17

Christina

Whatever Chef Haruto lacked in terms of vocabulary, he made up for in culinary skill. Every dish he plated was a piece of art, from the thinly shaved ginger on the dumplings to the caviar on the sushi.

I'd been trying to get a reservation at his restaurant for months and now here I was at a private dinner for two and he was the chef.

Shaking my head, I closed my mouth over the Yakitori chicken and moaned.

"Careful," Will said slyly, "I don't want anyone but me making you moan like that."

"You should be jealous," I teased. "This is very satisfying."

He placed both hands on either side of his plate and leaned across the dining room table to kiss me. "These lips are mine," he growled.

I smiled and kissed him back.

Walking toward the cabinet, he pulled out a red bag with white tissue paper inside and placed it next to me.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Open it."

I yanked the tissue out and peeked inside. Black leather and a gold chain laid inside. Pulling out the purse, I examined the logo. "Is this real?" I asked, the words coming out of my mouth before I could stop them.

He laughed. "Yes. Of course."

Squeezing the latch, I unzipped it. The black suede inside was soft to the touch and smelled brand new. Despite my salary, I'd never purchased an extravagant gift like this for myself before. I never grew up with money and saved what I made in an emergency fund. Sure, I bought nice clothes, but I never bought myself a nice purse. At least not one worth a month's salary,

"Nikole suggested it. She helped me pick it out."

I nodded, and my head swam with thoughts of Will asking Nikole to help him shop for me.

"Do you like it?" His voice was hesitant. It was unexpected coming from him, who always appeared so confident.

I looked up at him, blinking. "Yes. It's beautiful."

He watched me as I opened every small zipper inside and stuck my fingers into every tiny compartment.

"I'm not sure whether I should give you the next gift yet or not. You're not smiling, so I'm not sure how you feel about presents."

"You bought me something else?" My voice came out a little more high-pitched than I would've liked, but I couldn't hide my surprise.

"Yes. And I think I'd better do it now."

He walked back to the same cabinet, and this time returned with a box wrapped in white paper and a black bow. The box was a little larger than my hand when he placed it in front of me. Tentatively, I lifted it. My heart raced. I wasn't sure why exactly. But my body reacted in a way I wasn't accustomed to. Slowly, I pulled at the black ribbon and untied the bow. The ribbon fell away and I slid a finger underneath the tape to unwrap the rest of the gift. When I was done, I held a blue velvet box in my hand.

"Open it," Will chuckled when I simply stared at it.

The box creaked open and my breath caught when I saw what was inside. The most beautiful necklace sat within a white satin frame. A thick white gold collar with a blue sapphire pendant at its base.

My heart hammered in my chest as I stared down at it.

"Christina? What's wrong?"

"It's too much," I whispered.

He shook his head. "No. It's not. It's only a small token of how I feel about you. I want you to know how much I care for you."

My hand holding the necklace shook, and I had to set it down on the table, clasping my hands on my lap. Confused, I couldn't make sense of my reaction. It was all just… just so much.

Standing, Will walked over and unhooked the necklace from the satin buttons. Then, he swept my hair away from my neck. Goosebumps spread across my shoulders and I shivered.

I closed my eyes when I felt the cool metal fall onto my chest and inhaled sharply. Will clasped the necklace and lifted my hair back into place. Then he ran his hands up and down my arms and kissed my neck. "It looks lovely on you."

I pressed my lips together and nodded.

"Let's go back to my bedroom. I want to see you wearing only that necklace."

I inhaled deeply, my breath catching when my stomach fluttered.

Will reached for my hand and led me down the hallway.

I felt as though I were floating. My body tingled from his touch and my heart beat rapidly in my chest. But my head swam with thoughts and questions and I couldn't put my finger on any of them, so I ignored the whirlwind.

I wanted to touch, feel, and kiss Will until everything settled within me. I knew he was real, but nothing was more reassuring than feeling his hands on me. He kissed me and I kissed him back. My hands ran across his body and unbuttoned his shirt. His skin was warm to the touch.

"Take off your clothes," he whispered.

His words fueled my desire, and I lifted the hem of my dress and pulled it up and off of my body. I stood wearing only my black panties and bra.

"Beautiful," he breathed.

Will slid his finger underneath my bra strap and pulled it down. "It's time for you to pay up on our deal."

He kissed my neck and I could barely breathe. "What deal?" I asked.

"Payment for hiring me. I promised I would collect."

I smiled and stroked his hard cock between us. "I think I know what sort of reimbursement you're looking for."

His breath hitched, and he nipped at my lips. "Ah, sweetheart, that sounds amazing, but it wasn't entirely what I had in mind."

I stopped stroking. "What do you mean?"

He pressed his mouth to my nipple and sucked. I bit my lip and my whole world tilted on its axis.

"I want you to spend the night," he said, his face still buried against my breast.

My heart stopped. I couldn't breathe, and it had nothing to do with his fingers sliding down past my navel.

"Christina?" he asked.

I shook my head and blinked several times. He brought his face up to look at me, his brow furrowed and a question formed in his eyes. I didn't know how to answer it. I couldn't find the words to respond to his payment request. So, I kissed him. Hard. Wrapping my arms around his neck. He responded with a punishing kiss of his own.

We stumbled backward onto the bed and I imagined nothing else in this world but myself and Will. There was no past, no future, nothing that would get in our way. I pushed against his chest until he fell backward onto the mattress, then I straddled him.

With a grin, he palmed my backside and urged me forward. I didn't need much encouragement. I was ready to take control of this situation.

Yes, taking control was exactly what I needed. I'd felt overwhelmed and confused before, but now I knew what I would do.

I felt my orgasm swell deep within me and I closed my eyes as I rocked back and forth, grinding my pelvic bone against Will's erection. He filled me with his throbbing cock, making even the slightest movement electric.

My pleasure rose with every thrust of my hips and Will raised his arms behind him to hold on to the posts as my tempo shook the bed. The wood creaked and the mattress groaned as my body trembled and then stiffened on top of Will's. Pleasure ripped through my body as I gasped and fell on top of him.

I wasn't even sure if he had come. I'd been so wrapped up in my own thoughts, or rather, trying not to think of anything at all.

"Was it good for you?" I whispered next to his ear, and he chuckled.

"Yeah, it was fucking amazing." He kissed my neck. "You are amazing."

Through the haze of lust, his words caressed me. And yet, something held me back. Fear of the unknown, fear of losing myself, of losing something… something I wasn't sure how to hold on to.

I rolled onto my back and exhaled. Will found my hand and I squeezed our fingers together. Then he grabbed the duvet and pulled it up to our chests. The act reminded me of his request. I stared at the coffered ceiling as conflicting thoughts raced through my mind. Is this what I wanted? What would staying the night mean? Could I trust Will to stay? To not leave me? Could I pick up the pieces of my life again if he did? I didn't know how to respond to any of these questions. I needed more time.

Slowly, I climbed out of bed and picked up my panties from the floor. I slid one leg in and then the other. Picking up my bra from the chair, I put that on, too.

"What are you doing?"

I slipped my dress over my head and slid it down my body. "I'm going home. I never spend the night. You know that."

"Yes. But I asked you to spend the night as part of our deal."

I tucked one foot inside my high heel and then the other. "I never agreed to this deal."

Then I turned to him. "You promised you wouldn't ask me for anything I couldn't give," I said, swallowing a lump that had formed in my throat. "I can't give you this."

He stared at me, his brow furrowed, but he didn't move. I was thankful because I wasn't sure what I would say if he pressed me further. I might have said something I would regret later.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said. "I don't want this to end, but I'm not ready for it to go where you want it to, either." I exhaled a shaky breath. "Do you understand?"

He nodded. "Yeah," he said softly, his eyes never leaving mine.

I swallowed. "Thank you."

I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me. "Good night, Christina."

"Good night, Will."

Pulling out my phone, I called for a car. I heard Will get up behind me, but I didn't turn back again. I felt his stare as I walked down the hallway to the elevator and avoided his eyes when the elevator doors closed.

I clenched my fists at my sides, angry with myself but unable to turn back.

I couldn't do it.

I just couldn't.

Something held me back.

My heart raced the entire ride home. When I finally walked inside, I undressed and slipped into bed.

It felt cold and empty.