It's incredible how quickly my plan went out the window once I came face to face with the man I'm supposed to be bartering with. My body for our home. Or rather, it's my mother's plan I'm failing to execute. She's the one who dropped me off less than a mile from our landlord's gated mansion, advising me to walk the road indefinitely in the hopes that William would stop to offer assistance.
We thought about simply arriving at his home and asking to make the trade, my virginity in exchange for cancelling the eviction, but my mother didn't think that would work with a man as shrewd as William.
You'll have to get under his skin first, honey.
Make it impossible for him to say no.
If anyone can do it, it's you.
Dripping wet on the expensive leather seat of the limousine, I have no idea if I'm succeeding. William watches me from the dark end of the vehicle, his long legs stretched out in front of him, a frown on his harshly attractive face as he considers me, his fingers in a steeple in front of his mouth.
He really is mean. Crude. Demanding. He didn't even recognize my last name—the last name of the family he's decided to evict.
But just like always, like every time he's come to my neighborhood to pick up the rent, I sense there is so much more under the surface. Past all the scar tissue around his heart. Deep down, he's the kind of man who couldn't help but hold the umbrella for me.
When will I know if I'm under his skin?
Part of me wants to blurt the truth now—that I'm one of the tenants he's throwing out. That I came to offer him sex to let my family stay. But what if he says no and my time with him is over as quickly as it started? I'll lose my one and only chance to reach the man beneath the devilish exterior. I'll miss my opportunity to find out about him. To spend time in the presence of the man I've been dreaming about since the first time I saw him.
Just a little longer. Then I'll explain.
I'll give him the truth and accept his decision.
The sound of gravel crunching, followed by a mechanical whir, makes me look out the window, finding the limousine pulling through two tall, wrought iron gates. Then we're speeding up a long, tree-lined driveway, the largest house I've ever seen coming into view around the bend. "That's where you live?" I whisper, turning in the seat. "All by yourself?"
"God, yes. Blessedly alone."
"You never get lonely?"
"Never." His eyes are so intense, landing on every part of me at once, his hand reaching down to adjust his gold belt buckle. "It's what I'm used to. I don't know anything else. Being lonely would never occur to me."
That sounds terribly sad to me, but I keep my sympathy to myself, sensing it wouldn't be well received. "Sometimes I like being alone, too. I sneak into my mother's closet to write in my diary." I stumble over the last word, worried I've said something that might reveal me as a tenant. This man doesn't know the people who live in his buildings, though. All we are is numbers in a ledger to him. He has no idea about the people who live within the walls. "I think nothing can be better than the silence, but then I open the closet door and smell my mother's roast chicken. And I hear my brothers arguing over the remote and it's...home."
"How very nice for you." He shifts in his seat. "It occurs to me that I haven't asked your age. If you're still writing in a diary, perhaps you're younger than I thought."
"I'm eighteen." My cheeks heat at the accusation that my favorite hobby makes me immature. "People of all ages can write in a diary."
Silence ticks by. Then, "I suppose you're right." He clears his throat hard. "If people such as war generals or ancient philosophers didn't write in diaries, we'd be missing chunks of history."
The temperature of my face cools.
Does William realize he said that to make me feel better? The answer could be yes or no, based on his scowl. "Isn't there something you do to relax and collect your thoughts?" I ask.
An evil smile curls his upper lip. "Do you really want to know the answer to that?" My breath draws short, even though I don't know exactly what he's referring to. I only sense it's sexual in nature. Before I can question him, he laughs under his breath and continues. "I could tell you I swim in my pool, play tennis on my courts or travel, but I'd be lying. I get pleasure out of buying real estate and making money. That's it. I don't need anything else."
The limousine stops at that exact moment.
We stare at each other from a few feet apart until the driver opens the door and William alights, holding his hand out through the opening and waiting for me to take it. Which I do. And then I'm a sopping wet mess with sloshing shoes, climbing the steps to a palatial mansion.
My heart races in my chest at the very notion of going inside. It's bigger than all of the buildings on my block combined, and then some. There are no flourishes or homey touches on the outside. It is strict red brick and wrought iron. A tall, imposing door that sweeps open when we approach, a housekeeper with a stiff upper lip stepping aside to allow us entry.
William takes hold of my wrist and guides me over the threshold, speaking briskly to the perfectly coiffed older woman. "This is Grace. She will be staying with me tonight. She's to have whatever she wants, whenever she wants it. Is that clear?"
"Very clear, sir." The housekeeper turns to me, showing no reaction to my wet clothing. "Is there anything I can get you, miss?"
I start to decline, of course. I've been raised to do things for myself and my elders. Not the other way around. But William did promise to spoil me silly and there are two words that have been whispering in my head since he uttered them in the limousine. Swimming pool.
"I would love to go swimming," I blurt.
William pauses in the act of removing his jacket. "Now? Wouldn't you rather get warm after being in the rain?"
"That does sound nice, but...I've never seen a swimming pool at someone's house before. Well, only on television." Feeling kind of pathetic, I hug my elbows tightly. "There's a community pool near...near where I live, but it's always packed. You can't swim two feet without running into someone and the chemicals burn my eyes. I just thought it would be nice, if it's not any trouble."
William is looking at me strangely, in a way I can't decipher. "Of course it's not any trouble." I get the impression he meant that to sound snappier than it did. "We'll require a warm towel downstairs, Pauline. And a robe."
"Yes, sir. Shall I find a bathing suit for Miss Grace?"
A muscle ticks in his cheek, those predatory eyes raking down the front of my indecently see-through dress. "That won't be necessary."
Why does this girl insist on trying to endear herself to me?She gasps at the sight of my living room and the downstairs kitchen on our way to the pool, stopping to gawk and turn in slow circles. Stumbling into furniture because she's so distracted by the chandeliers mounted to the high ceilings. I don't like the way my chest tightens over these things. It's odd and alarming.Who is this girl?I want to know everything about her, down to her blood type, but at the same time, I'm terrified of knowing too much. Making her too real to me. I'm already way outside of my comfort zone having her in my home for the night. I told myself I just wanted to fuck her, but here I am, giving her a tour of my house. Needing to see her swimming. Wanting to give her this thing she's been deprived of.Those urges are a warning sign that this girl is creeping into uncharted territory. I learned a long time ago that personal attachments are a weakness. A desire for affection, connection with another person
"Grace," I shout, already stripping off my shirt. Shoes are kicked off and I'm diving into the water, fear icing my veins. Adrenaline propels me toward her. I don't hesitate to wrap an arm around her middle and kick for the surface, already anticipating mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.Why didn't I ask her if she could swim? I did this, by trying to drive home how irredeemable I am. She had to jump into the fucking water just to get away from me.We reach the edge of the pool and I place her carefully on the side, climbing out after her, kneeling down on the cold stone, dizzy with worry. "Dammit, Grace." With unsteady hands, I tilt her head back, getting ready to blow breath into her lungs. "I'm sorry. Don't do this to me."She peeks one eye open and smiles, whispering so low I almost can't hear her over the pounding of my pulse. "Uh oh." Pool water rolls down her temples. "Caught you being a good man again."Shock sweeps me. Followed by relief like I've never known.Then, there's respec
I pull the belt tighter around the fluffy, cream-colored robe and creep down the seemingly endless hallway. There really is no reason to creep, but the ceilings are so high, the art on the walls looks so expensive and it's eerily quiet. I feel as though I'm in a library or a museum, so I try not to make a sound, my purpose made easier by the thick rugs arranged on the hallway floor.Where am I going? I have no idea—and I might even be lost. After William left the pool room, I followed a few moments later and promptly lost my way in the labyrinth William calls home. Who needs this many rooms? Or bathrooms, for that matter? Every one is pristine and decorated expensively, just waiting for someone to arrive and enjoy. No one ever will, however, because the man who owns this house is so damaged on the inside, he can only drive people away.When William unzipped his pants in front of me, I could see his intentions clear as day. God help me, knowing he was trying to scare me off only made m
Awareness prickles along my skin, especially when his open mouth drags up behind my ear, exploiting that sensitive patch of skin. "Why did you come in here?""I tried not to." He sounds frustrated. "But this...I don't know, this burning in my stomach won't go away. It has been there since what happened downstairs. I think it's guilt." It's obvious the admission was painful. "I don't know what to do about it."Why is his honesty making my knees weak? "You could apologize.""I never apologize." His chest heaves twice against my back. "But if I did want to apologize, what would be the appropriate way to go about it?""You'd say, 'I'm sorry, Grace'."His scoff blows my hair forward. "Words? Words don't mean shit.""They do to me." He makes a sound of disagreement and I start to pull away, but his hand creeps inside my robe, smoothing across my belly, squeezing my hip. That touch leaves a trail of lava in its wake, my core clenching hotly between my legs. "What..." I breathe, struggling to
This house feels different with her inside of it.I've never wanted to be around another person...at all.Let alone so fucking badly. She's like a steady heartbeat in the middle of a gale, the purity of it, the reassurance of her, drawing me closer. Closer.I thought telling her about my past might make her understand why I'm such a bastard—and why I'll continue to be one. But she clammed up when I tried to kiss her. Have I ruined anything that might happen between us? If I could turn back the clock an hour and change my actions, I would. I'd allow the perfect exploration of her mouth on my cock without turning it into something forceful.Better yet, I'd go down on her instead.My dick is already hard from being close to Grace, but it swells painfully when I think of getting my tongue between her thighs. Now that will be an effective apology. Far better than words. But first, I have another impulse that is entirely unlike me. I want to...be sensitive with this girl. Whatever the hell
"Once I lick this, angel, I'm the only one who licks it." I pin her knees open wide. "Is that understood?""Yes, sir," she whimpers.My groan is loud enough to wake the dead. I'm called sir all day long by my staff and yet when Grace does it, I almost come in my pants, my mouth latching eagerly onto her pussy, sucking her smooth flesh, inhaling the pure femininity until I can taste her in the back of my throat. I don't make her wait for that first stroke of my tongue up the split of her sex, stopping at her clit and applying pressure, pressure, before teasing it in quick rubs."Oh!" Her thighs jerk, trying to close around my head, but I keep them open. I keep them wide. Because I'm not leaving an inch untouched. This is a claiming. "Al-Al-William. What is...oh, please, please. Keep going."Like I could remove my tongue from this paradise?My cock wants in. It throbs so hard, I'm fucking dizzy, humping the couch cushions like an animal in heat. I remove my hand from where it has been k
I wake with a start in an unfamiliar place.The last thing I remember last night is losing consciousness on the couch in William's library. There's a vague memory of being carried up a staircase, but that's where my recollection ends. Slowly, I peek an eye open and look around, my eyes bugging out at the sight that greets me.First of all, I'm in a man's room. There's no doubt about that.Everything is decorated in deep, chocolate leather and hunter green hues. I'm in the center of a gigantic bed complete with the softest sheets I've ever felt on my skin—a far cry from the scratchy ones I'm used to. Light peeks in from around heavy curtains, an antique fan turns lazily on the ceiling. This is luxury.I also suspect this is William's room. Does that mean...he slept beside me?My skin flushes at the possibility. Not to mention when I think of what happened last night. I'm not a virgin anymore. Far from it. I'm not sure it's possible for a woman to have one's virginity taken so...thoroug
There is something happening inside my chest. It's a thawing sensation. The cold is melting away—and it happens a little more every time I look at Grace.I guide her up the steps into my jet, glaring at the man fueling the plane for staring at her legs a second too long. Possessiveness sinks into me like fucking claws and I almost second-guess my decision to take her outside of my home. Maybe I should confine her to my bedroom for at least a month until she's used to being mine and mine alone. Until she is so addicted to my cock that she gets wet every time she hears my footsteps approaching.Those would be the actions of a bad man, though.I am a bad man. But somewhere in the middle of the night, while watching her sleep so peacefully, I didn't want to be one anymore.At least, not to Grace. Fuck everyone else.She stumbles to a stop in front of me, twisting the hem of her dress in her hands. I come up beside her and look over, finding her mouth in an O shape. "Are we the only ones w