Because He Plays Me (Because He Owns Me, Book Seven) (6 page)

“Callum,” I moaned as he slipped another finger inside of me, and now three fingers were in me, spreading me, his thumb swirling around my clit while he sucked my nipple.

I moaned and gasped as he kept up a steady rhythm, not teasing me, not keeping me from coming. His intent was obvious – to get me off.

And he did, a second later, his fingers playing my body perfectly as I came on him. He released my nipple right as I was climaxing and kissed me as I came, his mouth muffling my moans.

As soon as the last wave of pleasure roared through my body, he picked me up and turned me onto my stomach, pushed me down into the couch, then unbuttoned his pants and began to fuck me from behind.

My ass was high in the air, and his hand pushed me into the couch roughly as he fucked me, using my body to get himself off.

He came inside of me, then collapsed on top of me, sweaty and breathless.

A second later, there was a buzz on the intercom, and I jumped.

“Oh my god,” I said, giggling as he pulled himself off of me. “That scared me.”

“It’s probably Brendan,” Callum said, and then he was getting up and crossing the room to the intercom.

“Brendan?” I asked, groping around in my brain for the name. It was familiar and yet I couldn’t quite place it.

“Yeah, my friend. I told him to meet me here.”

Brendan.
Of course. The guy Callum grew up with, the one who’d taken him in when he was younger. The one whose family was alcoholics. But Callum had said the two of them didn’t speak anymore — when had they gotten back in touch?

I readjusted my dress as Callum hit the intercom button.

“Yes?” he said.

“There’s a visitor here for you, Mr. a Mr. Brendan Waters,” the voice on the other end said.

“Send him up.”

I ran and grabbed my sweater from the other room and pulled it on, figuring that if a stranger was coming here, it was probably inappropriate for him to see me dressed the way I was.

When I got back to the living room, the elevator was opening and a guy was stepping out into the apartment.

“My brother!” he said when he saw Callum, and the two of them embraced.

“Good to see you,” Callum said. “It’s been too long, man.” He was smiling from ear to ear.

“Good to see you, too,” Brendan said.

I stood there a few feet away, feeling awkward, until finally, Brendan noticed me. “Jesus, Callum, you don’t even introduce me?” He shook his head and stuck his hand out to me. “I’m Brendan.”

“I’m Adriana.”

His hand was warm, his grip firm but not too firm. He gave me a friendly smile, and something about him instantly put me at ease. He had messy brown hair and green eyes, and some freckles on his nose. And yet there was something haunted about him, too. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, almost sunken, with faint purple circles under them.

“You got this guy to settle down, huh?” he said to me.

“Um..” I said, blushing. I wouldn’t really call it settling down, and I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to reveal about our relationship, or what Callum had told him.

“He can’t shut up about you. Haven’t talked to him in three years and the first thing he brings up is you.”

“Brendan…” Callum said warningly, but he shot me a smile, and I smiled back, my blush deepening. “Anyway, we should go.”

“What? Where are you going?” I felt panic rising in my chest, remembering the way Callum had looked earlier, sitting at his desk with that bottle of whiskey in front of him.

“Just out.” He grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair, then leaned down and kissed me on the cheek.

“Callum,” I said. “Are you.. are you sure it’s a good idea?”

“It’s fine,” he said. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay.”

I watched as he got into the elevator with Brendan, the doors closing, leaving me alone in the apartment….

M
y life was
in the toilet. Literally.

I stood back and put the scrub brush back into its holder. This was what my life had come to; cleaning toilets for a living. I’d only been doing it for three days and already hated it. But it was money--pretty decent money--and right now, I had none.

I spritzed the mirror with cleaner and wiped in broad strokes, trying to avoid my own reflection.

I should be in Portland right now, starting my dream job with a dream agency. I’d spent four years busting my ass with a double major in Accounting and Business Management and it had paid off in a big way.

McKeller and Associates, the largest and most respected accounting firm in Portland had recruited me right before graduation to become a Junior Accountant in their new business development department.

I was supposed to start there last week.

Only instead of starting the amazing new job I’d worked so hard for, I’d been forced to run away from my life I’d built with what money I had saved, only making it as far as Boston.

The crappy motel on the edge of the city wasn’t anything at all, but it was cheap. I’d applied with a temp agency the next morning, though I didn’t dare look for a job in my field. That would be the first place Jacob would look for me. His reach was far and wide and I couldn’t take the chance that he would find me.

So I’d accepted this job.

Cleaning in a huge high rise that had more security than Fort Knox. I even had to sign a nondisclosure.

To clean toilets.

I knew this was the Cross Building. The owner, Madden Cross, had his picture in the lobby, along with three other men, all high management. Every night for the past three I had passed through security and glanced at the picture of Madden. There was no denying that he was handsome. Chiseled chin, strong nose, and piercing blue eyes. Arrogance shone from them even in the photo. A smirk whispered across his lips, as if he were laughing at every person walking past.

His office was on the top floor of the high rise. That was the one I cleaned. There were four large offices, the executive suites, which were always locked.

I was hired to clean the common areas up here. And there were even specific instructions in my contract that stated I was at no time to go into any of the offices for any reason.

Almost as if they thought I might just want to go hog wild, cleaning the executive suites for the fun of it…

I tucked my cleaner and cloth back onto the cart that had everything I needed, and pushed it out of the bathroom. There were only two restrooms on this floor so it really didn't take me long to clean them. It was the dusting I hated. Miles of windows lined the hallway. It was a beautiful view to be sure, but it didn’t make it any better when I had to wash every single one.

I pulled out my iPhone and tucked the earbuds into my ears. It was the only way to get through my last task for the night. Adele filled my ears and I grabbed my cloth and spray. Soon I lost myself in her deep sultry voice.

The thing about music is that it takes you away, so by the time I’d reached the end of the playlist I made, I was almost done. I pulled my earbuds free and started cleaning the huge mirror across the hall from the office with a big chrome M on the door. The boss. The owner. Madden Cross. I’d never seen him in person before.

Well, I hadn’t seen anyone who actually worked there, as we went in well after ten every night.

As I wiped in big circles, movement caught my eye. It was in the reflection, but that meant it was also behind me. Instead of turning around, I stared at the part of the mirror that showed me the door to the office. It was ajar. Normally all of them were closed and locked. There. A shadow moved somewhere in the room.

Goose bumps had sprung up on my arms. I was the only one on this floor.

Nobody else should have been in the offices at this time of night.

What if someone had broken into the building? Before I called 911, I had to be sure. Making as little noise as possible, I tiptoed across the hall, the carpet muffling my shoes.

The door was open about a foot and the room inside awash in darkness, except for the light coming in from the windows.

Another noise.

I was sure I just heard something breathe. With my finger on Send, I peeked my head into the room.

It took a moment for my brain to catch up with what my eyes saw. There were people inside the office for sure, but it was clear that they were not stealing anything. In fact, there would be nowhere to put anything to steal.

They were both naked.

The woman was bent over the desk with her hands tied behind her back and she had her face tilted to the side, resting on the desk. If she had not been wearing a blindfold, she would have been looking right at me.

The man had his back to me but in the dim light, I could see his broad back narrowing down to a tapered waist, and then lower. The muscles in his ass tightened and released, and it was then I realized that he was fucking her. I took a small step back and pressed my fingers to my lips to keep from making any noise.

Unable to stop myself, my gaze wandered back to the couple. With every powerful thrust he made, her body jerked forward and she moaned. Something deep inside me tightened, almost like I could feel her pleasure.

As I watched, he reached out and tangled his fingers in her hair, then jerked it back so that her head lifted as she moaned louder still. The man pressed down with his free hand on her lower back until she was bowed and immobile.

Then as he held her in place, he began driving into her. Now her moans were almost screams, punctuated by each thrust. Wetness seeped from my pussy. I’d never seen anyone fucking like this before, at least not right in front of me, and I could not look away. The woman was helpless to do anything but take him. My nipples ached with every breath I took.

Her moans grew louder and he thrust faster.

My breathing had gone erratic and I could hear my own heartbeat throbbing in my ears. But then the woman started to cry out and her entire body went rigid. He growled and slammed into her, driving her against the desk as she writhed with her orgasm. Then his ass clenched and the unyielding muscles in his back he froze. With a deep sound that sank right to my bones, he came.

I clenched around nothing, desperate to ease the throbbing ache between my own legs. I started to reach down and then remembered where I was.

God.

As I came back to myself and realized how stupid I’d been to stand there and stare—he turned his head and looked directly at me. He was still inside her, his entire muscular body was bathed in sweat.

When our eyes met, he didn’t even look particularly surprised.

My mouth opened and closed.

And then he gave the tiniest little sneer of a smile. I turned around and ran out of the office, then.

I’d just watched the owner of the company fuck some tied up woman in his office, and almost got off on it.

And he’d caught me watching.

Heat burned in my cheeks but I could feel arousal zinging through me still. Wet, swollen and hot, I had to bite back a moan with every step. It seemed to take forever to reach the bathroom I had just cleared. I pushed inside and slid the lock into place. The woman staring back at me in the mirror was flushed and I could see her chest rising and falling.

What are you doing? What is wrong with you?

I wasn’t some creeper who got off on watching other people, but something about that man, the power radiating from him, got to me.

Water filled the sink and I splashed it over my face.
Get a grip, Skylar
.

After several more minutes of cold water, I could finally breath normally. There was still a flush spread over my chest, but at least I could move without moaning. Now that the edge had been taken away, embarrassment flooded through me.

I’d stood and watched two people having sex. I could have backed out of the room the second I saw them, but I didn't.

And the image of him meeting my eyes at the last moment before I’d run out—it was burned into my mind so vividly. I couldn’t stop replaying the little grin on his face, the look of total confidence on his face.

He hadn’t seemed at all surprised I’d been there, nor had he cared about getting caught screwing a woman in his office.

It was almost as though he’d enjoyed me there, watching.

I blotted the rest of the water off my face and unlocked the door. The hall was quiet and the door to Madden Cross’s office was now closed. All I had to do was get my cleaning cart, which I had left right outside that office, and I could go home. The building was quiet and I made it down the hall without a sound. My cart was small and the wheels didn’t make a sound as I turned it around. I had to take it back down to the maintenance room on the first floor and I was good.

A soft click sounded behind me and I froze.

“Would you step inside, please.” The deep timbre of a man's voice vibrated down to my bones. I let go of the cart and turned slowly.

It was him.

Madden Cross.

The man I had just watched having sex. He was dressed now in black trousers and a crisp white shirt. His tie was undone and his dark, wavy hair messy—the only indication that only minutes before, he’d been pounding into a woman tied up on his desk. Heat burned up my neck when I met his intense stare. Dark eyes were one hundred percent focused on me. His lips were tight and his expression inscrutable. Power radiated from him, and being this close, it was both intimidating and exciting.

He moved aside and stepped into his office, my gaze moving to the desk uninvited. I heard the door close behind me and could not stop the jerk of my muscles.

“What’s your name.” He stepped back into my line of vision, and my personal space and I craned my neck to look up at him. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

“Skylar Kinsey.”

“Do you enjoy being a voyeur Ms. Kinsey?”

Shit. Deny, deny, deny. That’s what my father taught me when I was five, right before he took off for good. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean.”

“So that's how you're going to play this? Let me be clear. This is my building, my office, my
everything
. When you are here,
you
are mine.”

A burst of unwanted desire raced through me and I sucked in a breath. After what I’d seen, those words were much more potent than just words.

“I expect honesty from every employee,” he continued, “even the ones hired on my behalf. And I value my privacy.” He took a step forward and I could feel the heat radiating from his body. A masculine scent enveloped my senses. Part expensive cologne, part...sex. Visions flickered through my head. The way he held that woman’s hair. The way he thrust inside her, used her body for his pleasure. Took what he wanted.

He was over six foot and I already knew he was all hard planes and angles under his expensive shirt and pants. The air around us vibrated with authority. It was obvious that he always got what he wanted. I arched my head back when he stepped closer. His hot breath washed over my ear and my knees shook.

“Which means, Ms. Kinsey,” he practically purred, “that you are fired.”

I blinked and he was gone, across the room and behind his desk, dismissing me. Cool air collided with my overheated skin and I shivered. Fired? I had no more money left. This job was all I had.

“No,” I blurted out.

He looked at me as if he didn’t know why I was still standing there. His gaze sharpened. The way he looked at me now was predatory. Like he was going to leap over his desk and devour me any second. “Excuse me?” he said.

I cleared my throat. Blood pounded in my ears and the voice in my head screamed
what the fuck are you doing?
“I won’t let you fire me.”

He narrowed his gaze on me. The room seemed to shrink, yet I held my ground. I had nothing to lose. That’s what he didn’t get. That’s what would keep me from going down without a fight.

“If you let me keep my job, I won’t tell anyone what I saw tonight.” Oh god, now I was into blackmail? My entire body tensed, waited for him to toss me out the window like he could if he wanted.

His gaze darkened. “You enjoy scrubbing toilets so much that you would blackmail me to keep doing it?”

I gritted my teeth. Someone like him would not understand. People with so much money they could do whatever the hell they wanted without a second thought didn’t get the whole ‘support yourself because no one else will’ problem.

“I’d rather not starve and have to sleep in my car,” I said between clenched teeth.

One eyebrow lifted up. “In that case, why not go straight for what you want? Why not ask for money?”

Was he telling her to blackmail him for money? “That’s criminal.” I ignored the voice in my head telling me to do it. To blackmail him. But if I did, I’d be exactly the kind of person that Jacob accused me of being. No good. Worthless.

Madden snorted. “Like that’s ever stopped anyone. Surely you have your price Ms. Kinsey, everyone does.”

“You couldn’t afford it,” I blurted out. I pressed my fingers to my mouth. What the hell made me say that out loud? I was not going to demand money from him.

His gaze narrowed in on me and that same smirk from the picture turned his lips up. “Ten thousand dollars?”

The floor tilted and my mouth fell open. He said it as if it were nothing. With that much, I could get further away, well away from JACOB, and have enough left to start over. For real. My hand dropped to my side and I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. So tempting.

When I looked up at him he was staring at my mouth.

I was all over the place and couldn’t think straight. Was I actually considering what he offered?

“Just letting me keep my job is fine, Mr. Cross,” I breathed out.

He stepped right in front of me again and used one finger to tilt my chin up. The air in my lungs froze. His eyes were dark and glittering with something that made my toes curl. “Call me Madden,” he said in a low, rumbly voice. His thumb drifted over my jawline and I almost tilted my head into his touch. Electricity followed in the wake of his touch, clouding my ability to think. Being this close to him was like taking a drug that made every nerve ending stretch tight while my blood felt like warmed honey.