It was like a shot of adrenaline straight into her vein. It was blood vessels dilating, her heart galloping uncontrollably in her chest, it was gasping for breath when the air she drew in wasn’t enough. He owned her body, ate it like sun ripened peaches and drank the flowing juices of her weeping womanhood with his rapacious tongue. There were fingers there, slipping between the folds to dive deep into her blistering heat, while his thumb worked at her puckered hole, his wicked, wicked mouth showing Eden exactly how very little she knew her of own body. There was nothing but the explicitness of this act, the hyper awareness that made her feel like each inch of her body was struck by lightning, that killed her and gave her life all in one electrifying jolt. He was merciless and perfect, inviting her to shove her hips back and ride his face.
Death was imminent, sweet cataclysmic death seduced her into the gaping, welcoming arms of her orgasm. She plummeted, shattered into delicious little pieces on his tongue and fingers. Recuperating wasn’t in the stars for her as he gripped her hips and plunged into her depths in one long stroke. Pulling her arms and folding them at the small of her back, he held them there with one large hand as he sank in deeper, so deep that it hurt so good. Ass high in the air, face down in the sheets, Eden was at his complete mercy, filled to absolute capacity with his cock, and she whimpered, the vulnerability of her position giving her a sweet high.
“I’m going to beat this pussy, Eden, and you’re going to scream my name.”
And she did, a promise made completely true as he fucked her like a porn star. She screamed like the world was falling, his repeated strike against her G-spot making her see stars. It was too damn much, his jarring thrusts so deep that she could taste him, spurred her fall and she orgasmed on every inch of his cock.
“Well, your resume is very impressive, Eden,” said Kennedy Archer with a smile, pulling her horned rimmed glasses from her eyes, she set them on the desk in front of her and regarded Eden down an aquiline nose. Eden returned her smile with a bright one of her own, still unable to believe this was even happening. She pinched her hand beneath the desk and knew by the sting that she wasn’t dreaming. Archer Realty was the second largest real estate brokerage in the state, specializing mostly in high end real estates and corporate properties. This was huge! The excitement Eden currently felt was hard to contain. They’d called her two days ago asking if she was available Friday morning for an interview and she’d been so stunned that she’d nearly blown it. But a quick stammering recovery had reassured the receptionist on the phone that she hadn’t called a nutcase.
She’d been in a virtual state of shock, even when she and Jenna had lined outfit after outfit for her to try on. They’d settled on a pair of grey, wide leg tweed pants, a white, sleeveless ruffled top, and her favorite black heels. She’d gathered her hair in a topknot with tendrils framing her face and had kept the makeup light. She wore very little jewelry, only a gold watch around her wrist and gold stud earrings. Shedding the image of waitress in the revealing outfit, Eden reverted back to the woman she’d been a few months ago. The woman who’d built a career and had been filled with drive, but had been knocked down by circumstances was once again. She was back on her feet. Ready and willing to work hard for what she wanted.
“Thank you, Mrs. Archer.” She beamed.
“There’s no need for formalities, Kennedy will do fine. We’re all very casual here, and I think you will definitely be an asset to our team.”
Eden’s eyes widened. “I have the job?”
Kennedy stood. “Yes, if you want it.”
“Oh my God, thank you!” Eden curbed the impulse to hug the other woman and instead reached out to shake her hand.
“I’m sorry I have to rush you out, but I have a meeting uptown in fifteen minutes and need to get going. Franca, our receptionist, will give you a tour of the place and tell you what you need. “
“Thank you so much for this opportunity. You won’t regret this,” Eden said with sincerity as they walked out of the office together, Kennedy holding the door open for her.
“I know I won’t,” she said confidently. “Aside from your stellar resume, you came highly recommended by one of our best clients.”
Eden’s brow furrowed slightly, but her smile remained. “May I ask who?”
“Dominic Armstrong.” Even before she said the name Eden knew. “We’ve procured a few international properties for him. Have you worked closely with him?”
No, but she’d had his tongue in places that would make most people blush ten shades of red if they knew. Feeling her face warm, Eden hastily shook the image from her head. “No, but I know who he is.”
A little while later found Eden in her favorite flower shop, her feeling of elation from this morning now marred by the thought that Dominic had been the sole reason Archer Realty had even called her. Anger, confusion, and resentment formed a horrible storm that raged in the pit of her stomach. It was a horrible feeling to know that she probably got the job not based on her own merit, but only on Dominic’s clout. That feeling only grew worse the harder she thought on it, realizing no one had called her for months when she’d initially passed out her resume. And then suddenly she gets this amazing opportunity without so much as a “we’ll take a look at your resume and call you.” Places like Archer Realty didn’t just hire small time real estate agents. And despite her many accomplishments, Eden knew she was small time. She didn’t doubt her abilities to do her job; she knew how to close on a home. What troubled her was that Kennedy didn’t necessarily know that.
“Thank you for shopping at Jade, have a nice day.” Eden spared a halfhearted smile for the salesgirl as she grabbed her newly purchased bouquet and walked out of the store.
The drive to the cemetery from this side of town took a little longer than usual but the ride afforded Eden time to think. Damn him for interfering in her life this way. Just when she thought she had him figured out, he does something like this and shifts the ground beneath her feet. This was why she couldn’t trust him. Why she couldn’t risk loving him like every inch of her heart yearned to do when there was too much fear there; fear that he acerbated when he did things like this. Wrenched control of her own life out of her hands and manipulated it to his satisfaction, making her feel helpless and lost. He conquered her completely in the bedroom, and she allowed him that, surrendered her body in the way she could not surrender her heart and permitted him to take her to heights unseen. But that was the only place she wanted him in control. Everything else she could manage, but he didn’t understand that. And everything reverted back to his disastrous childhood where he’d been made the most powerless. Eden sighed in frustration, pulling at the hair tie in her hair to loosen the pressure at her scalp. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, she shook her hair out and massaged her throbbing head. She arrived a short ten minutes later and parked her car close to the curb.
There was one thing that she could always count on when she came here: the tranquility of the cemetery. The warm air blew sweeter, the sun shined a little brighter through the leaves of giant trees that circled the grounds, and the singing birds made it feel like she was stepping through another realm. She had to walk up an incline to get to her mother’s grave and with the heels it was a little difficult, but Eden persevered. When she finally made it to her destination she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the man standing over her mother’s grave. Her heart skittered along her ribcage because she knew it was him. He had his back to her, the shirt he wore fitting perfectly to his broad frame was tucked into fitted dark slacks. He had his hands in his pockets with his head bowed low in deference. She heard the timbre of his voice but could not immediately make out what he was saying. Stepping a little closer, Eden saw a bouquet of flowers resting on the ground directly in front of the headstone, the same flowers that she’d seen many times before but had never known who’d brought them. Until now. Stunned couldn’t even begin to describe how she was feeling in that moment, but even more pressing she wondered why he was here.
“What,” she cleared her throat, “what are you doing here?”
He turned his head to the side to look at her. “Paying my respects.”
“Why? You didn’t know her.”
“She was your mother, Eden; there is no other reason than that,” he supplied. “There is something freeing in speaking to the dead.”
“Do you…you know where your mother is buried?” Eden regretted the question the moment she uttered it when she saw him tense. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”
“I don’t know and I don’t care to.” His frigid tone raised goose bumps on her skin.
“I’m sorry.” She involuntarily stepped closer to him, her shoulder grazing his arm. “This is the last place I ever expected to see you, Dominic.”
“The night you left…I came here, on the off chance that you might be here. I was very desperate to have you back.” he admitted dryly. “I’ve fallen into the habit of coming here when I need to clear my mind.”