The week has flown by. It seems like one minute we were in London and the next I’m getting ready for dinner with Joe and Natalie. Nothing has been mentioned about Lucas’ past since Saturday night, and for the short amount of time I have seen him, he has been his usual self.

He spent a few days here before disappearing back up to Yorkshire to try to deal with some stuff going on up there. He tried to make me sleep at the hotel with him but I refused. I needed to get home so I could sort stuff out for uni and generally get some sleep. I hadn’t had that much over the weekend and I was suffering for it. I only had a couple more weeks left before everything needed to be handed in—it was the final push. I’ve worked hard for almost three years; I’m not going to let Lucas distract me now.

I managed to pin Taylor down on Thursday afternoon so we could go shopping for something for me to wear tonight. He helped me choose a light floral summer dress, seeing as the weather is still unseasonably warm.

Taylor spotted immediately that I’d put weight on and he was beyond excited for me that I now had boobs again after the amount I’d lost after Jake. He made sure the dress we chose showed off my new assets to their best.

Taylor still isn’t the same bubbly person I first met. Something is weighing him down which is so unlike him. I know his parents often take their toll on him with their overbearing opinions of how he should live his life. I can’t imagine that’s changed, but this is different. He won’t tell me though, and it’s bugging the hell out of me. Especially when he insists I tell him everything about Lucas. I’m more than happy to tell all, but it irritates me a little that he won’t do the same. I can only hope he will when he’s ready.

I’m just doing my lipstick when the buzzer starts ringing. I quickly finish it off before giving myself a once over in the mirror.

“Wow, you look beautiful,” Lucas says as soon as he sees me.

“No—lipstick,” I say, putting my hand up when he leans in to kiss me.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I’ll make up for it later.” I smile to myself as the memory of Lucas covered in my lipstick in the hotel last weekend springs into my brain.

“You’d better,” he grumbles. “Have you packed for the weekend?”

“Yeah, it’s on my bed if you want to grab it.”

I watch him leave the room. I wasn’t sure how fancy the place was going to be tonight, but I’m a little relieved to see that Lucas is only wearing trousers and a shirt. If it was really fancy, he’d have a suit on.

“Come on then,” he says once he’s got my weekend bag in his hands. I might have got away with not staying with him overnight at the beginning of the week, but I didn’t stand a chance this weekend.

The smiles on Joe and Natalie’s faces when we walk towards the table are hilarious. When we get close enough, they both totally ignore Lucas and greet me. It’s like he’s not even there.

“Oh my God. We’re so excited to meet you, Lilly. We never thought we’d see the day. We’ve nagged him for years to—” Lucas interrupts Natalie’s excitement by clearing his throat.

“Oh, hey, Luc. How are you doing?” Joe asks.

“Oh, so you did notice I’m here,” he says with a laugh as he pulls a chair out for me.

Joe starts asking Lucas details about the fire. I begin to listen but Natalie starts asking questions. All the usual ones, I guess. What do I do? Where did we meet? All that kind of stuff. I answer everything she throws at me and I soon find that I like Natalie a lot. She’s really sweet and it’s obvious she cares about Lucas.

“So have you guys all known each other a long time then?” I ask once our starters have been cleared away.

“We all went to secondary school together in Gloucester, but we weren’t friends then. Nat and I were the goodie two shoes kids. Luc, on the other hand…well…wasn’t,” Joe answers, but then gets a little unsure of himself at the end. I guess he doesn’t know how much I know about Lucas. And in all honesty, I don’t know that much, but I know enough to presume he probably wasn’t a goodie two shoes.

“It’s okay, you can say it,” Lucas says with a laugh, letting Joe know he’s not going to ruin his reputation with me.

“Okay, well Luc was either in detention or skiving. It was only by accident that we stumbled across each other a few years ago when the Dalton family accountant died on them.”

“Literally,” Lucas adds.

“Uh…explain please.”

“Dad and I were having our end of year meeting with him and he had a heart attack and died right in the middle of the meeting.”

“Oh my God. What did you do?” I ask in shock.

“Well, I got online to find another accountant and the first one I rang was Joe. Although I didn’t know that until we met later that week.”

“I didn’t mean about your accountant problem, you fool. I meant, what did you do with the dead one?”

“Well, we didn’t know he was dead at the time so we rang an ambulance like most people would. What did you think we would do?”

I shrug at him because I hadn’t really thought about it. I was just shocked by the situation.

We have a great night. It’s nice to see Lucas laughing with friends. I usually only see him when he’s in work mode, and that Lucas can’t always be that fun. I know he’s only doing his job but he can be a little uptight. Okay, a lot uptight.

When we get back to the hotel we get stopped by Catherine in the lobby.

“Lucas, can I borrow you for a few minutes?”

“Can’t it wait, Catherine?”

“No.”

Lucas turns to me, whispers that he’s sorry in my ear and tells me to wait for him upstairs.

I do as I’m told, although a huge part of me wants to go with him. I don’t trust Catherine as far as I could throw her. It’s obvious she wants him; she might as well be wearing a sign. I do trust Lucas though, so I head upstairs, just a little irritated that she’s interrupted our evening.

I go straight to the bedroom, smiling to myself when I realise Lucas must have set up his playlist ready because the music is soft and perfect for what I have in mind. I undo the strap of my dress that is knotted behind my neck and wiggle out of it. When I went shopping with Taylor I also headed for the underwear section, much to his delight and amusement.

“Oh, so the cotton ones aren’t cutting it now you’ve got a man then?” he said very loudly as we walked over to the fancy section. I turned around and glowered at him but it was too late—I was already beetroot red.

I leave my shoes on because Lucas seems to like that and I crawl on to his bed. I prop myself up against the headboard and wait.

“What is it, Catherine?” I bark as I follow behind her towards her office. The extra swing she puts into her hips pisses me off. If she thinks that is going to entice me, then she’s got me very wrong.

“The system’s crashed. It’s double booked some of the rooms.”

“And I’m needed because?”

“I thought you might know what to do,” she says innocently.

I can’t believe she interrupted my night with Lilly for this bullshit.

“Just ring IT, have them fix it.”

“No one’s answering.”

“Well then, wait until the morning. No one will be checking in this time of night, and if they do, we have some empty rooms that are ready for the referb next week. Just use them if you have to.”

“You’re so smart,” she says as she runs her hand down my arm. Her act doesn’t fool me. I’ve known her too long. Catherine hasn’t always been the workaholic bitch that she is now and I feel partly to blame for it. When she first started working for me she was waiting tables. I saw something in her straight away and soon started moving her up through the ranks until she was managing one of our small hotels up north. She was dedicated but she also had empathy and consideration that’s now disappeared. Her life was turned upside down and she started on a downward spiral. She had months off work. When she came back she was more determined than ever and she latched on to me, I think it was because I’d kept her job for her and given her another chance. I should have said no when she tried it on with me, but I was young and horny. She’s made it clear ever since that she wants another chance but I’ve refused. She’s turned into an amazing manager but she’s ruthless. I think she’s so focused on not falling back into the person she was during her months away that work has taken over her entire life. It’s almost like she needs control more than I do.

“Are we done?” I snap. My blood is starting to boil.

“Do you fancy a drink, Luc?”

“No, thank you. I have company.”

“I saw. But don’t you want a real woman? Not just the cleaner.”

“Lilly isn’t just a cleaner, Catherine. Now do your job and leave me to do mine.” I push past her harshly and march out of her office. She might be good at her job but she is a serious pain in my arse.

I take the stairs instead of the lift to try to burn off some of my frustration before I get to Lilly. When I step through the door the first thing I hear is the music I set up earlier. I hate being in the quiet so there is always music playing in here. Something I’m surprised Lilly hasn’t asked me about. Being surrounded by silence brings back too many painful memories of my childhood.

Everything is quiet other than that. The thought of her waiting for me makes my cock twitch. I haven’t been with her for way too fucking long. I almost cancelled on Joe and Nat so that we could have the night alone, but I knew I’d get no end of grief for it. We’ve got the rest of the weekend to make up for lost time.

I step into the bedroom and immediately spot her on the bed. She’s wearing white lace underwear and she still has her pink heels on. My cock throbs for her; my mouth waters for a taste. The only problem is that she’s fast asleep.

I quickly strip down and climb on to the bed with her. She doesn’t stir. I really want to wake her but she looks so beautiful sleeping, so I reluctantly side her shoes off her feet and lift her gently so I can pull the covers over her. I slide in beside her and pull her into me. I breathe her in; she smells like apples.

I lie there with her in my arms for the longest time. She’s touched a part of me I didn’t know I had, and that excites and scares me in equal measures. She’s too good for me. Too beautiful, too kind, too caring for an arsehole like me but I’m too selfish to walk away from her. I know I’m going to hurt her. It’s what I do. But I can’t stay away. I’m addicted, which isn’t a good thing.

Eventually, I pull myself away from her and head into the living room. I can’t sleep. There’s too much stuff going around my head. I want to say it’s work like it usually is. But it’s not—it’s her.

In an attempt to distract myself, I open my laptop and start replying to some emails. The referb of the hotel has started and I’ve had a million and one questions from the builder and architect already.

I lose track of how long I’m sat staring at the screen but at some point, movement from my bedroom catches my attention. When I turn to look, I find Lilly stood in the doorway of my bedroom. She must have turned the lamp on as there is light behind her. It makes her look like an angel.

My heart thuds in my chest. Fuck, she’s beautiful. Her blue eyes are bright and her full pink lips are parted with her slow breaths. Her skin is creamy white and her small but perfect tits are covered in lace along with her pussy. As pretty as they are though, I want to rip them from her body to reveal what is beneath. I run my eyes down her stomach and linger over her scar. I know she’s self-conscious of it but it’s a part of her and I wouldn’t change it for the world. She’s perfect as she is. I’m curious as fuck to know how she got it, mind you. I’m hoping one day soon she’ll be brave enough to tell me. The fear of that coinciding with me talking about my past isn’t far from my mind. It’s going to make her walk away, I know it will, and I would like to put that off happening for a long as possible. I can only hope she will begin to like me enough to be able to deal with my past.

All thoughts of what I was doing completely vanish when she starts walking towards me. She disappears from sight and I almost turn around to see where she is when I feel her hands on my shoulders before running down my chest and onto my stomach.

“Come to bed,” she whispers in my ear. Why the fuck I got up when she was in my bed I have no idea.

“Okay.”

When her fingers reach the waistband of my boxers she bends them and starts running her nails back up. My cock, already hard, turns painful and strains against the fabric.

“I’ve got a better idea,” I mutter before practically throwing the laptop on to the table and pulling her over the back of the sofa so she’s sat astride my lap. “Perfect.”

I go to kiss her put she pulls away and puts her hand over her face. I see her glance over at the clock before whispering, “Middle of the night breath,” behind her fingers.

I don’t have time for her to start faffing around with brushing her teeth so instead of going for her mouth I turn my attention elsewhere.

I pull the straps of her bra down her arms, which causes the flimsy fabric containing her tits to fall as well. I cup them both in my hands and gently squeeze. I lean forward and take one nipple in my mouth while pinching the other one. I’m rewarded by a moan of approval from Lilly as she starts grinding down on me.

“Fuck, Lilly.”

I lift my hips enough so I can pull my boxers over my arse and let my cock spring free. Before I know what’s going on, Lilly is off my lap and on her knees in front of me. She doesn’t waste any time. She immediately reaches forward and wraps her delicate hand around me. It feels incredible but nothing compared to when she lowers her mouth on me and sucks gently.

“Fuck,” I groan as my head falls back against the sofa.

She continues to suck me gently and it feels like it’s going to go on forever but she suddenly stops. My eyes fly open to see what’s going on but I’m greeted with the sight of her wiggling her knickers over her hips. I watch, enthralled, as they drop to the floor and she steps out of them. Her bra follows so she is stood in front of me completely bare. What is it about this woman? Nothing is enough; no amount of time is enough. I need more. I need forever, and that is a seriously scary thought. I haven’t ever wanted anything as much as I do right now since I was a kid. I learnt very quickly though that wishing and praying for something you wanted was pointless so I soon gave up and tried to deal with the shit I’d been dealt.

Lilly is different. She seems to want this as well. She wants me. Fuck knows why.

The feeling of her soft skin against mine pulls me from my depressing thoughts and back to the here and now. Her thighs encase mine and her hands come up to my shoulders. I take the hint and position myself so she can sink down on me. She waits a few seconds while she looks into my eyes. There are so many things I can see reflected back at me and it knocks me for six slightly. There’s anticipation and excitement but I’m sure I can also see some fear. I’ve no idea what she has to be scared about; I rationalise that it’s probably just my own feelings making me see things.

She blinks, breaking our contact, before slowly moving down and taking me inside her. Her eyes lock onto mine again but this time all I see is pleasure. I grab on to her hips to help her move and eventually her eyes start to shut as the sensations take over. I want to tell her to open them but I’m afraid of what she’ll see in mine if I do. I’m scared she’ll she how much I want her, how much she already means to me after only this short amount of time. I’m not sure I want to know all that myself, let alone have her know it too.

* * *

“Was everything okay?” she asks when we’re both curled up in bed again.

“It was incredible, Lilly,” I reply, thinking back to our little session on the sofa.

“I didn’t mean that, you fool,” she says with a laugh and a playful slap to the shoulder. “I meant with Catherine.”

I want to groan at the sound of her name and the fact she’s even gets to be a part of this. “Yes, it was nothing.”

“She wants you, you know.”

“Uh huh,” is the only response I give, because I am all too aware of what Catherine wants, but I have no intention of Lilly knowing the truth.

“Oh my God. You have, haven’t you?” Oh, too late then!

“It was a long time ago, Lilly. And it was a huge mistake.” The look she gives me in return makes me feel like the biggest arsehole on the planet. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the past, Lilly. None of which I’m proud of. What happened with Catherine is a drop in the ocean compared to most things. I know most people see me as this posh hotel owner, but be under no illusion that that is who I am. I know you’ve already figured out that it’s just a front. Yes, I love what I do. I love the challenge. I especially love making money, because once upon a time I had nothing. But dressing up in a swanky suit every day, looking like I belong, isn’t a part of it I enjoy.”

“Why can’t you just be yourself then? Why put on the front?” she asks innocently, like it’s the simplest thing in the world.

“When my dad trusted me to do this, I was at my lowest point, Lilly. Fair play to him giving me the chance, because I’m pretty sure if the tables were turned I wouldn’t have. To say I was a mess would be putting it lightly. I needed to leave all that behind me, so the day before I started I went out and bought everything I thought I needed for my new life. It worked so far as I’ve been incredibly successful, but it will never take away where I came from.”

“It’s not how you dress, Luc, that’s made you successful. That’s you. That comes from inside here,” she says, laying her hand over my chest. And she’s right, I guess. But no one wants their boss to look like a homeless tramp.