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Too perfect.
Chapter18
Lauren
Lunch is a swanky affair in a restaurant neither Amberley nor I can afford. I purposely sit away from Cain, placing myself between his sister and my co-worker, taking some level of comfort in knowing Amberley is with me. She is chatting animatedly to Perry, and Kat is sitting sullenly beside me. I flick a look between her and Perry and see her mouth turned down as she quietly observes the interaction happening opposite her. It’s clear as day that she has feelings for Perry. My eyes slip to Cain, who, in turn, is watching me closely. I give him a small smile, but truthfully, I didn’t want to come out for lunch. Amberley is in her element. She’s dining with Cain Carson-Ivory, and if the short journey here in her car has taught me anything, it is that the man I have been doing inexcusable things with is much more than a hotel god and a soul-tingling lay.
He really is one of the richest people to grace our planet, according to Forbes. Amberley thrust the article under my nose as we cruised along after Perry. My fingers had trembled as I read the entire two-page spread with sick swirling in my stomach. Fame and wealth had never troubled me—until now. My breath stutters out as I recall the staggering figures on the glossy pages, the never-ending string of hotels, complexes and resorts he has to his name, and the properties he is estimated to own, commercial and domestic. He is reputed internationally, a formidable businessman, and an untouchable adversary. I have touched him, and if he is half as assertive in the boardroom as he is in the bedroom, I feel nothing but sympathy for his competition.
I feel the colour leech out of me, my skin puckering into tiny blisters as a cold sweat sweeps my frame. We’ve been seated out of the main view, discreetly tucked away, whilst several waiters attend to our one table. I’ve barely touched my drink. I couldn’t swallow a drop. I already feel like I’m drowning.
“Excuse me, where are the bathrooms?” I manage to ask a waiter. I stand and am ushered through the restaurant towards a set of doors. I walk quickly to the ladies and slam my way through the entrance. Gasping for air, I clutch at my stomach, my eyes swimming with embarrassment. The penny has finally dropped, and I’m the rusty conclusion. The truth of my stupidity slaps me as hard in the face as the door Perry had swung into it. What the hell am I doing? Glancing around, I check I’m alone and move to the washbasins, running the tap until it’s icy cold, and I hold my hand under the stream before pressing it to my neck.
“What happened between my place and here?” Cain's deep voice catches me by surprise.
I jump, not expecting anyone to enter, least of all him.
“Jesus,” I choke, yanking the handle for the water and turning it off. “You can’t be in here.” I take in his tall frame and neatly pressed shirt in the decorative mirror, then the clean and harsh cut of his jaw. His shoulders are wide enough to cause discomfort, and my thighs are a testament to that. My body is victim to the only kind of assault I would ever welcome. I stare back at my beautiful boss with his discerning gaze and wickedly handsome smile. I never stood a chance. Martin and I never had this kind of chemistry. I don’t trouble myself worrying that Cain may have shared a similar buzz with women before me. What we shared last night, unexpected or not, has crashed into my skin like a cresting wave. The essence of his devotion to my body has seeped into my pores and made its way into my veins. It’s still pumping through me, heavy, greedy, and in search of its owner. And now he is here, I feel it reach out like an invisible arm to take hold of him. Poseidon himself couldn’t wash away this feeling.
“What happened?” His demand is softened by the concern veiled beneath heavily lashed eyes—eyes that have watched me,seen me. I’d come undone for this man. Unzipped my skin and let him into me. I hid nothing and gave him everything.
“Nothing,” I croak, dropping my gaze and wishing I could be sucked down the plughole with the last little trickle of water as it washes away. The gold, polished taps gleam under the crystal chandeliers brandishing my shame in a healthy glow, and my shoes have sunken into the plush carpet that I want to disappear into.
“Bullshit. Half an hour ago, you were crying my name, and now you look like you’re about to be sick.”Again.He need not utter those words, but they hang off his tone.
“Cain, please.” I offer a wobbly smile. “I’m just tired and hungry.” My response has little effect. In fact, it only seems to anger him. I turn and face him as I dry my hands. Confusion pulls at his forehead, engraving fine creases across his face, but his mouth is drawn into a harsh, flat line. Shaking his head, he sighs softly as he allows a beat to pass between us, an opportunity for me to voice my plight.
“Don’t insult me. You’re a lousy liar.” He walks to me and brackets me into the countertop. Legs braced either side of mine. Hands planted to keep me caged in. “Talk to me.” His hand comes up to cup my jaw. His fingers heat the ice away and remind me that he held my face similarly in the early hours of this morning as he had ploughed himself into me, pushing, pressing to gain depth, his jaw lax and full of praise as he held me fast and watched me come apart beneath him.
I shake my head, flustered.
“Lauren.”It’s a warning, white-hot and unavoidable.
I lick my lips, bringing my eyes up to meet him from where they were lost in the smattering of hair at the base of his throat. “Amberley showed me this article about you.” I swallow sickly. “You’re stinking rich. This place—I can’t eat in a place like this.” I cup my throat, distressed. “I can barely afford my bloody rent.” I laugh humourlessly. Cain holds my face. His gaze darkening to the shade of the bowels of the ocean.
“I thought we were going to talk about us later?” He steps in, flattening his thighs to mine.
“There is no us. This was a mista—”
“Don’t,” he warns icily.
I suck in a short breath. “Let’s get back to the table,” I suggest. Lifting my chin, I hope to break the contact, but he doesn’t budge. The heat radiating off him sweeps across my pebbled skin.
“We can leave if you’d like?” I shake my head. I don’t want to cause a scene or make this any more uncomfortable than it already is. Money has never been a grudge I bear. I never found myself overly impressed by it or intimidated until working at the Carson-Ivory, and even then, I was able to detach myself, unaffected by the glamour and status I was faced with. But those faces never crossed my threshold, didn’t step into my life, and they certainly never shared a meal or stared in rapture as I was devoured from the inside out and cried shamelessly for more, for more pain, more pleasure. Somehow, along the way, I had forgotten who he was and how we were connected. Somewhere between hitting my head and waking in his bed, my sensibility had evaporated. The depth of my choices and the width in which their consequences could spread have brought me to a grounding resolve. I need to walk away from this man.
“I’m going to go home with Amberley after lunch,” I say to him. “This was a mistake.”
“So, because I have money, it was a mistake?” he scoffs incredulously.
“No,” I whisper, my face burning. “I think what you’ve accomplished is incredible. You’re obviously very intelligent, successful.” My throat aches uncomfortably. Cain's gaze is relentless, forceful in his challenge to push the truth out of me. “I… I’m not like you. You’re my boss, Cain. That’s why this was a mistake.”
“Let me tel—”
Amberley swans in, and her mouth forms an ‘O’ as she sees I’m not alone. “Sorry,” she winces, “do you want me to step into the hall?” She points over her shoulder, and I take the coward’s way out, ducking under Cain’s arm and sprinting for the door. I side-eye my friend, silently begging her to follow me.
“And the purpose of you showing her the article was? You made her feel like shit, Amberley.” I hear Cain scathe as I put space between us. My head bowed low. Perry and Kat are in a heated conversation when I return. I’m glad I’m not the only one in a mood. Both Cain and Amberley return shortly after, and her fingers slip into mine beneath the thick white cloth—her hold fierce, protective. I twist enough to share a smile with her. She mouths a sorry, and I shrug, feeling utterly exposed. A waiter comes to take our order. Distracted, I lift the menu, and my eyes almost cannonball out of their sockets. I scan for the lowest price and order a plain burger when I see the salads are no less expensive. Tension pulses from our table, and I can sense even the servers are feeling the pinch of it. I try to be upbeat and chatty, but when I catch sight of Cain glowering at my friend and then staring annoyed at me, I sink a little in my chair.
“So, why the fuck is everyone in a mood?” Perry pipes up, lifting his drink and taking a sip. We all sit in awkward silence. “Yeah, don’t all try to talk over me at once,” he scoffs, laughing as we each look for something to say.
