Chapter 213
A smile spread across his cheeks. “Come on.”
I followed him back up the driveway and into the foyer of the mansion. Quincy, his staff, and the models were mulling around, their voices quieting as we walked in.
Quincy spun around, his lips dipping into a scowl. “What are we doing, Brady?” He tapped his watch. “You got me for one day. Time’s a ticking, buddy.”
Brady glanced at him. “Quincy, I’d like to introduce you to my business partner, Tess Perkins.”
I watched the wheels start to turn behind Quincy’s eyes, the revelation clicking.
Brady continued. “As in…the inventor of Perkins Formula.”
The vibe in the room shifted. The models straightened up, staring at me with the same fear they wore with Quincy.
Quincy’s face fell, his body language deflating. Brady smiled. “You’re right, Quincy, time’s up. Turns out, I don’t need you anymore. I appreciate you stopping by, but I think we’re good here.” Before Quincy could respond, Brady lifted his finger. “Don’t worry, you’ll still be paid your full due. But in the meantime, and I say this with the utmost respect, kindly fuck off, buddy.”
Brooke cracked the silence with a loud, amused snort.
It took about forty-five minutes for the mansion to empty. The models filtered out quickly, and Quincy’s staff said nothing as they broke down the set. But Quincy didn’t leave quietly. As his shouts at Brady started, I slid out of the back door and into the yard, my bare feet shuffling in the warm sand.
I had no idea if I’d made a giant mistake in agreeing to any of this. Not only that, but I didn’t know the first thing about how to market a product.
Even worse, Brady had just fired a famous videographer, and for what?
Because he was rude to me?
“Well, that’s a first.”
I glanced up as Brooke stepped up beside me. “Which part? Brady firing someone?”
She slid her hands into her pockets and broke into a laugh. “I’ve never seen him go this far to land a deal. He must really want to work with you.”
The sliding glass door opened, and Brady emerged, the living room silent and empty.
Brooke cocked her head. “Finally kicked the villain out of the house?”
Brady shook his head and sighed. “That guy is literally insane.”
“Well? that was entertaining, but time for me to get back to work,” Brooke said. She bid us goodbye, and as she disappeared through the house, Brady looked at me.
“Well, Tess, what do you think? Want to stay and plot our next moves?” He shrugged. “House is rented for the week. I think that should be enough time to come up with a new marketing plan.”
A knot formed in my throat. What was he suggesting? We play house as we try to build up our business?
“There’s like six guest rooms,” Brady added quickly.
I realized that Brady was offering me a choice I might not get again. Even if another marketing company took an interest in Perkins Formula, it was unlikely that they would give me this much hands-on control in the say of my product.
I could share a house with Brady…I just needed to stick to the plan. No sex. Doable.
“What do you think?” he asked.
When he smiled, I couldn’t help but smile back.
I shrugged. “Fuck it.”
I slid open the back door, and as he stepped in beside me, I was aware of how vast this space was without the production team from earlier. The space between Brady and I filled with tension. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it, but I sensed electricity in the air between us, very similar to the vibe on the day I met him in the airport and after I’d seen him again at the award ceremony.
I broke the awkward silence. “Thank you,” I said, tucking my hair behind my ears.
“For what?”
“For all of this,” I whispered. “For trying. For showing me that you are interested.”
His eyes drifted to my lips. “I am interested.”
My heart started to race. He was interested in my product, not me. It was him who’d said no sex after all, that he didn’t mix business and pleasure and-
Brady suddenly leaned down and kissed me.
My eyes closed as his soft lips melded against mine, his tongue sliding into my mouth, exploring it.
I leaned back.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have…”
I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him back. My arms wound around his neck, and his arms linked around my waist.
This was a bad idea. It had to be. Except I didn’t care. There was something about him I couldn’t resist. Not only was it his pure dedication to what I’d spent my life creating, but he carried a raw sensuality I wanted to embrace full on.
He lifted me into the air, my legs wrapping around his waist as our kiss deepened. His erection pressed against me, a rod rising between my legs. My nipples hardened against his chest as desire poured through me.
It was as if time sped up and slowed down, a simultaneous repetition my brain couldn’t process. In seconds, we were ripping each other’s clothes off, falling backward onto the couch. Yet every kiss felt like it lasted an hour.
I’d never wanted anyone so badly. I was soaked by the time his cock grazed the lips of my pussy. He paused, trailing a finger down my cheek, his eyes searching mine.
“Where did you come from, Tess Perkins?”
I smiled and bit my lip. “I’ll tell you after you fuck me.”
He gave a primal groan and slid his cock inside me effortlessly. I cried out, my back arching as goosebumps formed over my body. He leaned down, kissing his way from my lips to my nipple, each thrust of his cock just enough to send me spiraling.
This time was different. There were no games between us anymore. We weren’t strangers fucking in a plane bathroom or meeting up in the dressing room at a hotel ballroom.
We were people who respected what the other person had to offer, not just intellectually but also physically.
Except…he moved slower this time, his thrusts deeper, his movements more precise, and he held my eye contact the entire time.
“Jesus, Brady. I need you, now.” I couldn’t look away if I wanted to. Our breathing fell in sync, our pants matching our rhythm, and I no longer knew where I began and he ended. I lost myself in his touch, in his gaze. I lost myself in him.
His cock hardened, vibrating, a second before he came, and as he filled my pussy up, I let myself go, releasing my own ecstasy around him. Unlike the last time, we didn’t move. Didn’t separate. He kept himself inside me, even though he’d already come, and as we rolled over on the couch and I looked into his eyes again, I saw something that terrified me.Text © owned by NôvelDrama.Org.
He was looking at me differently, his gaze beyond the general respect of a colleague. In his eyes, I saw admiration, and I held my breath because I felt it too.
Fuck.
I was falling for Brady Wyler, the father of a child he didn’t even know I was carrying.