Possessed - Part One

by Coco Cadence

  “Oh, please, don’t pretend like you actually want to be here,” Emily says to Leo, squinting.

  “Hey, I just want to talk with my brother, all right? Nothing wrong with that. It’s just dinner. Let’s just talk … act like a normal family. Please?” The way he pleads with her tugs at my heart.

  “So you’re just gonna ignore that whole thing? You’re just gonna let it go?” Emily spits.

  Leo nods. “People change.”

  “Chris doesn’t.” She throws her fork down. “Chris never changes. Once an asshole, always an asshole. One dinner isn’t going to change that.”

  “What is wrong with you?” Now his father even joins the conversation. “We are trying to have dinner here, and all I hear is squabbles. You are all adults. Behave like one.”

  “Yeah, what is your problem, Emily?” Chris muses.

  “Really? You’re gonna pull that crap on me now?”

  “Can you all please just stop?” Tricia asks.

  Everybody’s stopped eating now. For a dinner, there sure isn’t a lot of eating going on.

  “No, just no,” Emily snaps. “You think just because some time has passed, I’m suddenly okay with sitting in the same room with that guy again?” She points at Chris. “Have you all forgotten what he’s done?”

  Her face is growing redder by the second while I’m trying to make myself invisible. Too bad it doesn’t work.

  “I’m done pretending we’re all good,” Emily says. “I’m done sitting here, having to be nice to the new girl when I have so many other, way better things to do.” Emily scoots back her chair. “God, why did I even come here? It was a mistake.”

  In a fit, she walks away.

  “Emily …” Tricia gets up and follows her out of the room.

  The rest of us are quiet, sitting here like a bomb just exploded, and I feel like I’m about to burst into tears from the stress.

  “Well, this was fun,” Frank says, throwing his napkin on the table. Then he sighs.

  “I think I’ll just … excuse me,” Chris says, and he gets up and leaves, just like that. I don’t know where he’s going or if he’ll be back, but this is one disaster dinner, all right.

  I frown, feeling very bad about the situation. I look at Leo, who seems to have pissed off his father because they’re engaging in an epic staring contest. I swallow away my nerves and tug Leo’s suit.

  “Do you mind if I go …? You know,” I sigh to myself, holding my stomach. I feel sick. Like, really sick, and it’s getting harder to breathe.

  “Are you okay?” he says.

  “Yeah, yeah … I’m fine,” I lie, and I scoot my chair back.

  “Take a break. The bathroom is to the left.”

  I nod, and then glance at his parents. “Excuse me for a second.”

  With a red face and a bloated feeling, I hurry to the hallway and find the bathroom after trying three doors. When I’m inside, I take a deep breath and then walk to the sink, opening the faucet to spritz some water on my face. As I look up to face the mirror, I want to slap myself for not keeping it together while being here.

  A sudden knock on the door draws my attention. “Samantha?” Leo’s low, seductive voice sends a chill up my spine. The good kind. “Are you okay?”

  Chapter 12

  I clear my throat. “Yeah …”

  “Do you mind if I come in?”

  Frowning, I pat my face dry with a towel before replying. “Sure.”

  He opens the door softly, stepping inside with a gentle smile on his face, one that I haven’t seen before. I lean back against the sink, biting my lip. He comes closer and looks down at me with sultry eyes that somehow became a lot more difficult not to look at.

  “Are you sure everything is all right? I know my family can be … difficult.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” I say, sighing. “I’ll be fine.”

  Suddenly, he cups my face, tilting it to look up at him. “I do worry about you. You’re forced to lie for me.” He frowns. “I’m sorry my sister is being such a bitch about this. I wish it could’ve gone better, but she had to go and ruin it again.”

  “There seems to be a lot going on that I don’t know about,” I say.

  “Yeah, she and my brother have a … problematic history.

  “Obviously.” I laugh, trying to shake it off, but it’s not working. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t say sorry.” He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I know. I just want to do this right, but I keep running into moments where I have no clue what to say. And then I stammer and trip. And your sister is angry with me, too.”

  “Don’t say that,” he says, leaning in even closer. “She’s not angry with you, not at all. She’s just taking it out on everyone because she can’t stand to be around my brother. Don’t take it personal.”

  I look up at him, my lips parting because I want to say something. I want to tell him how stupid this is, how I’m so not good at lying, how afraid I am that this is going to fail.

  But then he does the weirdest thing. He grabs my face with both hands and leans in to press his lips on mine. This sudden sign of affection leaves me awestruck, and my brain stops thinking about all the problems and consequences. There’s only him and his soft, wet lips kissing mine with pure need. Oh god, I’m losing it, losing myself at the moment. His fingers grip my face tight as his lips eagerly explore my mouth. His tongue darts out to lick the top part of my lip, and it’s such a rush that I instinctively wrap my hands around his neck, pulling him closer.

  Leo momentarily takes his lips from mine, and I’m left wanting desperately for him to continue. It’s as if I’ve finally been allowed to eat the most delicious desert that’s been dangling in front of me all this time.

  “Wha–”

  “Shhh …” he whispers, and then he leans in to kiss me again.

  Oh, fuck me, I can’t say no to this. His lips are rougher with every passing second, sucking at my bottom lip, licking the rim of my mouth, probing me to open up. His hand lowers from my face to my shoulder, and then down my back to squeeze my ass firmly. It makes me gasp, and when I do, his tongue finds its way into my mouth to lick me. His hot kisses have me lost in delirious, heating up quickly, my blood pulsing with desire.

  He growls into my mouth, which sets me off like a bomb, my pussy thumping to the sound. He shoves me up the sink, his tongue eagerly exploring my mouth. As I get more and more turned on, his hand moves up to my head to grip my hair tight as his lips trail a path down to the side of my neck. I moan as he plants kisses everywhere, alternating soft pecks with nibbles and licks, causing me to quiver.

  And then the door opens.

  I squeal as I stare straight at Adrian, a self-indulging smirk building on his face.

  Leo immediately stops, his hands still all over me, as he gazes at his brother with his mouth open. Then he backs away and clears his throat, straightening his suit.

  “Well, seems like you too are eager to get it on. Couldn’t wait until you got back to the hotel, huh?” He winks. “Hey, don’t let me stop you. I’ll find another bathroom.” He makes a move to close the door again, but Leo says, “Ah, no worries.”

  I frown as he steps away completely, leaving me breathless.

  “No, it’s fine,” Adrian says. “Sorry for interrupting.” He chuckles.

  “Oh, stop laughing, asshole,” Leo says. Then he returns his attention to me. “Let’s get back to the dinner table, shall we?”

  “Uh …” I stammer for a second. “Yeah … I guess.”

  Leo grabs my hand and drags me out of the bathroom, stopping in front of Adrian.

  “You gonna let us pass?”

  “Of course, I just wanted to enjoy the moment for a little longer. It’s not often I catch my brother putting his hands all over a girl.”

  “Ass,” Leo says. “You’d better not tell Mum about this. She'd be pissed if she knew.”

  “Knew what? That you soiled her pret
ty bathroom?”

  “Shut up.” Leo shoves Adrian, and now they’re both laughing while I’m so terribly confused.

  I don’t get it. One minute he can’t stop touching and kissing me, then out of nowhere he wants to leave. What is up with him?

  “What was that?” I ask.

  When we’re a little further away from his brother, he says, “Just a little distraction.”

  I wince. “For who?”

  “You. Me. Him and my family.”

  “I’m confused.”

  “My brother saw it, no way in hell he’s going to keep quiet. Especially now that I said that he can’t tell her, which is exactly what I want. It’s a sure way to make them believe we’re a couple.”

  “Oh …” I mumble. “Is that it?”

  He glances at me shortly, a look of confusion flashing on his face, but then his parents call out his name and he’s lost in the game again.

  We’ll have to talk about this sometime. I’m not going to let something like this slip through my fingers again. Once we get back to the hotel, he’s going to tell me exactly what in the hell that was and if it was anything more than just part of the play. I won’t take no for an answer.

  Chapter 13

  When we get to the hotel, the huge double bedroom in the suite he booked is a welcome sight. I’m beat and about ready to crawl into bed and snuggle my pillow like it’s a giant marshmallow. Hmm … god, why did I think about that? Now I’m hungry again.

  Leo throws his keys on the table as I throw my purse on the couch and sigh. A nice, warm bath would be great before I go to sleep, but first there’s something else I need to do.

  “So, are you ready to talk now?” I say.

  “What?” he asks.

  I put my hands on my side. “Well, I’m not just going to let you do that to me.”

  “What are you talking about?” he frowns.

  I roll my eyes. “Have you already forgotten? Right,” I scoff. “Of course. That’s typical.”

  “Sam, explain. I’m not up for games right now.”

  “Me, neither,” I hiss, throwing him a glance.

  “I don’t understand what you’re getting at. Honestly,” he says, rolling up his sleeves.

  “Of course, you don’t. I should’ve realized that. Sorry I even started this.” I sigh and turn around, taking off my coat.

  “What? Can you just stop and tell me what the hell it is you’re talking about?”

  “I’m talking about you and what you do.”

  “What do I do, exactly?” he says, shrugging.

  “Really?” I turn around and make a face. “You’re going to pretend you don’t know?”

  “No, because I don’t, and it’d be nice if you’d just tell me what the hell is going on.”

  “This. This is my problem. You don’t know what’s going on, that’s the problem.”

  He shakes his head, chuckling to himself.

  “Are you laughing? Is this funny to you?” I say. “Never mind.” Grinding my teeth, I turn around and look at myself in the mirror standing in the corner so I can take off my make-up.

  “Sam … c’mon, you’re angry at me for not knowing what you’re angry for.”

  “Exactly.”

  He sighs. “That’s kind of childish.”

  “And your games aren’t?”

  “What games?”

  “What you did in the bathroom!” I yell, making a fist.

  “What I did … Oh.” He nods slowly. “That.”

  “Yes, that. And all the other times.”

  “Sam …”

  I can’t help but turn around to face him again. I want to look him in the face when he tells me he did it all to fool his parents, and that none of what I’m feeling is real. “No, don’t Sam me. I just want to know when this is all done. When you’re finished playing around.”

  “I’m not playing around, but this is important to me.”

  “Well, I’m done,” I say. “I can’t do it anymore. I can’t pretend to be your wife. I was horrible at it anyway. I mean, look at me. Do I look like wife material to you? I was a bumbling mess.”

  “No …” He cocks his head and smiles at me. “You did fine. Is that what you’re worried about?”

  Somehow, I can’t stop this boiling anger from bubbling up again. “No.”

  “Then what is?”

  “Just the fact that you don’t realize, that you can’t see it … ugh!” I blow out some air. “You make me so angry sometimes.”

  “I can see that,” he says, laughing again.

  “It’s not funny!” I grab a pillow and throw it at him. “You are such an asshole.”

  He catches the pillow and throws it on the bed. “Is that what you really think of me?”

  “Yes! You’re a fucking asshole!”

  He looks me in the eye, his face all serious and stern. “Tell me what else you think.”

  “You’re a liar, an asshole, a bastard, a manipulator, and a pig!” My face is turning red, but I don’t care anymore. I’m letting it all out. All that pent-up frustration from having to work with him is coming out, and right now I don’t give a shit about the consequences. Screw everything.

  “Say that again, I didn’t hear it quite well,” he says, cocking his head to the other side.

  “You’re an asshole, Leo! A complete and utter prick!”

  “For kissing you?”

  “Yes, for fucking kissing me!” I yell. “How could you do that? When you know …” I choke up.

  “When what?” He raises an eyebrow.

  Suddenly, I get the urge to just stomp to the other end of the room where he’s standing and smack him in the face. Maybe it would knock some sense into him.

  But I don’t even need to because he’s already walking toward me instead. When there are only a couple of steps left, he stops. “Could you repeat that?”

  “You know you’re an asshole for doing what you do, Leo. Admit it. You know damn well what you’re doing.”

  “And?”

  “And … I hate you for it,” I spit. “I hate it.”

  He narrows his eyes as I breathe in and out; wiping my hair to the side, which is all messed up. God, I’m messed up. Oh, god. What in the hell did I just do? I just signed my own resignation and handed it to him on a platter. Oh, I’m so stupid.

  Right when I’m about to smack myself in the face, Leo stomps forward, saying, “Fuck it.”

  And then he grabs my face with both hands and smashes his lips on mine.

  Chapter 14

  His kiss is intense, so deep; I’m at a loss of words. My brain just goes blank. He is rough and soft at the same time, desperately clinging to my lips, and I don’t even want him to stop. His kiss has me mesmerized to the point of completely freezing up. As his lips roam mine, his tongue dips out to lick the rim of my mouth, coaxing me to open. Instinct makes my lips part, allowing him to lick the roof off my mouth and my tongue, blowing me away. I’m lost in him, lost in this kiss, and I lost my brain.

  Oh, fuck me. What the hell?

  My lips unlatch from his with trouble as I push him away a little. “What …” I mumble.

  “I can’t stand it when you call me names,” he whispers against my lips. “Makes me want to do this.” And then moves in for the kill again. He kisses me harshly, his hands drifting down my body to my ass to cup it and squeeze it. I moan into his mouth, surprised, my eyes opening up.

  “Wait,” I murmur, pushing him back a little. “No.”

  “This is what you want, isn’t it?” he asks.

  Hot flashes shoot through my veins as he says that. I don’t know how to respond. At times, I hate him, like when he uses me to gain something. When he acts like a total dick. And other times, I want to screw him so badly … ugh, what am I thinking?

  “But that kiss … in the bathroom …” I whisper as he kisses me again and again.

  “What about it?”

  “It was only for show, right?”

  “Look around y
ou,” he says, and my eyes drift from left to right, trying to understand him. “Do you see anyone here?”

  I shake my head.

  He bites his lip so seductively it makes my head spin. “Screw the rules.” And then he plunges in to kiss me again. He presses his body to mine, sucking on my bottom lip as he drags me even closer. His hot kisses take the air from my lungs while he grabs my ass tight and cups my face with spread fingers. They drift to the back of my head to grasp my hair and push me even closer.

  “Fuck …” he whispers as our mouths unlatch to breathe. “I can’t stop. I won’t.”

  He’s smothering me with kisses, not giving me an inch to breathe. He lets go of me, only to take off his own shirt, dropping it to the floor. Only his tie is left hanging around his neck. What appears underneath has me gasping for air. He’s ripped, six-pack and all, a delicious V-shape disappearing into his pants. He’s muscular as hell, and it’s making me even more hot and bothered.

  “Holy crap …” I mutter.

  He flashes a cocky smile, smashing his lips onto mine again. He pulls me along toward his bed, tugging the zipper on my back. The dress falls down, but I don’t even realize it because his kisses are just that good. It’s hard to admit because I hate how he treats me, but at the same time, I can’t get enough of this. Fuck no, I don’t want it to stop, either.

  Next thing I know, I’m on the bed in just my bra and panties, and he’s crawling on top of me like a real lion.

  “I don’t understand …” I murmur as he starts kissing my legs. I look down at him, getting flustered when I realize he’s looking at my partially naked body, which isn’t all that flattering.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” he says, dragging his lips up my thighs, making me moan. “I want you.”

  He leaves a trail of kisses up my stomach and to my chest, hovering close to my face. I feel myself getting red again.

  “Oh god, but why? I don’t understand. I thought you said—”

  “Shh.” He places a finger on my lips. “Enough talking for today.”

  Leo removes his finger and replaces it with his mouth.