Consumed By You (The Consumed Series Book 1)

by Alicia Marino

  “Let me taste you, baby,” he demands, and he gets on his knees, pulling my legs to the edge of the bed. I convulse when his lips graze my inner thigh, my erotic scent rising to torment us both. “God, you smell fucking good.”

  “Please, Ben.” I moan as he continues his sweet, sweet torture. “Please.”

  He pulls the only remaining fabric on my body down my legs with a knowing slowness, biting his lip. “Open your legs for me.”

  Blushing profusely, I spread them to reveal myself to his waiting gaze.

  “Fucking perfect.” He pulls my legs farther apart, earning a loud gasp from me, and brings his head down upon my sex. His tongue sears through my silky flesh, parting the slick tissues, gravitating towards the one place that matters. His mouth barely suctions around my clit and I’m stiffening in excitement, my body devoted to the building pleasure.

  Oh my god.

  My stomach twists unlike anything I’ve ever experienced and fisting the bed sheets, I give in to it, calling out his name.

  He looks up between my legs in wonder. “Holy shit, you’re sensitive. Do you usually come that fast?”

  I shake my head against the bed, coming down from my high. “That-That was the first time it’s happened by someone else doing it for me.”

  His jaw drops. “You’ve never come during sex?”

  “No.”

  He grins. It’s a huge just-watch-me egotistical grin. Pulling back, he gets the condom, tears it open, and rolls it onto himself. His eyes burning, his mouth travels over the bumps and curves of my body until he reaches my face. I can taste my arousal on his tongue as the tip of his cock nudges my entrance.

  This is it.

  I’m about to have sex with Benjamin Scott. My boss. I can’t even begin to describe how wrong all of this is. All negative thoughts dissipate as soon as he rams into me in one, soul-shattering thrust. I release short, ragged gasps as my body nearly rejects his size, clenching tight around him.

  “Jesus, Darcy. You’re tight,” he utters against my throat, which is damp with perspiration.

  I take ahold of his tangle of waves and force his head back to mine. His tongue invades my mouth, licking and sucking expertly. He eases himself in and out, building us both up to a steady, punishing rhythm, and I’m instantly settled comfortably in euphoria. I didn’t even know this kind of pleasure existed. He brings his hand down to my clit, continuing to pound into me, and within seconds, I’m feeling the newly familiar pull again.

  Again? Holy—

  My second orgasm consumes me and I think I go blind for a moment. He doesn’t falter, his hand circling until I can’t take it anymore, reaching down to stop his fingers.

  “God, I love it when you come,” he whispers heatedly as my swollen sex clenches around him. Our bodies are drenched from exertion, the only sound in the room our pleasured grunts and moans. He’s perfect. This is perfect. Our bodies together are perfect.

  His grip tight on my flesh, he spins us both on the billowy mattress until he’s beneath me and both of my legs spread out over his lower half, aching for him again. He grins as I line his arousal to mine hastily, pulling me down on top of him, penetrating me deeper than I’ve ever experienced. It’s so deep this way. Too deep. I try to lift myself a little to alleviate the discomfort, my mouth parting wide instinctively as he fills me to the brink.

  “No, you’re gonna take all of me,” he insists, holding me at the waist. “Kiss me, Darcy.”

  I cradle his head with my hands, dragging my mouth from his cheek to his lips tentatively.

  “Fucking kiss me,” he barks as I rock against him, sinking to the hilt.

  “Fuck!” I cry out against his mouth, and he doesn’t waste the moment. His tongue dives in deep, consuming, and I whimper as I relentlessly grind my hips into him, always needing more. A low sound rumbles through him when I pull on his bottom lip and his hand dives to tease my clit once more.

  “No…no. I can’t,” I argue weakly as he circles the small, sensitive nub with a single finger.

  “You will, Darcy.”

  I gasp in disbelief as my body begins to tremble all over again, reason catapulting into oblivion.

  “Yes. Yes, come for me. Come,” he commands wickedly, and his words send me over the edge, leaving me only able to praise his name over and over again in wild passion. Within seconds his grip tightens as he swells, releasing inside of me with strong, virile spurts. We stop moving nearly in unison, gasping against each other, slowly coming down from our collective highs. I blink wildly, my world tilted off its axis in the best way.

  This might be the best day of my life. Holy crap. This man is a god.

  I hoist my head from the crook of his neck and look into his eyes, beaming at the completion of our arduous feat. “That was amazing.”

  He plants a soft kiss onto my mouth. I try not to read into how fast his lips actually rest against mine before they are gone. “Yeah, it was.”

  I reach out to touch his face but he quickly shifts away, forcing me to dismount him with haste.

  No. What the hell is going on?

  I watch in confusion as he stands and strides in full glory to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him without another word.

  Wait.

  I inspect the hinges of the white doorway as the shower turns on. My mind churns wildly, realizing.

  No. No. Oh no.

  I’m horrified, embarrassed, angry. I snatch my clothes off the floor in a hurry, a silent hysteria seizing hold of my emotions. Scalding tears betray me as I make it to my room, locking the door behind me.

  I wince, shoving the mussed strands of hair from my face, recalling the detached dullness in his eyes as he got up. Does he do this with every woman he’s with? Screw them and then treat them like they are nothing, merely a vessel for him to stick his dick in?

  I pull back the untouched sheets and climb into bed. I can still feel his hands on me, his lips on mine. My skin tickles sensitively against the coolness.

  Thirty minutes later, there’s a knock at my door. “Darcy?”

  I hold my breath, remaining silent.

  “Darcy, why is this door locked?” Benjamin questions, his tone suspicious. He has no idea, does he? No fucking clue.

  “Just leave me alone.”

  There’s a pause; it’s long and telling. He speaks again. “What’s wrong?”

  “Go away, Benjamin,” I reply angrily, my eyes glued to the pastel wallpaper.

  “Darcy,” he says sternly. “Darcy, just open the damn door.”

  After a few moments, he eventually walks away from the barricade between us.

  I knew it would end this way. He told me he didn’t want more—I just didn’t listen.

  ***

  A text on my phone wakes me. I check the clock. It’s three in the morning. I rise, expecting it to be Benjamin telling me he can’t sleep, can’t eat because he feels like shit after what he did, but it’s not him, only a reminder with notes about the fundraiser tonight. How am I going to work for this man? I can’t imagine even looking at him right now.

  My stomach growls and it dawns on me I haven’t eaten all day. I go to the closet and slip into my black robe. I hope there’s still some of that fettuccine left.

  I open the door to an empty, dark living room, tiptoe to the kitchen, open the fridge, and take out the pasta. I shove the plate in the microwave and wait. When I realize I’m tapping my fingers against the marble impatiently, I go over to the window and behold glorious downtown Seattle. It looks so beautiful at night. The rain is coming down hard, making the tall, brightly lit buildings blur together.

  There’s a loud noise, startling me, and I jump. Benjamin’s door opens and he’s standing there in sweats and nothing else. I look at his beautiful face, feeling only anger.

  Walk away.

  I whirl around and head for the kitchen.

  “Darcy,” he says incredulously.

  Yes, I’m ignoring you.

  I don’t turn around even t
hough I know he’s following me.

  “Darcy, what’s going on? Why are you mad at me?”

  “Because you’re an asshole,” I hiss. The microwave dings and I open it, grabbing the plate, but drop it on the counter when it burns me. “Fuck!”

  “Stop. Stop.” He flips on the light and takes my hand. There are swollen burn marks on my first three fingers. He races to his bedroom and returns a second later with toothpaste. I raise my eyebrows.

  “It helps with the sting.” He puts a small amount on his finger and proceeds to rub the minty paste onto mine. Sure enough, I start to feel the burning sensation diminish. “There. Now tell me what’s going on.”

  I back up hard against the counter when he cages me between his arms so I’m captive to his intoxicating smell.

  “Do you have any idea how you made me feel earlier, Benjamin?” He inspects me wordlessly, his features crinkling with insensitivity and I have my answer. “No, I guess you don’t. Do you fuck all your women and then leave them as soon as you come, Ben?”

  “I took a shower,” he replies, his eyes alight with surprise. His hair is wavy and tousled from sleep. It hurts to look at him.

  “You had barely finished before you left to wash me off of you. I’m not like these other women you date. I don’t just have meaningless sex to get up in the world. I’ve told you—showed you things I’ve never shown another soul.”

  Running a hand through his dark hair, he shakes his head in frustration. “I told you I don’t date, Darcy.”

  “So this was a meaningless fuck, then?” My lips are trembling so I bite down to try to conceal it. I’m unable to hide my embarrassment.

  “Of course it wasn’t. I care about you.”

  “Bullshit, Benjamin. You don’t care about anyone but yourself. You push everyone away. God, I thought I was bad.”

  I open the drawers to find a cloth to hold the plate with.

  “I never once promised anything more than what I was giving, Darcy,” he says. “Don’t make me seem like the bad guy here.”

  “You-You told me—” I stop myself, remembering every conversation we’ve ever had and how each time he always made sure to never, ever give me hope.

  “You’re right. You are so right. How stupid of me.”

  “Darcy, I do care about you. I want us to be friends. I thought you knew that this would be a one-time thing.”

  I spin around to face him. “I know now.”

  His features soften with something that resembles pity and I look down, hating he can see me so upset by him. “Look, Darcy, if I’d have known you were this angry in—”

  “Oh come on, Ben. You’re a smart man. Are you honestly telling me you had no idea that what you did would hurt? Do I seem like the kind of woman that would do that kind of thing?” I snatch a bottle of water from the fridge.

  “No.”

  “Then why did you do it?”

  He sits down on the couch in the living room, rubbing his hands together. “I shouldn’t have. It was spur-of-the-moment.”

  “Fuck you.” I snatch the dish and storm to my bedroom, slamming the door with my foot behind me. Within moments, he is on the other side of the door.

  “Darcy, shit, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean that. I-I meant what I said about wanting you since I first saw you. An opportunity arose and I took it.”

  What the fuck?

  “God, that didn’t come out right either. I honestly don’t know how to do this. Please just open the door so we can figure this out.”

  I swing it open and his wary green eyes pierce mine. “There is nothing left to figure out.”

  “I’d be a horrible boyfriend to anyone, Darcy. I care about you too much to try to put you through my messes. You’ll see. I have a lot of enemies. It’s better for me to be alone.”

  The words fall from my lips before I even know I was thinking them.

  “I’m giving you my four-weeks’ notice, Benjamin.”

  His jaw drops. “What do you mean? You’re quitting? Darcy, no. This is good pay! You need to get out of that shitty apartment. We can figure this out.”

  It comforts me a little to know he cares about my well-being, even if he did just call my apartment shitty. He’s pacing back and forth like a maniac. I exhale, my chest swelling with fear.

  “I-I’m feeling something for you that I’ve never come close to experiencing before, okay?” He stops in his tracks. When he finally turns to me, his eyes are filled with confusion.

  “I know if I don’t get out of this now, I’m going to get hurt, Benjamin. You’ve made yourself perfectly clear about where we stand.” I sip in a shaky breath, trying to force the words out. “This is the best choice, for both of us. I will be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  “D-Darcy,” he stutters.

  I shut the door in his face.

  CHAPTER SIX

  I come back into consciousness as angry as I was when I went to sleep. The sun is shining brightly through the window, coaxing me to have a better day, but I will have none of it.

  I’m falling for a man who is incapable of returning the same feelings. I’m practically jobless, embarrassed beyond belief. How could I even think I could be with a man like Benjamin Scott? The man who dates supermodels and owns half of New York. I’ll never be right for him.

  I grab my computer off of the floor and open it to make sure everything is underway for the fundraiser tonight. As soon as all the emails and calls are made, I stand up and collect my toiletries to go take a shower. I practically faint upon looking at my reflection in the mirror. Hollow, bloodshot eyes gaze back at me, and I know my haggardness is not going to go away for a while.

  I open the door and my heart drops when I see him in a blue suit on the couch, sipping a cup of coffee, refreshed as ever.

  I wrap my robe tighter around my body. “Hello.”

  “Good morning.”

  Completely unfazed by my presence, he focuses his attention back onto the computer in front of him. I resist snorting as I head to the bathroom to shower.

  As I lather my body with my milk and honey body wash, images of Benjamin on top of me surface in my reluctant mind. Him in between my legs, his hungry eyes watching me come apart. Unable to help it, my hands travel down over my skin and I begin to tease myself, knowing Benjamin is just a couple feet away from me outside this door. Is he thinking about me being in here? Naked?

  NO!

  I’m immediately snapped out of my daydream and confronted with the hard truth, thus destroying my sexual fantasy.

  Sullen, I continue the rest of my shower in a mechanical fashion.

  ***

  “Darcy, did you call the caterer to make sure they’ll be there at four?” he calls out from the living room. This is how our conversation has been all day, neither one of us finding the strength to face each other and act like adults.

  This is bullshit. Might as well impress him with my brain while I still can. Maybe he’ll give me a good recommendation when I’m forced to find another alternative to pay my rent.

  I take my laptop and go out into the living room. He’s typing away at lightning speed, still on the sofa.

  “Yes, they know to be there at four, not five. I also told them to make sure to keep the hors d’oeuvres refrigerated.” I plop down on the love seat across from him.

  I could have been fantastic at this job. I could have made tons of money as his assistant if I’d just kept my legs closed. Why did I have to let him seduce me?

  “You are proving to be exceptionally good at this job, Darcy, considering you just started.” He takes off his glasses and frowns. “It will be a shame to lose you.”

  “Sorry,” I mutter, staring intently at my laptop screen to avoid his gaze.

  “Maybe you don’t have to leave the company completely. I could try to find an opening for you somewhere.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Scott, but I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m offering you a job that would pay you enough to move out of that
shithole you live in, and you’re turning it down?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?” He sets his laptop next to him and focuses his attention solely on me. I gulp, knowing he’s not going to like what I have to say.

  “I don’t want to work in a place that you are at.”

  His lips press into a tight, disapproving line and he nods. “Are you trying to make me upset, Darcy?”

  “No, I’m telling you the truth. Being bluntly honest. As you said before, you liked that about me.”

  “Yeah, well, not when you’re being irrational. I’m offering you a better opportunity than any other place is going to give you.”

  “I know that, Benjamin.”

  “Then why turn it down? Are you really that pissed with me?”

  I look away, not wanting to rehash my growing feelings for him.

  “Look, Darcy, it’s not that I don’t want a relationship with you. I just can’t, with anyone. I don’t believe in monogamy. It doesn’t work. My mom had an affair on my father for years and when he found out, it destroyed our family. I will not be like them.” He leans back, running his hand over his face as if trying to forget bad memories.

  I try to figure out the best way to answer him without upsetting him. “There are couples that have stayed together all their lives and never cheated on the other. It does exist.”

  “I just don’t think relationships are in the cards for me. I’m sorry.” He picks up his laptop. “Please, just think about the offer. I’d feel much better knowing you’re not leaving this job with no source of income.”

  I shut my computer and stand up, needing to start getting ready for the fundraiser. “You know, Ben, if you keep locking yourself away, sooner or later, no one is going to be able to find you.”

  ***

  I open the wardrobe and sort through the dresses Benjamin has so generously provided. How did he even know my size? I wonder if he bought them himself or if someone else was drafted to do it.

  Dimitri maybe…I doubt it was Ben.

  I end up choosing a black Zac Posen gown that snugly hugs my every curve before flowing gracefully to the ground. It’s one of the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen. I feel unusually sexy in it, and a small part of me hopes Benjamin thinks I’m sexy in it too.