He lifted his gaze and stared past me as if I had ceased to exist at all. I tried to touch him, and he pushed my hand away.
“Please, Ryland.”
He closed his eyes and turned on his heel, walking out the door.
I didn’t follow. That would only make things worse. But for the first time since we’d started playing this game, I saw another side of him. And I regretted what I’d done. Because it was clear that I’d gotten my wish. I had hurt him.
***
It was Friday night, and I’d been waiting all week for Ryland to summon me again. But he hadn’t.
Now here I was, in the office at seven o’ clock, pacing back and forth as I debated my next move. I was working in much closer contact with him now that I was behind the reception desk. I took him his coffee and delivered his paper every morning, but he still hadn’t spoken to me since I’d broken his rule. In a way, his silence was worse than punishment.
I’d tried everything I could think of to get a rise out of him. I’d moved his paperweights around. Intentionally set his cup on the desk instead of the coaster. Left the remaining time on the microwave he always used. All of the little things I knew would bother him. I wanted him to get mad. Because if he was mad, it meant that I could still affect him. That he was still invested.
My heart was heavy, and it wasn’t just for Brayden. I didn’t handle guilt well. All week, I’d been replaying that night in my brain. The fear on Ryland’s face, followed by anger. As cold as he could be, I never imagined that I could possibly hurt him. But I had. I didn’t like to hurt anybody whether they deserved it or not. But hurting Ryland felt worse.
My confidence was floundering. I told myself I needed to stay close to him, for Brayden’s sake. So with more guts than I actually had, I walked into his office and caught him by surprise.
He was on the phone, rattling off a bunch of figures and terms I didn’t understand. Something to do with the financial aspects of his business I presumed, but it all sounded foreign to me.
I rocked back and forth on my black pumps for a moment as he arched his brow at me in question. He wanted to know what I was doing there. But I couldn’t answer him because I didn’t even know myself.
So with purpose, as if it had been my plan all along, I strode around behind him and placed my hands on his shoulders. He stiffened immediately, but I didn’t let it dissuade me. I had to try something. Anything to break this cold front between us.
I sank my fingers into the tense muscles and worked them over in a way I hoped felt good. I’d never given anyone a massage before, but I figured it couldn’t be that difficult. When Ryland made a small noise in his throat, it gave me some encouragement.
My strokes became broader, using more pressure as I moved along the curve of his neck. My hands had a mind of their own as they threaded through his dark hair and massaged his scalp. That was when he decided to cut his phone call short.
I listened as he rattled off the appropriate goodbyes and spun his chair around, staring up at me with an odd expression.
“What are you doing, Brighton?”
The intensity of his questioning eyes made the guilt inside of me swell. He could see through my act, and I felt I was letting him down. Why that should bother me, I had no fucking idea, but it did.
“You’ve been stressed all week.” I cast my eyes to the floor. “I was trying to help.”
It wasn’t a lie. He had been stressed all week, and I didn’t know if it was from work or me.
“You can help me by going home,” he replied. “It’s late.”
I nodded, but couldn’t move. I couldn’t accept that this was it.
I surprised us both when I crawled onto his lap and pulled his lips to mine. I’d never done anything so bold, and I worried the impending rejection was going to sting all the worse for it. But I learned something else about my power when Ryland sighed and pulled me closer. He cupped the back of my head and deepened the kiss, drinking me in as though he’d been starving for my touch.
His need fueled mine, and before I could stop myself, my hands were everywhere. Unbuttoning his vest, sliding beneath his dress shirt and raking my nails down his chest. He groaned and pulled away, his eyes liquid fire as he gathered my wrists in his hands.
“I know this is going to sound hard to believe. But I don’t usually make a habit of having sex in my office.”
The mention of sex in his office ruffled my feathers in an unexpected way. I had visions of him bending other women over the same sofa where he’d taken me, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all. My mission became that much more important, and for once, I didn’t care about the warning in his tone.
I slid off his lap and kneeled between his legs, dragging my fingers over the bulge in his pants as if to prove my point. He was hard, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to refuse me right now. I clutched the zipper with my fingers and challenged him with my eyes as I pulled it down tooth by tooth.
I hadn’t even really touched him yet, and already his breathing had changed. I considered it a victory as I slipped my hand inside and he didn’t protest. I reached through the opening of his cotton briefs until I found what I wanted.
He was hot and throbbing against my palm as I pulled just enough of his cock out for me to play with. The idea of him sitting in his leather office chair with me between his spread legs turned him on. It turned me on too.
His hands clutched the arms of the chair as I swirled my tongue around the head, collecting the clear liquid that had gathered there. His cock jumped as I licked him from root to tip in one long motion.
I didn’t think it possible, but the rigid flesh grew even more as it fell back against his belly, visibly pulsing with need. I still wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I decided to go with my gut and play with the soft sack resting at the base. I’d had the urge to taste that velvety skin ever since the first time I’d brushed it with my hand.
It was just as soft as I remembered. His head fell back on a sigh as I explored him with my tongue. His eyes drifted shut and his mouth parted, and it was then that I knew I had him. And it wasn’t a point for my game, it was a point for me.
I sucked him back into my mouth and played around with different techniques, listening to his breathing to see what he liked best. His hands threaded through my hair, but this time he wasn’t trying to take control. He simply let me do what I wanted, appreciating every second of it.
When he came, it was with a long and ragged groan. The difference in his posture was obvious, and my heart skipped a beat knowing I had the power to ease his tension.
“Come up here.” He patted his lap.
I climbed into his lap and relaxed in his arms while he stroked my back and kissed my neck.
“You look tired,” I murmured against him.
“That’s because I am, baby girl.”
The ocean between us grew smaller by the moment, and when my eyes locked with his, I was afraid of what that meant for me. For my heart that I was supposed to be keeping out of this.
I reached up to clasp his face in mine while I stared into his eyes.
“Still mad at me?”
He blew out a breath and clutched me tighter. “I don’t like to worry about you.”
“Am I in danger?” I asked.
Ryland stiffened beneath me. “Why would you ask that?”
“Because last week, you said you thought I was dead. And the rule about my safety. Is there something I should know?”
He dropped his gaze and shook his head.
“No, you’re not in danger.”
His voice held conviction, but there was something else there too. And if I wasn’t in danger, I couldn’t understand his reaction. Why he’d immediately assumed I was dead when I’d gone missing for a few hours. If it were any other time, I might have pushed the issue, but we were already on shaky ground.
“Stay the weekend with me,” he said.
I didn’t know if I had a choice or not, but either way, I nodded my assent.
“I have to go to my apartment to get my things.”
He picked me up and set me on my feet. “I’ll buy you whatever you need on the way.”
“I don’t want you to buy me anything,” I argued. “I have everything I need at my apartment.”
He gave me a look that told me it was not up for discussion as he threaded his fingers through mine and led me from the office.
***
It was ten minutes past eight, and the store was now officially closed. The retail assistant kept giving me dirty looks while Ryland typed away on his phone. Yet, she’d insisted she was more than happy to keep the store open late for him.
I glanced at another price tag and frowned.
“Ryland,” I whispered.
He blinked up at me as though he couldn’t possibly understand what the problem was.
“I can’t buy anything here. This is crazy.”
This little statement earned me another scowl from pouty Patricia with her perfect hair and tailored skirt suit.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like the clothing. I’d dreamed of nothing but wearing this kind of clothing for as long as I could remember. It was why I collected every fashion magazine I could ever afford with my meager income. It was the reason I learned to sew. I wanted to design my own creations and have something great instead of another bargain bin special. But allowing someone else to buy me these kinds of garments made me feel cheap somehow.