The Starkest Truth (A Breaking Insanity Novel Book 2) (26 page)

“Is this pep talk over? Because you can’t fire me.”

“I’m aware the CMO is in your corner.”

“So…why are we still talking?” I asked with a shrug.

“Eric?” Aimee rolled her hands and cranked her neck. “Maybe you should take a week off. I know how things get—hell, we all do. They don’t call this the Hell Room for nothing.”

“Are we done?”
 

She sighed and seemed disappointed. “Yes, Eric. We’re done.”

IT WAS AN awful day in which it seemed I’d completed projects for clients who strangely backed out of sending the final payment for services. When I was finally able to get the reason out of one of my regulars, she disclosed information about Celeste from Xpress Graphics in San Francisco. I couldn’t fathom why Celeste had it out for me and decided to pluck up every one of my clients, one by one. For a moment, I thought she may have been someone I hit with a cyber attack during my days of boredom back in Washington State.

I checked my cell as yet another call came in from Janet. I ignored her impromptu visits, but she didn’t seem to be getting the hint and had taken to calling me daily. Feeling the muggy summer heat warm the house a bit too much, I took a bottle of water and held it to my neck for a few minutes.
 

I checked the clock for the fifth time in the hour. Eric was late…very late. The time when all was silent, things I wanted to suppress came back to haunt me. I could hear Preston’s voice and remember the feeling—the violation. I pulled a rubber-band from the bundle on my desk and placed it on my wrists. Pinching it in my finger, I snapped it, repeating the action over and over again.

“I’ll be at this all night until I make you come, Nikki,” Preston pressed his words against my ear. “And you will. I will make you enjoy this.”

I snapped the band again and again, until it split on impact and left my wrists with a slow-forming bruise.

The door opened and startled me out of my reddening daze.
 

Without turning around, or standing up to greet him, I immediately began with a defensive stance. “Before you begin scolding me for not being on bed rest, I ordered a blood pressure cuff online a couple weeks ago. It came in today. I took a reading an hour ago. One-twenty over eighty. I haven’t been spotting or bleeding in two weeks. I need to work and—”

His arms around me, enveloping me, immediately halted my tirade. It was something I hadn’t felt in too many weeks as we moved about like roommates who slept in the same bed. The fresh, spicy citrus scent drifted around my nose and made me sway. His slightly damp hair was sleek and styled in a modern short pompadour. The smell of him and the sensation of his touch softened my hardened front against him. He slanted his head down, blowing a cool stream of air down my neck. He prepped my body for an intense shudder when he ran his tongue up my neck and bit the lobe of my ear.

He disarmed me…completely.

Taking in a breath, he pressed his lips against my ear. “Tonight will be my apology. Shower. Get dressed. Wear the dress you wore on our second date.”

I arched my head to the right to take him in. Exhaustion, and something else I couldn’t discern, blanketed his eyes. Beyond it all, he managed to give me a small smile, hiding what was behind his gaze.
 

“I don’t think I can fit into it anymore,” I responded with a gentleness to my tone.

“That’s the point. I don’t want you to fit into it, I want you to fill it out.” He swiveled my chair around and took my hand to stand.
 

I finally took in the beautiful view. As my eyes drifted over his well formed body, draped a tailored dress shirt and slacks that lay revealingly against his cock, I lost my balance.
 

Smirking, he steadied me, and kissed the back of my hand. “Do you need help getting up the stairs, Nik?” He cocked a brow to match his arrogant, crooked grin.

“No,” I chided him, regaining my balance.

“Are you still pissed off?” he asked, near to a whisper.

“Yes.” I nodded firmly and withdrew my hands from his.
 

His eyes darted up the stairs. “You have an hour. Oh and, Nik?” A mischievous grin appeared on his face. “Don’t wear anything underneath the dress.”

After completing the motions needed for a night out—applying make, styling my hair, and getting dressed in the requested outfit—I looked in the floor mirror, situated in the corner of my room.

As I smoothed my hands over the tight, jersey-knit material of my black dress, I almost changed my mind about my clothing selection. The dress was tighter, shorter, and lower cut than I remembered. It’s only saving grace was the fact that it was black. Fishnet stockings and heels were the final pieces.
 

When I had the thought to scrap the whole thing, I saw Eric in the doorway. A smile slowly swept his face, reaching his eyes.

I smoothed my hands over the skirt portion of my dress, feeling awkward. It had been since Casper’s wedding that I cared to wear anything other than skinny jeans and slouchy T-shirts. “After everything we’ve been through, how can you smile?”

He padded toward me, his steps confident and long. His grin tempered, he put a finger to his lips and shook his head, extending his other hand to me. “I want to show you something. Make you feel something again. After that, I’m your bitch. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do.” His eyes ardently moved up my body stopping short at my cleavage. “I’m hoping those are here to stay.” Curving his posture, his lips grazed the lobe of my ear. “My dick is getting hard at the thought of tit-fucking you and painting your nipples with my cum.”

His words vibrated up my spine, eliciting a shudder from my body. A smile spread across my face before I could temper it.

As he cupped my face and took me in, his eyelids drew heavily across his eyes. “That’s better,” he said with a lip-biting skewed smile. “You look beautiful, Nik.”

My cheeks began to feel sore, and I felt my skin flush in response.
 

Slipping his hand into mine, he walked me downstairs.
 

I WAS TOO NERVOUS to speak the entire ride. From the routes we took, I knew we were heading downtown.
 

My nervousness piqued when we arrived at the valet section of the restaurant.
 

As I stood on the curb, I tried to peek into the window and determine how many people were inside. Eric quickly slipped behind me and put something over my eyes. I gasped, attempting to physically protest. He shoved my arms down, diminishing my resistance, and knotted the soft material behind my head.
 

“Why do you think I’m doing this?” he asked, his breath warming my ear.

“I don’t know.”

“To remind you of something. To make you stop looking at everything outside of us that threatens us, and remember what’s important. You…and me. I haven’t been protecting you like I should, Nik. Promise, it’s going to change.”

Pulling me to walk forward, he took both of my hands. I shifted my stiletto adorned feet across the floor, never picking up my steps, fearing I’d run into something, or fall.
 

The rhythm of my breaths increased, my nerves were suddenly rattled. Having no idea of the point of the entire engagement left me very unsettled. The air around me shifted as I continued to walk. The sound of glasses clanking and the steady din of the restaurant began to quiet as we continued to move.

“Step,” he offered softly.

I lifted my leg, finding the step, and moved the other foot along to follow. He grabbed my waist, turned me around, and pushed me to sit. I comfortably adjusted into a soft, inviting chair.
 

Reaching out, I felt a glass—or maybe marble—table. In the background, the faint sounds of the patrons dinning and conversing unsettled me. I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip, fighting the urge to ask a barrage of questions about what was going on.

“We’re not here to eat.” The reverberation of Eric’s voice indicated he was sitting next to me.

“Then—”

“Shh.” Abruptly, he touched my lips, making my body jolt in surprise. The warmth of his form was fully felt on my right side. His rough, but strong hands slipped up my thigh, resting at the crux.

I gasped and shook my head.

“Yes,” he whispered, his breath at my ear. “Spread your legs for me, Nik.”

With my heart palpitating, I teetered between discomfort and arousal. Overwrought with trepidation, I spread my legs.
 

His palm burned in its grip on my thigh, yanking me to open further. Grabbing one of my legs, he placed it up and over to rest on one of his long, lean, muscular legs. His fingertips toyed with the threads of the fishnet pantyhose just above my clit. A finger slipped underneath a thread and pulled until it tore apart and came undone.
 

No longer able to breathe through my nose, my mouth opened to quietly suck in much-needed air. I felt his lips at the curve of my neck, eliciting shudders from within. The touch on my hand made me gasp. He grabbed it, slipping it underneath my dress.

Panicked, I shook my head again.

“You’re going to be a good girl for me, aren’t you, Nik?”

My heart raced, pounding with such a speed and intensity, it felt like my chest was on fire.
 

“I want you to slide your fingers inside your cunt.” One of his hands slipped up the back of my head, firming his hold on my hair as he forced my neck to crane. “Fuck yourself with your fingers.” As his grip strengthened on my hand, he huskily demanded, “Be a good girl, and do what I told you to do. Now.”

Panting, I relented to his grip on my hand, cupping my sex. My fingers toyed with my slit, wrought with moisture. I slipped two fingers inside my warmth, leaving my palm to rock against my clit and slowly moved my hand in slight upward and downward movements.

“Baby,” he purred in my ear. “You’re so fucking wet. I can hear it…smell it. Fuck. I want to taste you.” He ran his lips across the curve of my ear, making me tremble in response. “Tell me what you’re thinking about right now.”

“You.”
 

“And?”

“Your fingers touching my pussy.” My voice cut out as the chill of pleasure began to consume me. “You’re fucking me with your fingers…your tongue is hugging my clit. Making me…weak. Making me come inside your mouth.”

He sucked in a breath, and on the exhale, allowed it to slowly tease my ear.

Driven beyond the point of desire, I lightly moaned.

“Keep talking dirty to me, baby.”

“Your cock inside my wet pussy, riding me hard. Your hands around my throat as you fuck me. Making me beg for you. Making me come.”

“Baby,” he groaned his palpable need. His breath fell heavily against my neck as he ran his tongue thickly up the curvature.
 

My fingers almost felt like his as I rocked harder, faster, and deeper.
 

“Come on your fingers for me.”

Rocking my hands at a swifter pace, I slammed my fingers inside me, my palm slapped against my clit.
 

Weakened, my head dropped back against his firm hold as the rush emanated from my core and reverberated throughout my entire my body. I came convulsing and whimpering his name. In the afterglow, I remained motionless, with only my heavy breaths filling my ears.
 

Clutching my hand, he lifted it until I felt the softness of his lips at my fingertips. He shoved my hand inside the warmth of his mouth. He sucked my fingers, gliding his tongue in between the spaces of my fingers; he sensuously groaned.
 

I whimpered as my body further responded to the sound and feel of him.
 

Tugging a fistful of my hair, he pulled my neck to crane. His lips pressed against mine, kissing me with fervency. Biting my bottom lip, he tugged until my lips parted and thrust his tongue inside my mouth.

“God, Eric,” I squealed quietly against his mouth.

He tore away from our kiss, allowing his lips to linger at my chin. “You are so fucking sexy, baby. You are and will always be the most beautiful woman I have ever met.” He ran his palm across my slightly round belly. “Nothing that’s happened negated it. It never did. It never will. I want you just as badly as the moment you slipped into my arms in Pullman.” He brought my hand down to his thigh, and I felt his erection jump in my palm. “For you. It’s always just for you. It will never change. Tell me that you understand.”