I’m nervous as I walk into the rooftop bar Alexander asked me to meet him at. I’m so tense that I can’t even enjoy the stunning view from here—or the beautiful, luxurious interior. He’s been withdrawn lately, his anger palpable.
My eyes fall to the clusters of round sofas, each of them a separate booth facing a glass barrier, resulting in an unparalleled view of both the skyline and the bar. I spot Aiden in the corner and he nods at me, stepping aside as I walk up to him. Alexander is leaning back on the sofa, his eyes on the skyline in front of us.
He looks up when I sit down next to him, his gaze sending a thrill down my spine. He hasn’t been himself lately. Ever since he got back from his business trip, he’s been cold and distant.
I’ve tried over and over again to explain to him that nothing is going on between Lucian and me, but he won’t listen to reason. I can’t even blame him. I messed up. I never should have entertained Lucian’s ideas. I should’ve known how Alexander would respond to that.
He raises his fingers to my mouth, his thumb tracing over my lips. “Red lips? Perfect.”
My heart races when he smiles at me, his eyes dark, anger still flashing through them. His gaze roams over my body, taking in the tight black dress I’m wearing.
He looks into my eyes and then pats his legs. “Come here.”
I blink, my cheeks heating rapidly. He wants me to sit in his lap? I glance around the packed bar, my heart racing. I might not know everyone, but I recognize many faces.
“I won’t repeat myself.”
I swallow hard and rise to my feet. He smiles in satisfaction and grabs my hand, pulling on it so I fall into his arms. His hands wrap around my waist and he positions me squarely in his lap, my back toward the crowd.
“Alexander…”
He looks at me with raised brows, his hands roaming over my body. “I told you to call me Alec.”
I stare at him, unable to figure him out. He told me at the very start that he and I aren’t close enough for me to use that name, and I know that’s true. I can count the people that call him Alec on one hand. It’s just his parents, Lucian, his grandfather… and Jennifer. Not me. Never me.
“Embarrassed?” He asks as his hand glides over my skin, until he’s cupping the back of my neck, his thumb on my throat. “You’re mine, yet you seem to have trouble remembering it. You leave me no choice, baby. I’ll have to make sure everyone knows it.”
I can feel him hardening underneath me and my heart starts to race. I shift in his lap and he grins. “Like what you feel?” he asks, his hands moving to my waist. He holds me right below my breasts, his thumbs caressing my nipples. They harden for him like the traitorous little bitches they are, and he smirks.
“Tell me what you’re wearing underneath this dress.”
My eyes widen and my cheeks heat even further. “I… um… just underwear.”
Alexander chuckles. “Color?”
I swallow hard. “It’s black.”
“Is it lace?”
I nod.
“Did my brother pick that out for you too?”
I look into his eyes, my heart twisting painfully. “No, of course not. It’s not what you think. It was bad judgement on my part, I admit, but there’s nothing going on between Luce and I.”
Alexander grits his teeth, tightening my grip on me. “Luce? Hmm… I don’t like how familiar you are with another man. It’s Lucian from now on.”
I shake my head and look at him through narrowed eyes. “Like hell it is. He’s my childhood friend, and you’re being unreasonable.”
He chuckles, but there’s no humor in his eyes. “Hmm… disobeying me, are you? I was away for one week, and you’re all over Lucian. You’re forgetting who owns you, Elena. You’re mine, and you’ll do as I say.”
I look down, hurt by his constant reminders. I hate that he keeps reminding me I’m just another possession of his. That he and I aren’t in a relationship—that we never will be. He leans into me, his nose brushing against my neck. Alexander kisses me softly, where he knows I’m sensitive, and a thrill runs down my spine. His tongue grazes over my neck, and then he bites me softly before sucking down on my skin, marking me as his.
A soft gasp escapes my lips and he pulls away, a smile on his face. His hand slips down my chest, over my hips and underneath my dress, his finger trailing over my thighs. I inhale sharply, willing my body not to respond to him for once, but as always when it comes to Alexander, it disobeys me.
He pushes my underwear aside and smirks. “Wet. Of course you are. You’re a little slut for me, aren’t you? Always eager for my touch. I bet I can make you come right here, in my lap, with hundreds of people surrounding us.”
I gulp and shake my head. “Alec, they’ll notice. You can’t!”
He grins and brushes his thumb over my clit, making me jump. “Stay still, baby. Don’t move, and no one will know. Your back is toward the crowd and we’re caged in,” he says, his head tipping toward the privacy barriers between the sofas. “Now, let’s see if you can come quietly or not.”
My lips fall open when he slips a finger into me, while simultaneously twirling his thumb over my clit. He laughs huskily, his eyes on mine. “Struggling?”
He increases the pace and I grab his shoulders, holding on tightly. “Alec,” I whisper, my voice coming out as a moan.
“Yes. Moan my name, Elena, just like that. Remember who owns this body, baby. Come for me.”
I’m panting and I know I won’t be able to hold on for long. My fingers thread through his hair and I pull him closer, my lips crashing against his. He swallows all of my moans and I kiss him the way I know drives him insane. He pushes me over the edge just like that, his lips on mine.
I’m lightheaded by the time I pull away, my forehead dropping to his. He smiles at me, a possessive glint in his eyes. “Good girl,” he tells me. “So obedient, after all.”
Alexander’s smile drops as he looks over my shoulder, and I turn to follow his gaze, but he grabs my chin, keeping my eyes on him.
“Your brother just walked in with Jennifer on his arm.”
He tenses as he pulls his fingers away, and so do I.
“Damn it. That asshole is headed this way, and I wasn’t done with you yet.”
“Elena. What are you doing here?” I hear my brother say. My cheeks are still flushed, and I pray he won’t realize what we were just up to.
I try to get off Alexander’s lap, but he won’t let me go. He tightens his grip on me, so I turn in his arms instead.
Matthew’s jaw is ticking, and that on its own would have made my evening. Better still, though, is the jealous look in Jennifer’s eyes. She looks at Alexander, but for once, he isn’t looking back at her. He rests his chin on my shoulder, leisurely pressing a kiss to my neck, as though Matthew and Jennifer aren’t even there.
“Matthew. Good to see you,” I say.
Matthew clenches his jaw, and I wonder if he’ll reveal the asshole within. He reaches for me, but Aiden grabs his arm, his grip tight. Aiden doesn’t say a word, he just pushes Matthew’s arm away roughly.
“You’re a fucking embarrassment, Elena. What the fuck do you think you’re doing, sitting in someone’s lap like a fucking prostitute? You’d better get up right now, or so help me God,” Matthew hisses, his voice low.
His words wound me, but after years of him hurling abuses at me, the impact is dampened. It doesn’t sting the way it used to. Now it’s just a dull ache, the type of pain you experience when you know you’re holding onto something that you should’ve let go long ago. I look at him, and I barely recognize him. In the years since Mom fell into a coma, he’s strayed further and further from the brother I grew up with. We were never close, but he was never cruel either, the way he is now.
Alexander chuckles at Matthew’s words and presses a kiss to my shoulder, ignoring him.
“You stupid little girl. He’s using you. You think it’s you he wants? It’s not. You’re just a fucking pawn.”
Alexander looks up at Matthew. “So what? So what if I’m using your sister?” he asks, his voice low. My heart twists painfully at those words. I know I don’t mean a thing to him. I know he’s just using me. But half the time he makes it so easy to forget that. He makes it too easy to fool myself into believing that what we have could be real one day. It’s things like asking me to call him Alec, when that’s only reserved for those closest to him. It’s him acting jealous constantly and publicly claiming me as his that gives me the wrong idea. It gives me hope, and hope is the most cruel emotion of all. I glance at Matthew, a bittersweet smile on my face. If given a choice, I’d pick his cruel words over Alexander’s sugar-coated lies any day.
Matthew grinds his jaws. “You need to stay the fuck away from my sister, Alexander.”
Alexander chuckles, the sound sending a chill down my spine. “The way you stayed away from my fiancée?”
Matthew smiles and looks at me. His smug expression just adds to the pain Alexander’s words inflicted. I know it’s Jennifer he loves, but being confronted with it like this hurts. I glance at her, and the satisfied glint in her eyes kills me. She knows that even though it’s me in his arms, he’s not over her.
“I told you, Elena. There it is. That’s all you are to him.”
Matthew shakes his head and takes a step back, his anger waning, until all that’s left is annoyance.
“You want her, Alexander? You can have her. You think I care about her? Nah. You’re embarrassing me, I’ll give you that, but I’ll survive the reputational damage my slut of a sister is doing. But this? This won’t hurt me.” He laughs, the sound chilling. “You picked the wrong sister. This one I don’t give a fuck about.”
Matthew smiles and wraps his arm around Jennifer. He looks at Jennifer and pulls her toward him, kissing her, putting on a show for Alexander. He tightens his grip on me, and my heart shatters. He’s holding me while pining after someone else.
Matthew smiles and grabs Jennifer’s hand. I watch them walk away, Matthew’s words reverberate through my mind. My eyes fall shut and I inhale shakily.
“You got what you wanted,” I say, my voice breaking. “You’ve thrown me in Matthew and Jennifer’s face. He was right, you know? You’ve treated me like some sort of call girl tonight—and I let you. Because you’re right, Alexander. You own me. Is this enough now? Have you embarrassed me enough?”
He tightens his grip on me, his arms wrapped around me tightly. “Elena, there’s nothing shameful about sitting in my lap. No one knows anything more than that happened. That was just between you and I. If I wanted to treat you like a call girl, I’d have had you on your knees, sucking my dick for everyone to see. Instead, it’s your pleasure I was after. You’re letting your brother get into your head.”
I inhale deeply, trying my best to believe his words. “Was he wrong, though? You’re using me. I don’t mean a thing to you. You’re no different to my brother, Alexander. I’m just a tool to you.”
His lips graze against my ear, his voice soft yet harsh. “And you’re no different to Jennifer,” he whispers. “You’re disloyal. At least Jen never would’ve had my brother pick her fucking underwear, Elena. She’s a cheating bitch, but even she never would’ve stooped that low.”
I let my eyes flutter closed, helplessness overwhelming me. Alexander and I… we’re on a collision course. The way we’re headed… there’s no saving us. And this time, I’m to blame. He’s never going to forgive me for Lucian’s antics.
