On His Terms (9 page)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“In time, Ally, I’ll release you, but not until you’re ready to follow my rules,”
he said, toying with her erect nipple through the thin fabric of her dress.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Without warning, he drove his hips into her crotch, forcing her body against the wall.
She could feel how hard he was, which only made her juices flow more. She couldn’t
believe how badly she wanted him, and how badly he wanted her.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
But then another part of her was still resisting.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Only little sluts do that, Ally.
 
Do you want to be just another little slut?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The old self-doubt was familiar and intense.

Meanwhile, Hale had buried his face into her breasts and slowly, methodically, worked
his mouth over the top of her dress and down towards her private space.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Oh god
. Just the idea of Hale Westbrook going down on her like this was practically enough
to make her climax. She knew she wasn’t ready to allow him to enter her,
no way
. But she wasn’t exactly taking any steps to put a stop to Hale and whatever devious
plans he had with her.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He peeled her panties slightly to the side, dragging his tongue across her inner thigh.
Her crotch was nearly dripping wet with anticipation.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
But that voice, the one that has protected her for so many years, was back.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fool me once, shame on you.
 
Fool me twice...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Stop! I can’t do this.”
 
She pulled herself away from him awkwardly, her hands still bound behind her back.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“What? What’s wrong?” he asked.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Just take me home,” she said. Her voice unable to mask the meltdown she was having
inside.

“Okay, okay. Relax,” he said.

“I need to go to home. I’m sorry,” she said.

He stood frozen for a few moments. “I’ll take you home,” he said, shaking his head.

“I’m really sorry, I just…”

“It’s okay, really,” he said. But she could tell from his voice that it wasn’t okay.
He untied the belt that constrained her wrists.

Ally was a complete mess. Too scared to move forward with Hale, and too scared not
to.

What did I just do?

The ride home was painfully quiet. With smudged lipstick and disheveled hair, she
was crawling in her skin. She would have killed to magically appear in her bedroom,
alone and hidden under her covers. And there was no chance in hell that she was going
to look him in the eyes.

He glanced over at her with a sympathetic expression. “Look, I’m sorry if I made you
nervous back there,” he said.
 

Ally kept her eyes forward. “It wasn’t you, Hale,” she paused. “I don’t know what
to say.” But she knew exactly what to say. She was just too afraid to let him into
her world.

“It’s okay, I understand,” he said. He gripped the leather steering wheel of his Porsche
with both hands, tapping his large finger against its surface. She studied his eyes
for a moment as he aimed them towards the road ahead. She had only just met this man,
but there was no mistaking his disappointment.

The sports car pulled up to the front of Ally’s sister’s apartment. It was
late,
thankfully, so she knew her sister was asleep.

She turned to look at Hale. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let things go that far,”
she said.

He pressed his lips hard into one another, seemingly oblivious to her apology. “Good
night,
Ally
.”
 

“Good night,” she said. She slid out of the Porsche’s passenger seat, wondering if
she’d ever see Hale Westbrook again.

* * *

The next couple of days dragged, and Ally dragged with them. Not a word from Hale.
She could only imagine what was going through his mind. She tortured herself with
thoughts of regret.

I blew it. I had my chance, and I blew it.
She paced around the apartment, replaying her mini freak-out scene in Hale’s house.

What was the point of all of this self-torture though? She knew things between her
and Hale Westbrook were nothing more than a dead end street. And she wasn’t exactly
ready to go on some joy ride with a man only to end up crashing into a brick wall.

I did the right thing
,
she tried to tell herself
.

The last time she had been with another man was when she was just sixteen years old.
She was a junior in high school, while he was an eighteen-year-old local whom she
grew up adoring from afar. And that relationship left scars on her heart that still
lingered to this day. Scars that she’d been working so incredibly hard to heal.

Damnit
though! No call? No email?

She shook her head, still trying to register the fact that Hale was now ignoring her
.

She sat, bounced her foot up and down for a few minutes as she tried to maintain her
sanity
.
The nerve of him not to call
.
She opened up her laptop and
Googled
his next public appearance.
Bakersfield, CA. Tonight at 6 o’clock.

* * *

She spent the two-hour drive to Bakersfield’s Town Hall, Hale’s next public speaking
destination, planning a little speech of her own. Sure, it was she who’d put an end
to their romantic interlude when the heat became too much for her.

But that didn’t give him the right to just abandon her altogether, did it?
 
Wasn’t she worth at least a phone call?
 
Or was that kind of thing reserved only for sluts that put out?

When she arrived at the campaign stop, the town hall scene was a mad house, as was
every event that he spoke at. But she was determined to track him down, regardless
of the crowd of hundreds that stood between her and him.

She could just barely make out the top of his gorgeous head of hair, standing on her
tippy toes as the speakers began to crackle.

“Excuse me sir. Excuse me?” She tapped a rather tall gentleman who blocked her view
on the shoulder.

“You should have got here sooner lady,” the gentleman said, stepping aside after all.
Just in time.

“Good people of Bakersfield,” Hale looked out at the large mass of men, women, and
their children, “you know what it means to struggle.” He paused, “And you know what
it means to prevail.” The crowd erupted in applause at the politician’s opening words.

She knew he would never spot her, trapped in the back of a massive human buffet.

“Now, I know you’ve still got your challenges ahead. And I’m here to tell you that
I will be there with you every step of the way,” he said. He raised his hand, signaling
to the crowd that he had more to say. “If there’s one thing that Hale Westbrook doesn’t
relate to, it’s quitting. And as governor of California I will not stop until this
great American town of Bakersfield is in the shape it deserves to be in.”

The applause from the crowd was deafening. The audience had lost its collective mind
from all of the energy in the air that night.

For a brief moment, Ally found herself getting swept up in his candor, almost forgetting
why she had driven all that way. She felt herself losing ground by the minute. Even
if she was furious with him, what made her think she would actually have a chance
to talk to him here?

How ridiculous
, she thought. She knew what had to be done- she needed to go home. And she knew she’d
probably never see Hale again.

As his speech ended, she was determined to at least do one thing right tonight and
beat the rush of people heading for their cars. She bobbed and weaved her way through
the countless strands of people.

“Ally!” A strong, familiar hand grabbed her wrist from behind and urged her through
the crowd. She was whisked away in a flash and found herself suddenly amidst a silent
brick alley tucked conveniently behind the town hall.

Hale.

“Come with me,” he said, not waiting for her consent.

“What are you doing?” she said. “I don’t want to come with you.”

“Ally, please. It’s too crowded out there to argue. Stick with me,” he said, pulling
her through the alleyway. She found herself running with the billionaire, clueless
as to their destination.

“Get in,” he said, opening the door to the back of his limo.

She refused.
 
“I can’t believe you didn’t call me. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten involved in any
of this,” she said.

“Ally, you knew the deal. We had a business agreement. Don’t make things more complicated
than they have to be.”

“A deal? Did that include telling me how beautiful I am and feeling me up in your
house?” she replied.

He looked down, averting her eyes for a moment as he rubbed his forehead. “You’re
right,
Ally
. I’m sorry for confusing things.” He paused and looked up at her. “I guess I kind
of got confused myself after being with you,” he said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he said, lifting her chin gently with his large fingers. “I guess
I didn’t know what to do after you put a stop to things the other night.”

“I said I was sorry about that,” she said.

“You never had to apologize in the first place,” he said. “I’m just not used to being
turned down like that,” he smirked.

Hale Westbrook, hurt?
She thought to herself.

“But I have a way of recovering very quickly. And you didn’t drive all the way up
here for no good reason,” he said.

“Oh, there was a good reason- it’s called me losing my mind for a minute there,” she
laughed.

“You couldn’t help yourself, could you? You had to see me,” he said teasing her. He
caressed the side her neck, just under her ear, sending chills throughout her body.
 
Then he urged her toward the backseat of the limo.

“This time I’ll say when you can stop,” Ally told him, climbing inside.

He reached down and grabbed her backside, sliding her towards him to lay her flat
on her back.

And this time, she was more than ready. He scooped his hands under her shoulders to
bring her breasts towards him. He gazed at her breasts for a moment and dove his tongue
wildly into her mouth. She could feel the heat emanate from his chest. He was starving
for her, and this time she wouldn’t make the same mistake with Hale Westbrook.

His tongue melded perfectly with hers, while his hands wasted no time and began to
unbutton her pants.