Chapter 18
A+ A++
She folds her arms in disgust.
Fuck.
She’s really mad.
I re back at her, wanting nothing more than to drag her across my knee—but, sadly, that’s not an option.
Hell, I was only doing what I thought was best.
Taylor parks outside her apartment, and before he’s stopped, it seems, she’s out of the car.
Shit! “I think you’d better wait here,” I say to Taylor, and I scramble after her. My evening may be about to take a
radically different course than the one I’d nned. I may have blown it already.
When I reach her at the lobby door, she’s rummaging around in her purse for keys; I stand behind her, helpless.
What to do?
“Anastasia,” I entreat her, as I try to remain calm. She lets out an exaggerated sigh and turns to face me, her
mouth pressed in a hard line.
Following up what she said in the car, I try for humor. “First, I haven’t fucked you for a while—a long while, it feels
—and second, I wanted to get into publishing. Of the fourpanies in Seattle, SIP is the most profitable.” I keep
talking about thepany but what I really want to say is…Please don’t fight with me.
“So you’re my boss now?” she snaps.
“Technically, I’m your boss’s boss’s boss.”
“And technically, it’s gross moral turpitude—the fact that I am fucking my boss’s boss’s boss.”
“At the moment, you’re arguing with him.” My voice is beginning to rise.
“That’s because he’s such an ass.”
Ass. Ass!
Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
She’s calling me names! The only people who do that are Mia and Elliot.
“An ass?” Yes. Maybe I am. And suddenly I want tough. Anastasia called me an ass—Elliot would approve.
“Yes.” She’s trying to stay mad at me, but her mouth is lifting at the corners.
“An ass?” I repeat, and I cannot help my smile.
“Don’t make meugh when I’m mad at you!” she shouts, trying and failing to stay serious. I give her my best one-
thousand-watt smile and she unleashes an uninhibited, spontaneousugh that makes me feel ten feet tall.
Sess!
“Just because I have a stupid damn grin on my face doesn’t mean I am not mad as hell at you,” she ims
between giggles. Leaning forward, I nuzzle her hair and inhale deeply. Her scent and her proximity stir my libido. I
want her.
“As ever, Miss Steele, you are unexpected.” I gaze down, treasuring her flushed face and shining eyes. She’s
beautiful. “So are you going to invite me in, or am I to be sent packing for exercising my democratic right as an
American citizen, entrepreneur, and consumer to purchase whatever I damn well please?”
“Have you spoken to Dr. Flynn about this?”
Iugh. Not yet. It will be a mindfuck when I do.
“Are you going to let me in or not, Anastasia?”
For a moment she looks undecided, making my heartbeat spike. But she bites her lip, then smiles and opens the
door for me. I wave Taylor off and follow Ana upstairs, enjoying the fantastic view of her ass. The gentle sway of
her hips as she climbs each step is beyond seductive—more so, I think, because she has no idea she’s so
alluring. Her innate sensuality stems from her innocence: her willingness to experiment, and her ability to trust.
Damn. I hope I still have her trust. After all, I drove her away. I will have to work hard to rebuild it. I don’t want to
lose her again.
Her apartment is neat and tidy, as I would expect, but it has an unused, uninhabited vibe about it. It reminds me of
the gallery: it’s all old brick and wood. The concrete kitchen ind is a stark and novel design statement. I like it.
“Nice ce,” I remark with approval.
“Kate’s parents bought it for her.”
Eamon Kavanagh has indulged his daughter. It’s a stylish ce—he’s chosen well. I hope Katherine appreciates
it. I turn and stare at Ana as she stands by the ind. I wonder how she feels living with such a well-off friend. I’m
sure she pays her way…but it must be tough to y second fiddle to Katherine Kavanagh. Maybe she likes it, or
maybe she finds it a struggle. She certainly doesn’t squander her money on clothes. But I’ve remedied that; I have
a closetful for her at Esc. I wonder what she’ll think about that? She’ll likely give me a hard time.
Don’t think about that now, Grey.
Ana’s studying me, her eyes dark. She licks her bottom lip, and my body lights up like a firework.
“Er…would you like a drink?” she asks.
“No thank you, Anastasia.” I want you.
She sps her hands together, seemingly at a loss and looking a little apprehensive. Do I still make her nervous?
This woman can bring me to my knees, and she’s the one who’s nervous?
“What would you like to do, Anastasia?” I ask, and move closer to her, my eyes not leaving hers. “I know what I
want to do.”
Source:
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
? by
Articles you may like
?
?
?
?
? Ads by