DISTRACTION & DESIRE

Tiana

The second that creak sounded from above, Anthonio moved.

It was instantly, no hesitation or fumbling. His hands gripped my waist, lifting me off his lap like I weighed nothing, and he practically threw me down onto the floor behind the massive leather sofa.

"Quiet," he mouthed, eyes blazing, one finger pressed hard against his lips. He yanked his sweatpants up, adjusting himself fast, running a hand through his messy hair to try and fix the chaos I’d made of him. "Do not make a sound."

I curled myself into the tight space between the sofa and the wall, knees pulled up to my chest, heart hammering so loud. My dress was still hiked up around my hips, my lips swollen, my skin burning everywhere he’d touched me. I clamped a hand over my mouth, staring at his legs right in front of my face, listening to the heavy footsteps coming down the stairs.

The grand entrance door creaked open, and Eva stepped into the light.

My mother. Elegant as always, even in silk pajamas and a robe, hair pulled back, looking suspicious. Her eyes scanned the room immediately, landing straight on Anthonio standing by the couch, breathing just a little too hard, chest rising and falling fast.

"Anthonio?" Her voice cut through the silence, sweet but sharp. "What on earth is going on down here? I heard voices. Laughter. Moans, even."

She took a step further into the hallway, looking around, eyes drifting toward the staircase, toward the shadows where I was hiding.

Anthonio didn’t flinch. He stood tall, hands in his pockets, that cold, unreadable billionaire mask sliding right back into place like it had never fallen off.

"Nothing, Eva. Go back to bed." His voice was steady, calm, completely controlled. If I hadn’t just had my hand down his pants two seconds ago, I would have believed nothing happened too.

"Nothing?" She raised an eyebrow, walking closer. "It didn’t sound like nothing. It sounded like… someone was down here. Is Tiana back yet? I thought she was out."

"She is." Anthonio said smoothly, taking a step toward her, blocking her view of the sofa completely. "She came in an hour ago. Drunk. Loud. Tripped over the rug, started yelling at the walls. I came down to quiet her down. That’s all you heard."

I bit my lip hard to stop myself from laughing.

Wow. Smooth liar. Cold stone billionaire was actually an Oscar-winning actor too.

Eva didn’t look convinced. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly. "And where is she now? I want to check on her. Make sure she got to her room okay. Make sure she didn’t hurt herself falling."

She made to step past him, heading straight for the hallway where my room was…straight past where I was currently hiding half-naked on the floor.

"I checked already," Anthonio said, stepping in her way again, voice dropping lower. "She’s in her room. Door locked. Passed out cold. Safe amd fine. Go back to sleep, Eva."

"I want to see for myself, Anthonio." She insisted, crossing her arms. "She’s my daughter. I worry."

Oh shit. My brain screamed. She’s coming this way. She’s going to look behind the couch. She’s going to see me. She’s going to see exactly what we were doing.

Panic flared hot in my chest. But Anthonio didn’t look panicked. He looked… calculating. His eyes darkened, a slow, wicked idea flashing behind the blue. He closed the distance between them in one long stride, reached out, and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her flush against his body.

"Eva…" he murmured, voice dropping to that low, rough tone that worked on every woman alive—apparently including his wife. "Do you really want to go check on her right now? When I’m standing here like this?"

Eva gasped, hands flying up to rest on his chest, her resistance melting instantly. "Like what?"

He leaned down, his face inches from hers, his voice loud enough for me to hear every single word from my hiding spot.

"Like a man who has been driven absolutely crazy all night." He purred, one hand sliding down her back, pressing her hips tight against his—showing her exactly what was hard and waiting there. "You really want to know why I couldn’t sleep? Why I came down here at all? I caught a glimpse of her earlier… Tiana… wearing that tiny black dress. Hair all wild… looking like a goddess straight out of a dream."

He groaned, low and fake and perfect. "And the second I saw her? The second I saw that body? I got so hard it hurt. Just from looking at her, Eva. Just seeing her looking like sin itself… it did this to me. I couldn’t walk away. I couldn’t think of anything else. I came down here hoping…" He trailed off, kissing her neck, slow and wet. "Hoping I could just… imagine it was you. Because God… seeing a body like that… it makes a man hungry. And you are the only one I want to feed that hunger to."

Oh my GOD.

My mouth fell open behind my hand. I stared at his legs, absolutely stunned. He just used ME as the reason he was hard? He just told my mom seeing MY body turned him on? And he’s saying it so she gets turned on instead of mad?

It worked. It worked too well.

Eva melted against him completely. Her arms wrapped around his neck, she sighed, tilting her head to give him better access to her throat. All suspicion gone. All worry vanished. Replaced by pure ego and desire.

"You like it when they look like that, don’t you?" She giggled, breathless, preening like he’d just given her the best compliment in the world. "You like a woman with curves and fire."

"I love it," he growled against her skin, gripping her tighter, kissing her deeper, selling the lie perfectly. "And lucky for you… you are the only one who gets to touch this. You are the only one who gets to fix this ache she gave me. Now… are you going to stand here talking… or are you going upstairs and wait for me?"

He pulled back just enough to look her in the eye, voice deep and promising. "Better hurry. Because I’m coming. And I’m going to be very, very hungry."

Eva bit her lip, eyes sparkling, completely bought over. She patted his chest, smiled, and started walking back toward the stairs, swaying her hips.

"Okay, okay… I believe you. But don’t take too long." She looked over her shoulder, voice dropping to a sexy whisper. "And just so you know… I’m not wearing anything under this robe. I’m naked in our bed, waiting for you. Don’t make me wait too long, Daddy."

I almost choked on air.

Anthonio just nodded, watching her go. "Five minutes. I just need to… cool off down here first."

"Don’t cool off too much," she teased, and then she was gone, footsteps fading up the stairs, the door to their bedroom clicking shut softly.

I waited exactly three seconds.

Then I scrambled out from behind the sofa, hair messy, dress still hiked up, knees dusty, and stood up straight. I stared at him, eyes wide, jaw practically hitting the floor.

"Okay…" I whispered, breathless, half-laughing, half-shocked. "First of all… that was the most impressive pile of lies I have ever heard in my life. You basically told her my body made you horny and she said ‘oh goodie, I’ll be naked upstairs!’"

I shook my head, grinning wickedly, stepping closer to him again.

"Second of all… Mr. Cold Stone Billionaire… you are way dirtier than you look. Who knew? Under all those suits and rules… you’re a manipulative, lying, sexy devil. Honestly? I’m impressed. And a little bit turned on, if I’m being honest."

He didn’t answer right away. He just stood there, chest still heaving, eyes dark and heavy, watching me fix my dress and smooth my hair. He looked dangerous. He looked hungry. He looked like he hadn’t calmed down at all in the last five minutes—if anything, the lies and the near-catch had only made it worse.

He took a step toward me, closing the gap, invading my space instantly. He leaned down, face close to mine, that intense blue gaze locking onto mine, stripping me bare all over again.

"You talk too much," he said, voice low and rough, vibrating right through me. He reached out, fingers brushing my jaw, his touch burning hot. "And you almost got us caught. But before she came… before we were interrupted… you were saying something."

He tilted his head, that dominant edge coming back full force.

"You were stroking me, telling me all those filthy little fantasies… and then you said… ‘I even have an ONLY…’" He repeated my words slowly, deliberately, his thumb dragging over my bottom lip. "And then you stopped. So finish it, Tiana. What do you even have?"

My brain short-circuited for a second. His thumb on my lip, his body heat surrounding me, the memory of exactly what I was doing to him just minutes ago, the way he lied so smoothly to my mother… it all mixed together in my drunk, fuzzy head.

I looked up at him, eyes wide, heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. My brain screamed: Say something safe. Say something smart. Say anything that won’t make this worse.

My mouth, as usual, had other plans.

I leaned in, eyes locked on his lips, voice soft, breathless, dripping with the exact kind of trouble he loved.

"I wonder how those lips will feel on mine."

My heart dropped. My brain yelled: OKAY. WRONG CHOICE OF WORD TO DISTRACT HIM.