Let's Play A Dirty Ass Game, Mr. CEO

Chapter 9: GETTING LAID

LAURA

"You look beautiful."

Hooking an earring on, I turned to smile at Harlan who watched me from the doorway of my apartment’s kitchen.

"Thank you, handsome."

He snorted, grabbing a beer from the fridge. "Save the compliments for when you agree to have dinner with me."

"Oh, Harlan," I sighed, moving towards him. "You know I want to, but—"

"Time. I know." He flashed one of those gentle smiles that made my heart flutter on some days. "I know better than anyone else, Laura. And," he leaned forward and took my chin in his hand, "I want you to know how proud of you I am."

Oh, Harlan. What did I do to deserve a man like him?

Harlan was not only gentle and caring. He was golden retriever gorgeous. I would be lying if I said the thought of inviting him into my bed and fucking him have not crossed my mind more than once.

The only thing stopping me was this beautiful friendship we’ve built over the years. It meant the world to me, and it was an unspoken fact that if we ever crossed that line, it would ruin us both in ways we were not ready for.

"What’s on your mind?" he murmured, watching me with half-lidded eyes. He wanted me too. But he was careful about showing it. He was careful about how he touched me. He regarded me like I was the most delicate thing in the world.

"Laura."

"Nothing, nothing." I waved my hand dismissively and put a good distance between us. "I’m just wondering why you let me push you around so much."

He set down the beer and backed me into the island. "Don’t say that, Laura. I love Eli like he’s my own kid. I love spending time with him. You’re not pushing me around. I want to do this."

I heaved a deep sigh. "Harlan..."

"Shh." His fingers danced lazily against my chin, brown eyes growing dark. "It’s Saturday. We agreed they’re for you. You work so hard, you know. You deserve a day just for you to unwind, do your thing, feel good."

His gaze dropped to my lips and my stomach flipped. My body tingled with heat in a way that irritated me.

It’s been five years since I got fucked. It’s definitely the hormones. I should tender an apology to Harlan for all the nights I touched myself to the image of his handsome features.

Looking into these eyes brown as honey, I was tempted to ask if we would ever bridge this gap of friendship and just fuck each other. Just for a teeny, weeny, brief moment.

Somehow, we seemed closer than we had been minutes ago. I could feel the heat radiating off his body. His warmth was comforting as well as confusing.

I need to get away from him. I can’t ruin this.

Yet, I bit my lips as his gaze darted to them again.

"Mommy! Uncle Harlan!"

Eli’s sudden voice in the doorway jolted us apart.

Harlan drove his fingers through his hair as he backed away from me.

I swallowed hard as I picked up my five-year old son.

"Hey, honey," I crooned, planting a kiss on his forehead. "How’s my favorite little man?"

Sometimes, it was hard to look into his eyes. Eli looked so much like me...but those eyes..they were not mine.

Painfully so.

Each time I stared into them, they reminded me of a past I wanted buried forever.

"I’m tired mommy. I think I slept too much."

Grinning, Harlan pried him from my arms. "Well we should play, little man. All sleep and no play makes Eli a what?"

"A dull boy!" He shrieked, laughing, as Harlan tickled him all over.

I watched them leave the kitchen, my heart full, my lips quivering.

They were both the best thing to happen to me, and I would do anything...anything, to keep them close and safe. To keep them away from my past which had come back to haunt me.

°°°

Saturdays were becoming my favorite day of the week.

I didn’t have to entertain the stress at work, or the fucking annoying media.

All I had to do was go over to Mara’s and have loads and loads of fun with the bitch. Every Saturday. It was our ritual, which was tantamount for my mental health.

The last thing I expected to find when I threw her front door open was two adults going at it like animals in the living room.

"Oh, fuckkk! Chris... Just like that..yeah.."

I froze by the door, mortified and instantly turned on by the sight of Mara butt naked, getting fucked by a man with ripped arms and a body that’s been sculpted by a dedication only the gym knew.

"Christ, Mara," I muttered under my breath. Just when I was trying to get my feral hormones under control.

They were so deep in the act that they did not notice me there until I stormed past.

"Ohmygod! Laura!" Her face was red as she glanced up at me. Knowing Mara, that reaction was more euphoria than embarrassment.

"Get on with it." I waved my hand behind me. "Pretend I’m not here."

I got into her bedroom and slammed the door shut. Then I threw myself on the bed and groaned into the sheets.

Fuck. I need to get laid. My nipples were hard, and I should be disgusted. But I slipped my fingers into my blouse and massaged them.

How could I find the time to get laid between magazine appointments and fashion showcases?

My mind wandered to the previous day and settled on Tristan Pierce against my wish.

Tristan. I didn’t think seeing him again would feel...the way it did.

Don’t think about him, I reminded myself. He was my past, and even though he’d resurfaced, I knew I should keep him at arm’s length.

Mixed feelings had enveloped me the moment I denied knowing him. Triumph. Regret. Guilt. I had waited for the relief of denying him, but it never came.

The door flew open minutes later and Mara stood there, grinning. "My bitch. What’s good?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "I would’ve appreciated some kind of heads-up, you know?"

She plonked down on the bed next to me and brushed my hair away from my face. "Did you like what you saw?"

"Fuck you, Mara."

She chuckled. "What? Are you shy? It’s just sex, Laura."

"I don’t like seeing others do it. Especially not my best friend and some crackhead she picked up for the weekend!"

"Oh, come on. It’s because you haven’t fucked in like, forever. Your body is reacting, you know."

I jumped away from her and started towards the door, because I knew what was coming.

"I hope he’s gone. The last thing I wanna see is the massive dick that rammed into my best friend’s pussy."

"Yes, prude. But you need to get laid, Laura. Being a model does not mean—"

I slammed the door on her words because I’d heard them so much that they itched.

As I waded towards her kitchen to grab our favorite white wine, my phone pinged in my back pocket.

I reached for it and the moment I took a peek at the screen, my heart flipped into my stomach in a way it hadn’t in five years.