Resist

Jess stares at me with wide eyes, her jaw dropping. She shoves the bottle to my chest and drags me to the kitchen.

“Talk. Tell me everything. Don’t leave out a single detail,” she demands, slipping onto one of the three funky red stools I picked up on sale at Home Depot. “Did he fire you? Was he angry? Tell me, dammit!”

“I will if you let me get a word in,” I say with a laugh. I reach up into the cupboard above my head and retrieve two wineglasses. “He’s an intense guy, I’ll tell you that much. He went out of his way to put me in a very compromising position before confronting me.” I shiver, thinking back to how turned on I was with him in control. He could’ve done anything to me and I’d have probably let him….

“Char?” Jess waves her hand in front of my face. I blush and push her glass across the counter. “So, I have to know: Is he as rough and kinky as I imagine in my dreams?”

“Probably more,” I giggle. “I can’t even describe how good the sex is….” I shake my head. “Anyway, back to the story. I thought he was going to fire me—or worse. But he didn’t. He offered me a deal. He’ll give me an exclusive if I help him bring Ryan down.”

“An exclusive?” Jess repeats, impressed. “Holy shit, that’s better than you could’ve imagined. Why aren’t you thrilled?”

“I am,” I say. I hesitate, wondering how much I should tell her. “If you think Jaxon is intimidating, you should meet Ryan. I’m supposed to get him to confess to something he did a long time ago, only I have no idea how to do that.”

“Sex.” She says it so matter-of-factly that I laugh. Sex is the answer to everything for Jess. “You don’t have to sleep with him; just make him think it’s on the table,” she insists. “Trust me. All guys lose their ability to think when the prospect of pussy is presented to them.”

I groan at her crudeness, but she may have a point. I don’t really have any other ideas, anyway. Jaxon seemed pretty sure seducing Ryan wouldn’t work, but what if it does?

Jess stays for another few hours, hanging on my every word as I spill the beans on Jaxon Murphy. As good as it feels to talk to someone about him, it doesn’t help me understand our relationship any better. How I feel when I’m around him is still as confusing as ever.

—

I spend most of the next two days thinking about how much my career is worth. How far will I go to get this story? Failing isn’t an option. Jaxon has made that much clear. I’m lucky to have gotten off so lightly, considering the extent of my lies.

I book myself a massage and pedicure to try to take my mind off things. Not that it works. But I’m relaxed and motivated enough afterward to do some research on Ryan, trying to find anything that might link him to Jaxon’s parents. I’m not surprised when I come up empty. I shoot Erren an email to see if he knows anything.

By the time I’m due to go back to Jaxon, I at least feel capable of doing what he’s asking of me. Erren gets back to me with some interesting information, but nothing concrete. Ryan was investigated for fraud two years ago after some gambling debts got out of control. Nothing was proved, nor were any charges filed.

Ryan is a bad guy who deserves whatever Jaxon does to him once he has the proof he needs. That’s what I’m telling myself, anyway. I’m ignoring the logical part of my brain that keeps asking, Is Jaxon really any better than Ryan?

—

It’s late Sunday night when I arrive back at the mansion. There’s no sign of Jaxon, and I’m disappointed. Marina, as usual, is around. Again I find myself wondering what her deal is. She seems to have her nose in everything.

I decide to take advantage of Jaxon’s absence and have an early night. I curl up in my bed with a book and spend the next few hours reading. It’s after three when I finally put the book down and turn the lamp off. So much for an early night.

Yawning, I roll over and cocoon myself in the covers. My mind shifts to Jaxon, a tingle racing through me as I think about him. The way he made me his the other night took my breath away. Voyeurism is not something I’ve ever experienced or thought I’d enjoy, but there was something about his taking me with all those men watching. I felt empowered. If that was supposed to be some kind of punishment for lying to him, I’ll have to betray him more often. I can’t help but wonder what’s next. Every day I experience something new with him, things I thought were beyond me.

Everything about Jaxon is different from anything I’ve experienced before. He couldn’t be more the opposite of Nick if he tried. There was a time I thought I was in love with Nick, but now I wonder if I was in love with him or just loved the idea of him. What I’m finding myself feeling for Jaxon surpasses anything I’ve ever felt for anyone before.

Sighing, I squirm as my hand travels down past my navel. I close my eyes and imagine he’s here, that it’s his hand creeping under the thin silk fabric of my nightdress instead of my own.

I exhale, my finger running along my opening. Warmth rushes through me as I slide a finger inside myself. I’m so wet, thinking about him. What could he ask me to do that I’d refuse? Nothing, because so long as it involves him, I want it.

My finger moves inside me faster as my legs begin to tense. I bite my lip, imagining that I’m sliding my mouth over his cock. God, the look in his eyes when he touched me made me feel so damn sexy, like no other woman in the world could compare to me. That’s how I want to make him feel. I want him to want only me. I want to believe that I alone can satisfy him.

“God,” I whisper, my body convulsing. My back arches as I begin to climax. My body aches for him, every touch making me wish for him even more. Rolling over, I snuggle into my pillow, trying to catch my breath.

As the will to sleep overcomes me, I struggle to keep my eyes open, eventually giving in. I drift off to sleep, thoughts of Jaxon with me, inside me, filling my head until I can no longer distinguish between what’s real and what I’m dreaming.

Chapter 21

Jaxon

The knock on my office door drags me out of my own little world that I’ve been locked in all day. I work hard to ensure that Ryan has no reason to question my ability to run the company, because I know even the slightest bit of slacking off on my part would make his fucking day. And I want to be prepared for his unmasking; once Charlotte’s story hits the news, Ryan will be gone. Besides, I relish the fact that I do my job so fucking well that I can see in his face how much it annoys him.

“Come in,” I call. The door swings open and Ryan waltzes in, hands in his pockets.

Speaking of the son of a bitch.