Page 33 of Hate the One You're With
Emmersyn leans back in her chair, crossing her arms with a smug smile that makes me want to toss the entire contract out the window. “Ridiculous or not, it’s in the agreement. I thought you said your very amazing lawyer had been thorough. The time for negotiations is over, my friend.”
Her tone is infuriatingly calm, almost taunting, and it takes everything in me not to reach across the table and pull that smirk right off her face. The way she’s playing this game, acting like she’s got all the power, is making it impossible to focus on anything but how much I want to wipe that self-satisfied look away—by any means necessary.
But I know she’s testing me, pushing me to see how far I’ll go. And as much as I hate to admit it, she’s right. The clause is there, and if I lose control, if I let my frustration or desire get the better of me, she wins. Then it occurs to me . . . What if I make her lose control right now? Show her I still command her body, make it respond to me at will. She’ll ask for the clause to be deleted, won’t she?
“That doesn’t mean I’m okay with it,” I snap, leaning forward as if challenging her. “You really think you can control how close I get to you? What are you afraid of, Emmersyn? That I might accidentally brush past you in the hallway? Are you afraid of my mouth—I remember you begging for it.”
She tilts her head, pretending to ponder my question, her expression maddeningly calm. “Oh, I’m not afraid of anything, Caleb. I just know how much you value your material possessions. And I figured, what better way to keep you in line than by threatening to take them away?”
Her words are smooth, practiced, but I can see the flicker in her eyes, the slight tension in her jaw. She’s not as unaffected as she wants me to believe. And that’s exactly what I was hoping for.
“So, that’s it?” I ask, letting my voice drop, low and dangerous. “You think a few legal threats are enough to keepme in check? You think you can dangle my assets over my head and I’ll just back off?”
I let the silence stretch, watching her closely, gauging her reaction. She’s good—too good—but I’ve known her long enough to catch the little tells, the small signs that she’s not as confident as she pretends. The way her fingers tighten just slightly around the arm of her chair, the quick flicker of her gaze to my mouth before she steadies herself.
“You underestimate me, Emmersyn,” I continue, leaning in closer, my voice dropping to a whisper. “If I wanted to, I could make you forget every single condition in that contract. You wouldn’t care about the rules or the consequences. All you’d care about is what I’m doing to you, how I’m making you feel.”
Her breath catches, just for a second, and I know I’ve hit a nerve. But she recovers quickly, flashing me a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Nice try, Caleb. But you’re not going to break me that easily.”
I lean back, my gaze never leaving hers, a slow, knowing smile spreading across my face. “Is that so? You think you’re still in control? If I checked right now, I bet your cunt’s already getting wet . . . just for me.”
Her composure falters for a split second, but she quickly masks it, trying to maintain that icy demeanor. I can see right through it, though. I know her body better than she does, know how it reacts to my presence, to my words. And the thought of her getting turned on by this—by me—is enough to make my cock throb with need.
I stand up slowly, deliberately, and take a step toward her,closing the distance until I’m almost close enough to touch. Her breath hitches, and I see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, the way her gaze drops to the bulge in my jeans. I know she wants it, even if she’s too stubborn to admit it.
“You can pretend all you want,” I murmur, my voice low and rough with desire. “But I know what you’re thinking. You’re imagining how good it would feel to have my cock inside you, stretching that tight little cunt until you’re begging for more.”
I reach down, brushing my hand over my hard length, watching her eyes darken as she follows the movement. I can see her chest rising and falling more rapidly, her body betraying the calm façade she’s trying so hard to keep.
“Maybe you’re thinking about how my cock would feel in your mouth,” I continue, my tone filthy and teasing. “How you’d struggle to take it all in, how much you’d love trying. Or maybe you’re thinking about how I’d fuck you right here, bending you over this desk and taking you so hard you’d forget all about those ridiculous rules.”
I let the words hang in the air, the tension between us crackling with electricity. I move closer, just enough for her to feel the heat radiating off me, the scent of my arousal filling the space between us.
“But you know what?” I whisper, my breath hot against her ear as I lean in. “You don’t deserve it, baby. You don’t deserve my cock. Not until you admit that you want it, that you need it. And until then, all you get is the ache.”
I pull back just enough to look into her eyes, my hand still teasing myself, making sure she sees exactly what she’s missing out on. “So, go ahead. Keep pretending you’re in control. Butdeep down, you know that all it would take is one touch, one command, and you’d be on your knees, begging for me.”
“Keep dreaming, Caleb,” she says and those words are starting to get tiresome. “I won’t bend to your games this time. You don’t interest me. You’ll stay away from me. Two feet away or you’ll lose an item each time you break a rule—any of them.”
I can’t help but let out a dry laugh. “This is absurd. What’s next, are you going to start measuring the distance between us with a ruler?”
She taps her chin. “Now there’s an idea. I could get a tape measure. Or maybe a laser pointer. They’re quite accurate these days, you know.”
“Very funny,” I deadpan, though I can’t help but imagine her doing it—standing there with a ruler, trying to catch me breaking her ridiculous rule.
She locks her eyes onto mine with that same infuriating mix of amusement and confidence. “The rule is there for a reason, Caleb. You stay on your side, and I’ll stay on mine. And if you can’t manage that, well . . . I guess you’ll be down one inheritance by the end of the six months.”
I grit my teeth, trying to keep my frustration in check. “This is just another one of your games, isn’t it? A way to get under my skin.”
“Maybe,” she says, her tone deceptively innocent. “Or maybe I just want to be entertained while I endure this time with you.”
“I’m not here for your entertainment,” I protest, my voice sharp. “But if you want to play with fire, I’ll bring a torch and enjoy watching you burn.”
“You’re all talk and no fire, but as long as you play by the rules, I’m fine with it,” she replies, utterly unconcerned, her smile still firmly in place. It’s like she’s having the time of her life, and it’s infuriating.
I lean back, the frustration still simmering just beneath the surface, but I decide to switch gears—literally. “Fine, Emmersyn, play your little games. But there’s one thing I want now, no waiting around.”
