I begin to put the tissue paper back inside the box when I notice there is something else in there, a pair of matching heels in my size, they fit like a glove. I'm not used to walking in heels, but I manage to make my way back into the bathroom and turn to face the mirror.
The girl staring back at me is unfamiliar, new. She’s brave, confident, and beautiful.
My heart begins to beat a mile a minute, knowing I have to go out there and face Kyle.
What if he doesn’t like it?
My nerves begin to work overtime, and my stomach begins to churn.
I take a deep breath and walk back into the bedroom and out the door, my hand hesitating on the handle before turning it and stepping out.
Kyle is standing with his back to me gazing out of the window overlooking the city while adjusting his cufflinks. He has his suit jacket on now.
He must see my reflection in the window standing behind him as he turns and takes me in. His eyes rake over me, beginning at my feet and working their way up, his mouth hanging open slightly.
“Fuck,” he breathes as he looks over me in awe, a hint of a smile touching his lips.
“Do I look okay?” I ask shyly.
He makes his way across the room and stops a couple of feet away from me.
“You look incredible.”
“It’s beautiful. Thank you. Thank you so much.” I reach up on my tip toes and wrap my arms around his neck, resting my head on his shoulder.
He puts his arms around my waist and squeezes me tightly, bringing me closer to his body. He reaches up to brush his thumb over my cheek before holding his arm out to me. I loop my arm through his and he leads me out of the room.
∞∞∞
“Good evening, Mr King,” A waiter greets us as we enter the restaurant.
“Evening, is our table ready?”
“Right this way, Sir.” He leads us to our table, a private table in the corner of the room, away from the other guests. I take a seat opposite Kyle.
“What will you have to drink?” asks the waiter.
Kyle looks to me, “Champagne?”
“Yes, champagne’s fine, thank you.”
“You’re best bottle,” he tells the waiter.
“Yes Sir, I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you,” Kyle says.
The waiter leaves and Kyle passes me a menu.
“This place is gorgeous,” I say. The decor is much like the rest of the hotel, classic but modern. Beautiful chandeliers hang from the ceiling, illuminating the deep red walls, creating a cosy atmosphere.
“It’s just been refurbished actually, a few months back, had it stripped out and refurbished.
“It’s lovely.”
The waiter arrives with the bottle of champagne, along with an ice bucket and two glasses. He pops the cork and pours out drinks.
“Have you decided on what you would like to eat?” the waiter asks.
Kyle motions to me to order first.
“I’ll have the butternut squash soup to start, and the lamb for the main, please.”
“And for you, Mr King?”
“I’ll have the same, thank you.”
“Shouldn’t be too long, Sir.” The waiter takes our menus and walks away.
“So, did you go to college?” Kyle asks.
“I planned to. I wanted to do something to help people, like counseling or something… and then my mom died, so most of the money that I had saved for college went towards paying off her medical bills, it wasn’t nearly enough but it helped,” I explain. “What about you?”
“I studied business management. I interned at my dad’s company for a few years during college, learned from the best.”
“Did you always want to own a company?”
“I grew up with it, had it drilled into me since I could walk, I don’t know anything different.”
While we wait for our food, Kyle tells me more about his family, his business, and his childhood. I tell him about Gwen and Aaron.
The waiter arrives with our food a short while later. “Here you are,” he sets the plates down in front of us, “if there’s anything else you need, let me know.”
“Thank You,” I say.
“Thanks,” Kyle replies before the waiter turn and walks away.
“I have a confession. This is the first time I’ve been on a date.”
Kyle smiles. “Me too.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“But surely you’ve had girlfriends?”
“I had girls, none of them were what I would call girlfriends. They never really meant much. That was about the time when I found out about everything, the last thing I wanted was a girlfriend. What about you?”
“No one,” I say, shyly, almost shamefully. “Obviously, there were boys I liked, but I kind of fell under the radar at school, the guys I liked were into the blonde-haired, blue-eyed cheerleaders that hung off their every word.”
“Well they were obviously all blind or completely fucking stupid to not notice you,” he says. “I would have noticed you.”
I blush, my cheeks burning hot.
We finish off our starters just in time for our mains to arrive. Kyle was right, the food is to-die-for here, it is easily the best meal I’ve ever had. We exchange small talk while we eat, and it isn’t long before we’ve cleared our plates.
“What’s your favourite colour?” I quiz.
“Black. You?”
“Grey.”
“All fifty shades?” He laughs.
I cock my head, unamused. “Wow... that’s so not funny, or original.”
Kyle continues to laugh at his own joke, my face betrays me as a smile begins to tug at the corners of my mouth, shaking my head.
“Favourite movie?”
“Um… that’s hard, there’s so many. If I had to pick one it would have to be 10 Things I hate About You,” I reply. “What about you?”
“The Shawshank Redemption.”
“I’ve never seen it,” I confess.
“Well we’ll have to rectify that right away,” he declares.
“What’s your favourite place you’ve been to?” I ask.
“Austria. I went skiing with my family a few years back and we spent the last few days of our trip in Vienna, it’s so beautiful...”
“I’ve never really been anywhere. I’ve never even left the state. There’s so many places I want to see, things I want to do, I just haven’t had chance to yet.”
“You will,” he says, confidently. “Do you want dessert?”
I shake my head. “I think if I eat anymore, I’m going to explode.”
“We’ll skip it then.” He stands, straightening his jacket and holds out his hand, “come on.”
I take his hand. “Where are we going?”
He says nothing as he leads me to an open space at the back of the restaurant. Kyle stops and turns to me, placing his hands on my waist and pulls my body against him, as if on cue, the opening to Is This Love by Whitesnake begins to play.
I glance up at Kyle in surprise. “Did you plan this?” I ask, smiling so much I’m sure I look like Cheshire Cat.
He doesn’t reply, just smiles down at me as we begin to sway to my favourite song. I reach up and place my palms flat on his chest.
‘...how can I tell you, babe, my back's against the wall, I need you by my side, to tell me it’s alright, 'cause I don’t think I can take anymore...’
I tilt my head back and look up to find him gazing down at me. Before my brain catches up with my body, I reach up on my tip toes and brush my lips lightly against his, I stay there for a moment, my lips ghosting over his.
I start to pull back, but Kyle takes one of his hands and places it at the back of my head, cradling it in his hand, holding me close to him as his lips capture mine. His kiss is not as gentle, and hesitant as how I had kissed him, his kiss is harder, almost hungry. It’s perfect.
This should have been my first kiss, but he even took that from m
e.
Kyle’s grip on the back of my neck tightens as he kisses me deeper, his tongue sweeping into my mouth. I move my hands and grip his wrists tightly as he continues to kiss me, our lips working in perfect harmony with each other.
He breaks the kiss and rests his forehead against mine. “Fuck,” he moans breathlessly, his eyes never wavering from mine.
He tucks a strand of stray hair behind my ear, and we continue to sway to the music with his forehead pressed against mine, our noses slightly touching, our eyes locked on each other’s. When the song ends, he reaches down for my hand and leads me towards the exit.
We pass the waiter and Kyle pays him for the meal, leaving him what looks like a one-hundred-dollar tip.
“Thank you, Sir, have a good evening,” he calls, as we walk away.
Still holding my hand, we cross the lobby and make our way towards the elevator.
“Good Evening, Mr King!” Stacey on the front desk shouts, jumping up out of her seat as we pass by.
Kyle doesn’t acknowledge her at all, he just carries on walking. It’s getting hard to keep up with his pace in these heels I’m taking three steps to his one long stride, I’m practically running.
We reach the elevator and it isn’t long before the doors slide open and we get in.
He backs me against the wall, caging me in. He rests his forehead on mine, while his hands move down my body, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. His lips graze mine teasingly, pulling my bottom lip between his teeth, nipping at it gently, the tip of his tongue darting out to skim the seam of my lips, his warm uneven breath mixing with my own. His hands come to a stop at my hips, which he squeezes gently.
I squeeze my thighs together to suppress the throb that’s building between my legs.
The tension between us is so thick it’s getting harder and harder to breathe. Before I begin to suffocate from lack of oxygen, the doors slide open and we head for the penthouse, my hand clasped tight in his. Kyle unlocks the door and we head inside. He lets go of my hand to slide off his jacket, which he places over the back of a dining chair.
I walk over to the window and look out over the city while I slip my heels off my aching feet, no wonder I choose to wear boots ninety-nine percent of the time, comfortable and flat.
The New York City skyline looks so beautiful at night.
I feel Kyle’s presence before I see him walking up behind me in the reflection of the window. The hairs on the back of my neck, standing to attention, that familiar shiver rolling down my spine. My heart begins to pick up the pace as he closes in, my breathing becoming uneven.
He reaches me, I can feel him behind me, his front brushing my back, his warm breath tickling the skin on my neck.
He traces his fingers down my arms gently, making me shudder. “What do you want, Hayley?” he whispers in a low voice, his lips level with my right ear.
My heart is pounding so fast I can hear it in my eardrums.
“You,” I breathe out.
Kyle tucks my hair behind my ear and touches his lips to the shell of my ear, while his hands work the zip on the back of my dress down, slowly. Excruciatingly slowly. My body hums in anticipation, the throb getting more and more intense.
Once the zip of my dress is all the way down, coming to a stop at my tailbone, Kyle reaches inside the dress with is his right hand, his fingers tracing over the bare skin of my back, down my spine, causing me to shudder, around to the front, over my stomach, slowly working his way up towards my breasts.
My head falls back against his chest, my eyes fluttering closed. His fingers dust over my right nipple and my knees almost buckle. He eases the straps of my dress down my arms leaving my chest completely exposed, the cool air in the room hardening my nipples, the dress bunching at my hips.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs as he turns me to face him. He glances down at my bare chest and lets out a jagged breath, “Fuck Hayley.” His eyes return to mine as he cups my face with his hands, he leans down and takes my mouth, rough and impatient.
He backs me against the cool glass of the window, goose bumps spreading across my skin from the coldness. My exposed, hardened nipples graze over his smooth, crisp shirt, causing shivers through my body.
His tongue traces over my lips, asking for entry. I open for him and his tongue slides in, exploring my mouth. I moan against his lips. Kyle brings one of his hands down from my face, trailing his fingers down the curve of my neck, across my shoulders and down my arms. His thumb dusts against my left nipple and I whimper into his mouth as he continues to kiss me.
I begin to unbutton his shirt, working the buttons down one by one, but I’m failing, terribly, my hands are shaking so badly from both nerves and excitement.
Kyle breaks the kiss to help me, a deep chuckle coming from deep in his throat. Once we’ve undone all the buttons, I slide his shirt from his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor, exposing his wide, chiselled upper body. My hands glide over the sharp dips and ridges of his abs, his muscles flexing under my touch.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks.
I nod.
“I need words, Hayley.”
“Yes. I want you,” I pant, trying to regain my breath. “Just… go slow with me?”
“Of course.”
He slides the rest of the dress down my body, leaving me standing in nothing but my plain black panties. He grips my thighs and lifts me up, my legs wrapping securely around his waist as he carries me towards his bedroom. When we get there, he sets me down on the edge of the bed and kneels down in front of me, the ache becoming almost painful between my legs.
He leans forward and wraps his mouth around my right nipple, sucking and nipping, my head falls back as he begins to swirl his tongue around it. He moves to my left, and does the same, applying the same amount of attention to both breasts.
His left hand stays firmly locked onto my hip, his right hand moves to the inside of my thighs, drawing circles with his fingers that slowly work their way up between my legs as his mouth continues its assault on my breasts. His fingers brush over me, barely touching me and yet my body jerks.
Kyle pulls away, releasing my breast as he looks up at me, “Has no one ever...?”
I shake my head.
“Ever since... it happened, I lost all feeling. I tried everything to get it back, I read books, watched movies and... I... I touched myself, but nothing ever worked. I was convinced I’d never feel that... until I met you.”
He reaches up on his knees and presses his lips to mine, his arm reaching around my waist, pulling me against him.
“Lie back for me.” He begins to lower me down onto the mattress.
I lean back against the soft cool covers and look up at Kyle.
He presses his lips to mine, trailing kisses down my body before he sinks back down to the floor between my knees. He slides his hands up to my hips and grips the edges of my panties, stopping to look at me to ask if it is alright, I nod, and he slides my panties down my legs and off from around my feet, dropping them onto the floor beside him. I'm completely naked.
He nudges my knees apart slightly, the ache continues to build between my legs with anticipation of what’s going to happen next. He brings his finger up the insides of my thighs and touches me there, slipping his fingers between my warm wet folds and up to my sensitive, swollen clit.
He rubs me, bolts of pleasure course through my body, bringing me ever closer to my inevitable release. He brings his fingers down and finds my opening, and slowly slides a finger in and out, it’s an unusual feeling. He adds another and I tense up for a second until I adjust to the feeling of his fingers inside me.
My eyes flutter closed, lost in the feeling of him touching me when his lips find my clit, licking and sucking the swollen bud. I cry out and reach down and run my hands through his hair, gripping it firmly. A deep guttural moan escapes him as I tug at his hair, sending a wave of desire coursing through my body. He lifts my left leg and places it over his sh
oulder as his fingers continue moving inside me, his mouth working my clit. He reaches for my right leg, hooking it over his other shoulder, bringing him even closer, if that’s even possible.
The Game Page 10
