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I trailed him, cardio-induced crankiness forgotten, and hopped onto the island as Cole bypassed his fancy French press to pop a pod into the Keurig he’d purchased just for me. He then eased my legs apart, slotting his body in between.
“You can’t keep doing this,” I said, munching lightly on his neck. Daniel had hit the ground running after the announcement of his partnership. There were more business dinners and rubbing-of-elbows than usual as he worked to up the firm’s clientele, and poach the top tier attorneys from competing firms, which meant I had to play arm candy. As a result, Cole and I hadn’t had an evening alone in the almost two weeks since Thanksgiving. Our time together had come down to stolen moments, when our busy schedules allowed, at the hotel.
But this morning, Daniel, along with Parker and Mitchell, had left for an overnight legal conference. Somehow, some way, I knew it was Cole’s doing. Nexcom was their largest, highest profile account, and therefore Cole had sway over them. If he’d made the suggestion for them to attend, they likely would have. The firm would bend over backward for their star client, and he wasn’t above taking advantage of that.
“I’ll send him on horseback to fucking Siberia if I have to,” Cole whispered, roughing me up by my hair, his hard gaze flickering over my suddenly scalding face. I shouldn’t have found his constant harsh treatment of my body erotic. Shouldn’t have reveled in feeling like a piece of meat, or property. But I did, and I was helpless to do anything about it.
“Tonight,” he said in response to my arousal. “If I take you now, I won’t want to stop, and I want more than sex today.”I want you,he didn’t say, but didn’t have to because there wasn’t much his heart could hide from me. I was grateful he didn’t vocalize it, though. Grateful I didn’t have to ruin things with a reminder of what couldn’t be, especially when day by day I was finding it harder to hold on to the reasons why not.
“Coffee’s ready,” I said huskily, and he reluctantly backed away, searching the fridge for milk. “So, where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said, voice echoing inside the fridge.
“A surprise for you, or for me?” I asked, spying the symphony tickets poking out from under a vase on the island. He must have forgotten he’d stuck them there.
“For you…” His voice faded, lengthening theyouas he spun, fridge door slamming shut behind him.
“The New York Philharmonic,” I read aloud, the tickets now pinched between my two fingers. “Who’sthe surprise for?” I asked again, my lips twitching as his mouth gaped and closed repeatedly. As a pianist, and an okay cellist, Cole loved music, and especially symphony music. In fact, I’d just purchased him tickets for Christmas to see their New Year’s Eve showing. I’d need to think of another gift for him now.
“You used to tag along with me to see the Seattle Symphony. I figured—”
“I’d love to go with you, Cole.” I held him back with a hand to his chest when he moved in enthusiastically. “Coffee,” I reminded him.
We spent the rest of the morning into late afternoon alternating between cuddling on the sofa, crunching numbers and drafting a business plan for my maybe-firm, and napping on and off as Beethoven played ambiently throughout the penthouse.
“I’ll need to travel a bit next month for work,” Cole said later that evening as we were getting ready. “You can come with me, you know,” he said, casually adjusting his sapphire cufflinks. “They’re brief trips, really. Spread out over six weeks or so. One’s for a write-up in Modern Medicine Magazine. Where AI and science meet,” he said dramatically. “They even want to take pictures of me.” He frowned. Cole hated taking photos. I’d had to get him in a chokehold earlier just to get a selfie. He said they made him look brooding. I said he did a good job of that all on his own.
“We’ll see,” I said, non-committedly, inserting my arms into my shirt sleeves. “I have this case I’ve taken on for ’Fia, and I need to prepare my syllabus for spring semester. I should be able to get away here and there, though,” I said, because I hated the fear overtaking his eyes, the worry they conveyed:If I’m gone, and he’s here—with Daniel, what would happen?He seemed momentarily appeased.
“Don’t think I don’t know you’re taking your sweet time because you don’t want to get into that suit,” he said, removing his blazer from its hanger and crossing over to the mirror.
“Or maybe it’s because I can’t take my eyes off you long enough to get dressed,” I shot back. “You know how I feel about you in all black.”
“Good excuse—I’ll give you that, but we need to hurry or we’ll be late. I’ll wait out there.” He motioned toward the hall. “As to not disturb you further with my sexiness.”
I sulked, and he laughed, the dark, rich texture of it skimming along my skin.
Fifteen minutes—and ten attempts at aligning my bow tie—later, and I was ready to go.
“Wow,” Cole said as the soles of my suede loafers clicked against the marble floor. I strutted his way, turning his hall into a catwalk.
The hunter green suit was new. It complemented my eyes, and I’d had it custom made to fit me like a glove. I was muscular, but not nearly as imposing as Cole. Tall, but my bearing didn’t intimidate the way Cole’s did. I’d been told my approachability won me the hearts of jurors. I’d also been told I was striking, in an ethereal sort of way, not in the Satan personified way of Cole’s desirability.
But I knew what I had to offer. I knew I was alluring even though I rarely tried to be, even though I couldn’t verbalize what made me that way.
“It’s in your blood,”Cole would say as he made love to me with an awe-stricken expression. To me I was simply being myself. But I also knew how to play up that provocative side of me when needed, and so I fueled all my confidence into my strut, and I didn’t stop moving until my lips were on his, until my hands were firmly planted on his chiseled ass.
“Ready?” I said smoothly.
“Ah, yeah,” he replied, shaking his head clear and prompting me to get on the elevator first.
There were secret touches from the backseat on our drive to Lincoln Center. Fingers sent fluttering over the part of my throat Cole loved to sink his teeth into. A hand fondling my clothed cock, a thumb running along my waistband, tugging as if saying, “I need this the fuck offnow…” And all those torturous touches made to my body were made by my own hand as I pretended Cole wasn’t suffering as he watched from the seat next to me.
I kept at it in the dimly lit audience, my eyes fixed on the performance. At one point I turned to Cole, who couldn’t keep his eyes off me, and seductively bit my bottom lip while nudging my head toward the stage. “Pay attention,” I mouthed.
He went to the restroom during intermission, probably expecting me to follow, but I didn’t. When he returned, those vicious eyes told me I would pay for it later.
With pleasure.
