Sweet Obsession: Windy City Kink, Book 1 (32 page)

He reluctantly had to admit that they could not go on like that forever. She was going to have to come to terms with who he was. Or…

Fuck. His mind shut down that train of thought. There was no fucking way he had to choose. Life could not be that cruel. To have met Sensei who helped him learn about himself and who he really was, to accept that of himself, and then to finally have Sasha back in his life…there had to be a way to resolve this for the long term.

Forever.

He knocked back the rest of his Grey Goose and excused himself from the conversation. He moved to set the empty glass on the bar, which the bartender quickly removed with a smile. He’d make sure to give that guy a good tip. He’d been great. Needing a moment alone, he stepped inside and walked into his bedroom.

Sasha followed him only a moment later. He turned to her with a smile. “Hey, hot mama, how’re you?” He hugged her close and kissed her hair. “Haven’t talked to you for a while. You’ve been swamped with attention from everyone else.”

She laughed and her arms circled his waist. “It’s been fun. What are you doing in here?”

“Just needed a minute of quiet.”

She nodded. “Me too.”

“Sasha.” He tipped her chin up. “We have to talk.”

Her eyes widened. “That never sounds good when someone says that.”

He smiled. “It’s not bad. But I think you know, we have stuff to talk about. Later. When everyone’s gone.”

Her beautiful long lashes fluttered as she nodded her agreement. “Okay.”

They stood there for a moment, just holding on to each other, a little privacy in the middle of a busy evening. Then they returned to the party.

As they walked down the hall hand in hand, they heard voices from the foyer, tense voices that weren’t exactly shouting but the volume had increased.

“I don’t care what you think!” the female voice said. “I’m not—”

“I told you not to wear that dress,” the man snarled. “You look like a slut.”

Sasha turned wide eyes to Jack and he frowned. What the fuck? They both paused.

“Oh my God, Colin, I do not have to take that from you! You don’t get to tell me everything I wear, what I do with every minute of my time! I’ve had enough of this! We are done!”

“We’re not done,” the man growled. And then they heard a distressed cry.

Jack bolted forward into the foyer and saw the couple he’d noticed earlier. The conflict between them had apparently escalated, and now the guy held the woman’s arm in a bruising grip, apparently hard enough to make her give that cry.

“Let me go!” she cried, trying to keep her voice soft in deference to the party going on. “Let go, Colin.”

“Fuck no, bitch.” He grabbed her with his other hand and gave her a hard, fast shake. Her head knocked against the wall and she cried out again.

“Back the fuck off!” Jack stepped up and with a hand shoved between them, he forced the man away.

“Hey!” The dude glared at him. “This is none of your business.”

“It sure as hell is. This is my home. The lady said to let her go. So… Let. Her. Go.” He gave back the glare with one of his own.

“Fuck off, I will not, she’s my girlfriend and we’re having a discussion.”

“You’re hurting her. That is not a discussion.”

The guy’s eyes narrowed and then, fuck fuck fuck, he lunged at Jack and threw a punch. Idiot.

Jack anticipated the move and smoothly met the attack with his shoulder and a throw that had the guy flat on his back on the floor.

“Jack!” Sasha’s voice reached his ears over the blood pulsing there. He gave his head a shake and turned to her.

“It’s okay, Sasha.” He glanced at the woman. “Are you okay?”

She just stared blankly at him. “Yes. Yes.”

His heart squeezed when Sasha slid an arm around the woman’s shoulders. “Payton, are you okay?”

“Oh my God, this is embarrassing,” Payton said.

Oh yeah. She worked for Sasha’s dad. They knew each other.

The guy on the floor groaned and sat up. “Fuck me.”

“Get out of here,” Jack growled. He punched the elevator button. “We’ll make sure Payton gets home.”

“Oh no,” Payton said. “It’s okay…”

“You’re not leaving with him,” Jack said. The elevator doors opened and he lifted the guy by the back of his jacket and shoved him. “Good night, buddy.”

The doors slid shut. Jack grabbed his cell phone and made a quick call down to the desk to make sure that the dude left peacefully.

He turned back to Payton. “Sure you’re okay?”

“Yes. I’m…I’m just…thank you.”

He let out a breath. “No problem. That guy’s an asshole control freak. Um, no offense. Don’t know the details of your relationship.”

“We don’t have a relationship anymore,” she said quietly. “I was trying to break up with him. I am so sorry to disturb your party like that. God.”

“Nobody else saw,” Jack said. He looked at Sasha. “Do you want to show her where the bathroom is? Or…”

“Yes. We’ll do that. Come on, Payton.” Sasha led the woman down the hall to the powder room.

Jack unclenched his fists, adrenaline buzzing through him. Fuck.

Nothing pissed him off more than a limpdick guy who got his thrills from pushing women around. Fucking assmunch douchebag.

He’d better get back to his party.

Sasha took care of Payton. It was only a little embarrassing. Payton wasn’t that much older than she, but she was a VP at her dad’s bank. They’d met a few times but didn’t really know each other that well, and now Sasha had seen more than she really wanted to of Payton’s personal life.

“Wow,” Payton said when she emerged from the bathroom. She’d brushed her hair, touched up her lipstick and fixed the bit of mascara that had been tear-smudged under her eyes. She squared her shoulders. “I’m not sure when I’ve ever been more embarrassed.”

“Don’t be,” Sasha said quietly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m just so sorry this boiled over here. Things haven’t been going well between me and Colin for a while now.”

“Is he… Will he try to come after you?” Sasha twisted her fingers together. “He seemed really pissed off.”

“I don’t know.” Payton took a deep breath. “But I can handle it if he does.” She caught Sasha’s eye. “Don’t worry. I’m not taking him back. Enough is enough.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“I just want to go home.”

“Of course. I gather you came with Colin.”

“Yes. But we came in a taxi. I’ll get a taxi home. No problem.”

“Tim the doorman will get a cab for you,” Sasha said. “Let me just tell Jack you’re going. He’ll want to know.”

She stood in the doors onto the patio and searched for Jack. Just as she found him, he looked right at her and their eyes met. He immediately started toward her.

God, he was so amazing. A lot of the guests were wearing suits and ties, but he wore a jacket over a dark, open-necked shirt and narrow black pants, and he looked so damn sexy it made her bones melt. All night he’d been looking after her, introducing her to people, making sure everyone knew it was she who’d designed the patio, making sure they got her business card. They’d had a few private moments and he’d publicly claimed her as his.

And she wore his erotic jewelry beneath her dress, reminding her every time the dress brushed over her erect nipples that she was his. Every time she moved and the clit clip pinched her and made her pussy tingle, she remembered she was his.

She wanted to be his.

And then he’d taken on that asshole Colin Whoever, coming to Payton’s rescue, unafraid when the guy swung at him, fearlessly taking him down and then kicking him out.

She was so in love with him.

When he got close to her she said, “Payton wants to go home.”

He immediately stepped through the door. “She came with that loser?”

“Yeah. She wants a cab.”

“Damn.” He strode down the hall to the foyer where Payton waited. She turned embarrassed eyes on them as they approached. “Do you want someone to take you home?”

“No! I can take a taxi. Sasha just wanted to let you know I’m leaving.”

He gave a short nod. “I’ll come down with you.” He looked at Sasha. “Come with? Or do you want to keep an eye on things here?”

She smiled. “I’ll stay here. Go ahead.” She gave Payton’s arm a gentle squeeze. “Stay safe. If you need anything at all, call. Oh, here.” She handed her a business card. “My cell phone number’s on there.”

“Thank you. But I’ll be fine.” With a brief smile, she and Jack got onto the elevator.

Sasha returned to the party, distracted by both Payton’s problem and by the emotions swelling up inside her, her feelings for Jack. God.

She went to the bar and requested another glass of wine, then forced herself to mingle with a smile on her face. Jack returned not long later and headed straight for her.

“I saw her into a taxi,” he murmured, pressing against her and kissing her temple. “Just wanted to make sure she was okay.”

“I love you so much,” she whispered fiercely, gripping his shirt beneath his jacket in her fists.

“Backatcha, babe.” He rubbed his jaw on her hair. “Okay, I’m ready for this party to be over.”

She smiled at him.

People gradually began to leave, a few hearty partiers hanging on until the wee hours of the morning. Finally, though, the condo had emptied. Sasha and Jack helped tidy up a few things as the caterer carried out the extra dishes they’d come with and the bartender cleaned up. Jack handed them each an envelope as they left, which she realized was a tip.

And then they were alone.

Music played softly over the sound system that was wired throughout the condo, low sexy, jazzy music. Jack swept her into his arms and danced her in a few moves through the living room, then stopped to sway to the music, looking down at her. She draped her arms over his shoulders and pressed against him.

“Tired?” he murmured.

“Mmm. Sort of.” She looked up at him through her eyelashes. He smiled. “You said we had to talk.”

“Yeah.” He inclined his head. “We can wait until tomorrow if you’re tired.”

“I’m okay.”

“Let’s sit down.”

A shocked laugh escaped her when he bent and picked her up and carried her to the couch. “I could have walked!”

“I know.” He kissed her nose and set her down on the couch, coming down beside her and pulling her onto his lap.

She sighed and snuggled into him, playing with the button on his shirt.

“Why didn’t you invite your parents to come tonight?”

Her fingers went still and her body tightened against him.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“How could I do that?” she asked slowly. “Then they’d know about us.”

“And the problem with that is…?”

She sat back and stared at him. “You know exactly what the problem with that is! How can you even ask that?”

He rubbed his forehead. “Yeah, you’re right. I do know. But at some point, we have to deal with that, Sasha. You’re going to have to tell them.”

“I can’t tell them,” she whispered.

His chest ached and his belly tightened. “What the hell does that mean? You can’t tell them—ever?”

She shook her head slowly.

“
Ever
?”

She flinched back a little at his harsh tone.

“Sasha. Last night you told me you love me.”

“I-I do.”

“But you don’t plan to tell your parents about us? What the
fuck
?”

Her mouth trembled. “They won’t understand.”

“We’ll make them understand.”

“Jack. I can’t.” She slid off his lap and stood. “I think I’d better go.”

“Hell no. You are not running away from this conversation.” He reached to grab her arm as she went to move by him. She shook it off and gave him a look of icy displeasure that sliced through to his heart.

“Don’t be like Colin or whatever his name was. Get your hands off me.”

Her words were like a punch in the gut, stealing his breath. “That’s a fucking low blow,” he growled, but he kept his hands to himself. Frustration mounted inside him, a hot pressure. “You know damn well I’m not like him. Come on, Sasha.”

“You don’t get to order me around all the time. I know you get off on it, but it’s my life and they’re my parents.” She stalked past him, head high, snatching her purse from the closet where she’d left it earlier. “Don’t worry about taking me home. Tim will get me a taxi.”

He stared at her open-mouthed as she pushed the elevator button. “Sasha. Come back here.”

He followed her to the elevator, anger surging through his veins. Why was she being so stubborn and unreasonable about this? “You’re not leaving.”

She rolled her eyes and that made him even angrier.

“Jesus Christ!”

The elevator arrived and he shoved a hand into his hair and half turned away. “Sasha.”