46. Lorelei

46

LORELEI

" W ear the red dress." His words ring in my ear just as loudly as the moment he whispered them. My reaction isn't any less visceral, either.

A shiver runs down my spine, and my heart begins to race. It doesn't matter that he's not in the room—I can still feel his presence.

I look around the luxury bathroom I've locked myself inside to get ready for our meal.

I should have stood my ground and said no. This "date" is a disaster waiting to happen.

Hell, this whole trip is, and yet…here I am nonetheless.

I'm standing in a black strapless bra and matching panties. My hair has been freshly washed, and my makeup has been reapplied to the best of my ability, but I doubt it's even close to as good as the women he usually spends time with.

All I need now is the dress.

When he was pulling clothes out of my closet this morning, I had no idea that he was being selective in any way, but it seems that I should have given him a little more credit. I've known it all along—Kian Callahan knows exactly what he wants, and he always gets it. I just keep getting blinded by everything else he tries to keep hidden from the rest of the world and forgetting.

Happy with everything, I turn to the dress hanging on the back of the door.

Butterflies flutter wildly in my stomach as I stare at it.

Whatever happens from here on out is the dress's fault.

The second I step into it, I can no longer be held responsible for my actions.

Blowing out a long, slow breath between my lips, I reach for the dress.

Here goes nothing.

"Shit," I hiss when I fail to zip it all the way up.

I wiggle this way and that, but no matter what I do, I can't get it over the waistband.

Quickly, I weigh my options.

Defy him and wear something else.

Or…

Go out there and ask for his help.

Both are way more tempting than they should be.

Abandoning my dress, I slip my feet into my shoes and then give myself one final spritz of perfume before holding my head high and walking out of the bathroom.

The bedroom is empty, but voices coming from the main living area let me know where he is.

The sound of the TV seems to diminish as I get closer. The only thing I can hear is my heart slamming against my ribs.

You're going to regret this, Lorelei, a little voice warns in my head. But it's nowhere near loud enough to stop me.

I'm about to clear my throat to announce my presence, but I quickly discover that it's not necessary, because he turns around.

The second his eyes land on me, I swear, time stops.

Something crackles so heavily between us, I have to take a step back to steady myself.

"Lorelei," he rasps as he shifts to the edge of the couch and then pushes to his feet. "You look--" He swallows, cutting off his words before his eyes drop all the way to my toes and then back up again. His arm lifts and his fingers comb through his hair, dragging it back and ruining any styling he'd done before I commandeered the bathroom. "Fuck, Lorelei."

His words, or more so the desire within them, hit me right between the thighs.

He's dressed since the last time I saw him. He'd walked out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

I knew what he was doing, and I refused to fall for it.

My eyes refused to fall for it…at least they did until I was closing the door. Then, I looked. And I can confirm his naked back is almost as good as his front. He has those dimples just above his ass. Dimples that I want to— No, lock it down, Lorelei .

"I need a little help," I confess, putting the very vivid image of his towel-clad body to the back of my mind.

His brows lift with intrigue a beat before a smirk spreads across his lips.

"Oh yeah?" he muses, moving closer with something wicked glittering in his eyes.

His white shirt fits his body like a second skin, and the sleeves are rolled up, revealing his ripped forearms. And his pants…shit, I'm pretty sure they'll look better from behind than the towel.

"Y-yeah, I need…" I spin around, letting him see.

The second his eyes land on my exposed skin, a shockwave rocks through my body. But it's got nothing on the moment he steps up behind me, his breath brushing over my neck and down my chest.

Suddenly, my bra feels too small. Hell, my skin feels too small.

His fingers brush my shoulder as he pushes my curls out of the way before his knuckles graze lower, making me flinch, the point of contact burning red hot.

No words are said as he drags the zipper up, securing my dress into place.

When he hits the top, I finally release the breath I was holding, expecting him to take a step back.

But he doesn't. If anything, he only moves closer.

"Oh," I breathe when his obvious erection presses against my ass.

"You lied to me earlier," he whispers, his lips brushing my ear as he speaks.

I shake my head, although the movement is so slight, I doubt he'll see it.

"N-no," I breathe. "I didn't."

He laughs, puffing air over me, making me shudder.

He feels it, too.

His hand lands on my hip, dragging me back against him. My core aches. "It's okay, Lorelei. Deny it all you like. I have every intention of proving you wrong."

His nose grazes my neck, and a needy whimper slips free.

Fuck.

Maybe I shouldn't have lied to him, although honestly, I'm not sure it made much difference.

I knew he could see through every single word I said after we walked back into the hotel room not so long ago.

As he demanded, I held his eyes and told him that I didn't feel it.

But I did. I felt it alright. All the way down to the very tips of my toes.

I couldn't tell him that, though.

He's my boss. My wealthy, arrogant, egotistical asshole of a boss.

And…and I want him, damn it.

The little taste I had hasn't been anywhere near enough. I need more, and I'm as excited as I am terrified to take it.

"Ready for dinner?" he asks, sounding completely unaffected by what just happened.

I release a breath in a rush, amused by Mr. Calm and Collected. But while he might act in control, we both know the truth. I just felt it pressed against my ass, and I've no doubt he's feeling it in his balls right now as well.

Kian Callahan wants me…

It's a heady fucking feeling, I'll admit that.

This man could literally have any woman on the planet. Hell, he kinda already has, and yet, he's here and getting hard for me.

Me.

With a shake of my head, I spin around to face him again.

He looks just as composed and in control as ever. I feel like a hot mess, and I can only pray that I don't look like one as well.

"You okay?" he asks.

"Great. Hungry."

I don't think about what I say until I catch his smirk.

"Me too," he agrees as I return to the bedroom to swipe my purse from the end of the bed.

If I were being sensible, I'd lock myself in the bedroom and refuse to go with him. But where is the fun in that?

We're in a different state. The reality of life has been left behind. We're in one of his fancy hotels, which I'm sure has fancier restaurants.

My stomach grumbles as I move toward the door.

He remains in place, watching me intently.

"Are you coming, or do I need to find another man to entertain me while I eat?"

That gets him moving, and before I cross the threshold into the hallway, he's right behind me.

"Let's get this straight," he growls from behind me. His hand is resting on the small of my back, ensuring my blood continues to simmer at boiling point. "The only man getting anywhere near you for the foreseeable future is me."

I smirk, loving the jealous side that keeps appearing.

"I think that's for me to decide, not you."

"We'll see."

A s I expected, Kian leads me to a five-star restaurant on the building's rooftop. I had no idea it was even up here. Something tells me that I'm not the only one. It seems to be something of a secret.

The second he walks up to the desk, he's welcomed by name, and after some pleasantries, we're guided to our table that's located inside its own pod.

I stare upward in complete awe. I've never dined anywhere like it.

We have an unobstructed view of the clear night sky above us. It's hands-down the most romantic location I've ever experienced.

And I'm with my boss.

"You like it?" Kian asks, his attention fully on me instead of the incredible view above us.

"It's incredible."

"Not always a bad thing being a flashy motherfucker, is it?"

"You said it," I mutter.

Ripping my eyes from the stars, find his dark green ones staring down at me.

Desire continues to burn red hot within them, turning the green I'm used to almost black.

"Thank you," I whisper, needing him to know that despite all the shit I give him, I do really appreciate all these experiences he's giving me.

He shrugs like all of this is no big deal. I guess it isn't to him.

"I was hardly going to take you to a McDonalds for our first date, was I?"

I frown, trying to fight my amusement. "Wait, you know what McDonalds is?"

"I'm not that out of touch."

"Are you sure?" I ask as a server approaches to fill our water glasses and take our drinks order.

"Would you like wine?"

The sensible thing to do would be to say no and stick to water. I might stand a chance of not losing my head—or my body—to this man if I remain sober.

But sadly, my lips aren't in agreement with my brain. They seem to have sided with my body, because the words that spill free are, "Sure. Your choice."

I could choose the wine, but without even opening the menu, I already know that I'm not going to recognize a single bottle on the list. I also know that the prices are going to utterly terrify me.

Ignorance is bliss in this situation.

Kian orders us a bottle of red, which I've no doubt will probably be the best bottle of red wine I've ever tasted. There are certainly some perks to fake dating this man.

Not that we're dating in any way…

As if he can read my thoughts, he sits back in his seat and sips his water with a smirk on his face.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"They're nothing you haven't already heard before."

He quirks a brow in interest.

Unwilling to dive into dangerous territory, I finally reach for the menu sitting before me.

"So, what's good here?"

He chuckles. "Everything."

"Of course," I mutter, my eyes scanning the list of food before me and discovering that it's a seafood restaurant. I guess that makes sense, seeing as we're by the ocean.

Casting a look to my left, I focus on the darkness surrounding us. I can just about make out the reflection of the moon in the calm ocean in the distance.

The desire to walk across the sand and feel the cool water lap at my feet burns through me.

It's been so long since I've had the chance.

"You're a million miles away tonight," Kian muses.

"Sorry. All of this is just a little…"

"Overwhelming?" he guesses when I trail off.

"Yeah. My life isn't like this, Kian. I don't stay in fancy hotels or eat at five-star seafood restaurants. I don't even know what half of this is, let alone what I'm meant to choose." As the words continue to flow, my unease grows until I no longer feel like I belong.

Hell, I don't fucking belong.

This isn't me.

I glance around, taking in the polished gold finishes, the expensive bottles of liquor behind the bar, the other diners.

Lifting my hand, I press my palm over my racing heart as my world begins to spin out of control.

Everything around me starts to blur as my panic fully takes over.

You don't belong here.

You're a fraud.

And one day soon, Kian is going to learn everything and kick you to the curb…exactly where you belong.