Page 34 of The CEO's Revenge

“A mistake?” I repeated sarcastically.

“Yeah, a mistake,” she returned aggressively. “I felt sorry for you. You didn’t know about the baby. It took me a very long time to get over it, so I did my part to help you get over the shock.”

I got out of the bed, pulled on my boxers, and faced her. “I wouldn’t exactly call last night a mistake, my dear. I think last night could be put under the very satisfying fuck category. Well worth the money. The check is in the mail as they say.”

“How dare you? I’m not a whore.”

“I never said you were. I’ll give you some time to consider the idea that perhaps we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. Budgets for development projects are inevitably underestimated as you will find yours is. Having looked at your figures it’s a given you’ll need more money in the near future, and I need a reliable booty call contact for my little black book.”

“Fuck you, Max,” she yelled.

“Didn’t you do just that last night and it sure looked like you enjoyed every minute of it too,” I shot back.

“Get out of my apartment,” she raged.

“Certainly, but let me remind you of something first.” I walked over to where she still stood clutching the blanket to her heaving chest. Deliberately, I stepped into her space causing her instinctively to step back. I backed her up until she was pressed against the wall. Holding her tense gaze, I placed one palm flat on the wall beside her and used my free hand to reach down and cup her pussy hard through the fabric.

She gasped with a mixture of shock and undeniable arousal.

I smiled coldly. “Yeah, that’s right. This pussy is mine for the taking, and I’ll be around whenever I feel like it… and you won’t be saying no, will you, baby?”

I bent my head and licked her throat where I could see a pulse beating madly. There was crushing pain in my chest, but laughing softly, I turned and walked out of the bedroom. I pulled my wrinkled clothing out of the dryer and got into my pants, but wadded up the shirt in my hand. Pushing my socks into my pocket, I shoved my feet into my shoes. My keys were where I’d dropped them by the door last night.

I retrieved them and threw one last look at the bedroom door, but it remained steadfastly shut. I held on to what little pride I had left and walked out of her apartment.

The drive home was a pensive one. I was furious with her and jealousy was burning me up inside, but at least I now knew why she had not come to the trial. I also had some more insight into why she thought I had cheated on her. She had seen some photos in my desk. I tried to rack my brains and think what she could possibly have seen that made her mistake them for an affair. She was always unnecessarily jealous, but … were there photos from the office party? Had I gotten too close to one of the women at work?

I frowned. Even so, I never kept photos in my desk.

Belatedly, I realized I should have followed up on that line of conversation, but admittedly we had both become distracted. There was so much information I now needed to sift through in order to make some sense of what had happened.

My hand tightened on the wheel. She was still sleeping with Robert.

Well, it won’t be long before I destroy him so completely she won’t want him. Having tasted her body again, there was no way I was not going to have her, and I did not care what underhanded methods I had to use to accomplish my goal.

14

SAVANNAH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8

-wrecking ball-

Istood frozen against the wall as I listened to Max walk out of my apartment. My heart felt as though it was going to pound right out of my chest. What had I done?

I pushed my hand through my hair as the memories of everything that had happened came racing back. I felt my cheeks grow hot as I recalled how I had responded to Max’s touch. It had been too much like old times for me to resist. All it had taken was one touch. It had always been that way. But everything I knew about him and after four years of convincing myself I was over him, I felt embarrassed to think he still had that power over me.

I rocked back and forth as raw panic rose up within me. This was exactly what I had been afraid of all along. Some instinct deep down had told me the second Max and I ever crossed this bridge, all pretenses at animosity would be gone. My desire for Max still ran deep. And if his response last night had been anything to go by, he wanted me as much as I did him.

I turned to look at my phone. I should call Dayton back and explain. He had just called to update me about something I had asked him to do yesterday and I had gone and confused him by calling him Robert and babbling on about wearing the red dress. Poor guy thought I had been kidnapped and was trying to give him a secret message.

It was the only thing I could think of to push Max away. I had to admit that lashing out at him had been a defense mechanism. But how else could I have responded? If I had not chased him away just now, we would be rolling in my bed right now.

I pressed my palms against my heated cheeks and cringed at how wanton I had been with him last night. I had enjoyed every second of it.

I fled from the sight and smell of my unmade bed into the living room. Sitting cross-legged on the couch, I stared into space, my thoughts racing.

I had had no intention of telling Max about the baby, but in the heat of the emotions last night, all that suppressed pain had come tumbling out. I could not shake the feeling that he was not gone for good. It would only be a bit of a reprieve. So all this time he had held my absence from the trial against me. I wondered, though, had I not been in the hospital if I would have attended, given I was still reeling from his betrayal.

---