Insidious

  I lifted my face to his and ran my fingers through his soft, short hair. In the natural light from the open windows, the hint of strawberry that graced his blonde was difficult to distinguish. Lifting my chin, I kissed his lips. The innocent connection deepened as our tongues united.

  “Whoa,” he protested, pulling away. “I’m being a gentleman here. What are you doing?”

  Sitting back on my heels, I reached for the hem of my sundress and pulled it over my head. In one dramatic gesture, I threw it to the floor in a pile of silk. Wearing nothing but my panties, I palmed my heavy breasts, exposing and twisting my taut nipples. “Mr. Phillips,” I began breathily, “you now have less than two hours to make me forget everything. I want you to fuck me so good that everything else in the world goes away. I want my only thoughts to be of you deep inside me.” I lifted my brow, as I reached for his hand and placed it over my breast. When our eyes met, I asked, “Do you accept the challenge?”

  From the look of his slacks, the tenting growing higher by the moment, and the sultry expression emerging from where moments ago I’d seen compassion and concern, I knew he did.

  “Vik, I want you to know that I think of you as more than a fuck—”

  I put one finger on his lips. “Brody, right now, I want to be fucked. I want to be fucked by someone who I can see and hear. I want to be the person in control of my movements and responses. I want you to fuck me. Fuck me like no one else has ever fucked me.” My thumbs found the waistband of my panties. “Will you please do that for me?”

  Unfastening his belt, he smiled my direction and said, “All but one thing. Just for the record, I’m in control of your responses.” Before I could refute, he continued, “I’m not going to tell you what they are, but you’ll know it was me who brought them on. I’m not stopping until I get what I want. Fuck the damn two-hour time limit.” With my panties gone, Brody pushed me back against the large mattress and climbed my body, raining kisses from my breasts to my lips. “That is the challenge I accept.”

  I could do this. I could spread my legs and disappear. It was my specialty, my survival technique.

  “One more thing,” he said, grasping my chin and moving my eyes to his. “You’re going to stay with me. I want to watch you come.”

  I needed to leave to escape. This connection wasn’t what I wanted. “I-I don’t…”

  “Vik, right here.” He calmly demanded as he pointed to his eyes. “Look right here.”

  When I did, his hand slid down my stomach. The path he’d traveled tingled from the warmth of his touch and ignited my skin. I reached for his shoulders as one then two fingers slid inside of me. In and out. With my gaze set on him and my hands holding him tight, my hips moved to his rhythm.

  “That’s it. Stay with me. Oh, baby, you’re getting so wet for me…”

  Lifting my hands toward the headboard, I refused to listen as Brody continued to talk. I hadn’t gotten wet for anyone, not even Stewart, in years. That was what lubricant was for. Most of the friends were too stupid or too self-centered to know. Most probably gave themselves kudos for how easily their puny, condom-wrapped dicks slid inside. Little did they realize that the mere thought of their presence turned my body to dust. Sometimes I imagined that dust blowing away…

  The way his aquamarine gaze penetrated, I knew this was different. I’d cleaned myself well at the warehouse. I was truly aroused.

  “Vik, I’m going to use a condom.”

  Refocusing on his words, I nodded. It didn’t matter. I wouldn’t get pregnant. Stewart required monthly birth control injections as one of the clauses of the contract. I’d recently learned they weren’t necessary, at least not where he was concerned. At one of his doctor’s appointments, I’d accidentally found out that, years before our marriage, he’d undergone a vasectomy. Apparently, it wasn’t something he felt the need to share. I presumed that the shots were added protection against accidents that could occur during his little shows.

  “Oh!” I stared into the depth of his gaze as the head of Brody’s hard cock pressed against my entrance. Despite the wetness, with each inch, his cock pushed the limits of my core. The delicious fullness demanded my attention as I readjusted my hips, encouraging him to fill me to the brink. Again, I reached for his shoulders, longing for that connection. My small hands caressed his rippled muscles, as he fulfilled my request. The scent of musk permeated the suite replacing his fresh aftershave, drawing me toward him. He didn’t speak, but sounds of lust and approval filled my ears, capturing all of my senses.

  His hips bucked harder and faster as I fell into his rhythm. Reaching for my ass and supporting us on his elbows, he pulled me closer, until finding where one of us began and the other one ended was beyond comprehension. We were one. Sounds escaped my lips as his heavy balls slapped against my ass.

  “You feel so good. I-I…” Brody murmured as his eyes glazed, and he let go of my ass and found my clit.

  As he fondled the swollen bundle of nerves, the suite around us disappeared. It had been so long since I’d had a real orgasm, the overwhelming sensation took me by surprise as fireworks ignited and flashes of light electrified my body from within. I couldn’t let go of him, fearful that if I did, I’d be washed away in the waves of pleasure flowing from my fingers to my toes.

  Pounding into me, Brody found his release as he let out a roar that echoed through the suite. When the final ripple of unbridled pleasure subsided, Brody kissed my forehead and rubbed his cheek against mine. “You’re incredible.”

  Smiling, I moved my hips, sending messages to where we were still connected. “I don’t think that was me.”

  His expression lightened as the small lines came to the corners of his eyes. In a smooth flip, I found myself on top, straddling him, his cock still buried deep inside of me. “I’m pretty sure there’s no one else here. It was all you.” He lifted my hips slightly and lowered me. The friction brought life back to where it had begun to descend. I moved to adjust as he stretched my already pleased core.

  “That’s it Vik. Keep moving. I don’t believe my time is up.”

  I leaned back, allowing him to fondle my breasts. Skillfully, Brody twisted and taunted the already hard nubs, his ample fingers bringing both sparks of pain and waves of pleasure. Each sensation moved from my breasts to my core, magnifying each thrust of his hips. With the building tension, I questioned my ability to remain upright. As if reading my mind, his fingers entwined with mine, supporting and holding me as I enjoyed the mounting friction. The wildfire that had exploded earlier re-ignited, burning a path that threatened the destruction of my finely constructed walls.

  The suite filled with clamor as primal sounds escaped my open lips and Brody, too, growled above the din. We continued to move as one until our words and noises reached their peak.

  “Fuck! Vik, you’re so fucking hot!”

  His back arched and fingers dug into my flesh as his cock throbbed within me. Unable to hold back, the walls of my core milked and contracted while satisfied sighs stilled our movements and quieted the suite. Like a cloud of peace, the room—hell, the world—fell into a climax-induced calm.

  Unable to face the aquamarine that saw inside of me, I fell, shattered beyond repair, onto his chest. As I reeled with my reality, strong arms enveloped my shoulders. It had been unlike any orgasm I could remember. Surely, I wasn’t whole. I couldn’t be. In the depths of my haze, I knew that I was no more than a million disassociated pieces vulnerable to the winds of life.

  Yet, before I could be blown away, Brody again kissed my forehead and brushed my cheek with his. He pulled me into his warm embrace and held me as I melted into his side. Without hesitation, I laid my head on his shoulder and drifted to sleep.

  “Vik,” Brody’s startled voice pulled me from the depths of slumber.

  Oh shit! Despite the open drapes, blackness filled the suite. “Fuck! What time is it?”

  “It’s after midnight.”

  My head spun as I threw back the covers, ru
shed from the bed, and searched for my clothes. “I need to go.”

  “Where’s your car?”

  My car? “Fuck! It’s at the hospital.”

  Brody reached for my hand, his words slow in comparison to the mayhem in my sleep-dizzy mind. “It’s all right. If he questions you, tell him you were at the hospital with Val.” Brody reached for his slacks and continued, “You two were discussing the new cancer clinics when she was called to help with an emergency. You fell asleep waiting for her to return.”

  My eyes widened as I secured my dress. “That’s good. I just need to get Val on board.”

  “Will she be?”

  I shrugged. “She’s my sister. We look out for one another.”

  “Let me drive you to the hospital.”

  Nodding, I reached for my purse and pulled out my phone: two missed calls from Travis. It figured. If it weren’t Stewart, it was his informant: his eyes and ears. Oh, well. I would deal with it in the morning. There was nothing I could do now.

  As we walked toward Brody’s car, I asked, “How did you come up with that alibi so fast?”

  “Why, Mrs. Harrington, I’m your attorney. It’s my job.”

  “MISS CONWAY?”

  Travis, the man who’d come to get me, had moved without my realizing it, walking toward an elevator. Hurriedly, I stepped to catch up to him, reaching him just as the doors opened. The control panel held only one button: PH, which I assumed meant penthouse. A million questions swirled through my mind, but from my limited experience, I didn’t believe that this driver would be the one with the answers.

  Since I’d agreed to attend this meeting that my parents had arranged, I’d been given no more information. All I’d received was the outfit to wear with a note telling me that my presence was imperative for all of our futures.

  Attempting to hide my uneasiness, I did my best to appear calm and stay quiet in the small, uncomfortable space as the elevator ascended toward our destination. When the doors opened, the most stunning view and exquisitely decorated living room was before me. The tall windows illuminated the room, overpowering the light-colored furnishings with the intense blue of the sky and sea.

  “Thank you, Travis, I’ll take Miss Conway from here.”

  I turned toward the woman’s voice. About my mother’s age with short blonde hair and soft blue eyes, she didn’t give me the same uncomfortable feeling I felt from Travis. Before I could speak, she reached for my hand. “Welcome, Miss Conway. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Lisa. If I can be of any assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “I’m sorry, Lisa, where am I? Whom am I supposed to meet?”

  Her eyes opened wide. “Miss Conway, you’re here to see Mr. Harrington. We’re in his Miami penthouse. Surely you recognize the city through the windows.”

  My heartbeat approached a normal cadence with her honesty, and I glanced again toward the windows. “Yes, I recognize the city. I just didn’t know where in the city I’d been brought.”

  Her expression softened as she asked, “Would you like to freshen up before seeing Mr. Harrington? If not, he is ready to see you.”

  Lowering my voice, I asked, “Lisa, who is Mr. Harrington, and why does he want to see me?”

  Concern danced across her expression. “Miss Conway, I’m not sure why you haven’t been informed. Perhaps it would be better for Mr. Harrington to explain.” She squeezed my hand. “After you speak with him, I’ll gladly help clarify anything I can for you.”

  Uncertainty and apprehension twisted in my empty stomach. I was suddenly happy that I hadn’t eaten. Swallowing the growing lump in my throat, I squared my shoulders, and replied, “I believe I’m ready to see Mr. Harrington.”

  “You look lovely, dear. Let me show you to his office.”

  I followed as Lisa led me through the large white living room. Lush green plants and accents in the hue of blue complemented the tile floor and white leather furniture. With the color of the ocean outside of the windows, it all flowed together beautifully. The tile changed in shape as we approached a long hallway. I couldn’t help but wonder how big the penthouse was; however, before I could give it much thought, Lisa paused. Looking me in the eye, she whispered, “Harrington Spas and Suites, International. Perhaps you weren’t to know that yet, but I believe it would be beneficial for you to know whom you’re dealing with.”

  Before I could respond, she turned away and knocked on the door. My mind was a blur. Of course I’d heard of Harrington Spas and Suites: it was one of the most exclusive hotel chains in the country, probably the world, since Lisa had said international. The main reason I knew about it was that my stepfather Randall’s medical practice had an exclusive contract with the Miami Harrington location. According to my mother, it was a very sought-after account. The fact that Randall had been involved in securing the partnership was an accomplishment that my mother felt the need to flaunt at one of our rare dinners.

  I also remembered hearing something about Harrington Suites in one of my classes. The academy that I attended prided itself on its college-preparatory classes. An introduction to business was essential for the children of the elite. In one of those classes I recalled a discussion about transitions in business and the repercussions when a family-owned business was passed from one member to the next. As I recalled, Mr. Harrington’s father started the Harrington Suites a long time ago, but when he passed away, his son—the man behind the door—inherited the controlling shares of the company. He created an uproar by wanting to modernize the already successful chain. There was more than a little trepidation on the part of the board of directors. Nevertheless, the younger Mr. Harrington stuck to his guns and included spas in all of the facilities. From what I’d read, they were remarkable top-of-the-line spas.

  As I heard the greeting of come in from behind the door, I tried to remember the news reports I’d seen and the biography I’d been required to read. Funny, at the time it didn’t seem important. Now, I’d give anything to have retained more. I did recall reading that the younger Mr. Harrington grew up with the world at his fingertips and had quite the reputation for living life to its fullest. I also thought I remembered that his wife passed away at a relatively young age. Nevertheless, by today’s standards, they’d been married for a while.

  When the door opened, I stood dumbfounded. That was Mr. Harrington? I’d expected him to be older. It wasn’t that he was young, like me, but I was expecting ancient. He looked like he was perhaps forty, give or take a few years. He definitely looked younger than my parents, and my mother spent a lot of money and time with her plastic surgeon to look as young as she could. Immediately, his gaze went to me and a grin came to his lips. “Miss Conway, Victoria…” He extended his hand as he came around his desk. “…I’m so glad we were able to make this work.”

  I took in his casual attire—jeans and white t-shirt—and suddenly felt overdressed. Though the heels gave me height, with each step he took toward me, I felt smaller and smaller. Next to him, my five-foot-six-inch frame was dwarfed. He had all the tell-tale signs of a man who lived in Miami, the sun-kissed skin and blonde hair.

  Yet, all I could wonder was why on earth would this well-known business owner want to see me?

  Slowly I accepted his hand and looked down. Instead of shaking mine as I’d expected, his grasp lingered. The warmth of his touch was in stark contrast to the cooled air within the penthouse suite. When I lifted my gaze, his deep-set blue eyes devoured me, as his grin broadened. My insides twisted again as the fine hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. Unabashed by my obvious trepidation, he leaned back and scanned me up and down.

  My discomfort grew with each passing second. With my hand still in his, I turned for help, looking for Lisa. Perhaps she’d show me some sign of support or reassurance. However, as I turned, all that I saw was the door as it closed, leaving me completely alone with this man I didn’t know. Summoning any strength I could find, I worked to articulate without fainting. “Mr. Harrington, I?
??m afraid I don’t know why I’m here.”

  His mouth twitched as he cocked one brow. “Miss Conway, is it usual for you to frequent unknown places for unknown reasons?”

  Was he amused by my discomfort?

  Freeing my hand, I gripped my purse and squared my shoulders. “No, Mr. Harrington, it is not. As a matter of fact, I’m a bit uncomfortable. Please tell me what this is about or I will leave.”

  “I believe you should hear me out.” He gestured toward me. “I mean, look at how beautiful you look. You’re all dressed up.”

  Blood rushed to my cheeks.

  He stepped back and casually leaned against his desk. “Let’s start with you calling me Stewart. Formalities seem unnecessary.”

  Unconsciously, I closed my eyes and sucked in my lower lip. My body trembled with uneasiness as I tried to understand what was happening. Before I could speak, Stewart cupped my chin and lifted my eyes towards his.

  His ease with touching me made me even more uncomfortable. I stepped back and replied, “Stewart, I don’t know—”

  His tenor dropped. “Victoria, your parents and I have discussed an agreement to resolve a situation they seem to have gotten themselves into. I find it interesting that they apparently didn’t feel it was necessary to fill you in on your role.”

  I did my best to remain stoic, mistakenly believing that I could no longer be surprised by my parents’ actions.

  He continued, “They have arranged for you to settle their debt for them.”

  Settle their debt? “I don’t know what you mean… I don’t have money…”

  My words trailed away as he once again secured my hand and led me to a sofa: one that I’d not even noticed until that moment. Once we were seated, he said, “Victoria, we are to wed.”

  “What?!” I pulled my hand away. “I’m not marrying anyone. I haven’t even graduated from high school.” Stewart was almost as old as my parents. There was no way in hell I was marrying him or doing anything else with him.