Page 72 of The Woman

I narrow my eyes in return. He likes to tease and torture me.

But he should know that it only has me wanting to do the same.

I mimic placing a hand on his thigh. Only I run mine all the way up so that it caresses the side of his hard bulge and then down again.

“Avery,“ he warns.

I repeat the motion, all while holding his gaze, pressing harder against him, then cupping him, just enough to tease but not enough to give him any relief.

A strained grunt slips through his lips as his eyes darken, but then he’s gripping my wrist.

“You keep doing that, and I’m going to bend you over this table and fuck you until you come. Then I’ll make you taste yourself while choking on my cock.”

The image he painted has my heart rate increasing and my breath stuttering on its way in. Lifting my chin, I continue running my hand over him.

“I happen to like it when you lose control.”

He makes a noise that sounds like it scraped through his throat, then reaches up to wrap his long fingers around my neck. His mouth drops to mine next, but a clearing of a throat from the other side of me immediately halts his movements.

My blood runs cold, frozen much like it was when Thomas had caught me. Oh no.

Did he hear what I said a moment ago? Before that? Was he watching us?

“Phoenix, I didn’t realize you came to this place.”

The voice sounds familiar, but I can’t think of who it belongs to. I’m still sitting angled toward Phoenix with my back to whoever it is.

Releasing my neck, Phoenix straightens and picks up his glass, his face not revealing anything – a picture of calm.

“I’ve been coming here for a while now.”

“Ah, yes. No doubt another privilege received due to your grandfather, just like this . . . woman.”

The way he pauses before saying “woman” has me thinking he most likely heard something. And I know where I’ve heard that voice now. He was one of the men from the meeting Phoenix brought me to, Jonah, the unfriendly one who wanted a closer look at me.

“Anything I’ve gotten has been earned for myself,” Phoenix calmly replies, then lifts his drink to his lips, but I can hear the irritation growing in his voice.

I don’t turn around. A normal woman would continue what she was doing unless she was told to stop. My hand is still on Phoenix’s crotch, and despite it being out of view of Jonah, I still rub over it, only with a lighter touch and less enthusiasm than before.

“Of course. Well, anyway, I saw you and thought I would come say hello. Don’t forget, if you ever want to buy some waterfront property, you let me know.” The breath stalls in my lungs when I feel his hand land on my shoulder, and I watch as Phoenix’s face fills with barely contained rage. “It’s a pity I didn’t get to have you choke on my cock. Catch you later, Phoenix.”

And with that sentence lingering in the air, he’s gone. It’s obvious he heard what Phoenix said, but whether or not he heard or saw more is unknown.

I look to Phoenix for reassurance, my eyes round and filled with concern, but he offers none. With flared nostrils, he reaches for my hand, holding it tight within his grasp as if Jonah could take me away from him.

“Let’s go. I’ll have them pack our food to take home.”

“Okay,” I reply quietly. “Do you think he heard me?”

I spent years hiding what I was in front of the men at the facility, but lately, I’ve been taking risks, getting too comfortable with Phoenix, and becoming lax. I need to be more careful, especially if I want to be able to leave the penthouse again.

His jaw muscle pops, and it’s clear he’s clenching his teeth together. “I’m not sure.”

My stomach remains in knots that are hard to unravel as we drive home. They only begin to loosen as we sit eating dinner together.

But it’s not until after the third orgasm, I think, that they finally come undone.

Phoenix was a little more savage than usual, with each thrust being harder, each grip tighter, and each kiss deeper. I’m not sure whether it was from the possibility of Jonah hearing both of us or the fact that he touched me and said what he did. Perhaps it was a mixture of both.

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