Chapter 41 Chapter Fourty One
CANDY’S POV
I slept through most of our flight to New York, turns out that’s where we were headed and I’m actually quite excited for it. I vaguely remember waking up on Adrian’s shoulder, his hand tucking me close and securely against him while he tried to work on his phone and I remember the SUV that came to get us from the airport with it’s luxury interior, and prim and proper, unsmiling driver.
I remember falling in love with the city as he navigated us to our hotel, the colours and life of it a big contrast to where I’m coming from and I definitely remember Adrian acting all normal like he didn’t just threaten to kiss me back on the plane.
Now, I’m here in my room unpacking my luggage while wondering if he’d have really done it if I’d called bullshit on his threat and apologized again.
Why the fuck do I wish I did?
Adrian makes me curious in ways I’m not sure I like it. It was easier to hate him when he was an impossible son of a bitch than whatever this is we’re doing now.
Ughhhhh!
Sighing, I shut my head off before I drive myself insane, opting for a bath instead.
My life have surely taken a turn called interesting these past few months. First it was getting thrown out of a job I gave everything to and then it was Brent and Lindsay and then Nikandr and his double life that should be a whole chapter of it’s own in the story of my life and now there’s Adrian Cunsulo who I no longer hate and have thought about kissing at least twice in the last twelve hours.
I take my time in the bathroom, the stinging hot water washing away both my emotional and physical stress and shutting out the rest of the world while it lasted. I stayed under it for as long as I could afford, enjoying the bite and the calm.
Eventually though, I had to give it up and return to my room but it did help me fall back asleep almost immediately my body hit the super comfy king sized bed in my luxury suite. Whoever we’re here for must be a pretty loaded client who doesn’t believe in sparing any expenses.
His hotel of choice for one must have cost a small fortune and my room, you can tell it’s one of the crazy expensive ones here considering the fact that it’s one of the only three rooms in the penthouse.
I have no idea how long I was asleep for but when I woke, shaking and terrified from a nightmare about my dad getting brutally murdered, it was well past midnight. I could feel my heart slamming hard against my rib cage, my body covered in sweat even though the air conditioning in my room is functioning perfectly and every time I close my eyes, I have this gruesome image of his battered and bloodied body laying lifeless on the ground while I cried over him.
I’m not sure where that came from but God, it has me deathly terrified.
The thought of going back to sleep, to that, churns my guts, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Cussing out loud, I yank the sheets from my body, irritated, dragging myself over to the stocked fridge in the room.
I find an assortment of alcohol inside it like I’d hoped I would and without allowing myself to think about it, I pour myself a glass of the strongest looking amber liquid I could find.
I’m not popular for my affinity for the burning taste of alcohol or my ability to hold my liquor, if anything, I just want to numb myself out so I can stop feeling like shit. I came here to get away from my baggage for the next two days, I don’t want to spend it feeling like this, terrified and shitty.
The alcohol doesn’t work the magical wonders I expected it to though, if anything it has me feeling buzzed and a little worse. Right now, it feels like the walls of my spacious room are closing in on me and will crush me if I don’t get out.
Giving up torturing myself, I pick up my phone and robe and head out of the room. The bellboy that had helped with my luggage did mention a private terrace up here somewhere outfitted with a nice Jacuzzi. Maybe a soak is what I need to fix myself.
I slip out of my room, following what I remember of his directions to it, my steps slightly unsteady.
It reminds me so much of the first night I met Nikandr because I was drunk as hell then too right before I threw up all the booze I'd had and my store bought ramen on him.
He was mountain man, little did I know then he’ll turn around to become one of my greatest problems of my life. Fuck him, really.
I don’t give a fuck about him anymore......
Lucky for me, the terrace is not too hard to locate so I slip into the dimly lit, well ventilated space,, my face stretched into a smile at the sight of the nice Jacuzzi beckoning me to climb in, Nikandr forced back into the abyss of my mind where he belongs.
“Can’t sleep?”
The deep voice behind me has me jolting half out of my skin, my leg twisting wrong and unbalancing me. A yelp escapes my lips as I imagine the pain from my hard impact on the floor that for some reason doesn’t come.
The realization takes my muddled brain a moment to grasp, that and the fact that the owner of that voice has me in his arms now, his familiar eyes looking amusedly into my face.
“Adrian...”
I don’t know why I’m whispering his name, but I’m glad it’s him and not some psycho waiting in the dark to kill me.
“I couldn’t sleep either.” He says casually, searching my eyes and then looking away before I can decipher the look in his. His arms slowly release me after he’s sure I’ve found some balance but my fingers cling to him for dear life.
My throat feel dry and I can feel my pulse hammering all thanks to the liquid courage coursing inside me.
Holding on with one hand, I let the other drop to the rope holding my robe together. The only thing standing between me and crossing the last standing part of our professional line is a pull on this rope and I’m tempted to do it.
His hand closing over mine takes the choice away from me and for a second there, I imagine he’s going to stop me but he doesn’t.
If anything, he gently takes the rope from me and pulls it, watching it come undone.
All inhibitions elude me as I stand staring with my wide eyes fixed on him, feeding on the palpable tension taking over every breathing space between us.
Biting my lower lip lightly, I push the robe off my shoulders, slowly shrugging out of it until it’s pooled around my feet and I’m standing in front of my boss in nothing but my panties, enjoying his eyes feeding roughly and hungrily on every inch of my skin.