Page 29 of High Rise Secrets
He presses himself closer, and my chest grazes him every time I breathe in.God, he smells good.We seem to be in a stare-off, and I refuse to go down without a fight. I didn’t get where I am today because I’m chicken shit. I press my hands against his chest and try to push him away, but he’s faster. He grabs my hands, spins me around, and pins me chest first against the door, pinning my hands behind me.
Oh my God, I’m soaked. This Ethan is so freaking sexy.“Ethan, get off me,” I warn half-heartedly. He slides his leg between mine and pins me against the door with his body.
“You know, I thought we would have had a nice morning, but you took off in the middle of the night, just like Cinderella. You even left your shoes.”God, this is so damn hot.I rock my hips over his thigh, needing to feel just an ounce of relief, and he groans. “That’s not fair, Addison.”
“You started it.”
He pulls away and walks to his desk, leaving me breathless and against the door. I tuck some hair behind my ear and turn to face him. I roll my eyes when I see him leaning against the edge, looking smug.
“What do you want?”
He studies me for a minute before finally answering. “You.”
I swear I stop breathing the moment he says it. How can one simple word hold so much weight?
“There are rules—”
“I wrote them, and I can change them.” He walks back over to me but gives me a little more space. It’s like he can’t stay away from me. He takes my hands in his. “You’re the only girl I’ve thought of in the past nine years, Addy. Now that I know your secret, it all makes sense.” He chuckles and shakes his head, looking down. “I feel like such an idiot for not seeing it.”
This whole thing seems like a dream.“Why not come for me sooner? Why did I have to share this secret to get your attention?”
I’m breathless. I’ve wanted Ethan since day one, so to hear he feels the same way is surreal. I figured I could get close to him and that would be enough. I could see him happy, and help make his life and job easier. After hearing him tell me that he wants me, I know I’ve been fooling myself. I’ve been using the club and sex as a crutch for my true desires—him.
He rubs the back of his neck, and the tick makes him look like a teenage boy. It’s endearing. “I was scared. Scared of what my family would think, the board, all of it.”
“Because I’m a stripper.” It’s not a question. I already know his answer.
He nods, but the look behind his brown eyes tells me he’s ashamed to admit it.
I get it. I’ve had one boyfriend since I started stripping, and he broke up with me over something similar. He told me he would never be able to introduce me to his friends or family because of my job. What he didn’t know—what no one knows except the girls—is I didn’t have a choice. Vince blacklisted me everywhere in town.
I was already such a burden on my aunt and uncle after I lost my entire family in the fire; I couldn’t ask them for money. I couldn’t ask them to keep trying to take care of me, and I knew if stripping was the only way to make it happen, so be it. The tips weren’t bad, and as long as I was willing to do private shows, I made decent money to help pay for my degree.
I was able to pile it away and then worked my ass off to get my MBA in only five years. It was hard work, but I don’t regret it. By that time,RISEwas up and running, and all of us girls had learned a thing or two about running a business and keeping the girls safe. It’s so different than what we had before.
When I was atThe Devil’s Playground, nothing was off-limits. I was one of Mr. Perelli’s birdies, and he liked to showcase us girls. We were the youngest ones there, and to be honest, I’m not even sure half of what he did was legal. If a customer wanted a private dance, which included a bit more, we were told to make them happy, not to say no.
My first ever private dance was with Ethan. Eden gave me a pill to slip into his drink if he started doing anything I didn’t like. I was so nervous walking into the room, but when I saw it was him, I relaxed. He was so kind to me that night, and that’s when it all started. The high I receive from the private shows and sleeping with men is unlike any other.
I took more private dances than the other girls, knowing how badly I wanted to finish school and find my way to working at Ethan’s office. Plus, those dances taught me what I wanted in a lover, what kinks interested me, and what I didn’t like.
Sex has been an outlet ever since, my drug of choice. I use it as a stress reliever. Eventually, I started using men because it was fun.Who says only men can enjoy sex?
“Then you started working for me. My dad fucked up his marriage by sleeping with his assistant,” he scoffs. “Who knows how many other girls he’s slept with, and I knew I couldn’t get involved with someone I work with. It’s been killing me. I want you so fucking bad my whole body aches.”
He slides his hand around my waist, pulling me to him when I don’t supply an answer. He dips his head, letting his breath fan across my face. There’s a magnetic pull between us that’s so strong, I’m not sure I’d ever be able to break it, even if I wanted to. His lips graze mine, seeking permission, and I give in. I’m not strong enough to fight this attraction, this sexual chemistry between us any longer. I’ve fought too long to keep my feelings hidden from this man, and I’m not going to do it anymore.
“I want you, Ethan,” I moan into the kiss.
His hand squeezes my waist as he holds me flush against his body, deepening the kiss. His tongue dances with mine as we take the time to explore one another, neither of us in a rush to stop. This is heaven and hell rolled together. My body and brain wage a war with one another, and my heart doesn’t give a damn.
Chapter 18
Ethan
Vivid images of pushing Addy over my desk and fucking her into oblivion have me so hard. If I don’t relieve this pressure soon, I’m going to come standing here. I pull her with me, backing into the side of my desk. I break the kiss and spin her around, pushing between her shoulder blades until she’s bent at the waist over my desk.
“You’re going to hang on tight and not make a sound. I’m going to fuck you and then, tonight, you’re coming to my place for dinner. After that, I’m going to fuck you in my bed like I should have done on Friday night.”