant battle of whether I would ever be able to have a normal relationship, with normal feelings, with normal reactions to a man. This was the reality that had been forced on me and the fear that adorned my every breath.
Fear was a devastating thing. It gripped you to the point of being completely incapacitated and swallowed every rational thought that was your given right. The most frightening part of fear was that it had the potential to completely destroy you if you let it.
I didn’t know how long I sat there. My body locked tight until I was frozen stiff and gasping for any air I could summon. Jeremy decided to appear behind my eyes and once again he showed me all that made me who I was today. Every time that nightmare appeared, I relived the pain, the agony, the brutal hurt he delivered to me. I tasted every single disgusting, whiskey-fueled kiss he planted on my mouth and my body ached as I felt every forced and excruciating entry he took without consent from my body. I slammed my eyes shut, praying for something, anything to take me away from this.
The familiar ring of an incoming call finally offered me my desired solace, ripping me away from my fear-ridden demise. I dropped my hands from around my knees and slid up from the floor to grab my bag that I had chucked on the bed. I fumbled around for my phone and pulled out the vibrating contraption. Ky’s name flashed on the screen. His action had brou
ght me here, but now he was saving me from the nightmare of Jeremy. I looked at his name pulsating before me, and for a moment I questioned whether I should answer it. I slammed my fingertip down on the reject button and his name faded away from me.
I put my phone on silent and shoved it deep within the black hole of my bag. It was still early, barely midday, but all I wanted to do was forget. I was stumbling down the familiar path of self-destruction and the moment my eyes locked onto the mini bar my silent prayers were answered.
Vodka.
Vodka would solve all my problems. My greedy hands pried open the bar fridge and collected six bottles. I cradled them tightly against my chest like they were my prized possession and made my way across the room to the uninviting bed, collapsing onto the floral comforter with a sigh.
I threw my head back and the entire bottle of vodka disappeared. The burn of the spirit cascading down my throat finally made me feel somewhat normal, it made me feel alive, and in some crazy way it made me feel in control. This was why I had a dangerous and seductive relationship with vodka. It provided me everything that I needed and when my thoughts got too much, it allowed me to disappear. One bottle become two and two bottles became three before my head started to get foggy; my eyes started to shadow with drunkenness, and I felt the waves of unconsciousness fill me. My body molded into the uncomfortable mattress, still dressed in the black dress I had worn to the office, and the moment I was just about to fall into the pits of a vodka-induced coma, Ky popped into my head.
A single tear escaped my eye and trickled over my cheek as his beautifully handsome face and those captivating eyes swam through my thoughts. I was so confused. For a split second, when his deliciously plump lips moved close to mine, I had imagined what he would taste like, what it would have been like to completely hand myself over to him. I had forgotten who I was. He allowed me to forget everything that was hanging over me.
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