LAUREN

 

I received daily updates from Billie. Motherhood wasn’t what she had expected. She had expected a baby who slept through the night, fed easily and smiled unendingly. What she got was a baby that refused to sleep more than two hours before demanding to be fed again, and then would latch on, only to fall asleep after sating himself. She hated changing diapers. She hated being woken all hours of the night. She hated the mess, the lack of routine, and the disappearance of Hamish who was suddenly busier at work than he had ever been.

But despite everything she hated, she was also in love. I received photo after photo of what she insisted were smiles, even though the midwife had told her they were merely wind. And Ollie was certainly a Thornton. In one photo she sent, I swore he had a single eyebrow raised, a trait of his older brothers.

And as the family fell in love with Ollie, Tyler was drowned in work. The grand opening of the casino was less than a week away, and I had barely seen him. He spent all his time organising everything that would be needed for the event. On the guest list were some family and friends, investors and also media. It was to be a test of the facility. The invitations had been sent months ago, inviting the guests to spend twenty-four hours at the casino to wine, dine, gamble and dance their way through the night.

Sadie had been busy too, but not busy enough to forget our venture. She had managed to get us an appointment to tour one of the recently renovated hotels in a few weeks. And, after touring the building, we were to come up with a marketing campaign. I was completely over my head, but Sadie assured me that with both of us working at it, we would come up with something spectacular. I was a little less certain.

The day before the grand opening wasn’t a busy one. Well, not for me. I had no photo shoots booked and I had checked in on Billie the day before. Tyler had left for work so early that it was still pitch black when I watched his headlights fade down the road. I crawled back under the covers that smelled of him, and closed my eyes, determined to make the most of the opportunity to sleep in. So I was very surprised when Tyler shook me awake a few hours later.

“What are you doing back home?” I asked groggily as I stretched into the air.

“We’re leaving in an hour. Do you think you can be ready?”

“Leaving to go where?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“A surprise?” I stretched into the air again, a yawn overtaking me even though it was almost lunchtime.

Tyler patted my leg under the covers. “Come on. Throw some clothes into a bag, and then come join me in the shower.” He winked and then began walking to the bathroom, tossing each item of clothing aside as he walked until he was naked just before he disappeared behind the door. I decided that packing could wait.

Emerging from the shower pleasured and satisfied, I threw some clothes into a bag, Tyler informing me that I would need an outfit for the casino opening as well.

A car waited for us outside the loft and drove us to the casino. I looked over at Tyler suspiciously, unsure why we arrived a day early for the opening. A smartly dressed man opened the car door when it rolled to a stop.

“Mr Thornton,” he greeted. Then he looked at me and grinned.

“Jimmy?” I said, barely believing that this man in front of me was the same boy who picked me up from the airport all those months ago.

Jimmy stood proudly in his uniform. “You like?” He twirled so I could get the full effect. “Mr Thornton thought I might be better suited to this job and helped me get it. I've got to watch the language though.”

I looked at Tyler who just shrugged. “He seemed like a good kid. A good kid that was pretty useless at construction.” Taking my hand, Tyler led me into the lobby of the casino. The staff behind the front desk smiled and greeted Tyler by name. Jimmy carried our bags and took us up in the elevator to the top level of the building. The honeymoon suite.

“What’s going on?” I asked Tyler as Jimmy opened the door to the magnificent room. I had seen it all before. I had taken photos of the entire building process, after all, but somehow, seeing it as a guest made it different. The luxury of the room became more personal.

Just like in Tyler’s loft, one side of the walls were lined with glass overlooking the city. I walked around the room, running my fingers over the elegant bedding and removing my shoes to sink my toes into the plush carpet. The glass sliding doors led out to a balcony, complete with an infinity pool where the water appeared to flow right over the edge of the building.

Tyler walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder. “Tonight,” he said, “it’s only us. We have the full run of the place, apart from the actual casino. We can eat at any of the restaurants, go to the gym, take a wander around the shops, check out the show, or stay here all night and order room service. The choice is yours.”

I spun in his arms so I was facing him and looped my hands around his neck. “What about work?” 

“I’ve done all I can do. The rest it up to fate.”

“So I really get you all to myself?”

Tyler dipped his knees so our mouths were at the same level and casually brushed his lips over mine. “I am at your disposal. Do with me as you will.” As if fate had an ironic sense of humour, his phone started to ring at that very moment. I looked at him, a smirk on my lips.

Tyler ignored the call and then turned his phone off. “I told Sadie I’d check in with her and clear any messages at eight. Other than that, the world can wait.” His arms tightened around me and his mouth found mine again, soft yet urgent. “So,” he murmured, “What is your wish?”

I contemplated for a while, screwing my face up, twisting my mouth at awkward angles until Tyler rolled his eyes.

“If you’re having a difficult time deciding, I’m sure I could think of a few things to keep you entertained.” His mouth lowered to my neck, running along the tender flesh before burrowing between the swell of my breasts.

I moaned, letting my head fall back. “I’ve got it,” I said, feigning distraction.

Tyler grinned. “And what do you want to do first?” His eyes were dark and scorched with desire. His hardness pressed against me as his mouth continued to explore my curves.

“Eat,” I exclaimed, detangling myself from Tyler’s embrace. “I’m starving.” I walked over and grabbed my bag, lifting it to the bed to unzip it.

Tyler groaned into his hands. “I’m all worked up now.”

I pouted playfully. “Poor Tyler.” I held an outfit against my body. It was a long flowing dress that had a bare back and a split right down the middle of my waist that exposed the inside swell of my breasts. “Should I wear this?”

Tyler sat on the couch and nodded, adjusting himself where he strained against his pants. “I think you should.”

I pulled my clothes from the bag and hung them in the closet. Tyler watched my every move, his head cocked to the side. Knowing his eyes were on me, I undressed slowly, unbuttoning my shirt and letting it fall off my shoulders, wiggling out of my jeans and sliding them over my hips. Dressed only in black lace and high heels with my hair flowing down my back, I leaned down to slip on my high heels. Tyler stood and stalked towards me, his eyes roaming my body, stopping only inches from me, looking into my eyes.

“You are gorgeous, do you know that?” His finger skimmed over my nipple which tightened in response.

“Now, now, Tyler Thornton,” I said, playfully stepping away from him. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” I turned, feeling the burn of his gaze on my backside. “First we will have lunch, then we can have a look through the shops.” I bent over to remove an imaginary speck of fluff from the floor, and Tyler’s hands cupped my rounded cheeks, brushing over the flesh softly, causing a pulse of pleasure to tremble through me. He pulled me back against him. “And then,” I said, somewhat breathlessly, “we can perhaps have a drink at the bar, then dinner, then go to that show you mentioned, and maybe finish it all off with a swim. What do you say?”

“I say, when do I get to be inside you?” His finger ran down the seam of my underwear.

I moaned, grinding back into him. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later,” I said, though my actions denied my words. I turned around, taking his face between my hands and kissing him until my legs turned to liquid.

“And what about now?” Tyler’s hands roamed over my bare skin and dipped under the band of my underwear. His fingers toyed with me, pleasuring, teasing. “I want to taste you,” he whispered into my ear.

I reached between us and undid his buttons, dipping my hand under his waistband and finding his hardness. Wrapping my fingers around him, I tugged him free, melting a little at the steel-like hardness of him. I began to stroke up and down as his fingers pleasured me. When our movements grew more intense, I removed my hand, pulling away and turning to the closet.

“All in good time,” I teased.

Over my shoulder, I watched as Tyler let out a low exhale. My eyes fell to where he was exposed. Wincing, he tucked himself back in place and winked. “As you wish, Lauren Greer.”

Tyler must have instructed the staff only to be visible when needed. We were left alone during lunch, a waiter only appearing to take our orders, bring the food to the table and then clear it away once we were done. Afterwards, we ran along the empty corridors of the hotel, laughing like teenagers, opening every door we found and poking our heads inside the various rooms. On occasion, Tyler would push me inside one of the rooms, pressing me against the wall, or pushing me to a bed to tangle his hands in my hair, his mouth on my lips. I gave a fashion show for Tyler of all the dresses from the shop, but he insisted the one I already wore was his favourite. We held hands through the concert, a single performer and a piano that transported me to another world, and finally, we sat down to dinner in the deserted restaurant. Rather than selecting from the menu, the chef took the opportunity to cook every meal available and we picked from the smorgasbord on offer. By the time eight o’clock rolled around and Tyler excused himself from our room to call Sadie, I was happy, content and looking forward to an evening spent with Tyler. Alone. We had teased each other for most of the afternoon, finding secluded areas to have feverish moments of pleasure, our hands exploring each other’s bodies beneath our clothing, our mouths trailing along each other’s flesh, but we hadn’t done more than that. The build-up had left me aching, but when Tyler walked back into the room, his jaw was clenched.

“Everything okay?” I asked, running my hands over his broad shoulders, attempting to relieve some of the tension he held there.

He smiled tightly and kissed the tip of my nose. “Nothing a few moments with you can’t wash away. You ready for that swim?”

Someone had already been out onto the balcony. Candles shielded by glass flickered on the edge of the water, gas heaters burned overhead and a tray of nibbles and a bottle of champagne had been left on the table. Having already changed into a bikini, I dropped the towel from around my waist and stepped into the warm water. Sinking down to my shoulders, I swam across the clear water until I reached the edge of the pool and looked out over the lights of the city. The water swirled as Tyler surrounded my body, embracing me from behind.

“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” he said quietly.

“You know, I had never really thought of the city as beautiful until I moved here. All I thought about was the traffic and the people and the bustle and hurry. I didn’t think about the lights at night, or the moon shining overhead.”

Light and buoyant in the water, I twisted around and wrapped my legs around Tyler’s waist, my arms around his neck. Our skin shimmered from the glow of the underwater lights and the slight breeze brought bumps to the exposed parts of my skin. Tyler pulled me closer until my chest pressed against his, and slowly shifted until his mouth met mine. The kiss was soft and tender and teasing. He toyed with my lips, gently biting before his mouth moved to my neck and his hands found their way to untie the loops of my bikini top.

“Tyler,” I said, becoming self-conscious at the thought of someone walking in on us.

“No one is here.”

My bikini top floated away and Tyler pressed me to him, his hands wandering down to cup my backside, his chest crushing against my breasts. Soon, my bikini bottom joined the floating top and I was naked, wrapped around Tyler as he ravished me with his mouth. Hooking my legs tighter around his waist, I felt his hardness pushing into me. After hours of teasing and pleasure without release, Tyler was burning. He lifted me slightly out of the water as his mouth found my breasts, nibbling and swirling his tongue until I moaned with desire. Lifting me further so I was sitting on the tiles that surrounded the edge, he pushed my legs apart, exposing my vulnerability, before lowering his mouth and tasting me. His licks were gentle. His tongue toyed with my clit, flicking back and forth before sucking against it, causing surges of desire to flame through my entire body. His fingers joined the assault, plunging deep inside me as his mouth remained latched. Climbing out of the water, Tyler pulled me to my feet, his hand wrapping in my hair before tugging me to my knees.

“Open,” he said, and I trembled in response to his command. He used his grip on my hair to guide my mouth to his cock. He was gentle at first, sliding in and out of my mouth, allowing me to twirl my tongue over his tip and up and down the ridges of his cock, then his movements became more intense and he used the leverage of his hands to pull me forward, taking more of him into my mouth. Moisture pooled between my legs and he removed himself long enough to reach down and rub circles over my clit, causing me to moan once again.

I tilted forward, leaning heavily on him for support. He lifted his fingers and dove them into my mouth before removing them, covering my mouth with his own, the taste of me mingling between us.

It sometimes frightened me how much I wanted to please him. I think I would have done almost anything he asked. And I would have enjoyed it. But that still didn’t stop me from being nervous as he brought me to my feet and led me over to the waist-height glass barrier that framed the balcony. I looked out over the city, the breeze causing my nipples to tighten even more. Only darkness shielded us from the people milling the streets below, but even then, with the lights behind us, I knew that if anyone glanced across from the other buildings surrounding us, they would see me naked, pressed against the barrier. Tyler stood behind me, parted the cheeks of my backside and ran the tip of his cock along the crease before plunging into my wetness.

“Does it excite you knowing that someone could see?” he asked. I clenched around him, his words igniting a desire within me I hadn’t known. Did I really get excited at the thought of being caught?

Tyler twisted his hand through my hair, jerking my head back. “Do you like knowing that if there was someone watching in that building opposite us they would see you bent over the edge? Do you think they would know I am fucking you right now as they watched?”

Unable to answer, I moaned. Tyler withdrew and then plunged back inside forcefully, causing me to grunt with the roughness of the movement.

“Because it excites me,” Tyler continued. “I want everyone to know that you are mine.” His hands moved to fondle my breasts. “I want everyone to know that it is my hands that get to touch these. My mouth that gets to tease your nipples.” Pushing my back, Tyler bent me over the railing, causing me to grip onto the edge of the glass as the drop to the ground fell below.

I was excited. I was terrified. I had never felt so alive.    

Tyler fucked me from behind until my body began to turn numb with cold from the crisp night breeze and the railing left an indentation across my belly. Then, leading me over to the deck chair that lay under the gas heater, his mouth trailed over every inch of my body as the heat warmed my skin. He brought me to the brink so many times, only to direct his attention elsewhere until I was delirious with the need to come. I thrust against him, urging him further into me as he lay between my legs.

My need for him was almost too much.

Tyler lifted himself onto his elbows as he slid in and out. “Play with yourself,” he instructed. “I want to feel you come around me. I want to feel you clench as you orgasm.”

Needing no extra encouragement, my fingers toyed until the explosion I longed for ripped through my body, sending pulses of desire to the very tips of my fingers and toes and leaving me breathless. Tyler stayed still inside me, eyes locked on me as I writhed beneath him. Then, with a final push, he called out my name and I felt him convulse as his release came.