I should go to my room. There was no good-or smart reason to hesitate. I glanced at the hallway again. I already confirmed from Angie that Pierce was not back. A quick peek at the other rooms wouldn’t hurt anybody. I walked towards the hallway, tip-toeing like a criminal before I stopped. It’s not like I was checking his office or bedroom, I just wanted to know what the third room was for. Another guest bedroom I guessed. I would take a quick look and then, my curiosity would be sated. Or… I would try and the door would be locked.I grabbed the handle and twisted.Not locked. It would be the former then. I pushed the door open, and paused to let my eyes take the beauty.It wasn’t anything I expected.Burst of colors everywhere, popping from canvases that were placed on every surface. “Wow.” I said, not realizing I had spoken out loud. In the center of the room, in front of a stool was a half done painting of a woman with flowers growing out of her skin.Pierce paints? The words
I couldn’t sleep. But I blamed it on my busy day on set. I tossed again before deciding that a midnight snack would do me a world of good. I checked my phone as I grabbed it off the nightsatand.Three A.M.I wore my inside slippers. They were quiet. And it was better than going all that way barefoot. I paused at the threshold and glanced at Pierce’s corner. I pictured him in bed, with the sheets tangled up around his legs.I held the banister and went down the stairs slowly.He could be in his office working. Maybe he would be on his computer. Would he be shirtless? Maybe only in briefs because it was past midnight.I let out an exasperated breath. Pierce, naked should not be a concern of mine. He could be working in a frog costume for all I cared. I was serious about the no sex deal. Doing that meant there would be no more portraits of me with my emotions shining in my eyes. I envisioned Pierce studying my face. Committing every ridge and sweat glistening on my skin so he could r
“I’m guessing you’re here for the same reason I am.” he said. “I couldn’t sleep. Needed a snack.” I answered gruffly. “That clearly isn’t going great.” He pulled out an already opened bag of chips while I dumped the gelato regrettably down the sink. He leaned on the counter leaned on the counter, holding the chip bag invitingly. Could he not turn it out into a bowl or something?That would make sure I would not brush his hand accidentally. I let out a sigh. I was being a child acting like I could not eat out of a bag Pierce was holding without physically combusting. I trudged to him, hesitated, before I dipped my hand in to fish for chips. We crunched in silence. “How long did it take you to make the painting?” I blurted out, stunning myself. Shit, I should not have said it out loud. He shrugged, “A couple of weeks. You were a very helpful muse.” “I wasn’t given an option.” “Do you want me to pay you?” He asked casually. Of course. He assumed it was about mo
“I have no right, he repeated.One more step and there was barely any space between us.A shiver of thrill went through me. Pierce glowered in anger, but I could see arousal too. I preferred this to his usual blank expression. The need to see him like that pushed me to speak.“I’m not your property, Pierce. You have your life outside of this house and so do I.”“What do you want outside of me?” He growled, his head lowering. If I pushed off my toes, I knew our lips would touch. My heart thudded in my chest loudly. How would I answer his question? Pierce had always been everything I wanted, even after we were through, I did not think it would be possible to meet someone and fall in love like the way I had done with him. His eyes were dark, nearly black as he watched my confused expression. He grabbed my waist roughly and turned me so my back was to him and my hands on the counter for support. The air crackled with sexual tension, very different from how it was mere seconds ago. Thi
“I want to fuck Pierce.” I announced to Hannah the second my butt was in a booth with her. An innocent customer glanced at our table before hurrying along. “Damn sweety, at least let the food get here.” Hannah’s face lit up with an intrigued smile. She placed both hands on the table, under her chin and leaned in.“You look too happy to hear this.” I said dryly.“Of course I am. I have been missing out on juicy Pierce details because you had been so secretive. If you want to talk now, I am all ears. So you want to bone him, tell me all about it.”I let out an exasperated sigh and shifted in my seat. “I mean you know what he looks like. And then I see him in the house all…normal.” I spat the last word out like it was poison. “I still don’t get why you can’t…” someone passed by the table and Hannah’s voice dropped an octave lower, “fuck him.”“We both thought it was smart to end the physical part of the relationship.” She already knew how complicated things were already. “He’s still hi
“It’s not a bracelet sweety, I mean it could be called that, I guess you’re right, it IS a bracelet.”“Okay?”“Yeah, but this one doesn’t go around the wrist.” She wriggled her eyebrows. “It’s a cock ring.”“A what ring?”“A cock ring. You slide this one down the shaft and it basically squeezes it. Damien LOVES the sensa-““Nope, absolutely not! That’s enough information, you’ve gotten what you wanted, let’s go.”“Oh come on, we’re bonding!” She yelled to my retreating back, even though she followed behind me. The cashier looked between the both of us, amused. She dropped the two items on his table with a smile, while I tried to keep my eyes down. “That looks great, does it come together or is it removable?” Hannah asked, and I reacted out of instincts. My eyes landed on what seemed to be the centerpiece of the cashier table.Oh god. Oh god, oh god.There was a big-no giant penis stuck onto the table and yeah, it was a show stopper on its own but spikes? It was decorated with small
I finally understood what had distracted Derek: Pierce’s arrival.He could’ve atleast, given me a warning. Now Angie would present whatever sex toy was in the box to her ‘master’ and I would have to endure judgemental looks from Pierce AND Angie.When I turned to look at him, my breath caught in my throat. He was back in his dark suit getup with a shirt that had a few buttons undone. He was toying with said button as he looked straight at Angie. “Don’t tell me what?” He asked again. Oh dear/“Don’t tell you…” Angie started, “…that she had missed a dose today.” I turned to look at Angie. Both of her hands were behind her back like they were crossed, not hiding a box of a possibly ginormous dildo. Her expression? Bored.I wished I could look as cool headed as she did. As it was, I was bright red and reading to flee.Pierce glanced at the watch on his wrist, irritation marring his brows. Good to know a conversation about me was ticking him off. Pun unintended. The grandpa jokes were fo
I took my phone with me to the bathroom. One look in, and I figured I might as well run a bath. I had nothing else to do for the day. Soaking would be good for my nerves. I opened my messages. They were both from the same person. My eyes narrowed into slits as I expanded the text from Hannah. ‘Did you like your not so little present?’ She texted with double wink emojis. ‘Bet you’re having too much fun to respond.’ I shook my head in disapproval as I typed out a response. ‘Fun? I’m busy trying not to get caught with that thing!’ I checked the water in the bath to make sure it was at a good temperature. A new message entered my phone a second later. ‘After you do that, HAVE fun. A world of pleasure awaits you’ more wink emojis. “I swear to God.” I said out loud, then chuckled. ‘You know you’re a bad influence.’ New message, ‘you’re welcome.’ Underneath that one; ‘Rumors of the Destan show wanting to interview you.’ My heart skipped a beat. Barely looking at what I was doin
Tami’s POV. The house was plagued with more tension than Tami had ever witnessed. An hour ago, a letter had arrived, and since then, they had sat in the living room, Tami watching her parents as they glared at each other, one in plain anger and the other in defiance. “I’m asking you again…what does this mean?” Her father bellowed, his eyes never leaving his wife. Ava scoffed, poorly hiding the fact that she had been shaken by the contents of the letter. “I don’t know Leo, how do you expect me to know? It’s likely a part of Pierce Blackwood’s smear campaign since Tami here went and pissed him off. Now our company is in ruin because your daughter.” A beautiful diversion, Tami noted, it was just like her mother to shift the focus. They still hadn’t explained to her what on earth was going on. The note had been simple. A warning from one of the family’s friends in court. One of the very few people who still stayed loyal to the Bakers. Even though it was because Ava had that video o
I felt every inch of him against me —hard, hot and hungry. But it wasn’t just the feel of him that made me dizzy. It was what this meant. Our step towards a future so uncertain, but a future together…it sounded like music to my ears.When he whispered my name against a taut nipple, I was shivering with need. I pressed my thighs tightly and ground against to match the pulse throbbing insistently between my legs. When I said his name, it was as a strangled plea. Soon, we were moving. He opened a door, led us in…artroom not the bedroom. Pierce cursed and started to back out again. “No, here is perfect” I muttered between kisses “You…deserve more than this.” He groaned, ever the semblance of restraint, even though his hip rolled against me, the sensation of his jeans rubbing my clit relieving some of the pressure there. I knew what would feel better, and I didn’t want to have to wait any longer. “I get to decide that.” I dropped to my knees, my hands working fast on his pants as he g
I tried to pull away but his fingers tightened around my arm and placed it over his chest. “My heart works, just as well as yours does. Those were your words...” His heart pounded underneath my palm, matching my racing heart, “It came to life because of you. It beats for you. Nothing will ever change that- no one, not even you.” I shook my head frantically, “we can’t-what if we…” “I’m scared too, I know you would be safer not being attached to me. But I tried to protect you by hiding you away, that fucking blew up in my face. Now I just want a chance at being with you, like this. No concern for opinions or my family… I want to be with you. I want to be the person you loved me into.” “I’m not that version of me again, Pierce. I-I lost her with Yvette.” His hands swiped at my cheek gently. “There will be times I will look at you and hate you for it. I can’t give myself to you wholeheartedly knowing what it had cost me, I’m not ready…” “You don’t have to be, not yet.” He ki
I woke up the next morning with slight headache but refused to budge from the bed, dying of embarrassment as I relieved the events of last night. I tried to seduce Pierce into sex with me! What kind of idiot was I?!I groaned and covered my face with my palm. And now I was laying down in sheets that smelled like him, wondering if he had woken up or I could still sneak away like a one night stand. I lay there recalling the events of my day. From catching Carter, to Hannah’s confession and coming here. All of you or nothing…I rolled off the bed and turned the bedside lamp on, before scouring the room for my handbag. It was under my coat that I had dumped on the floor promptly after he had left the room. According to my phone, it was seven am, there was two checking -in messages from Angie, one from Hannah with an apology and several from Carter. One of my heels was still on my foot and I slipped it off before I padded to his bathroom to wash my face in the sink.As the water dripped
I watched, my body burning under his gaze as his eyes trailed over me. From my heels and higher-slowly, painfully higher, till they stopped at my face. He swallowed, and took another step back. No quite the reaction I was expecting. A lazy smile spread across my face and I took a step forward, to make up for the one he had taken. “Stop.” His voice came out as a strangled whisper, his breath was uneven, pupils blown wide, jaw tight like he was holding back a storm. He refused to look at me. I took another step, blocking him when he cursed and tried to move towards the door. “Hannah told me about your arrangement with her.” He lifted his eyes to me and looked back at the floor just a quickly, not before I caught the awareness in his expression. I took another step again, a dizzy spell taking over. I shut my eyes and took a breath. I didn’t want to talk right now, I wanted him to be doing things to my body that I would forget by morning. “I-It was the only way I could give you
”Maybe it is my fault, I should’ve left the past in the past. Create more time for us? Stopped taking so long to have sex with it.” I rambled on my words tripping over each other to get past my lips. Two hours in a bar with Hannah, and my intoxication levels were up. “Myra! Are you listening to yourself?“ I nursed my fifth drink, while Hannah scolded me. “Damien disappears into his hobbies all the time and he never has to worry about me cheating on him. Carter’s reaction here says more about him. Plus, You did say he said mistresses were normal in his world.”“His words not mine.” And the ease at which he said it. I could already picture it. Married for ten years and knowing my husband had seven mistresses on the side… normal in his world my foot. “That son of a bitch, I can’t believe he had us fooled. But there you go. He would’ve done it anyway.”I sighed, and downed the rest of my drink while Hannah sipped hers like a civilized human being. “Wanna see my outfit?” I asked drunke
I hugged my coat to my body and prayed no strong gust of wind would whip the fabric up and expose my body to the innocent passersby outside of Carter’s apartment building. He was still ignoring my texts and since my visit with Emma a week ago, I had abandoned all efforts to contact him, and focused all my energy on building a case against Ava Baker. I may not be able to get back at Tami directly for Yvette but it would still hurt her if her mum was going to prison, and who knows, there was still time for Tami to slip up in the future. I stood out there and let my gaze float up to the highest part of the building, where he stayed, and swallowed nervously. If our conversation went well, the. Me and him would be making love for the first time. My way to show him that I was committed to him. A big step for both of us. And yet, my mind rebelled, still not ready for the change. It felt like…cheating to have sex with him. I gritted my teeth and stepped into the building, said a quick hel
I adjusted the strap of my handbag and knocked on the door to Emma’s home. It was a suburban place in a corner of the city, I turned my head to the sound of a group of young boys walking their dog as each one tried to speak louder than the last person. The door creaked open, pulling my attention back. A woman in her fifties, just a little taller than me, stood in the doorway with Viking braids, wearing oversized sweats and a cardigan. She smiled at me, a little unsure. “Myra?” “Hi, yes it’s me. Nice to put a face to the voice.” “It is.” Her eyes roamed over my body. ”I see the resemblance.” She stated, getting even more of my attention. “Come right in ..” She stepped aside, giving me space to enter and I hesitated. Up until this point the only feeling in my mind had been excitement, now came the wariness. Maybe it wasn’t such a hot idea to visit a woman I had never met before. “Look, I am as scared of you as you are of me. But then I saw the resemblance and I’m hoping you’re re
I waited till she was in front of me, counting headstones as we wove through them to the one with her mother’s name engraved on it. I remembered what Angie said she had asked and smiled to myself, before I went closer, dropped flowers on the headstone, and stepped back to join Pierce. catching the first bits of her conversation where she mentioned Nicole’s picture on the memorial in my room. “You’re a good mom.” My head snapped to him but his eyes remained trained on Heidi. “I can tell you are because of how she glows.” My eyes fell on Heidi again who was sitting crossed leg on the grass making a bird motion with her hands as she spoke animatedly. “Yeah, I guess I am. Speaking of mothers, did you visit yours?” “I did.” “Did you pass on my message?” From the corner of my eye I saw a grin spread on his face. “I said you sent your regards. She understood.” “Good.” Heidi got up from the ground and wiped her behind.”ice cream?” “Yeah ice cream.” I tugged on one of her bubble