PLAYBOY'S PERSONAL ASSISTANT

chapter 8

Chapter 08.

Tera.

I turned the taps on in the bath, checked the temperature, and poured in the soap, watching as champagne-pink bubbles began to appear almost instantly. I found a hairclip in one of the sink drawers and piled my hair up on top of my

head. The deep auburn mass would fall to the middle of my back when I let it down. As I undressed, I checked out the rest of the space. Everything was high end, from the gold-veined marble on the floor and countertops to the copper fixtures on the taps. A stack of towels stood on a shelf. I touched them. Soft and

luxurious. Brand-new. The bath filled. I turned the water off and dipped a toe inside. I caught my reflection in one of the two mirrors. I’d lost a few pounds in the last two weeks. I ran almost daily, and at 5 feet five and 120 pounds, I was healthy with long, lean muscle, small but perky breasts, and a bubble butt. That was thanks to the yoga classes i take twice a week.

I sank slowly into the bath. Steam rose off it, but the warmth felt good compared to the relative coolness inside the house. They must have had the air conditioner cranking, since it was July and the heat outside was stifling, with the evenings offering only the slightest relief. I wadded up a small towel and lay my head back against it, closing my eyes. Between the heat and my exhaustion, I must have dozed off, because the sound of someone clearing his throat startled me awake.

My eyelids flew open, and I caught my breath when I saw Alex standing just inside the bathroom, watching me.

“Jesus!” I sat up, instinctively covering myself, although it wasn’t necessary.

The bubbles created a barrier between us. “You scared the crap out of me!”

“I knocked, but there was no answer.”

His tie was silver and his shirt brilliantly white, the stark absence of color emphasizing those amazing blue irises. Standing there with his jacket open and his hands shoved casually into his pants’ pockets, the sight of him was like running smack into a wall I hadn’t known was there. He was more striking than I’d remembered. I flushed and glanced away.

“I fell asleep, I guess.”

“It’s dangerous to do in the bathtub.”

“Yeah.” I pulled my knees up, making sure the bubbles still hid me. When Dorota had told me this was my room, I’d assumed we weren’t sharing it. I’d assumed the double doors had led to the master. Had I misunderstood? “What do

you want?” I tried to keep my voice friendly. "Can i atleast put some clothes on first?" Alex seemed to process the question slowly. He looked like he had a thousand things on his mind. Was it the meeting he’d been called to?

He opened his mouth to speak, but instead shook his head and ran a hand through his thick, dark hair, I had never seen hair that purely black. It was glossy and slightly long, the ends drifting over his collar. That sexy length was the crowning touch of bad boy hotness over the successful businessman, like whipped cream topping on a hot fudge brownie sundae. As Chloe would say, only rogues and raiders had hair like that. My hands clenched against the urge to touch it, to see if it felt like the rich silk it resembled.

“I wanted to check on you, see if you needed anything,” Alex finally spoke.

“I’m fine.” I wanted to ask why i was no longer needed for the meetings but couldn’t bring myself to just yet considering the state of my nudity.

"Ethan said you had a meeting.”

“I did.”

A wealth of information.

" I am going out i won't be back until tomorrow.?” he said still looking at me, as he came a little farther into the bathroom and leaned back against the counter

“Okay?” i said trying not to sound curious.

He stepped over to the tub, and I leaned back, covering my breasts. He didn’t touch me, though. Instead, he sat on the edge and dipped a hand in the water.

“The water is getting cold.” He rose to stand. He wiped his hand on a towel. “Get out of the tub,” he said, without looking at me.

“I’m not getting out with you here.” i shot back He unfolded one of the plush bath towels. He held it out before him but remained several feet away, so that I’d have to walk toward him to reach it, giving him a full view of my naked body.

“What exactly is this?" i asked my cheeks getting flushed with color.

“I don't want you getting sick Tera get out of the tab.”

“You want a look at what you can’t have?” Flimsy words, and I knew it. He could take whatever he wanted. I just, for reasons that had no basis in reality, didn’t think he would. And I was determined not to give him this particular

power over me. My heart pounded against my chest as I slowly rose, suds clinging to me as I stood. “You want to see me naked, don't you?” I teased, seeing how his eyes darkened as they raked over me before returning to mine. His attraction to me, mine to him, this cruel sort of push-pull between us, I would use it. I would be stronger than it, and I would use it. I climbed out onto the bath mat and stood before him. “Have a look, then. Get your fill,” I bit out.

Alex’s throat worked as he swallowed. Without a word, he stepped toward me, held my gaze, and wrapped the towel around me. His hungry eyes held mine, meeting my challenge, posing his own as he dried me, his handling of me rough, the soft towel now scratching at my breasts, my s*x. Once he finished, he stepped back, letting the towel drop to the floor.

“Now I can have a proper look.” he said with a huge smug in his face.

He gazed at me pausing at my breasts and belly, hovering at my naked s*x. Again, he swallowed, then met my eyes once more. I stood still, watching him. Watching his eyes. They burned, the blue darker now, sparkling like blackest onyx. Something raged behind them, inside them. Something that screamed for release even while it reduced me to flesh alone, to aching, an object possessed.

Was this some sort of contest, some game? If it was, I lost, because I blinked first, looking away, unable to maintain the contact.

“Go to bed.” He turned to leave the bathroom but stopped at the door. I swooped down to grab the discarded towel and held it against myself, shielding my body from his view. He turned on his heel and walked out the door.

I sat down on the edge of the tub, trembling both with anger and some other unexplainable feeling. I slowly got up and walked back to the room with the towel wrapped around me.

I sat on my bed as i applied some lotion on my skin wondering what kind of sick games Alex was playing at.