Page 75 of The Desire

Good girls get rewarded,

bad girls get punished.

Which one are you?

My hands were shaking as I slowly opened the tissue paper to find a black lace lingerie set that felt so soft, a gold necklace with two hearts on it, a large one with the smaller one inside it, and then a black silk blindfold. My heart was racing with anticipation of what all this meant, but before I had time to even think, my phone buzzed in my pocket with a message from Rem.

Rem: You don’t have long, you better be ready for me. I’m rock-hard thinking about what you look like.

My body moved on pure adrenaline, and before I had time to overthink it, Rem was walking down the hallway. Although I couldn’t see him with the blindfold over my eyes, I knew him by the smell of his addictive cologne. By the growl of his voice, I knew I was about to be punished like only he knows I long for. I’m a good girl who wants to be a bad girl just for him.

The memory of that day calms my anxiety but only for a few minutes, and now I’m back to panicking about everyone being here tonight. Rem is due home any minute, and I need to talk to him. Does he know about this? Did he agree to it or did Tori just steamroll him like usual? Because she has been nagging me for weeks for everyone to hang out at our place.

We had a play date at the park this afternoon with one of the little girls from Blaise’s school, Patrice, which was both tiring and full of excitement, so Blaise has already had a bath and some dinner. Not that he will object to being allowed a second helping. Like all kids, he loves pizza, or more to the point, he loves whatever all the guys love. I swear, if he could drink wine or beer, he would love that too, just to be cool like them.

Currently he is lying on the floor on his stomach, elbows on the floor and head in his hands, looking up at the television at a French children’s show that the school recommended as good for his age. But he has no idea that everyone is about to arrive and that I’m secretly freaking out while I’m pacing the living room.

Hearing Rem’s Porsche come through the gates and parking in the front of the house, I’m at the front door before he even has time to get inside and take his shoes off.

Before I even open my mouth, his finger is on my lips and shushing me, then he pulls me into his side and walks me into his study. Putting his work bag down beside his desk, he then turns me to face him.

“Stop freaking out and just breathe. It will be fine. We can do this. Just be yourself, okay?” Looking at me, he now realizes it’s not that easy for me.

“Be myself. That’s a joke. I’m the most authentic version of myself when I’m with you and Blaise. Of course, I’m myself with Tori but not the new-and-improved version of Elouise that she hasn’t seen yet.” While I’m freaking out, Rem just starts laughing at me.

“You mean you’re the real you when you’re busy playing happy families with the cutest two boys in London.” He pulls me into his arms, and I can feel him still laughing as I lay my head on his chest.

I slap my hand on the hard wall of abs. “It’s not funny! It’s okay for you, Mr. Super Security Man, who never gives anything away. You can just put on your work face and nobody will be able to tell what you are thinking. But me, I have it written all over my face that I’m keeping a big secret. One that involves hiding from all of my closest friends that I’m being fucked by my boss on the regular and that it’s fucking mind-blowing.”

“Mind-blowing, huh? I’ll take that.” He sounds very proud of himself.

“Remington! Stop it. I need you to help me.” I feel like I’m about to jump out of my skin with the anticipation of how badly this could go if I stuff it up.

“No, you don’t. You need to have more confidence in yourself. But you asked for help, so here it is. You get through tonight without giving us away, and I’m going to run you a hot bath later, then give you a massage, and finish the night off with some of that mind-blowing fucking you speak of.” And Rem’s lips are on mine as he finishes his last word, kissing me until I can’t think of anything more than how he tastes and the tickle of his beard on my mouth.

Breaking apart and gasping for air, I look at his smile and it warms me fully.

“I’ve got you, El, trust me.” Placing his forehead on mine, we stay in the silence for a few moments before I reply with the only answer I have.

“Always.”

Before we can talk any further, there are little feet running from the lounge. His show must have finished, and he is looking for me.

“Blaise,” Rem calls out, and the feet change direction in the hallway where he was heading for the kitchen, and he is now running toward the study, calling out excitedly.

“Papa! Papa’s home!” Blaise barrels into the room and wraps his arms around Rem where I had quickly stepped back from before he came in.

“Hey, buddy. How was your play at the park?” Rem bends down to be at the same level as Blaise. It always makes me smile, because it’s the little things that mean the world to a child.

“It was fun, and Patrice’s maman nous a donné sucettes.” Both Rem and I starting to laugh because it’s when he is excited that he falls back into his French.

Before he even has to ask, I explain to Rem that he means lollipops.

“Well, aren’t you a lucky boy.” Rem picks him up and walks toward the door, looking over his shoulder at me and waiting for me to follow him. Although I’d much rather lock myself in this room, I walk behind him, knowing shortly I’m going to be in a world of crazy.

With his words circling inside my head, I take a deep breath, stand up straighter, and pull my shoulders back as I hear him telling Blaise that everyone is coming for pizza. The scream that comes out of such a little boy is deafening. I can do this. I just need to keep myself busy being the perfect hostess. Leaving the boys and heading into the kitchen, I start preparing for the arrival of a lot of food, because Nic always over-caters, and a house full of noisy people.

No surprise that they all arrived at the same time and that the guys were starving. So, there was no time for much talking until we were all stuffed with way too much pizza, and the television is now on football. Now I understand the significance to them all wanting to watch it. It’s not just any game but England is playing Australia, and of course it’s everyone against Nic, although Flynn is sitting on the fence with his loyalties, claiming he is now partly Australian after living there for so long. I’m not sure how that works, but of course Flynn always makes up his own rules in life.

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