Heart of Sin

by Nicola Jane

“No, about everything. I moved to Tower Hamlets with Daniel to help start his property business. My parents love him so much and it will break their hearts when I tell them everything. I want to get back on my feet so that they can see I’m doing okay,” I explain.

  “I get that. Well your halfway there now you have a job. Why did you leave the last place?” he asks.

  I feel like I’m coming across as such a sad case but there’s no way out of the explanation. Vass will need to contact Daniel for my reference anyway and when he see’s the job role I had there he will wonder why I went for an interview at a cosmetics firm, even if it is a well-known brand.

  “It was Daniels company. I never moved on once he got established although originally that was the plan.”

  “I guess it would have been awkward to stay after he cheated on you.”

  “A little. The fact that his girlfriend also works there and has now stepped into my role was even more awkward,” I add with a weak smile.

  “Ouch,” says Vass.

  “Have you ever been cheated on?” I ask, taking another mouthful of the delicious creamy spaghetti.

  Vass raises his brow and grins, “No Liv, I don’t stick around to be cheated on.”

  “It’s Alivia and yes, the receptionist at your mothers firm mentioned you’re a hit em and leave em kinda guy.”

  “Usually although there are exceptions,” he says.

  “Anyone ever turn you down?” I ask, placing my fork down. I am completely full.

  “No,” he says with another cocky grin. I shake my head. I can believe that no one has ever turned him down. The way his eyes flash with a devilish glint is enough to have any woman fall at your knees but topped off with that hot body and those strong arms, even I would fall.

  Once back at the office Bianca practically pounces on me, “So, what did he want? Where did you go?” she asks.

  I place my bag down and take my seat. “Just for lunch. The meeting was a no show so we just had something to eat and came back.”

  She eyes me suspiciously. “Why?”

  “Because it was lunch time and neither of us had eaten.”

  “Vass never takes people out to lunch, it doesn’t make sense.”

  I shrug, the last thing I want to do is piss off Bianca, she’s been really nice to me. “It was very awkward, he didn’t talk much,” I lie.

  Vass comes in to the office, he watches me for a second and then turns to Bianca, “Ready?” he asks and she nods eagerly, standing from her chair.

  “Can you take messages if anyone calls?” Bianca directs me and I give a nod. Vass is back to watching me, an intensity that wasn’t there over lunch.

  “We’ll be unavailable for around an hour,” he says and then he takes Bianca’s hand and leads her from the office. I stare after them. It sounds silly but I have an ache in my chest. I want to know where they are going and what they are doing. Instead I busy myself with work, I have no right to think about Vass in that way, he is my boss.

  It’s been over an hour and they still haven’t returned. I feel fidgety and decide I need to walk, I do my best thinking when I am walking plus I could do with looking around again to see which areas I want to photograph. The photographer is coming tomorrow.

  I head downstairs. The office manager, Clarisse, is on the front desk chatting to an older couple. They have an air about them that screams rich. She catches my eye and smiles and then I over hear her tell the couple that Vass is in the main room training a new girl.

  I bite on my lower lip, it’s almost like a compulsion, I have to see what they are doing. Besides, it’s not being nosey if I am looking for photo opportunities I reason.

  No one pays much attention to me as I pass through the bar area and head for the large white double doors. I pause for a second and look around, I catch Clarisse watching me from the bar doorway, a smile tugging on her lips. She isn’t telling me no and so I quietly push one of the doors and slip inside.

  I stay by the doors, the lights are low and the room looks mysterious. My eyes are drawn to the stage at the front of the room. Bianca is on some kind of cross completely naked and tied by her wrists and legs. Vass is standing in front of her, his back is to me. His stance is tall and guarded like a predator, he has removed his shirt and I watch in awe has his muscles bunch together with every little movement. He raises some kind of whip and he runs it over Bianca’s stomach. She whimpers and he cracks it against her skin.

  “What did I say about making noise?” he roars.

  “Sorry sir,” replies Bianca meekly.

  He presses the whip between her legs and Bianca presses her lips together, I assume she is trying to keep quiet. He begins to rub her vigorously and she throws her head back with pleasure. I feel like I’m intruding being here and I’m not sure how either of them would react if they saw me. I slip back out of the doors and into the bar.

  I lean back against the door and take a deep breath. “Hot isn’t he, when he’s all riled up like that,” says Clarisse. I jump in fright, I didn’t see her waiting there. “He has so much control over himself that I find that a bigger turn on than actually fucking him.”

  “Oh, you and he are…” I begin but she laughs and shakes her head.

  “God no, he wishes,” she says and then saunters off towards the bar.

  I get back in to the office and let out a long sigh. I’ve never watched anyone being intimate before, unless you count the time that Daniel talked me into watching a porn film with him and that didn’t go too well because I spent the entire time giggling at the stupid faces they pulled and the unbelievably fake orgasms they were acting out.

  I check on my emails and do more research on The Luxe. I go through the pictures of Vass that are all over the internet. Clarisse appears in a few of them and so I click on the one featured in London’s Times Newspaper. It was dated last month.

  ‘Hot bachelor Vass Fraser was spotted at the invite only club opening of Las Deux this evening. It’s said to have an exclusive guest list of over four hundred hot celebs, some of which are attending this evenings event. Mr Fraser declined to comment on whether he and Ms Clarisse Underwood (pictured) are dating but body language experts say the signs are definitely there and as this is the sixth time they have been snapped together in the last three months we are putting our money on Vass being off the dating market, sorry ladies.’

  I lean back in my chair. Vass didn’t correct me when I said they were good friends. Clarisse didn’t seem bothered that he was in a room with another woman, naked. He did point out that some women were an exception to his bag em and bin em rule. My thoughts are interrupted when Vass returns. He looks cool and calm as he pins me with his intense stare again. This time I look away, turning my attention to the computer screen.

  “Are you okay?” he asks.

  I look back to him and smile, “Yes of course. Are you?”

  He nods, “Bianca will be back shortly. Any messages?”

  I rip off the top page of my notepad and hold it out to him. “Nothing urgent. Ms Collinsworth asked that you call her back about this evenings dinner arrangements.”

  He glances down at the paper and gives a nod before disappearing in to his office. Bianca returns minutes later. Her cheeks are rosy and she looks fresh out of the shower. “Sorry, time ran away. Everything okay whilst I was gone?” she asks.

  “Yeah, I passed the messages to Vass. Nothing urgent.” I avoid looking at her face, I saw her naked and I feel embarrassed.

  We work for another hour in silence and then I finally look up, “Bianca, is Vass dating Clarisse?” I ask.

  She pauses and looks up, “No, they are old friends. Why?”

  “I was researching the company and got side tracked with newspaper articles. Just gossip rags,” I mutter.

  “She spends a lot of time here and I think they hook up on certain things,” she says with a shrug.

  “Like what?”

  “Well yah know, group sex and threesomes. Clarisse is bisexual and sh
e’s happy to share Vass with another woman.”

  “Oh, weird. Not that she’s bi but weird that they are old friends that do all of that but they aren’t together.”

  “Not really, Vass doesn’t do relationships, Clarisse knows that better than anyone.” The door opens and a tall, suited guy comes in. He’s good looking and Bianca instantly glows when she sees him.

  “Hey gorgeous, you okay?” he asks swooping down and kissing her on the cheek.

  She smiles, “I’m great thanks to you Alex,” she says.

  “Glad I arrived when I did, always love to finish a job,” he winks. Bianca blushes and grins.

  “This is Alivia, she’s going to be looking after the marketing side of things here,” she introduces.

  Alex approaches me and I stand. He takes my hand and lifts it slightly so he can twirl me. Usually I would see this kind of man as a sleaze bag trying too hard but something about Alex makes a girl weak and I find myself giggling like a teenager as his eyes appraise my twirling ass. When I stop he kisses my hand, “You are a stunner,” he growls, “Tell me you are single.”

  “Alex stop chatting up the staff and get in here,” Vass shouts making me jump. He’s standing in the conjoining doorway glaring at the two of us. Something in that heated stare has me taking my seat quickly and fidgeting with my fingers like a school girl caught kissing behind the bike sheds.

  “You kept Liv a secret didn’t you?” smirks Alex shoving his hands into his trouser pockets and not budging from my side.

  “It’s Alivia,” snaps Vass and my eyes meet his, it sounds sexy when he says my name like that.

  “Touchy, you don’t normally mind me chatting up the staff. In fact just an hour or so ago I was fu…” starts Alex.

  “Get in here,” snaps Vass stomping back through to his office.

  Alex follows after him at a slower pace. “Whoops someone needs to release that anger,” he says quietly so only we can hear him.

  Once the door closes Bianca turns to me, “Okay, total truth, Vass or Alex?”

  “Both,” I say with a grin.

  “At the same time,” adds Bianca and we burst in to a fit of laughter. “Alex is Vass’s best friend.”

  “Was he the reason you was gone over an hour before?” I ask with a grin.

  “My god the man is a machine, there is no end to his talents and when I say big, I mean huge,” she giggles placing her hands a good space apart to indicate Alex having a large cock.

  “And Vass?” I query.

  “Never seen it, let alone touched it,” she pouts, “He doesn’t let me touch him at all.”

  “Oh, I assumed when I saw you on his floor yesterday that you were, well yah know.”

  “No, we just play. He’s teaching me some stuff so I can partner up with a member of The Luxe.”

  “Sounds fun,” I say with a frown. I’m not sure how much he can teach her if he hasn’t had sex with her and she isn’t allowed to touch him.

  It’s five o clock exactly when Vass comes back in to our office. “Lets go Liv,” he says holding up his car keys.

  “It’s Alivia and I can walk this evening, look,” I say pointing outside, “No rain.”

  “I’ll take you. No arguments.”

  He stops the SUV outside my apartment building. “Shall I walk you inside?” he asks.

  “No, I’m good.”

  “What are you doing tonight?”

  I shrug, “Maybe the gym. I don’t know. What’s your obsession with what I do after work?” I smile.

  “I just want to know what you do all alone in that little apartment all night,” he says with a wink.

  I get out of the SUV and turn back to him with a smile, “I walk around naked.” I slam the door and head up the steps, Vass’s shocked expression making me smile all the way up to my door.

  I chuck the meal for one back in to the freezer and sigh. It looks so unappetising since the amazing Carbonara I had for lunch. There’s a light tap on the door and I groan, I can’t face creepy Keith this evening.

  “You got your rent what the hell do you want now,” I yell making my way to the door. I pull it open and press my lips closed when I see Vass leaning against the door frame in shorts and a vest.

  “What are you doing here and what are you wearing?” I ask with a smile. I’m used to seeing him in a shirt and tie.

  “You aren’t naked,” he states.

  I smile wider and bite on my lower lip, “You caught me at a bad time. I can’t cook naked,” I say.

  “In that case, get your gym gear on. We are going for a workout.” The last thing I feel like doing is going to the gym and my expression tells him that. “We can either go to the gym or sit in your apartment naked together.” Within five minutes I’m in my gym gear. Vass is holding a photo of me and Daniel. He glances at me as I enter the room, “Why do you keep a photo of him?”

  I feel my face turn crimson at being caught out, “I loved him,” I say simply and he frowns and places it back on the shelf.

  “You don’t like to wear many clothes to the gym?” he asks eyeing my short shorts and cropped top. I look down at my get up.

  “Should I change?” I ask.

  “Hell no, I want to see that ass on the running machine, just make sure I get the machine behind you,” he jokes and I swat his arm.

  We decide on my gym seeing as it’s a five-minute walk from my place. We take a steady jog so that we are warmed up and ready to work out. It’s been at least three weeks since I came to the gym, I am dreading it. I sign us both in at the reception desk, putting Vass down as my guest and then we head up to the second floor. It’s fairly quiet for a Tuesday which is good because it means we won’t have to wait for equipment. I push the glass door and freeze, Vass runs in to the back of me jolting me forward and I almost fall flat on my face. I’m saved by strong arms catching me and I slowly look up in to the eyes of Daniel.

  “Careful…” he starts but realises it’s me and stops, “Liv,” he mutters. We stay like that for a few seconds, his arms around my waist, looking in to each other’s eyes. Vass steps forward and takes my arm, gently pulling me back to his side.

  “Are you okay?” Vass asks and I nod, not taking my eyes from Daniel. It’s been four weeks since I last saw him but the pain doesn’t seem to hurt so much now.

  Vass

  I recognise Daniel from the photograph I was just examining in Liv’s apartment. She is still staring at him and I can see in his eyes he’s checking her out. The fact he knows her body and has seen her completely naked and vulnerable has me clenching my fists. I instantly hate this guy.

  “Liv, how are you?” he asks.

  “I’m good. You?” she asks politely.

  Daniel nods and his eyes flash to me for a second prompting Liv to look at me, “Sorry, this is Vass, my…” I cut her off leaning forward to shake Daniels hand.

  I grip it firm and smile, “Her boyfriend.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know you’d met someone,” he says looking at Liv like he’s pissed. I feel Liv’s eyes burn in to the side of my head but I don’t look at her, this guy needs to know she’s moved on so he doesn’t try and worm his way back in to her bed and I can tell he wants to.

  “Should she have announced it?” I ask. He doesn’t get chance to answer because a bouncy blond runs over to us, she freezes when she sees Liv and grips on to Daniels arm like she’s worried Liv will snatch him from her. Liv’s face morphs in to one of anger and so I take her hand and give it a small squeeze, letting her know I’m right here for her.

  “Alivia, I didn’t expect to see you here,” she says in a squeaky annoying voice, she looks at me and her face breaks in to a smile. “Oh my god, you’re Vass Fletcher.” I give a nod and a tight smile.

  “Was I supposed to change my gym as well as my job and home?” asks Liv coldly. Daniel and the girl exchange a wary look.

  “I’m glad I bumped in to you actually Liv,” says Daniel, it’s on the tip of my tongue to correct him but I refra
in. I wonder why she doesn’t correct him like she does me and I ignore the feeling that gives me.

  “Shall I leave you to talk?” I ask Liv and she shakes her head and squeezes my hand.

  “No, whatever he needs to say can be in front of you,” she says.

  “Oh my god, are you two together?” shrieks the girl, I find her irritating and I wonder why the hell Daniel would leave Alivia for her.

  “I’m having trouble with the website and I wondered if you’d come and have a look. There’s things I need to add to it and, well, you did all of that and I can’t get it to look as amazing as you did,” he says. I want to laugh in this douches face, who the hell does he think he is.

  “I’m sorry Daniel you’ll have to get someone in to sort that. I don’t work for you anymore remember,” says Alivia, she almost sounds smug.

  “But you set the site up, no one knows how to access it to change it,” he says.

  “I work for a new company now, I really don’t have the time,” she says firmly.

  “Come on Livvy, not even for me,” he says with a small cheesy smile, god I want to hit him.

  “Her name is Alivia,” I blurt out, him using pet names in front of me and his new girlfriend is just disrespectful. He glares at me for a second and then goes back to Liv.

  “Betty misses you,” he says. The girl glares at him, it’s the kind of look that a girl gives her man when he’s fucked up big time and I know she’s going to lose her shit when they leave here.

  “It was good to see you both, take care,” mutters Liv pulling at my hand and leading me away. I watch her cautiously; she chucks her hand towel over the rails of the running machine and jumps on without a word. She starts off slow and then builds it up to a full-on run. I can tell that she needs a minute and so I head towards the bench to lift until she’s ready.

  Liv stays on the running machine for at least twenty minutes. Her face is glowing and her back glistens with sweat, I can’t deny that it turns me the fuck on. I watch as she fills her water bottle and takes a long drink. Other guys around the weights stop and watch her too, I like that she doesn’t even know how beautiful she is. She pulls her long hair up into some kind of knotted pile on her head and ties it. I work on my biceps, still watching as she looks around the gym to decide where to go next. A short guy with over sized muscles approaches her and says something that makes her laugh. I pick a heavier weight, keeping my eyes fixed on them chatting. Her body language is flirty and it instantly pisses me off. The pumped-up meat head pulls out his mobile phone, who the hell carries a mobile in the gym, he passes it to Alivia and she taps in what I assume is her number. She laughs again and I roll my eyes.