Page 39 of Role Play
Lucy
When the shoot finished, I took the undergarments Marlena and Jude had worn, bringing them to be laundered before tomorrow. Grabbing my cell phone, I checked the time. Four forty-five. Even with all our delays this morning, we’d managed to stay ahead of schedule. Maybe if I was lucky, I could get out of Silhouette Studios before Uncle Richard asked to see me. It was inevitably coming; I knew it was. After seeing his face when I was across Ash’s lap as the stand-in? No way in hell was he going to let thatgo.
My phone buzzed with a text message, rattling through my palm, all the way up to my heart. My anxiety over Uncle Rich melted into an entirely different type of nervousness—an excitement—as Ash’s number blinked on my notifications. His message was simple. To thepoint.
My office. 15minutes.
Between my legs, heat throbbed. The ache was increasing with every friction-filled step and I found myself clenching and unclenching for some form of release from the painful ache. I wanted Ash. Wanted him so damn bad that I was nearly willing to forget myself. The ache Ash had caused was delicious and painful—but not cruel. He was different than my dad. I could feel it. This was about the pleasure more than thepain.
Even still, nerves stabbed at my lungs. Each breath was jittery, like I could feel my heart tremble as the minutes passed, getting closer and closer to when Ash and I would be aloneagain.
Those fifteen minutes I spent pacing the halls of the studio were the longest fifteen minutes of my freaking life. I took a deep breath before lightly knocking on the ajar door. It creaked, drifting slightly inward with the taps of myknuckles.
“Come in.” His voice was thick and entirely masculine. Even with that simple demand,come in,he had me wet. His eyes lifted to meet mine and we both froze in place. The world around me seeped away like I was leaving this realm and entering some sort of foggy dream world that only had one point of focus—Ash. Ash and his bright cerulean eyes. Ash and his lush, dark hair. Ash and his five o’clock shadow that peppered his sharp jawline. Ash and his button-down shirt that emphasized an incredibly tanned and muscled physique. And only hours ago, he had stripped it off and had demanded that I grab his powerful arms while Ben adjusted lights aroundus.
His gaze slid down my body and I lowered my chin, dropping my eyes to floor. Why the hell did I just do that? Strength, power, and raw sexual chemistry filled the space between us, so potent, it was impossible toignore.
I curled my fingers tighter around the leather straps of my purse—the only designer item I owned, a Kate Spade bag that Uncle Rich bought me for my birthday lastyear.
“Luciana,” Ash said. “Look at me.” I snapped my gaze to his with the command. Why did such a basic statement have my pussy throbbing for his attention? Why in the hell was it so sexy when he told me what to do? With my history, I should be horrified. I should run in the opposite direction from a man who enjoys pain. But I was far from horrified. I cravedit.
As he stood and crossed the room to shut the door, I followed him with my eyes. “Are you okay if I lock this?” he asked. “You can still leave at any time yourself by flipping the deadbolt here. I just don’t want anyone walking in while we’retalking.”
I definitely didn’t want anyone walking in either. I was afraid of what people might think if they knew about my uncle. Imagine what they’d say if it got out I was fucking the director. I nodded, not quite trusting my voiceyet.
The corner of his mouth quirked into a fleeting smirk that vanished quickly. “I prefer if you answer me with ‘Yes, Sir.’ But we’ll get to all that soonenough.”
We’ll get to all that?All what, exactly? I was having flashbacks to Sunday school and how we were told we had to address any adult authority figure with ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’.
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the same chairs Kelly and I had sat in just a few nights ago. I lowered myself into one carefully, resting my bag on the floor by myfeet.
“Yes,Sir,” I said, joking. Not that Ash seemed to care. His head jerked to me, eyes alight and pleasure radiated fromhim.
“I don’t even fucking care if that was sarcastic. I lovedit.”
Holy shit. The way his eyes gleamed with excitement. The pure hit of happiness enveloping him made my blood heat. Pleasing him was like a liquid gold coursing through my veins. I clasped my hands in my lap, hoping he didn’t see the way my fingers trembled. The leather seat cradled me, warming to match my heated body temperatures which were climbing by the second in Ash’s presence. Even though I had been in this office with him a few nights ago, it felt different now.Everythingfelt different now. Last week, Ash was just my hot boss that had never glanced my way. Now? He was about to stick his penis into myvagina.
Oh, my God. Penis into my vagina? What am I, a middle school health teacher?No, he’s a man I’m about tofuck.
When he didn’t say anything, I inhaled a long, deep breath into my lungs, blurting out, “I got the impression Thursday night that you didn’t want…”Me? This? Us?What was I saying?I did not think this through. “… that you didn’t want to pursue anything between us. We even talked about it in your trailer. Friends. We should remainfriends.”
Ash nodded, his jaw tightening. “I think it’s pretty obvious after this morning that we clearly feel more than justfriendlyto eachother.”
Well, that was for damn sure. My eyes drifted shut briefly before I snapped them back open. “This is what I meant on Friday about hot and cold. You’re either in or you’re out. We’re either doing this, or we’re not. But we need to make a choice and stick with it, because I don’tdothis back and forththing.”
I was surprised at how steady and firm I managed to keep my voice. I gave a little inner fist bump tomyself.
“I know,” he said. “This time, I’m in.” He smiled in a seductive way that almost had me fooled. Until I dipped my eyes to where he was spinning that ring on his pinky finger. He followed my gaze, immediately freezing his hold on the ring. He cleared his throat, letting go of the ring and reaching for a small stack of papers on his desk by his left hand. “However, we need to be one hundred percent clear about where we stand. I meant it when I said I don’t do relationships. I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I can offer you a future with me, Lucy. That’s not what Ido.”
It was so blunt. So to the point. All the air rushed out of my lungs in a short, staccato breath. “You don’t… have relationships at all?” Iasked.
His gaze was sharp on mine and his eyes seemed to flash. “You said you don’t want to be tied downeither.”
“And I-I don’t. I was just asking… forclarification.”
He shook his head and with that little bit of movement, his face softened, revealing something vulnerable beneath that sharp, veiled gaze, if only for a second. Something pensive and somber that was the root to his harsh beauty. “I don’t do relationships at all. Notanymore.”
Helplessly, my eyes flicked to the ring again and Ash quickly cleared his throat, moving his hands beneath thedesk.
