Chapter 23

A s I make my way to Lex's room, much later that day, I feel like a smuggler illegally transporting some goods. I'm both the smuggler and the goods.

It's past eleven, and everyone's off for the night, which means it's time for some after-dark fun with my boss—something I'm still not getting used to. The day was long and intense, but I'm still full of energy as I knock on his door.

I look down at my outfit, aware I'm anything but sexy. I'm wearing sneakers, a pair of black leggings, and my Yoda hoodie with "Do or do not, there is no try" written on it. But it's okay, right? I'll be naked soon enough.

Before I can get in my head too much, the door opens before me. My face is tilted down, so what I see first are his bare feet. As my gaze rises, I suddenly get why women go crazy for gray sweatpants with nothing under them. Damn, that is all mine for the night. Trying to get over the distracting sight of the very visible bulge of his dick, I move on to the white T-shirt that fits his shoulders and torso just right. A little higher, I meet his amused gaze behind his glasses. His hair is still wet from a shower, just like mine.

He's temptation in the flesh.

"Hi," I say, almost timidly.

He answers with one of his bone-melting smiles, which causes my heart to flutter. It's good that those are rare because I'm pretty sure that's how babies are made.

His room is a suite with a seating area, a separate bedroom, and access to a small balcony. I spot his laptop on the coffee table and understand he was working while waiting for me.

This is a little awkward because it's nothing like our other times. It isn't in the throes of passion or in the heat of the moment. It's thought through, agreed upon, and premeditated. So, I'm not entirely sure how to proceed.

"Your room is very nice," I say, realizing only too late how mundane it sounds.

But I might as well have said the sexiest thing in the world because the next thing he does is claim my lips. Our gestures have no urgency, as we're aware we have the entire night for this. It's slow and languid as we savor each other and take our time. One of his hands lowers to the bottom of my hoodie, and it comes back up under it, grazing my skin directly. A trembling breath flows out of me as it moves up, leaving a trail of heat in its path.

"Hm… From now on, you must come to me braless every time," he demands when he realizes I'm wearing nothing underneath my hoodie. With another appreciative growl, he fondles the small mound before taking an erect tip between his thumb and index. He pinches it hard, surprising me, before caressing it to soothe the slight pain.

My arms hold on tightly when he lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his hips frame like a vine. I adore the moment, the softness of it, the laziness, almost. This isn't as frantic as the other times we've had sex.

"I don't think I've been fully soft since that moment in the plane's bathroom," he reveals, grinding his erection onto my aching pussy.

"And I don't think I've been fully dry since I met you."

His chuckle comes in the way of our kiss, and I smile broadly at the sound. It dies at once when he suddenly tips over, making me squeal. We land on the soft mattress of the bed, and he makes sure not to crush me with his weight.

Caged under him like this, I slowly undulate, pulling on his T-shirt to remove it.

"Now that I know you don't play fair," he says once it's discarded on the floor, "I have to set some rules."

"Like what?" He pulls up my hoodie to expose my breasts and randomly kisses, nibbles, and licks the smooth skin of my stomach.

"I have my pride, and I can't allow more of that clenching."

I pout, refusing to surrender my only trick. "If you take away my only defense, you can't use more than one of your assets at a time."

He halts his kisses to give me a bratty glance. "What do you mean?"

"It's either your dick, your mouth, or your hand, but not several at once. "

He doesn't seem to like my demand, as his eyes darken. "Only for tonight, then. I like it when I make you come so hard you tear up."

His crude words have me trembling beneath him. It's tempting to ask him to hold back on the dirty talk as well, but I like it too much.

"Fine then. I won't clench," I concede, hypnotized by his ravenous eyes.

"I'm beginning to think I may not even need two ‘assets' to make you cry, anyway."

With that, he bends to take my lips, his tongue brutally invading my mouth to meet mine. Then, he leaves me panting and high on his taste to stand before me. As I lie on the soft mattress, he takes out an orgy-sized condom box from his nightstand.

"A bit pretentious, isn't it?" I ask, pointing at it.

"More like, optimistic."

Lex stares at my exposed breasts while sliding his pants down, releasing his impressive hard-on. I take off my hoodie and throw it somewhere on the floor, and then I extend a foot his way. I have a little surprise just for him. He tugs at my sneaker, revealing my sock, which he inspects with interest.

"Is this a winged pig?" he asks, intrigued.

"Or, as I like to call it, a pigasus."

He chuckles before removing the sock and takes care of the other foot. Before long, he's sliding my leggings and thong down my legs, leaving me utterly naked. He joins me in the bed, propped on his muscular arms.

"Should we establish a safe word for when you want to forfeit?" he arrogantly offers before kissing one of my nipples.

The proposal triggers my competitiveness, so I scowl at him. He ignores my temper, leisurely kissing his way down my stomach.

"How about ‘you win, Andrea, I'm the weakest' as a safe word?" I suggest.

"That's too many words. You'll barely be able to remember your name by the time you need it." He's still on his slow descent to my intimacy, kissing near my belly button.

"How about ‘pigasus?'" I suggest.

His silent laugh teases the skin of my lower stomach. "Perfect."

My last coherent thought, right before he dips his head between my legs, is how Kate always tells me a woman should hold on to a man who loves eating pussy and is good at it.

Lex is definitely great at it, and based on the appreciative sound he lets out right before tonguing me to heaven, he really enjoys doing it.

T his woman will be my fucking death.

We've used three condoms in the past two hours, and I'm slowly inching toward filling up a fourth one. Actually, I'm dangerously close to it.

How could I not with the way she's riding me? She looks like a pagan goddess with her thick thighs over my hips and her small tits bouncing with every adamant rise and fall on my cock. Her expression is one of pure pleasure, her brown eyes veiled with lust, her cheeks red with the effort and pleasure combined, and her hair wild and damp, like the rest of us.

I look down to where we're joined and groan at the sight. Her drenched curls meet the trimmed hair at the base of my dick, which I can see appear and disappear in rhythm, shiny with her wetness. Jesus fucking Christ, this is too much. She's about to make me come again before she can reach another climax. I can't let that happen.

Just as I'm about to send the tip of my thumb to her swollen clit, which is poking out of under its little hood, I'm reminded that I'm not allowed to do it. Not right now. Fuck .

She didn't stop me earlier when I fondled her breasts, so I reach up and pinch both nipples between my fingers. The throaty moan she lets out is a good start. Now, we just need a little more to reach the finish line together.

"Touch yourself," I command.

She trembles from head to toe, hips jerking with the need to come. I don't have to utter my demand again as she lowers her fingers between us, flicking them over the swollen crest.

"You're so fucking hot… I'll never get tired of watching you come," I moan, close to losing it entirely.

The pace of her fingers intensifies as she cries out my name. "Lex, I'm so close!"

"I know. Come for me, Andrea. Make me feel your tight cunt throb."

As often with her, my crude words are what get her to topple into bliss. She lets out a sobbing cry, her body twitching over mine, her hands now flat on my chest as she grinds onto me, lost in pleasure. For a brief moment, she shuts her eyes tightly, as if overwhelmed by it all. But she promptly opens them again to maintain this connection between us .

Her orgasm shakes her, so I hold her in place as my hips drill her from under at a fast pace, seeking my own release. She begs for mercy, trying to pull away, but my climax is right fucking there.

"Fuck," I shout at the first rope of cum that shoots out of me.

My hands grip her hips in a bruising hold to keep her down on me as I empty myself yet again in the condom. Seconds stretch until we're both done twitching with pleasure. Completely spent, she topples over on my chest, her breathing hectic.

How is this not getting dull? Why is it so uniquely good every single time? Something about her makes this very different from my past experiences. It's like I've met my match not only when it comes to coding but also in bed. All the yearning, the tension, the friction between us… they were a sign. Or maybe a warning.

My hands softly course over the sweaty expanse of her back, and when I reach her ass, I gently tap it as an encouragement to move.

"Is that a double-tap? If you want to forfeit, you need to say ‘pigasus,' remember?" she humors, her voice husky from overusing her vocal cords for the past few hours.

"Not even close. Give me ten minutes to recover, and I'm good for another round."

She mumbles her disappointment and lifts herself, enough to dislodge me from within her, and then flops by my side, properly spent. I pull the condom off and throw it on the floor by the bed next to the other used ones.

Maybe that oversized Trojan pack isn't too much, after all.

"Is it me, or are we getting better at this?" she asks, staring at the white ceiling.

"As crazy as it sounds, I think we are, yes."

I gaze at her, enjoying the sight of her tousled hair, reddened cheeks, and sparkly eyes. Giving into my desire for tenderness, I move to kiss her, and she eagerly welcomes it.

While I know this isn't anything other than a sex arrangement, I can't help but hope it will last. Not only am I curious to see just how good we can get at this, but I also enjoy being around her.

But deep down, I know perfectly well that the longer this lasts, the harder the fall will be. I can't give her more than this—amazing, otherworldly sex. And if my past arrangements taught me anything, it's that she'll soon demand more.

And for her sake and mine, I can't give her that. There's nothing but disappointment and resentment down that path.

I 'll have to avoid stairs for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. And I'm perfectly okay with that. I'm sore as hell everywhere , but it was definitely worth it.

After everything, Lex managed to trick me into shower sex, and then I passed out on his bed. I snuck to my room at dawn, slept some more, and now I'm making my way to the breakfast buffet, looking for my people. I find them gathered at a table, with only Lex missing, so I fill myself a plate and join them.

"Wow, someone's hungry," Oli says when I join them.

With a wince, I look down at the tray. Yeah, I got a bit carried away, but I'm famished. Unsure how to justify my abnormal hunger, I shrug my shoulders and sit down.

"Oh, could it be her?" Brian asks before pointing at a woman who just entered. We all look at the tall brunette, and when a man joins her, sliding his hand around her waist, Steven shakes his head.

"What's going on?" I ask, intrigued.

"We're looking for a good-looking woman with a limp."

"Or one in a wheelchair."

Confused, I glance at Oli. He rolls his eyes, apparently disagreeing with them. "Is it some new fetish you two have developed overnight?" I ask with humor.

"It's a long story," Brian says, dismissing my question with a vague hand gesture to focus on the entrance. I refuse to be the only one around this table excluded from the conversation, so I give Steven a determined look.

"Okay, when we came back from the ramen place yesterday, Brian broke our toilet with his fat ass."

"Hey!" Brian protests with a pout. The comment was clearly ironic, since he's skin and bones, so it's amusing that he takes it personally.

"Anyway. They relocated us to another room," Steven continues. "It was an upgrade, so we felt good about it. But then the people in the room next to us started to have sex like wild animals."

My heart drops and blood leaves my face as a dreadful feeling invades me. I do my best to hide it, hoping my hunch is wrong.

"It went on for the longest time. We actually felt bad for the poor woman," Steven explains while Brian confirms with a grave nod. "Anyhow, we wouldn't have given it another thought, but when we came out ten minutes ago to get down here, guess who we saw, coming back from the hotel's gym, entering the very room where all the crazy sex happened?"

I don't want to answer. I refuse to be right. Please, God, let it be Justin Trudeau, Gordon Ramsay, Santa fucking Claus… Anyone but Lex.

"Our boss!" Brian nearly shouts, stealing the big reveal from Steven, who glares at him.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

I feel both hot and cold, my hands clammy and trembling. This is so unfair. What are the odds of those two ending up in the room right next to Lex's?

This is so fucking bad.

In my life, I've known my fair share of embarrassing moments, but this one takes the cake. I want to disappear, to just poof , vanish into nothingness. Leaving the table abruptly and showing I'm upset isn't an option, so I have to endure it.

Mistaking my silence for astonishment, Steven continues. "So now, we're trying to guess which one of these ladies was with him last night. We established she has to have some sort of limp going on after what he did to her, so it's our main clue. Also, she's got to be a total babe."

"Maybe a limp is a bit much," Oliver notes, still not on board with this. A limp really isn't too much, no…

"Dude, you weren't there. You didn't hear it. It was kind of muffled, but I swear, the man has got to be a sex god or something. It was insane like, bed banging on the wall for two hours straight, and nonstop, ‘Aah… Yes! Oh, God, yes! Ooh… Ah,'" Brian imitates with a high pitch. A few surrounding people take an interest in our table, intrigued.

If all the blood hadn't drained from my face, I'd be poppy-red right now. If that's how I sound, how is Lex not shoving my face into a pillow?

The guys won't drop the subject, and I try my hardest to appear unfazed, even though I'm dying inside. Oli tries to veer the discussion to another topic a few times, arguing it's Lex's private life, but it does nothing. My appetite is gone, so I push my food around, eating very little from my massive tray.

"Whoever was that hoe with him," Mason says at some point, sipping on his Earl Grey, "she a lucky bitch."

"Okay, how about we change the subject? Lex got laid. Good for him. Let's not shame a woman for it," Oli intervenes. I could kiss him for always doing the right thing.

"Here he comes!" Brian excitedly says, ruining his efforts.

We turn in the direction he's looking, and I spot Lex, wearing a charcoal two-piece suit with a black shirt underneath, the first two buttons undone. As always, he's stunning .

"Good morning, everyone," he greets us when he reaches us with his tray, suspiciously joyful given his usually stern attitude. He sits opposite me, and while I look away, I sense his gaze on me.

The guys salute him back, and there's a moment of silence while Lex digs into his breakfast. They're all burning to ask him about his night, and I don't even have to wonder which one will break first.

"So, how was your night?" Brian asks. Almost immediately after, Mace kicks him under the table.

Oblivious to the awkward ambiance, Lex drinks a sip of coffee to help swallow his mouthful of buttered toast. "I slept nicely. Thank you for asking."

He's in a remarkably good mood. An evening of sex makes him delightful to be around, doesn't it?

"But you didn't sleep much, though," Brian insists, ignoring Mason, who kicks him again.

Lex scans each of us, now aware that something's off. I can't give even the slightest hint to the guys, but I try to pass on all I can in our silent exchange when our gazes cross. "What do you mean?" he asks Brian.

"Well, Steven and I were moved next to your room, and we heard you had some feminine company."

Mason facepalms, Oli closes his eyes with a sigh, and Steven shakes his head. Joseph isn't missing any of this, reading lips and enjoying the free entertainment. I'm thankful for Lex being so clever and quick-witted because, after a short instant of shock, he doesn't turn to look at me. Thank God for that, because it would have been a dead giveaway.

He stays silent for a moment, seemingly unaffected, his stern face impossible to decipher. I'm starting to know him pretty well, though, and I can sense he's pissed. My suspicions are confirmed when he finally speaks, giving Brian a dangerous glare.

"Was there a fucking question?"

It's the first time I've heard Lex swear in front of them, and the shock on everyone's faces tells me it's a very rare occurrence.

Brian turns pale, torn by confusion and embarrassment. "I, umm… We—No, not really. It's more of a… an observation," he stammers. Lex doesn't answer, but he gives a look that makes it abundantly clear what he thinks of his "observation."

Lex is very private, living in a fortress of an apartment with his own AI to ensure no one knows what happens inside. I can easily imagine how having his intimacy laid out for all to see—or rather, to hear —doesn't sit well with him.

The joyful mood is gone, replaced by awkward silence. Eventually, the guys filter out one by one until only Lex and I are left .

He empties his plate with harsh gestures, and when he finishes and puts his cutlery down, I bend forward with an understanding smile, even though I'm not sure I'll ever truly understand the man.

"They didn't mean to be offensive or mocking. It's alright."

"It's not alright," he counters, not any calmer.

"They all know you get some action. It isn't some big secret."

"I don't give a shit if they know when and where I fuck someone."

Offended by his crudeness, I pull away from him. "Then what's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal? The big deal is it was you . They heard you . They know what you sound like when you come. They heard your cries and moans," he explains, his eyes dark with irritation. I blush crimson at his words and look around to ensure no one's listening. "I had no clue this hotel had walls so fucking thin, or I would have gagged you," he bitterly adds.

The thought of him doing that to me has all sorts of shivers running through my body. I press my knees together to muffle the sensations awakening in my core. Shit, we'll have to try that at some point.

I then curse my gutter-minded brain. There's a delicate situation that demands my full attention.

"Let it go, Lex. They have no idea it was me," I insist, bending forward again to rest a hand over his clenched fist. "They think it was some stunning woman worthy of sharing your bed. I'm miles and miles away from their suspicions."

"It was still you, whether they know it or not." Although there's still some annoyance in his tone, he sounds less irritated.

"It was so muffled they could barely hear anything," I pretend. The guys won't speak about the matter again, and if a tiny lie can help save the day, I'm willing to do it. "Seriously, you're the only one who knows the sounds I make when I come."

It gets his attention, and the last remaining traces of anger disappear from his handsome face. "What about your exes?"

"Now you're fishing for compliments, and I won't feed that colossal ego of yours," I respond, getting up. "I need to go get a few things from my room. Meet you in the hall?" I offer. He nods, pensive. "Also, you're the boss, and it's your call, but maybe have a talk with Brian. This trip is too important to let something like this ruin it for everyone."

He nods again, and I can tell he's genuinely considering it. Maybe he can be saved after all.

Who knows? With time, his heart might even grow three sizes.