Buying the Bride

“Because I’m your employer. You’re dependent on the money for this job. It’s not a fair distribution of power.”

I grin. “That’s very thoughtful of you to care, but I don’t give a shit. I want you.” I undo the rest of the buttons and open his shirt. He groans in a way that makes me think he’s having an inner moral struggle but losing the battle of wills.

“And I’m pretty sure you want me, too,” I say.

He struggles to keep eye contact, but his gaze keeps finding the gap in my shirt.

I’m not going to make it easy for him to say no to me. I take off my tank top and now he can’t even pretend not to look. His eyes drink me in, pupils dilating. I use my shirt to tie his wrists together.

“There, now I have the power. Does this make you feel better?” I ask.

His low chuckle and sweet smile do things to my body I didn’t know were possible. “It does make me feel better, actually,” he says.

“Good.”

His chest is fully bare to me now. He has an amazing body, just as I imagined he would. Hard muscle, toned. His skin is the only soft thing about him. I lean over and kiss his chest, run my finger through the small patch of hair I’d been admiring earlier. I make my way up to his neck where I lick him. He tastes as good as he smells. When I’m done nibbling his neck, I taste his chin and lay soft kisses against his jaw line. And just as I’m about to kiss his lips, he suddenly pulls away, holding his bound hands in front of him as a barrier.

I’m so confused. I thought he was into it. “Did I do something wrong?” I ask.

“No, not at all,” he says. “It’s just … you don’t have to do that. It’s not part of the deal.”

“I know. I thought we already figured this out.”

“I want you to know that’s not required,” he says.

I get it. He’s in a male dominated business and as the owner of a multi-billion-dollar company he has to be careful, but this is different. There’s no HR team for me to run to if I don’t like the conditions of our arrangement. Then I start to wonder if maybe he’s just not into me.

“Do you not want me to touch you?” I ask.

His eyes widen. “Of course I do.” He moves his hands and I see the evidence of his lust filling the front of his pants nicely. “It’s just not appropriate for our business arrangement.”

“Wouldn’t it be more believable though, if we were intimate?” My voice comes out as a whine. I’m practically begging. I want him so bad I’ll make any excuse to make it happen. I think he knows it too because he lets out a breath of laughter.

“Maybe another time. I need to get back to work.”

I let out a disappointed breath, but I’m not going to pressure him.

He looks at my breasts as I untie his wrists and put my shirt back on. I know this is as hard for him as it is for me, but he clearly has far more will-power than I do.

I go to my wing of the condo. It’s huge. The same size as Heath’s, but not as lived in. The bed is bigger than the room in the apartment I share with Mandi. A girl could get used all this space … though, it’s a bit lonely.

As I look around, I think about kissing Heath’s chest and neck, the way he looked at me without my shirt on. I still can’t believe I did that. This isn’t real, whatever this is between Heath and me, but for a brief moment, it felt like it was and I wanted it. I guess I still do. I can’t stop thinking about him and I want him. He’s so handsome and sexy. Any girl in my position would. But that’s not what he wants from me. He’s looking for a fake bride to get through this time with his parents and I have to hold back these strange and unexpected feelings.

I need a few things from my apartment, so I take several trips back and forth to get them. It’s also an excuse to drive my amazing temporary car. I know I can’t keep it, so I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can while I have it.

On the last trip to my apartment, Mandi comes home and I’m so relieved to finally see her.

“How did things go?” she asks.

“Kind of amazing. He’s nothing like I thought he’d be. He’s really nice and sweet.”