Page 45 of Forbidden Mistress

As Celeste and I are hanging my new clothes in the near-empty bedroom closet, I take the opportunity to pick Celeste’s brain a little.

“So, um, how well do you know…my host?” I’ve noticed he takes special care not to use his real name. She’s had to catch herself a couple of times. I wonder if that’s a privacy thing within Exeter House, or if Hart specifically asked the staff not to mention it. I have a feeling it’s the latter, but why is anyone’s guess. He has a layer of mystery surrounding him that I find intriguing.

Celeste shrugs as she places my shoes on the built-in shoe rack. Hart has three pairs of shoes, so there’s plenty of room. “Not well, actually. He’s owned the penthouse for years, but he only moved in about a year ago. He travels frequently to the UK. I think he may actually live there most of the year.”

I nod slowly, taking it all in. Given the sterility of his penthouse, that makes sense. He has no personal items here whatsoever, aside from some toiletries, a few sex toys in the dresser—yes, I looked—and some clothes in the closet. No medication. No pictures. No paperwork. Though, to be fair, I’ve only looked in the bedroom. I haven’t explored the rest of the penthouse yet.

As soon as Celeste leaves, I change back into my robe and glance at my phone. There’s a text from Haley, telling me she’s stuck in a group meeting, and there’s a text from Hart. He must have programmed his number in my phone before leaving this morning. I don’t have a lock screen because they’re annoying, and I hate the extra step of having to unlock it.

I’m in a very important meeting, but I can’t stop thinking about your lips.

Smiling, I type out my reply.

If you were here now, these lips could be wrapped around your cock.

Then I take a picture of myself making a kissy face and hit send. Is that mean? Yeah. He’s in a meeting, and it’s not nice to tempt him, but I’m half-hoping he’ll take the bait and come home early. I’m on a mission to see him while the sun is still out.

Be careful what you promise.

Oh, that sounds like a delicious threat. Does that mean he’s coming home? God, I hope so. Haley will be on her way soon, but I could send her to the spa, and then I could escape for a half hour, right? She’d be the first to tell me to get it.

A second later, a photo comes through. It’s a shot of his crotch. His swollen cock is straining against the fabric of his gray slacks. His shaft is so long, it rests against his thigh. I suck in a sharp breath.

Goddamn.

I’m hot all of a sudden, and I decide to tease him a bit more.

Laying down on the bed, I expose my large breasts from the front of my robe, and take a video of me pinching my pink nipples. I release a deep moan as the pain zips through me. It’s only a shot of my body, not my face—because I know better than to send a pic with my face in it. But hopefully this gets him nice and primed for later.

Setting my phone down, I lean back on the bed and drift off to sleep. A while later, I’m jolted awake by my phone ringing. I was sleeping so deeply, it takes me a moment to realize what the sound is.

I feel around for my phone, and when I finally find it, I glance at the screen and groan. It’s Liam.

Ugh, whatever. He can leave a message.

The phone stops ringing, and I breathe a sigh of relief. He’s the last person I want to talk to right now. I’m having an amazing day and waiting for a stunning man to come home and fuck me unconscious.

I rub my eyes and stare at the ceiling. But just for a moment because…that grating trill of my phone ringing fills the room again.

My. God. Liam, get a life. Before I can think better of it, I answer.

“Someone had better be dying,” I say with an annoyed huff.

“Mom is in the hospital,” he says. I hear the fear in his voice, and that freaks me out more than anything. Liam is never scared. He’s the model of power and confidence. If he’s freaked out, then it must be really bad.

Chapter 19

Crisis

I sit upright, shock reverberating through me. “Where? What happened?”

“I don’t know. I was notified at work. I’m headed to the hospital now.”

“Okay, I’m on my way.” He gives me the hospital name, and we hang up. I despise Liam right now, but if Lori needs me, then I’m there.

I call down to the front desk and ask for my usual driver, Andrew. Thankfully, he’s available. I throw on one of the casual-ish dresses Celeste brought me and a pair of strappy heels. I’d wear jeans and tennis shoes if I could, but this is all I have at hand. Throwing my hair up into a ponytail, I grab my purse and head downstairs to wait for Andrew to pull the car around to the front of Exeter House. I don’t have to wait long. Within fifteen minutes, we’re on the freeway, headed toward the UCLA medical center in Santa Monica.

I pull my phone out to look for any updates from Liam. There’s nothing. But it occurs to me that I’d better text Hart and let him know what’s going on.

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