Filed to story: I Slept With My Ex's Father (Olivia & Dylan) Book PDF Free
She hugs me goodbye, slips on her dryad mask, and goes to the door. “You better not stay cooped up in here tonight. I know Hill can be a lot, but…” She shrugs. “Try to have some fun.”
Then, she slips out into the hallway.
Hill can be a lot. I’ve barely even started to explore, barely met a handful of members, and I’m already feeling overwhelmed.
Not to mention…my Phoenix.
Though I’m terrified of what might become of me if I give into these intense, primal feelings I’ve had since I laid eyes on him only a couple of hours ago, his memory brings me comfort.
His body felt so good and safe against mine.
Yet, he’s a total stranger. I shouldn’t feel safe with a stranger.
But I did. And I haven’t felt safe in a very long time.
“Okay, I’m going out there, Glenda.”
“Nice to meet you, boss.”
I give her a look.
So, she was listening.
I can’t blame her, though. A job like this is perfect for someone who is just a little nosy. “Just call me Olivia. No need for any formalities with me.”
She grins. “You got it. And if you need a wipe or a piece of gum or-“
“I’ll come to you first, don’t you worry!” I say over my shoulder as I go out the door.
I look back down the hall toward the stairs leading to the main part of the club where all the dancing and partying has only gotten louder throughout the night as people have gotten drunker. Then, I look the other way. The hall keeps going, drops off at a set of stairs.
This up here is the VIP area, so regular club-goers won’t have access. Can this stairway lead to a different part of the club downstairs?
I only remember the stairways in the foyer and right by the door, which merge into one up here. But maybe this is another way down.
Shrugging, I walk down the hallway. I approach it, tentative and careful. I’d hate to go somewhere I’m not supposed to go.
I’m going to be the manager, for god’s sake, I might as well know the ins and outs of this place.
As I reach the top, I look down, to a leather door with metal studs decorating it.
Huh.
I bathe in the silence.
Should I keep going? What is beyond that door?
Before I can make up my mind, someone grabs me by the arm and yanks me back. The scream that threatens to rip out of my throat gets silenced by a hand over my mouth.
“Sh-sh-sh…It’s just me.”
The voice of the Phoenix.
The hand against my mouth suddenly becomes…welcomed.
He presses me up against a recess in the wall where we are just out of view from those who might be coming and going. He releases his hand from my mouth, but his eyes are glued to my lips. “You ran away from me.”
I gasp as he presses his pelvis up against me. “Y-you were needed.”
“More than you needed me?”
I scoff. “I don’t need you.”
“Is that a fact?”
Though we are bathed in shadow, I can still see the glinting of his dark eyes.
My resolve dwindles. I can’t be sure that I don’t need him. That’s why I ran away from him, so that I couldn’t fall off the edge of the cliff into this man. This stranger.
“I said, is that a fact,
Swan?”
His hands slide down my waist, stopping right at my hips.
I tilt my head back, letting out a tiny moan. “God…”
“You aren’t answering my question.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Desperation builds inside me. I’m an inch away from breaking.
If he doesn’t let me go soon, I’ll let him take me. Right here. Right now. For as long as he wants.
Phoenix slides his hand around the back of my head, piercing my soul with his gaze for a long minute. “Let me see your face.”
“I can’t.”
“Then give me your name.”
I shake my head. “No.”
“You won’t give me what I want?”
God, his lips are so close to mine, their energy so intense that they’re caressing mine even from a distance.
“Aren’t we supposed to be strangers tonight? Nameless, faceless. Anonymous?” It’s a lame excuse, but it’s the only one I got.
His hand slides from the back of my head to my chin, his thumb resting right under my lip. “I want to know who I’m kissing.”
“You don’t always get what you want.” My murmur comes out deeper than I’ve ever heard it.
Phoenix’s thumb drifts back and forth under my lower lip. “I suppose…”
My eyes flutter shut as I prepare for his lips to land against mine.
The build-up is killing me. Melting me. Burning me.
Instead, he releases me, stepping away, and backs out into the hallway.
I stare at him, confused.
He clears his throat, runs his hand down the front of his jacket, trying to look as polished and professional as he was before our bodies began to tangle together. “I’ll respect your wishes.” Phoenix nods. “I won’t pry.”
“I…” Don’t know what to say.
We’re all allowed boundaries. Perhaps ours are conflicting.
He needs to know who I am, and I need to remain anonymous.
Or maybe he’s changed his mind. Maybe my breath smells weird. Maybe when he saw me up close, he realized I’m nowhere near as perfect as all the other women around here can afford to be.
“You’re…a beautiful woman.” His hesitation is endearing.
This man doesn’t seem to be the type to be at a loss for words. Ever. Perhaps this is just a rare moment for him.
“Goodnight.” He nods again, leaving in the direction of the staircase. His shoes clinking against the metal, going down, down, until…nothing.
I gasp, breathing again after having the air sucked out of me, mind racing and reeling. What the hell was that?
I brace myself against the wall for balance.
It’s for the best that he left me. Regardless, we could never be truly anonymous.
And this job…I need it to work. I need it to stick.
I’m already going to be spread thin trying to get all my debts paid, even with the six-figure salary. I can’t do anything to jeopardize my role at the Hill Club.
If I want to avoid doing anything else stupid, I think it’s time I make my exit.
I hurry down the hallway back to the stairway leading to the main room and down, wade through all the drunken members who are dancing, hollering, touching, laughing, and I don’t stop rushing until I’m bathed in moonlight on Hill Court where the noise of the club is but a distant memory.
