[Bianca]
I was easily the most high strung person on the rooftop as I stood in the middle of a crowd of people living their best lives. The Punk Rock pumping through the air was on point and sweaty strangers were rubbing up against each other without a care in the world.
"Not the most practical place to meet, is it?" I yelled over the music, when Harmon finally appeared. "Especially considering the serious nature of our little problem," I continued, following after him as he glided through the crowd effortlessly.
Battery. Theft. The charges that the slimy reporter from last night could bring up against Cole and I were piling up by the second. This was the only reason I agreed to see Cole after my spectacular failure at seducing him.
Me, seducing a fucking billionaire. What the hell was I thinking? I wasn't. That much was clear to me now.
The only thing that made me feel even a tad better was that we managed to snag Ryan's phone. At least I was spared the nightmare of adding fuel to Brianna's nudes scandal with half naked pics of my own.
My heart couldn't take any more attention. I certainly didn't need more scrutiny around the issue of me being on foreign soil while pretending to be a slutty supermodel.
Now what to do to keep the reporter quiet, assuming he hadn't already run his mouth about what he thought he saw.
Cole Hunter in a relationship with me? The idea was laughable. Oddly enough, having him slut shame Brianna got him that much closer to getting into my pants though. I was so embarrassed by how horny it made me when he asked, nay pried, into my personal business.
Why? Everyone else asking about the scandal pissed me off. Not him though. I wanted to spill my guts to him.
I wanted to say yes, Brianna fucked Jason. The only man I ever loved. Want to help me get even with a revenge fuck? No booze to blame it on, just a broken heart. Well that and the insane, electric chemistry between Cole and I.
Fleeing had been my only recourse. Had he knocked on my door and demanded to fuck me like he damn well should have, I would have had no scruples about letting him in and being my slutty sister for a night.
Instead, he was a fucking gentleman. He walked away. Naturally, that fucking left me aroused and wet, even now.
Why the fuck won't you fuck me? My pussy demanded I scream at him.
Reign it in, Bianca. Think with your head, not your vagina.
Fuck him for getting an emotional response out of me. For making me feel like he was on my side in the whole Brianna and Jason cheating on me thing. Once more, I felt comforted, just not by his dick. I fucking hated him for it. How dare he be so fucking likable?
I squared my shoulders, lifted my head high and prepared to get it over with and meet Cole.
Not here to fuck him. Not here to fuck him.
My guard was back up. Maybe the manwhore just liked the thrill of the chase.
Two fucking years though? How much longer did we have to flirt, for fuck's sake?
No.
I didn't want a fuck. I didn't want anything from Cole Hunter except to make this Ryan mess go away.
Before I knew it, Harmon and I had escaped the throngs of people. I was momentarily left to wonder how, when I heard the sound of a glass door closing behind me.
Startled, I spun around and called out, " Mr. Chancellor?"
"Sit, Miss Chase," a voice called out in the dimly lit room.
I followed the sound of his voice to a table, already set for dinner, complete with Cole settled in one of the chairs.
My heart instantly started banging on my rib cage. Fuck, he cleaned up well. The man was always immaculately dressed, but tonight's suit really did it for me. Just the same, all I could think of was seeing him out of it.
No damn it. Just business. Damage control. Already in the middle of my sister's sex scandal. No more making waves. No fucking the sexy, kind, but curious billionaire.
I took my seat across from him, chanting these reminders to myself over and over, while noticing that the table was set for four.
"Expecting additional company?" I asked, my nerves shot as I slid into the chair across from him.
No answer. Cole looked me over, carefully studying me. The music had faded into the background, a dull hum so soft it was all but silent in the room. Suddenly the setting was too intimate for words and I was hyper aware of him.
My eyes fell to his lips, then lifted to meet his gaze without my permission. Flashes of last night's kiss flooded my mind. My body heated up.
Of course his warm mouth tasted like the perfect sin. Pure indulgence. I should have asked him to come in and fuck me silly.
No. I did the right thing. The safe thing. I protected myself.
"Thanks for meeting me," I said, shaking my head and pasting a smile on my face.
Even though Brianna had tons of evening wear options from shows in her luggage, I wore one of the dresses he picked out for last night.
Would he notice?
I presented him with Ryan's phone, then rambled to try and justify taking it from Cole last night.
It wasn't planned. It was an impulse. Fuck knew why Cole let me take it, after how strict he had been about the no phones thing. Turned out, cheap Ryan had no data or airtime so I couldn't go on socials or anything like that. Still, something about him letting me have that phone fostered a weird bond of trust between us.
Suddenly I liked the implied danger of being around him. Worse, I liked it.
"I was able to delete the photos and recordings," I began. "As to the matter of legal charges—"
"It's been taken care of," Cole interrupted.
He picked up the phone and dropped it into a glass of water on the table and that was that. The matter seemed to be put to bed.
"Oh," I said, momentarily speechless. "Just like that?"
"Just like that. You look beautiful. Red suits you. The dress clings to you, like I want to. Last night's gown was my favourite though. Especially after you made… alterations to it," he said coyly.
My cheeks flushed crimson. The moment the dress tore flashed before my eyes and I suppressed a groan.
God, how much could one person embarrass themselves in one night?
"I'm so sorry about the gown. I'll have it repaired. Shit, is it okay that I wore this one tonight? Was I supposed to return the options I didn't end up wearing last night?" I panicked, doing my best not to sound like a movie cliché by asking to pay for the ripped dress.
I came armed with a plan and everything for Ryan Summers, but now it was simply over. Of course it was. Cole didn't just exude power, he wielded it. Someone like Ryan Summers wasn't a person he was going to spend sleepless nights over. Having spent all my life fighting for everything I had, it seemed unreal. I found myself in awe. I really was in a different world, wasn't I? His world.
What was I doing in the wake of knowing the crisis was over? Finding another nonexistent one, of course.
"Do I look like I'm hard up for money, Miss Chase?" he deadpanned, somehow reading my mind. "Repair the dress. Turn it into rags for spring cleaning. I don't give a shit. Women don't return gifts, Brianna. They charm the men who gave them said gifts by wearing them. Consider me dealing with Ryan a gift too. Who you fuck is nobody's business but your own," he said, nonchalantly pouring wine into my glass.
I watched his every move. His big hands curved around the fragile wine bottle and glass gracefully.
Gifts? The ensembles he sent to me cost enough to cover my monthly bills for a decade. Turn the designer dress worth thousands of dollars… into rags?
Just clothes. Shoes. Stunning jewelry. Please don't drop your panties for this man. Please don't throw yourself at him again.