Page 28

But she never made a big deal out of it, and she never made me feel less than.

I showed her the glass of red wine I poured myself. The rest of the cheap bottle was in front of me. I had gotten it one hour before at the nearest liquor store.

“Heard hot-tubbing and drinking don’t mix well,” I said.

She leaned forward, turning the bottle so she could take a look at the label.

“Why didn’t you get something from the wine cellar?”

I didn’t know you had one.

Plus, even if I did, it just felt wrong to raid your alcohol like that.

But I chose to keep that to myself and instead went with, “There was a sale.”

She grimaced and stood up without another word. When she returned, she was holding two glasses of red and offered me one.

I hesitated before placing mine on the table and grabbing hers.

When I took a swig, I immediately tasted the difference. Dry. Fruity. And extremely smooth.

“Okay, this is much better.”

“There’s a few things I live by in this world. One of them is not wasting time drinking shitty alcohol.”

“And the other?” I asked, bringing the glass to my lips.

A smirk pulled at her lips.

“If I want something—I mean, truly want something—I won’t give up until I get it.”

Her eyes were trained on me, the meaning obvious.

Even with everything else going on, it was impossible to forget what happened between us earlier.

“Can I ask you something?”

I was immediately on alert, so I sat straighter before giving her a short nod.

“Mint chocolate chip, really?”

There was a pause before I snorted.

“Is that why you were looking at me like that in the ice cream shop?” I asked, unable to hold back my laughter.

The ice cream shop was cute, and our time there was mostly spent with Bella and me talking and sharing bits of each other’s ice cream. Lux didn’t get anything; she just stared at us with an expression I couldn’t make out.

“It’s an abomination,” she said casually and took a sip of her wine. “Just like that sorry excuse for wine you brought back. If you want to get drunk, let me know and I’ll get you the good stuff. Don’t waste your palate on that shit.”

I gave her a forced smile.

“I don’t like drinking,” I admitted. “Nor do I ever get drunk. I just wanted to… relax.”

She gave me a long look.

“Maybe you haven’t had the good stuff, so you don’t know you’ve been missing out. Some stuff is worth getting drunk on.”

Was there a double meaning there? I couldn’t tell. My head was buzzing, and not entirely because of the alcohol. Her presence had me on edge, and all I wanted to do was fall into her arms again. Forget everything other than us.

But that’s a bad idea and unethical , I reminded myself. She’s your boss.

“Actually… I told you my parents died. It was an accident. They were hit by a drunk driver,” I said. “I couldn’t ever really bring myself to drink much after that.”

Lux’s eyes fell to her wine.

“My sister died in an accident too. No one was drunk, though. Just a shitty driver who ran a red light. Luckily Bella was at school.”

I took another sip of my wine, hoping it would give me the courage to say what I needed to. But it didn’t. I was floundering on how to bring up the inevitable.

Lux beat me to it.

“They asked you to pay for her bills, didn’t they?”

I nodded, my eyes falling to the wine.

“Did you hear?”

“Only the volume,” she said. “Not the words.”

“She wanted my dirty money. My brother basically spilled everything he told me that night to my aunt. Neither is very proud of me.”

“Juliette.”

I looked up to meet her darkened gaze. She was looking at me that way again. The mix of seriousness and longing had me wanting to close the space between us and curl up against her.

“You are worth every penny I spent on you. More, even. If you asked me for another million—a fucking billion—I’d give it to you. And no one has the right to call you dirty.”

I swallowed thickly, the tears coming back. Why does she have to say all the right things?

“Do you understand me, Juliette?” she asked, her tone demanding my answer. “Don’t let anyone ever make you believe otherwise.”

“I understand, Lux.”

I had been confident inside that room, the anger pushing me to fight back. But now, after the fallout and feeling all the shitty emotions it brought up… My confidence was slowly being eaten away at.

I told her I understood, but the more time I had to think, the more I didn’t. The shame I felt when they attacked me was too much to bear, and suddenly I regretted ever going to that club.

In my heart, I know there was nothing wrong with it. I had a good time. Everything was consensual. What Lux wanted to spend her money on was her decision and hers alone.

But… Did I embarrass him? The look on my brother’s face when he put two and two together still felt like a punch to the gut.

I jumped when Lux’s hand brushed against my cheek.

I hadn’t heard her come over to my couch or felt her sit down until she was holding my face and forcing me to look at her.

“Try again, Angel,” she whispered. “I can see what’s going down in your mind.”

My grip tightened on the glass, and my stomach dropped when I realized I was displeasing her. All I wanted to do since I met her was to be a woman worthy of her praise.

“I just never thought he’d react like that,” I admitted in a whisper. “I thought that this was his way out. Like a miracle. You may not get it since you’re loaded, but this type of money was supposed to be life-changing. But somehow… I messed it all up.”

This time I didn’t bother to stop my tears.

Lux grabbed the glass and placed it on the table before wrapping her arms around me, enveloping me in her warmth and scent.

My body relaxed into her, and my tears sped up.

Every time she touched me, it was like a wrecking ball to all the carefully erected boundaries I’d raised throughout the years.

The ones that were supposed to protect me and keep people away.

Her hand found my hair, stroking it softly and just staying there while I cried out all the hurt.

Everything I’d done to give him a good life. Everything I’d done to live away from my aunt. Everything I’d done to survive. All of it had been weighing on me and came crashing down in that moment.

“You didn’t mess anything up, Juliette,” she whispered. “If he can’t see what you’re doing for him, that’s his problem. You’ve done enough.”

You’ve done enough.

Had I, though? Had I done everything I could to make sure he lived a good life? I felt like I hadn’t. Like I could have worked harder. Faster.

“You’ve done enough, Juliette,” she repeated. “You’ve done good. It’s time to rest.”

My crying slowed until I was just lying there, letting her hold me while I worked through it all.

She didn’t rush me. Didn’t try to push me away. We just sat there in silence.

“Okay,” I whispered and pulled away.

“Okay?” she asked, her eyes searching my face. “Repeat it back to me then.”

“No one has the right to call me dirty or make me feel like it.”

Her smile had my heart skipping in my chest.

“Perfect, Angel,” she praised. “Well, except for me, but in very different—very pleasurable—circumstances.”

Before I knew what I was doing, I was placing my lips on hers, my hands tangling in her hair. She let me push her back onto the couch. Her hands were on my hips, holding me steady as I straddled her, her fingers slipping through the loose fabric of my shorts.

She responded to my kiss with gentleness. I tried to attack her much like she did when she took charge, but she slowed us down, her hand moving to my neck, keeping me in place as she explored my mouth.

Her tongue flicked against mine, pulling a moan from me. Her gentleness was unlike anything I’d experienced before. And it was far more intoxicating than when we were going at each other.

This kiss felt like she was savoring me. Like she was trying to pour everything she said into it, forcing me to pause and take it in.

Lux was worshipping me with her mouth.

She pulled away, breathless.

“Take a seat on your throne, Angel. I want to taste you.”

My breath caught. We shouldn’t.

But I couldn’t stop myself even if I wanted to.

I wanted my boss. From the moment she bought me at the auction until now, my desire for her never wavered.

“Fuck it,” I whispered and did exactly as she told me to.

I climbed on top of her, placing my knees on either side of her head. She did the work of pushing my flimsy shorts to the side, and slowly, I took my seat.

Her lips attacked me. From my clit to my entrance, there wasn’t a single inch she neglected. Within minutes, she had me shaking.

My hands on the armrest kept me steady. As I felt heat coil inside me, I threw my head back, looking at the countless number of stars above us. When looking at just how massive the sky was, I felt so small, but the feelings I had for her felt too big to squash down.

This was more than just sex. Just like always, she was treating me like a queen. Like someone worthy of her full and undivided attention. Like someone whose pleasure was just as, if not more, important as her own.

She made me feel like the center of her world, and I drank it in greedily. I jerked my hips against her, riding her tongue like I was owed the pleasure. This time, I took, and she generously gave me everything she had.

“Lux,” I moaned, my hands coming to my nipples.

She hummed against my folds, her tongue running back up to my clit before she was spearing me again.

“I’m coming,” I gasped as I felt my core clench. She didn’t let up. She kept going, letting me jerk against her as I rode out my orgasm. But I couldn’t get enough, and apparently neither could she.

As soon as I came down from my high, she was pushing me back against the couch, climbing on top of me, her lips coming to my neck.

“Say you’ll be mine, Juliette,” she breathed. “I can’t take another day without knowing if I have you or not. It’s killing me.”

Her tongue ran up the length of my neck, and she pulled back to look me in the eyes. I placed my hand on her cheek.

“It’s an awful idea,” I whispered.

“I’ve never been very smart,” she joked, but we both knew it was a lie. I couldn’t help but smile at her in response.

“I’m already yours, Lux. Have been since you first bid on me.”

She let out a breath, and I caught sight of the twinkle in her eyes before she was kissing me.

“Mine. Mine. ”

I gasped as her fingers found my cunt.

“ Yours ,” I vowed and fell into the ocean of pleasure she promised me.