Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
GABRIEL
Present
Everything in her home is soft and feminine, and there’s a warmth and luxury in every detail. When I vanished that unfortunate night, I left her enough to never work a day in her life. I left her with security, with enough cash to never want, let alone worry.
And yet, her home is humble in comparison to her means. I went through the background check, her accounting and every detail available. My Kiersten was always sharp. She knew what she wanted and what it would take to get it. She didn’t have to compromise on a one-bedroom apartment in a high-rise.
As I open the drawer to a vintage armoire, it occurs to me that she’s certainly spent a pretty penny on her home, but even more so on the club.
The knowledge that she’s never left the scene makes my throat tighten. My grip is at odds with the dainty glass knob as a possessiveness that I’ve long controlled threatens to take over.
One truth keeps me steady. Kiersten could have fucked a hundred men in the years we’ve been apart and I would still be her first. I would still be the man who held her hand as she explored every boundary she dared whisper in confidence. She would still be mine. Her first in every way.
As if an answer to the insecurity and uncertainty that riddles the back of my mind, a picture stares back at me as I open up the second drawer.
A black and white of us. I remember the day I held her back to my front, my hand laid over hers on the railing on the rooftop in New York City. I gifted her a night of five-star dining and luxury she’d never imagined. And in return, that night, she told me she loved me.
My fingertips barely graze the photo.
As the door shuts, the nostalgia vanishes as well.
How do I go back to her? That thought has kept me up countless nights.
She was perfect for me and I for her. If only that night years ago had ended differently.
17 years ago, May
I never imagined life could be this fucking good. The cap of the whiskey bottle twists off too easily, and the auburn liquid pours into the crystal tumbler with a familiar sound.
My little whore’s whimpers still linger in the penthouse. As I swirl the glass, staring down at the liquor, I remember what the men agreed on tonight. The million-dollar deals made over cards and reckless bets.
In the business of trading companies and stocks, of buying retail and selling, once the cashflow hits the table, nothing is off limits. Nothing but her.
She’s mine. Gorgeous and tempting. A smirk pulls at my lips as I remember the shock on her face as she walked in, red-soled stilettos and black lace lingerie under her winter coat. My sweet Kiersten just wanted to surprise me.
The rough laughter of men comes from the right, where cigar smoke plumes and the game continues. The soft murmurs of Kiersten to my left, where she’s still waiting for me to untie her from the lounge chair. It’s quite like the horse at the BDSM club, but it blends in far more nicely with the bedroom furniture. If someone wasn’t a part of the scene, they’d have no idea until they saw the silk ties.
“You enjoy yourself?” a man says to my left, and I’m brought back to the present.
A rough chuckle leaves me. “If there wasn’t a deal on the line, I’d kick you fuckers out so I could enjoy myself again.”
He laughs. Jacob Linds, a man who’s a decade older, comes from wealth and enjoys the club just as much as I do. He understands my vice.
“Sir?” Kiersten calls out, and my cock hardens from the lust-filled tone. I can’t help the groan as I lower the glass of whiskey and my attention is brought to her.
My gaze moves from the hall back to Jacob. His expression can’t hide exactly what he’s thinking. He’s too slow to change it, and when his eyes come back to me, he lowers them, no doubt ashamed of what he was just thinking.
That he’d like to fuck her too.
I can’t blame the man . . . in fact, I fucking love that they want her.
If only he knew what she’d confided in me just the other night.
I take a swig as he clears his throat and pats the counter, ready to leave me and revisit the game room. “You want to see her?” I offer as a soft moan slips from the room down the hall.
Jacob stops on his heel, a questioning gaze finding mine. He glances down the hall and then back to me.
“I told her I’d be back and that she should be ready for . . .” I gesture with the drink in my hand. “Whatever I think she’d enjoy.”