by Alex Grayson
Once I fully come back to myself, I slowly sit up. Now that it’s over and I’m able to think properly again, embarrassment starts taking over. I’ve never been so bold before. Never would I have thought I would open myself up so completely and put myself in such a vulnerable position.
When I start to close my legs, Sterling demands, “Don’t.”
I stop and hold my legs halfway open. I’m stuck with indecision. I want to defy him and cover myself, but I can’t help but be pleased that he wants to continue to look at me. He makes me feel like I’m the most interesting and stunning vision in the world.
“Before you get dressed, there’s something I want you to do.” I hold still and wait for him to continue. “Walk to the window.”
On wobbly legs, I get off the bed and start moving forward, my heart pumping wildly with the thought of finally seeing him. I’m disappointed when I make it to the window and don’t see his shadowed figure anymore.
“Unlatch the lock.” I left the phone on the bed, so his voice is further away, but I still hear him just fine.
“Close your eyes,” he says, just barely loud enough for me to hear.
I close my eyes, and seconds later, I hear the window sliding up. It takes everything in me to keep them shut.
He must sense the war that’s raging in my head because he orders with a tone that brooks no argument. “Do not open your eyes.”
Although I bristle at his harsh words, I give a subtle nod, holding my breath with anticipation of what he’ll do next.
I don’t know how he manages to put himself at my level, but the next second I feel the whisper of his breath at my ear. He doesn’t touch me, but I know he’s only centimeters away.
“Put your fingers back in your pussy,” he whispers.
I shudder out a breath and a moan slips free. It takes me several seconds for my brain to work long enough to bring my hand back to my center. I slip my pointer and middle finger back inside my slick hole. Sterling’s breath whooshes out with a groan.
“Now hold them out for me.”
I do as I’m told and hold my hand out. The warmth of Sterling’s mouth meets my fingers as he takes them inside and sucks greedily at them. This is so damn hot. The need that was quenched just a few seconds ago now comes back full force. My body vibrates with the need to open my eyes, pull Sterling inside the window, and demand he take me like I need him to.
Sterling’s tongue swirls around my fingers one last time before he pulls back. The loss I feel as his touch disappears is astounding. My disappointment doesn’t last long, though. The next moment, his lips are on mine and my world feels right again. It’s only his lips and tongue that touch me, but it feels like his entire body is caressing me. His kiss is addicting, and I never want to be cured from it. We tangle our tongues together, moaning into each other’s mouths.
He pulls back all too soon, and I almost open my eyes, but remember I’m not supposed to.
“I’ll see you when you get back from Texas,” he murmurs against my lips, reminding me of my upcoming trip and the time I’ll be spending alone with Asher.
With one more kiss to my lips, I feel him back away.
I hear the slide of the window being closed, but it’s a few minutes before I open my eyes. It’s dark on the other side, with no shadowed figure. I release a shaky breath. I’m still so aroused that my thighs are wet from it.
I turn from the window and walk to the bathroom to clean up. When I look in the mirror, my cheeks are flushed and my lips are slightly swollen. My hair tumbles around my shoulders and looks wild. My eyes are bright, but have a sated look. Even to myself, I look sexy and well-fucked, even though I wasn’t fucked at all. I can’t help the smile that forms on my face.
I grab a washcloth from the small cabinet underneath the sink and wet it with warm water to clean myself. After, with my limbs relaxed and exhaustion taking over, I crawl beneath the covers. My phone still sits on the bed, so I pick it up to set my alarm to wake up bright and early, the trip to Texas looking less and less exciting when I have a man like Sterling waiting for me.
Chapter Thirteen
Poppy
The next morning I’m nervous as the driver pulls up on the tarmac where the jet is waiting for us. I told Asher I could catch a cab to the private airstrip, but he insisted on sending a driver over. He said there was no sense in wasting cab fare when he could easily send someone for me.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous. It’s just a simple business trip. I see Asher five days a week, so it’s not like we’re new to being in each other’s company for hours on end. After what transpired last night with Sterling, I felt better about going on this trip with Asher, but not so much this morning. My feelings for Sterling are growing stronger by the day, but every time I’m near Asher, I get this flutter in my stomach. He still makes me nervous and edgy, but he also brings life to my body. I hate having my body react this way to two different men. I want them both, and that right there makes me feel like total shit. Even if I could have both, I wouldn’t do that to either of them. They both deserve better. Everyone deserves better than to be strung along and used. Besides, Sterling’s already proven that he won’t share, although I do find it quite odd he didn’t put up a fight about me going on this trip.
The car pulls to a stop, jerking me from my conflicting thoughts. I sit for a minute and try to force away the nervousness that starts to overwhelm me. I’m just about to open the door to get out when it’s opened for me. Grabbing my purse, I slide from the smooth leather seat.
“Thank you,” I mumble.
“My pleasure, ma’am.”
I walk around to the back of the car and wait for him to pop the trunk so I can grab my bags. A moment later it opens, and I reach to grab the handle to my suitcase, but before I can, Benjamin, the driver, steps beside me and pulls it from the trunk.
“I’ll get these for you, ma’am.”
“Oh, thank you.” I smile.
I take a step back. I’m not used to having others do stuff for me when I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself. It makes me feel useless, and I don’t like that feeling. I’ve always done everything myself.
I fiddle with my purse strap as Benjamin sets my suitcase down on the ground and slides the pull handle up before grabbing my smaller carry-on bag. I sedately walk behind him to the steps leading to the jet. A tall, older gentleman in a black uniform that has several patches on it meets me at the steps. Benjamin continues on with my luggage, handing it over to a man standing by a small hatch close to the back of the jet.
“Miss Lexington?” the man at the stairs inquires, holding out a hand.
“Yes.” I place my hand in his and he gives it two pumps before letting go.
“My name is Captain Hayes,” he says with a smile. “I’ll be the pilot for your trip today. If you’ll climb on board, Mr. Knight is already inside. We’ll be taking off momentarily.”
“Thank you. It was nice meeting you.”
I turn from him and eye the stairs warily. I don’t know what I’m more nervous about, getting on this jet or spending so much alone time with Asher.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” Captain Hayes asks when I make no move to climb the steps.
Swallowing through a thick throat, I murmur, “Yes.”
“Have you ever flown before?” he asks, coming to stand at my side.
I try my best to give him a smile, but I’m sure it looks warped or something.
“No. This will be my first,” I answer anxiously.
He lays a comforting hand on my arm and gives it a squeeze. “You have nothing to worry about. I’ve been flying these things for twenty years, and before that I was in the Air Force for ten.” He gives me a reassuring smile and it calms some of my nerves.
The next smile I give him is more natural.
“Don’t mind me. I’ll be fine, but thank you.”
With a pat to my arm, Captain Hayes lets go and I turn back to the stairs. I pull in a deep breath and grab t
he handrail before taking the first step. There are only seven steps, so it’s not long until I reach the top. Cool air whizzes past me as I stand in the doorway. It’s refreshing and cools my heated skin. I clutch my purse in a tight grip and move forward. My anxiety has now moved back from flying to seeing Asher. I round the small corner and am met with a decent size space that has several comfortable looking seats on either side of the aisle, and what looks like a small bar off to the left. In the back, I see a doorway straight ahead and two doors to the sides, one leading to the left and one to the right. There are cabinets along the walls right below the ceiling. Overall, it’s much bigger than I pictured from the outside. I shouldn’t expect anything less, though. It is, after all, owned by Silver Technologies.
I shift on my feet as my gaze meets Asher’s, who’s sitting in one of the seats talking on his phone. He’s wearing black slacks and a dark gray button-up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. I always feel a little thrill run through my body when I see his tattoos, and now is no different. The eyebrow ring glints from the sun peeking in through the window. For a split second, I thought I saw something in his eyes when he first saw me, something dark and carnal. But when I blink and look back at him, it’s gone. It had to have been my mind playing tricks on me.
Or maybe it’s your mind conjuring up something that you desperately want, a small voice in my head whispers.
I shake the ridiculous thought away.
A beautiful young blonde in a knee-length gray skirt and white blouse walks up to me.
“Hello. My name is Seraphina, and I’ll be your flight attendant today. If you need anything at all, please let me know.”
She smiles at me, but there’s something about her that sets me off. Maybe it’s the way her smile looks fake. It could also be that she has her blouse unbuttoned just enough to give a small glimpse of her cleavage. Reluctantly, I have to admit her cleavage is nice, albeit probably fake.
When I don’t say anything back to her, her smile slips a bit and I feel like a bitch.
“Would you like for me to take your bag?” she asks, indicating my purse.
I grip it tighter and force a smile. “No, thank you. I’ll keep it with me.”
“Okay. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your seat.”
She turns on her black heels and leads me further into the cabin. Instead of taking me to a seat beside Asher like I figured she would, she takes me to one across the walkway.
“She sits over here, Seraphina. You already know this.” Asher’s clipped tone has both of us looking over at him. He’s still on his phone, but has one brow raised at Seraphina.
She blushes, and is clearly uncomfortable being reprimanded. “I-I’m sorry, sir,” she stammers.
I’d feel sorry for her if it wasn’t for the fact that she blatantly went against Asher’s wishes. I move my gaze from Asher and back to Seraphina. Although she still looks flushed from his sharp words, she can’t hide the desire flashing in her eyes. It’s there for all to see, and I feel an irrational need to scratch them out. She purposely went against him to keep me away from him. She doesn’t realize that there’s nothing going on between us, and I’m not particularly in the mood to enlighten her of anything different.
God, I am such a bitch!
When she brings her eyes back to me, I barely hold in my gasp at the barely concealed hate she throws my way, before she wipes it clean with another fake smile.
Not waiting for her to lead the way, I walk over to where Asher is sitting and take the seat beside him. I set my purse on the floor at my feet and fold my hands in my lap. Out the corner of my eye, I see Asher looking at me. He’s still on the phone, so I keep my eyes forward.
“We’ll be there early afternoon, Stewart. Make sure you have everything ready.”
He hangs up and puts his phone in his suit pocket, never taking his eyes off me. I start to fidget in my seat.
“Good morning, Poppy,” Asher’s smooth, deep voice greets me.
I plaster on a smile and turn to face him. “Good Morning, Asher.”
A wave of his scent hits me and it nearly steals my breath. He always smells so damn good. Fresh and woodsy, like he just came inside from being out in the country.
“Was the drive over okay?” he inquires.
“Yes, thank you.”
He just sits in his seat, watching me with green eyes that seem like they see more than I want him to. I become antsy with his perusal, crossing and uncrossing my legs. I want to look away, but I can’t.
“Why do I make you so nervous, Poppy?”
My eyes widen at his question. He’s never asked me that before, so I’m surprised he’s asking me now. My behavior is nothing new, so why does he feel the need to know now? And what do I say to that? I don’t even know the answer myself.
I lick my dry lips. His eyes follow the movement, causing my already frayed nerves to shred more. I wipe my sweaty palms on my navy blue skirt, trying to come up with an answer. My stomach feels like there’s a hundred wild horses galloping around inside it.
“Umm…” I swallow, but it does nothing to wet my dry throat. I need something to drink, but don’t want to ask for fear it will give me away. My eyes drop to my lap and my hands that are wringing themselves together.
I jump slightly when I feel Asher’s touch on my chin, lifting my head back up to meet his eyes.
“Why do I make you so nervous?” he asks again, his voice soft. His face is closer, so I feel his breath against my face.
“I don’t know,” I whisper.
His lips tip up into a half-smile when he says, “I think you do know.”
My eyes stay glued to his lips. I wonder how soft they would feel against mine. If he were to kiss me, would it be rough and bruising, or soft and gentle? Either way, I bet they would feel amazing.
A ding sounds and the captain’s voice comes over the intercom, breaking the spell between us. I’m left breathless when I look away from Asher. I try to pull air into my lungs, but it doesn’t feel like I’m getting enough. I scramble for my seatbelt, just to have something to do with my hands. When I peek at Asher from beneath my lashes, I see a smirk on his face as he casually buckles his own belt. My face blazes hot and my stomach flops.
After the captain announces that we’re ready for takeoff, the jet starts to move. The grip I have on the armrests has my fingers cramping. I lean my head back and close my eyes, taking in deep gulps of much needed air. Asher’s hand on mine has me lifting my head and turning it his way. The expression on his face is soft with understanding.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” he says gently.
I nod and turn my head forward, pinning my eyes on the seat in front of me. Asher keeps his hand on mine as the jet starts to pick up speed. It makes a couple turns before coming to a complete stop. I hold my breath and wait as the roar of the engines turn louder. I didn’t think flying would be this scary. I should have had a couple glasses of wine to relax before I left the house. I wonder what they have in the bar across the way, and if Seraphina can find me something to help calm me.
“Poppy,” I hear Asher say beside me, but I’m so stuck in my fear of flying that I can’t look at him.
“Poppy,” he says more harshly, the tone snapping me out of my frozen state. I turn my wild, scared eyes to him. “Just keep your eyes on me, okay?”
I swallow thickly and nod. It’s the only thing I can do at the moment. I’m so focused on his eyes that I see small brown flecks in them. I’ve never noticed them before. Of course, I’ve never been this close to him, or been given the opportunity to look at them unencumbered. He has small wrinkle lines in the corners of his eyes. It’s rare that I see his smile or laugh, so I wonder how he’s acquired them. He has a few gray hairs at his temples, which only adds to his appeal.
I feel the jet jerk forward and start picking up speed, the momentum pushing me back against my seat, but I’m so absorbed in looking at Asher that it fails to worry me. All I can see, feel, smell,
and touch right now is Asher’s eyes on me, his breath against my lips, his scent filling my nose, and his hand still touching mine. Everything else around us is insignificant. I want to stay like this forever. It feels safe. I briefly feel my stomach drop, but I stay focused on him, and he does the same.
What in the hell is happening? Think of Sterling, Poppy! I berate myself. And stop with the Asher fascination.
I slowly start to relax when I realize we’re off the ground. I break our stare, feeling strange as I do so. My cheeks turn hot, and I glance around the cabin before looking out the window. Asher reaches across me to close it, but I stop him with a hand on his arm.
“No. Please, leave it open.”
He eyes me for a minute and then lowers his arm.
“Are you sure?” he asks, his voice laced with concern.
I give him a reassuring smile. “Yes.”
With a short nod, he places his arm back on the armrest.
As scared as I am of flying, I have this uncontrollable urge to look out the window. Turning my head from Asher’s probing gaze, I take my first look out the window and gasp in shock at what I see. I would have never thought it would look so uniform. I’m totally mesmerized by it and forget the fear I was feeling moments ago. Everything looks so small from up here. It’s amazing to watch the tiny cars glide along the roads and see the tops of trees and buildings float by. I literally feel like I’m on top of the world.
I’m captivated by the scenery for a good ten minutes, then it starts to fade into fog. A smile breaks across my face when I realize we’re flying through the clouds, but it fades seconds later when I feel a bump, followed by several more. My hands fly back to the armrests, and I grip them tight. This has got to be the dreaded turbulence you always hear about. I look around the cabin to see Asher still watching me. He doesn’t seem to be worried about the jerks and bumps of the jet. Seraphina unbuckles her seatbelt and stands. Shouldn’t she stay in her seat? This is my first flight, so I have nothing to compare it to, but neither Asher nor Seraphina seems to be fazed by it, so it can’t be bad, right?
