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Chapter Sixteen

Ridge

Mistakes are a funny thing; in hindsight, you know what you should have done. Can it really be a mistake when it’s something you want so fucking badly, yet the mistake is because it goes against everything you believe in?

I should never have watched Aspen on the security cameras; it has become an obsession. She dances around my house in her underwear, cleaning, even though we have a housekeeper. I know she does it because she enjoys being watched; she is vocal about it, which only feeds my obsession.

I should never have watched her and Zeland fuck. It just made the itch worse. And I should definitely not have come down to observe her with Arlo. Seeing her like that—it took a lot of willpower not to step in and pull the mask from her face simply so I could see how she looks when she comes.

But these are all mistakes I can learn from.

“Are you ready?” Zeland asks, popping his head into my room as I pull my tie into place. I nod, though I can think of a hundred things I would rather do than attend Carmichael’s birthday party.

“Good, let’s get this party started.”

I don’t dignify that with a response. For Zeland, any excuse to party is all he needs. We walk downstairs together, and I shake my head at him in a tux with his stupid shoes. I still haven’t forgiven him for making me wear them to a meeting with Ford, which actually went surprisingly well. His girlfriend sat in the corner, whispering with Aspen, and I still haven’t asked what they were talking about, even though I watched discretely the entire time while one of her boyfriends, Zeph, explained a minor flaw in our security systems. He claims he found it by accident. Accident my ass—Ford has wanted to meet with me for a while, and he finally found a way to score one.

I pause at the top of the stairs, staring at Aspen, who stands at the bottom dressed in a tight black halter dress with a gold strip around the middle. Her hair is pulled into a high ponytail and her makeup gives her a seductive look. I blink a few times to disperse the lust.

“She looks fucking hot, right?”

I clear my throat. “You invited her? ”

“Of course I did—I’m not getting stuck with the snake. I told your father I had a date.”

“Will you two old ladies hurry already? Lenny is going to be there tonight, and we have things to talk about.”

“Lenny?” I ask Zeland, and he laughs.

“Elena—Ford’s girl.”

That weasel is using his woman to get to mine. No, not mine, but he knows what he’s doing and I don’t like it one bit.

“Calm down,” Zee whispers. “Lenny was just telling her how she met Ford and the others. It’s actually a funny story.”

“Don’t care,” I snap as I reach the bottom step. Zee pushes past me and takes Aspen by the arm, then leads her outside to where Malachi is waiting.

I need to get myself in check; I don’t lust after women—I barely ever fuck them. They are a complication I do not need, nor want. Yet day by day Aspen gets under my fucking skin. She is an enigma—one I want to break apart, then put back together just to see how everything fits. And I really don’t like not knowing what makes a person tick, especially when they are close to me. It leaves me vulnerable, and that makes you weak.

Zee helps Aspen into the limo, and I slide in after them. I pull out my phone and mindlessly scroll through all my unopened emails to stop myself from staring as Zee tips champagne into Aspen’s mouth. They both laugh, and as I look up, Zee is licking the liquid from the side of her neck. I’m not jealous—if I want Zee, he’ll come running, but it takes everything in me not to spread her legs and feast before we arrive as I try not to wonder how she would feel beneath me.

With a shake of my head, I look back down at my phone. I’m Ridge Ellington, and I do not fantasize about strays in the back of limos—that is not who I am. People fall at my feet and beg for whatever scraps I’m willing to give them.

Malachi pulls up to the obnoxious mansion that Carmichael lives in, where everything is over the top, and I know tonight it’s going to be so much worse.

“Holy fuck,” Aspen whispers as we wait in line to be let out. “Is someone here royalty? They have a red carpet and photographers.”

“That would be the she-devil’s doing. Calling in the paps to make her feel more special than she is.”

“Zeland,” I snap. “You know that’s not true. They’re an influential family, and it comes with the territory.”

Zee rolls his eyes as we pull up, and someone opens my door. I step out to find Genevieve waiting and her smile widens. I give her a brief one back before Aspen slides closer to the door. I reach for her hand to steady her as she steps out of the limo—nothing more—but the second our skin connects, a sharp current runs through me, hot and unwanted. Her fingers are soft, warm, and too damn right. Cameras flash around us, and the paparazzi call my name, but for a split second, all I feel is her. I should let go. I should step back. Instead, my grip tightens, just slightly, like some part of me isn’t ready to lose the contact between us. It’s nothing, it has to be, but as she looks up at me, her eyes catching the lights, I already know I’m in trouble.

“Mr. Ellington, who is your date tonight?”

“Is she your new girlfriend?”

“Are the rumors true? Are you going to ask Miss Lancaster to marry you?”

Zee slips out behind us and stands on the other side of Aspen, posing for the cameras with his toothy smile.

Aspen squeezes my hand but doesn’t let go. Her fingers become clammy, and I know she is panicking a little. Leaning in closer, I whisper, “Just keep your head up and follow my lead. Inside it will be quieter.” She nods and points her chin up. “Good girl.”

She shivers and Zee chuckles. “I’m going to find the bar, then be right back. Keep an eye on Aspen.”

With that, he takes off, leaving me in the path of Genevieve.

“Ridge, daddy has been waiting for you to arrive.”

I’m sure he hasn’t. Genevieve looks Aspen up and down, and one thing I really fucking hate is a judgmental woman.

Aspen smiles as she looks at Genevieve. “You look beautiful.”

Genevieve scoffs. “This old thing? Why don’t you go mingle with the rich and powerful while you have the chance, so Ridge and I?—”

“Do not speak to my date like that. She will not go mingle with those old men who take advantage of women just because they have money.” I don’t mean for my tone to come out the way it does, and even Genevieve is shocked.

“I thought she was a cheap date Zeland brought along so your father couldn’t push him toward the eligible women.”

“Well, you thought wrong. Clearly, if he had, she would be on his arm and not mine. Now if you’ll excuse me, I would like to get my date a drink and find our table. Tell your father I will speak to him as soon as I’m free.” We then move past Genevieve and walk into the house.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Aspen whispers.

“I know I didn’t, stray. Zee has claimed you, and by default, you get my protection. What’s mine is his, and what’s his is mine.”

“Oh,” she squeaks.

Men and women I don’t know or don’t remember say hello as we walk through the mansion and into the ballroom. The women look down on Aspen and the men look at her like a piece of meat. The dress she is wearing isn’t as expensive as what the women here are used to, so they see her as cheap and not worthy of their time, while the men see her as an easy target. I know they are all wondering why she is holding my hand and not Zee’s—he is notorious for bringing working girls to these parties. He likes the theatrics of keeping these snobby assholes on their toes. He doesn’t want to marry a woman whose only life goal is to find a wealthy husband and tend to his every need.

The celebration drags on and I have kept Aspen in sight all night; she has spent most of it laughing with Elena. Zee has drunk his body weight in alcohol, as he normally does when we attend a fancy party. Aspen has paced herself, which is not what I was expecting. She smiles politely when anyone approaches her and starts up a conversation, but no one has dared to touch her. They all believe she is mine and that thought burns in my chest.

When Zee teases the buttons on his shirt, I know it’s time to go before he gets naked—he has no qualms about being front-page news tomorrow morning.

Aspen finds me as I’m saying goodbye to Carmichael, linking her arm with mine, and she pushes up on her toes to whisper in my ear. “I think we should go. Zeland just mentioned swimming in the water feature outside.”

I smirk. “Carmichael, it was lovely celebrating your birthday. We need to catch up for a round of golf soon.”

“I will get my secretary to call yours and set something up.”

I nod in response, then we hurry outside, where we find Zee shrugging off his shirt, and Aspen runs over to him. “How about we save getting naked for when we get home?”

“You wanna see me naked?” he slurs, and she laughs.

“I think most women would like to see you naked, Zeland. It just might not be ideal for the front-page news.”

“You’re right. And imagine if the water is cold and I get shrinkage. Can’t have that.”

I snort as I grab my best friend, and he wraps an arm around my shoulder. “You stole my date,” he practically yells, and I shush him. He then attempts to whisper, “I know you like her, and guess what? I think she likes you back.”

I look over at Aspen, but her expression gives nothing away. She walks over to the limo as Malachi pulls up and opens the door so I can get a very drunk Zee into the back. Once we have him inside, he sings Hakuna Matata, repeating the same part over and over, and by the time we reach the front of our house, Aspen is rubbing her temples. Malachi pulls a now thankfully snoring Zee from the limo, somehow managing to scoop the big idiot up bridal style, and walks him into the house.

Aspen scoots over and I help her from the limo again and our eyes connect. “Thank you for letting me come tonight. It was insightful to see how the other side lives.”

“And was it everything you expected?” I ask as we walk up the front steps.

She snorts. “Yes and no. I would much prefer a bar. It was nice to feel like Cinderella for a night, but I’m ready to lose my glass slippers. I want to check on Zeland first, and make sure he isn’t drowning in his own vomit, if that’s okay.”

“You don’t need to ask my permission when it comes to him, stray. He’s his own man.”

She ascends the stairs before me and my mind drifts to taking her and fucking her right here, but I behave.

“I know, but I feel like I’m doing something wrong when it comes to him because I know he’s yours. You may say he isn’t, but I can see the truth. ”

She reaches the top of the stairs and I grab her ponytail, using it to pull her back into my body.

“He is mine, but I don’t mind sharing him with you and your new little pet.”

She twists around and pushes me in the chest. With the couple of drinks under my belt, I stumble and fall into the armchair that sits here on the side of the landing for decoration. I go to stand up, but she uses her heel to keep me pinned. I sink back into the chair, my pulse a slow, dark thrum as Aspen presses the sharp point of her heel against my chest. She’s testing me, pushing just enough to remind me she’s in control, for now.

My hands find her ankle, and my fingers skim over soft skin as I drag them up, slow and deliberate. I want her to feel what I feel.

I could rip her shoe off and make this a power struggle. Instead, I move forward and press a kiss just above the strap. Then another, higher this time, my lips barely brushing her calf as I unbuckle the heel with infuriating patience. Her breath catches, so quiet I almost miss it. When I finally pull her shoe free, I glance up at her. “Will you wear the mask for me?”

She tilts her head, a wicked smile curving her lips. “Will you get on your knees for me?”

“If that is what you desire. But make no mistake, I am going to fuck you.”

Pushing her foot down, I slide from the chair and kneel before her, undoing her other heel and sliding it off her foot, then discarding it beside the other. “I have no issue getting on my knees if I get to taste your wet little cunt.”

Pulling her dress up over her hips, I lean forward and press my nose to her pussy. It’s covered by only a very thin scrap of lace and I nip at her through the material.

She squeals as I stand and lift her straight over my shoulder. Having a moment where I say “fuck it” is huge for me, but I need to be inside her, to get her out of my system so I can think straight again.

Striding for my room, I make a pit stop and open Zee’s door. His head hangs off the side of his bed and it looks like Malachi has put a wastepaper basket beside him just in case. I swipe the duffle bag beside the entrance and quietly shut his door.

“Ridge,” she giggles. “Put me down, my ass is hanging out.”

Holding her over my shoulder, I squeeze the flesh on her perfectly round ass. Once we are in my room, I kick the door closed, slip off my shoes, and slide her down my body. She takes the duffle bag from me and pulls out her mask, dropping the rest to the floor as she slides it over her head. Her dress is still up around her waist, but fuck she looks hot. I almost wish I had left her heels on. She turns her attention to me, flicking her mask on, then she reaches forward and pulls my shirt from my slacks, slowly unbuttoning it.

The smell of her perfume lingers between us, and I lean forward to grab the back of her neck, pressing my nose against her skin. Her smell is intoxicating—a combination of peaches, strawberries, and something sweet like sugar.

I run my nose up the column of her neck and suck her earlobe into my mouth. “I’m going to get on my knees for you, Aspen.”

She shivers when I say her name. I call her stray most of the time, but it’s more so I keep a line drawn between us, one I have bulldozed tonight.

Sinking to my knees with my shirt wide open, I clench my teeth as my cock presses hard against my zipper.

She looks down at me with her glow mask and I wish I could see the fire in her eyes. As I run my hands up her left leg, I lift it and help her put it over my shoulder. Wrapping my arms around her ass, I pull her closer to me, and that small scrap of material is now the only thing between us. Smelling her again makes my mouth water. I move it to the side and tease her pussy lips before dipping my tongue between them. She is so wet. I want to bend her over my custom-made bed, built to my height, and that makes it all the better for fucking.

Aspen moans and runs her fingers through my hair, pulling at the strands as I suck on her clit. “Fuck, Ridge, I need you inside me.”

She doesn’t have to ask twice. I pull back and slide her leg down before standing.

“Ass up on the edge of the bed,” I demand.

“Oh no, you’re not calling the shots tonight. You up on the bed, and get your cock out.”

I smirk at her as I shrug my shirt from my shoulders, undoing the cuff links and dropping them to the floor before unfastening my belt. Aspen watches as I waste no time getting naked. She doesn’t shy away, taking in my naked form, and I feel her eyes roaming over my thick cock from behind her mask. I lie flat on the bed, my back against the plush sheets.

Aspen climbs up with her dress around her waist and pulls her thong to one side as she straddles my waist. In seconds she has her cunt lined up with my cock, then sinks down, and it’s pure torture how slowly she moves. I want to grip her hips and thrust up hard inside her, but she wants to be in charge.

Her movements are slow but measured, gliding all the way up my length before slipping back down. Her nails dig into my chest as she captures her rhythm, leaning back as she rides me, bucking her clit into me with each movement.

“Your cock is huge. I can feel you everywhere.”

I let her believe she is in charge. Let her ride me and try to make me come. Her speed picks up and I pull at the front of her dress, ripping the halter straight from her neck and releasing her tits. They are small but fucking perfect. Lifting the top half of my body, I pull her chest to mine, and any last shred of control I thought I had snaps. My fingers twist in her hair, tilting her head back just enough to make her gasp. That sound wrecks me.

I remove her mask and throw it to the floor, then I don’t ease into the kiss, I take it. My mouth crashes against hers, hot and desperate, dragging a low moan from her as I pull her even closer. Her nails bite into my shoulders, but I don’t care, I want her pressed against me, lost in this—in me. I angle deeper, tasting her, teasing her, until she’s breathless and trembling in my hands. When I finally pull back, just enough to let her catch her breath, her lips are swollen and her eyes dark with lust. I’m not done, though. Not even close.

Lifting her from my lap, I flip her onto her knees and slide her toward the edge. I get off my bed and line her up with my cock. Perfect, like she was the one made for this bed. As I thrust deep inside her, she screams my name, so I pull back and repeat the action, needing to hear her again and again.

“Ridge, fuck me hard, please.”

I oblige, fucking her hard and fast until her screams are a jumbled mess of words and her cunt squeezes me as she comes. She is so fucking wet I feel my balls tighten. I lean over her and wrap my hand around her throat, my thrusts short and sharp until I come.

Pulling out, I shiver when I see my cum leak from her pussy. I want to push it back inside her, hold my claim on her, but the daunting reality is that she isn’t mine and she never can be. She collapses on the bed and I fall beside her. Then I drag her up the bed with me and pull her into my body. At least I can pretend for a few hours.