Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 57121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Finally, one of them clears his throat. “Wait—wait,” he says, gasping. “Conrad… he mentioned something.”
“We’re getting somewhere,” I mutter. “Go on.”
“He’s got a secret data center, some high-level programmers there. Daniel knew about it too.” The other two glare at him, and he explodes. “Do you want to die, you idiots?”
“Vale will kill us too,” one of the others says.
“Men don’t die twice,” Anton grunts.
“Where is this data center?” I growl. “And these programmers, are they busy working on the phone? Trying to decrypt it?”
Maybe they think they can use one half of the key to work out the other half. After all, it’s just ones and zeroes. We have great programmers too, of course, but restructuring our entire operation is not a quick, overnight thing.
“I don’t know,” the man whispers. “I just know he has it. That’s why he hired us.”
I nod. “Anton, leave off for now. Nikolai, arrange some lodgings for our… guests. We may need to speak with them again. I’m going to dig into Vale’s property listings.”
I turn, walking away, not feeling a thing. No flurry of victory or sense of progress.
Two days, and not so much as a text.
That evening, I’ve got four of my guys researching hidden properties Conrad owns through various shells. I’m in my penthouse, looking across the city at the townhouse where Lia is staying. I can just about make it out. I know, from my men, that she’s alive and well.
No—alive. That’s all I know.
I take out my phone. I know I should respect her space, but it’s getting difficult. I feel like we’ve gone back to before, when watching her was the highlight of my day.
Then it’s like fate is playing tricks on us. Not that I’ve ever had much time for those kinds of thoughts.
She texts me the moment I bring up the thread.
Lia: Have you forgotten about me?
Maksim: I thought you wanted me to.
Lia: Wow, two days of radio silence… I thought you might leave me hanging for a while.
Maksim: I don’t play those games. I’ve been thinking about you every second of every day, Lia.
Lia: Have you been good… with the CCTV?
Maksim: It’s been difficult. I even almost logged on once. But I’ve managed to fight the urge… somehow. It took everything I have not to log on and see you run your hand anxiously through your hair, take those quick breaths to get yourself ready for a tough patient, to be there for your colleagues more than you’re there for yourself… because that’s your job.
I move to the couch, sitting, the world suddenly seeming less depressing.
Lia: Have you had any other reasons you might want to watch me?
My body grows hot immediately. Is she hinting at what I think she is? Some men might call this mixed signals, but I’m sure I know her better than that. She’s separating the steam we shared from everything else. She’s lonely and working hard, and maybe before, she could deal with it. It was all she knew for so many years. But now she’s tasted what it’s like to have somebody, she doesn’t want to let it go.
Am I talking about her or myself?
Maksim: You know I have.
Lia: What if I want you to tell me?
I imagine her in bed, biting her lip. Part of her will be fighting this, I know, wondering why she’s letting herself fly so effortlessly into steamy places again. But another part can’t help it. Another part knows we’re hotter together than we’ll ever be with anybody else.
Maksim: I wanted to switch on that video and watch you lean over a desk, watch those scrubs pull tight against your perfectly round ass, imagine me spanking you to make your thick body sway for me. I wanted to touch myself like a deranged savage, wanted to stroke my cock while you had no damn idea. I wanted to explode all over my screen as you went about your day.
I’m growing hard now. My mind is a haze. I think about last time, when her tits were bouncing, her juicy legs wrapped around my hips. But most of all, it was her face, the shock and the submission as she gave her flawless body to me.
Lia: Maksim.
Just my name, but I know what she means. It’s a moan in text form. She doesn’t want to tell me she’s forgiven me. She hasn’t. But she can’t help herself either. It’s complicated and messy, but not when it comes to this.
Our minds are at war, but our bodies are certain.
Maksim: Get yourself ready for me.
Lia: What do you mean?
I smirk. She knows what I mean. She just wants to hear it again.
Maksim: Slide your hand between your legs and gently rub your clit. I want to think of you holding yourself back as I drive to your place. You’ll start nervous and shy, and you’ll think to yourself, Am I seriously doing this? Am I going to let him come by and fuck my brains out when I’m trying to be good? But you’ll do it anyway because you can’t fucking help yourself. And neither can I. Then you’ll want to move faster, but you’ll have to be patient. You’ll have to wait for me. You’ll have to give me all the control because you’re so, so tired of keeping everything together yourself.