I wake up with a groan. My head feels like someone’s decided to play the maracas on it. “Shit.” Did it have to be so bright in this room? I’m too scared to open my eyes, so I try going over what happened last night. I remember being mad at Devon and storming off, then going to dinner with Mark, eating fantastic steak, and drinking lots of champagne. I then remember going to the bar where we danced our arses off. Mark is a pretty good dancer.
Slowly, I open my eyes.
“I do hope you take these on a regular basis.”
“What the fu—” I shoot up in shock, grabbing my head, seeing my arrogant prick of a boss standing next to my bed holding my contraceptive pills. “How dare you go through my—”
“Well, do you?”
Closing my eyes, I shake my head. I’m way too hung-over for this shit. “What?”
He sighs, dropping the pills onto my bed. “Do you take these on a regular basis?”
“Why do you want to know?” I can’t help but push him. He needs to address what he did last night.
Devon cranes his neck to one side, then the other. He looks seriously stressed out, but also seriously hot in those pair of navy khaki’s and crisp white shirt.
“You know exactly why I’m asking. Don’t make me spell it out.”
Placing my finger to my temple, I gently tap it. “I don’t know. My memory is a little foggy. You’ll have to refresh it.”
Devon, clearly unimpressed, leans forward with a heated stare. “I won’t have to remind you because the memory of you shaking in my arms while you had the best orgasm of your entire life won’t ever leave your head.”
Wow.
Trying to compose myself, I ask, “Why did you do it?”
He frowns. “What?”
“Why did you throw me up against the wall and—”
“Fuck your brains out? Is that what you want me to say?” I simply nod. He sighs. “Maybe I was just in the mood. You drive me fucking crazy at times. You obviously needed a good shag. Maybe it will calm you down a little.”
Throwing the covers off, I storm off to the toilet.
“Andi, where are you going? You haven’t answered my ques—”
I slam the bathroom door and sit on the toilet. As I’m in mid-stream, the door opens. “Devon, what the fuck are you doing? I’m on the toilet here.”
Holding my pills in front of my face, he ignores me. “Are you taking these regularly? Don’t make me ask you again.”
Once I finish, I wipe myself, not caring that he’s standing there. If he doesn’t care, neither do I. Once I flush, I start pulling my knickers up, Devon watching me. I notice the little flare of his nostrils as I slide them back up my thighs slowly. His eyes are intent on my body, igniting something in me it shouldn’t. I’m supposed to be angry with him, goddammit!
Knowing he’s expecting an answer, I cross my arms over my chest. I need to in order to hide my erect nipples. Not that it’s any use because he noticed that, too. “Yes, I do take them regularly. Are you happy now?”
He visibly sighs before running a hand through his hair. “No, I’m not fucking happy. What happened last night shouldn’t have happened and will never happen again. Do you understand me?”
I nod. “Yes. I understand you. I understand you perfectly.”
He looks away as if in disgust with himself. He’s not only pissed off that we had sex last night, but also because he did it without using a condom.
“Good,” he simply states. He looks at me, his gaze landing on my shoulder. He closes his eyes, as if trying to control his temper.
Wanting to look, I walk to the mirror, moving my hair out of the way. I wince. I hadn’t realised just how much Devon sucked the life out of me last night. I was so caught up in the moment that all I could think about was how much pleasure he'd given me.
“Was this intentional?” I ask.
I watch his nostrils flare again. “What is that supposed to mean?”
I point to the bruised area on my shoulder. “This …” Turning around to face him, I place my hands against the sink. “Did you do that on purpose?”
He laughs before leaning closer. “Do you seriously think I would want to mark someone like you? I was drunk, pissed off, and hadn’t had a decent shag in ages. You were just … there. Don’t let what happened go to your head. You’re nothing special.”
I see the slight sneer in his face, which makes my eyes sting with tears. “You can tell me last night was a mistake, but you don’t have to be so cruel about it, Devon.”
He leans even farther forward and his aftershave hits my nostrils. “It’s sometimes necessary to get my point across.”
“Your point was made loud and clear a couple minutes ago when you told me it was a mistake. Trust me. Nobody knows that better than I do.”
“Good. And clean yourself up. You stink of alcohol.” He turns to walk to the bathroom door. Once there, he looks back at me. “One more thing. It’s Mr fucking Jackson to you.” He walks out, virtually slamming the door behind him.
“Fucking twat!” I shout more to myself than him. Shit, my head is pounding.
As his cruel words hit me again, the tears threaten. I turn around, clutching onto the sink, and take a look at myself in the mirror. I don’t have my contacts in, but I see enough to know how I look. My long hair is matted and puffed out, my eyes bloodshot from all the drinking, my skin pale. For a split second, I feel damn right sorry for myself, but then I remember what a cock Devon is. He would like nothing more than to make me feel as small as I do right now.
I won’t stand for it.
Taking a deep breath, I push myself off the sink, down two painkillers for my headache, and head for the shower. It’s just what I need because after a few minutes of standing under the spray, my headache is almost gone and I feel revitalised.
Once I’m out and wrapped in a towel, I check my phone. I’ve missed several messages from Ritchie, my dad, and Charlie. I ring my dad. Luckily, Charlie is also there, so I’m able to speak with them both. I tell them I’m having a wonderful time.
Lie.
I also tell them that New York is beautiful—which is the truth even though I haven’t seen much of it yet—and that the hotel I’m staying in is extremely luxurious.
Once I finish with them, I video chat with Ritchie through Facebook. He answers on the second ring.
“I was starting to worry about you, sweet-cheeks. I see you’re teasing me with your wetness again.” He waggles his eyebrows, making me laugh.
“I just got out of the shower. I have a horrendous hangover.”
He leans in closer to the screen. “Did my virginal friend get laid last night?”
I smirk at his obvious joke, but nothing about what happened last night is funny. Plumping my pillows up, I lay back on the bed with a sigh. “Last night was … complicated.”
“Uh-oh. I don’t like the sound of that. Something happened, didn’t it? Did that scumbag boss of yours get you to do a ton of things for him the moment you landed?”
I bite my lip, wondering if I should tell him. I need to tell someone, though; otherwise, I’m going to burst.
“The flight went okay, the journey to the hotel went okay, but when we checked in, everything went downhill.”
“Oh dear. What happened?”
“The hotel screwed up with the booking, but Devon blamed me. When the hotel realised their mistake, they were very apologetic and gave us one night for free. However, Devon never apologised for jumping to conclusions, so I stormed off.” I sigh. “I headed straight for the shower to cool off, but once out, I remembered I had left my phone in my bag in the living area. When I went to retrieve it, Devon grabbed me.”
Ritchie suddenly looks anxious. “Did he hurt you?”
Shaking my head, I huff. “No. Quite the opposite in fact.”
Ritchie frowns. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that Devon, and I hate to admit this, gave me the best sex I have ever had.”
Ritchie’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head. “You have got to be shitting me?” When I shake my head, he slaps his leg, laughing hysterically. “I knew Mr Condom had the hots for you!”
I let out a sarcastic laugh. “You couldn’t be further from the truth. He only did it because he, and I quote, ‘needed a good shag.’ The man is an arsehole. He’s already told me it will never happen again. He was also drunk.”
“Yes, but you know people normally let their guard down when they’re drunk. The way they really feel always comes out.”
Looking down at my dressing gown, I shake my head. “No, I don’t think it’s that.”
“Oh, come on, Andi. When are you going to finally wake up and smell the coffee? It’s obvious to me that he’s always felt something he shouldn’t for you, but he’s kept it hidden. Now that you’ve gotten angry with him, his frustration level has hit heights that have caused him to lose control. I reckon the alcohol must have helped him, but only in the sense that the truth has finally revealed itself.”
I chew on my lip. A part of me would love to think that’s the truth, but another part of me remembers all the shit he’s said to me over the past year—especially this morning. Then I go right back to thinking about what an arsehole he is again.
I take in a deep breath and manoeuvre myself to a more comfortable position. “I don’t know what it is, Ritchie, but I’m tired of trying to decipher that man. All I want to concentrate on today is doing some sightseeing.”
Ritchie gasps. “Don’t forget to take lots of pictures.”
I smirk. “I won’t.”
“Okay. I’d better let you go, but I just want to say one thing before you do.”
I tilt my head. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
With a serious expression, Ritchie says, “Be careful, Andi. Please.”
I offer him a sincere smile. I love that Ritchie cares for my well-being. “Don’t worry. I will.”
“Okay. Take care. Have a wonderful time sightseeing in New York—you bitch! I’ll speak to you later. Love you.”
I laugh. “Okay. Love you, too.” I then motion with my finger. “Here comes the fingerrrr.” Hitting the END button, I sigh with a smile. I’m so glad I found Ritchie. He not only makes a great roommate, but also a fantastic friend. I would be lost without him.
Checking the time, I see it’s almost nine. I don’t want to waste my morning stuck in this hotel room … especially if His Lordship is going to be here most of the day. I get dressed in some low-rise jeans and a red shirt, blow-dry my hair, put some make-up on, and then put my contacts in. I look at all my drab clothes from work, a sinister smile forming on my face. I know just what to do with them. With great delight, I pick up my horrible glasses and gather all the old lady clothes Devon makes me wear, throwing them in the bin. With a big smile, I grab my handbag. Looks like I have some shopping to do today.