by Alexa Riley
The thought has my pussy tightening around him, ready to come again. “Oz,” I moan, and even I can hear the need in my voice.
He takes his mouth away from my neck, moving to my ear.
“Let me come inside you, baby. Don’t make me pull out.” His deep voice is telling me all the things I shouldn’t want, so why am I so turned on by it?
His words make me bear down on him harder as he grinds himself into me. It’s as if I’m begging him to do it.
“I’ll take care of you, baby. I take care of everything.” His hands come up to brush the damn hair out of my face as he licks my neck. “You’re mine, Mallory. I’ll never let you go.”
“Oh God, Oz.” I clench again, and I know I’m going to come. It’s building so high, and his thick cock is filling me so perfectly.
He growls as he grinds against my clit. He’s not even pulling out to thrust now. He wants to be inside me as much as possible.
“Please, baby,” he says, licking the shell of my ear.
I’m overwhelmed with want, and playing on the edge has heightened my need. This is so wrong. But being with him in this way is so right. It’s like I’ve finally found my other half, and sharing my body with him is natural. Doing this together, both of us bare, is perfect.
“Yes,” I whisper.
The capitulation has me falling over the edge, giving him what he wants most. Me.
His strong, smooth back tenses under my palms as he holds himself in me, as deep as possible, and I come on his cock.
“Oz!”
I shout as my pussy pulses around his throbbing length, and he comes inside me. I continue to orgasm, knowing it’s so wrong that we did it, but not being able to stop my body’s reaction. The raw sex was so good and so dirty, but still sweet at the core. It was possessive and primal, and I had the strongest orgasm I’ve ever experienced.
We finally shared ourselves in the most intimate way possible, and I don’t think about what it all actually means. In this moment, I’m falling for him, and I let myself be in the moment. It’s the closest I’ve ever been to someone, and I refuse to think about anything other than the bliss between us.
I’m suddenly exhausted. Wiped out from the orgasms, my body is depleted of energy. I try to cling to Oz, but my fingers slip from his back, and my legs have no strength left to hold him to me.
I don’t know if I fall asleep before he pulls out or if he stays in me all night. What I do know is that when I find Oz in my dreams, he holds me and tells me he loves me. Or maybe that wasn’t a dream at all.
Chapter Eighteen
Mallory
* * *
I lie on my back, the morning sun creeping through the tall windows that span the far wall. Oz is on his stomach with one arm wrapped around me as the night before plays through my mind. I think about my little spat with Paige and how I was a brat to her. I’m really going to have to apologize for that. I snapped at her when I shouldn’t have. All through college she was always pulling us out of places, wanting us to go home, saying we would live it up after we graduated, and I think some of that came to a head last night. It was something I both loved and disliked about Paige. She cares so much and sometimes she mother-hens me. It’s not something I’m used to. At the same time, though, I want to be able to let loose every now and then.
Maybe on my way home I can stop and get a supreme pizza and a case of Red Bull as a peace offering. Talk things out a little.
Then there’s Oz. I run my finger along the tattoo that runs up his arm; the one I didn’t even know he had. He’s always buttoned up in his suits. It reminds me how little I really know about him and how far I’d let things go last night. I wanted the sex, but I’d let him come inside me. I can still feel the wetness between my thighs, but I can’t bring myself to regret it. I’ve never in my life felt so connected to someone.
I think about Oz punching Joel, and I think about something I saw in his eyes. Something deep and dark, lurking underneath. Was it a moment of jealousy, or was it more? It had to be something that happened in the heat of the moment, because everything about Oz is sweet and loving. Every touch and every word he gives me. That anger is the first flaw I’ve seen in him. But the way he was with me last night was completely different. He worshipped my body, like he was starved for me. His mouth never really left my body as he made love to me.
I’d still have to talk to him about it. In the fog of my drunkenness, I’d brushed it off too easily and got caught up in Oz being back after not seeing him in days. That and not hearing from him all day Friday, which wasn’t normal for us. He can’t go around punching people in a jealous rage.
Pulling myself slowly from his bed so I don’t wake him, I slip off and quietly walk to the bathroom. I close the door behind me, flip on the light and look around. I must have been half-asleep when Oz brought me home with him last night, because I don’t remember any of his home. In fact, I don’t even know what part of the city I’m in.
The bathroom is giant. A glass shower that looks like it could fit ten people takes up one wall. On the other wall is a bathtub that someone could possibly do laps in. This bathroom is bigger than our freaking living room. I debate taking a bath in it now because I can feel every achy muscle in my body as I move. It’s a sweet pain that makes me smile. I even like the tenderness I feel between my legs. Like Oz marked me as his. Feeling the blush hit my cheeks, I try to shake off the shyness about what we did last night. No use in being embarrassed now.
I glance in the mirror. My eye makeup is smudged, and my lips still swollen from the kisses he’d given me. Taking a step closer to the mirror, I see little red marks around my breasts. Flashes of Oz kissing and sucking on them flip through my mind, and I recall the feel of his whiskers there, too. I look well loved, and I want to spend the weekend doing it over and over again, not caring that my body is still sore.
A beeping noise draws my attention to the bathroom counter. Oz’s phone is plugged into the charger and the screen lights up, showing he has a voice mail message. The name Paige shows across the screen.
My Paige?
Shit, I didn’t even tell her I wasn’t coming home. Damn it, she’s probably crazy worried. Guilt hits me again about last night and how things went with us. I can’t even imagine what kind of message she would leave on Oz’s phone or how that crazy woman tracked down his freaking number.
Picking up the phone, I slide my finger across the screen and smile when I see the picture I took of myself in the cafeteria at work as his home screen. Clicking the voice mail button, I get ready for a serious screamfest from Paige.
“Miles. What the actual fuck? I had that shit under control. I was going to get her out of there. You storming in the club and punching someone in the face in a jealous rage is going to get your ass on the fucking cover of some gossip column, you dumb shit. Not only that, but blow the plans you’ve had in place for over four fucking years. Oh, and let’s not forget that all the enemies you’ve made owning Osbourne Corp are likely going to know you have a thing for Mallory. Now that’s going to put her right in the fucking spotlight. You better hope no one got any pictures!” She yells the last part before ending the message.
All the blood rushes to my ears as I try to piece together what Paige said. Why was Paige’s number saved into Oz’s phone? How did I not even catch that? Oz owns Osbourne Corp? Paige knows Oz? Wait. Oz has had a plan for me for four years?
My hands shake, and I drop the phone. It hits the white tile floor with a crack, but I don’t care in the least. I have to get out of here. Now.
I want to run, but I have to be quiet. My heart is pounding in my ears. I need to sneak out. I head back to the bedroom and quickly find my dress and slide it on. I see my purse and shoes over by the dresser and I grab them. I look over at Oz, who’s now on his back, the sheet covering the lower half of his beautiful body. I wan
t to scream at him and ask what the fuck is going on. I step forward, about to do it, my emotions getting the best of me. I feel the angry rage bubbling inside me, and as I get to the side of the bed, I look down at his bare chest.
My eyes roam over his left pec, right where his heart is. The name Mallory is tattooed there in cursive script.
I feel like someone punched me right in the stomach. My hand goes to my mouth to stop myself from making a sound. The tattoo doesn’t look new. I slowly and quietly back away from the bed until I reach the door. When I’m there, I silently open it and run down the hallway. When I reach the end, I spot the elevator. I hit the button in a panic and pray I make it out of here before he wakes. I don’t want answers from him. I want them from Paige.
When it dings, I get on, hitting the button to the lobby over and over until the doors close. It’s then I realize this elevator looks familiar, and it’s not because I’m remembering it from the night before.
“No,” I whisper to myself, clutching my purse and shoes to my chest. When the elevator hits the bottom floor, the doors open, and I see Chuck, the security guard who always smells like he drowns himself in Old Spice. I close my eyes and open them again. I pray I’m dreaming, but Chuck is still there with a giant smile on his face.
“Morning, Miss Mallory,” he says, giving me a little wave.
“Morning, Chuck.” I hit the button for the third floor and he gives me a strange look. Probably because I’m not getting off and I’m sure I look like I’m doing the walk of shame.
I dig in my purse for my keys as the doors close. When the elevator stops, I get off, going straight for my door and unlocking it.
Paige’s head pops up from the sofa, and I turn, locking the door behind me. I give her my back and take a few deep breaths. I don’t know what to say or where to start. I’m not even sure I want to hear her explanation. I’m terrified of the reality I’m about to face and what this will mean to the world I’ve built.
When I turn back around, Paige is standing up from the sofa.
“Jesus, Mal, you could have at least—”
She stops talking when she sees my face.
Then her eyes close likes she’s in pain, which only pisses me off more.
“He told you,” she whispers, opening her eyes.
I feel wetness hit my cheeks and a burning in my nose. I’m so angry I’m crying.
Paige comes around the sofa, but I can’t let her get close.
“Don’t come near me.” I drop my purse and shoes, holding my hands out in front of me. The words are ripped from my throat and make her stop in her tracks. I watch as her eyes water, and Paige does something she hardly ever does. Tears flow down her cheeks, matching my own, but I’m indifferent to them. This isn’t about her.
“How do you know Oz?” I shake my head. “Miles,” I correct myself.
God, I’m so fucking stupid. Call me Oz, he’d said. Osbourne Corp. How could I be so dumb?
She looks around the room like there might be an answer for her here. “Paige,” I snap, jolting her, and the words pour from her mouth.
“I’ve worked for Osbourne Corp since the moment I met you. I was assigned to guard you during your freshman year in college. I was hired to report back on what you were doing, keep you out of harm’s way and to make sure you had anything and everything you might need.”
“I don’t understand.” Why? I don’t get any of this. I swipe at the tears on my cheeks. Oz has had a guard on me for over four years? That doesn’t even make any sense. I only met him—Then it hits me. My scholarship to Yale was from Osbourne Corp, too. The man behind the curtain was a bit too real.
“Mal, please. I love you like a sister.”
“Don’t you say that. I was a job to you.” That much is clear in what she said. Everything we shared is a lie. All of it. Here I thought I was getting everything I ever wanted, but it was all fake.
“At first, yes, but listen to me. Over time it wasn’t like that. I love you, and that’s why I’m going to tell you the truth. Fuck Miles. It’s more complicated than you know.”
I shake my head. I can’t believe anything that comes out of her mouth. I don’t even know what’s real anymore. The one person who’s ever meant anything to me isn’t even real. I’m clearly shitty at reading people. I can’t see what’s right in front of my face. I feel like I can’t breathe.
“Miles is obsessed with you.” She lets out a humorless laugh. “Obsessed is putting it mildly.”
A loud pounding comes from the door, making us both jump.
“It’s him,” she says, before Oz calls my name from the other side of the door.
“Mallory, baby, are you okay? Open the door.” The door handle rattles, and we both stand there looking at each other. I thought she’d go over and open the door, but she doesn’t. She keeps staring at me, those stupid tears running down her face. She doesn’t get to be hurt. I was the one who was fooled here. I can’t look at her because even though I’m hurt, it hurts even more seeing her cry.
“I’m leaving.” I turn, heading down the hallway, but Paige grabs my arm.
“Don’t touch me!” I scream louder than I mean to, and a sob follows it. I feel like all my emotions are trying to escape my body at one time and it’s taking everything in me to keep myself together.
“Mallory!” Oz yells from the other side of the door. “Baby, are you okay?” His voice is panicked now and getting louder.
“Miles, it’s fine. Go home,” Paige yells back, letting go of my arm.
He’s quiet for half a second, then the handle begins to rattle again.
“Open the door, Paige.” This time his voice changes. It’s hard, and the order is clear. He isn’t asking.
I cock an eyebrow at her, wondering what she’s going to do.
“I choose you,” she says, answering the silent question. I feel a touch of relief at her words, but they really don’t matter. Our friendship is over. Well, the friendship I thought we had.
“I’ll kick in this door,” Oz says when no one responds to his command. This is a side of him I don’t know. He showed that side last night when he punched Joel.
“He owns the whole building. Even the lease,” she admits. “I can’t stop him from coming in.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m leaving.”
“Goddamn it, Paige.” Oz hits the door so hard the whole thing shudders, and I’m surprised it doesn’t buckle.
“She knows, Miles.” Paige’s words are quiet, but he must hear them because he stops banging on the door. The silence thickens.
“You said you’d let me explain.” The hardness has gone from his voice, and now he’s speaking with the softness with which he always talks to me. “That if anything ever happened, you’d let me explain. You promised.”
He says my words as if they’re his loophole.
“Guess that makes us both liars then,” I throw back at him.
“I never lied to you, baby. Never.” His voice sounds pained, and it pulls at my heart. Even if this whole thing was a lie; him, school, my job, all of it. Even if this wasn’t real, I’d still want to fall head over heels in love with him. Hell, maybe I am in love with him, because it feels like my heart is being ripped from my chest. Part of me wishes I’d never found out.
“You broke my heart. I broke my promise,” I say, before turning and heading down the hallway to my room to pack a bag.
When I turn, I expect to see Paige behind me, but she isn’t.
I hear yelling down the hall but can’t make out any of the words. Ignoring them, I rush around the room. I need to get out of here. I’m barely holding it together, and I don’t want to crack here in front of them. The people who did this to me.
“I got him to leave,” Paige says, standing in my doorway. “Okay, maybe not leave, but he isn’t
coming in.”
“I don’t care. I don’t want to be here with you either.”
She makes a sound as if I actually hit her with more than a verbal blow. It makes me want to reach out and grab her and pull her toward me in a tight hug. I have to clench my hands to stop myself. But she lied to me, and she isn’t really my friend. I won’t let them make a fool of me again.
“You’re pissed. I get that.”
“You get that?” I say mockingly, turning to look at her, and she lifts her hands, making it clear she doesn’t want to argue with me.
“Be smart here, Mal—”
I cut her off. “Be smart here?” I throw the clothes I have in my hands onto the bed. “It’s clear I’m fucking dumb as shit.”
“What I’m saying is I don’t know if anyone got wind of what happened last night. If they did, your face is about to be everywhere. And Miles has enemies. You don’t get to be where he is and not have them. Hell, even his own dad is one.”
“Not my problem.” I turn, going back to pulling clothes from my closet. I have no idea where I’m going. I don’t have a ton of money, and I don’t even want to think about how fast hotel bills are going to add up. Oh God, my job. I work for him. I curse myself for spending all that money on stupid clothes for the job I’m going to have to quit.
“It will very much become your problem. Not only that, but where are you going to go? I know you. You’re probably planning to quit your job now, too. Be smart,” she says, making me turn to look at her. “He won’t let you go, Mallory. Like I said, he’s obsessed with you. I have a very strong feeling he’ll pull every string he has to, to make sure you don’t get hired anywhere, and it won’t help that you quit an internship a week after starting. That never looks good.”
