Lust & Lies Box Set-Sexual Awakenings, Excess, Predator & Prey

He took a step toward me, his intention clear and evident in his pants. Our little exchange was turning him on. Either that or he thought he could manipulate me with sex. Not anymore.

“Fuck you,” I hissed, turning to open the door. He slapped his hand against it, stopping me, his body enclosing mine as he whispered in my ear. “What’s wrong, Nina? You want to be my Mrs.?”

“Never,” I said harshly. “I just want out, Devin.”

“You’ll never be out, Nina.”

I braved a look into his dark blue eyes and saw that look again: soft eyes paired with a gentle voice. It looked like concern. This man confused me to no end. I braced myself for his clean scent, the familiarity stirring me. My nipples tightened as he stood, still staring into my eyes. I mustered every last bit of resistance I had.

“What do you want, Devin?” He continued to stare at me, leaving me completely confused because I was sure that I had no effect on him. Had I really been that weak? He leaned in and very gently brushed his lips across mine. It had been so long I’d almost forgotten how gentle he once was with me.

“Please don’t…just don’t,” I begged, my resolve slipping slightly. I forced myself to remember everything that had transpired since the fateful day I walked in on him and his wife.

I can do this.

Devin seemed to catch on. His hand slid down the door as he pushed away and released me.

“Let yourself out, Devin. I have work to do,” I snapped, tearing my eyes away, too exhausted to fight him further.

He gripped my wrist and pulled me sharply to him. “Watch yourself, Nina.”

My lips parted in surprise. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means pay special attention to what you do next,” he said quietly. “You want to be free of me, fine,” he bit out as his fingers dug into my flesh. “But know you are on your own.”

“Get out of my house,” I said with a shaky voice. His grip loosened and that look returned, the look that told me he cared; the deceptive look that led me to this place. I let him see the very last tear I hoped to shed over him, and I felt his body visibly flinch though his face remained impassive.

“Goodbye, Nina.” He let go of me and quickly shut the door behind him. Tears threatened, but I was done. He had come into my life when I was vulnerable and looking for acceptance. At one time, he had treated me better than any man ever had, fucked me harder, and kissed me longer. But I could only swallow so much poison before I got sick. And that’s exactly what Devin was: poison packaged in a gorgeous smile and a mouth-watering cock. Our beginning was false, and our end was inevitable.

I decided against working the rest of the afternoon, tasking my assistant Taylor with a long list of things that had to be addressed. Of all the people in my life, she had the last small part of trust I had to give. She worked tirelessly to keep me a legitimate force to be reckoned with. She had an MBA from Harvard, and instead of running her own empire, she had opted to help me run mine. She was a savior and a saint, showing endless patience with me when it came to the details. I was a college dropout without a clue, and she was a powerhouse, a wealth of knowledge, and I would do anything to keep her.

In the last two years, I’d attempted to remedy my complete lack of knowledge by paying attention to the details. Though I would never fully grasp the majority of it, I was getting there.

“You sound sad,” she noted on the phone. I looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

“I’m fine,” I answered after a short pause.

“Bullshit.”

I laughed at her candor. She was a straight shooter. I guess if I had a single friend left in the world, it would have to be her, though we didn’t spend much time together on a social level. I pictured her now behind her desk, multiple monitors cued up, feeding her greed for information. Her beautiful red hair would be perfectly pinned up and her dress impeccable. Her phone lines were probably lit up with important calls as she ignored them to weigh my mood.

One friend left in the world, and I paid her handsomely.

With a deep sigh, I resigned to get back to business. “I’m fine, Taylor. It was time to take out the trash.”

“Aye, aye, and hear, hear! Finally!” She hated Devin with a passion.

“I moved all the accounts to the Garrison firm. Please follow up and make sure it’s taken care of by day’s end.”

“Already on it,” she said, typing at a sorcerer’s pace.

“I never fully trusted him,” I said under my breath.

“You got out easy. It could have been so much worse,” she said simply. “I’ll email you tonight.”

“Taylor, why do you stick with me?”

She paused since my question was atypical. The first year of our relationship, I had kept it completely professional. The truth was, she had intimidated me a bit at first.