by Kara Chase
I hold my breath as I feel the cool air of the room caressing my nipples, and then a shiver slides down my spine as Lucien cups my breasts, gently massaging them.
“And I need you, Vivian.”
With his eyes locked on mine, he then leans in and kisses me. Lost in his embrace, I let my hands work by themselves: I unbuckle his belt, unzip his pants, and then flatten the palm of my right hand over his hard cock, the fabric of his boxers the only barrier between my skin and his.
“I can’t wait,” I find myself saying as I curl my fingers around his cock, every single cell in my body burning up.
I need to feel him inside of me now. Sliding one hand inside his boxers, I grab his cock and pull it out. He mirrors what I’m doing and takes one hand under my dress and up to between my legs, pressing it against my drenched thong.
Satisfied with the wrecked state I’m in, he pushes the fabric of my thong to the side. Next thing I know, I have the tip of his cock pressed tight against my inner lips.
“You sure you can’t wait?” He whispers, teasing me.
“I’ve never been so sure,” I reply, and then buck my hips at him, forcing his cock inside of me with one thrust.
I bite my lower lip and throw my head back as I feel him entering me, his thickness pushing my inner walls back. As I take all of him inside of me, all my thoughts vanish.
Right now, only one thing exists in my universe: us.
There is no Vivian Sweet, and there is no Lucien Parker. We have become one, our bodies lost in a connection that can’t be severed. We move as one, the rhythm of our hips a matching one, and I can almost feel the pleasure he’s feeling.
We stay like that for a long moment, lost in time. Our rhythm keeps on growing and growing, the pleasure that encircles us slowly turning into a raging inferno. It doesn’t take long for my quivering moans to fill the whole apartment, that sweet crescendo inside of me reaching the turning point.
“I’ve never...felt like this before,” I tell him as I’m about to explode, and I quickly realize that I’m not talking about what my body is feeling. I’m talking about my soul.
I love him.
I love him like I never loved anyone before.
“Neither have I,” he replies quietly, and then I simply press my forehead against his and let pleasure finally overtake me.
My inner walls tighten around his hard cock, pleasure lashing out at my body, mind, and soul. I feel his cock pulsing inside me. We explode at the same time, the fire of ecstasy devouring us and sealing the connection between us.
As I roll to the side, exhausted but as happy as I’ve ever been, only one thought remains inside my head.
I’ve fallen in love with him.
I’m in love with Lucien Parker.
Chapter Thirty-One
Lucien
When I open my eyes, I expect to see sunlight streaming through the windows. Instead, the living room is bathed in darkness, the only light coming from the outside was the mellow moonlight.
I sit up, feeling every single sore muscle in my body. I stretch my arms and my back cracks as I exhale sharply. I get up, ready to amble down to my bedroom, when I realize that Vivian is still fast asleep on the couch.
For a moment, I simply stand there, looking at her.
She’s completely naked, her breasts rising and falling as she breathes in and out. I trace the contour of her figure slowly, my gaze lingering on her restful face, and I find myself smiling. She’s just lying there, fast asleep, and I can’t help but find her the most beautiful woman on Earth.
Because she is.
Grabbing my boxer briefs from the floor, I put them on and sit back on the couch. Slowly, I pick Vivian up. She stirs lightly in her sleep, but doesn’t wake up.
Cradling her in my arms, I start walking to her bedroom.
I push the door open with the tip of my foot, but I hesitate before moving in. I stand there like a complete fucking moron, and then just shake my head.
I turn on my heels and head to opposite direction, then I get inside my own bedroom. Gently, I lay Vivian down on my bed and then pull the sheets up, covering her.
What the fuck is wrong with you, Lucien? I ask myself, but the only answer I get is Vivian’s soft breathing.
I lay down next to her and drift off to sleep, the warmth of her body making me feel as if I’m home.
When I wake up in the morning, Vivian’s not there.
Usually, it’s the other way around. I’m the one sneaking out of bed in the morning, not the chick I’m with. And, as weird as it is, I’m almost fucking alarmed at finding that side of the bed empty.
I could get used to having her on my bed every single night.
I get up to my feet and then amble out of the bedroom, wearing nothing but my boxer briefs. Vivian’s already in the kitchen, fully dressed and whipping up some breakfast.
Without even thinking, I walk up to her and wrap my arms around her body. Fuck, just having her this close to me is enough to get me fucking hard. I guess there’s no better breakfast than—
“What the fuck?” I mutter as I hear the doorbell ring.
“This early?” Vivian asks.
The two of us make our way toward the door. I get there first and swing it open without even checking who’s on the other side.
“Hey there, sir!” A fucking kid with his face riddled with acne greets me. He’s wearing a beige uniform, a satchel, and a fucking ridiculous cap. In his hand there’s an envelope which he promptly shoves into my hands.
“What the fuck is this?” I ask him, but the kid just shrugs and heads back to his puberty cave or whatever.
Vivian and I stare at each other for a second, and then the two of us look at the envelope in my hand. Before I can react, she snatches it out from my fingers.
“Let’s see,” she whispers as she tears it open. “Alright,” she continues, her eyes flying through the folded document that was tucked inside.
“What is it?”
“Just a friendly reminder from our friend Edwin,” she sighs. “Says in here that the thirty days are almost up. A hearing has been scheduled to determine who keeps the apartment. If any of us miss the hearing, that’s as good as forfeiting the apartment.”
“They can’t do that!”
“I guess they can,” she tells me, lowering her gaze to the floor.
There’s a concerned expression on her face, and I almost reach out and hug her tight. I stop myself when I notice that there’s more than just concern on her face...there’s conflict.
And something more.
If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s reading people. And Vivian is hiding something from me.
“Is everything okay?” I ask her, and just watch as she purses her lips and nods hesitantly.
“Yes, everything’s fine.”
Now, that’s a fucking bullshit answer, if there ever was any.
“I...I gotta go to work,” she continues, and by now there are fucking tears in her eyes.
But before I can grab her, before I can stop her from leaving and just wrap my arms around her, she simply rushes out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
What the fuck is going on?
Is this because of the fucking apartment?
Fuck the apartment. I don’t want to see tears in her eyes ever again, that’s for sure. Whatever it takes.
Ah, shit, but who the fuck am I lying to? If only it were that easy. I mean, I need to get this fucking penthouse. Not only have I always dreamed of getting the best place in Manhattan, I owe it to my father. I owe it to me.
I promised myself that I’d be the owner of the Trident’s penthouse, and I’m not the kind of guy that breaks a promise.
But godfuckingdammit, it’s Vivian we’re talking about.
And I love her.
Why the fuck do I even have to chose? It shouldn’t happen like this. I’m Lucien fucking Parker, and I always get what I want.
So why isn’t it the same this time ar
ound? Why, when I finally meet someone I want to spend my life with, life suddenly decides to throw me a fucking curveball?
Closing my eyes, I ball my hands into fists and take a deep breath.
Alright, I know what I need to do.
It’s fucking settled.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Vivian
“Miss Sweet? Mr. Petrov is here to see you.”
“Not today, Anna,” I tell my assistant, holding my phone between my ear and my shoulder as I keep on typing at the laptop. “Tell him to return tomorrow. In fact, clear my whole schedule for the rest of the day. I have something important to do right now.”
“Very well, Miss Sweet.”
As I put my phone back on top of the table, I lean back on my chair and sigh heavily. Today is the day of the hearing, and I still have nothing that can help me.
Yes, don’t think that just because Edwin has made me an offer, and just because I was part of a guerrilla campaign against Lucien, that I’d give up on trying to figure out this whole mess using my lawyer skills. I spent half a decade with my nose buried deep inside Law books, and I sure as hell am going to put all my knowledge to use.
Thing is, it doesn’t seem to matter how many documents I read, I can’t seem to find anything. I’ve looked at this thing from every possible angle, and I always come up short. Hell, I even tried to dig some dirt on Edwin, just so I could decide how best to leverage it, but zilch, nada, nothing.
This looks like an unwinnable situation. If I was advising a client, I know exactly what I’d say: take Edwin’s deal. Throw Lucien under the bus, and walk away filthy rich.
Thing is, I can’t do that. I can’t do that to him. But at the same time, what else can I do? It’s not like Lucien and I have a relationship. We’re in a limbo—one foot in relationship land while the other dangling over the abyss.
What a fucking mess.
Rubbing my eyes, I sigh once more. I have absolutely no fucking clue on what I should. None.
My train of thought derails as I hear someone knocking at my door. Sitting up straight, I let out a “not now!”, but the knocking continues.
“Jesus,” I sigh, and then stand up. I make my way toward the door, ready to lash out at whoever’s on the other side.
“Miss Sweet, I’m really sorry to interrupt,” Anna, says.
She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, nervously, and manages a smile. She’s only twenty-one, and far too shy, but she’s damn competent. Besides, I know she wants to get into Law as well—and I have a soft spot for kickass hardworking Law students.
“I know you asked not to be disturbed, but I think this is important.”
“Alright. Thank you, Anna,” I nod, taking from her hands the stack of folders she’s carrying.
When she’s gone, I get back to my desk and put down all the folders on top of it. My heart skips a beat as I realize that Anna has scribbled Edwin’s name on each of the folders. She was right: this is important.
Sitting down, I mentally prepare myself to spend the one hour I have until the meeting to go through these documents. I don’t have much time, but maybe there’s a gem in here.
Some of it is interesting, particularly the documents about some of Edwin’s financial records I wasn’t aware of previously. Still, there doesn’t seem to be anything in here that I can use. It’s all useless, and I’m pretty sure that—oh, shit, what the hell is this?
Standing up straight, almost as if thunder had shot up my spine, I feel my eyes widening as I reread a particular passage on the documents.
This can’t be right, can it?
I reread it three more times just to be sure.
Bingo.
This is exactly what I was looking for.
More agitated than ever, I put that particular document in my briefcase, and then I glance at my wristwatch. Shit! I’m already late. I spent far too much time combing through these documents.
It was well worth it, sure, but I can’t be late to the hearing.
Grabbing my coat and my purse, I run out of the office. I go as fast as I can, calling up my driver as I ride the elevator down.
When I get to the ground floor, I immediately spot the executive black car parked up front and my usual driver already waiting for me. Good, maybe I can still make it in time.
“Miss Sweet,” the driver greets me, holding the door for me.
I thank him with a nod as I get inside the car, throwing my coat and purse on the backseat, and then I grab the documents once more. I want to review them on my way to the hearing. I intend to kick ass by preparing as much as possible.
“I think we might have a problem, Miss Sweet,” I hear my driver say and, the moment I raise my gaze, I immediately realize what the problem is.
In front of our car, there are dozens and dozens of cars. Hell, there are hundreds of them. All of them in a painfully march through Manhattan.
Shit, how the hell am I supposed to get to the meeting on time with this kind of traffic clogging the city’s arteries? It’ll be a miracle.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath as I reach for my phone.
I go through my contacts list and, finding Lucien in there, I press my thumb over his profile picture. I put the phone against my ear, but the only thing I hear is that annoying tone that tells me Lucien’s phone is turned off.
“Shit, shit.”
This can’t be happening. Now that I have something I can use to maybe solve this whole thing, there’s the risk I might not make it in time. And not making it in time is as good as telling the board that I’m forfeiting my rights to the apartment.
I know that if I’m not there, Edwin will make an expedited hearing and have the whole board rule against me. Besides, I have no idea what Lucien might end up doing. There’s that, too.
“I’ll just walk,” I say hurriedly, and almost jump of the car.
With my heels clicking loudly over the pavement, I make way to the sidewalk and turn left at the end of the street. If I hurry, maybe there’s still a chance.
“You have to be fucking kidding me.”
The whole street is brimming with people. Thousands of them. With my jaw hanging open, I look as people in costumes parade down the street, singing loudly while a marching band leads the way.
A fucking parade? Jesus Christ.
Alright, shit. I can still take the subway.
Pushing my way through the crowd, I make a beeline toward one of the subway entrances. I go down the stairs as if my feet were on fire, clutching all the documents against my chest, and I steal a glance at one of the subway schedules hanging from the ceiling.
Good. There’s one coming in two minutes.
“Miss! Miss!” I hear someone shout after me. I almost think about ignoring it, but when I look back over my shoulder at whoever’s calling for me, I realize it’s a police officer.
“You can’t go that way. We’re closing the station.”
“What?! Why?”
“There’s been a delay with one of the trains, and we’re investigating if there’s any threat to the—”
I don’t even hear the rest of what he has to say. I just turn on my heels and make my way back out of the subway, cursing under my breath. It seems as if the universe thought this was a good day to fuck with me.
Standing on the sidewalk, right outside the subway entrance, I grit my teeth as I let my gaze roam over the drunken crowd that has taken over the whole block. Shit, I’ll have to make my way through them.
Okay, let’s fucking do it.
Purse in one hand, stack of folders in the other, I march through the crowd as if I were on a mission. I must be sending out some pretty harsh vibes because, as people seem me coming, they immediately part to let me go through.
Not that it helps much. With thousands of people on the streets, I have to push my way through, bumping shoulders with every single New Yorker on my way.
By the time I finally get to the building where the hearing is going to be held, I
realize that I’m already half an hour late. Taking a deep breath before stepping inside the building, I nod to myself and then march in. I ask the receptionist for directions, and then head straight to the elevator.
With my heart beating at a hundred miles per hour, I eventually find my way to the right floor and room. Without even knocking, I push the door open and step inside.
“Glad you could join us, Miss Sweet,” Edwin mocks me from the end of the room.
He is sitting on a raised dais, his fat belly almost pushing back the table in front of him. Flanking him are a myriad of people I’ve never seen before.
Sitting right in the middle of the room, microphone set up in front of him, is Lucien.
Am I too late already?
Chapter Thirty-Three
Vivian
“I almost feel sorry you had to come all this way just for this hearing, Miss Sweet,” Edwin starts, the malevolent grin on his face telling me he thinks he’s on his way to winning the war. “This will be a waste of time for you, I believe. Unless you have something of interest to the board.”
Oh, I do, you prick. I sure as hell do.
It just isn’t what you’re expecting.
As I make my way toward the center of the room, all without replying to Edwin, I allow a deep silence to blanket the whole room. Standing by Lucien’s side, I offer him a smile.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t come,” he whispers.
Just by looking into his eyes, I realize that he didn’t come to the hearing to throw me under the bus. Although I still have no idea about who of us will get the apartment, at least I know that we’ve both decided to settle on peace instead of war.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” I tell him as I lay my stack of documents on the table, dropping them heavily.
As I do it, I straighten my back and look straight at Edwin. “Good evening, members of the board,” I start, a slight grin on my lips, “and good evening to you, Mr. President of the Board. As you’ve so eloquently put it, I do have something of interest to the board. Something really important...a crucial piece of evidence.”
