Whitney“Are we ready?”my assistant Astrid asks.Astrid is a twenty-five year old girl from an itty bitty town in East Texas. Her given name is Jennifer, but when she moved to Dallas she re-invented herself as Astrid, a wisp of a woman with bright blue hair and an adorable sleeve of tattoos.“He should be here soon,” I say, looking at the only text I’ve exchanged with Maddox today.We’re in the hotel restaurant, which features new Italian cuisine and is beautifully decorated with long red velvet drapes, high-end hardwood flooring and intricate chairs and tables. The idea was to do a quick video to gain traction on my TikTok and Insta accounts, and of course tag Dallas Proper and increase their visibility online.“He must be a good friend of your dad’s,” Astrid says. “You had to bump that big client from this week’s three question post.”I touch my hair, which is sleeked back in an intentionally severe top knot. I’m also wearing a long sleeved black shirt with matching pants. I am the
Maddox“How’s everyone doing?”the waitress asks, glancing around the long table.Been better, I say inwardly. But I manage to smile and go with the flow as the other fifteen people gush over the top notch service while sitting in this exclusive area of one of Dalla’s best steakhouses.It’s Charles’s birthday after all.I’m here as a friend, and for the past thirty minutes I’ve been sipping on red wine and glancing at the open double door. Every other guest has arrived, but not Whitney. Even Charles’s girlfriend, a nice brunette with a kind smile, has joined us.Maybe Whitney isn’t coming.That should fill me with relief, but somehow it does the opposite. It’s like an uncomfortable sensation is plaguing my body and will only go away when she shows up. The idea of course is laughable. She will increase my heart rate and make me question every decision I make.I take a long swig of wine.This is all wrong.“Maddox,” Grant, who’s been sitting across from me at the table, calls.Grant is o
Right now, I don’t know if I want to fuck her or bend her over my knee and spank her… which would lead to fucking. She’s unlocking a primal part of me I don’t let anyone access. I don’t trust that part, because it means I’d let my emotions dictate my actions—the opposite of what I like to do. One of the reasons my marriage ended.If my ex saw me like this, getting worked up over so little, she’d laugh at me.I am laughing at me, too.And probably Whitney is—because right now, even from her seat, she knows she has the upper hand, and I hate her for it. But I also want her—undeniably.When she surges to her feet and leaves the room, I do the same.I don’t know where she’s going, probably to the restroom, and it’s idiotic to follow her, but I can’t think straight anyway so I may as well do what I fucking want.Someone stops me to say hello, and she leaves the private room, alone. Good. At least that douche didn’t go after her.At last, I’m able to disengage from this endless small talk v
WhitneyIt’slike the world beneath my high heels was swept off from under me.Maddox is surrounding me, claiming me, and I’ve slipped into his bubble of heat and glow. His tongue quickly makes it past my lips, and I grant him access, reveling in the sexy growl he produces. My nipples are rock hard, and a warm stir spreads through me, my blood rushing hot and thick in my veins.I encircle his head with my arms, loving this intimacy, this nearness.When he puts a leg in between mine, through the thin layer of my dress and the fabric of his pants, I feel his large cock, pulsating even. That only intensifies my own desire, and the second he slides his hand down my back and cups my ass, I tremble. I’ve never been this aroused in my entire life, and I know I could explode at any moment, under the slightest of touches, but I also don’t want to. I’m enjoying these exhilarating sensations too much to give them up.My pussy is soaking wet, and I’m afraid it’ll leave a stain on my dress. I’m not
MaddoxA date.She said she wanted a date last night.I didn’t run from the challenge. It’s too late for that now, anyway. When I kissed her, when I held her in my arms and touched her drenching hot pussy… I knew there wasn’t anything I wasn’t willing to do to pursue her. To make her mine.This isn’t a feeling I welcome. Giving someone this immense amount of control over me, over my life, over my time, is terrifying. With her, though… there’s no other way. I like to think I made the decision myself, for my self-preservation to take a stand.Which brings me here.I cleared my scheduled for this—to be walking up to her in the entrance of Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, holding a picnic basket that not only I bought, but I filled with some goodies from a high-end grocery store. I don’t even know when the last time was I stepped into a grocery shop—my housekeeper takes care of all these errands for me. Still, as I picked every item, a sensation of fulfillment and strange domestici
“It was my idea, but doesn’t mean it was easy. I don’t like to lose. Didn’t want to waste all those years I invested,” I say, and it’s like some miraculous masseuse worked out some tight kinks from my shoulders. Maybe that was why I didn’t leave sooner, or suggest we end sooner. Because I invested time, even if my emotions weren’t fully there. I thought they were at the time, but how easy is it to share a life together without… any spark?“I understand.”I frown. I appreciate her consoling, but I doubt she can pretend to know what I’m talking about. “You do? That’s hard to believe.”She sighs, and a dark expression crosses her face. “You don’t need to be condescending. Just because I’m younger than you doesn’t mean I don’t have the ability to put myself in someone else’s shoes.”“You’re right. Sorry. Listen, I like you.” I swallow, and feel a tight knot in my throat. Like doesn’t even come close to how she makes me feel. “More than like. A part of me though doesn’t want it to happen b
WhitneyI should have plannedit better. Well, I did. I planned on accepting his date idea and wearing something sexier for another time. A later date.But our connection is so strong, when he told me how much he wants me… call me an idiot, but I would have pounced him right there.Now, he’s kissing the back of my neck, nipping it, and sending shivers down my spine as I open the front door of my home, in an exclusive Dallas neighborhood. We drove in different cars from the botanical gardens to here, and I didn’t even bother parking mine properly. I just left it on the driveway, in front of his, in such despair to get out.He touches me, embracing me from behind, and I must remind myself the code to grant me entry at the door. My world is deliciously hazy, my nipples so hard they’re about to tear my bra open.The door is swung open, and for a moment I think we’ll just fall into my foyer, as my knees are weakening, buckling, my body quivering for more. This is so much better than any fan
He gets the hint and plants kisses down my body, on my stomach, he nips my hips, then drags his mouth shamelessly between my thighs, and the second he breathes over my sex, I moan, already knowing what’s to come—me. Pretty soon.With a masterful swish of his tongue, he tastes me, exploring every inch of me with an eagerness that causes me to shudder in response. This time, he’s even more eager than he was at the restaurant. It’s like the more he tastes, the hungrier he gets.“Yes,” I hiss.He continues his teasing exploration, relentless, until tendrils of pleasure swirl through me, and I let go. Pleasure rockets through me, and I call out his name in a long winded moan, my limbs sweaty, my heartbeat frantic. Damn.I’m still dazed when he rises from between my legs, his body covering mine, the warm intensity in his eyes quickly re-energizing whatever sexual fuel I thought I was emptied of a second ago.“God. You’re stunning,” he says, and there’s a vulnerability in his voice that’s al
Whitney“What is it?”I whisper into my pillow.The doorbell ring continues. Ever since Dad found out about me and Maddox, he’s been trying way too hard to parent.I have to tell him to stop with these visits. He can text like a normal person, or call like a boomer. But, unannounced visits? Those are too much.I haven’t felt like seeing anyone, anyway. Ever since Maddox broke up with me, I’ve been holing up in my home whenever I get a chance. It’s like his exit from my life turned off a light inside of me, one I’m not sure when will flick on again. I miss him so much.I rush to the bathroom, brush my teeth then splash some water on my face. The doorbell rings again, but I take my time putting my hair in a ponytail. What could be so important?Dad has already apologized for butting in my business and twisting Maddox’s arm to break up with me. While I still think that was a mistake, it was one I understood. He wanted what he thought was best for me. Fine, I get it.What I don’t get is ho
MaddoxI’m goingthrough the latest reports when Charles walks into my office. Ever since the day we talked in the conference room, a week ago, things have been crazy.The post went up and it had enough engagement for a few different local gossip sites to contact me about it, but I followed Whitney’s recommendation and ignored them. Today my restaurant is full, and the manager on duty told me last night the club had to hire last minute extra security to handle the high traffic.Whitney was right.Dan Walters hasn’t released any statement, because the bastard knows if he says something to try to sound like the wronged party, I can tell the media the truth. A scumbag like him has more skeletons in his closet than he cares to admit, I bet.So everyone wins.Well, not everyone.I haven’t seen Whitney. I’ve communicated via Astrid, but every day that goes by makes me more aware of the big mistake I’ve made.I got divorced once, and even though it was the right decision, it still broke me. B
Maddox“What do you mean we need to talk?” I ask Astrid, who’s standing in front of me, in the middle of my office.“Something came up and I just wanted to make everyone aware and come up with a plan. So I have Whitney and Charles at the conference room, and if you can join us that’ll be great.”“Huh, okay.” It’s been two days since I last saw Whitney, and seeing her so soon makes my heart flip in my chest.Then the realization her father will be there with us is like a glacial bucket of water poured all over me, without any warning. In the last day, Astrid texted me a couple of times about stuff related to posts, and I had to control myself not to ask how Whitney was doing.I was a jerk.I was a prick.In the end, though, the right decisions are the hard ones.Doesn’t feel right in my heart, or even in my head if I’m being honest. But it felt right to her father, a man I’ve always admired and who’s been there for me. Besides, what if he has a point? Just because I want her and she wa
WhitneyThe insistent doorbell ring startles me out of sleep.Yawning, I swing a leg over the other, dragging my way out of the bed.I probably got maybe two hours of sleep. It took me forever to close my eyes last night, after the heartbreak Maddox put me through. I was restless, fidgety, and devastated. All the words he told me about falling for me meant nothing.If he was really invested, he wouldn’t use the first obstacle to dip out.It was my dad, but what else could it have been? Would he have used just a different excuse later on?A part of me wants to believe he has strong feelings for me, butdoesn’t wantto have them. He acted like he succumbed to it, but maybe he’s still fighting it. This isn’t a fight I can do for him.I’m aware of my love. But his? He has to own it.Sighing, I run into the bathroom, wash my eyes quickly. They’re still a bit puffy from all the late-night crying, but the doorbell keeps reminding me there’s someone out there who’s probably not a mail carrier d
She fishes her phone from her pocket. “Do you want to schedule a post about hmmm, the pictures you were tagged on?”“No. I couldn’t care less at this point. I wasn’t doing anything illegal. I was on a date with my boyfriend.”She puts her phone back in her pocket, then looks at me with a flicker of surprise in her blue eyes. “Boyfriend? Thisisa soap opera. I usually don’t enjoy them, but it’s different when you know the main characters.”I roll my eyes. I bet I’d enjoy it too if I wasn’t one of the main characters. “Talk to you tomorrow, Astrid,” I say, and turn around. I beeline to his table, shoulders straight and heart pumping its way up my throat.“Whitney,” he says when I slide into the booth and sit across from him.“What happened with Dan?” I ask, the professional in me not wanting personal things to take priority. Even if my nerves are pulsing through invisible knots right now. I keep my hand under the table, tapping my fingers on my lap, fidgeting.A flash of anger sparks in
WhitneyI walk into the club,and the first thing I see is Astrid on the corner. Why didn’t she text me back?I dash over to her, my gaze scanning for signs of Dan and Maddox, but because there are a few more patrons than usual, and I can’t find either. Thank goodness for Astrid’s hair color and bold fashion choices making her easy to find in a crowd.“What’s up?” I ask her.She peels her gaze from her phone then tilts her head at me. “Did you see your dad as you walked in? He just left.”My dad? I thought he was with his team on the opposite side of the property. Busy. “No.”“Maybe he took the other exit… the emergency one that leads right out of the hotel.”My shoulders sag. Shit. Does my dad already know? I thought I’d buy some time, at least a couple of hours until he found out. I need to get to Maddox first, before Dad talks to him. Or maybe I’m too late already. Apprehension sweeps over me. I stand in front of her, finding it hard to sit, my body restless. “What’s going on?”“Wel
He’s a coward.Anger rises in me again, and I reach my drink and take it to my lips.I’m enjoying it when I see Charles walk up to me. He’s told me he’d be working with his team until late on a small gathering they’re throwing the next day for people of the trade. I wave at him, and he comes to my table with a determined expression, and long strides like he knows what he’s looking for. Who he’s looking for.My gut clenches. Something isn’t right.Was Dan an ass to him too, on the way back? Did Dan say anything bad about Whitney?Or did a bastard like me do something bad to Whitney?Like fuck her, again and again? I feel color draining from my face, and when Charles gets on the table with a disappointed look on his face, I already know it.“You jerk! I trusted you all those years. My daughter, really?” Charles says, flushed.My throat is dry and tight.Somehow he found out, and denying it will only make him angrier.Guilt crawls its way into my chest, and it’s hard to breathe. How can I
Maddox“And this is where guests and locals come for drinks and music,” I say, gesturing as we emerge into the club. I see quite a few more patrons than the past few weeks, which shows me that Whitney’s efforts have worked. We’ve had more visitors and increased sales. Always a plus.I’d be a lot happier if it weren’t for the company.My body is still stiff, as I had to go through an entire dinner with Dan Walters who happens to be almost as annoying as he is misogynistic. I guess it’s been a while since I last sat through a meal with the guy. We’re not friends, and I’ve met him in social events and basically small talked.I want to give him the benefit of the doubt and say maybe the reason why he’s been talking about women nonstop and not under the best light is because of his divorce. Maybe he’s broken, and feels more powerful if he’s bragging about all the pussy he’s getting.But the cynical part of me knows better.This guy is a certified douchebag, and I hope Astrid can get a good
WhitneyI strideinto the hotel lobby.Right now, Dan Walters the politician should be having dinner with Maddox. Maybe dinner is already over and they’re touring the hotel. Astrid is there in the club, ready to snap a couple of pictures as planned, and then send it to a gossip columnist friend of ours.If this was another client, I wouldn’t be here. My presence isn’t required since Astrid is here, as per her text.But I am shamelessly using every excuse in the book to be around Maddox, to see him more often, to spend more time with him.Ever since our ax throwing date, I can’t stop thinking about how far we’ve come. From him avoiding me for years to hinting about having children together one day. Who would have thought?A ball of joy rolls inside me, like a bowling ball running down the lane. Striking out.I add a little bit more pep to my step, and my goal is to pass by the restaurant and see them without introducing myself. But before I make it there, I almost bump into them, with b