LOGINCHLOE Everyone turned toward the entrance. I turned with them, my chest tight, fully bracing for another wave of whispered cruelty. Then I recognized herâthe sharp slant of her posture, the effortless way she carried herselfâand my shoulders dropped. A ragged, heavy breath spilled from my lungs. Arianna. Conversations sputtered into silence as she crossed the threshold. Guests paused mid-sentence, their glass flutes hovering as they tracked her progress across the polished marble. Even the middle-managers who had been snickering at my expense just seconds earlier went still. My gaze flicked sideways, catching Sienna's reaction. Sienna stumbled back so hard her heel caught the edge of a marble planter. Brandon grabbed her arm before she hit the floor, but she didn't even look at him. The blood drained from her face, leaving her skin a stark, ghostly white. Her manicured nails dug into Brandonâs sleeve until his jacket bunched under her grip. Her lips parted, trembling violently.
CHLOE The moment I entered the anniversary hallâthe lights flashed overhead as though exposing me to an audience that had been waiting for the stumble. I froze at the threshold. My fingers dug into the leather of my clutch, pressing until the metal frame bit into my skin and my knuckles turned stark white. I forced my chin up, locking my spine into a rigid line. I smoothed the front of my dark rose dress, forcing myself to let the tailored fabric drape over my hips without pulling back or trying to hide beneath the loose layers I usually wore. Don't shrink, I told myself, the words a frantic, silent chant against the pounding in my ears. Across the room, crystal chandeliers cast a harsh, blinding glare over marble floors and black-tie attire. But as my heel struck the floor on my third step forwardâ the steady chatter around the entrance snapped shut. Heads turned. Conversations faltered. The whispers started almost instantly, sharp and loud in the sudden lulls of music. "Wai
Richard I was back in the city a few hours ago. Leaving Chloe alone again wasnât part of the plan, but I didn't have a choice. Tonight demanded my presence.It was Parker Industriesâ twenty-ninth anniversary. My friends, partners, workers, and even my fiercest rivals would pack the grand hall.I lay flat on my hotel bed, intending to grab a quick nap before the eveningâs festivities, after spending all night pumping deep into Chloeâ but sleep felt like a foreign country.My mind kept drifting back to her. The absolute surrender in her eyes. The heavy, fluffy heat of her mouth wrapped around my cock. The violent, sweet way her pussy clenched around me when she fractured under my touch, her breath catching in broken, beautiful moans. My length throbbed heavily against the fabric of my boxers just at the thought of her.âShit,â I cursed under my breath, staring up at the ceiling. âThat little girl⌠fuck⌠sheâs driving me wild.âI couldn't take it anymore... My hand slid down beneath the
RICHARD I know I should be worrying about Chloeâs decision⌠Even though the decision was going to ruin many things, I didnât. If anything, my cock was hard again. And that was what I was afraid of. The darkest hidden truth about me⌠I was a sex addict. I was not a one-round man. Not the kind who stops after a round. Chloe was still under me, soft and warm, her body marked from the way I had just taken her. She shifted slightly, and the movement dragged her ass against my cock. I was already thickening again. She felt it. Of course she did. She turned her head enough to look at me over her shoulder. There was still anger in her eyes, but there was something else too. A challenge, maybe. âNot satisfied yet?â she asked, teasing. I didnât answer her with words. I pulled out of her slowly, the wet sound loud in the quiet room. Then I flipped her onto her stomach in one rough move. She gasped. Before she could say anything else, I gripped her hips, yanked them up, and pushed back ins
CHLOE I had every reason to hate Richard Parker⌠Unfortunately, my body remembered every reason I had fallen in love with him. He was still above me. My hands on his shoulders, fingers curled into the muscle thereâŚHis mouth was still on mine, slow and deep, and every part of me he touched felt like it remembered him better than my mind wanted to. I could feel how hard he was against my thigh. Richard pulled back just enough to look at me. His breathing was uneven. One hand stayed braced beside my head. The other rested on my waist, heavy and warm. His thumb moved once, slow, like he was checking if I would pull away. âIâm notâŚâ His voice was low. âIf you want me to stop, just⌠tell me.â I looked up at him. My chest rose and fell under his. The anger was still thereâŚSo was the desire. They sat in the same place in my throat. âI don'tâŚmy voice came out uneven. âI don't want you to stop⌠Fuck me, RichardâŚâ He searched my face for a second. His eyes stayed on mine like he was wait
CHLOEMy heart jumped as I opened the door and saw him in the hallway light⌠It felt like he had been gone for a decade⌠I pulled him into my arms before I even remembered why I had called him.Richardâs arms locked around me. The solid weight of him, the warmth, the familiar scent of his skinâit hit hard. I pressed my face into his chest and held on, hands fisted in his shirt. For a few secondsâ the anger and the questions went quiet. I wanted to stay in his arms forever.He went still, then tightened his hold.âSweetheart.â His voice was low. âIs everything alright⌠Did something happen while I was away?âI didnât answer right away. I just stayed against him longer than I should have, then forced myself to step back. The loss of his warmth left me cold.His hands stayed on my arms a second before he let go. His eyes searched my face, then moved past me toward the hallway.âWhere is she?âI knew he was asking about Arianna.âAsleep.âHe looked toward the bedroom again. âIs she alrigh







