"I can go ahead and leave right now, Lex, if that's what you want. I won't lose sleep over it, but I'm guessing because you ran all the way down here to see me that you will." He takes a step closer to me, but I don't budge.

"I wanted a chance to tell you this." Another step closer. The smell of him overwhelms me, and I can feel the heat of his body, playing off the anger in mine. G.o.d. "If I want to dominate, but I also want to be dominated, what does that mean?"

"That you're bipolar?" I ask, but I'm actually joking. Inappropriate moment maybe, but I'm starting to feel uncomfortable. His pulse is picking up; mine's rising to match. His eyes keep finding my lips; mine refuse to look anywhere else.

"Maybe that means ... I just want someone equal to me?" I swallow hard and feel my lashes flutter. Is it weird that I find that statement ... hot? "I want someone that isn't afraid of me, someone that I respect." Holy c.r.a.pola. This is getting way too close to a Hallmark moment for me. I'm not sure exactly what Lex is trying to say, so I decide to clarify.

"This means ... what exactly?"

"It means," he whispers, leaning down and putting his lips precariously close to my ear. "That I want you to f.u.c.k me like you hate me." Lex touches a hand to my waist, but instead of grabbing at me, he rests his fingers there, like he's asking a question. This, I can handle. This, I can deal with.

"That's the conclusion you came to in your office, after I asked you to self-reflect. That you want to have s.e.x with me?"

I don't move, don't touch Lex, don't wrap my fingers in his hair and throw him into the backseat of my car. Not yet anyway.

"And then I'd like to take you out on a date." His other hand, the one with the condom package appears in my vision, his thumb rubbing over the silver square like he's caressing it. My phone rings again, and I back away, sitting down on the seat and grabbing my purse with twitchy fingers. Lex sighs and takes a step back, staring down at me with a baffled expression on his face.

"Hard to imagine that anyone would say no to that, huh?" I ask him as I take a look at my phone again. Another unknown local number. This has to be Lara Caliper. Or maybe I'm just imagining that it is, so I have something to focus on other than Lex and his erection which, by the way, is staring me straight in the face.

I shove the purse and the phone aside, grab the high heel that's stabbing me in the a.s.s and toss it to the floor before I look back up at Lex.

"The date thing is questionable, but the fact that I hate you isn't really up for debate."

He stares down at me, running his tongue over his lower lip.

"And the s.e.x?" he asks, his voice smooth and sumptuous. And mean. Still mean. Like I said, I don't think a kind word has ever filtered between those full ripe lips of his. "Is that up for debate, too?" I glance around the parking garage. It's late enough that n.o.body should be showing up to start work, but early enough that n.o.body should be thinking about lunch either.

I've never done it in a parking garage. I read a book once where they did, on the hood of a car. But those people were rock stars. I'm a ... yuppie. I look up at Lex. He, on the other hand, is a billionaire boss. That counts as erotic, right? I could do something erotic with that.

"Olivia? An answer would be nice."

I scowl at him, forcing myself to my feet. It's hard to feel intimidating in a pair of vegan slippers, but I've been trained by the best, so I make it work.

"Don't come down here and say weird things and expect for me to just forget that you suck and that you're an a.s.shole." Lex leans in close and bites my lower lip. Seriously just nips it, right then and there. I stare at him in openmouthed shock.

"Those are exactly the things I'm asking you not to forget. The s.e.x is better that way."

"There's not going to be any s.e.x if you don't shut your f.u.c.king mouth."

Lex grins and unzips his slacks, like he's already fairly certain he's going to get away with this. The gesture bothers me, so I shove him, right in the pecs. I can feel the fine points of his nipples beneath the fabric. They feel ... nice. Really nice. I shove him again. Lex reaches up and grabs my wrists in tight fingers, the condom package pressing against my skin like a promise. Or a warning.

We stare at each other for a good thirty seconds. Eyes locked on, pupils dilating. I can taste the heat on the back of my tongue, feel the frustration brewing in my chest.

"You can't offer me a hundred million bucks to screw you, and then go asking me out when I tell you I'd do it for free. Your motives become questionable."

"My motives are always questionable, but you like that, don't you, Olivia?"

"It's Oli."

"It's whatever you want it to be," he says a split second before our mouths crash together, and I wrench my wrists from his grip, clawing at his hair, yanking on it and turning us in a slow circle, so that he's the one with his back facing the car. Our tongues dance together, thrusting against one another like swords, before he finally f.u.c.king finally gives in. For a man who claims he likes to be dominated, Mr. Lyndon doesn't give it up easily.

I lean into him, trying to make up for the height difference between us. I hope he gets a crick in his neck, I think meanly as I pull away and nibble his lower lip, feeling the slight swelling I left with that crack across his face earlier. Thinking about that moment doesn't turn me off though. I have no idea what the h.e.l.l is wrong with me, but the more I think about his harsh words, his heated glares, the way he stuck a business card between my b.u.t.t cheeks, the more turned on I get.

I snarl against his mouth and he groans back at me, like two animals partic.i.p.ating in some sort of weird mating ritual. Unlike an animal though, I do remember the practical side of things, stealing the condom from Lex's fingers and tearing the package open. His slacks are already unb.u.t.toned, leaving me with the simple task of shoving his briefs down, yanking them over his rigid c.o.c.k. I push them down all the way, freeing his b.a.l.l.s and taking hold of them with a rough grip that makes Lex gasp against my mouth.

"Careful there, Miss Ashcraft."

"Shut your f.u.c.king mouth, Lex," I tell him, watching in fascination as his pulse jumps and thrums in response. I find my lips drawn to it, my teeth grazing across the stiffness in his jaw and the muscles of his neck. "Does that p.i.s.s you off?" I whisper, ma.s.saging his b.a.l.l.s with rough fingers. I don't know a d.a.m.n thing about BDSM none of the official stuff anyway but I caught enough words in that stupid contract of his to get an idea about what it is that he wants. Not that I give a s.h.i.t, of course. This isn't about Lex; this is about me. But if he was willing to pay me to slap him around, then that means I basically have the freedom to go with my gut. My natural instincts command that I smack some respect into this a.s.shole.

"Put the condom on," I command him, enjoying the look of frustration on his face. Lex s.n.a.t.c.hes it from my hand, grunting as I release my death grip on his b.a.l.l.s and step back, watching him slip the latex over his d.i.c.k.

Oh c.r.a.p.

"This is really happening, isn't it?" I whisper, feeling suddenly like I might be making a mistake. What the f.u.c.k am I doing? Lex is not the man for me. He's not the man for anybody. He's rude and annoying and mean and selfish. I keep letting him into my life, one way or another, by coincidence or design I don't know, and he continuously f.u.c.ks with my head. I don't like misogynistic alpha male a.s.shole pigs. I make myself repeat this mantra three times in a row.

Lex just looks annoyed.

"I'm standing in a parking garage with my pants around my ankles and a condom on my c.o.c.k. I would hope so." All of this is said through gritted teeth while he watches me stand there and bite my lower lip.

If I have s.e.x with him now, what am I promising later? Am I really going to date this guy? Or even just go on a date with him? He's such a ... brat. If I sleep with him, am I giving in? I mean, he's nice to look at, but I'm not drunk on wine right now, not ... on an elevator. Maybe right now, I'm just delusional?

"Olivia," he snaps at me, drawing me out of my frantic whirl of thoughts. I glare back at him. It's hard to take him seriously with his d.i.c.k sticking up like a flag and his b.a.l.l.s illuminated by the fluorescent lighting above our heads. I ignore the warning growl in his voice and turn away, trying to get my head together.

This can't happen here. It just can't. I don't know what I was thinking. Okay, that's not entirely true. I was thinking with the lady b.o.n.e.r downstairs and not with my brain, that's what happened. If I sleep with Lex now, I'll never be able to look at that smirk of his again without wanting to kill him. If I think his smug, male arrogance is bad now, it can only get worse.

A warm hand pushes up my shirt in the back, sliding against my flesh and slamming me over the trunk of somebody else's this-car-is-so-expensive-that-I-have-to-keep-working-for-the-Lyndon's sedan. My skirt slides up with another scalding press of flesh on flesh, fingers shoving the hem over my a.s.s and then dipping to pull aside my panties. Before I can even take in a single breath, Lex is thrusting into me, filling me up with a gasp and a grunt, curling my nails against the silver paint of the car we're committing some sort of misdemeanor on.

My eyes go wide and my lips part, but I can't think of a single thing to say as Lex begins to move inside of me, slamming his hips into my a.s.s, turning my knees to jelly, dragging a moan from my lips that feels like a betrayal. Oh my G.o.d, oh my G.o.d, oh my f.u.c.king f.u.c.k, that feels good. Too good. Scandalously good.

Lex is so much taller than me that when he pushes forward, sliding himself b.a.l.l.s deep against my a.s.s, my feet come up off the ground. My pelvis. .h.i.ts the car as he grunts, holding me up with a hand clamped around my hip. My vision blurs and dims and my lashes flutter. Rutting on the trunk of a car with Lex Lyndon ... I feel like I should fight, but I can't. Not yet anyway. The o.r.g.a.s.m sneaks up on me as he pummels me into the vehicle, knocking the air from my lungs and the common sense from my brain. I tell myself this isn't any different than picking up a guy during a night out and taking him home. Right? Just because he's an a.s.shole doesn't mean I can't enjoy the thick heaviness of his c.o.c.k moving inside of me, the spiral of pressure that gathers in my spine, the small scream that escapes from my throat as the o.r.g.a.s.m finally takes over. My muscles clamp down around Lex as I struggle to keep my voice down, keep a blood curdling screech from echoing between the concrete walls around us. My body clenches and squeezes around Lex, and I can feel the stiffness of his muscles (among other things) as he tries to hold himself back from the edge. That b.i.t.c.h. My only hope is he doesn't realize what just happened. I grit my teeth and force myself to brace my hands against the side of the car. After all this fighting, and this back and forth, and this bulls.h.i.t, he gets the first real move in on me? That bothers me. And infuriates me.

"Lex, stop!" I snarl and he stumbles back like I've shoved him. I hit the ground in my stupid slippers, my skirt still stuck up around my hips and spin to face him, breath coming in gasps so sharp they almost hurt.

When I see him standing there, absolutely f.u.c.king irate at having been stopped mid-f.u.c.k, his d.i.c.k wet with me, his fingers curled into fists at his sides, I lose it. I move toward him and shove him back, forcing him into the backseat of my car. He conks his head on the way in, but that's his fault for being so f.u.c.king tall.

"Sit your a.s.s down, Lex," I snarl as he scoots back and grabs me by the upper arms, dragging me on top of him with a growl of his own. I straddle my boss, well aware that we're still in the parking garage outside our place of work, and push my panties aside. This time, when his d.i.c.k pushes into my folds, I'm the one that's in charge. As it should be. I unb.u.t.ton my blouse and open the fabric up, so he can see the black bra I'm wearing underneath. When he slides his fingers up my back to undo the clasp, I decide to let him. If I'm going to do this, I might as well go all the way. He's already had his c.o.c.k inside my p.u.s.s.y, so I might as well not skimp out on the good stuff. I do admit that I appreciate the way his head is crammed uncomfortably against the window of the other door, legs dangling out onto the pavement of the parking garage. I'd smirk in triumph, but I'm too busy moaning, licking beads of sweat off my lip as my eyes roll up to the ceiling in ecstasy.

I rock my hips against Lex, as fast and furious as I can manage in the confined s.p.a.ce of the car. My hand comes up and smashes against the window behind his head, sweaty fingers sliding against the gla.s.s as I take hold of his hair with my other hand, like a pair of reigns. I've found the perfect spot, grinding my c.l.i.t against Lex's pelvis, feeling the slight sc.r.a.pe of his pubic hair against my body as I move with as much force as is humanly possible in the narrow s.p.a.ce. When Lexus designed the backseats for this baby, I'm pretty sure they didn't have this in mind. No biggie though I'm from San Fran; I'm used to operating in narrow s.p.a.ces.

Lex looks up at me and opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off by crushing my mouth against his. Whatever he has to say, I'm pretty d.a.m.n sure I don't want to hear it. I bite his lower lip, pull the soft flesh into my mouth and graze it with my teeth. The bra comes undone and hangs loosely from its straps, trapped by the sleeves of my shirt. Lex takes advantage of that to slide his hands around my waist and reach his fingers up towards my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The second his fingertips brush my nipples, I'm gasping and sitting up, letting my head fall back ... to smack against the roof of the car.

"d.a.m.n it!"

Lex laughs at me, the sound a warm rumble beneath my hands. I hate how good it feels, how the vibrations travel through his body and into mine. I glare down at him and lift a hand to rub at my head. The rhythm of our bodies slows and there's this sudden break of silence where we both hold our breath, and the heat between us becomes unbearable. Holy Christ on a cracker. I look into Lex's eyes, eyes that for just a split second there don't seem so gloomy or gray, but more like a gentle blue a San Francisco sky when there's a break in the fog and the sun's shining just right.

Eh.

I'm starting to get poetic. With my boss locked between my thighs. This is not good.

"What's so d.a.m.n funny," I whisper, switching to anger when I'm not sure what other emotion should suffice. A week and a half of dancing around our violent s.e.xual tension and now ... now my boss' d.i.c.k is inside of me. My stomach muscles tighten with nervousness and Lex grunts, placing his hands on my hips. His lips twitch up in a smile and that same a.n.a.logy of breaking clouds comes to mind again another stray shaft of sunlight in the fog. "What?" I shift a little and then have to bite my lip to keep a groan back. The thick length of him inside of me is almost enough to shoot me over the edge by itself. When I rock my hips, my c.l.i.t grinds against his pelvis. If I come again before he does, I'll never be able to forgive myself. "What's so f.u.c.king funny?" I grind out, swallowing hard, feeling a drop of sweat slide down my bare belly.

"You," he whispers, hands tightening against my flesh, fingertips digging into me. "This ... situation. I don't think I've ever been more uncomfortable in my life." I wrinkle my nose at him, fully prepared to slide right off and kick his a.s.s out of my car, but he stops me with a hand on the side of my face and a twinkle in his gray eyes. "But I don't think the s.e.x has ever been so good."

"You're so full of s.h.i.t," I tell him, but his subsequent smirk says he may actually be telling the truth. With all of this weirdness roiling around in the backseat of my car, the last thing I need are heartfelt confessions from Lex Lyndon. "Just shut your mouth and f.u.c.k me."

Oops. Wrong thing to say apparently. Lex takes my command very seriously either because he just really wants to follow it or he's being absolute in his promise to obey my every word and rolls us towards the back of the seats. It's a messy fumble, nothing at all like it might be in the movies, but we manage to find a position, my body pressed into the leather, the heavy weight of him pressing me down.

I find I'm suddenly out of breath, my chest tightening as he begins to move, his white b.u.t.ton-down shirt hanging loosely, his bare hips pressed tight against my pelvis. My lashes flutter as I reach up and pull the b.u.t.tons apart, glad that he left his tie and suit jacket in the office. As soon as the curtain of his shirt parts, I'm left with a vision of tight abdominal muscles sliding beneath his skin with each thrust. Working to f.u.c.k me. That's what they're doing.

My lashes flutter and my hands slide around Alexander Lyndon's neck. Alexander. f.u.c.king. Lyndon. This man who I absolutely despise is freaking b.a.l.l.s deep inside of me right now. That's a scary thought. A really, really scary thought. I wanted to get laid, but what price am I going to have to pay for this? I cut off that line of thinking real fast. I've already jumped in the deep end, so I might as well enjoy the water while it's warm. Or in this case, scalding hot.

I hear the car creaking slightly beneath us, a mild grating of metal that I hope n.o.body notices. If any of my colleagues walk by and see my slipper covered feet sticking out the back door of my Lexus, that pride and dignity I was so desperate to hold onto will take a serious beating. At least they won't see my bare a.s.s pumping up and down. Lex would take the bigger hit.

I smirk and raise my chin up, letting him drop his mouth to my neck, graze his teeth along my pulse. His breath is hot, warming my skin, drawing more satisfied moans from my throat as we finally give in to the tension that started brewing the moment he walked in the lunch room.

"I hate you so f.u.c.king much," I tell him, and I mean it. I don't like the guy. Not one bit. But he has broad shoulders and moist lips and the strong, spicy scent of his body is enough to drive any woman crazy and probably a h.e.l.l of a lot of men, too. Lex doesn't respond, chuckling against my neck, vibrating my body with his emotions. The satisfied male sound emanating his throat mixes with the feminine power of mine as he comes, buried inside of me. His thrusts slow, pelvis grinding almost painfully against my c.l.i.t as I bite my lower lip to keep another flurry of sounds back. I am this close to another o.r.g.a.s.m, and he wants to stop?

"Finish your job, Lex," I tell him as he sits up and smirks down at me somehow still managing to come across as c.o.c.ky and arrogant despite the early finish. Well ... okay, time runs differently down in the parking garage, I'll admit. We might've been down here for a half an hour or more for all I know. Lunchtime is fast approaching. "Like now." I think I growl this last part out as Lex slides away from me, leaving this cold draft where the scalding heat of his body was pressed. I hate how much I miss the touch of flesh on flesh.

He stands up with a groan, turning away from me to, I presume, clean up a bit. I have no idea what he does with the used condom maybe I don't want to know but after a moment, he bends down and pulls his slacks back into place. It bothers me that I'm the only one exposed now, so I close my knees and put a hand between my legs to cover up.

Lex turns back to me, unb.u.t.toning his cuffs and rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. When he climbs back into the car, he grabs onto my knees and tries to pry them apart. I narrow my eyes. Now that we're ... not connected physically anymore, I feel the weirdness start to creep in. You know what I'm talking about, right? The I know you sort of but not really and we just engaged in something better left to lovers under starlit skies or teenagers tangled up in the backs of Jeeps and now here we are, staring at one another, not really sure what the f.u.c.k it is we should say or do. That's the feeling, only ours is a little weirder, a little more you're my f.u.c.king boss and you're an a.s.shole and I cannot even believe I just let you have s.e.x with me.

It gets so weird, so fast at least for me that I decide to blurt something out.

"It really does need a new boiler system," I say, garnering a strange look from Lex.

"What does?" he asks, perplexed expression twisting his features into a look that's slightly less statuesque, slightly more human. He tries to pull my knees apart again, but I keep them locked, crossing my arms over my bare b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

"The Eureka Inn." It's the subject that brought him huffing and puffing into the lunch room and the first thing that comes to mind. This whole situation is starting to feel like it's out of control, that this entire thing with Lex and me is just a series of strange events that won't stop happening, funny coincidences that keep bringing us together. Only, coincidence isn't what dragged his pompous a.s.s down to the parking garage. He came here specifically to see me. Me.

Lex raises an eyebrow, leaning in, using his body to try and convince me to open up for him.

"Still obsessing about that, are we?" he asks, his voice like chocolate liquor, sweet on the first taste, intoxicating on the swallow. "While you were out last week, I took the liberty of dealing with that project myself." Lex runs his tongue over his lower lip. "You'll be happy to know, you were right." The words as much as the force of his body convince me to open up, to let him lean in and touch his fingers to the swollen wetness between my legs. He pushes inside of me, sliding into the spot his c.o.c.k filled just moments before, hooking his fingers and proving to me that he's not a complete and utter waste of breath Lex Lyndon knows where to find the G-spot.

A gasp escapes from my throat as I reach up and grab him by the sides of the face, curling my fingers against his freshly shaven skin, bringing his mouth to mine. I'm in control. I am always in control. And that's what Lex wanted, isn't it? This is what he f.u.c.king wanted. And I could've been paid a hundred million bucks to give it to him. s.h.i.t on a stick.

I bite Lex's lip and suck it into my mouth, sliding my nails through his short, dark hair, loving the feel of it against my fingers. It really is the color of dark chocolate but a little more exotic, chocolate and chillies maybe. I gather up as much as I can, forcing his face against mine, sucking the breath from him and letting him pull it out of me. He resists a little at first I don't know if he's even capable of submitting without at least a token show of resistance but when I increase the strength of my grip and use my other hand to ma.s.sage his crotch, he finally relaxes. A minute later and he's already hard again, straining against the sharp creases of his slacks for me. I rub harder, teasing him into a frenzy, making him growl against my lips as he plunges his hand inside of me, wetting his knuckles with the intensity of my desire. o.r.g.a.s.m number two comes crawling up out of nowhere as Lex begins to thrust against my hand, matching the rhythm of his hips with his fingers as he strokes my G-spot into a frenzy that I'm sure even Mr. Vibrator would be proud of.

I tear open the zipper on his pants in a near panic, grabbing his c.o.c.k and freeing it from his briefs with a stroke of fingers down his moist shaft. Sweaty, covered in his seed, absolutely not something I can have inside of me right now. I release Lex's hair and drop my right hand to the floor, searching desperately for my purse and another condom.

"I want you bareback," he snarls at me, but I'm the one in charge here, not him.

"Not going to happen," I whisper, knowing the moms would be super proud of me right now. Gah. I want it so f.u.c.king bad. "Get another condom." Lex presses his mouth against my throat, tasting the wild drumming throb of my pulse. A gasp slips from my lips as he positions himself to do what nature intended. Here's the thing: my will's stubborn enough to trump even that crafty b.i.t.c.h. "Lex!" I grab his hair again and pull his nose to mine, staring into those gray eyes. I almost choke on my own breath when I find that they've melted, the steel turning to puddles of scalding liquid, like two round pools of silver magma. Um, yes please. I'm going to need some aloe vera after this because his gaze feels like it could burn. "GET A CONDOM!" I yell at him, my voice echoing in the car and flittering out to tease the ears of any pa.s.sersby. As if the creaking car and the grunts and the moans and the ... wet sounds emanating from within weren't enough.

"We wouldn't need a condom if you'd signed the d.a.m.n contract," he grumbles, using the hand that's not buried up to the knuckle inside of me to search for the missing purse. "It included a mandatory STI check." If the man wasn't teasing my G-spot, I would've punched him right in the face. Instead, I let the anger settle over me in a sweaty pall of heat that churns my belly and begs me to release the energy coiling in it like a snake. Hopefully, when I o.r.g.a.s.m and it strikes, it'll kill Lex Lyndon for being such an a.s.shole.

"Are you saying I'm unclean?" I gasp as he finally jerks the leather purse towards us and extracts a condom. "Because it's you that I'm really worried about." Lex sits up, sliding his wet fingers from my p.u.s.s.y and wiping them on the white fabric of his shirt. Seeing him so raw and open and messy like this is driving me crazy. Why, why, why did he have to throw some more a.s.shole in on top of it all?

"I never f.u.c.k without a condom."

"Neither do I," I growl back at him, and he cringes, like the idea of me having s.e.x with anyone else is a disgusting anomaly he can barely stomach. "But I could if I wanted to," I tell him with a smirk. "I'm on the pill."

Lex pauses with the condom clutched between his fingers. I shift, sliding my left leg against his, enjoying the sharp bite of the fabric from his slacks, the tenseness of the muscles beneath. When he sits there for a second too long, I squeeze his c.o.c.k with my fingers.

"Don't even think about it," I whisper, wanting to be horrible, wanting to be naughty, wanting to completely toss the rules to the wind and go for it with my a.s.shole of a boss. My conscience which looks like a strange combo of my moms shakes her mental head at me. Do I really think Lex Lyndon has a disease? It's highly, highly doubtful. A man like that? All practiced perfection and expensive suits and enough audacity to choke a horse? The chances are so slim as to be nonexistent. I swallow hard and make a choice. "Put the condom on, and if you can prove to me that you're clean, we could try it next time."

Oops.

Lex stares at me, his body as still as a statue. Until the marble cracks. His face shifts into a wickedly disturbing smile as he tosses the silver wrapping to the floor and slides the red latex over his d.i.c.k with a devilish groan.

I don't give myself time to think about the implications of what I've just said.

"f.u.c.k the s.h.i.t out of me, Lex, and hurry." A quick lift of my head shows me the clock on the dash. We've been down here for almost an hour?! Maybe Lex isn't as early of a finisher as I thought. Holy c.r.a.p. Any moment now, Maxi could be descending the elevator, looking for me.

Lex licks his lower lip and scowls at me as I take another handful of his hair, pulling him down on top of me, reaching between us with my right hand and guiding him inside. Stars flicker in my vision as that second o.r.g.a.s.m smashes into me like a freight train, driven straight into my body by the solid force of Lex's thrust. When his pelvis makes contact with mine, we both groan, coming on each other, curling arms and legs around one another as we fight for s.p.a.ce in the cramped backseat of my vehicle.

Lex moves inside of me until the lights stop flashing and my head stops spinning and he's dripping beads of sweat across my face and chest. Then he collapses, crushing me into the beige leather with the heavy weight of his body.

Uh oh.

I pant as I stare up at the ceiling, feeling a flicker of b.u.t.terfly wings in my chest. My right leg is wrapped around Lex, foot still encased in my vegan slipper. The other is sticking straight out, bare as Cinderella's the night of the ball. Only I wasn't dancing with a kind-hearted prince, but a piggish a.s.shole with too much money and a nasty scowl. Oh no. Oh c.r.a.p. Oh G.o.d. If I ran away right now, I highly doubt he'd sweep the winding hills of San Francisco with my slipper looking for me.

Doesn't matter, I guess, because I don't need a f.u.c.king prince anyway.

I swallow and relax my grip on Lex's hair, wrapping my arms around his neck, feeling the heat of his body still wrapped inside mine. I can feel his heartbeat right now, it's thumping the same rhythm as mine is. Too intimate for a rut, too touchy-feely for love/hate s.e.x. I just want him off of me right now.

"Get off of me," I command, keeping my voice firm enough that I hope he'll take it as an 'order'. Provided, of course, that he still wants to submit to me. I kind of just gave him what he wanted. And besides, his level of submission leaves something to be desired. I purse my lips as he grunts and slides out of me, stumbling out of the backseat and putting his hand on the door for support. Neither of us looks at one another.

I sit up, careful not to b.u.mp my head again, and tug my skirt back into place. My panties are a little worse for wear, but I adjust them, so that they're more or less back where they belong. A quick glance at my face in the rearview mirror shows a woman I'm not all that used to seeing. Her lips are red and swollen, her eyes dark rimmed with more than just eyeliner. Pupils dilated, skin beaded with sweat, face flushed with a warm glow. Yikes. It's not like I've never had s.e.x before. Honestly, I've had my fair share, but this is a rare find, a once in a long while friction of pa.s.sion that burns just the right way.

Lex fumbles around with his slacks and then turns to face me, b.u.t.toning his shirt as he does so. The look on his face is ... not as weird as I thought it'd be. In fact, he looks kind of ... happy. I tilt my head to the side as I study his expression. His beautiful square jaw is relaxed, the strong muscles in his shoulders loose, his mouth absolutely not scowling for once in his life.

"Now what?" I blurt, because apparently I'm the only one of us that's acting like a weirdo. I have a twitchy feeling in my fingers that says I've gotten what I needed from Lex and now it is time to go. Only I don't. I just sit there on the edge of the backseat and stare up at him as I try to hook my bra together without taking it off and starting from scratch. Ladies with big ones upstairs know exactly what I'm talking about: it is a h.e.l.l of a lot easier to turn the bra upside down and inside out, clasp it in the front and then spin it around, than is to do it with your hands at a weird angle behind your back.

Lex finishes b.u.t.toning his shirt and gestures for me to stand up. I glare at him, but he only raises an eyebrow.

"Would you like some help, Oli?" he asks me as I narrow my eyes and stay put. His voice is so ... deep. And contented. Almost sleepy with relaxation. I'm not even sure what to do at this point. Finally, I sigh and stand up, turning away from him, so he can hook my bra for me. Might as well let him. It's not like he hasn't been intimately acquainted with my body today anyway. Instead of a courtesy adjustment to the strap, Lex scoots in close, pressing his body to mine, putting his lips to my ear and breathing on me. Goose b.u.mps spring up across my skin as I wait tensely for him to fix my bra and then move away, turning slowly to face him.

The sound of sliding doors and footsteps echoes around us.

"Looks like we finished just in time," I say, limping over to my lost slipper and putting my foot back inside the cozy folds of fabric. My legs are shaking and I feel like I need a drink. Preferably something stronger than a gla.s.s of wine. "I could use a whiskey double," I blurt and Lex laughs. Laughs. Like, actually opens his mouth and allows a sound of joy to escape into the air around us. My eyes widen and I stare at him like I'm not quite believing what I'm seeing.

"How about, I give us both a paid day off and we go find our way to one?"

I look down at my rumpled clothes and my slippers. Another thing they always get wrong in the movies s.e.x is messy, even with a condom. My underwear are soaked with my own satisfaction and I'm pretty sure I got ... something in Lex's hair. We both need a shower and a change of clothes, but I don't much feel like driving. I lick my bottom lip. If Lex isn't going to run away, then I might as well not either. That would feel too much like letting him win. I won't let him see that he's gotten to me or that our having actually completed the s.e.x act we've been attempting for a week changes a d.a.m.n thing between us. If he wants to play some sort of game, then fine. We already f.u.c.ked once, might as well take advantage of the situation for all it's worth.

"I told you I quit," I grumble, but our fight seems so far away, and I really just don't give a s.h.i.t anymore. I sigh and glance over my shoulder. At the edge of the parking garage, I see Maxi's blonde head scouring the cars for me. s.h.i.t. This whole thing started because somebody blabbed to Lara about Lex's stupid contract. She's the only person I told. Much as I want to believe in her innocence, I have to ask her about it. And if I find out she betrayed me? Oh G.o.d. I can't deal with that right now. I need to get out of here. I look back over at Lex who's staring at me with a very strange, very masculine facial expression. I hope the one I give back to him is just as weird, and twice as feminine. "Take me home, Lex," I tell him, nodding my chin at the driver's side door. It isn't until the words come out that I realize how they sound. There's oopsie number 985 for the day. G.o.dd.a.m.n it, Olivia.