Chapter 9
Olivia
I didn't know why I even agreed to dinner. Maybe because I was slightly euphoric after sex, or maybe to convince myself that at some point Grayson was going to slip up and this gentleman act he was putting on would fall apart. The parts of me that wanted to hate him, however, were growing weaker and weaker every time we interacted. And sex with him didn't seem to keep me on solid footing; that much was sure.
He sat across from me at a small table in the back corner of the dining room. The Fig Tree had never been on my list of places to visit; too expensive for my taste. But the food was good, and we had pleasant conversation, mostly about the app and what sort of users it was attracting in the test groups. Grayson was thoughtful and had some decent suggestions, but I still held my reservations about his motives. He was a shark of a businessman too. One I really didn't trust.
"Dessert?" the waitress asked as she approached to take away our empty plates, but my stomach was so full there was no way I could eat another bite.
"Honestly, I'm good." I splayed my hand on my stomach and shook my head in protest and she turned to Grayson who waved her off with his credit card to pay the check.
"That's too bad; their carrot cake is fantastic." Grayson used his napkin to dab the corners of his mouth and smiled at me.
"I'm so stuffed. God, I don't think I can even finish my wine." The Merlot was incredible too, but I didn't want to induce pain from being overstuffed the way I did on holidays at my parents' house. This wasn't the type of place I ever took investors too, though so I did regret not making the choice to indulge.
"Shall we?" he asked, standing. He didn't even wait on his card to return before extending his hand to me. I glanced around and noticed the waitress returning already and figured he must frequent this place in order to know their timing so well.
Taking his hand, I dropped my napkin on the table and picked up my clutch. He guided me through the dining room, snagging his card from the waitress on the way and mumbling something about her "usual tip." It unnerved me a little too, thinking of how he had money to throw around, though this was probably a tax write off for his company. One gossipy conversation with Lanie and Ian and helped me understand how Grayson worked anyway. He had no real wealth of his own outside the business, which was how he was able to put on such a powerful front. He found a way to make everything he did a write off.
It soured my mood slightly as I realized I was being swindled. Not in the "this man is a grifter" sort of way. But it cheapened the entire experience knowing his entire public persona was a mask. I wondered what his actual net worth was if his business weren't taken into account. And if he thought of this as just an investor meeting then what did that mean about the sex we'd been having? And what was I supposed to feel about that?
Grayson chatted about more of the same topic we'd hashed out over dinner, rambling on about investor contacts and his own app creation, but I was lost in my head. It was all overwhelming and confusing. I wasn't the sort of woman to just go play the field. I didn't have one-night stands or sleep with random strangers. But his charm, and his charisma, were so alluring I had a hard time saying no to him. It scared me to think what I'd do if he was being sincere and not just dabbling on the side because it was hot sex and we couldn't keep our hands off one another.
"You okay?" he asked as he opened the door to his car. He had a driver, one I never met, who'd come to escort us home, though he'd driven us here. That, too, made me suspicious.
"I'm uh..." I glanced at the driver as I slid into the limo and slowly the partition between driver and passenger compartments rose to seal off our privacy. Grayson climbed in behind me and shut the door and I sank into the seat uncomfortably. "I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine, Liv."
There he did it again. That name. He spoke my name as if we were friends, and more than that, as if he cared about me. He wasn't supposed to care about me. He was supposed to be a means to an end, someone I used to get what I needed because he was a user and deserved to get a taste of his own medicine. But I hated myself for feeling that way, or for even thinking that.
I looked down at my hands, folded around my clutch tightly. There was no easy way to tell him that I wasn't feeling the same way about this arrangement as I had when we first agreed to it. Call it my stupid pride, but I hated the idea that I was caving in and realizing he wasn't all that bad, that Lanie was right. I sat there so long he reached over and took my hand, prying it off my clutch and bringing it to his lips in a gentle and romantic gesture.
"I'm sorry if I was pushy about things. I just think our user base would be really similar eventually and--"
"It's not that," I blurted out, knowing my mouth was going to betray me. I bit both of my lips, clamping them shut, and looked up at him pleadingly, to understand and not push me. I must have looked foolish to him. I know I felt foolish. How on earth could a woman who had taken such a hard stance against a man suddenly do a one-eighty and start thinking he wasn't so bad?
"Cat got your tongue?" he asked, and he chuckled, but he kissed my hand again and I whimpered.
"Gray, I..." I was coming undone. My fucking app was so right. If I could look past his flaws and past mistakes, Grayson Thorne was a pretty decent guy. And he was hella good looking, not to mention the fact that he was stupid rich, supportive of my dreams, and basically the Hercules of making my body ignite.
The palpable tension between us stretched razor thin until he leaned forward. The car turned a corner and had him swaying toward me, and his lips crashed into mine a bit too hard. Our teeth knocked together but I didn't even care. So long as he was kissing me, I had no reason to think I'd get carried away with myself. And it was just sex, right? I could have incredible sex with him and then when the app was launched and my users were pleased, I could drop the charade and move on with my life.
"Mmmm." His soft moan against my lips vibrated and aroused me. I set my clutch to the side so I could kiss him more deeply. Before I knew it he had his hands on my blouse, undoing my buttons and I was tugging at his belt. It didn't matter that we'd had sex only a few hours ago; I wanted him again--now.
Grayson pulled a condom out of his wallet and placed it on the leather seat where he sat as he slid to the floor. The tightly confined space made it hard for him to move, but he managed to knock on the partition and tell the driver to keep driving until he said otherwise. That made a chill of excitement rush through me. Then he returned, burying his face in my crotch and biting my mound through the soft fabric of my slacks which he was unbuttoning. "It's not that," I blurted out, knowing my mouth was going to betray me. I bit both of my lips, clamping them shut, and looked up at him pleadingly, to understand and not push me. I must have looked foolish to him. I know I felt foolish. How on earth could a woman who had taken such a hard stance against a man suddenly do a one-eighty and start thinking he wasn't so bad?
"Cat got your tongue?" he asked, and he chuckled, but he kissed my hand again and I whimpered.
"Gray, I..." I was coming undone. My fucking app was so right. If I could look past his flaws and past mistakes, Grayson Thorne was a pretty decent guy. And he was hella good looking, not to mention the fact that he was stupid rich, supportive of my dreams, and basically the Hercules of making my body ignite.
The palpable tension between us stretched razor thin until he leaned forward. The car turned a corner and had him swaying toward me, and his lips crashed into mine a bit too hard. Our teeth knocked together but I didn't even care. So long as he was kissing me, I had no reason to think I'd get carried away with myself. And it was just sex, right? I could have incredible sex with him and then when the app was launched and my users were pleased, I could drop the charade and move on with my life.
"Mmmm." His soft moan against my lips vibrated and aroused me. I set my clutch to the side so I could kiss him more deeply. Before I knew it he had his hands on my blouse, undoing my buttons and I was tugging at his belt. It didn't matter that we'd had sex only a few hours ago; I wanted him again--now.
Grayson pulled a condom out of his wallet and placed it on the leather seat where he sat as he slid to the floor. The tightly confined space made it hard for him to move, but he managed to knock on the partition and tell the driver to keep driving until he said otherwise. That made a chill of excitement rush through me. Then he returned, burying his face in my crotch and biting my mound through the soft fabric of my slacks which he was unbuttoning.
Tingles of pleasure shot through me as he nibbled and sucked on my through the fabric, teasing me mercilessly. He knew what he was doing, driving me insane with desire. I arched my hips towards him, craving more contact, his tongue on my sensitive skin.
"Gray," I moaned, the sound muffled by my hand covering my mouth. I didn't care if he heard me moaning like a wanton woman, but the driver didn't need to know the debauchery that was happening in the backseat. His only response was a low growl of approval as his hands deftly unzipped my slacks and pulled them down to my knees. He kissed along my inner thighs, sending goosebumps down my legs and I kicked the slacks off one leg.
"Grayson, my god I want you," I whimpered. My confession hung heavy in the air, but I didn't care. It was the truth and after the sex we had previously, it wasn't like he didn't already know how much he affected me. His response was to tease my entrance with his tongue, sending shivers down my spine before inserting a finger inside me.
