Invisible Leash Read online

  “I’m going to get a drink,” I said, leaving him behind as I almost ran to the bar.

  Smooth.

  “Gin straight,” I said to the bartender as I began to comb through my clutch for a twenty.

  “On the house,” the barkeep replied with a suggestive wink.

  “If you insist,” I accepted, then raised my glass to him in thanks, knowing full well that he’d get in trouble if he was caught giving drinks away for free.

  Oh well, lessons can be valuable.

  “Must be nice,” a voice behind me said.

  I turned and saw Jacob standing only inches away from me.

  “Sparkling water for me, please,” he said to the bartender.

  “What must be nice?” I asked him, my eyes flickering to his hard jaw.

  He took a sip of his water. “To always get what you want,” he replied, shaking his head like it was too good to be true.

  “Oh really? And what makes you think that?” I asked, irritated. I watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed.

  His eyes, his jaw, his stubble—God, even his neck was undeniably beautiful.

  “Just a hunch.” He said, hot fire blazing through his eyes. Could he guess what I wanted right then? My gaze dropped to his lips. They looked soft, like silk pillows.

  Flustered and unable to think of a response, I took a swig of my gin.

  “Maybe you should add tonic water if you’re going to drink it that fast,” Jacob observed with a grimace.

  Was he lecturing me?

  I gave him a dirty look. “I have a high resistance to alcohol,” I shot back.

  He shook his head, one hand in his pocket. Everything about him smelled of wealth and confidence, but I could tell he was no snob. No, just dangerous and unattainable.

  “So, what do you do, Jacob?” I asked him, finally gaining some self-control.

  “I own Axiom,” he replied smoothly. “At least a major share of it.”

  My eyebrows rose in surprise—Axiom was one of the top newspaper companies in the United States.

  “What about you?” he asked me, pressing his hand on the small of my back to let someone behind me pass. My body temperature heated from the mere gesture. He was saying something else, but all I could do was think about how close we were standing and the way he was staring into my eyes. His black suit was well tailored, as if he knew my weakness for a man in a well-tailored suit.

  “You alright?” he asked me with a wink, clearly enjoying this.

  Seriously, Sage? He’s a man—he has a dick. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.

  I finished my drink and looked back towards the bar, glad for the chance to stare at something else.

  “I’m fine,” I replied, my confidence finally coming back to me.

  “Honey, there you are,” a voice said into my ear. I didn’t have to turn around to know I’d find Lincoln standing there. I could already feel his hand resting on my hip. It was a gentle touch, yet it spoke volumes.

  “Jacob Storm,” Lincoln said, extending his hand to Jacob. “Nice to see you again.”

  Great, they know each other.

  An awkward expression crossed Jacob’s face, but it was hurriedly replaced by his confident demeanor.

  “I see you’ve met my lovely girlfriend, Sage,” Lincoln added.

  I smiled up at Lincoln, not giving away how affected I was by Jacob’s presence.

  “Jacob’s good friends with Derrick Davis, a business partner of mine,” Lincoln told me.

  “I know Derrick,” I said. “He’s a nice guy.”

  “Maybe, but he can be ruthless as hell in the boardroom,” Lincoln returned, shooting Jacob an old-boys-club look.

  The smile dropped from my face as I looked between Jacob and Lincoln. It was strangely hitting me all at once. I was surrounded by powerful men in suits while I had to dress pretty, pop my tits out and smile—all because I was too weak to confront Father. It was like I was tethered to the end of some invisible leash.

  “Excuse me, gentlemen. I’ll be right back,” I said with a smile.

  I needed to get away and unlike Cinderella I wouldn’t be leaving my glass slipper at the ball.

  These Louboutins weren’t staying behind.

  Or so I thought.

  4

  JACOB

  I waited outside the restroom for her to come out. Luckily, the women’s washroom was off a very private alcove, which could probably provide us with enough time for a quickie. She emerged through a swinging door and was startled when she saw me.

  “God, you scared me!” Sage said, a hand on her chest.

  “He seems a little too old for you,” I said, fishing for answers.

  She raised an eyebrow questioningly as she leaned against a wall, her composure projecting a mix of confidence and bitchiness.

  “Lincoln,” I elaborated.

  “What do you care? I’m twenty-two,” she informed me. “Old enough to make my own decisions.” Something about her tone suggested I’d hit a nerve.

  “And he’s what, like, thirty?” I continued to press her.

  “What’s your point?” she challenged, pausing between each word and shooting me a death glare.

  I was so preoccupied by her tits that I didn’t answer her.

  “Besides, as if you’ve never dated anyone a few years younger than you?” she went on.

  Dated, no. Fucked, yes.

  “We’re not talking about me,” I dodged.

  She arched an eyebrow. “Good. Because I’m not sure I would find the subject all that interesting.”

  I laughed.

  Sage Cross. Unforgettable. Uncrossable.

  She was proving to be a challenge, but one I would gladly welcome with open arms. After all, the prize in the end would definitely make up for a few blows to my pride.

  She rolled her eyes and tried to brush past me.

  I hated dramatic women, so much so that I’d usually run the other way. But something about the way she rolled her eyes just then made me want to have her even more.

  I reached out and gently grabbed her arm. Her skin was smooth and soft.

  “Wait,” I said.

  “Why? By your logic aren’t you too old for me too?”

  Touché, gorgeous.

  I shook my head. “Nope. I’m twenty-seven.”

  “Twenty-seven,” she repeated slowly, contemplating my answer.

  I didn’t give her any more time to think. “Come,” I said, letting go of her arm and gesturing towards the private balcony with a nod of my head. “Let’s get some fresh air.”

  To my pleasant surprise, she followed me.

  As soon as we went outside, the wind hardened her nipples. I took a step closer to the railing. I couldn’t let her see how hard she made me. I looked up, hoping the stars would distract me—no luck.

  “Are you married?” she asked me, looking up at the dark sky herself. “Taken?”

  “No,” I replied, in control of my body by then.

  Finally. Shit.

  “So, you mess around?” she quizzed me.

  I shot her a sideways glance and noticed the coy smile on her lips.

  Those lips.

  They were so perfect. I forced aside a mental image of her sucking my dick.

  “What makes you say that?” I replied, inching closer to the railing.

  She gave me an amused look. “Come on, you’re young, handsome, rich and single . . . unless you’re gay?”

  I almost laughed at her comment. “I’m not. Want proof?” I said, turning and stepping up behind her.

  The moment I felt her sweet ass on me, I couldn’t control my hardness any longer. All this banter was killing me, for all the good it was doing. I wasn’t getting anywhere.

  I leaned into her. When she didn’t step away, I reached around her body and put my hand on her thigh, then trailed my fingers up the slit that went all the way up one side of her red dress. I glanced down at her black heels and groaned. I wanted those around my neck. I p
ushed her up against the railing as my hand continued moving higher and higher towards her hipbone.

  “Commando,” I breathed into her neck, wishing I could have a taste, my fingers brushing against her hips.

  “I like to feel the breeze,” she replied, leaving her head on my shoulder as our eyes locked in synchrony.

  I brought my lips close to hers, never quite touching them. I rarely waited long, but something about the look in her eyes made me want to go slow that night. I traced my fingers, slowly reaching my intended destination, writing Ss all over her. Then, I circled around her pussy, as goose bumps appeared on her arms. I placed a finger over the lips of her pussy and she moaned softly into my ear.

  Just one taste. One night.

  Right then, her phone began to ring in her purse.

  “That’s probably Lincoln,” she said, taking a step back and rearranging her dress.

  “I better go before he comes looking for me. But in the meantime—” she said, reaching into my jacket, her hands traveling across my chest, as she retrieved my phone from my inside jacket pocket.

  “What’s your password?” she asked.

  “9-5-7-6,” I replied without hesitation.

  She smirked. “Easy peasy.” Then she keyed a number into my contacts list and slipped the phone back into my pocket, her fingers lingering on my chest a second too long. “Call me,” she said as she walked away.

  When can I fuck you?

  “Wait. When can I see you?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe tomorrow.”

  I looked down below and shook my head. “Too far away,” I said, looking back up.

  “Trust me, I’m worth the wait,” she winked, then strode off with a seductive sway of her hips.

  I snickered. I didn’t wait to get laid. And I sure wasn’t going to let her become an exception.

  5

  SAGE

  “You had a good time?” Lincoln asked, sitting next to me in the back seat of the car.

  “Hmm,” I responded, still looking out the window.

  You idiot! You let your pussy make decisions for you.

  Who knew I could ever feel like this—anxious and unsettled—around a man. That man. Jacob seemed to have uncontrollable power over my body, and I didn’t like it. Not even a little tiny bit.

  Well maybe a little.

  By the end of the night, I’d come to realize that even his dark, long lashes were beautiful enough to make all women jealous.

  “Are you staying at my place tonight?” Lincoln asked, hopeful, as we pulled up in front of his building.

  I shook my head. “I didn’t bring my bag.”

  He sighed, then kissed me on the cheek and got out of the car, leaving me alone with my thoughts and my driver.

  As soon as I got to my apartment, I poured myself a gin and tonic and made my way to the en suite to run a hot bath. As the tub filled, I got undressed. My red dress slid off my shoulders and down to the floor, pooling at my feet. I stepped out of it and got in the bath pulling my blonde curls up into a high bun to avoid soaking them. I took a deep breath and released a long exhale as I rehashed the night.

  Just then, my phone vibrated on the edge of the tub. I had a feeling I knew who it was, and my stomach turned upside down. I exhaled one more time, trying to calm my nerves. Glancing over, I saw that it was an unfamiliar number.

  When will I see you next?

  I drew in a deep breath.

  Jacob.

  The man was so arrogant he hadn’t even texted me his name. I knew it was him, though.

  A wave of happiness washed over me, but I slammed the feeling down as quickly as it had come.

  I couldn’t do this—not because I couldn’t cheat on Lincoln but because I had an uneasy feeling that with this powerful man I wouldn’t be able to keep myself from wanting more with him. He’d already made me crazy and weak, and I’d just met him.

  I shook my head and picked up the phone.

  You won’t. I changed my mind.

  I pressed send and threw the phone on the bath mat. There, that would tell him. I was proud of myself for fighting temptation when my cell phone vibrated again. I opened his text.

  Then change it again.

  He was so arghhh—persistent and controlling. Too beautiful for his own good. This back-and-forth didn’t do much to resolve the sexual desires that had ignited in me earlier that night. This was the most time I’d ever spent thinking about a guy.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about and wishing for the thick bulged I’d felt pressed against me and the touch of one hand on my inner thigh while the other gripped my neck tightly. The perfect mix of power and sensuality. And then there was his voice.

  Oh God, his voice.

  It could melt an iceberg.

  Stepping out of the tub, I marched into the bedroom to get dressed and tossed some products and an outfit for the next day inside my bag.

  Then, not caring if I woke him in his downstairs apartment, I texted my driver to get the car ready.

  I had to put an end to my burning needs.

  Ten minutes later, I was outside my building just as Alec was pulling around the car. He opened the door for me with a nod of his head. I got into the back seat and grabbed my phone to text Lincoln that I was on my way over.

  The doorman to Lincoln’s building smiled and let me in without any questions as he pushed the elevator button for the penthouse. When I got to Lincoln’s front door, I fumbled through my bag, trying to find his key. Before I could find it, however, he opened the door in his robe, with his light brown hair looking messier than usual. He had a big smile on his face. His sexy smile.

  “Couldn’t stay away, huh?” he teased, cocking an eyebrow.

  It was as hot as hell.

  “Guilty,” I said, walking into his suite.

  “Wow, an almost-compliment from Sage Cross. I must be dreaming,” he said, rubbing his eyes.

  “Jerk.” I grabbed his hand and led him to his bedroom. I didn’t need any foreplay. I was already wet from thinking about Jacob.

  I opened Lincoln’s robe and pushed him down onto the bed grabbing a condom from the side night table, tossing it at him to put on.

  Then I slipped out of the short summer dress I was wearing and straddled him, letting his cock slide inside of me. He dug his fingers into my hips.

  “You know, you’re the most confusing woman on the face of the earth.”

  Oh, here we go.

  I’d come here to fulfill my needs, and he was going to start talking?

  “One moment you hate me, the next you want me,” he continued.

  How about you shut up?

  Perhaps he still hadn’t learned that I used him for sex. I supposed it was like my own little revenge to my father—there was nothing more powerful on earth than that to spite him by using his own weapon against him. After all, he would do anything to protect his precious reputation and pretend I was his innocent little girl, all for the Cross family name.

  When Lincoln finally stopped talking, we fucked until we both came. Afterward, I settled on my side of the bed and Lincoln on his.

  He knew the rules.

  I didn’t cuddle.

  I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. But despite my brain’s best effort to tell me to stop thinking about the blue-eyed man with jet-black hair, I still did—all night long.

  6

  JACOB

  “Here it is!”

  She giggled as we entered her apartment if it could even be called that. It was more like a studio, barely four hundred square feet with piles of clothes all over the couch. The dishes looked like they hadn’t been done in months, and there was still food on her stove.

  I resisted the urge to cover my mouth. After the night I’d had with blondie, I needed to forget about her, at least for tonight, by getting laid.

  I texted my driver, Shane, to make sure he’d wait for me. Then I sat on the couch and ordered her to take off her clothes.

  She kept giggling, and despi
te her gorgeous tits, I was starting to get irritated—even wishing I’d just jacked off on my own and saved a condom. Then she finally took off her bra and panties and made her way over to straddle me—a blissful end to an eventful night.

  When I got back to my penthouse, I took off my shoes and clothes and stepped into the glass shower. I leaned on the black wall, unable to stop thinking about her.

  Sage.

  My hand reached for my cock as I thought about her ass all over me. For a slim woman, she had a perfectly toned ass. The memory of her moan echoing in my mind was enough to set me off. I groaned, and the sperm shot out of my cock and down the drain.

  After I washed, I texted Sage. I had never pursued a woman, except for sex. But this was different.

  I would have Sage on her knees, begging for me, sooner or later.

  7

  LINCOLN

  I woke up on Monday morning, careful not to wake Sage as I rolled over in bed. She always looked peaceful when she slept, and young. That she had an innocent face was ironic, given her personality was nothing short of that of a hardened woman who’d seen a lot of life. I’d never known a woman so strong, one who never allowed herself to be seen as weak.

  Maybe I could learn something from her. Maybe her way was the way to go—bury all emotions deep within. Maybe we’d have fewer problems in the world if all humans could harness that ability.

  Or perhaps there’d be more.

  I placed my head on the pillow and turned to face her, gently tracing my fingers down her cheek. She had a narrow nose and plump lips.

  She’s perfect.

  I embraced the moment, knowing she would never allow me to touch her this intimately when she was awake. Have sex with her? Yes. But touching her softly would have been off limits. I planned to change that . . . somehow.

  I got up and quietly started my morning routine. I showered, then ate the breakfast my cook had prepared while I perused a few of my favorite newspapers. Afterward, I got dressed in one of my navy-blue suits. As I pulled on the jacket, I saw Sage’s sleeping reflection in the full-length mirror.

  I walked over to her side of the bed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She stirred, but only slightly, then was asleep again.