Tainted Love (Book 1) (10 page)

She gobbles up her breakfast as she is cutting it close to being late. She is a receptionist at a real estate company. She loves her job, but wants to be a real estate agent more than anything.

“Okay, I’ll see you later babe,” she says before kissing my cheek. “How do I look?”

“
Hot as usual,” I tell her.

“
Thank you. Okay, I’m gone.”

I am once again left alone. What am I going to do all day?
Maybe I’ll head up to UPenn and spend the day at the library
.
My decision made, I get a quick shower then amble into my room, searching through my drawers for something to wear.

My ringto
ne startles me and I answer. It’s Simone.

“Hey, Simone,”
I greet her sweetly. I haven’t seen her all weekend.

“
He fired me.” Simone’s distraught voice shakes me over the phone. “He just called me in his office and fired me.”

“Who?”
I ask her, already suspecting who she is referring to.
The bastard
.

“
Mr. Hayes. I thought I was doing a good job, but he fired me. He didn’t even give me a proper reason. Some bullshit about hard decisions having to be made,” she sniffles.

My scalp prickles. He wouldn’
t. He just…wouldn’t. He wouldn’t fire Simone just so he could have unrestricted access to me.

“
Simone, don’t worry. Everything will work itself out,” I reassure her. After I’m through with Ben, he will definitely be taking her back.

“
Sullivan, you’re not hearing me. I was
fired
.”

“Don’
t worry honey. Think of today as a personal day off. It will all be better in the morning. I’ll call you later. I’ve got an important meeting to go to.” I hang up the phone.

Sifting in the draw, I search for something to wear.

“Perfect.” I decide on sexy black jeans, a tight black blazer, and red lace cami with red peep toe heels. I spend half an hour curling my hair. I think I need to have a haircut soon.

Downstairs, I hail a cab and I head off toward Ben
’s company. How dare he fire my friend just to get into bed with me? I am boiling. I am going to give him a piece of my mind; but knowing I am going to be seeing him again makes my stomach flutter in excitement.

My heart rate spikes as we turn onto John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
What am I doing
? I reach the point of no return when I head into the Fielding House building.

“Good morning. Is Mr. Hayes in?”
I ask the receptionist at the front desk. She’s beautiful with her short blonde hair, light makeup, brown eyes and lush pink lips.

“
Good morning. Who may I say is asking?” She smiles sweetly at me as she picks up the receiver.

“
Please tell him it’s Sullivan.”

She does just that. She then directs me to his office, which is twenty-f
ive floors up. I try to gather my thoughts in the elevator; what I’ll say to him. All that goes through the window as the elevator dings open and I see Ben’s statuesque figure lingering in the hallway.

He looks every part the powerful business man with his hands in his pockets. I stare lustfully at his body looking absolutely majestic in a black fitted pinstripe suit, white shirt and inky black tie with silver stripes, and shiny black shoes. When he sees me
, his eyes soften before smirking that damn sexy smirk that makes my pussy clench. He holds his hand out to me and I take it as he ushers me into his office.

The office is encased in mirrored glass. I stumble a bit, flustered, at seeing the way he holds my hand as he pulls me toward his office. It seems so natural, feels so comfortable. It freaks me out. I tug my hand from his as he opens the door and I step inside the soft cream-carpeted space wit
h an air of pretension. I will not let him get to me.

I am amazed by his office. As I enter
, I spot a large LCD television to the bottom right corner of the room. Floor to ceiling windows light the space where his large brown mahogany desk stands, furnished with a Mac Pro computer, a pen holder, an odd carving and a stack of papers. Three plush black chairs with armrests sit in front of his desk, while his is a large black and brown padded leather chair. To the left of us is a black leather sofa and adjacent to it, a black and silver mini fridge.

The moment he closes the door
, I pounce, not wanting to lose focus by thinking about hot, raw sex in his wonderful office.

“
How dare you fire Simone,” I attack.

“
Well, hello to you too, Sullivan,” he says, amused.

“
Cut the shit, Ben. Give Simone her job back,” I demand.

“
Give me what I want,” he demands in response.

I scoff at his audacity. He really
did
fire her so he could get to me. “You prick.”

“Yes. I’
m a businessman, Sullivan. In this game one has to be a prick. I have to get what I want, Sullivan, and I will go to any lengths in order to get it. Simone was an unfortunate sacrifice. But I want you that much. It’s that simple,” he explains, locking his eyes on me, as if this is a business negotiation.

I should feel flattered. He let one of his best employees go, just to be with me.

“I don’t want a relationship,” I manage to say.

“
I thought we already established that, Sullivan.” He struts over to me, pressing his firm chest to my side.

“You know what I want,”
he says in a soft rasp that makes my core clench in response.

“
Will you reinstate her?” My voice is thin and airy. His proximity makes the hairs on my arms stand and my center quiver. His scent is stimulating, powerful. Paired with his beguiling presence, I am pulled into him with an unseen force. I dig my heels into the floor and tense my body so as not to launch myself at him.

“
Just say yes, Sullivan.” His hand brushes my lower back. I want this man terribly. He presses against me and I feel how powerfully his heart is beating inside his chest. “Say yes,” he cajoles in a whisper that tickles my senses.

“
Yes,” I breathe, as I succumb to the devil. Before I can take another breath, his lips are over mine.

My purse falls to the ground as I throw my arms around him. He cups my backside, urging me to wrap my legs around him and I do just that. He moves around his desk, not letting me down, and pushes a button that causes his office door to make a hissing suction sound.

“The door was open. Anyone could’ve barged in,” he answers the question my eyes ask.

I grab the ends of his hair and pull him
back to my lips. He kisses me roughly, his hands gliding all over my back. We stumble toward the sofa and he lays me gently on it, towering over me. I want to climb him like a tree; he’s so regal and extraordinary. He’s a mountain of a man and he wants
me
.

“
You are so sexy,” he pants, shrugging his jacket to the floor. “Why’d you have to wear pants?” he grumbles. “Damn it.” He scrapes his fingers along my legs and for a moment I wish I hadn’t worn them.

“
Protection.” My voice is soft but husky with desire. I could kick myself for wearing pants, now when I want him so much.

He lets out a deep chuckle, taki
ng one of my feet in his hand. “A chastity belt couldn’t keep me away from fucking you, Sullivan.” His voice is dark and sexually sinister as it reverberates through my body. Oh how I wish he’d just take me.

Slipping my pump off, he places light
kisses on the sole of my foot where I feel the sensation in my groin. He rests my leg down and does the same to the other foot. He trails kisses around my ankle, every so often letting his tongue lick a wet path, and the tingles that started off as small ripples, become thunderous waves crashing through my body. It is slow torture.

“
Shit,” he swears, leaping up. His office intercom had buzzed. Pressing a button on the phone, a woman speaks through the speakers.

“Your 10 o’
clock is on his way up, sir.” It’s Simone’s voice.

I quickly sit up to see him smiling.

“Thank you, Simone. Oh, and our little plan worked,” he says staring at me with wry amusement. “Thank you for your help.”

“Simone?” I can’t believe it. “You tricked me?”

Giggling, she says, “Yes, sweetie. I’m sorry. He signs my checks. He twisted my arm. I’ll make it up to you.”

I scowl at him and he ends the conversation.

“Are you mad?” He winces.

I purse my lips and fold my arms. I’m actually flattered, but I want to have a little fun with him first.

“Oh, God, you’re mad.” He paces over to me, and reaches for my cheek. Caressing it, he apologizes, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. Sullivan, I would have done anything to make sure that I had you. If you had a boyfriend, I’m not sure if I wouldn’t have hired a hit out on him.”

“Ben, it is
just
sex.” I can’t understand why he is so determined to have me.

“God, yes it is. And it’s the best I’ve ever had. And I really want to continue having mind-blowing sex with you
, if that’s alright. No strings? Fine. I’ll deal with it. As long as I get to please this sexy body of yours while getting off, I’m fine. Holy shit, I’ve never had to trick a woman into having sex with me. And…fuck, I’m rambling.” He exhales deeply and flushes.

I grab onto him to calm him down. “Breathe, Ben. If it’s any consolation, you’re the best I’ve ever had too.” And that’s the truth. “Now get yourself together. You have a meeting in two minutes. We can talk later.”

I start putting my shoes on and he cups my face and kisses me. “What’s that for?”

“I just needed a memory of how your lips taste.” His green eyes twinkle and I smile. I could get lost in those.

He walks me to the door and, before releasing me, tugs me to him and whispers sternly but seductively, “Meet me at the hotel we were at on Saturday. I want you kneeling on the floor in just those heels when I get to the room.”

My tummy somersaults and my
core clenches deliciously. His command lingers in my ears as I leave his office, desire spurting licentiously through my veins. I walk toward the elevator with a stupid, satisfied grin on my face. I can’t wait for later.

In the lobby
, I head straight to Simone, slapping her arm.

“Ow!” she yelps. “Violence solves nothing, Sullivan.”

“Well, it sure makes me feel better. I can’t believe you set me up. I thought you were my friend,” I say with mock disdain.

“Sully, you’re every woman’s hero right now,” she states. “You’re fucking the green-eyed God,” she whispers. “Do you know how many women, old and young, would kill to have Ben speak to them, let alone wan
t to fuck them? I gotta admit…I was a little jealous.”

I scoff at her. I know I’m making a mistake being with him in any capacity. I know I’ll end up hurting him, but he is just so damned irresistible and it didn’t help that he kind of bulldozed me into that little arrangement.

“Don’t overthink this, Sullivan,” Simone admonishes knowingly. “Have fun.”

I give her a warm smile. She’s right. I should have fun. And it will be fun. I am friends-with-benefits with Philly’s hottest bachelor.

As I step out of the Fielding House building, an unwelcomed thought stops me in my tracks.

Publicity.

Publicity. I never gave it any thought. All my previous relationships, though each man was of some kind of prestige and wealth, were pretty low key. I’d been as cautious as I could be considering those men were high profile. There were few times where I’d been photographed with them, but for the most part, the relationships remained out of the public eye. It kind of all worked out for the whole ‘not-in-it-for-the-money’ deal. This time, though, it all feels different.

With Ben, there seems to be a greater risk of the public eye. Being with Ben would certainly bring attention to myself; something that I have been able to avoid for years. What if the press finds out about Ben and me? What if they try to dig up who I am and find out my real name and my real story? I can’t risk being found out.

Rick
can’t
find me, and I
can’t
risk Ben finding out the truth about me. Shit, I’ll take Rick finding me and getting arrested over Ben knowing how sick and truly disgusting I am. I can take everyone else looking at me with judgment and contempt, but not him. I just…it would ruin me if he looked at me like that. It would ruin me to see him hurt because of my sick, twisted life.

Not bothering to try to figure out when I’d developed a heart, I turn to head back into Fielding House and to break off this arrangement with Ben. I remember then that he is in a meeting and decide to do it when I think he’s through. I don’t want to let him down, but as I walk along JFK Boulevard, I reassure myself that it is for his benefit.