Consume Me (A Burning Desire Novel) (29 page)

It wasn’t the most romantic thing I’d been
called; nor had I really understood the full meaning.

Clearly, I missed on my Law education.

I was his exception; I couldn’t understand
why. I still couldn't wrap my head around it. How would my ordinary, dull, and
boring self would’ve seemed appealing enough for him to simply let go of
something he clearly believed in?

Even though he’d explained that he didn’t
really date all those women that the tabloids alleged he did; most of them were
for publicity mostly. Nonetheless, he did date some of them, and he must’ve
liked them.

They were models, and shining stars; each
looked more beautiful than the one before her, and he had a thing for redheads.

Well, I was no redhead, far from a model;
and my life revolved around the simplest pleasures, my new job, and my graduate
school.

My classes will begin tomorrow, most of
them night classes, then they wouldn’t interfere with my work. I had no idea
how it was going to turn out. I was going to have a busy schedule, at least
three nights a week.

I
remembered his set of rules. The truth is; there was something appealing about
them; particularly since they worked in both ways. I didn’t understand why he
would have needed them. Normal relationships built up on their own, with work
and communication. However, Landon Davis was not a normal person; he was in
fact, extraordinary. He had something with control; why else would anyone tag a
relation with a due date before it even began. He’d said that we would create
them gradually as we went; he’d added another one last night.

‘Wake-up Sex’. Starting tomorrow, every
time we spend the night together we’d have wake-up sex. He got it after the
erotic dream incident. It wasn’t morning sex; it was a wake-up call. Whoever
rose first had to wake up the other, no restrictions, just imagination. I
wanted to do it this morning; but he’d insisted I let myself heal a little
longer.

I thought it a great addition to the set;
and hoped it will forge our connection.

I still didn’t know much about Landon
Davis; I wanted to uncover him, to unravel him. He was an appealing man; all
glorified and successful, with his sets of rules and unconventional ideas.

I feared the inevitable. I knew he would
eventually get bored and that's why I had to keep my guard up and avoid
heartache. I was taken by him already; maybe a little more than I should have
been.

I’d been through enough heartache in the
past year to endure a lifetime.

I
picked up coffees, fresh tea for Landon, mouthwatering croissants and took the
subway back from my run.

I delivered the boys’ breakfast; Ryan was
hangover and thankful for the meal.

The music came loud behind my door, and I
freaked out. Jenna must've forgotten about our guest. And woke up as her crazy
self.

I quickly turned the key and barged
inside. I froze, mesmerized by the most surprising and unexpected setting.

Landon and Jenna were dancing in the
kitchen to
‘
Darryl Hall & John Oats' ‘Private Eyes’
. I blinked rapidly in disbelief, for a
moment I thought it a hallucination. Not only Mr. Landon Davis had moves, but
also he and Jenna seemed to have so much fun.

He seemed so serious all the time, I had
only glimpses of an easy-going Landon, but that was just unbelievably cute.

The radio switched to
‘
Maroon 5’ ‘One More Night
,
and Jenna jumped her way towards me, I
was still in shock in front of what I was witnessing.

"Your man is fun in the
morning!"

She squeaked and took the croissants from
me.

Landon stepped to me, and held out his hand.
I put the coffees on the sideboard, and took it. He took me in an embrace, and
turned me in pirouettes. I was sweaty and shocked, but I couldn't stop
grinning.

"New rule aside; don't ever leave me
to wake up alone again."

His tone was raspy, hot, and dangerous.

"I'm sorry, you looked so peaceful,
and I needed the run."

He nodded, brushing his light morning
stubble against mine.

"Next time, I'll come with, but never
do it again."

 I recognized the possessive tone I
was getting used to.

"You are not the boss of me
Davis."

I bitched out and rocked my snickers
heading to the shower. I didn't have time for his orders; I had to get to work.

I got under the hot water, frustrated by
his commandeering attitude and blew on the water. He was such a lunatic, one
minute he was dancing like a young teenager in a good mood, the next he was
this all angry and dominant.

A naked familiar chest hit me from the
back; I didn't even hear him walk inside the bathroom.

Oh if he thinks he's going to...

Whoa!

He had
one hand squeezing my breast and the other between my thighs. I winced in
discomfort, but didn't stop him; especially the one pinching my nipples. It
felt heavenly.

"Are you still sore baby?”

I shook my head, unable to speak. It
wasn’t as nasty as it was yesterday.

“Good.”

He reached out, and pushed two fingers
inside me.

“Because I think I need to fuck some sense
into you."

He breathed dryly and continued.

"And since you like it so much,
you’re not allowed to come."

I swallowed.

He must’ve been kidding, there was no way
I could control it.

Landon stilled me against the wall; water
rushing over me. He pushed my knee in front of me and in one swift move, he
thrusts inside me, hard. He instantly picked a relentless rhythm, twisting my
nipples.

There was no way in hell I wasn't going to
orgasm, he moved leisurely, stilling me every time I tried to meet his pushes.
I was already starting to feel the pressure in my groin, my blood was boiling
under the hot water.

He grasped my hair and pulled at it breathing
erratically in my ear.

"I can feel it, you're almost there
baby."

His thrusts got harsher.

It was exquisite and so hot.

"I hate doing this to you;
But.Just.To.Prove.A.Point."

With those last words, each one with its torturous
rotating thrust, he came with silent grunts, and abruptly pulled out of me.

I was so close… If he’d stayed a second
longer I might have had my own release, instead he did just what he said he
would, leaving me panting, almost crying.

I was a hot mess.

He held me pinned to the wall and stood
behind me. His breathing was controlled, long, and low, against my skin, water
washing on us in silence.

I wasn't going to stand there and do
nothing - nor was I going to spend the day without any respite. I pressed my
hands between my thighs; two more strokes would’ve been enough for me to
explode.

He stopped me and spoke in a low
controlling voice.

"But before you do that, let me
explain to you how this will proceed. You can touch yourself for some relief, and
you'll have it, you are so ready to come."

His speech did nothing to calm my urge.

"But just so you know.”

He turned me around so I could face him.

 “If you do so, it will count as a
breaching of Rule number four.”

I stared at him; dumfounded.

He was challenging me.

“Yes Clea; Rule number four. Which means
if you defy me and make yourself come; I’ll deprive you from sex.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I couldn’t believe he would suggest
something like that.

"Well, you made your point. You will
not control me with your huge penis, so if you'll excuse, I'm going to avoid
spending a frustrated day at work."

I was really pissed; he was such an
arrogant son-of-a-bitch.

“Suit yourself, but let me add one last
thing.”

He bit my lip and held it between his teeth;
then spoke slowly.

“You’ll come to discover that three days
without feeling me inside you; without any orgasm or any pleasure other than my
company; will turn out to be the most difficult days in your life. And know
this, when I decide to fuck you again, it will be on my own terms."

He turned from the shower without giving
me the chance to respond.

I had a
bad day at work; despite my best efforts not to think about the controlling bastard
I had in my life, every time I moved, I could only think about him, his caveman
attitude. The relief I got for myself was moot, it was nothing compared to what
I’d felt with him, no real orgasm to talk about.

He drove me to work in silence, not one
word, his face expressionless. I couldn't decipher his mood, so I ignored him
out of stubbornness.

We worked throughout the morning on some
new ideas for the restaurant. I tried to focus on my work and emerged in some
communication drafting for the upcoming inauguration.

Lunch with Liam and Brooke was a great,
yet short distraction.

I couldn’t comprehend how Landon could
affect me the way he did. I felt empty without his touch; and secretly
regretted my choice of not complying with his warning. It had been less than
five hours since the shower incident, and I was constantly thinking about a way
to find some relief like I was some sex addict.

When David asked someone to pick up some
banners from the printer, I volunteered instead of Liam.

I went straight to the printer; I used the
slightest chance I had not to think about Landon and failed miserably. I headed
to my bank and made the money transfer for the sculpture; they’d allowed me
thirty-six hours to send a check or transfer the amount. Then, I swung by the
drugstore and got some emergency contraception. I finished a phone conversation
with my doctor and made an appointment for next week. 

I found myself inside one of those
luxurious sex shops. I wasn't in the mood to keep up with the charade and disturbing
state of mind. A girl came straight offering to help me, she showed me lots of
weird looking toys explaining each particularity.

I chose the discreet gadget and shoved it
in my purse. I picked up a coffee and hailed a cab back to work.

Once I
finished sending some emails, and the social network platform details with a
venomous, and unnerving Christy. I walked to one of the individual bathrooms on
the executive floor, and used my new gadget for some release.

I felt a little better, just enough for me
to concentrate my anger towards Mr. Controlling, and finished my work for the
day. We were held out a little late by Eloise, and David for some spreadsheet
details. I wasn't the only one still struggling with the new system, but by the
end of the reunion, it was a little clearer. We just needed some practice. I
didn't feel defeated yet.

I texted Landon while walking to the
subway with Liam and Brooke. We settled on Mario’s bar; I managed to convince
Brooke with the best cosmos in the city, and she agreed cheerily. 

Landon and I hadn't talked all day. I
missed him. I spent seventy-two, straight hours with him, so I thought it was
normal, but there was no way I was letting what he did slide easily. I had my
revenge planned.

"Eloise told us you went to Paris.
Tell me about it."

Brooke and I were settled in one of the
booths. Liam was ordering the drinks.

"Actually I used to live there, I
just went to spend my last holidays."

"Damn, you're so lucky, I mean I
won't leave this city for all the money in the world, but damn if I wasn't
totally jealous right now."

It made me laugh; people are always
fascinated with other places. I know I was lucky I had the chance to see so
much of the world, but everywhere I’d gone I heard people complaining about
wanting to live elsewhere, Parisians dreamed about New York, New Yorkers about
Paris, British about Los Angeles it has always been that way. I think people
needed to escape their reality, and let's not talk about the ones living in war
zones and third-world nations.

"Two martinis for the ladies, and a
beer for me."

Liam sat next to Brooke and we started
sipping our drinks.

“I’ll never understand women; I thought
you came here for cosmos.”

He shook his head slowly in disbelief. We’d
settled on Martinis; turned out to be Brooke’s favorite. It was dry gin, a real
martini.

They looked like matching couples for a
dating website ad, but acted like two best friends constantly teasing each
other about anything and everything, especially the girls Liam dated.

"I mean how can you screw up
microwave popcorn? Seriously, I thought I was hallucinating when I heard the
bang, the microwave was on fire and she was squeaking so loud I thought my ears
were about to explode."

Liam doubled over under Brooke’s glare...

"Not funny Liam, try one with a brain
for a change."

"No way in hell, those will spend my
money on the heels and ruin our friendship, the two things I care most about,
so I'd rather one who would propose a threesome with you to one who would
suggest I move out or change roommate."

He told me that it was always the same,
the girls felt threatened by their friendship and he ended up choosing her, so
instead, he avoided the drama dating girls who were mostly immature.

"I mean if there was anything between
us, we would've done something about it by now, we've been friends since middle
school, and she's my only family."

I didn't help notice some sadness in his
tone, also Brooke's expression changed.

I thought they were truly blind, even I,
could see it.

I chose not to speak of it, and rather
postpone it with Brooke.

"Yeah I know what you mean, people
kept thinking I was dating my best friend, even though he was gay, some of his exes
thought we were in love with the other. We didn't care much for them; you'll
know when the right person comes in your lives and respect your friendship. One
floor is all I can manage with my best friend right now, and whoever I'll end
up with will have to accept that."

I confessed. It was true; wherever I’d end
up, I won't be able to be there without Jude.

We depended so much on each other, so we
agreed that nothing will ever change, and that we'll always live next to each
other and have at least two date nights.

Thankfully, Ryan never denied us or nagged
about it.

It was
a little past eight when we walked out of the bar, it’d been nice spending time
with my colleagues and we agreed to find a way to make a habit of it and said
our goodbyes. I searched for my phone in my purse, and blinked at the number of
missed calls from Landon, with two seemingly angry texts.

I called him up right away.

He answered before the first ring even
ended.

"Where the fuck are you and why
haven't you been answering my calls?"

The shouts clanged my ears.

“I sent you a text telling you I was going
to have drinks with people from work."

"And why haven't you been answering
my calls?"

I didn't succeed to get him to stop
yelling.

"I didn't check my phone, it
happens!"

"Where are you?"

There was no way in hell I was seeing him
tonight.

"That is none of your business; call
me when you calm down."

"The hell it..."

I hang up the phone before he ended his sentence.
I wasn’t used to people controlling my life, at least, not anymore. My dad did
that just enough for me to ruin our relationship, and Landon was getting on my
nerves. I decided to walk it off, not ready to go home yet.

He
thought he could order me around as if I was some kind of slave. So what if I
didn't wake him up this morning, it's not like I ran out on him. I went to get
some exercise, and I get punished; left orgasm-less, frustrated and angry to a
point where I had to resort to some battery-operated gadgets and now he was
angry I missed his calls. It's not like I was going to get eaten by the loch
ness monster.

Walking
around the corner of my building, I saw his car and Calvin standing in front of
it.

Great!

He must’ve been upstairs. I decided to get
inside and stay at the boys. I really didn't want to get into a bigger fight.

Frankly, my own judgment was clouded by
what he had done this morning even more than the calls and the shouting. I
didn't want it to turn into a big fight, he was probably angry because I defied
him.

I knew he hated it more than anything.

"Hello Calvin."

I approached the car to talk with him, and
ask him to calm his boss.

"Miss Dane! Are you alright?"

He sounded a little worried.

"Of course I'm alright Calvin; please
just tell Landon that I'll see him tomorrow when he gets down."

"Like hell you will Miss Dane."

His voice came from inside the car and he
opened the door.

He was fuming, his jaw clenched
extensively, and his eyes dark, darker than the night sky above us.

"Get inside the car Miss Dane.”

I just rolled my eyes at him. The man was
simply unstoppable.

"I don't think so Mr. Davis!"

I snarled tapping nervously with my shoe.

"You have three second to get inside the
fucking car before I shove you in it myself. Calvin start the car!" He was
dead serious, but I wasn't caving.

I turned my back to him and walked to my
building.

“Clea…”

He warned.

"Three."

Yeah right.

"Two... Miss Dane it's your last
warning!"

I turned my head just enough for him to
see my go-screw-yourself look.

"One."

Before I realized what was happening,
Landon toted me over his shoulders and shoved me inside the car.

"Let go of me asshole."

I was officially angry, hitting the hell
out of his back.

“Watch your mouth.”

"Let me out of the car, now!"

I bit out sending daggers through him.

"Not a chance in hell, you were
supposed to spend the night at my house and that is what you'll do"

"You must be kidding me? I'm not
getting forced into spending the night with you."

"Why the hell not?"

He prompted acidly.

"Well for starters, I'm all kinds of
angry at you right now, and maybe a little scared, so please let me out."

All the anger on his face melted
instantly, and let place to a far more disturbing expression, his face fell off
at my admission, and I couldn't understand what I felt at that moment.

"You're scared of me? You think I'd
hurt you?"

He sounded ... mortified?

I fell short of words to say! I wasn't
scared, I knew he wouldn't hurt me, not physically anyway. I knew I didn't want
to see him tonight to avoid that exact situation.

Truth be told; when I'm angry I tend to
blurt out everything that crosses my mind, and I expected that any encounter
between us would lead me to screw it up further than it already was.

"Please Clea, answer me."

I could hear the plea; his domineering
tone went up in smoke.

I looked into his beautiful eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean
that..."

Well... here goes nothing

"I mean, I am scared of you."

Landon looked at me; confused.

"I'm scared of the way you make me
feel. I mean it's been barely a week and it has been so intense, I'm scared of
the outcome. I don't think you'd hurt me, not physically. But I can't stop
thinking that you might just do some damage more sustainable than a scratch on
the leg."

I had to take in a deep breath. I was
really exposing myself, but, at that moment, I was reminded of the last time I
was harmed in more than one way by Caden.

It was truly awful.

He hugged me and let out a breath.

"You have no idea what you're talking
about, if there's anyone capable of hurt; it's definitely not me."

That was downright ridiculous.

I couldn’t help my un-ladylike snort.

"That’s insane. Look at you, look at
me; you'll get bored of me. I have nothing on the excitement all those you
dated before must have brought to your life. My life is very dull."

I drew closer and lowered my voice for his
ears alone.

"I'm inexperienced in bed; I'm not really
into your glamorous lifestyle. So how long do you think before you decide to
get back to your exciting life and convenient arrangements?"

He grasped my head between his hands and
kissed me.

"You don't see it do you? Everything
we could be, all the possibilities; who did this to you baby?"