Time to Play (9 page)

After all the women he’d dated he was waiting for the panic over the
calories or some comment about going for a run like most of the other women
said during eating. She did neither. Her gaze would travel around the room as
she ate. Nothing stopped her enjoyment of her food.

“I think it is time I went home,” she said, putting the carton down.
“I’ve got stuff to do and a resume to sort through.”

“I thought I told you it wouldn’t look good,” Cole said.

“For when this crap is all over.
I don’t like the thought of
spending the rest of my days as either of your plaything. I want my own life
away from all this.”

“You’ll be in the public eye for quite some time.”
Callum
spoke up, his gaze never straying from her face.

Cole had to admit to himself that it
was a battle to not watch her tits. She really had a good handful of breast.

“Maybe you can break up with me, and
I’ll cause a scene. Everyone wants the next big story. Screw a model or
something just to get me out of the picture. I don’t care. How do I get out of
here?” she asked, turning toward Cole.

“I’ll drive you home.” He finished
his food then made his way down to the parking lot.
Callum
stayed behind with great reluctance. Cole saw it. He wanted to make sure Simone
got home safely.

“Can I sit in the front seat?”

He chuckled.
“Of
course.”

She climbed in beside him. Her skirt
rode up her legs, and he couldn’t help admire the fullness of her curves. She
really did have a body to die for. He wondered how she’d feel wrapped around
his dick.

Cutting the thought off, Cole but
the car into reverse and started to pull out of their space. The thickness of
his cock made him move in his seat. From the sight of her alone, he was hard as
rock.

“How long have you two known each
other?” she asked.

“You’re going to make small talk
with me.”

“We’ve got potentially an hour’s
drive back to my place, depending on traffic. If you want to spend the whole
time in silence then do so. Me, I hate silence. I feel like talking, and I’m
talking about you. You should be pleased.”

He burst out laughing. “You’re
trying to get information out of me about
Callum
.”

“Nope.
Not interested about that asshole.”

“From what I heard on Friday night,
you were really into that asshole,” he said. Simone didn’t even blush. He’d have
to give her credit for that.

“On Friday he was giving me what I
needed. Today, he’s taking back everything he gave me on Friday. I’m pissed,
and I don’t like it.”

Cole stopped at a traffic light and
waited for the people to cross. “You know, this could be dangerous for you as
well.”

“How could it possibly be dangerous
for me? This is insane. You dragged me into this, and I’ve got no say in what I
do.”

He reached over tapping her thigh.
“Whoever is stealing from the company, they’re trying to make you take the
fall. You’re in danger because now they know your connection to
Callum
, it could get ugly.”

The traffic light turned to green,
and he pulled off.

“You sound concerned.”

“You don’t know me, Simone.”

“You’re right. I don’t know you, but I hear the concern in your voice. A
lot of people sound the same when they are concerned.”

His sigh echoed around the car. “Look,
Callum
is my best friend. I never want anything to happen to him.
In
the past women have been hurt because of our association.
You could be
hurt.”

“And yet you’re the one who started this.”

He couldn’t argue with that. The moment he’d seen that smug smile on her
lips as he passed her along the corridor he’d wanted to see her again. Who she
was didn’t matter to him. He’d never liked that bastard, Malcolm
Allusifa
. From what he’d learned of her past, neither did
she.

“I’ll take care of you.” He meant every word.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“You’re not a very trusting person.”

“I’ve grown up knowing the only person I can trust is
myself
.
My mother also makes the grade. Everyone else wants a little piece of you.”

She turned away to look outside the car window.

“Your father didn’t play a big role in your life,” he said, making it
more a statement rather than a question.

Simone didn’t comment.

“I take it he’s not a good subject to talk about around you.”

“Leave comments and statements about my father out of this.”

He pulled up outside her apartment. There was a rush of press who
surrounded the car. Cole watched her bury herself into the seat.

“Why won’t they leave me alone?”

“You’re big news. Do you want me to escort you to your room?” he asked.

“Please, I’d really like that.” He placed the handbrake on then got out
of his side of the car. Pushing the press out of the way, he helped Simone out
of her side and kept her close by his side.

He felt her shaking, and a surge of protectiveness consumed him.

“Can you tell us about your relationship with Mr. Gallagher?”

“Does your father know about your current relationship?”

“Are your mother and father getting back together?”

Her hands covered her ears. The guard at the door helped them through
then warded off all the other reporters.

“I can’t believe they’re doing this, Miss
Allusifa
.
We’ve alerted security, but they’re not going anywhere,” the woman on the desk
said.

“That’s okay, Mary. I’m sorry for all the fuss.”

Mary passed her hand through the air. “No fuss.”

Cole helped her over to the elevator. When the doors closed, she sagged
against the wall. “They’ve brought my mother into this. That is not fair.”

“Why does your mother concern you?” he asked.

She shook her head. The doors opened,
and he followed her to her apartment. Her door remained open once she walked
inside. He closed the door behind him. She went for the fridge grabbing a beer.
“Do you want one?”

“No, I need to drive back.”

“Of course you do.”

Chapter Seven

Simone took several gulps of beer to
try to calm her ragging nerves. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Cole sat next to her. His presence
helped her to feel safe. “What can’t you believe?”

“I remember when things went pear-shaped
for my parents. Because of who my dad is, the whole divorce was like a circus
freak act. Everything came out into the open.” She licked her lips to try to
wet her suddenly dry mouth. Taking another gulp of beer, she still felt
incredibly dry. “I was six at the time. If you go back nineteen years then
you’d find all the information. For six years after I was born he did nothing
but make my mother’s life a misery. The press and Malcolm’s friends ridiculed
her because of her being a cleaner. My father seduced her while she was working
on one of his floors. He saw her, wanted her, and took her. At least that is
the stuff that is written in the papers.”

“You shouldn’t believe everything
you read.”

She smiled. “I don’t want to talk
about it. I know my mother is going to be hurt.”

“What’s your mother’s name?” he
asked.

“Helen. Helen
Allusifa
.
She kept my father’s name. I think she still loves him even to this day.” She
shook her head hating the memories of each new article her father had been with
the latest model.

“You don’t agree with her feelings?”

“Who could love someone who spent
most of their marriage cheating on them?” she asked.

“You couldn’t forgive cheating?”

Simone shook her head. “Not cheating. It is the worst thing to do to
another person.” A tear fell from her eyes. Cole wrapped his arms around her
and pulled her close. She went to him without refusing his comfort. Simone knew
she needed the comfort. Her mother wouldn’t be giving it to her as she wouldn’t
send the wolves to her mother’s door.

“I remember every time she read the newspaper or saw him on the news.
She’d spend the whole night crying. No matter what we did, she’d start crying
all over again. I remember that I’d never allow it. She forgave him all the
time. I hated her for short periods of time. Who could forgive a cheating
daddy?” She wiped the tears from her eyes feeling weak. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be
crying.”

She wiped her nose then pulled away. Cole let her go without expecting
anything in return. She stared at him for several moments.

“Why did you give that video and the photos to the media?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” He stroked her cheek. She felt the electric heat of his
touch through her whole body. Her pussy pulsed with renewed arousal. Fuck, she
needed to get him out of the apartment.

“I think you should go home before it gets too dark.”

“Are you kicking me out?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never been kicked out of a woman’s apartment,” he said, stroking
her hair. She wanted to purr like a kitten at his touch. Instead, she stood up
and moved away.

He got up off the couch. Her gaze went to the expanse of his chest and
the hard planes of his stomach.

“I’ll leave you alone to your work.” She went with him to the door. He
turned at the last minute to cup her cheek. “If you need anything at all, do
not hesitate to ask.”

“I won’t.”

Cole left her apartment. She watched from her window as he walked out of
the main door. He brushed press off him without making a comment. Her breath
caught in her throat when she saw him take one last look at her. Did he know
she was watching?

Get a grip, Simone. He’s
Callum’s
best friend. Do not become what you hate the most.

A cheater.

She moved away from the window, closing the curtains before she did.
Darkness was a welcome relief after the pain of the last few hours. Even after
everything had happened, she was still damned horny.
Callum
had a way of making her ache with a stare. She’d seen the intention in his eyes.
If it hadn’t been for Cole’s knock at the office staff room, she’d have let him
have his way with her on the counter. Any other chance had been squandered with
the presence of Cole.

What concerned her the most was how Cole was affecting her. She’d never
been attracted to two men at once, and she didn’t know what to make of her
sudden urge with Cole and
Callum
.

Simone walked into the kitchen, cleaned away her breakfast plates from
that morning,
then
made her way through for a shower.
She wanted to freshen up. Leaving the phone unplugged, she went straight into
the bathroom.

She stripped her clothes off, and her reflection in the mirror caught
her eye. The love bite he’d given her looked dark purple and out of place on
her skin. Frowning, she saw where he’d touched her on Friday. There had been no
holding back. He’d given her everything he’d got. She loved every second of
what he’d done to her. Her pussy warmed as she remembered the feel of his hard
cock fucking her from behind as he held her hair in his fist. The slapping of
their flesh had echoed off the walls.

Moving away, she climbed into the shower, soaping every part of her
body. She was on fire with renewed need. Every inch of her skin felt sensitive
to the lightest touch. She whimpered when she cupped her mound, feeling her
clit pulse.

Once her shower was finished, she padded back to the bedroom. She was
exhausted from the events of the day. Her pussy was on fire. She needed more.
Simone pulled her pink vibrator out of the draw along with a tube of lube and
some massage oil.

She opened her towel, turned the television on to the sex channel she
paid for, and
lay
back. Her fascination with sex had
begun since the moment she could finally have it. She’d watched one of her
school friends getting laid at one of the graduation parties. It had been the
best viewing she’d seen at the time for her age.

Staring at the television, she watched the woman kneel before the large
man. Simone couldn’t help but compare the guy on television with
Callum
. They were both large, and from the look of his
shaft, they were about the same size.

For several moments she watched the woman sucking the guy’s cock while
her own pussy began a fire inside her. She held the pink vibrator in her hand
then eased it between her thighs, testing the wetness of her slit.

She was dripping wet. The lube would not be necessary. She used the lube
in case she wasn’t wet enough to use the vibrator. Going into her drawer a
second time, she pulled out a dildo, her gaze never once leaving the television.