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While my hand stays busy below, I reluctantly raise my head from her lips. Allowing her to catch her breath before I immediately cover her lips again, sliding my tongue against hers to cover her soft whimpers. She’s like a drug, and I can’t seem to get enough of her, leaning even more of my weight against her, keeping her pinned in place.
I know I should stop, but I’m too far gone, my fingers slipping under the slim barrier of her silk panties and finding her wet and aching for me. Without slowing, I press a finger deep inside her, then another, pumping into her as I bring her to the edge of her desire. As my lips release hers, she lifts her head back, her eyes closed and I watch as her face flushes in the dim light. I continue to work her, knowing she’s close—wanting to see her face when she comes.
Her breathing grows harsh, and then I feel her clamp down on my fingers, but I continue to finger fuck her until she comes on my hand. A shudder coursing through her body. As I hold her, there’s a sudden hollow sound in the distance. A door to the stairwell opens and then closes, harshly startling us both back to an awareness of our surroundings.
Lila’s eyes suddenly fly open, and when she finds me staring directly into her eyes, her face flushes an even deeper red as she pulls herself angrily out of my arms. Without looking at me shesilently straightens her gown. Then she lifts her chin, glancing around the dimly lit stairwell before she turns and opens the door, cautiously checking the hallway. Without another word or look in my direction, she sweeps regally out of the stairwell and into the hall. I watch her as she heads silently back to the powder room.
I stand there for a moment or two, hating myself for that brief look of shame that covered her face. Whether from allowing me to touch her so intimately in a public place or the fact that my girlfriend is somewhere in the next room, I’m not sure.
Glancing around in distaste at the grimy stairwell and the marked-up walls. A sudden thought hits me, and my heart thuds loudly in my ears as I glance hurriedly toward the ceiling, checking for cameras. Not seeing any monitoring devices, I gratefully let out the horrified breath I’m holding.
Finally, convincing myself I’ve waited long enough, I warily step into the hallway and walk casually toward the men’s room. When I stride back into the ballroom a few minutes later, I find Crystal waiting impatiently by the bar. As I approach her, my eyes discreetly search the room for another woman—Lila, but I don’t find her anywhere. She’s gone.
“There you are, Luke,” Crystal says stiffly, allowing me to see her displeasure. “I was wondering where you’d gone.”
“Sorry. Did you get a chance to talk to the Prestons?” I ask her, knowing that will take her mind off my disappearance.
She smiles. “Yes, they invited us to dinner…”
Crystal continues to tell me about her conversation with the Prestons, but my mind is on Lila. I didn’t mean for things to go that far. But remembering the look on her face, how responsive she was, and the way she felt in my arms—I don’t regret it. None of it.
Glimpsing a flash of blonde hair, my chest tightens. It’s Lila. She’s talking quietly with Emily and Kendrick at a corner table. She seems almost subdued; gone is her cheerful, bubbly disposition. The way she animatedly talks with her hands. Instead, she holds herself stiffly, her shoulders slumped, keeping her eyes carefully averted, and I hate myself a little more. Knowing I’m the one who did this to her—made her feel this way.
My eyes flick back to Crystal, and I give a cursory nod, still not registering a single word. I need to get out of this situation. Extricate myself from this ridiculous arrangement with Crystal and her father.
Knowing I can’t bail on my father or his company—but even he wouldn’t want me to abandon my convictions just to save thefamily business. Besides, who am I saving it for? I think with a bitter laugh. I don’t have any interest in the company. No, I’m doing this for my father and the employees. I don’t want his company to go under, not if I can help it.
I’m suddenly aware of Crystal looking at me and waiting for me to respond.
“What did you say?” I murmur, giving her my attention.
“I said, Daddy’s just trying to help.”
“Is that what you call it?”
She grabs my arm. “What he’s proposing could solve everything. Your father’s company would be safe, and we could be together—“
“Is that what you want?” I turn to face her. “Really? Or is it just what your father wants?”
Something flickers in her eyes—doubt, hope, or maybe even hurt. But it’s gone so fast I might have imagined it.
“What I want,” she says carefully, “is what’s best for everyone.”
I shake my head. “No. What you want is what’s best for Marcus Davidson.”
“Luke—“
“Are you about ready to go,” I cut her off. “Because I am. I just need to say goodbye to my friends.”
She insists on coming with me, of course. But her perfect facade is finally showing cracks. You’d never know it by the plastic smile on her face as she smiles sweetly and gives everyone a wave. Everyone but Lila who stiffly nods as we say our goodbyes. Not once meeting my eyes.
In the car, I grip the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white, trying to figure out how everything got so twisted.
I narrow my eyes, remembering Marcus’s words. Time is a luxury some can’t afford.
Two months—I have two months to figure out how to save my father’s company without selling my soul in the process.
Thirteen