Chapter 60 The affair
Chapter 60 The affair
After dinner, Esther insisted on driving Oliver home. The night air was cool, carrying the faint scent of late summer rain, and the city lights blurred softly past the car windows.
“Esther…” Oliver hesitated from the passenger seat, her fingers resting lightly on her lap.
“What’s up?” Esther glanced at her with a warm smile, one hand steady on the steering wheel.
Oliver paused, then smiled back. “Take care on your way home.”
Esther laughed softly. “Always worrying about me now? Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” She pulled over smoothly in front of the Peterson residence. “Text me when you get inside.”
“I will.”
Esther waved, drove off, and Oliver stood there for a moment, watching until the red taillights disappeared into the distance. Only then did she turn and walk back into the house, her thoughts lingering on the strange twists of the day. Life seemed to be quietly shifting, piece by piece, even if she couldn’t yet see the full picture.
⸻
After Oliver and Esther parted ways, Zachary drove in the opposite direction, his expression unreadable as he steered toward a luxury hotel downtown. He parked in the underground garage and took the private elevator straight to a high-floor suite, clearly familiar with the place.
Not long after he entered, the door opened again. A woman in a wide-brimmed hat slipped inside, keeping her head low, her movements cautious and practiced. She locked the door behind her.
Cathy barely had time to toss her hat aside before Zachary pulled her into his arms, his mouth crashing against hers in a hungry kiss that left no room for words. His hands roamed urgently over her body, fingers digging into the soft fabric of her light purple dress as he backed her toward the bed. She gasped against his lips, her own hands fumbling with his shirt buttons, pulling it open to expose the warm skin beneath. The air between them crackled with pent-up desire, the kind that had been building for hours, maybe days.
He lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around his waist as he lowered her onto the mattress. The dress hiked up her thighs, and he didn’t waste time—his fingers traced the edge of her lace panties, teasing before slipping them aside. Cathy arched her back, a low moan escaping her as he entered her slowly at first, savoring the tightness, the heat. Their rhythm built quickly, his thrusts deep and deliberate, her nails raking down his back, leaving faint red trails. The bed creaked under them, mingling with her breathy whimpers and his rough grunts, the hum of the air conditioner doing little to mask the raw intimacy. Sweat slicked their skin, bodies moving in sync, chasing that edge until she shattered around him, her cry muffled against his shoulder. He followed soon after, collapsing beside her, both of them panting in the dim light.
Outside the hotel, a man crouched behind a parked car, scrolling through the camera in his hands. The images on the screen made his lips curl into a satisfied grin. He quickly saved the files, zipped his jacket, and melted back into the shadows, already thinking about the price these photos might fetch.
⸻
When the room finally quieted down, the lights dimmed, Zachary leaned back against the headboard. He reached out and brushed his fingers through Cathy’s damp hair, then pressed a light kiss to her forehead, his expression relaxed, almost tender.
Cathy smiled, her eyes half-lidded, tracing lazy circles on his chest. Her voice was soft, almost playful. “Zachary… do you think Esther is prettier than me?”
Zachary chuckled lightly and tapped her nose. “How could she compare to you?”
Satisfied, Cathy nestled closer, a faint but dangerous glint flickering in her eyes. “Then why don’t you dump her and be with me?” she pouted, her tone sweet but calculating. In her mind, she pictured Esther’s shocked expression, the imagined humiliation bringing her a twisted sense of pleasure.
Zachary’s smile stiffened for a fraction of a second. His gaze drifted toward the ceiling as he weighed his words carefully. The Landon family contract was still binding him tightly, and Esther was more than just a girlfriend—she was his shield, his stepping stone, his source of resources and opportunities. Cutting ties now would be reckless.
He sighed and feigned reluctance. “Cathy, you know I still have three years left on my contract with the Landon family. I can’t afford to break it right now. Can you wait a little longer?”
Cathy frowned slightly, the question already answered in her mind. Ten million dollars. That was the penalty. A price she wasn’t willing to pay, no matter how much she wanted to win.
She forced a smile and said nothing more, rolling onto her side as if unbothered.
Zachary, however, felt a flicker of amusement. As expected. She wanted the reward, but not the risk.
Still, Cathy was useful—too useful to discard just yet.
He tightened his arm around her waist and lowered his voice. “Besides… doesn’t this make things more exciting?”
Cathy giggled softly, her earlier frustration melting into something darker and more indulgent. “You’re so bad.”
“I can be worse,” he replied with a lazy grin, shifting his weight and pulling her closer again.
His hand slid down her body, fingers dipping between her thighs, finding her still sensitive and wet from before. She bit her lip, hips bucking instinctively as he teased her clit in slow circles, building the heat all over again. Zachary watched her face, the way her eyes fluttered shut, her breaths coming quicker. He leaned in, capturing her mouth in a deep kiss while his free hand pinned her wrist above her head, asserting control. She writhed under him, whispering his name like a plea, until he positioned himself between her legs once more. This time, it was rougher—his thrusts harder, more demanding, her legs hooked over his shoulders as he drove into her with a rhythm that left her gasping, nails digging into his arms. The room echoed with the slap of skin on skin, her moans growing louder, unrestrained, until they both tumbled over the edge again, bodies trembling in the aftermath.
The room once more filled with quiet, heated sounds, the outside world completely shut away.
At the foot of the bed, a light purple dress lay torn and forgotten, its delicate fabric scattered across the carpet like petals after a storm.