Consumed (8 page)

He parts his lips and I follow allowing his tongue access to my mouth. We continue our sweet seductive dance with our tongues, consuming each other, and assuming by the erection pressing firmly into my belly, both of us wanting more.

I am so lost in the moment that I forget about the people surrounding us. My friends who I am sure are getting quite a show, poor Sam who is probably seething mad, and then of course there's Grayson, someone I am sure I would have forgotten about if it wasn't his voice that breaks my blissful moment with an earsplitting roar.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” He screams. The kiss ends in an instant and suddenly reality comes crashing back. I look to Liam and then to the raging beast that is Grayson standing directly beside us.

“Last time I checked it's none of your business.” I scream back pushing my way out of Liam's arms. He lets me go but stands protectively close, his eyes not leaving Grayson.

“I always knew you were a little whore. You are embarrassing yourself Addison, go home.”

“Fuck you.” I spit not missing the shock that is written all over Grayson's face.

“Excuse me?” He sputters out.

“Do you need me to repeat it... FUCK YOU!” I scream again only this time it carries and it is clear that our little display is drawing quite a crowd but I don't care.

“You little bitch.” He screams back at me. His temper is boiling over and I know that once it does, I stand no chance against him.

Liam instantly pushes me back and stands in front of me, shielding me from the verbal attack that I know is coming. The next set of events happen so quickly I can't process them until it's all already happened.

One minute Liam is in front of me, the next his fist collides with Grayson's face, knocking him clean off his feet to where he now sitting on the floor, blood spouting from his nose. The big dark bouncer appears within seconds giving Liam a nod before grabbing Grayson under the arms, hoisting him to his feet and promptly escorting him from the bar.

Liam turns to face me, his face riddled with worry. “Are you okay?” He asks, placing his hands on both sides of my face and studying me intently.

“I'm fine.” I bark, not losing my aggression from my show down with Grayson. “I'm sorry, I have to go.” I stutter out, pushing his hands away from me, I take off in a full sprint out of the bar. I reach the exit but don't stop there. I keep up my pace until I exit the casino and am standing outside breathing in the cool night air.

How did I let it go this far? I should have left the moment I saw Grayson. I should have never danced with Liam. This is all my fault. I have made such a mess of things and what's worse, I am making the wrong people pay the price.

I don't feel like waiting for the others and luckily am able to hail a cab before any of them emerge from the Casino. I slide into the back seat and give the driver my address without even looking in his direction. Once the car sets off down the strip, I stare out the window and watch the night life of Vegas pass around me.

My fingers reach up to trail my lips where the fire still burns the deepest. I should have never let myself give in to Liam. Now that I have tasted him, it will be that much more impossible to stay away from him. I can't let myself get involved with him, deep down I just know it will turn out badly in the end. “He's not for you Addison, he's not for you.” I whisper to myself.

Grayson had the power to hurt me, Liam will no doubt have the power to shatter me to pieces. I would never survive a break that severe, not when I already feel so drawn to him. Where will I be if I actually let myself give in to the temptation of being consumed by a man so gorgeous the sight of him makes my belly ache and causes every nerve to stand to attention? Every touch makes my skin burn, every smile makes me melt. He holds so much power over me already.

One thing is certain. I can't let something like what happened tonight happen again. If I do, I'm afraid that I will never recover.

––––––––

I
spent Sunday holed up in my room and Monday diving head first into the Bella Vita project which is proving to be even more work than I had originally anticipated. Kristina has drilled me about Liam every second we have alone but I have managed to dodge giving her a real answer up to this point.

I worked well into the night last night and so far Tuesday seems to hold the same fate for me. There's no way two people could have handled this project. The work load I have taken on alone is enough to make someone crazy. No matter how hard I know the next few weeks will be, I still could not be happier about being given this opportunity and I sure as hell am not going to waste it.

I am over my head in projection sheets when a small voice pulls me from my work. “Addison.” I look up to see Michelle standing directly in front of my desk, a huge bouquet of Gardenias in her hands.

“Is there a card?” I ask not really expecting one and honestly a bit pissed off that whoever sent the flowers the first time had the nerve to send them again.

“There is.” She says in a weak voice causing me to give her more attention than I normally would. Her eyes are swollen and her normally tight pony is a knotted mess of auburn curls.

“Are you okay?” I ask, feeling suddenly very guilty that I didn't notice her appearance first thing.

“I'm fine. Men.” She sighs loudly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear that had fallen from her pony tail.

“Do you need to talk about it?” I ask, mostly because I feel awful for her but also because I know what it's like to have men troubles.

“No, it's nothing.” She blows me off, leaning over to sit the flowers that are displayed in a large crystal vase on my desk. Without another word she walks away, leaving me more than a little curious about what exactly is going on with her and her so called men troubles.

Remembering the flowers, I twist in my chair and grab the card from the bouquet. Yet again there is no indication of who they are from. Just two words,

Forgive me

My stomach twists in knots. I was so sure the last time that they weren't from Grayson but now I am not so sure. I mean it makes sense right? We get into a huge fight and then two days later I get a bouquet of flowers with the message, forgive me, in the card.

I waste no time gathering up the flowers and dropping them in the trash can next to my desk. I brush off my hands feeling quite proud of myself and resume my place in front of my computer.

The next few hours fly by and before I know it I am well into the evening. My stomach grumbles loudly and I realize I have not eaten since my bagel this morning. As much as I want to keep going I know that I am no good to anyone if I work myself to death. I decide to call it a night and turn my attention back to my computer to save the documents I was working on.

I power off my computer and grab my purse from the back of my desk. I realize very quickly that I am the only person still here. An uneasy feeling sets in and I quickly make my way to the elevator. I can't help glancing around making one hundred percent certain that I am in fact alone. There is something so eery about being here this late especially without the normal hustle and bustle that is usually going on around me.

The elevator pings and the doors slide open. For a moment I think that I am hallucinating and that Liam standing in front of me is a figment of my imagination but I soon realize that he is in fact here and not only that but he seems oddly hesitant.

“What, what are you doing here?” I manage to choke out through my confusion. He steps to the side and gestures for me to get in. I step inside and push my back against the far wall of the elevator, determined to keep as much distance between us as possible.

He waits for the doors to close before he turns back to me and speaks. “I wanted to apologize for the other night. I know it was out of line for me to get involved but I don't for one second, regret punching that jackass in the face.” He says on a smirk as if remembering the moment.

“It's fine really.” I reassure him. I shake my head as if trying to shake myself into reality. Is this really happening? Is he really here?

“Anyways, I was hoping that I could take you to dinner.” He says catching me off guard. I look up to meet his eyes and instantly all air leaves my body. What is it about this man that completely consumes every ounce of me in his presence?

“I already ate.” I lie. Even though I am starving, the last thing I need right now is to let whatever this is go any further.

“How about tomorrow?” He asks as the elevator reaches the bottom floor and the doors slide open.

“Sorry I can't, busy.” I say squeezing past him to escape the small confines of the elevator. He quickly follows.

“Thursday?” He asks, and this time I catch the laughter in his voice. I spin around to find him staring at me, humor all over his face. “Let me guess, you're busy.” He says taking two long strides forward until he is standing directly in front of me. I nod, unable to speak. He reaches out and slowly traces down my jawline with the back of his hand causing my entire body to tense.

“Fine, Friday.” He says, his hand now traveling down my arm at a tortuously slow pace. When he reaches my hand, he slowly circles my knuckles with his thumb. It's seductive and even though it's such an innocent act, I can't help but feel like he knows exactly what he's doing to me.

I jerk my hand away. “I'm sorry, I just can't.” I say backing away. He grips my hand tightly eliminating my ability to walk away. I look from his hand to his face and see that the playfulness is now gone.

“One dinner Addison, that's all I'm asking.” He says almost pleading. My heart kicks into overdrive. “If you never want to see me again after that then that's fine. But please, don't deny me the chance to know you.” He releases my hand and makes his way towards the exit. I stand there for a moment completely confused. He's just going to walk away, just like that?

“I will see you Friday.” He says turning to give me a wink before exiting the revolving doors, leaving me no chance to protest.

What the hell was that? I quickly exit Strike Tower and immediately scan the side walk for any sign that Liam is still near by. There are only a handful of people that I can see and none of them are him. He played that just right and I know without a doubt that was his intention all along. He knew I would refuse so he ended it without letting me do so.

I pull out my cell phone and quickly check my messages as I make my way to the parking garage. There is one from my mom, a couple from Dana asking how the project was going, and then one from a number that I don't recognize.

I click the message open just as I reach my car and then instantly freeze.

Seven O'clock- I'll pick you up in the lobby.

I instantly look around, half expecting him to walk out of the shadows with another surprise appearance. What is with this man? He seems to be everywhere I am. And how did he get my cell phone number? As much as I want to ignore the message, I can't do it. I climb into Moesha, start her up, and snap my seat belt in place before turning my attention back to my phone.

I'm starting to think you really are stalking me. How did you get my number?

I lock my phone and throw it on my passenger seat before putting the car in drive and setting out into the night. I get about two minutes down the road when my phone signals a new text message but I ignore it. I flip on the radio looking for something, anything to distract me from thinking about Liam. My phone signals another message and as much as I want to check and see if it's him, I keep my attention on the road.

I arrive home fifteen minutes later and the anticipation has reached a boiling point. As soon as I put my car in park I reach to the passenger seat to retrieve my phone. There are two messages, both from Liam. I click on the first.

Wouldn't you like to know. A man must never reveal his secrets.

I'm just kidding, your friend Kristina gave me your number after you ran off last Saturday. Don't be upset with her, I basically gave her no choice.

I should have known. Leave it to Kristina to not be able to resist the demands of a gorgeous god like man. Not that I can blame her, he is damn near impossible to resist. I shoot another quick text before making my way inside.

I should have known. And as for Friday, I never actually said yes.

I make my way up the stairs trying hard to contain the smile that seems to be permanently glued on my face. I know that this will never work but for the moment I just want to enjoy the way this makes me feel. The way Liam makes me feel.

I mindlessly unlock the door and push it open, my mind still fully focused on a irresistible bartender that I just can't seem to shake. It takes me a few seconds to process the events taking place in front of me. Kristina is on the couch straddled around a man that I can't see. The music is blaring so I have no doubt that neither one of them heard me.

Who ever it is they are really going at it and not wanting to spoil their fun, I close the door as quietly as possible and make my towards the hallway. Just as I reach the back of the couch Kristina breaks away from her kissing spree to pull her tank over her head. Just as she does, she catches sight of me and jumps.

“Oh shit!” She squeals, scrambling to pull her shirt back on. “Sorry, sorry.” She rambles out, climbing to her feet and straightening her clothing.

“Sorry I tried not to interrupt.” I say apologetic. Just then Sam turns from his spot on the couch to face me. His face is red and his hair is a sweaty messy mop on top of his head. I can't help the smile that takes over my face when I realize what I just walked in on. “I was just heading to bed, please continue.” I say giving Kristina a wink as I make my way down the hall and into my bedroom.

Once inside I realize that I still haven't eaten but there is no way that I am going back out there a second time. Kristina finally has her grasp on Sam and I am not doing anything to compromise that. Deciding to just wait until the morning, I grab my robe and head to the bathroom that sits directly across the hall.

I turn the shower on and let the water warm up while I undress. Once inside, the hot water feels refreshing on my skin. All the stress and tension from the day just seems to melt away and I swear I could stay in here forever. I squeeze every ounce of hot water we have out until I have no choice but to exit the shower or freeze to death.