Twelve

“This bathroom is breathtaking!” There is an enormous stone shower with two large, rain style showerheads and a very inviting bathtub with jets covering the inside of it. One entire wall is shrouded in mirrors with a wall to wall marble counter containing two white bowl sinks, “This is like top of the line…everything,” I say in complete awe.

“I’m pleased you like it. What do you want to try first?” He glances around the spa like bathroom. “The shower or the Jacuzzi?” He spins me around to face him; I run my hands along his biceps, and look up into his enticing gaze.

“God, you’re tall.” I laugh as I look up at all six foot three of him. I feel tiny standing before him; there is not a thing on him that’s small.

“That I am, and you, my dear, are very short.”

“Uhh, I prefer Fun-Sized” I laugh, smacking his bicep.

Rubbing his chest with one hand, he playfully slaps my butt, “Ouch…sorry! You are perfect.” I raise an eyebrow at him and flash him an all teeth smile. “Why, thank you,” I giggle as he trickles his fingers down my back.

“Tonight with you Savannah has gone way beyond my expectations. You’ve made tonight the best night of my life…if I could freeze time, I’d spend forever reliving this evening together.” Gripping my hips and pulling our bodies together, Kayden kisses my forehead.

The butterflies in my stomach instantly change to a swarm of bees. A shiver shoots down my spine as Kayden’s lips leave my skin.

Sliding my hand along his biceps’ I drag my eyes from Kayden to his shower. I try to shake the thoughts bouncing around in my head, and distract myself by bringing us back to the question at hand, “How about we try out that shower?”

I can’t help but notice the spark in Kayden’s eyes erupt as I motion for the shower, “The thought of fucking you up against that wall is making me hard, I can’t wait to wash every inch of you baby.” My clit throbs as he talks about fucking me in the shower.

I can’t fight the voice screaming at me in the back of mind, warning me that I’m playing with fire. Each time I’m with him is only going to make walking away tomorrow that much harder. Knowing that Kayden is feeling the same as I do is thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. The fire is enticing, but I know it’s only a matter of time before I get burned.

“Well, I guess that does sound quite appealing,” I say nonchalantly, reaching for Kayden’s hand and pulling him towards the shower.

Moments later the entire bathroom is engulfed in steam. The place smells of Kayden; his rich, seductive body wash tickles my nose and intoxicates me again. I use the soapy bath sponge to rub suds all over his chiseled body, and he amuses me by settling on his knees so I can scrub his shoulders and back.

“I think I’ll be imagining us in this shower every time I step foot into mine,” I run my hands over his body, helping wash away the soap. “My vibrator is gonna get a lot of use this week, trying to work you out of my system, Mr. Knox.”

“Well, I for one love the idea of you getting yourself off while picturing me fucking you against the shower wall.” Kayden’s warm breath tickles my ear and his sexy Southern drawl causes my entire body to tingle with desire for Kayden once again.

“Ohhh God,” I moan as Kayden licks my lobe and bites onto it, pinching it between his teeth. My legs turn to jelly, and I’m thankful he’s pinning my body with his.

I reach out and grip his cock firmly as he lathers soap over my breasts. Stroking it, I feel it spring to life again in my hand.

“I think we’re clean enough,” Kayden’s voice, dripping with sex, causes my body to instantly submit to him. Tossing the sponge across the shower, Kayden grips my hips and lifts me up, pressing my back against the cool shower tiles. I instantly wrap my legs around his waist, sliding my fingers into his wet hair, gripping it as I lock my lips over his.

I spend the next twenty minutes being pounded against the tile wall, Kayden’s strong arms holding me up as he fucks me to the hilt until my entire body is worn out from the hours of sexual satisfaction its endured. After re-washing each other, we head back to the bedroom to lie on the bed with our glasses of champagne and devoured the rest of the food.

“Do I even want to know how many women have laid in this spot, sipping champagne after being fucked senseless by you?” I grimace as I lie back on the mountain of pillows on his bed. Did I really just freakin’ say that out loud?!

“Well before tonight…none,” He says matter-of-factly, a serious look plastered across his face.

“Come on, you’ve admitted you’re a world class player.” I flip onto my side and rest my head in the palm of my hand. I’m watching his face for the smallest clue that he was lying.

“Dead serious, Savannah. This is the grandest suite in all of Houston. I have three bedrooms here including my own; I only sleep with women in one of my spare rooms, never in my personal bed.” He reaches for my face, gently rubbing his thumb along my bottom lip.

I smile at his sweet gesture, “Okay, so if that is true, then why did you bring me in here, if you have a ‘no fornication’ rule for your bedroom?” I’m completely and utterly confused.

First he has sex with me in his car, which he made clear he’s never done before, then we have unprotected sex twice, which neither of us has ever done before, and now I learn I’m the first woman to step foot into his personal bedroom.

“Are you smiling?” He teases.

“That I am,” I say as I watch his eyes explore my face.

“Good.” He leans over and traces his hands under my bathrobe, making his way toward my hips,

“I don’t think I can handle any more of your Texas sized penis tonight, Kayden, I’m exhausted!” I giggle.

“Okay, I guess I have no choice, but to stop then.” He pouts, giving me puppy dog eyes.

“Is it wrong for me to want to freeze time right now?” I ask as I twirl his hair in my fingers.

“Not at all, I don’t know if I can just forget you or tonight, and go on with my life acting like this never happened. I know I sound like an ass when I say this, but usually I have no problem fuckin’ a girl and never seeing her again.”

I’m so conflicted; I don’t know whether or not to be happy or terrified by the feelings we’re bringing out in one another.

“I agree; tomorrow is going to be difficult, but we had a lot of fun tonight.” I force a small smile trying to mask the sadness consuming me. With those words, we fall asleep in each-other’s arms, ignoring the fact that things just got really complicated.

~~~

When I awake a little while later, the sun hasn’t risen yet. I’m pinned beneath Kayden’s arm, and it takes me a moment to realize where I am. I slide out from under him and reach for my cell phone. It’s only five thirty; we’ve barely been asleep an hour.

I’m suddenly overwhelmed with emotions, and I struggle to think straight. Kayden has awoken feelings inside me that I’d wished to never feel again. His blatant disregard for monogamy is an obvious omen for heartbreak and disappointment.

I take a moment to admire the beautiful man lying in front of me, the memories of last night flooding my mind and bringing a smile to my face. I’ll be forever grateful to Kayden for proving to me that I’m able to feel something after everything with Logan, but I know that leaving him here like this will be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and I hate him for that.

Nevertheless, I slip on my dress and carry my shoes out of the room, honestly believing that this is a better option than sharing Kayden with an array of sexual partners.

A few hours after I fell back to sleep in my hotel suite, I awake to the sound of my cell ringing. I roll over, swatting frantically at my night stand, trying to locate my phone. The sound is splitting my skull in two, and I realize my fear of waking up hung over has come true.

“Hello?” I rasp, still trying to wake up.

“Savannah, its Eloise, I need you to meet me for breakfast down at the hotel restaurant to go over some things for the party tonight.”

Oh, my God, she is seriously calling me at…I glance at my cell to see it was almost noon. Crap…I never sleep in past nine.

“Okay, I just need to take a quick shower and I’ll be down.” My entire body aches, and it feels like I’ve been run over by a semi-truck. I’m extremely grateful for the two-hour spa-treatment I booked for this afternoon; a full body massage is definitely required. Kayden Knox sure knows how to wear a woman out.

I down a bottle of water, along with a few aspirins, and take a quick shower to wash Kayden off my skin. I’m ready in record time.

I decide to dress casually as I’ll be heading to the spa right after my meeting with Eloise, so I threw on a white tank and a long flowing skirt with sandals. I quickly style a French braid down the left side of my head and pull all my hair back into a bun, leaving a few ringlets out around my face and neck.

I toss my phone into my purse and head down to the hotel restaurant to meet with Eloise.

She’s waiting for me at the table next to floor to ceiling windows which overlooked the pool outside. She looks as stunning as ever, with her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She’s wearing black peep toe heels and a beautiful, sleeveless hot pink dress. She stands to greet me when I arrive at her table, bringing me in for a quick hug and air kisses before sitting back down.

“So glad you were able to meet me this morning. I know you’ll be busy this afternoon getting ready for the party,” she says, tapping on her iPad.

“Yes, I have a full schedule this afternoon. I’m going to the spa after I leave here, then Quinn suggested a salon to get a mani, pedi and my hair done,” I say as I look over the menu.

“Ah yes, I forgot the free spa treatments; I think I might take Kayden up on the offer and schedule one myself. I’m exhausted; I didn’t get into Houston until almost midnight last night because of all the interviews.”

Taking a sip of water I gaze around the room. I need to snap out of it and stop hoping I’ll run into Kayden. It’s best to stay as far away from him as physically possible.

Focusing my attention back on Eloise, I distract my thoughts by focusing on the interviews she did for our Influential Issue. “How did they go? I didn’t get a chance to watch anything last night because a few of us went out to Vertigo to celebrate.”

Boy did I celebrate. Every muscle in my body is sore from all the celebrating I did last night.

“They went great. There’s so much buzz over the issue; its mind boggling how many people are fascinated with Kayden Knox. I think we made the right choice picking him,” She beams her million-dollar smile at me.

“Really? Well that’s great news; I bet the blogs are having a field day posting all about him and January’s issue. This is great for us, the more publicity, the better.”

“Oh, my God, I know. Can you believe we’re trending on Twitter? That, my dear, is monumental!” She looks truly pleased, and it makes me smile.

The magazine was ranking near the top for sales. With the invention of iPads, Kindles and other E-readers, we are reaching an even larger demographic. People can subscribe to our magazine and each month an issue is delivered straight to their E-readers.

“Wow, that’s crazy. So we have a lot of people are talking about it on Twitter. I can imagine Kayden and the other men on our list are flooded with tweets from fans,” I say as I take another sip of water. My throat feels like the Sahara Desert.

I can’t help but feel a pang of jealously as I think about all the women tweeting Kayden. Flashbacks from last night flash through my mind as I stare out the window, admiring a couple walking through the floral pathway.

I wish love could be that simple: boy and girl fall in love and live happily ever after. But it just doesn’t always work out that way.

I feel the waiter arrive at the table. Stopping beside me, he clears his throat, startling me. I jump in my seat, snap my head up at him. “Are you ladies ready to order?” He asks in an all too chipper tone for me this morning.

I glance at Eloise, who smiles at me, signaling for me to order first, “Yes, I’d like a vegetable omelet and vanilla iced coffee.” My stomach is still churning from all the drinking I did last night. I’ll be lucky if I’m able to get more than a few bites down.

As soon as Eloise placed her order, and the waiter headed back to the kitchen, she laid her tablet down and concern washes over her face, instantly putting my nerves on high alert. That look is never good, “With all the good news I have, I sadly come bearing some not so pleasant news. While I was at E! News last night, I ran into Logan,”

Hearing Logan’s name even after all this time is painful, talking about him is like rubbing salt in an old wound. Taking in a deep breath I work up the strength to ask her why he was at E! News. “Logan…why was he there?" It feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room, hearing his name out loud feels like a sucker punch to my abdomen.

Rolling her eyes and leaning back in her seat she continues, “He was there with Megan; she was there to discuss her new film premiering next week. But that wasn’t the only reason he was at the E! News studio. I guess he just signed up to be on Dr. Drew’s new season of Celebrity Rehab.”

“Celebrity Rehab!?” I shout, choking on my water. “Why the hell is he going on that reality show? Logan doesn’t do drugs. Hell, he barely drinks!” I exclaim, a little louder than I wanted, drawing attention from people at the tables around us.

Glancing around at everyone now staring at us, Eloise shoots me a take it down a notch or two look, I instantly feel my cheeks turn crimson as I pat my tank top with my napkin. “I guess he’s claiming that his actions towards you are due to a sex addiction,” She rolls her eyes as she says it, because she knows exactly how pathetic it sounds.

Logan doesn’t suffer from sex addiction any more than I had a coke addiction. His only problem is an oversized ego.

I was more than willing to be with him anytime he wanted, but instead he chose to sleep with models he worked with. I don’t know if he did it to boost his ego, or if he just enjoyed the high he got from sleeping with them behind my back, knowing I had no idea that it was happening. He gave in to temptation instead of directing those wants and needs towards me…his girlfriend.

I can’t believe how low he will go to get attention. He’s such a freakin’ fame whore that I wouldn’t put it past him to sell his soul to the devil if it meant he became famous.

“How dare he keep doing this to me? It’s been hard enough dealing with all his conquests selling their stories to the magazines, but now he’s going to go on actual television and rehash everything he has done! Now instead of the drama and interest dying down, he’s just going to feed the fire. I’m going to have to deal with paparazzi following me, everyone wanting my feelings on him going on that show. My business should be my business, not something he should be allowed to share in great detail with Dr. Drew and the millions of viewers who will tune in to the show every damn week.”

I feel horrible for blowing up, but Eloise had to have known I would react this way. She was thoughtful enough to tell me herself, at least, and not let me find out by seeing it on TV, or even worse, coming from Logan while announcing it on E! News.

Setting her hands over mine, Eloise looks at me sympathetically while she speaks, “He’s just trying to extend his five minutes of fame; that’s the reasoning behind this. He’s been getting tons of publicity from this whole ordeal, and it’s helping movie sales for his clients and bookings for his models. It’s sad but true; that’s how our business works. Publicity is publicity, and people love a scandal.”

Letting out a sigh, I drop my eyes to the table, “He should be taking responsibility for his actions and not just running around telling everyone that what he did to me is okay. Trying to pass the blame on to an addiction instead of facing the truth, he is such a cheating piece of shit.” I’ve never actually sworn in front of Eloise, well loud enough for her to hear me anyway.

Right now, I really don’t care as my emotions overtaking any sense I have to hold back.

We halt our conversation as the waiter approaches with her food. I’m dying for my iced coffee; I’m in desperate need for a caffeine fix.

Dragging my eyes back up to Eloise, I meet her gaze and see nothing but compassion in her eyes. I’m lucky to have such an amazing boss, “If you need to talk, I’m here for you. Remember Savannah, you have a lot of people on your side.” Patting my hand and flashing a small smile, she leans back in her chair relaxing, “Now, onto happier things…we have to finish up the editing for the January issue. I have to hand it in to the publisher by the end of next week; I already turned in the Most Influential Men section since it was a huge portion.”

Relieved to be moving on, I dive into work mode, “Okay, when did you want me to go over everything?” I ask in between bites of my omelet.

Taping away on her tablet Eloise smiles over it at me, “There, I’ve just emailed everything to you. I figure you can work on everything throughout the week while you’re here, and email everything back to me when you’re finished.”

Taking a long sip from my ice coffee, I instantly feel my bad mood lifting. Setting my coffee down, I glance at my phone and see the alert that I have a new message from her, “It just popped up in my inbox, and that sounds perfect. I’ll Skype with you and go over everything before sending it back.”

“Oh! Also, let me know your opinion on the articles and if there’s anything you feel should be added. You have a keen sense of fashion for girls your age, so I really want your feedback on the article we did for the Hottest Trends for Spring Break 2013. We have some of the season’s hottest bathing suits, sandals, clothes, and purses… all that kind of stuff.”

“You know me too well,” I laugh. “It’ll give me an excuse to start my spring shopping early.”

I can’t help but take notice to the twinkle in Eloise’s eye and the smile stretched across her face, “You excited for the party tonight? You know, you are single, and so is our Most Influential Man, Mr. Kayden Knox. I can so see sparks flying between you two, my dear.”

Oh shit, did it just get really hot in here? I feel as if I just stepped into a sauna, and I don’t doubt for a second that Eloise can see my face changing ten shades of red right now.

I try to act like her words don’t faze me the least, when in reality she just knocked me off kilter. If she only knew the things I did with Mr. Tall, dark and incredible in bed last night, she’d be fanning herself right along with me.

Grabbing my water, I give her a weak smile and quickly gulp down the remaining contents in the glass, wishing it was something stronger. “Kayden…uhh, I don’t think so. I’m still getting over Logan, and don’t think going after a well-known playboy is the best remedy for easing a broken heart. I’m happily enjoying the single life.”

Letting out a small laugh, Eloise shakes her head as she looks from me over to the waiter signaling for our check, “I think you’re the first women on the planet to not have it on the top of her agenda to chase that Billionaire playboy, Savannah.”

God. If she only knew deep down I’m fighting with my head and my heart over what I should be feeling, or doing about Houston’s biggest man-whore, who has awakened things inside of me I assumed were laid to rest forever. He has left me even more confused about what the hell I want do to with my life.