27. April

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

april

We enter the bathroom, and I take in the scene. The last time I was here, it was dark, and I was too distracted. Just like the bedroom, the walls around it are made of glass and the view of the city is overwhelming.

London, you're gorgeous. I can see the Tower of London and Tower Bridge from where I'm standing. The tourist in me is doing cartwheels in my chest.

Liam steps into the shower and points to my toothbrush on the vanity. Oh. That's thoughtful. The sight of the sink and what we did on top of it doesn't help me focus on the task at hand. I smile the memories away.

"I've given it some thought and fair is fair. You should have your say."

I'm still replaying our first time in here and can't follow his train of thought. "Sorry, what?" Toothbrush is in, but the words come out clearly enough.

"You should give a statement. We're hosting a charity game tomorrow. You can do it then."

"Are you serious?" I spit in the sink and lean one hip against the counter. "What happened to lay low? Not feeding the hyenas?" I puff out my chest and do a poor job mimicking his voice. "It's in your contract."

"Like I said, I make the rules. If I don't like them, I change them. Do you want to do this or not?"

"I do! I do!"

"You'll stay with Terry until we believe it's safe. I'm working on having your street cleared. Until then, you're not leaving this room."

I throw a challenging look his way. Does he realize he just dared me to leave this room?

"I hate that I didn't see it coming." I run the barely used toothbrush under water and apply more toothpaste to keep me busy as I talk. "We ditched paparazzi on our way in, but I never considered they'd take photos from inside the parking lot, and least of all, take it out of context like that. I'm his doctor, not a celebrity."

I stare accusingly at him, but the guilt is mine to carry. "I was worried about elevator cameras when I should've been concerned about Max's fucking paparazzi."

"I get that you were worried about being seen with me and what that might do to your reputation. But yes, tabloids are ruthless, and Max is a big deal around here."

"So are you, Mr. UK's Most Eligible Bachelor."

"Ha! Saw that, did you?" He casts his eyes down with the first glimpse of self-consciousness I've ever seen in him. "You don't need to stress about me, though. I've been worried about my privacy for the better half of my life. I've learned how to protect it. This?" He motions a finger between us. "I can make it stealth. I made it in and out of your flat yesterday and no one caught wind of it."

"Oh, my God. Yes. How did you do it?" He just flashes me his eyebrows and I resign to never knowing because I've done my share of begging to this man already.

"I had a feeling you'd agree to this, so I've already started the arrangements to make it happen. For today, you stay here. Work on your statement."

"I have to go to work. I've scheduled a bunch of exams for Max and?—"

"Don't worry, I told them not to expect you today." And that sucks all the joy out of my body.

"Excuse me?" I put the toothbrush down with a clatter. "You said what ? Them who? What exactly did you say, Liam?"

The whole world thinks I'm in bed with Max. I don't need my coworkers to think I'm in bed with my boss. Doesn't matter if the latter is accurate.

"Do not take me for stupid or careless, April. I wasn't expected at the club today. I told my PA I'd be working from home and sent an email telling the physiotherapist and Sinclair that I made you take the day off. Said you'd been told to keep a low profile until the paparazzi leave your doorstep. I didn't say or act in any way that would raise suspicions." His condescending tone pushes me over the edge.

"You made me?" I stand taller and move away from my toothbrush before I'm too tempted to hit his head with it. "I've been told to?"

That earns me a smirk out of him and I feel my scalp prickling with anger. Heaven help me right now. My temper boils over and it looks like Liam finds my state highly amusing. Which makes me angrier, of course.

And believe me, it's a freaking challenge to stay mad as I look at him soaping himself in the shower.

"Would it be too much to ask that you show me some respect, Liam?"

"I did not disrespect you. That's how I communicate with my employees. People would find it suspicious if I treated you differently."

"I don't care if you're a jackass to everyone, all the time. It doesn't make it better that it's not personal. You will not order me around." I'm close to screaming by this point, about to lose my high ground.

I take a deep breath, inhaling calm and exhaling murderous inklings, then I say it again, with the most poise I can gather, "You will not order me around, Liam," I repeat.

He's unaffected, holding in a smile with his neck tilted mischievously to one side. Then realization dawns on me, and I know exactly what kind of ordering around he's thinking of.

I look down to hide my own smile, trying to hold on to my anger, but I can't help but laugh at yet another side of this man.

Liam is bossy, intense, borderline too much, but he can also be silly and funny. He makes me relax and laugh and I bet not many people get to see that side of him.

I can tell he's going to keep surprising me if I stick around. Which I won't, of course. So I'll indulge in it right now, because we're on a countdown and I want my fill of him while I can.

When I cast a look his way again, he's pouring soap on his dick and rubbing it up and down temptingly slowly. He's not smiling anymore when he says, "Tell me again you don't like being ordered around, April. Or shall I remind you of last night yet one more time?"

My legs go weak at the sight of him and the roughness of his voice. Liam's eyes hungrily run through my body and I realize that I'm standing here naked while he feasts at the sight of me.

The way my body reacts to his is almost violent. The shiver that runs through me shakes me to my core. Two nights with Liam have awakened a submissive side in me I wasn't even aware of having. All it takes is one look at his stern face and I'm eager to follow his every command.

I walk into the shower and put my hair in a ponytail, never breaking eye contact with him, watching his dirty smile grow bigger.

"Feel free to take the reins, Liam. Or my hair." I twist it to make it look like a rope. "I'm more than happy for you to take control in the bedroom. I've given you permission to push me, pull me, stretch me, play me."

I shove him back under water to rinse the soap off his sculpted body. He throws his head back as I swap out his hand for mine and pump his hard cock up and down with the excuse to clear the soap.

Then I hold his balls in a vise grip, not to hurt him, but with enough pressure to get his full attention. His head slowly comes back down to face me.

"But Mr. Gunn, you will measure your words. You will lower your tone. And you will speak politely, so very politely, to me." I pull his balls a little further before I blink my eyes innocently at him and check, "Understood?"

"The little doctor's got balls." He sounds more surprised than I'd like him to be, but his voice also carries admiration as he walks forward, forcing me back until I hit the tiles .

He towers over me, magnificent. It's hard to decide where to look when he's standing in his naked glory this close to me.

I play with his balls while I slowly jerk him off and he groans in appreciation, eyes still open. He runs a hand through my ponytail and grabs my hair to tilt my head back, elongating my neck for his assault.

"Can you still call it ordering you around when you put your hair up like this, as an offering?" He licks from my neck to behind my ear. He sucks and bites my earlobe before whispering and making me shiver. "Is it really an order when you comply so willingly?"

My body responds of its own accord, pumping his cock with more strength and speed. Liam slaps my hand away and turns me around. I welcome the cold from the tiles on my cheek and tits, my nipples getting even harder.

He keeps one hand on my hair, holding me still where he wants me. The other caresses my shoulder, arm, and waist on its way to my pussy. I arch my back and spread my legs to give him better access.

"Is it an order when your pussy is this wet and I've barely touched you?"

His fingers leave my clit way too soon and he lifts my ass back to meet his body.

"Is it really an order when your body is begging to be fucked?" He smiles into my cheek. "No, baby girl. I'm not ordering you around, I'm spoiling you rotten with good cock. I'm tending to your every need."

Liam's dirty talk is my favorite aphrodisiac and his breath leaves my ear too soon as he starts pumping his fingers in and out of my swollen cunt.

He brings his other hand to my tits, pinching and pulling on my nipples, then down my stomach until he's on my clit, rubbing lazy circles as my orgasm nears. I moan, his name rolling off my tongue over and over.

Liam praises my body, my tight pussy, the heaviness of my breasts, he fucks my ears with his filthy words and his mouth nibbles and kisses every inch of skin it can reach. He must think I'm edible and I'm not about to correct him. His moves are soft, slow, intimate and I'm right at the edge, so close, moaning long and loud. Liam is a triple threat: skillful with hands, mouth and cock.

He rubs his cock between my ass cheeks and whispers obscenities in my ear while circling my clit with the pads of his fingers. I come undone to Liam's wishes to fuck me bare, to his vivid description of how slow he'd enter me, inch by inch, making me feel every vein of his cock, of how he dreams about feeling my pussy squeezing him without anything between us. His words tip, no, they catapult me over the edge.

That's never going to happen, but goddammit, now I want it too.

Liam washes me clean, then gets me all dirty with his release. He exits the shower first and I'm still enjoying the multiple jets of water from the fancy shower when he returns, already dressed in his suit. He brings a ruled notepad and a folded sheet with him.

Holding the notepad up, he tells me that's for me to draft my speech. Pen and paper? He is old. Then he holds the folded piece of paper and waits until he has my full attention.

"We've established a few things already. Neither of us date. We both want uncomplicated. We want to make the most of the time you have here." I purse my lips at him because apparently, I'm submissive during sex, but a stubborn brat otherwise. "Fine, I admitted it already. For someone with so many accreditations, you've been a bit slow to pick this up."

I laugh freely and my naked body jiggles, aching with memories of where Liam's been and what he's done to me. A little pain can be delicious.

"Anyway, I drew a contract for us."

"A contract?"

"Yes. Congratulations, perfect hearing. Add that to your list of accolades."

"Asshole." I position my head under the waterfall shower head to hide my smile.

"We love our rules, so I wrote a few I like for us. Add yours. We'll discuss them later."

"Sure, Liam." I let the water run over my face to disguise how curious I am to read what he's put down already.

"Later, Doc."