His Absolute Assignment - Elise's Love Story: The Billionaire's Continuum (#1) (A Contemporary Romance Novel)

by du Lys, Cerys

  I went to the kitchen quickly and grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge. Satisfying my need to make sure we had refreshments, I went in search of Lucent. I walked towards the private elevator, my footballs leaving soft thuds in my wake.

  Without Lucent nearby, it always seemed so quiet here. Somewhat scary. I pushed the button to call the elevator, and the doors opened immediately. Stepping inside, I pushed the down button and waited for the doors to close.

  I didn't think I'd like to live here alone, I thought. Or, if I did have to live here, I'd like music playing. Happy music, all through the house, so it didn't seem so isolated and lost. Nothing too loud or overbearing, just a little bit of something to break the solitude. A little sound to break through the overbearing aloneness.

  It was only when I was by myself, though, which was kind of odd. With Lucent around, anywhere near me, I didn't feel the same way. The apartment felt fine then, like any regular apartment. Maybe it was just me. I might be a little strange. Vanessa basically said as much, too. I could sort of agree with her in some regards. Maybe, at least.

  The elevator door opened and I stepped out, hurrying down the hall to the room where I knew I'd find Lucent. The door to the exercise room stood wide open. Inside, Lucent was running on a treadmill in the corner and listening to classical music on the sound system. The music vibrated through the room, soft and somber, but Lucent's running livened it up somehow. I smiled, recognizing the song: Beethoven's Fur Elise.

  I watched Lucent running. He couldn't see me, nor had he noticed me, with the treadmill facing towards a window with a brilliant view of the city. We still had an hour or so left of sunlight. A pale pink and purple glow spread through the skyline as the sun crawled towards the horizon. Lucent's feet thumped in perfect rhythm, up down up down, pounding across the treadmill.

  I liked watching Lucent exercise. He got really into it, becoming almost enthralled in a way. He worked out regularly, almost always at home, and he did so in order to keep in shape and break a sweat. He also generally didn't wear a shirt, because why should he? Just track pants and sneakers, running without a care in the world, sweat dripping across his toned torso, the muscles in his chest and his back and his abs highlighted with a slight shining glow.

  I watched his body flex and pump while the piano notes of Fur Elise sprinted through the room. Lucent's running—the thumps and pounds—blended with the song, turning it into some mashup of classical music and something more. The song felt powerful now, almost ancient, a smooth piano resonance combined with the tempo of beating tribal drums.

  When the song began to fade, I scurried over to the sound system built into the wall and searched through Lucent's music selection. Tapping on the screen, I cut off the end of Fur Elise and started up something else. A happy and upbeat Grace Potter started singing Something That I Want.

  Lucent glanced over his shoulder, grinning. "Hello, Miss Tanner. Are you trying to tell me something?"

  "Hm?" I asked, coy.

  "I do enjoy this song," he said. "The lyrics are refreshing."

  "It's from a movie, too," I added.

  "It is," he agreed. "A rather enjoyable one, at that."

  "Did you really like it?"

  He nodded, all while still running. Lucent was quite talented like that. "Yes."

  I should start exercising, which was why I'd come dressed in yoga pants and a t-shirt, but now that I was here I just wanted to watch Lucent work out. I snuck over to a small leather-cushioned love seat he kept off to the side as a makeshift resting area in between running, lifting weights, or jumping rope, and sat down. I tucked the water bottles between my legs, holding them there. And... just watching; watching him run. The loveseat was much closer to Lucent's treadmill, too, and he could look towards me easily just by glancing to the side. He did so now, smiling.

  "Sometimes..." I said, but stopped myself. "I... sometimes I think it might be nice," I continued. "To be a princess in a tower like Rapunzel." That sounded dumb, didn't it? Yes, Lucent, I want to be some girl trapped away somewhere, never coming down, blissfully unaware of the outside world. That's not what I meant, but I didn't really know how to explain what I meant, either.

  "Does that mean you'd like me to come rescue you?" Lucent asked. "Or would you rather I visit often, instead?"

  "Both," I said. "I would like for you to come visit, but maybe sometimes we could sneak out of the tower and have adventures, too."

  He grinned and nodded. "That sounds agreeable." Glancing towards me, he lifted one brow. "Will you be joining me with my exercise routine?"

  Would I? Hm... "Nope." Or... "Maybe?"

  "May I assume you arrived at my apartment wearing workout gear for the fun of it, then?"

  "It's yoga pants and a t-shirt," I said. "I think people can just wear them whenever. I mean, yes, they're good for working out, but..."

  Wanting to get a better view of Lucent, I put the water bottles aside and flopped onto my stomach, laying across the loveseat, head propped up by my elbows and the armrest.

  "Admittedly, your outfit is also quite suitable for distracting me."

  "Huh?" I asked.

  Lucent stared at me, sort of. Or, no. Not at me, exactly. I did my best to follow his gaze, which went slightly over my shoulder, down my back, and...

  Oh. Um... Oh!

  "You're staring at my butt?" I asked. Yoga pants were admittedly good for butts. Also, I liked mine; my butt and my yoga pants. I could maybe tone it more, or do more exercise, too. My stomach was a little soft, but I wasn't overweight or anything. Butts were butts, though. They could look good in all sorts of ways, especially in the right pants, and I thought mine was fairly nice to begin with, so... yes.

  "Yes," Lucent said, unabashed. "I am."

  "Oh." Well, what should I even say to that?

  As the song finished playing and the music faded away, Lucent ended his run. Stepping off the treadmill, he jogged towards me on the loveseat. He playfully smacked my rear, making me squeak, then he grabbed one of the water bottles, opened it, and chugged.

  "You spanked me," I said, ogling him curiously.

  "I did," he said. Without further mention of anything, he screwed the cap back on the water bottle and tossed it back onto the couch, then went to his squat cage. Lucent had everything prepared already, an even amount of weights added to each side of the long bar, and he simply entered the cage, bent low, and pressed up slightly, letting the bar rest against his shoulders.

  As he pushed up, lifting the bar from the rack, I sat up and grabbed the bottle he'd already drank from. Uncapping it, I licked around the opening, then took a testing sip.

  Lucent bent his legs, lowering his body, bar balanced on his shoulders, and did a squat. When he pushed himself back up, he said, "Miss Tanner, I believe you're drinking from my water bottle. May I ask why?"

  "We can share!" I said, maybe a bit too gladly. He chuckled and did another squat, but I had more to say. "I like the taste of your lips after. I can taste it on the bottle. It's like a kiss, but different. A little—"

  Lucent choked and nearly fell over. Which wouldn't have necessarily mattered, because the whole purpose of the squat cage was to protect from accidents like that, but it still looked dreadfully dangerous. He managed to regain his composure, though, and with a sharp breath and red face he rebalanced himself and pushed up, finishing his squat. Usually he did more than that, but this time he reset the bar on its resting rack and stepped out of the cage for a moment.

  "Are you alright?" I asked, jumping up. The whole thing startled me and I'd barely had a chance to react. I hurried to him, bringing his water with me. Shy, tentative, I offered it to him. Instead of taking it and drinking, he grabbed my hips and pulled me against him.

  I gasped, caught off guard, which was apparently precisely what Lucent wanted me to do. Bending low, pressing his lips to mine, he kissed me with intense desire. I... I stood there, stock still for a moment, unsure of what was going on. The heat from his body, his exer
cise and his energy, soared into me. His face felt hot and his lips were hotter. He wanted me and I found myself definitely wanting him.

  I kissed him back. Dropping the water bottle, I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him hard, matching his intensity with my newfound desires. On a sudden whim, spurned on by Lucent's hands gripping my ass, I jumped up. My legs wrapped around his waist and he held me tight, squeezing me close while we kissed.

  We stopped kissing for a second, but our noses continued to touch. "How did that taste?" he asked me, grinning.

  "A lot better than the bottle," I replied.

  "I should hope so," he said. "Unfortunately I'm not finished exercising, but I thought I should take a break. Can I convince you to join me for the rest of my routine?"

  "I know a different way we could work out," I said, surprising myself with my boldness.

  Why would exercise be a code for sex? I'd said as much to Vanessa. Thinking about it now, why wouldn't exercise be a code for sex? It could be a really great workout for all I knew. Lots of muscles were definitely involved.

  "Oh?" Lucent asked, almost laughing. He seemed to have a good idea of what I had in mind.

  "Yes," I said, putting words to my thoughts. "We could do naked aerobics."

  That... didn't actually sound better than just saying sex, but I thought I should at least try to maintain some illusion of exercise.

  "Naked aerobics?" Lucent asked. "Yoga, perhaps? Downward facing dog?"

  My mind rushed with images of me on my hands and knees, arms spread far in front of me, while Lucent approached from behind. Unfortunately this wasn't entirely accurate, because downward facing dog was a bit more difficult than that, but maybe we could make some exceptions. We could create some new yoga poses for our special exercise needs.

  "What about kneeling dog that's sort of facing downwards but not with my legs straight and without my body in a triangle like that?"

  "If we're going to work out, it should be difficult, Miss Tanner. If the exercise doesn't even make us break a sweat, then it's not fulfilling our needs," Lucent said.

  "I will try really hard to sweat," I said. "I'll at least be wet somewhere, I promise."

  Lucent shook his head slightly, sending tempting tingles across my nose as he nuzzled his to mine. He kissed me softly on the lips and carried me to the loveseat. Lowering me in much the same way that he'd been squatting before, he rested me on the couch. I let go of him, sitting, and he rose up, standing.

  Then he left.

  I pouted. "Where are you going?"

  "To finish my routine," he said. "I'm almost done. I won't force you to exercise, Miss Tanner, but there are certain benefits to it. As your heart pumps faster, circulating the blood throughout your body at an accelerated pace, sensations and feelings become heightened. Adrenaline soars, increasing needs and desires, creating an almost surreal sense of calmness, joy, and ecstasy."

  He was teasing me, I knew. Teasing in a good way. Also, maybe it was true. Lucent and I did work out together sometimes, and afterwards we... worked out some more, horizontally on his bed, or the nearest surface he could manage to move to before tossing me down and claiming me as his after-workout trophy. He was mine, too; my reward.

  I remembered one time after doing squats—albeit with much less weight than Lucent used—and my thighs were sore. Lucent lifted me up and we did manage to make it to his bedroom that time, somehow, despite the fact that we needed to take the elevator to get there. We didn't do anything fancy, everything was rather simple actually, but we didn't need more than that. My legs hurt, but in a good way, and Lucent gripped them, grabbed my thighs, spreading them until I was wide open for him, then he thrust hard into me.

  That was a really nice memory. I daydreamed, lost in thought, while Lucent rolled his eyes at me and continued his workout.

  It was kind of true, though; what he said was true. It did feel different after. Sore, but in a good way. Tight, my whole body taut, powerful like a spring, pressed down and ready to explode at the merest touch of awareness. It was a struggle, though, but a good one. With my legs wrapped around Lucent's core while he controlled me, pinning me to the bed, thrusting into me. My thighs hurt, but I couldn't let go, because he had his arms on me, holding me in place. His sweat-covered chest pressed hard against my own, our bodies squashed together, mixing sensuality with innate pheromones.

  I loved the way Lucent smelled after he worked out, too. His body sweltering with the heady scent of spice and sexual furor. His scent reminded me of pure lust; and his lust was focused solely on me and my body.

  I wondered if I smelled the same way to him, if I attracted him with my scents. There were studies about that, weren't there? Natural pheromones and things like that. Not the shoddy sort they sold over the counter as perfumes, but actual body chemistry and awareness. I thought there must be, but I didn't know a whole lot about it. I should look into it later, though.

  Without fully thinking about it or realizing it, my memories took a turn towards the physical and my hand wandered to the front of my pants. My legs spread instinctively, giving me more access to fulfill my natural need, and I touched myself lightly. My fingers teased against my pants-covered crotch, sending wicked sparks through my body. Nothing excessive, not quite masturbation, but just a light, pleasant sensation.

  I watched Lucent, his back towards me as he performed countless number of bicep curls with a pair of free weights. His shoulders tensed, the left when he curled his left arm up, then the right when he lifted the right. Back and forth, rhythmic, like some primal jungle beast stalking his prey.

  I kind of wanted to be Lucent's prey.

  Lucent finished with his weights and set them down on a padded area nearby. Without fully realizing it, I caught myself sneaking my fingers past the waistband of my yoga pants to tease at my soft skin. Lucent turned towards me and found me like that, sitting on his loveseat in his exercise room, legs spread, knees up, with my fingers wriggling beneath the front of my pants.

  Overall, this wasn't exactly what I'd intended. His eyes smoldered with unknown emotion, dark and compelling. I couldn't stop looking at him, but I felt shy and affected, unable to hold his gaze for longer than a few seconds. We stayed like that, watching one another, my eyes darting to the sides every so often to avoid his fierce stare.

  Lucent sucked air in through his teeth. "Miss Tanner," he said. "What exactly are you doing?"

  "I'm unsure," I answered, truthfully. I really didn't know. I mean, I thought I'd like to know, and I felt like maybe I should know, but I honestly didn't have a clear idea of my plans at the moment.

  "Will you kindly open that bottle of water for me?" he asked.

  I looked to the side, spotting the water bottles; one sealed and full, the other half empty. "Which?" I asked.

  "Either will suffice," he said.

  It was for him, I assumed, so logically I should offer him the half empty one. Except right at the moment Lucent seemed a little out of sorts, so I decided to give him the full one just in case. As an offering? Sacrificial, peace, or otherwise? I had no clue. I removed my hand from my pants and reached for the full water bottle, then slowly uncapped it and held it out for him.

  He came to me, taking even, steady strides. Slow, inexorable, like a lion. He stopped once he reached the edge of the loveseat where I still sat, legs spread slightly, knees up, but now with a bottle of water offered out to him.

  He took the water. Yes, he took it, but he took more, too.

  With one hand carefully accepting the water from my outstretched arm, Lucent used his other hand to grab at the rear of my yoga pants. Not altogether easy, but in my current position I made it somewhat easier for him. I ended up crashing down, head and upper body falling against the seat of the couch, while Lucent gripped and pulled my pants to my knees. Skillful, presumably planned, he brought my underwear along with my pants, leaving my bare ass and sex exposed.

  I squeaked and shrieked like some rude toy. "Lucent! What are you...?"


  I wasn't able to say more. Lucent let go of me, released my pants and my underwear leaving them tight against my knees. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him wrench down his own track pants, revealing his throbbing erection. His cock popped up, bouncing twice before pointed straight at me.

  Somehow during all of this, he barely spilled more than a few drops of the water. Impressive, that, I thought, except I didn't have a lot of time to think it. With swift certainty, Lucent doused the core of my body with the water from the bottle. Cool liquid splashed onto my heated sex, dripping across my slit and my lower lips, then down towards the pucker of my ass.

  I screamed, more from shock than anything else. That water was cold!

  Lucent warmed me back up, though. His hand glided along my lower body, smoothing the water across my skin and teasing at my slit. He slipped one finger inside of me, tormenting and testing me. I'd been screaming, but then I gasped, caught between two extremes. Warm hands and cold water, heat and arousal and chilled lust.

  Without further ado, Lucent kneeled before me, grabbed my legs, slid me along the water-slick seat of the couch, and thrust hard into me. It all happened in a moment's notice, barely more than enough time for me to blink nor think. I was empty and wet, chill and cool, then suddenly I was full and hot.

  I couldn't have said I was fully aroused before that; I certainly wasn't unaroused by any means. Regardless, the water and Lucent's fingers had lubricated the way for his thick, pulsing cock to slide right into me, and...

  Well, he did. He did that once, pressing deep inside of me, sending my hips bucking upwards in surprise. Then he pulled out and did it again, twice. My inner walls spasmed in shocked glee, not quite expecting this pleasant turn of events. By the third time he thrust into me, I didn't need nor recognize the slickness of the water; I had slickness of my own aplenty for Lucent's hard intrusion.

  He pulled me into his arms while thrusting deep inside of me and I latched my hands around his neck, twining my fingers together and holding tight. Quick and steady, strong and determined, Lucent hefted me into the air. His hands squeezed hard against my rear, holding me tight. My legs were trapped by the halfway pulled down yoga pants, the fabric straining against Lucent's back while my knees clutched tight against his sides.