CHAPTER 58 - Cock Blockers
What am I doing? I ask myself, but I can’t bring myself to push him away as he continues kissing me, his mouth moving against mine as though he`s unwrapping a candy.
“Fuck, Ivory!” He groans into my mouth, turning me on more than I already am. I want more. As if reading my mind, he begins to unzip my dress, but a knock on the door snaps us back to reality, and we jerk away from each other.
It takes a moment for me to catch my breath before I call out in frustration, “Who is it?”
“Are you busy?” Baron’s voice drifts through the door.
“I’m coming.” I turn to walk toward the door, but Luca grabs my waist, pulling me back to him.
He leans in close and whispers, “Let’s go on a dinner date tomorrow.”
A blush spreads across my cheeks, and I murmur, “Okay.”
Only then does he release me, and I walk over to open the door. Baron and Victor are standing in the hallway, both with unreadable expressions.
“What’s up?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
Baron glances over my shoulder, and a flicker of something crosses his face when he sees Luca. “He’s still here.”
Ignoring his comment about Luca, I ask, “Did you need anything?”
“We just wanted to remind you to lock your door securely and not leave your room without informing us. What happened today could’ve gone differently. If someone unknown knocks, don’t answer. Call us immediately.”
“Okay, big bad bodyguards,” I mutter, suppressing an eye roll. Fucking cock blockers. “Is that all?”
“Yes.” He nods.
“Goodnight, then. Thank you.” I don’t wait for them to respond before shutting the door.
I turn back to Luca, who watches me with the same intense need in his eyes. As he reaches for my waist again, I instinctively step back.
Confusion flickers across his face, but before he can say anything, I speak up. “It’s late. You should get some sleep.”
Thanks to my bodyguards’ interruption, my mind has cleared, and I realize how foolish I was to let things go this far. What was I thinking? Luca is my lawyer, and our relationship should stay professional. But does a lawyer follow his client on trips like this?
He doesn’t argue. “Alright. Goodnight.”
I catch the flash of hurt in his eyes as he walks past me and out of the room, and once I’m alone, I collapse onto my bed, groaning into my hands. “Stupid, Ivory!”
Honestly, I’m more confused than ever.
***
The blare of my alarm wakes me, and as I open my eyes, memories of last night flood my mind. It is that same thought that coursed through my mind last night before I fell asleep. To say I feel mortified is such an understatement.
How am I supposed to face him this morning? We crossed a line, and now there’s bound to be an awkwardness that wasn’t there before.
Groaning in frustration, I toss the blanket aside and force myself out of bed. After a quick shower, I slip into a black suit set with a white blouse underneath. Glancing at my reflection, I make sure I look professional and put together, hoping it’ll mask the mess of emotions I’m feeling inside.
Stepping out into the hall, I find my bodyguards already waiting for me, but Luca is nowhere in sight. I glance at his door, hoping he’ll step out any moment, but Victor reads my expression and quickly fills me in.
“He said he won’t be coming with us,” Victor says, answering my unspoken question.
A pang of hurt flashes through me, but I cover it with a polite smile. “Alright, then. Let’s go.”
We head to the office of Mr. Moreau, a shareholder I’m meeting, and it is thirty minutes away from the hotel.
He has his own company, which is almost as big as Hastings Tech. It takes me a while to convince my bodyguards to wait for me at the lobby while I go up to meet with him. The company is not a public establishment like the restaurant, so they couldn’t just lurk around and keep me within eye reach while I speak with the shareholder in his office. I don’t want a situation whereby I would make him feel intimated with my bodyguards.
Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door.
“Come in,” he calls, and I push the door open, stepping inside.
A broad smile spreads across his face as he gestures for me to sit in the chair across from him. “Welcome, Ivory. It’s good to see you.”
“Thank you, sir.” I shake his hand and take a seat.
Much like with Mr. Garnier in the previous meeting, I don’t have to stress to convince Mr. Moreau. He assures me that he’d support my father’s legacy no matter what and would have voted in my favor even if I hadn’t come all this way. I thank him for his kindness, and as I prepare to leave, he insists on walking me downstairs.
“Thank you very much, sir,” I say, extending my hand again. But to my surprise, he pulls me into a hug instead.
Although caught off guard, I keep a smile on my face as he steps back.
“Your father was a good friend. I wish you all the best, Ivory,” he says, patting my shoulder. “Take care of yourself.”
Blinking back tears, I nod. Though I didn’t know him well before today, it’s clear he and my father were quite close.
“If you ever need anything—anything at all—don’t hesitate to call,” he adds warmly.
I nod again, thanking him. “Thank you.”
A mix of random sad feelings keeps washing through me on our way back to the hotel—my father, Bryant, ignoring me, and Luca also. It feels so overwhelming, and I am barely holding it together. Sensing my mood, my bodyguards keep asking if I am okay, but I keep telling them that I was, which is an obvious lie. At some point, they deduce that I just don’t want to tell them, and they stop asking.
As I approach my room, the door to Luca`s room swings open, and I keep my eyes fixed on it, anticipating his appearance. But instead, a woman in a pink tube dress that barely reaches mid-thigh stumbles out of his room. My heart drops.
Luca appears in the doorway, smiling as he looks at her, but the moment he sees me, the color drains from his face.
“Goodbye, darling,” she coos, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Bye,” he responds, smiling at her before turning his gaze back to me.
A weird uninvited feeling settles in my chest, one I shouldn’t be feeling towards Luca. Jealousy. Anger begins to pile up within me, mixing with that jealousy, creating a wild storm.
The tears I had been trying so hard to keep abay spring out freely, and I quickly open my door, storming inside. Luca holds the door before I can close it.
“Ivory, are you alright?” he dares ask.
“Go fuck yourself!” I scream, slamming the door in his face.