I narrow my eyes at her. “And you wonder why I don’t have bridesmaids next week.”
Her head falls back in laughter and she hands me a drink. “And it has nothing to do with Dad barring us from assisting you?”
“After I sign my soul away to pay off his debt, we’re fighting.”
Her light brown eyes sparkle with amusement as she gives me a quick hug. “Uh huh. Go before Dad finds us. Jagger said be there at eight.”
Imala pops up from the other corner and hands me my purse and a plate. “He said bring cake.”
“Damn, you two are nosy. This is embarrassing.”
“Don’t be. You were gonna call and tell us anyway,” Esme quips as she slings her arm around Imala’s shoulder. “We’ll pray for your pussy.”
Resigned, I stroll to the car Jagger loaned me. It’s one of the many he owns. I’m not good with cars but it’s a damn sexy sports car. Black on black with chrome finishes. When he gave me the keys this morning, he said I’d pay him back in pussy.
It sucked when my dad went through such drastic measures to ensure I’d comply but when I arrived at his penthouse two weeks ago with all my shit in tow, he adapted well. After hearing the shock that our marriage was arranged via a poker game, he grinned at my misfortune.
“Are you saying I own you?”
Despite his ominous words, he’d put me in a unit until he could figure out what was going on. I’d started to believe there was a way out but I should’ve known better.
Last night he knocked on the door. When I opened it, he leaned his long body on the jamb. His eyes swirled with all kinds of emotions with deep hurt leading. His lightly bearded jaw flexed with his frustration and his beautiful brown hair was askew from him running his fingers in it.
Jagger didn’t need to speak. I knew the look. Heartbreak. Instantly, I hurt for him. I was dealing with the disappointment of losing a lifetime crush, but the hurt that caused his brows to pull together into an unconscious frown wasn’t what I was feeling.
“We are to be married next week.”
The restrained emotion in his voice made me hurt for him more. I didn’t pretend to know everything about him but I knew enough to know he’s not as shallow as people think we are. I knew he was in love, and he was caring enough to not worry about her being a regular girl because he didn’t see bank accounts, fast cars, and the finer things in life. He saw love and based on the ache that radiated in those expressive honey eyes, that love was crushed. Three years ripped away from him for no other reason than he loved someone below our stature.
It was in me to want to fix it but I couldn’t. My own life was flipped upside down and all I’ve ever done was strive to be good. Either way, I reached for him if for no other reason than to provide comfort. He allowed me to hug him although I folded into him, siphoning his heat. I ignored my body’s reaction to him along with the hardness of his chest, the goosebumps caused by his breath on my skin, and the softness of his hair beneath my fingertips.
I shouldn’t have been affected by a hug but he returned a hug that limited my air supply. His hand dug into my hair and my head snapped back when he forced me to look him in the eyes. So many emotions bore into me at once and his jaw ticked a few times from the soft grinding of his teeth. His Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed before he spoke.
“Oh, Karessa. Sweet, sweet Karessa…” He rubbed my bottom lip with his thumb, the smooth metal of his ring was a surprising sensation. “None of this is your fault. You were just a bid in a poker match. A play.” His grip tightened on me and he dropped his forehead against mine. “But unfortunately, you’re the only one left behind to take the punishment.” He’d let me go so fast; I was almost dizzy. He stepped back into the hallway. “You move in with me tomorrow.” He gave me a heated look to mask the hurt. His vulnerable moment felt like a distant memory. “Expect me to collect my sample then.”
“Sample?” I asked stupidly.
His eyes took a lingering perusal of my pajama-clad body until I felt naked. His smile was so full of promise I gasped. He walked away without a word and I knew I’d officially been introduced to the other side of Jagger Hanlon.
I unlock the door and climb inside. The leather is like butter and I damn near purr when the engine roars to life. I must get one of these when my finances are restored. Oran has never looked at me until today so this lingering crush needs to go. He’s Ainslee’s now and although she plucked him out of his office, I can’t hate her for it. She doesn’t know me nor owe me anything. It’s best for all of us,for me,to leave childhood fantasies behind. We’re all trying to do the best we can with a fucked-up situation. But first, a real cry for me and the man waiting for me to bring him cake and pussy, as he says. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word as much as I have lately. I select Bishop BriggsThe Way I Doand crank it up as loud as my ears can handle. I sing along and by the end of the song I’ve had a good cry.
Wiping my face. I put the car in drive and take the scenic route. I need mood music to shift gears and focus on who is now my future. And my future wants to bury his feelings in sex. I put on a playlist of sexy songs. Rihanna’sSkinstarts the list. The beat blasting in Jaggers car and shaking my body. My mind is going in the right direction by the end. Checking the time, I find I have about fifty minutes until “curfew.” I take my foot off the gas.
Just because he’s so insistent, he can wait. I’m surprised to find that The Weekend has his own version ofDirty Diana. The beats hit me in the right ways. After listening to my playlist of sexy songs, the last one,Living Room Flow,had me reliving the way he touched me earlier. I grab the cake and my purse and climb out. I check the lobby clock and smile at it displaying 7:55 p.m. I may do the right thing but it’ll be on my time. I reapply my gloss on the elevator and pull my hair out of its ponytail then fix it in the elevator’s mirror.
With a ding, the doors part and I find Jagger sitting in the almost dark living area in a chair facing the elevator. His shirt is open and the tie is undone, hanging open around the collar. He lifts a brow and swishes his whiskey around the ice. He takes his last sip and places it down on the little table next to him.
He licks the moisture off his lips like he wants me to imagine him eating me. I am and my body throbs in response. He is damn sexy. I never denied his attractiveness and now I have no choice but to bask in it.
Jagger rolls his head from side to side slowly cracking his neck while never taking his eyes off me. Then he leans forward to plant his elbows on his spread legs. His fingers on his right hand taps his lips as if he’s considering what he wants to do to me. I’m no virgin but I’ve never had a guy look at me with such concentration.
“Your cake,” I announce and thrust the plate forward.
Without speaking he hooks the fingers that were tapping his lips to summon me forward. I take a few steps to give him his dessert, but he grabs my wrist and yanks me forward until I’m standing between his legs. He plucks the plate out of my hand and puts it down. Then my purse. Jagger grabs my hips to pull me closer. He bends his head and slides up until the tip of his nose travels up my slit and past my clit. He looks up from below then slowly rises to his feet, making sure his body rubs mine on the way up. I’m too excited to move. He’s looking down now when he grabs my chin roughly for me to meet his glare.
“Oh, Karessa, 7:58. You like to play, I see.” His other hand grips my ass hard. “I like defiance. Keep doing it so I can fuck it out of you.” He ghost his lips over mine. “Keep playing and let’s see who wins.
Chapter Three
