‘Noelle still isn’t here,’ Cisco mutters as he glances at his watch, tapping his foot impatiently.
Yuyu is by his side as she snakes her arm around his waist, laying her head on his shoulder.
‘Don’t fret, she’ll be here soon,’ she tells him gently.
‘I can go check on her,’ I immediately volunteer.
‘I’m not sure…’ Cisco starts but is interrupted by his wife who urges me to go on.
‘Please do,’ she nods at me before turning to her husband and chiding him for being too strict with Noelle. ‘They are to be married after all,’ I hear her murmur as I head to Noelle’s room.
After everyone had been made aware of our upcoming nuptials, Cisco had suggested we went to dinner to celebrate the engagement. Everyone had been in agreement—everyone but Noelle, that is. And seeing how vehement she’d been about it, I can only assume she’s trying to pull something off to remove herself from the situation.
Too bad for her that any problem she’ll cause will only irritate her brother. Yuyu is seven months pregnant, and the tiniest inconvenience when it comes to her has him blow up.
Reaching the third floor, I don’t even knock as I push open the door, ready to catch the little liar in flagrante delicto.
As I take a step inside the room, I am met by an unusual sight.
She’s sitting at her vanity.
Still garbed in a silky white robe, she’s gazing melancholically in the mirror. Her hair is swept to the side as she trails a finger down the column of her neck.
So lost she is in her own world that she doesn’t realize she’s no longer alone in the room.
Like feathers, her fingers glide softly over her soft skin, the gesture unusually sensual.
I stop, my feet firmly planted in the middle of the room as I can only stare at the vision before me.
Her tongue peeks out to wet her lips, lingering over her upper lip. Her eyes snap closed as a small sigh escapes her lips.
I swallow. Hard.
I can’t help the way my eyes are drawn to the expanse of skin available for my perusal. And as I continue watching her, I note that my breathing is now emulating hers.
She inhales. I inhale.
She exhales. I exhale.
There’s only silence besides our joint breaths, the sound of a heart hammering in a chest almost deafening—not mine, it could never be mine.
Her fingers move, tracing the corded muscles of her neck, down to her clavicle.
Without even realizing, my feet carry me forward until I’m behind her, the mirror reflecting every single gesture she makes.
The tips of her fingers rest on the swell of her breasts, emphasized even more by the low cut gown she’s wearing.
My eyes dip to the tantalizing sight, following her fingers as they continue to move gracefully down her front.
I feel my own pulse building to a painful crescendo as I continue to lose myself in visions of velvet skin and soft caresses.
‘Done shamelessly staring?’ she asks impudently, her eyes wide open. She’s gazing at me through the mirror, a brow raised as she waits for me to reply.
My mouth opens and closes in an unspoken answer, words failing me as I become aware of my own mindless state. So caught off guard I’d been by her words that I can only stare at her flabbergasted.
The shock quickly wears off, however, soon to be replaced with anger.
Pure, insidious anger as I realize how mesmerized I’d been by the barest hint of skin—by her skin.
Mentally cursing myself, I quickly get myself together, strengthening my back and throwing her a cold look.
‘I was waiting for you to find your shame,’ I retort on a snort. ‘Where are your clothes? You should have been downstairs five minutes ago.’
Slowly, she turns. Crossing her arms over her chest, it’s to bring her tits forward, her generous swell becoming more prominent and making my eyes inadvertently drop to them.
‘Eyes here,’ she says sarcastically, bringing two fingers to her eyes.
‘Not my fault you’re advertising the goods,’ I comment, trying to switch focus from my errant gaze and the fact that once more, my body seems bent on betraying me. ‘Get dressed,’ I say flippantly, looking around and spotting a dress laid out on the bed.
‘No,’ she replies defiantly, rising up and planting herself in front of me. ‘I’m not getting dressed, and I’m not going anywhere with you.’
My lips quirk up at her little show of rebellion.
‘Really?’ I drawl, leaning back and watching her as she starts with her tirade.
‘I’m not marrying you so I don’t see why I would go to a dinner that celebrates a nonexistent engagement.’
‘You should tell that to your brother,’ I shrug, turning on my heel. ‘I wonder how he will react to that.’
‘He’ll understand when I tell him just who he’s allowed into his house,’ she pushes her chin up, her voice steady despite the small tremors going down her body.
An eyebrow raised, I look at her amused.
‘And who is that?’ I chuckle, wanting to see what she’s trying to accomplish with this feeble attempt of hers.
She blinks twice, no doubt trying to come up with something clever.
‘I’ll tell him you only want to marry me for revenge,’ she declares smugly.
‘Go ahead,’ I shrug, her eyes flashing when she notes my indifference. ‘Why haven’t you told him until now?’
‘I… I…’ she stammers.
‘Let me tell you why you haven’t told him, and why you won’t tell him,’ the corner of my mouth pulls up as I take a step towards her.
She backs away, but she doesn’t get to move fast enough before I’m in front of her, looming over her and noting the way her bravado is just that—fake courage to disguise the way her entire body is shaking, even her lips trembling as her eyes continue to flash at me with animosity.
‘You know I’ll just dispute it, and it will be my word against yours,’ I add smoothly as I bring one finger to her jaw, slowly trailing it downwards.
She swallows, but her eyes never leave mine.
‘Who do you think he’ll believe? The sister with the mental problems?’ I ask with a knowing smile, ‘or his valuable business partner?’
She doesn’t answer, no doubt realizing the truth of my words. After all, she’s not dumb.
She could have gone to Cisco to tell him the truth of our acquaintance from the very beginning, but she knows it will ultimately be her word against mine. And everyone knows the value of her word.
‘He’ll believe me,’ she grits, valiantly pushing her chin up in a show of contrived bravery.
‘Hmm,’ I murmur as I lean in, my mouth close to her ear.
She stiffens at my nearness, but she doesn’t move.
‘Will he?’ I muse, brushing my lips against her earlobe. The reaction is immediate as I feel her sudden intake of breath, her palms splayed on my chest yet not pushing me away. ‘Or will he just ignore you because he has something to gain from this marriage?’
‘You…’
‘The deal is sealed, Noelle. You’d better get used to it. Now move your ass to the bed and put the goddamn dress on. We’re late,’ I tell her sternly before moving away.
I don’t leave the room, though. I merely situate myself at the far end corner, leaning against the wall and watching her closely.
Her small hands balled into fists, she seethes at me for exactly one minute before she demands I turn around so she can dress.
‘You had time to dress when I wasn’t here. Now,’ I all but dare her, ‘you’ll have to do it with me here. Don’t tell me I intimidate you,’ I smirk at her.
Incensed, she mutters something under her breath before she starts slipping her straps off her shoulders.
With her back to me, she keeps her robe on her shoulders as she slides the gown off her body, quickly grabbing the black cocktail dress and putting it on.
I watch amused as she struggles to dress, her attempts clumsy as she tries her best to avoid showing me her naked body. As if it wasn’t just a while ago that she’d tried to entice me with it.
I hold off a laugh as I realize this must be another one of her tricks—this time she’s simply playing the shy maiden.
When the dress covers her breasts, she finally drops the robe so she can slip the straps over her arms, all the while trying to preserve her modesty.
‘You might as well help,’ she calls out in a flippant tone, presenting me with her back and pointing to the half done zipper.
‘Come here,’ I command her, my voice harsher than intended.
As my eyes feast on her form—especially the way her dress flatters her curves—I can’t help but become increasingly annoyed with myself.
She does as told, placing herself in front of me, waiting.
And as I bring my hand up, my fingers on the zipper, my thumb makes contact with her bare skin. The effect is immediate as goosebumps appear all over, her breath a harsh sound that seems to clog the air.
I step closer, her scent invading my nostrils as I feel the tension in her shoulders—the way she’s not unaffected by my proximity. One more step, and her enchanting backside would make direct contact with the raging erection I’m currently fighting to control.
Slowly pulling up the zipper, I let the back of my palm linger over her beckoning skin—the gesture half for me and half for her. The allure is simply too strong to resist. And for someone with plenty of experience with addiction… I’d say I’m heading on a path of no return.
Her breath hitches at the contact, and my cock jerks in my pants at her throaty sound, arousal building inside of me at the mere thought of being this close to her.
Infuriating. Maddening. Intoxicating.
All words I’d use to describe her effect on me. How is it possible to want to throttle her and fuck her at the same time? The paradox never fails to mystify me.
Fuck, but I’d been hard from the moment I’d gotten a peek at her naked throat, that one image enough to sear itself on my retina.
Once more, I’m faced with the unnatural way my body reacts to her. I may rationalize it as a purely physical reaction, but I find it hard to grasp the dichotomy—how can my body crave her when my mind loathes the very idea of her?
Even more appalling is the realization that Carlos had been right. Since I’d gotten my first glimpse of Noelle, my quest for my brother had taken a backseat. I’d become completely obsessed with making her pay, that I hadn’t stopped to assess how this one fixation was interfering with my other plans.
I’d come to New York with the express goal of getting rid of the pest that is my brother once and for all. Instead, all I’ve managed so far has been getting distracted by a slip of a woman who seems bent on ruining every shred of self-control I have remaining.
Fuck. Me.
This needs to stop. I need to get a fucking grip on myself.
‘You know,’ I start in a smooth tone, needing to rile her up and dispel this cozy atmosphere, ‘once I’m your husband I’ll be sliding this down.’
As if burned, she jumps out of my arms, her expression feral as she turns those fiery eyes towards me.
‘Only if you’re into necrophilia,’ she scoffs at me, putting some distance between us. ‘Since I’d sooner be dead than let you touch me,’ she hisses.
Ah, the familiar dynamic is back, and while my cock is still hard as granite in my pants, I can relax a little since the odds of any accidental and uncharacteristic touching have finally decreased.
‘What’s so bad about necrophilia?’ I shoot back. ‘It takes the body a few hours to cool down. I’m sure I could get some use out of you before then,’ I shrug, moving towards the door.
From the corner of my eye I note the scandalized look that takes over her face.
A few low curses, and she eventually follows me out.
As we make our way to the restaurant, Cisco barely stops himself from chastising Noelle for her lack of punctuality.
I try to ignore the way she looks in that cocktail dress, or how I’m not the only one to notice as we walk into the restaurant.
Heads turn, appreciative male gazes shooting her way but she seems oblivious to the attention. Certainly more so than me as I barely hold myself from calling those men out for looking at what’s not theirs.
We’re led to a four person table, Cisco and Yuyu sitting on one side while Noelle and I are on the other. All the while though, Noelle is sporting a disgruntled look on her face, and Cisco is quick to call her out for it.
‘I hope you’re not going to start acting out again,’ Cisco turns his chilly eyes to his sister. ‘You need to grow up, Noelle. And the behavior you just displayed isn’t that of an adult—but of a child.’
‘You expect me to be an adult when I’m not even in control of my own damn self?’ she gives a dry laugh. ‘Pick a lane, brother. Either I’m a child in need of a guardian, or I’m an adult.’
‘Noelle,’ he grits his teeth.
‘Let’s not turn this joyous occasion into a fight,’ Yuyu intervenes, placing a hand on Cisco’s shoulder and shooting Noelle a warning glance.
‘Joyous?’ Noelle laughs derisively. ‘Joyous for whom? Maybe for you,’ she nods at Cisco. ‘Because you’re getting paid to get rid of me.’
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, trying to calm down. Why is it that she’s always trying to pick a fight with someone?
‘We had a small fight,’ I interject, my hand suddenly on Noelle’s thigh as I squeeze her flesh in a warning to shut up. ‘She doesn’t like that there’s an exchange, so to speak.’
Cisco is quiet for a moment as he looks between the two of us.
‘Right,’ he grunts. ‘Noelle never liked that aspect of our life. But it’s a good starting point if you want to be an adult—with all the privileges included,’ he shoots her a glance. ‘Nothing is ever free.’
‘Including humans,’ Noelle mutters under her breath.
‘Yes. Including humans,’ I add darkly, my own past flashing behind my eyes. ‘In fact,’ I drawl in a charming voice, all for the benefit of the audience cataloging our every interaction at this table, ‘I’d say you cost me a pretty penny,’ I murmur, satisfaction rolling off me as I note the blush that creeps up her cheeks.
She tips her jaw down, almost embarrassed.
‘How much?’ She asks in a low voice.
‘How much, Cisco?’ I laugh. ‘Just a few castles down in Sicily, isn’t that right?’ I add jokingly.
Her head whips around, her eyes widening as she looks at me.
‘I see…’ she replies, her voice unusually soft for someone who’d been bent on starting the third world war not a few minutes ago.
‘Alas, enough of that,’ Cisco waves his hand in the air. ‘We’re not talking about finances at the dinner table.’
‘Indeed. Tonight we celebrate,’ my lips curl into a twisted smile. ‘To the much anticipated union of our families,’ I propose a toast as I raise my glass in the air.
Everyone does the same—including Yuyu who is drinking orange juice and a reluctant Noelle who’s shooting me daggers with her eyes.
‘I have to say, I can’t wait until I have this pretty lady as my wife. The entire restaurant is already looking at me with envy.’ I add as I wrap my arm around Noelle’s shoulders, tugging her closer in an attempt to appear like a loving couple.
I have to grit my teeth as I bring her to my side, but as her body molds to mine, I find that there’s little hardship in the pretense.
Startled, she gives a small yelp, jumping up and almost landing in my lap.
‘You two look so good together,’ Yuyu gushes as she takes her phone out, urging us to stay still for a picture.
Noelle isn’t one to do as she’s told, evidenced by the way she keeps moving around, accidentally brushing her hand over my crotch.
‘Stop squirming,’ I whisper in her hair as we pose for the picture. ‘Or you won’t like the result,’ I tell her as I fit my palm to the back of her hand, keeping it still on my thigh. Just a little higher and she would reach dangerous territory.
