He somehow sees through it.
“You’re still lying.”
He drops my wrist but neither of us moves away. “How many men?”
“Hundreds,” I lie again. I don’t know what he wants to hear, why he’s asking me these questions. What does any of it have to do with him?
He sets his jaw.
“Another lie,” he grits out between his teeth.
A frustrated huff escapes my lips. “What do you want me to say?” I ask, bewildered. “That you’re my first and last client? That there has only ever been you?”
It’s the first truth out of my mouth. My eyes widen as something unidentifiable passes over his face.
“That’s what you want me to say?” I ask in disbelief.
Is this some kind of kink? The man likes to feel like he’s the only one his sexual conquests have been with? At least that’s one I can roll with, and if I’m being honest, it isn’t too far off.
I tentatively place my hand back on his chest. This time, he doesn’t flinch away from my touch.
“You’re the only one,” I whisper to him. There’s a slight shake to my voice as I lean in to get another whiff of his cologne. It smells expensive. I run my hand up his tie and my lips down his throat, feeling the bob of his Adam’s apple as he swallows. Blood hums beneath my skin. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I know that it feels good and I don’t want to stop.
When I pull back he’s staring down at me, his shoulders tense beneath my fingers. He still doesn’t believe me, but he’s no longer pushing for an answer.
Then, in what feels like slow motion, his gaze drops from mine to find my hair, and the shift in his eyes is instant. They soften, turning from ice cold detachment to pure, unrestrained desire, the heat behind the black depths so visible it unleashes a pool of heat in my stomach that warms me from the inside out. My lips part in a gasp. It’s the first time since he walked into the room he’s given any true indication that he wants me, and the effect of it forces a tremor to rip through my body. It’s the opening I was waiting for.
Without thinking, I reach down towards the hem of my dress and tug it up over my hips. My heart is racing so fast inside my chest that I’m sure he can sense it, but when I look up at him, his dark eyes are locked on mine. If he’s surprised by my sudden leap to action, he doesn’t show it. In fact, his eyes don’t move an inch from mine as I pull my dress all the way over my head and drop it onto the plushcarpet beside me. I’m standing before him in only my black lingerie and heels. At this point, I’m acting on adrenaline alone. The thrill of this beautiful man watching me as I strip my clothes off thrums through my veins and fuels my every action. His earlier indifference is no where to be found when he releases an angry hiss, like he’s lost some internal battle with himself, and lets his gaze roam freely down my body. My skin is set alight as his eyes slowly trace my curves, and when they finally, after what feels like a lifetime, meet mine once again, the black depths seem to be dancing with fire. He runs a hand across his mouth as he stands and watches me. My bare skin under his intense gaze is the biggest rush I’ve ever experienced, and like an adrenaline junkie, I hold on to the thrill. Standing half-naked in front of a man I don’t know, heart pounding wildly, I reach around and unclasp my bra. I’m not entirely sure if it’s the whisper of my bra straps or the touch of this man’s gaze that feathers down my shoulders as I let my bra drop to the floor beside my discarded dress.
I don’t know this version of myself, but I decide that I really, really like her.
I feel more alive than I have in years.
He clenches his jaw as he stares down at my breasts. I would bet my life savings that he’s seen a hundred women naked before, but the way he’s looking at me right now makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world. It’s enough to make my hands shake. He takes a small step forward, closing the space between us. His soft suit jacket grazes my bare nipples, forcing a pleasurable sigh to escape my throat. His scent encompasses me and I can barely conjure up a coherent thought as he reaches around and places a rough, warm hand on my hip. Goosebumps erupt from where he grips me and spread like fireworks across myskin. Then he lightly traces his hand along the strap of my thong, and I can’t help but close my eyes and let my head fall back, a ball of flames erupting in my core.
The way he runs his fingers slowly up the back of my spine in a gentle caress, leaving sparks of electricity in his wake, gives me the impression he’s playing with me. My body is responsive under his touch, under his gaze, but I don’t care what he makes of it. It’s been too long since I felt this way. Too long since someone touched me like this.
His fingers stop at the base of my neck, where he gently grips my hair, using it to tilt my head further back until I’m forced to open my eyes and look up into his face.
From this angle his cheekbones are razor sharp, his jawline so strong that I want nothing more in this world than to reach up and brush my fingers over his stubble, just to see how it feels. When I meet his eyes, I gasp.
Fuck, his eyes.
His eyes are dark and hungry. Feral, almost, as they stare me down at me.
He’s hungry for my body. I recognise the look.
This man wants to use me, and for the first time in my life I succumb willingly. I go against my morals, my own personal fabric, and let him. I’m not even mad about it. I don’tfeelused, or dirty. I feelgood, because I’m using him right back. I’m using him for more than just a night of pleasure. He is my very own awakening. My chance to prove to myself that I’m capable of breaking out of the chains of my past, and I’m taking it.
When he looks down at my lips and his throat bobs in a swallow, I know what he’s about to do. I turn my head before he can do it.
Kissing is personal. Intimate. I’ll let him have my body this one night, but nothing more.
He tenses momentarily, but then brings his soft lips down to my exposed throat instead. Stubble lightly scratches my skin, sending shockwaves from my neck to my core as he runs his lips to the sensitive spot behind my ear. He pauses there and inhales, deeply.
When he pulls away, he doesn’t try to kiss me again.
Instead, he gently pushes me until the back of my knees hit the bed and I fall, propped up by my elbows. He’s towering over me, still fully dressed, and it makes my nakedness feel even starker. I’m so hot, so desperate for his touch that I’d be willing to beg for it.
