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31. More Than a Fling
Last Updated:
2024-11-12 16:24:06
Priyal DessaiThanks for reading! If you're liking the story, consider voting with gems, or dropping a comment :)
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The Man I Shouldn't Want: A Game of Seduction & Lies 32. Call from the City
The first thing I notice is the sunlight spilling across my face, and warming my skin until I can’t ignore it anymore. I blink a few times, letting my vision adjust, and when I turn my head, I find Ric sprawled across the bed beside me. He’s naked, lying on his stomach, his breathing steady and quiet. His face is turned away, buried partially in the white satin pillow, but it’s the rest of him that holds my attention. The muscles of his back ripple faintly with each breath, tapering down to his hips, and then — God help me — his ass, perfectly sculpted and shamelessly on display. It's a sight that could make anyone forget their troubles. His black hair streaked with grey curls slightly at the nape of his neck, and I close my fingers into a fist, ignoring the urge to reach out and touch it, just to feel its softness under my fingertips. I glance down at myself, feeling the dull ache in my thighs, and the memories of last night rush back, heating my cheeks. Four rounds. Sweaty. Di
Last Updated : 2024-11-15The Man I Shouldn't Want: A Game of Seduction & Lies 33. Of Lakes and Lies
Ric reaches for my hand, his fingers slipping into mine as we stand by the large window in the kitchen overlooking the shimmering lake. “Come on,” he says, his voice insistent, and his eyes unyielding. “Guide me there.” There’s something soothing about the warmth of his palm against mine, but it also sends a flicker of unease through me that makes me sweat. My thoughts twist as I follow him out of the house and into the greenery, watching the confident way he moves, the fluidity of his steps. He’s confident, sexy even — something I’ve known since the moment I first saw him, but there’s a dangerous edge to him now that wasn’t there the first night we met. It’s no longer the kind of thrill that makes my heart race with excitement — it’s a quiet warning. ‘Be careful with your heart, Natalie,’ my mother’s voice suddenly echoes inside my mind.My heart. The very thing I trusted Mike with, only for him to leave it battered and broken. Perhaps it’s Mike’s betrayal that casts this shadow ov
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Ric’s insistence on not getting out of the water almost annoys me. But then he looks at me with that mischievous grin, and it’s hard to stay irritated. Every few minutes, he pulls me in to kiss me, soft and playful, and I forget why I was annoyed in the first place. We finally leave the lake to grab something to eat, the sun hanging high in the sky and scorching everything in its path. But an hour later, we’re back in the water, and I’m too caught up in him to care about the heat or my stomach’s protests.Now, the moonlight bathes the lake house in a soft glow as Ric carries me from the water. His hands are firm, but his gaze is softer than I’ve ever seen it. He looks happy, and satisfied. And this kind of happiness has an edge of innocence to it. My body trembles — not from the chill of the evening air, but from all we did in the lake. My lips still tingle from his kisses, swollen and raw in the most delicious way.Ric steps onto the porch, his wet footsteps marking the wooden plank
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I thought of all the possible things the next morning could bring as I cried myself to sleep into the pillows last night, but nothing could’ve prepared me for what actually happens.I’m woken up by the buzzing of my phone, flashing the ridiculous nickname I gave to Meera. It’s only 7 am — Ric is still asleep — and I know Meera is a night owl and not someone who can drag herself out of bed before 10. So the moment I see her name on my phone, my heart is racing. I remember the interview I read yesterday — Mike’s words, twisted horribly, painting me as the villain of our story. “Hello?” I whisper into the phone, my voice already abandoning me. Meera cuts straight to the chase. “I sent you a link. Open it,” she says. And I do. The article stares back at me from my phone screen, the words ringing a siren in my ears, as the very earth seems to have slipped from beneath my feet. “From Rising Star to Scandal Magnet: Natalie Jones’s New Mystery Man Amid Divorce Drama.”The accompanying pho
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Although Ric claimed that he’s important and isn’t someone who can let himself be carried away due to his position, I know I haven’t seen him use his phone or his laptop — the one which he pulled out of the bag only to let me have a call with Anya — at all. So either he has been keeping a track on whatever is on his schedule while I’m not paying attention, or he has been ignoring his work. Regardless, when he finally wakes and asks me why my forehead is wrinkled in his sleepy voice, I give out a hollow laugh and brush it off. Instead of telling him his name is being dragged in the mess that is my life. I’m immediately swaddled in guilt as he hooks his fingers around my neck and pulls me down for a kiss. Then he kicks off the sheet, and walks leisurely to the bathroom all while being butt naked and effortlessly sexy. I bury my head into the pillow, feeling the weight of everything pushing down and yet being held back by something just inches away. It’s like feeling the impact of a
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After that conversation, it’s like a wall has been built between us. Not a flimsy barrier that could be broken with a touch or a word, but a cold, unyielding wall that Ric seems unwilling to scale. He doesn’t talk to me — doesn’t even look at me. His usual, effortless confidence feels like a distant memory. Instead, he sits across from me at the breakfast table, quietly eating the meal Rose delivered in the morning. The scrape of his fork against the plate is the only sound in the room, loud enough to make me wince.I sit there, idly pushing the food around on my plate, the knots in my stomach leaving me incapable of taking even a single bite. The guilt of wasting it eventually washes over me, and I force myself to eat. The flavours that would’ve normally delighted me now taste like nothing. I swallow hard, willing the lump in my throat to disappear.A part of me is grateful for Ric’s silence. My mind is a mess, jumbled and disoriented, and I’m afraid that opening my mouth would only m
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Sleep is the last thing on my mind tonight. I lie in bed, my phone clutched tightly in my hand as I scroll through old messages in Ric’s chat. My heart aches with every swipe, and I wait — hope — for the familiar ping of a notification, for his name to flash across the screen, offering even the faintest thread of connection. But the sound doesn’t come, and neither does the relief I so desperately crave.The silence feels like an accusation, and I blame myself entirely.Why did I let Ric think my frustration — the aggravation I felt when I read that damned article — was about him? That I was upset because of his presence in my life, rather than the timing and implications of the article itself?It wasn’t about him.It was about Mike.About how his cruel, calculated interview laid the groundwork for the gossip to twist the narrative. How it painted me as someone who was with Ric long before I even knew about Mike’s infidelity — as if I had been the one betraying our marriage all along.
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The morning air feels heavier than usual. The faint, crisp scent of the new freshener I tossed into my suitcase and brought back from the lakehouse weaves through the penthouse, momentarily distracting me as I drag myself out of bed. It’s strange how something so small, so simple, can hold my focus for longer than it should, pulling me away from the bigger, messier things weighing on my mind.I force myself to move, to start the day despite the sluggishness clinging to me like a second skin. After a quick shower and a few lazy attempts at pulling myself together, I convince myself to get ready.Just as I’m pulling out potential outfits from the walk-in closet, Maisie, the housekeeper, arrives. It’s been days since I’ve seen her, and her presence is a sharp reminder of how long I’ve let things slide. I know it’s Meera’s doing — her subtle way of ensuring the penthouse doesn’t devolve into chaos while I’m too busy to notice.Maisie moves with quiet efficiency, her footsteps soft against
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The Man I Shouldn't Want: A Game of Seduction & Lies 61. Where the Answers Lie
From the outside, Hayley’s family home looks like any other middle-income house. The lawn is modest, edged with flower beds that have seen better days. The curtains are drawn, casting a somber shadow over the brick facade. It’s the kind of place that holds echoes of laughter, birthdays, and quiet evenings spent together. A happy home, or at least, it was.Today, it holds grief, heavy and suffocating.The street is a circus. Paparazzi crowd the sidewalks, their lenses glinting in the gray light. The air buzzes with the hum of whispered speculation and the rapid clicks of cameras. Their presence here is insulting, but I acknowledge that they could do worse, and have done worse. I step out of the car, the sound of my heels on the pavement sharp. Immediately, the crowd shifts, a swarm of bodies struggling for a better angle. Questions are shouted, their voices slicing through the air, but I don’t acknowledge them.I don’t smile. I don’t wave.This isn’t the red carpet.Anya walks beside
The Man I Shouldn't Want: A Game of Seduction & Lies 60. I Want You, Now
I expect to hear something from my father, having signed the deal, but there’s not much to be disappointed about. At one point, I could have laughed like an evil maniac after this achievement — despite knowing this win wouldn’t have been possible without Ric’s help — but now it’s just meh. Thank you, next. Meera, however, wants to celebrate with pizza. When she sees my confused face, she tells me I deserve it for just what a joke my life has become. She’s not wrong. And then she casually slips to me that I got the role in Haymitch’s movie.I almost choke on the piece of pizza I’m chewing. “When did that happen?”“Oh, the call came when you were in the meeting. Anya was thrilled, believe it or not,” says Meera. The mention of Anya takes away any bit of appetite I had. “She was?”“Yeah,” Meera agrees with a mouthful. A bit of sauce oozes out of her mouth and begins to drip down her mouth, but before I can say anything, Matt wipes it off with a tissue. I pretend to not notice the exc
The Man I Shouldn't Want: A Game of Seduction & Lies 59. Anything, Natalie. Anything
I leave my penthouse with Meera by my side, the world outside feeling too bright, too loud, for the space I’ve been hiding in. The air feels sharp against my skin as if it knows what I’ve been up to these past few days. I slip on sunglasses, trying to disappear into the back seat of the car, but Meera’s voice keeps pulling me back to reality.“You ready for this?” she asks, flipping through something on her tablet, probably the calendar she’s micromanaged for me since forever.“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I mutter, staring out at the blur of buildings passing by.Am I ready though? I don’t know. My mind drifts to the last time I stood in my father’s office, barely escaping the scrutiny that was hurled at me. No preparation, no defense — I’d walked into that room a girl playing dress-up. I still remember the way those boardroom vultures had smirked, like they couldn’t wait to watch me fail.I haven’t heard from my father, Elliot Jones, in weeks. Not a call, not a message, not even a col
The Man I Shouldn't Want: A Game of Seduction & Lies 58. The Price of a Kiss
Between kisses that leave me breathless and stolen touches that make me forget the world outside, Ric and I pore over the details of my presentation for the rest of the day. It’s a strange bubble we’ve created, a space where nothing else exists — no expectations, no consequences. Just the steady rhythm of our work and the occasional hum of desire pulling us back into each other’s arms.But the bubble was always bound to burst.The next morning, as sunlight creeps through the floor-to-ceiling windows, reality rears its ugly head. My phone buzzes once, twice, three times. I don’t bother checking it, knowing exactly who’s on the other end. The knocks come next, sharp and demanding, echoing through the penthouse like an alarm bell. I freeze, my breath catching in my throat.“Who is it?” Ric’s voice is low, groggy from sleep, but his body is already tense beside me.“Anya,” I whisper, dread curling in my stomach. She always ignores the bell, and knocks instead whenever she’s fuming.He sits
The Man I Shouldn't Want: A Game of Seduction & Lies 57. A Web of Lovers and Lies
I call Maisie and tell her not to come in today. No cooking, no cleaning. I tell her I need space, a day to myself. It’s a lie, of course, but she doesn’t press. When Meera calls asking if she can swing by, I cut her off with another lie. “I’m binge-watching some mindless show,” I tell her, feigning a lazy yawn. “Having you here would just remind me of the tragedy from yesterday. Let’s catch up later?” Anya’s call comes next. She wants to go over interview questions, her usual no-nonsense approach taking precedence over everything. “I can’t,” I say, forcing a hoarse rasp into my voice. “I think I’m coming down with something. Maybe tomorrow?” One lie after another. I weave them effortlessly, piling them up like bricks to fortify my cocoon. Because the truth is, I don’t want to see anyone. I don’t want to do anything except stay locked up in my penthouse with Ric. Ric, whose lips are currently tracing a path of fire down my thighs. My fingers knot in his hair, pulling and ho
The Man I Shouldn't Want: A Game of Seduction & Lies 56. In the Devil's Arms
We fall asleep on the couch that night, tangled together in a mess of bad decisions and fleeting comfort. Ric’s arms remain firm around my waist, and my head rests on his chest, rising and falling with his steady breaths. The nightmares don’t come, and I wonder if it’s the warmth of his embrace or the devil’s presence itself keeping them at bay.I’ve killed people, Natalie.The words echo in my head as the first rays of sunlight filter through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing us in soft, golden light. My cheek is pressed against his chest, his heartbeat steady and strong beneath me. For a while, I just lie there, letting the rhythm soothe me in ways I don’t understand, in ways it shouldn’t.His arms don’t budge, even as I lift my head to study his face. The man who held me so tenderly last night. The man who kisses like he’s burning but pulls away like he’s drowning. The man who has killed people.I trace my finger along the lines of his face, memorizing the edges as if they could
The Man I Shouldn't Want: A Game of Seduction & Lies 55. A Monster
I laugh bitterly, the sound harsh even to my own ears. “Yourself? That’s what this is about? You think you’re some kind of monster I can’t handle? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds, Ric?”His eyes darken, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “You don’t understand, Natalie. I’ve done things… things that would make you look at me differently. Things that would make you run.”“Then explain,” I challenge, my hands tightening on his face. “Stop assuming I can’t handle it.”He hesitates, his throat bobbing as he swallows hard. When he finally speaks, his words are raw and jagged, like they’re being ripped from his soul. “I’ve killed people, Natalie.”Suddenly I can’t breathe. All the air around us seems to have vanished. I blink, my hands slipping from his face as his confession settles between us like a bomb.“What?” My voice is barely audible, but it’s the only word I can manage.He doesn’t look away, his gaze piercing. “I’ve killed people. It’s not something I can take back, and it
The Man I Shouldn't Want: A Game of Seduction & Lies 54. Stop Torturing Me
I can’t tell if it’s the adrenaline coursing through me or the way his dark eyes hold mine, as if he’s searching for something he’s terrified to find.“Try,” I say again, my voice shaky. It’s a plea, a desperate attempt to save this. Save us. Whatever we are, I know it’s worth saving. I don’t know what thoughts are swirling behind those dark eyes, what decisions they’re weighing, what explanation he’s trying to weave into coherent words. All I know is that — whatever it is, I’ll take it. God, I hate him for making me feel like this — so exposed, so vulnerable. But I hate myself more for still wanting him, for needing him, even now.And when his eyes return to me it’s all I can do to not run to him and wrap my arms around him. A part of my brain tries to remind me of the way he dismissed me, disregarding all the time we spent together, all the kisses. But he did just say that he couldn’t keep pretending I didn’t matter, right? “Ric,” I prompt, unable to keep my patience any longer. “I
The Man I Shouldn't Want: A Game of Seduction & Lies 53. When the Mask Slips
You may not have even realised.Those words follow me for the rest of the evening, haunting my every waking moment. I didn’t realise, no. Not until just a few hours ago when it seemed like a possibility. The possibility of being pregnant with Ric’s child. I don’t know what I was expecting to hear, until the very last second before the doctor reentered with the results. But miscarriage had never struck my mind. It seems so bizarre now. A cruel joke, almost. Here’s a problem, but wait there’s a solution. And I’m not satisfied with either. The doctor said there had to be some more tests that needed to be done because she found something suspicious. I was too dazed to be concerned, but Meera stepped forward and asked if it was something to worry about. A lost child.I don’t think anything can take your attention away from that. A child you didn’t even realise you were carrying. On the way back, Meera tries to uplift my sullen mood by saying that it wasn’t quite a baby — just a bunch
