Boss: A Novel Page 15

  My face flushes as I remember just how much I had enjoyed watching earlier with Luke and Nikki.

  “How do you know me so well?” I can’t help asking.

  He growls against my shoulder and bites down just hard enough to make me jump. “You’re my naughty little kitten. It’s my goal in life to make you purr.”

  I giggle at that and wriggle my ass against his lap, making him groan and grip my hips tighter.

  Two men walk a curvy blonde out onto the stage. She’s not at all what I expected for such an explicit show. In the movies, the women are always slim and perfect, not that she’s not beautiful. Her long blond hair glows under the lights as does her creamy skin over her luscious rounded hips and large breasts.

  The two tall, muscular men who accompany her aren’t as sexy as Kaden, but they come close. Both men wear black leather pants and matching vests that show off their powerful arms and chests, and their long black hair and tattoos give them a pirate edge.

  I watch with rapt attention as the two men take turns, kissing their willing submissive and fondling her ample breasts.

  I’ve watched porn before but this is nothing like that.

  While I find most porn cold and soulless, the two men on the stage look at their curvy submissive like she is the most precious woman on earth.

  As I watch, the show grows more and more intense, the woman now on her knees before her two lovers. Kaden lets one hand squeeze and knead my breast, his thumb dragging over my nipple. His other hand caresses my thigh, drifting scandalously higher with every passing minute until his thumb is rubbing back and forth over the already wet crotch of my panties.

  I have to sink my teeth into my lip to stifle the moan.

  My eyes open wider as I watch the woman on the stage alternating between sucking each of her lovers cocks then, as one, the two men move her to a flat bench and while one man spreads her wide and rewards her, the other adores her face with sweet intimate kisses.

  Kaden’s thumb strokes me to the same rhythm as the man between the woman’s thighs, and at the same time he peppers my throat and shoulder with hot urgent kisses.

  I’ve never indulged in so many wicked activities, and never at the same time.

  Watching three people make love while Kaden stroked and caressed me, while in public, it was almost too much… Almost.

  It’s not enough.

  I want to touch him too but in this position all I can do is watch and feel.

  The first man eases his huge cock into the woman’s willing body and I gasp as Kaden deftly shoves my panties aside and slides one long thick finger into my tight slit.

  He pumps his finger slowly, in and out, in and out, his thumb circling my clit just close enough to drive me crazy but not enough to make me come.

  This is so wrong but I writhe and rock against his hand, willing him to go faster.

  He chuckles against my throat.

  On the stage, the two men take turns making love to the woman, taking her slowly, teasing her and themselves.

  They urge her to roll onto her hands and knees and I catch my breath as one man takes her from behind while the other demands that she take him in her mouth again.

  Not to be outdone, Kaden moves his free hand up my body till a finger probes against my lips.

  “Suck it,” he growls into my ear and without thinking I open to him and suck his finger hard and deep in my hot mouth.

  My climax grows so slowly it’s like warm honey dripping through my veins, spreading, flooding by whole body till I’m little more than a molten pool of pleasure and trembling.

  Somewhere in a haze of my orgasm, Kaden picks me up and carries me to one of the curtained spaces.

  In the middle, there is a large bed and a small table held a bowl of condoms and other exciting looking items.

  But Kaden ignores everything but the bed, throwing me down and following.

  My clothes are history in a matter of seconds and his mouth seems to be everywhere at once. It’s like he can’t get enough of tasting me, touching me. Then he’s looming over me, shoving my thighs wide and slamming inside.

  He takes me hard and fast and rough, holding my hands captive above my head.

  “Love you so much…” he groans into my hair, his voice cracking, breathless. “Thank you - Letting me share this - Letting me…Ooh… Oh…”

  His whole body tenses and he yells, broken and ragged against my shoulder as his cock swells and erupts inside me.

  I’ve never seen him so out of control.

  I love it!

  I don’t climax this time but wow, he does.

  His whole body is tense and hard for what feels like minutes.

  All I can do is watch his face, a mask of pure rapture as he comes and comes. He’s brought me to climaxes like this so many times.

  I love that I’m doing this for him.

  Finally he collapses and it’s like he’s boneless. I roll him off and he lets me and I swear to god, he’s giggling.

  After another moment, he sobers and looks at me.

  “I didn’t make you—” But I silence him with a hand over his lips.

  Kaden has never been a selfish lover and I refuse to let him think for one second that he was anything but the most amazing man I’ve ever had in my life.

  Swinging a leg over him, I straddle his hips, my still needy pussy resting against his softening cock.

  “I love you so much,” I say. “Thank you for bringing me here, sharing this part of yourself with me.”

  As I speak, I start rocking my hips, stimulating my needy clit, grinning wickedly down at his almost shocked expression.

  “Sweetheart, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to…”

  I shake my head, urgently.

  Even soft his cock feels so good against my pussy and already I can feel the first tingles of my climax building.

  “You are so goddamned sexy,” he rasps, his hands caressing my hips, my waist, cupping my breasts and tugging at my erect nipples. “If I had any bones left, I would flip you over and fuck you from the behind, so hard.”

  His filthy words spike my arousal even higher and I rock faster. Beneath me, his cock is uncoiling like a snake, lengthening, hardening and I know what I want to do.

  “Get up on your knees,” I say. “I want to taste you.”

  He does as I ask and I immediately reward him, engulfing his now almost rock hard erection within my hot mouth, sucking him deeper than I ever have.

  “Oh my god!” he yells, his eyes wide as he watches me devouring his cock. “You are a goddess.”

  I take more of his length and his eyes shut tight, his head falling forward completely under my control, lost in what I’m doing to his body.

  As I suck him I slip my fingers between my thighs and rub and stroke my clit, sliding one finger into my pussy and pumping long and slow, imagining I’m that woman on the stage being taken from both sides. One hot man thrusting in her mouth while the other takes her pussy.

  I can imagine so easily a man behind me, taking me hard while I use my mouth on Kaden. He’d be tall and strong like the man I love and right then I have the visual of Luke.

  Luke the way he was earlier. His shirt unbuttoned, and undoing just the belt buckle and buttons at the front of his pants to free his erection and slam it deep inside me.

  Before I can think, my body shatters into a million pieces and drag Kaden over the edge with me, sucking the climax out of him as his body pulses and quivers.

  Afterward, we fall side by side, breathing hard.

  It feels wrong.

  “Claire?” he says my name, his voice barely a whisper, as if sensing something is wrong.

  When I don’t look at him, he grabs my chin and turns my face so I’m forced to meet his eyes.

  “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too,” I whisper and kiss him. “I want to go home now.”

  Chapter 12

  “Do you have to leave?” I say the next day, sitting on the bed and
watching petulantly as he packs.

  It’s early and I have another hour before I need to go to the studio. “I was hoping we could spend some real time together over the weekend.”

  “I know, sweetheart,” he replies and finally looks at me. “I’m sorry, I want to spend more time together too, but there’s been a issue with the new deal and I have to be there. If I can get everything sorted, I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow night?” I say and he gives me a sharp look.

  “That’s not fair,” he says and clips his bag closed.

  I know I’m being snippy but I can’t help it.

  More and more I’m feeling like this long distance relationship is just asking for trouble.

  In what way are we a couple when we only meet now and again?

  One night of incredible sex then we return to our real lives - the lives that no longer seem to include each other.

  He sits beside me and tips my chin upwards so I’m meeting his gaze.

  “Is there anything else bothering you?” he asks. “What happened last night…”

  “Nothing’s bothering me,” I say too quickly. “I just feel like we’re always flying past each other, never really meeting in the middle.”

  He looks at me for a long time then kisses me, hard. “This discussion isn’t over. We’ll finish it when I get back.”

  I nod and watch him go.

  And then he doesn’t come back on Saturday, simply leaves an apologetic message on my phone promising to be back Sunday night.

  On Sunday morning, I meet with Wade for coffee and I’m surprised to see Luke and Nikki and a few of the crew sitting around a large table, chatting and laughing.

  Luke holds my gaze for longer than necessary and I hear him chuckling when I take a seat as far from him as possible.

  “I was hoping we’d see your gentleman friend this morning, Claire,” Wade says, sliding me a coffee and a blueberry muffin.

  “Gentleman friend?” One of the crew says. “Who the hell says that anymore?”

  “Apparently I do,” Wade says, his ears turning pink.

  “He had to sort something out at work,” I say, noticing Luke and Nikki pouring over the morning paper and speaking in hushed tones. “He was supposed to be back yesterday but something else came up and he had to stay.”

  Nikki snickers and scoffs, giggling even louder when Luke tries to hush her.

  “Would we like to share with the class?” Wade looks from one to the other.

  “I’m not sure we should,” Nikki says, throwing me a painfully pitying look. “It might be a little embarrassing for poor Claire.”

  “Excuse me?” My tone is sharp and I can feel my temper spiking.

  I’ve barely said two words to Miss Snooty-I’m-so-famous and she’s never spoken to me and the first time she does, it’s to be nasty?

  What the hell is her problem?

  “Oh, no offense!” She opens her eyes wide, mock innocence. “It’s just it looks like your - boyfriend? - had a much more exciting time then you think.”

  Rolling my eyes I reach across and snatch the paper.

  “Claire, wait,” Luke says. His hand covers mine over the paper and he looks into my eyes, his own gaze earnest. “It’s probably not what it looks like. Tabloids are full of crap.”

  My heart pumps hard and fast in my chest and I look at the full color image on the front page of the newspaper.

  It’s a full spread on Melinda’s wild and extravagant birthday party.

  She looks beyond beautiful in her designer dress, smiling radiantly into the camera as though she was made to be photographed and admired. And next to her is Kaden, smiling at her like she’d just told the funniest joke.

  The next picture is of them dancing in the middle of a sparkling ballroom. Melinda is looking up at Kaden with an expression of pure adoration.

  But it’s the last one that breaks my heart.

  It’s a darker image of the two of them in a corner, speaking close, his large hand resting intimately on her hip while she whispers something wicked into his ear.

  The headline reads: Just Good Friends?

  My eyes are burning and I can feel heat flushing into my cheeks.

  How could he do this?

  After everything we’ve said to one another, everything we’ve shared, he could forget about me so easily?

  “It’s probably not as bad as it looks,” Nikki simpers. “I mean maybe he just had a few too many drinks. Sometimes things just happen…”

  “Enough, Nikki!” Luke snaps then snatches the paper from my clutching hand. “I’m sorry, Claire. You shouldn’t have had to find out like that.”

  “It’s fine,” I say, forcing a smile. “Our long distance relationship has been - strained for a while, I guess.”

  “It didn’t seem strained when he came by to pick you up at the studio,” Wade says. “In fact, he couldn’t take his eyes off you. Call him. It must be a misunderstanding, you know what the tabloids are like.”

  “Yeah,” I say. “I’m sure that’s it.”

  But in my mind, I know that pictures don’t lie, unlike Kaden.

  If it was all innocent why hadn’t he mentioned the party to me when he called?

  We were both talking about not being able to spend more time together and yet he didn’t even ask if I wanted to go with him, even though he knew I wasn’t working.

  The answer is simple.

  Kaden had wanted to go alone so he could spend the evening with Melinda.

  Chapter 13

  I know I should call him but every time I pick up the phone, my hand starts shaking and I have to put it back down again.

  I don’t remember walking away from my friends at the coffee shop but the next thing I know, I’m in the park, sitting alone on a long bench surrounded by roses. They smell so sweet it almost calms my thumping chest but every time I reach out to touch a bloom, I’m pricked by a sharp thorn.

  The pain is intense, a drop of blood beading on the tip of my thumb and dripping onto the grass. I gasp and my eyes fill with tears. I’m so angry I want to rip all the roses from the earth, throw them in a pile and burn them in a bonfire of rage.

  My phone vibrates and I look at it from what feels like a million miles away.

  It’s Kaden.

  I consider simply not answering.

  What is there left to say?

  Everything we created together has been shattered in one night.

  How can he possibly make that better?

  I’m sorry?

  It didn’t mean anything?

  Of course it meant something.

  Melinda is one of his best friends and she’s been in love with him forever. I’m supposed to be his partner but we barely see each other.

  He said he loved me and we’ve shared some of the most intimate moments any couple can and yet he so easily let himself be seduced by Melinda.

  It meant everything.

  The phone stops vibrating and I’m almost relieved - until it starts again.

  I press the button and put it too my ear.

  I don’t say anything.

  “Claire?” Kaden’s voice sounds gruff and stained. “Claire, sweetheart, talk to me.”

  I sniff and feel more tears dripping down my cheeks. “Those were some nice pictures they took. Captured you and Melinda perfectly.”

  He swears and I have to pull the phone away from my ear, jumping at the ferocity of his voice.

  “We’ve had this conversation before,” he says. “Melinda and I are friends, that’s all. I love you.”

  “You lied to me.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You said you were working.”

  He sighs. “I was working.”

  “Clearly.”

  “Look, I couldn’t get a flight back so I was stuck in New York anyway.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell me you wanted to go to Melinda’s party? You could have taken me with you. Since, you know, we’re supposed to
be together.”

  “I didn’t think you’d want to go - I know you and Melinda aren’t exactly friendly.”

  “So you went alone. Danced with her all night. She must have been over the moon considering she’s in love with you. Is this all some big game to you? How many of us are you stringing along?”

  “Damn it, Claire,” he snaps. “Do you know what you sound like right now?”

  “No, why don’t you tell me?” I throw back. “How exactly am I supposed to react when you and the woman you’re supposed to be just friends with are photographed making out in a dark corner?”

  He swears again. “Claire, it’s not what it looked like.”

  “The people I work with knew about you and her before I did. If you could have seen the pity in their expressions.” I’m crying again. “You’ve made me into a joke. The woman too stupid to see what’s been right in front of her the whole time.”

  “Claire,” his voice is softer now. “Claire, stop. Go to the apartment and wait there. I’m coming. I’ll be on the next flight to L.A.”

  “Don’t bother. Give Melinda my congratulations. Not that she’ll need them. It’s clear she’s a woman who always gets what she wants. In the end.”

  “Claire!” He barks. “Claire, stop.”

  “No! You and me are done.”

  I press the END button and put the phone back in my pocket.

  Almost immediately it starts vibrating again but I ignore it.

  I spend the rest of the day pretending I can’t feel the phone and finally just turn it off and toss it in my bag.

  Chapter 14

  On Monday I manage to avoid any conversations longer than a few words and make my way to my office, shutting the door on the world outside.

  When I’d switched my phone back on last night it turned out that Kaden had tried to call five more times before finally giving up.

  And since he hadn’t shown up at the apartment I can only assume he hadn’t bothered catching the next flight out to L.A. after all.