Page 27 of Black Ties and White Lies

“I think I need your help.”

“What is it?”

“My zipper. It’s stuck and I can’t get it.”

“I’m sure you can figure it out,” I say harshly.

She lets out a groan. “I can barely reach. I don’t think I can get out of this on my own.”

My eyes rush to the door to the suite. Maybe Quincy will return any minute and come to Margo’s rescue. Except deep down, I know better. When she left, she made it seem like she may take some time. She’d even left the menu for the cafe on another floor for us to call in food if we needed.

Quincy wasn’t coming back any time in the immediate future. Which is bad for Margo, who needs help, but terrible for me because the knowledge of knowing we’re alone for the time being is catastrophic.

“Try a little harder,” I demand. It’s a last-ditch effort to keep a leash on myself.

Margo’s aggravated moan only fuels the growing erection in my pants. “I’ve tried, Beck,” she whines. “I can’t get it, and it feels too tight, and I just need your help before I accidentally rip a piece of fabric that probably costs more than my entire wardrobe, okay?”

“Fine,” I bark, a little too harshly. It’s not Margo’s fault that I’m suddenly desperate for her. Maybe it isn’t so sudden and it actually is her fault. She’s just completely unaware of the matter.

A string of curses fall from my lips as I open the door and find her facing me. There’s panic in her eyes as her hands bend behind her back, fussing with what I’m assuming is the stuck zipper.

I take a step in, shutting the door behind me. My eyes roam over her body, unable to look anywhere else than the short, figure-hugging dress draped over her body.

“A little help here?” Margo turns so her back faces me. She watches me through the mirror, her fingers still clasping the zipper.

“I thought the point of today was to find you work attire. You can’t wear this into the office.”

Her hair gets in the way of the zipper as she shakes her head at me. She takes a step backward, her arms falling to her sides. Her spine straightens as I sweep her long hair to the side. I barely brush over her bare skin and it’s enough to have me clenching my jaw.

“I wasn’t planning on wearing this to work,” she whispers.

I ignore her, my knuckles skimming her back as my fingers grab onto the zipper. She only managed to lower it an inch or two from the top of the dress before extra fabric got stuck in the teeth. I give the zipper a tug, pulling her body slightly closer to me with the force.

Her ass brushes against my front, making me suck in a breath. I was already holding on by a loose thread. I’m seconds away from losing it and ripping this pathetic excuse of a dress down the middle and crashing my lips against hers. It’d be the best kind of mistake to kiss her until both our heads are spinning.

“I really wasn’t,” she continues. I yank again on the zipper, trying to get the small amount of silk stuck in it out. It doesn’t work. Her little yelp about does me in.

“If you say so,” I speak through clenched teeth. I’m aggravated with myself because I’ve never been someone who loses control easily. It’s hard for me to give it up, and here I am unable to control myself in her presence.

I’m mostly pissed off that I’m not already kissing her by now.

I look up from trying to get the zipper undone, finding her watching me closely. Her cheeks have a perfect flush to them. Her deep inhales and exhales confirm that she feels the same things I’m feeling.

“Stop looking at me like that,” I snap, looking back at the zipper. I pull on it again, but it won’t budge. However she managed to get the fabric caught, it’s going to be harder than I was expecting to get her out of it. If she hadn’t put something on that was so perfectly molded to her body, we’d easily be able to slip it over her head and get it off that way.

“How am I looking at you?” She takes a tiny step backward, pressing herself against me even more, even though it isn’t necessary.

“You’re looking at me like you want to be—needto be—kissed,” I declare. The hand not holding the zipper slides slightly down her waist, gripping the fabric at her hip.

“And what if I do?”

My fingertips dig into her hip, bringing her body flush against mine. “Don’t say things you don’t mean,” I warn, leaning in so my lips flutter against the tender skin of her neck.

“I’d never.” Her small hips grind against me, snapping whatever resolve I had left.

Beck forcefully grabsme by the hips, spinning me to face him before I can do it myself. The sudden movement gives me no choice but to grab his forearms to steady myself. He guides our bodies across the small room, pressing my body against the mirror. It’s cold against the exposed flesh, but it makes no difference to me. I’d stand in the coldest of places to have Beck looking at me like he wants to devour every inch of me.

His hands move from my waist to my neck. He isn’t gentle as he pulls my face closer to him. There’s a slight pain in my jaw where he grips me so tight, as if he’s afraid if he were to let go that the moment would end.

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