Page 77 of Fool's Gold

Relief cascades like icy water through my system. I can do this for Empire. If nothing else, I can make sure she’s safe from me by cutting every string between us. There will be no more ties once this happens, and that means I’ll have finally done right by her. Done my job, fulfilled the wishes of her parents when they mistakenly made me her guardian.

It doesn’t matter what happens to me. She’ll be free and safe, and they’ll finally get me.

“You’ll get your evidence, Marcus. Just make sure you’re ready for me when I come calling.” Celeste hangs up on me, and I’m tempted to throw the phone across the room.

Fat load of fucking good it will do. Besides, there are more things to do, and operating without a phone will only bite me in the ass.

The crowded streets with lines of cars inching toward their all-important destinations go on no matter what I say.

The last thing I want to do is fuck Celeste. I’d rather stick my dick in a wood chipper and let it go to town, especially when the last pussy I had was Empire’s. I’d rather swan dive out of this office into oncoming traffic.

I’m going to have to get my shit together. My dick has to perform like a goddamn circus monkey. Trapped by words instead of ropes.

Jaw clenched, I squeeze my eyes shut, the memory of Empire writhing beneath me filling my mind. Her body, naked from the waist down, and my dick sliding between her ass cheeks with every punishing stroke.

The way I brought my hands over her warm flesh and squeezed, unable to slap her ass for fear of making too much noise.

The scent of us together—

The hot memories are so damn vivid my cock jumps, my erection pressing against the inside of my boxers. Eager and hungry for her in a way it’s never reacted to anyone else.

The way it never will again.

I slam my palm against the glass, reaching with the other for the zipper on my pants. There’s no one around to see me pull my cock out and grip it hard enough to cause a flash of pain. The pain is an aphrodisiac. I pump the shaft frantically, holding the image of Empire in my mind. Remember those keening sounds she makes when she’s not forced into silence, the way she wails out my name every time I fill her. The way her pussy clenches around me—so much better than my hand.

Her scent is amazing, the feeling of her skin gliding across mine. She’s the only woman I want, and somehow, I’m going to have to attempt to fuck someone else—

I open my eyes to the traffic below and work my cock, squeezing the head as sensation builds and my balls go tight.

The orgasm rips through me, and I turn in time to avoid the window. Hot ropes of cum arch to the floor, and I grunt as I palm myself through the last of it.

“Fuck.” I release my spent dick punishingly, glaring at the cum.

Never again. I’ll never be able to cum inside Empire again. The sooner I accept reality, the better for everyone.

TWENTY-FIVE

My bed is a sanctuary.

It’s the safest place in the world when I’m curled beneath the sheets, only an inch of daylight sneaking in through the gap in the curtains. For two days, after signing my contract, I’ve hidden away inside a fortress of cotton, hardly eating and barely moving except to use the bathroom.

It must be my final gift from Marcus because he hasn’t stopped in to check on me. Not even a threatening text message or a looming shadow marked only by his signature glare. Nothing.

There’s protection in the numbness. Maybe soon, I’ll find the strength to get out of bed.

His guards were still stationed outside the house, but their presence, rather than an annoyance, is comforting. They allow me to relax and get the sleep I need.

At first it irked me to have Marcus slink off like seeing me is a punishment.

Now I know it’s the nicest thing he’s done. I can’t control myself when I see him. Clearly, if what happened in the office is an indication.

Unfortunately, time is ticking down, and today I’ll have to get out of bed. With a groan, I snuggle in deeper, curling the sheet underneath my chin to keep it in place.

The premiere is tonight.

Although Marcus hasn’t said anything yet, I know he’ll be here to escort me.

The dress he ordered for the occasion arrived by courier less than an hour ago. I couldn’t be bothered to pull myself out of bed when the housekeeper, also hired by Marcus to keep the place running while we were busy on set, knocked on my door.

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