Chapter 14

Abby

I bit my lip, whimpering, staring into Cohen’s eyes as he flipped me onto my back and covered me with his body. My hand slid down, unfastening his belt, unable to help myself. I had just come and yet I was aching for more, to be fucked by him, filled up with that perfect cock. I pulled it out of his pants and started to stroke it, spreading my legs, tilting my face up to kiss him. He was almost inside of me when there was a knock at the door.

“Mr. Ashton,” came the voice of Gregory from the hallway. My eyes went wide and Cohen’s landed on mine, surprise and confusion in his face. He stared at me for a long moment, even as another knock sounded on the door.

“Mr. Ashton,” Gregory said. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but—”

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Cohen said gruffly, tucking himself back into his pants. He glanced away from me, sliding out of bed. I stared up at him.

“Cohen,” I said. “I—”

“Come out when you’re ready,” he growled, then left me alone in the room. I sat there blushing, pulling my dress down over my hips. My body was riled up and hungry, heart pounding as I sat up in bed and tried to calm myself. I cursed when I heard Paul’s bell ring, wondering if I had woken him up with my moans. I hurried out of bed, slipping into my panties, and went into Paul’s room to see him staring at me with wide eyes. I blushed deeply.

“Hi, Paul,” I said to him.

“Abby,” he said. “I’m glad to see you.”

“I’m glad to see you, too, Paul,” I said to him, smiling warmly as I took a seat next to his bed.

“How are you getting along with Cohen?” he asked. I blushed again, looking away from him.

“Fine,” I said.

“He’s a good boy. Hard to get along with sometimes. He hasn’t had the easiest life.”

“He told me about his parents,” I said. Paul’s lips pressed into a thin line, angry for the first time since I’d met him.

“Did he tell you what kind of people they were? How they abandoned him?”

My brow furrowed in confusion. “He said they died.”

“Yeah, they did,” Paul said. “But first they kicked him out. Told him he wasn’t allowed at the house anymore. They couldn’t stop using drugs and they didn’t want the responsibility of having him around.”

Something within me broke as the old man talked, made my heart ache from the inside out.

“I didn’t know that,” I said.

“He doesn’t let people in much,” Paul said sadly. “Girl like you, he should treat you right. Tell you things.”

“He’s my employer,” I said. “He doesn’t owe me anything.”

“Way I see it,” Paul said. “A man touches a woman, he owes her everything.”

I opened my mouth, flustered, flushing again with embarrassment. Paul waved me off.

“Doesn’t bother me none,” he said.

“I didn’t mean to—”

“I know you didn’t. You’re not that type of girl. I can tell just by talking to you.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I said to him, unsure of why I was opening up to the old man.

“Follow your gut,” Paul said, patting my hand. “Can I have a break before physical therapy today? I think I’d like to get some sleep.”

“Sure, Paul,” I said to him, standing up, pulling his blanket up over his chest. There was a knot in my throat that I tried to swallow as I left the room, closing the door behind me. I took a deep breath and picked up my phone. I was desperate to talk to James, though he still hadn’t emailed me back since our intimate back and forth. My heart sank when I saw that my inbox was empty, and something within me grew heated, frustrated that he hadn’t gotten back to me. Despite the fact that I knew I shouldn’t, I opened up an email to him and began to type, my anger flying through my fingers.

James,

I have to admit that I’m put off you haven’t answered me. You weren’t exactly innocent the other night in what we were talking about… I’m sorry if I crossed a line, but I don’t think it’s fair that you’re ignoring me.

It hurts, James. I thought that we were closer than that.

I’m sorry again. You should be too.

Gabriella

I sent the email before I could stop myself, tossing my phone on the bed. Then I got up and prepared myself to see Cohen again. I was curious about what they were doing and I wanted to relay the message that Paul was again asleep. I wanted to try to put their visit off for as long as possible. No part of me believed their story, and I knew that Cohen didn’t, either. I had no idea why he didn’t just throw them out, but I knew better than to question him.

I left the room to find the three of them in the living room at the front of the mansion. Cohen looked tense as he looked up at me, and I felt my heart flutter in my chest. I forced myself to look away from him, turning my eyes to Bella, who was sitting right next to him on the couch.

“We were just talking to Cohen about our room situation,” Gregory said. “How’s Paul?”

“He’s still asleep,” I said. “He’s really worn out from breakfast. He’s not feeling very well.”

Cohen’s brow furrowed and he gave me a concerned look.

“What’s wrong?”

“He’s just tired,” I said quickly, feeling guilty for making him worry. “But I don’t think he’s up for visitors.”

“That’s fine,” Gregory said. “We’ll be staying for the next few days.”

“Really?” I asked, glancing at Cohen, who nodded at me with a meaningful look.

“OK,” I said. Cohen stood up.

“I’ll show you two to your rooms if you want to rest up before you see Paul,” he said. His voice was stiff as he spoke to them. Bella seemed to ignore it, putting her hand on his arm.

“Thank you, Cohen,” she said in a silky voice. I watched as she followed him and they disappeared up the stairs, my jaw tense, annoyed in a way that I hated.