Page 59 of Hold On Me

Angie

You won’t like what I have to say.

Penny

As long as it isn’t ‘talk to him’…

Angie

Strip down to your sexy undies, go find him, straddle him and make that big clock dong til he can’t dong no more.

Penny

And out of the three suggestions, that’s the one that makes the most sense. But I can’t do that, you know I can’t.

Angie

Then go talk to him.

Penny

Ugh. Hate you all.

31

PENNY

A rollercoaster has nothing on the loop de loops that are currently rolling in my stomach. I take another deep breath as I stride out of the bedroom and into the living space.

My eyes zero in on him sitting on the long cream sofa that lines one of the walls, a glass of scotch in his hand, resting on the cushion alongside a thick, toned thigh. He’s loosened the tie he had on earlier, the jacket discarded over the back of an armchair, and his shirt sleeves are rolled up to show his muscled tan forearms. Arm porn is real, and it’s no joke. His head’s lolled back, resting against the top of the sofa, his eyes closed and lips slightly parted.

He looks like a brooding god, his cheekbones sculpted and his lashes resting on top of them. He’s beautiful.

My anger starts to slip and lust starts to eat away at me. I want him. But more than that, I want him to own me, to take control and use my body as his plaything. Even if I know it’ll ruin me for anyone else. But I also want to know him. I want to know what happened, why he lost his composure—what makes him tick, and what incited the eventual boom.

I shift gently on my feet, trying not to disturb the scene in front of me, but he hears me. Instead of snapping his head upto confront me, he opens his eyes slowly and watches me. The rollercoaster in my stomach crests a high loop and the swoop almost makes me topple over. He lifts his head slowly and latches his gaze onto mine. My lip is between my teeth, and as his eyes darken, I quickly stop nibbling on it and clear my throat. “Are you… okay?”

He laughs softly and takes a sip of his drink. “I’m fine.” His voice sounds thick and dangerous. And while my rational brain screams at me to head in the other direction, away from him and toward the safety of my room—or a flight back home—that magnetic force pulls me closer.

“You don’t sound or look fine. Tell me what happened. Talk to me, Ben.”

He tilts his head to the side, looks at his glass, smirks, and then leans over to place it on the end table next to him. “You want me to talk?” He leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs as he looks up at me, and I nod my head, unable to answer him. “You want me to tell you that the way his eyes zeroed in on you as soon as you walked in the place made me incredibly angry and jealous? Is that what you want to hear?”

I inhale deeply, his words sending a flush of arousal through me while my mind scolds my reactions for liking his possessive and ridiculous words. “You don’t need to get angry or jealous.”

“I didn’t like it. You’ve completely derailed me, Penelope.” The vulnerability in his answer shocks me a little and I walk over to stand directly in front of him.

“Ben, do you want to explain that to me? I don’t understand what you mean, and I think I need to.”

“I know.” He sighs and reaches out his hands, gripping my hips, never losing eye contact. “I saw what happened to my dad. He fell head over heels in love with my mum. Was besotted with her. Devoted. He would’ve moved heaven and hell for herif she’d asked him to. But, she never loved him. Never returned what he gave. No, she took him for everything he was worth.”

My breath hitches in my throat at the sheer vulnerability in his voice. I step closer to him, not even an inch between us, as he drops his focus level with my stomach.

“But you know, that wasn’t the worst thing she did.” He takes a shaky breath in and then blows it out, the warmth of his breath scorching through the fabric of my dress and searing my skin beneath it. But I stand still as a statue, trying desperately to not disturb him.

“She destroyed him. His faith in people and his belief in true love were shattered. She turned him from a happy, easy going guy into a ruthless, cut-throat businessman who didn’t give a fuck about anyone. Including his only son.

“He was never abusive toward me, but was definitely resentful. He moulded me into his perfect protegé, sent me out to the big bad business world and watched me conquer it. I dominated in every aspect. And when I flew out to America, I knew failure wasn’t an option.

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