Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

“ A re you sure you want to go home? You can stay longer,” Eloise reminds me for the millionth time.

“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve been here long enough, and I really appreciate you hiding me out, but it’s time to face the real world again,” I tell her.

Lucy came by to talk to me. She swears that what happened must have been something else, that Alistair isn’t that type of guy. And, a week ago, I wouldn’t have thought he was either. But it doesn’t change what I saw firsthand. With my own eyes. My boss, the same man I thought I was dating, with a woman on her knees in front of him.

I’m not going home because Lucy talked me into believing that Alistair is innocent. I’m going home because I know if Lucy found me, then Alistair is bound to know where I am too, and the last thing I want is for him to rock up here and try to drag me out kicking and screaming.

I might not know Eloise’s new family very well, but over the last week, I’ve observed one thing. They’re all hella protective of my best friend and will do anything she asks of them. If she sees Alistair, I wouldn’t put it past her to tell one of those men to shoot him on the spot. Which will probably happen if any of the stories I hear about the De Bellis brothers are true. Either way, it’s time for me to pull up my big girl panties and go home. I also want to curl up in my own bed, with my own clothes.

“Okay, just know all you have to do is call me and I’ll be there to get you,” Eloise says while hugging me so tight she’s close to cracking a rib.

“I’m okay. I’ll be fine. I survived the Hunter incident. I can survive this,” I assure her. Although this, Alistair’s betrayal, hurts a whole lot more than being left at the altar. Which makes absolutely no sense. I was with my ex practically my whole life. He was my first everything. I’ve only known Alistair for a couple of months. It shouldn’t hurt this much. I shouldn’t feel a huge void within my soul because he’s not around.

“You will be, because you’re Dani-freaking-Hutchinson and no man is ever going to tear you down,” Eloise says.

“Thank you for being the best friend a girl could dream of,” I tell her.

“Call me.” She waves as I jump into the waiting Uber.

I nod my head and close the door. I can do this. I can face the world. And if that world happens to include Alistair, well, all I can say is good luck to him.

I walk through the door of my apartment and drop my bag. I flick on the lights and stop in my tracks. My kitchen and living room are overtaken by vases upon vases of flowers. In every colour. It’s like a rainbow threw up in here. I don’t bother looking at any of the cards. It doesn’t take a genius to know who they are from. Instead, I choose to ignore them and walk into the bathroom. Where I strip off my clothes and sit on the shower floor, under the stream of hot water, until it runs cold.

When I start to shiver, I step out, dry off, and slip into my fluffy pyjama pants and a singlet top. I just want to lie in bed. My bed. As soon as my head hits the pillow, the tears start to fall. I haven’t cried all that much this week. Okay, that’s a lie. I’ve cried more than I thought was humanly possible. I’ve cried myself to sleep every night.

I miss him. My heart misses him while my body craves his touch. To have him hold me and tell me it’s all going to be okay, that we’re going to work it out. But my mind keeps telling me what an idiot I was. That I can’t trust him, that I can’t trust men.

I close my eyes, blocking it all out. And eventually sleep takes over.

“Dani, your pussy is mine. Your heart is mine. You are mine. No matter where you run, you’ll always be mine, little girl. Tell me,” Alistair says.

“I’m yours, sir,” I reply.

“Yes, little girl, you took away my favourite toy for a whole week. And for that, I’m going to punish you.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” I say, and I mean it.

“You want to be a good girl for me, Dani?” Alistair’s hand strokes my cheek.

“Yes. I am your good girl,” I tell him.

“But you’ve been bad. Running away is bad, little girl,” he says. “Come here. Bend yourself over my knee.” He pats his thigh.

I walk over to him. I know I have to do this. I want to do this. I position myself across his lap. Alistair lifts the back of my skirt to expose my ass.

“You’re not wearing panties. Where are your panties, little girl?” he questions.

“I—ow!” I cry out as an open palm swats my skin. “I forgot, sir,” I tell him.

“You forgot?” Another slap punctuates his words.

The sting soon morphs into a pleasure that radiates within my core. I can feel myself getting wetter. “Ow, I’m sorry,” I cry out as another slap lands on my rear.

“I know you are,” Alistair says, trailing a finger across my wet folds. A moan escapes me as he inserts a finger. It’s been too long. I need to feel him fill me. I push my hips up, trying to get more of those fingers inside me. His other hand pushes down on my back. “Don’t move,” he tells me as he continues to slowly drag that one digit in and out of my hole. “Do you have any idea how much I missed this cunt?” he asks.

“No, sir.” I shake my head.

“A fucking lot,” he says, withdrawing his finger. He pulls me into his arms and throws me down on the bed. “I’m going to make up for lost time. I’m going to be fucking you all week. Don’t expect to leave this bed, little girl. I need you.” He hovers over me, stroking his cock in his hand.

“Yes, please. I want you.” I open my legs as wide as I can, an unspoken invitation.

“I love you, Dani. Don’t ever fucking leave me again,” he says before thrusting into me. Hard.

“Oh god, I won’t,” I cry out as he increases his punishing rhythm, fucking me like he’s trying to prove a point to both of us. “Shit, Alistair, I’m going to…” Just as I’m about to fall over that cliff, he pulls out and climbs off the bed.

“What? What are you doing?” I ask.

“Did you think I was going to let you come, little girl? You left me wanting for a whole week. I’m going to do the same to you. Make yourself comfortable, because I’m going to be edging you for the foreseeable future.” He smirks down at me.

“No, please. Alistair, no. You can’t do this.” Then I hear something click. I go to sit upright in bed when my arm is tugged backwards.

What the hell?

I glance up and find my wrist handcuffed. I look back to Alistair, my eyes wide. Except he’s not there. I scan the dark room, then peer down at myself. I’m wearing my pyjamas. It’s not real. I sigh in relief until I move my arm and it still doesn’t budge.

“Did you miss me, little girl?”

I jump at the sound of Alistair’s deep, husky voice in my ear. “What the hell, Alistair? Uncuff me!” I yell at him.

“I will, but not yet.”

“Why? Why the hell are you in my house? Get out and take your fucking rainbow with you. Actually, here’s a thought. Why don’t you give them to that woman I saw in your office? You know, as a thank you for that blow job she was giving you,” I seethe at him. My stomach rolls at the memory. It literally makes me sick to think of him being with another woman.

“I’ll leave, after you hear me out,” he demands, as if he has any right.

“I don’t need to hear you out. There is no way you can convince me you’re not a cheating piece of?—”

His hand covers my mouth and I bite down on the meat of his palm. “Fuck, Dani.” He drops his arm and shakes it out. “I just want to talk, and I want you to fucking listen,” he says.

“I’m not listening. I hate you,” I tell him, tears rolling down my cheeks.

“If you hated me, you wouldn’t be as broken up over this as I am. And if you hated me, you wouldn’t have just been dreaming about me fucking you,” he says.

“I wasn’t,” I lie.

“You were.”

We stare at each other. I want him to wrap those arms of his around me. I want to turn that dream into a reality—well, the fucking, not the withholding part. I want it all so much it hurts. “Why are you here?” I ask him again.

“Because I can’t fucking live without you. This past week as been hell. I need you, Dani. More than I want you. More than I want to need you.” His fingers wipe the tear from my cheek.

“Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you let another woman suck your dick,” I hiss in reply. Because it’s too little, too late. All his pretty words and guilt can’t take back what he did.

“I didn’t. I never would have. What you saw was me trying to get her off me. I didn’t ask her to do that. I was trying to get away from her.”

“Sure, it looked like you were putting up one hell of a fight.” I roll my eyes.

“I know what it looked like, and I know what you saw. But I promise you I would never do that. Not to anyone. Especially not to you. Never. Mrs Dalmore, she came on to me. I turned her down.”

“It doesn’t matter, Alistair.” I shake my head and sigh. “We both knew this wasn’t a forever thing. How could it be? You’re my boss and so much older than me and, well, you’re my boss. Or was… I guess you’re not anymore.” I’m giving him an out.

“You still have your job, Dani. You’re not quitting. And maybe, at the start, this was just a bit of fun. But we moved well beyond that, don’t you think?”

I want to believe him. This is why I refused to see him. I knew he’d try to convince me of his innocence, and I want nothing more than to take him at his word. But I can’t. I can’t feel this level of pain anymore.

I won’t…