Chapter Four

William’s knock hit like a slap. I shoved my phone under the pillow, heart racing faster than one of Liam’s races. “Uh, yeah! One sec!”

I yanked on a hoodie and shorts, trying to look normal and not like I’d just been plotting secret meetings with my blackmailer while still sore from getting railed by his son. When I opened the door, William stood there in his robe, looking every bit the concerned dad.

“Everything alright, Alex?” he asked, eyes scanning my room like he could sense the tension. “Heard some noise earlier. Thought I’d check on you.”

“Yeah, all good,” I lied, forcing a casual teenage shrug. “Just… bad Wi-Fi. I’ve been videos too loud. Sorry.”

He nodded slowly, but something in his expression felt off. Like he wanted to say more. “Get some rest. We have a big  week ahead with the merger and the gala.” He patted my shoulder and finally left.

I waited until his footsteps disappeared before texting Liam. “Your dad was just at my door. This is getting insane.”

Liam’s reply was fast. “ Stay put. I’m coming to you.”

Ten minutes later he slipped in, locking the door behind him. He looked stressed with his messy hair, wearing only sweatpants again. The second the lock clicked, he pulled me into a rough kiss, hands roaming under my hoodie like he needed to remind himself I was real.

“Missed you… again,” he chuckled against my lips. His voice had that low rasp that always melted me. “Couldn’t stop thinking about us in the gym.”

For a second, I wanted to this this was becoming obsession but before I could complete my thoughts, he backed me toward the bed, shoving me down and crawling over me. His mouth attacked my neck, sucking marks while his hand slipped into my shorts, stroking me hard and fast. “Gotta be quick and quiet tonight,” he whispered, biting my earlobe. “But I need you.”

I arched up, gasping. “Then fuck me already. Make me forget this blackmail bullshit for a minute.”

Liam didn’t waste time. He flipped me onto my stomach, yanked my shorts down, and pressed in bare, still slick from earlier. The stretch burned so good. He fucked me deep and steady, one hand over my mouth, the other gripping my hip hard enough to bruise. Every thrust hit perfect, making me moan into his palm.

“Such a good boy for me,” he growled in my ear. “Taking me so well. Love how you clench around me.”

I came hard, muffling my cries against the pillow. He followed right after, burying himself deep with a quiet groan. We collapsed together, sweaty and breathing heavy.

But the afterglow didn’t last. I showed him the new text about meeting at the old garage.

Liam’s face went dark. “You’re not going alone. I’ll be there, hidden. We’ll see who this coward is.”

The twist came the next evening.

I told my mom I was going for a walk to “clear my head” and slipped out toward the old garage at the back of the property,  this rundown building they used for extra cars and storage. The sun was setting, casting long shadows, while my nerves were shot.

I stepped inside, phone flashlight on. “Hello?”

A figure stepped out from behind an old Bentley. It was not some random staff member.

My heart almost stopped beating when I saw Sophia Thompson.

She held up her phone, smirking.

“Surprised?” she said sweetly. “I saw you two weeks ago, kissing in the garden like idiots. Just thought I’d have some fun with it.” She giggled.

My stomach dropped. “You’re blackmailing us? Why?”

She laughed, flipping her hair. “Because Liam should be with someone like me. Not his stepbrother. Play along at the gala, make it look like you support us being together, and I delete everything. Or I send the photos to every contact William has.” A slow wicked smile formed on her thin lips.

I wanted to punch her so hard. “Liam will never…”

“Tell him and the deal’s off,” she cut in. “Meet me here again in two days with your answer. Alone.”

She sauntered out, leaving me shaking.

I ran back toward the house, texting Liam. “It’s Sophia. She wants you to pretend to date her publicly or she exposes us.”

He met me halfway in the garden, pulling me behind some hedges. His hands cupped my face. “We’ll fix this. I’m not pretending shit with her.”

But his eyes said he was worried. The merger. His dad’s expectations. Everything.

That night in his room we didn’t even have sex. We just lay there, him holding me tight.

“I love you, Alex,” he whispered. “But if going public now destroys my future… I don’t know what to do.”

His words hurt more than the blackmail.

The next morning at breakfast, William dropped the bomb casually.

“Sophia is coming over for dinner tonight. Liam, make her feel welcome.”

Liam’s hand tightened under the table on mine.

And my phone buzzed with another message from Sophia.

“Bring Liam to the garage tonight. Both of you. Or the photos go viral by morning.

This was escalating way too fast.”