Stolen Fate (2 page)

  He escorts us toward his car, a ride which screams beauty and elegance. I’m not up to date on vehicles, but whatever this is surely fits its owner’s whole persona. He opens the passenger side for me and waits patiently while I get situated. Before he closes the door, he leans over me to secure the seatbelt. I’m fully capable of doing that for myself, but I let him continue in his chivalry.

  “Sorry, sometimes this one gets stuck.” He glances at me, parts his lips and inhales quickly. His hands still. “You’re quite stunning, Essie. How is it we have never met before?”

  “Thank you. But I’m sure you say that to all the ladies,” I say as I give him a small smirk. “And as far as never meeting, well, I guess you just never had the pleasure. Until tonight, that is.”

  He chuckles. But when he continues to be still, not buckling my seatbelt, I raise my eyebrows at him in silent question.

  “Sorry, I just got side-tracked being this close to you.” He hurries and clicks the belt before backing away and closing my door. There is something in his expression that is screaming to me that what he just said is sincere, that it isn’t one of his usual lines. But I bury that recognition way deep down. I can’t let myself feel anything for this man other than sexual desire.

  Once he closes his door and starts the engine, he looks over at me, trying to gauge where my head is. I simply smile at him, reach over and squeeze his knee. Withdrawing my hand, I see his body has tensed from my touch then quickly relaxes from its absence.

  “Since we’re relative strangers, I thought it best and safest for both of us to go to a hotel. That way, neither one of us is opening up too much of our personal life to the other.” When I don’t say anything, he simply says, “Hey, you never know. I can be a stalker, and you don’t want me to know where you live, do you?”

  “I guess you’re right. Hotel it is then.” What he doesn’t say --and I know he is thinking-- is
I
can be a stalker. And the last thing this wealthy, gorgeous, sexy man needs is for women to be showing up unannounced at his personal residence.

  We drive in silence for about fifteen minutes before we pull up to a beautiful, grand hotel. Okay, so he’s pulling out all the stops this evening. Even if this
is
what he does on a normal basis, I still can’t help but feel somewhat special. The attention he’s lavishing on me, mixed with some of what I think are sincere moments shared between us so far this evening, are doing a great job of playing with my head.

  The valet opens my door and offers to help me from the car by extending his hand to me. All of a sudden, I hear a gruff voice in front of me. “That’s okay; I got it.” Drayden is crowding the valet, forcing him to step back, away from me.

  When our skin touches again, I feel a jolt of electricity; so much so, it makes me look into his eyes to see if he felt it, too. His luscious lips curve up, indicating he’s just as affected.

  “Shall we?”

  “Yes, please,” I say.

  The inside of the hotel is even more beautiful than its exterior. I count at least three crystal chandeliers, and that’s just in the first part of the space we are now occupying. The floor is coated in a beautiful swirled marble, the grey stain of it wrapping around the cream and black as if the colors are dancing. There are vases of fresh flowers placed throughout, making it that much more appealing and welcoming.

  After he checks us in and we’re nestled inside the vast elevator, he makes his move. He reaches out with both hands and cradles my face, pulling me in so he can have a taste. His lips are warm and captivating. He’s gentle at first but when he decides he has to have more of me, he increases his tempo. His tongue is dancing with mine, exploring the warmth of my mouth and the sweetness of my lips. His kiss is demanding and bruising, passionate and tantalizing. He’s definitely taking control, and I’m only too happy to concede.

  Reaching down, he puts his hand on my lower back and pulls me even closer to him, bunching my shirt in his hand. He gets lost in the moment of our entanglement and bites my lip, causing me to cry out. He jerks back with a cautious look in his eye.

  “Sorry about that. I think you must have me in some sort of trance because all I want to do is devour you.” He half-smirks, not quite sure yet what my reaction is going to be.

  I bring my fingers up and gently caress my lip, still feeling his mark. I decide to put him out of his misery before this goes in the opposite direction.

  “That’s quite all right. I actually like it rough.” I’m assessing his reaction, hoping my admission won’t push him too far the other way.

  Before he can respond, the elevator dings and the door opens, allowing us to step out into the hallway, toward a night neither one of us will ever be able to forget.

  He reaches back and catches my hand, leading us to our room.

  Once inside, he gets comfortable and makes us a drink. I’ve had my share at the bar, but one more won’t hurt.

  When he hands me a glass of wine, I make sure to restrain myself so I don’t gulp it down in one shot. Looking over at him, I’m struck with how casual he is in the moment. He’s now sitting on the edge of the bed, one leg bent over the other, his ankle resting on the opposing knee. Once my eyes eventually meet his, he pats the bed next to him, silently asking me to come and sit down.

  Without reserve, I make my move, slowly walking toward him as if I’m about to devour my prey. His eyes lit with desire, he runs his tongue over his bottom lip, making it even more inviting than before. Damn, he knows what to do to make me want his touch.

  The mattress dips slightly with my weight, my bare leg brushing against his jean-clad thigh. I take one more sip of my liquid courage and place it down on the end table.

  Before I can even think to say anything, his mouth opens, and he starts speaking. “So, I think we should talk about a couple things before we get into anything. First, this is just sex, nothing more. This is about two people enjoying each other, bringing untold pleasure to one another. There are no emotions involved here.” He slowly peruses my face, trying to see if I’m taking any offense to anything he’s saying. When he sees I’m okay with it so far, he continues. “I don’t mean to be so blunt, but I want to make sure you’re okay with this being a one-time encounter. No feelings. Well, none other than lust and sexual desire, of course.”

  I nod, but apparently that isn’t good enough.

  “Essie, I need to hear you say it. Out loud. I need to know you fully realize what you’re getting into here, with me.”

  “Yes. Yes, I understand, Drayden. I get this is only about sex. And I’m fully okay with that.”

  “Good.” He stands and makes his way toward the mini-bar, pouring himself a drink.
Wow!
The view from the back is almost as good as the one from the front. He definitely takes care of his body. He fills out his clothes rather nicely, but I can’t wait to feast on a full view of his naked form. Turning around, he catches me ogling him. I flush from the images I’m able to conjure in my head. “Wait till you see me out of these clothes.”

  “What?” Caught red-handed, he’s loving every minute of it. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”

  “Stare away, please. I don’t spend my time at the gym not to be noticed. Plus, I plan on not only staring at your gorgeous naked body, but tasting every inch of it, too.”

  Wow again!

  “Drayden?” He steps closer to me. “I thought maybe we could act out a fantasy of mine. I’ll never have the nerve to do this with someone I’m seeing, so I thought it would be perfect, you know, us being strangers and all. Plus, the fact we’ll never see each other again makes it all that much more exciting.

  His curiosity is piqued, and he advances a few more steps. “What, pray tell, did you have in mind? I’m game for anything.”

  Thank God that’s his answer. But let’s see if he still feels that way when I reveal it to him. He can go either way, really.

  Looking down toward the ground, I’m trying to muster the courage to blurt it out. And after what feels like forever, I quickly swing my head up, meet his eyes and spill what it is I want him to do to me tonight.

  “I would like for you to force yourself on me.”

  The look on his face is priceless. He’s confused and a bit intimidated. It’s weird to see this cocky man knocked off his pedestal, but I love that I’m the woman who does it.

  “What?” he says in confusion.

  “Sorry, I don’t mean for real. I’ve just had this fantasy my entire adult life, and I’d love it if you would act it out with me.” When I sense his hesitation, I prod further. “I thought you said you’re game for anything.”

  “Yeah, that’s before you vomited that out to me. I….I don’t know, Essie. I’m not a violent guy. I’ve never been aggressive with a woman in my life. I’ve never laid my hands on a female like that.”

  I rise from the bed and walk to meet him. Reaching out, I run my fingers gently down his body, feeling his heart beating rapidly inside his strong chest. I lick my lips and fixate my eyes on his mouth. “It’s just pretend. What you and I do together, here tonight, will be totally consensual.”

  His stare is mesmerizing, but before I can fall under his trance, he looks away for a brief moment. Then he brings his eyes back to mine. “I’m not saying yes right now but, for clarity’s sake, what exactly do you want me to do? I won’t hit you, so if that’s the sort of thing you’re looking for then I can tell you right now I’m not the guy for you.”

  “No, nothing that extreme. Maybe a little domination over me, holding me down, ripping my clothes, possibly light choking. Nothing too crazy.” I stop talking for a second and give him time to take everything in. When he doesn’t run screaming from the room, I continue. “I’ll be trying to get away from you, saying “
No
” but I want you to restrain me and take what you want.” I can almost see the cogs turning over and over in his brain. There is a fleeting look of desire and possibilities, which flashes through his eyes, but it disappears as quickly as it registers. When he doesn’t say anything, I probe him again. “So, what do you think? Just some light aggression?”

  He laughs out loud. “Light aggression? That’s not light aggression. That’s full-on rape, Essie.” When I attempt to interrupt him, he cuts me off. “I know it’s not
really
rape, but it’s going to feel like it. To me, anyway. I have to think about this for a second, okay?”

  “Sure, take as much time as you need. I’m going to freshen up real quick. Be right back.” I grab my purse and head toward the bathroom. Closing the door and locking it, I provide not only Drayden with some privacy but myself, as well. Gazing into the mirror at my own reflection, I let out a pent-up sigh and hope for the best.

  I pull my cell phone from my purse and hit record before I head back into the room where he’s currently pacing back and forth. He’s contemplating my offer.
This is a good sign. A very good sign. I think he might actually do it.

  Please, let him do it. I need him to do it.

  Once he sees me, he stalks toward me, grips my arms and forces me as close to him as possible. He’s peering into my eyes, almost as if he’s trying to see something in my soul, which just isn’t there. When he has his fill, he leans in and kisses me softly on the lips. At first, I think this is his way of denying my request but as he moves back a few steps, all the while still staring at me, I know I’ve rushed to the wrong conclusion. I can see curiosity in his stance and I know I have him when he says, “Yes, I will act out this fantasy with you but on one condition.”

  Internally, I’m jumping up and down. “Anything.”

  “If I feel it’s getting too out of hand, I will stop immediately. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  For a split-second, I almost feel bad for him. He has no idea what he just agreed to, and there is a small piece of me which wants to back out, to grab my things and run far from this room. But the greater part of me is nudging me to forge ahead.

  And I do.                           

  “So, how does this work exactly? When does it start? The fantasy, I mean.” He appears a little apprehensive, and I can’t blame him. I’d feel the same exact way if I was in his shoes.

  “It can start now,” I whisper. “And to be cautious, we can have a safe word if it gets to be too much, for either one of us. How about red? Will that work?’

  “Yeah, sounds good. Red,” he repeats out loud.

  His eyes roam all over my face, down my body, then make their way back up to my impassive gaze. He leans in closer to me, trailing a line of sweet kisses up the side of my neck. He whispers into my ear, “I want to fuck you so bad, Essie. I don’t care what it takes to get there.”

  His words alone are enough to send a spark straight to my core, making me throb at the very thought of his touch. My head falls back, thrusting my neck forward so he can mark me as his. His small nips and bites are enticing, pushing me further into my desire for him.

  Grabbing my purse and phone from my hands, he places them gently on the bedside table before reaching around to the back of my dress to grab hold of the zipper. He’s trying to drag it down when I swat his hands away. He looks at me in confusion before a light bulb goes off.