Tell Me Something (The "Something" Series Book 1) (10 page)

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Josh was quiet on the ride back to the hotel. In the elevator he turned to me. “What happened in the ladies’ room that had you pale as a ghost when you walked out?”

So he had noticed. “It’s nothing.” I tried to blow it off.

His eyes narrowed with annoyance. “Don’t tell me it’s nothing. Ana came out ahead of you along with that other woman. What were they saying?”

I was tired from the day and my feet hurt. Reaching down, I took off my shoes one at a time while I waited for the elevator to stop on my floor. I chose to ignore his question because I didn’t have the energy for this.

As soon as the doors opened, he blocked my way and then hit for the doors to close. “Why don’t we recap in my suite?”

Part of me wanted to be by myself, but a deal was a deal as I had promised I’d go over the conversations of the evening. I felt my heart beating double time as I crossed the threshold at this hour with him. His mood was tough to gage.

Once we got to Josh’s room, I related all of the dialogue throughout the evening and then the tidbit about Ana being Tom’s daughter.

He didn’t look surprised.

“You knew?”

He shrugged. “I wondered why an office manager had so much confidence and that untouchable flair to her, so I asked Ken.”

Sighing, I shared my thought that Tom wasn’t aware of Ana’s true nature.

“Agreed. So now tell me what happened in the ladies’ room?”

Swallowing hard, I got up from the sofa where I had been sitting. “I really don’t want to discuss it. It was more petty stuff, and I’m tired.”

I could tell I was pissing him off, but I really didn’t know how to go about sharing this with him.

The knock came at the door surprising me, but it looked as if Josh had been expecting it. He spoke in low tones and walked back into the living room pouring himself a drink. He had an envelope that had evidently just been delivered to his door and slid out what appeared to be a prescription bottle. After uncapping it, he took one of the pills out, and then washed it down with his whiskey.

It was tempting to ask what he was taking with alcohol but I realized it wasn’t my business. Maybe he’d forgotten his medication at home or something.

“I need you to call Henry in Mergers and Acquisitions. It’s about eight o’clock in the morning his time, and he’s expecting my call on whether or not I’m going to purchase the company.”

“All right. Do I have time to change?” I already knew the answer but needed confirmation that he wasn’t in the mood to do me any favors.

“No.”

Over the next thirty minutes I conferenced in Henry and printed out legal documents. From what I could gather from the conversation, Josh was going through with the purchase. He signed the paperwork and I excused myself to go downstairs to the business center to fax them to Henry.

I wanted to slip over to my room to change into comfortable clothes but knew that Josh would be furious. When I returned to his suite, he was off the phone and watching me.

“Did he confirm receipt of the documents?” I questioned.

Nodding, he said, “Come here.” His voice had an edge to it. No honey this time.

After standing there a moment, I tentatively walked over to stand two feet in front of him.

“Do you want me to fuck you, Haylee?”

My mouth went bone dry. Although I wanted to be offended by his words, I became undeniably turned on by them. “I— What are you doing?” This was so unlike the side of him I was used to seeing that I wasn’t sure what to say.

“It’s a fairly easy question to answer. Yes or no, Haylee?” He seemed to know what hearing my name on his lips did to me and was clearly using it to his advantage.

“You seem angry with me,” I worried in a soft voice.

He stood up and moved around to the back of me. “Yes, well, I don’t like playing games, and yet here we are.”

I had been drinking some at the party and was dead on my feet, but even so I was pretty sure I was missing something here. I felt his hands glide down my back and come around my waist to undo my belt. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I managed to say on a whisper.

“I’m talking about the fact that you seemed to be an open book of information all day. But after I didn’t want to talk about why I wouldn’t fuck you earlier, you started to hold information hostage.”

“I would never consider the two the same thing. I hadn’t even thought about earlier.” I felt my zipper run down my back and cool air hit my skin.

“You didn’t think about me fucking you when you showed me your garters earlier?”

My dress pooled at my feet. “I was trying to be playful. You smacked my ass, and I thought I’d tease a little back.”

He stepped in front of me again, looking down the length of me. He gave me a hand so that I could step completely out of my dress.

I was wearing only my panties, garters, and stockings. Thank God I had chosen my one pair of sexy panties this evening.

“So, you didn’t want to be fucked and didn’t want to talk about why I wasn’t fucking you.”

His temper appeared to be rising. “Please stop talking like that.”

He laughed bitterly. “Are you going to tell me that the word
fucking
is turning you off?” He moved behind me again, and I felt his fingers reach between my legs and find me drenched through my panties. “I think not.”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I want to go to my room.”

The last part was unconvincing at most, but his hand pulled back. “If you wish to leave, then go,” he snapped harshly.

Turning, I searched his eyes. “Josh, I’m not trying to hold anything hostage.”

He gave me a cruel smile and scoffed. “Aren’t you? Aren’t all women?”

“Please don’t make it like this between us.” I put my hand on his chest.

“Did you see me take that pill earlier?” he asked. His eyes were haunted.

I had no idea where this was going. “Um, yes, why?” Was he sick? Did he have a drug problem?

I didn’t see it coming until it came out of his mouth. “Yes, well, in order to get it up and keep it up after the vasectomy, I’ve had to resort to taking those little blue, goddamned pills. And the cruelest part is that I still don’t come. So there you have it. My big dark secret that I wasn’t ready to share with you, but you backed me into a corner. Now, what was said in that bathroom, Haylee?”

“But I don’t understand.” My head was spinning.

Then, just like that, I was being carried over to the large picture window overlooking the city. He placed my hands on the glass and spread my legs apart as if ready to do a pat down on me, but instead he stepped behind me and lowered his zipper. “I want to know what you heard earlier.” His fingers reached around me into my panties and found me pathetically ready for him.

“Josh, please. I don’t…” I felt my panties rip.

“You don’t—what? Want to be fucked?”

God help me, I could feel my whole body trembling with desire. He was hard against my backside with his other hand teasing my nipples. I was lost and would do or say anything at this point.

“Tell me, Haylee. Tell me you want to be fucked.”

I felt him tease the back of me and stroke my swollen folds. “Yes, I want you to fuck me,” I admitted finally.

He came around to the front of me. I saw not only passion but also anger in his eyes. “Then tell me what you heard.” His fingers were now teasing my throbbing clit. When I’d start to feel it build, he’d stop.

Somewhere in the sexual fog, I was remotely aware that he was using sex as a weapon, but I was too inexperienced to know what to do about it and too turned on to want to stop. “I heard, um, Ana. She was talking to the HR girl about you and your ex. They were discussing a rumor of you pushing her and a miscarriage as a result.”

His eyes darkened with hurt. He moved behind me again but I could see his pained features reflected in the window. I cursed the fact that he had bullied me into telling him.

“This isn’t going to be gentle, so tell me now if you want to go. Otherwise I’m going to have you hard right now.”

I swallowed and braced myself as I wanted it too much at this point. “I want it,” I confessed.

He shoved inside of me. He was so large that I could feel myself stretching to accommodate his size. Gasping, I felt him thrust into me fully. I could vaguely feel his fingers digging into my hips, holding me in place as he pumped hard and fast.

The first wave of pleasure ripped through me quickly as my body had been primed for it. I rode thrust after thrust. He gripped my ass, and pushed deeper inside me. Reaching around me, he worked my clitoris with his deft fingers until I came again.

Mercifully, he braced me while he pulled out, as I wasn’t sure I could stand a minute longer.

“Haylee, I…”

I wasn’t sure what he was going to say next or why it was so important to me, but I dropped to my knees and dove for him with my hands and mouth, ignoring his protests.

“Jesus, Haylee, no. You don’t…”

Looking up through my eyelashes, I watched him wage the war between raw lust and whatever he’d been about to say. Working his length thoroughly with my mouth and tongue, I used my hand to pump him hard.

He tensed and I realized standing probably wasn’t the most relaxed position. I broke contact and took his hand, leading him down the step to the couch. There I none too gently pushed him down and followed with my mouth again.

“Christ…”

I wasn’t listening; instead, I was frenzied with only one goal in mind. I wanted him to come. And maybe I wanted payback for his taking such control over me earlier. My fist worked his shaft while my mouth was greedy for his taste. I felt his thighs tremble and knew he was getting close. Sucking harder I demanded it with my tongue working his length.

He started to come in my mouth and abruptly pulled me up thrusting back into me. He completed his orgasm deep inside my pulsating core.

We were both left exhausted, situated half on the sofa and half on the floor.

He carefully slid out of me and sat up fully on the living room couch. He watched me with hooded eyes while I stood up.

Walking over to where my dress lay, I dragged it up, situating the belt half-ass and zipping myself up as best I could with shaking fingers.

“Listen, I…”

Holding up my hand, I fought the tears knowing that I was overly emotional, but not able to help it. “No, you don’t get to talk anymore tonight. You can listen for a change. I didn’t tell you what was said in the restroom at first because I knew it would upset you and because I didn’t believe it. But you used sex as a weapon to bully me into me telling you. I knew you were holding something back from me, but I was willing to let you take your time and tell me when you were ready.”

He swallowed hard.

“I need to go.” Grabbing my purse, I made a quick exit, rushing back into the elevator and down to my room. I fought my tears all the way down and then let them flow as I washed the makeup off my face and ran a hot bath. I knew I had just handled that poorly. I had more than wanted the sex, I just wasn’t prepared to deal with the overwhelming emotions afterwards.

Hearing the knock at the door, I chose to ignore it until it became pounding. Meanwhile, I could also hear my phone ringing. Turning off the water, and throwing on my robe, I opened the door, ready to give him a piece of my mind until I glanced at his face.

He looked devastated.

We stood there staring at each other for the longest time.

“You were in the bath?” he questioned.

I could only nod, not trusting my voice.

“Come on.” He took my hand and led me back into my bathroom. Cupping my chin, he kissed me softly on the lips and then the forehead. Gently, he peeled off my robe.

Stepping into the tub, I eased down into the water and watched as he undressed from his tuxedo shirt and pants. He slid into the tub behind me, situating me between his legs and cradling my back against his strong hard chest. I could feel him breathing in the scent of my hair.

“I know you probably want to be alone, but I had to know if you were okay.”

“You didn’t hurt me if that’s what you’re asking. Physically,” I clarified.

He rubbed my arms and seemed to struggle for words. “I was so convinced that you were backing me into a corner. I have no excuse for the way I acted or the way I lashed out at you. I behaved terribly.”

“You could start with actually saying I’m sorry.”

“I’m not very good with apologies.”

I completely snapped. “What is so hard about two little words? It’s pretty easy. Here, I’ll even go first. I’m sorry that I didn’t want to tell you what Ana and Helen were gossiping about in the bathroom this evening. It took me off guard, and I knew that it would upset you. I simply didn’t think that I was doing anyone any favors by spreading malicious rumors.”

He hugged my waist and buried his face in my neck. “I’m sorry, Haylee.”

Breathing deep, I forced myself to relax back in his arms. “I hate that you told me about the pills like that. Something so personal and painful for you shouldn’t have been thrown out in anger.”