When I open my eyes, it’s already morning. I blink twice as my brain reboots, trying to figure out where the hell I am. Cotton sheets are covering my naked body, and behind me, there’s another naked body—Ethan’s. All at once, the memories of last night flood me. God, that was intense; Ethan’s VR glasses left me spent and exhausted, and then we fucked as if we just had a few minutes to live. No wonder I passed out. I was half comatose by the time he came.

There’s a wide smile on my lips and I have no idea where it’s coming from. My heart is beating steadily, drumming a happy tune, and I realize that I haven’t been this happy in ages. I think of turning to Ethan to wake him up, but we’re spooning and he has his arm draped over my body. So, I do the next logical thing and press my ass back against him; in half a heartbeat, I feel something thick and long stiffening and pushing against my ass cheeks. Hello there.

Ethan stirs, and then his hand goes down my side as he wakes up. “G’morning,” he whispers with a lazy voice. I guess last night wasn’t easy on him as well.

“Good morning,” I repeat after him, pushing my ass harder against his cock. His shaft is nestled between my ass cheeks, and I start to grind against him in soft, gentle movements. I’ve just woken up and I’m already eager to go at it again… Christ, he’s like a drug, and I’m already an addict.

“Don’t you ever get tired?” he asks me, his hand going down to my ass. He squeezes one cheek gently, and then moves his hand up to my breasts.

“Never,” I purr, that uncontrollable smile still dancing on my lips. “Not when I’m with you.”

“That’s the right answer, congratulations.”

“Do I get a prize?” I ask him, grinding harder against him.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Oh, I don’t know…” I tease him, swaying my hips from side to side and stroking his cock with my cheeks. Curling his fingers around his shaft, he slides his glans down my crack, and then fits his hard member between my legs. Biting on my bottom lip, I feel my pussy grow as wet as the Pacific.

“Oh, I know you do.” With his lips on my neck, he starts kissing me tenderly while, at the same time, he slides his glans inside of my pussy. My insides clench as I feel the tip of his cock pushing back my folds, and my arm shoots back to his ass; grabbing a handful of his firm cheeks, I try and pull him into me. “See? You knew, after all.”

“Oh, shut up and fuck me,” I chuckle, thrusting back with my hips. He allows another inch to go inside of me, and keeps that slow maddening pace until his whole shaft is buried in my pussy. Once I feel his tip pressed against that sweet spot, he digs his fingers into my thigh and starts to rock his hips.

As his cock starts to slide in and out of me, I sway my hips and try to match his pace. When our rhythm reaches its frenzied pinnacle, Ethan throws the sheets back, and the cool air of the morning makes my skin prickle. My hand is still on his ass, and I leave it there, urging him to go faster and faster. And that’s exactly what he does, picking up the pace until my insides are burning up.

With a wild grin, I move forward and his cock pops out of me. I turn to him, and his eyes are wide with surprise: he wasn’t expecting me to take the lead, but that’s exactly what I want to do. I wink, and then climb on top of his body; grabbing his cock, I guide it home and ease myself down on it.

His hands go straight to my tits, and as he squeezes them softly, I start to ride him at a tender pace. My hips are moving steadily, and I throw my head back and sigh loudly. Of course, all tenderness turns into frenzied lust, and I can’t help but lean into him and jump up and down on his cock. As I do it, I crush my mouth against his and lock myself in a kiss.

This time, sex has nothing to do with a power play. It has nothing to do with Simon's demands, or with Ethan’s prototype. No, this time we’re making love (oh, God, did I really say make love?) because I want to. Because I need to please him. That’s right, it’s not about me; it’s about him.

Pulling back from our kiss, I press my forehead against his and simply look into his eyes. I could lose myself there, and somehow, I know that I’m already lost. Oh, God, what’s happening to me? I never got this involved with any of my… targets. I can’t do this, I can’t. But it looks and feels so right…

My eyes never leaving his, I ride him until I feel his cock spasming. His pleasure turns into my own, and my pussy starts tightening up around his shaft at the same time. I smile at him, and just like that, we come undone. He groans, and I moan; in a fraction of a second, I feel his cock coating my insides with his cum, and it’s simply perfection. Christ, I love to make him cum, to know that I’m pleasing him like no other woman can.

Ecstasy courses through us both as if we were one, and I close my eyes and surrender to his embrace. Breathing softly, I lay my head against his chest and remain like that as his cum drips down my pussy, his cock finally quieting down.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that I’m falling for him, and that’s exactly what I’m afraid of. If I fall for him, I’m screwed.

Rolling to the side, I sprawl myself on top of the mattress, gazing at the ceiling. Ethan turns to me and plants a soft kiss on my cheek. “You’re really one of a kind, Brittney,” he whispers, and I feel my heart melting. Oh, God, please don’t allow this to happen. Please, please. I can’t fall for him.

I remain on the bed as Ethan gets up and goes for a shower. I lay there as if I’m frozen, but the gears inside my head are turning at high speed. What am I going to do?

“I ordered you breakfast, babe,” Ethan tells me, coming out from the closet fifteen minutes later, already dressed. He’s wearing a dark suit and I can’t help but notice how it fits him perfectly. I’m sure it’s expensive as hell, but I’m not talking about the quality of the suit… Somehow, Ethan is the kind of guy that makes suits look good, and not the other way around. “You can take your time, but I gotta go.”

“Thank you, Ethan,” I tell him with a smile, and I don’t even know if I’m thanking him for the breakfast, or for the sex. I guess it’s both. When he finally leaves, I wait until I hear the elevator going down, and only then do I get up.

I take a long shower, and then I get dressed; Ethan left a new dress and matching bra and thong for me on the bathroom. Already feeling hungry, I stumble toward the living room, and when I get there, it’s as if I’ve been hit by thunder. My eyes go straight to the briefcase sitting on the coffee table and my heart stops beating.

He left the Illicit Escape prototype behind.

I walk toward it, my heart now racing, but I can’t even bring myself to touch it. Here it is, the one thing capable of buying my freedom from Simon. My way out. All I have to do is pack it up, shut the briefcase and forget that Ethan exists. So simple, and so hard.

That’s when I hear my phone ring. I go toward the sound, and find it lying on the couch, next to my purse. On the screen, there’s a single name: Simon. Sighing heavily, I pick the phone up and press it against my ear.

“Where are you?” he asks me immediately, the tone of his voice a disgusting one. He treats me as if I’m his slave.

“Home,” I lie. I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth.

“Any news? I want this over with as fast as possible, Brittney,” he continues, a veiled threat in the way his words get to me.

“I’m working on it. But it’s not as easy as you think… He doesn’t leave that thing where someone can just pick it up, you know?” I continue to lie, suddenly feeling nauseous. I feel like I’m falling down a hole, and I don’t know when I’m going to hit the ground.

“Don’t fuck with me, Brittney,” he hisses, and I can almost imagine his disgusting face contorting with rage. “You know what I can do.” I feel like I’m going to be sick. More than anyone, I know what Simon can do… I close my eyes, and remain silent, the memories of moments long gone flashing behind my eyelids. “If he finds out where you are, you are fucked, bitch. You better remember that.”

“Simon, I…”

“Don’t you fucking try to stall. I know you’re on the run, hiding like a scared little girl… And if you don’t get me the prototype, I’ll tell him where he can find you. Let’s see how tough you are when your sweet ex-boyfriend is choking the life out of you.” Oh, God. How did it get to this? The worst part is that I’m not scared for myself. No, if my ex finds out that I ran away after discovering his secret, more people will suffer.

When I was younger, I used to hang out with the wrong crowd. One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, I was head over heels with one of these assholes women say they hate, but then end up with. Except this asshole wasn’t just bad… He was evil. I knew that the first time I had to put on makeup to hide the bruises. I remember that during a visit to the ER my right eye was so swollen that I thought I’d never be able to see again.

I thought of running away more than once… I thought of fighting back. But things are never that easy, hun. You see, my lovely ex had more secrets than he cared to share. And once I got down to the bottom of it, I knew I was trapped. I couldn’t do a thing. If I tried to fight back, I’d be putting other women in danger.

That’s why one day something just snapped inside of me and I left. I came here to New York, looking to start over and forget all about my past… A new start, just like in the movies. Of course, the past has its ways of catching up to you. Call it bad luck; call it karma… Call it whatever you want. Thing is, now that Simon knows about my past, he’s using it as a threat to make me do his bidding. And I don’t know what to do. I really don’t.

Tears start to well in my eyes, and I have to take a deep breath to stop myself from sobbing. “I’ll get it done,” I whisper, one lone tear streaming down my face. “I’ll fucking do it.”

With that, I end the call and throw the phone into my purse. I place the glasses inside the briefcase, shut it, and leave the apartment.

I have no choice, it’s the only thought echoing inside my head. I have no choice.