Void (12 page)

It made me want her even more. It made the desire within me to claim her body so intense, I nearly felt like I could combust. Thankfully, there was the contract.

Which she signed.

Alexandra had scanned and emailed the signed document over to me shortly after Nicola had left my office. Even though I would not get to be the one buried deep within her,
he
would be able to. I would get to be the one in control. I would get to be the one who instructed her with what to do with her body and how to do it, allowing my need for
perfect
control to be sated. As if reading my thoughts, she spoke, leaning in to whisper in my ear.

“Did your client tell you I signed the contract? That I now belong to him for the next twelve weeks?”

I nodded, trying to control how her whispering in my ear did things to my body. I was good at control.
Perfect
at it, actually, and I knew that I would be able to hold back, even though my body desperately protested.

“Is he here?”

I shook my head, and her body seemed to deflate. The fact that she seemed excited by the possibility of him being at the party made me feel jealous.

“I need a name, Andris. Any name. I—I think about the other night constantly. I feel him when I’m sleeping, and I daydream about him when I am awake. I feel things when I do. Not just pleasure, but—,”

“You feel the emotions that you have been void to,” I interrupted.

“Yes.”

She looked up at me, the doe shape of her eyes framed by thick lines that accentuated the pristine blue. Not the same dark as mine, but crystal clear, like the blue of the Caribbean. I saw desire in her features, and the need for information. Taking her bottom lip between her teeth, she nibbled on the same spot that she bled from in my office earlier today.

“Don’t do that, you’ll start bleeding again,” I said, reaching up to pull her lip from her teeth. She momentarily looked down, at where my fingers still rested on her pout long after she had released her lip. Something shifted between us and when she looked back into my eyes, I could see the want in her features, but this time instead of being for
him
, it was for me. She pressed into me more, her hips making contact with where it would soon be difficult to hide my erection.

“I like that you watched.”

Fuck
.

Not the words I was expecting to hear, but goddamn, it hit something inside of me. I felt my eyes glaze over like they did when I became aroused, and the familiar fog began to set into my brain. I realized that I hadn’t answered her. How could I give her a name to her mystery client when I didn’t even truly know it myself?

“Link. You can call him Link,” I lied, trying to think of something on the spot. She pulled back, looking up at me with her blue eyes and a smile spread across her face, highlighting her cheekbones and making her eyes squint ever so slightly. I felt her breasts brush up against me as she leaned in.

“Did you enjoy watching me and Link?”

Did I? Fuck yeah I did, and it was hard to keep the jealousy at bay knowing and watching them interact, the entire time wishing it was me she was fucking. My arousal grew the harder she pressed her body into mine. Over her shoulder, I could still see Mrs. Cardinelli boring holes into Nicola and me as we swayed together with the other people dancing.

I looked at the ridged bitch, giving her a sly smile before I leaned into Nicola, making our actions seem familiarly intimate.

“You have no fucking idea. Link will be here later. He was hoping that you two could seal the ink on the contract tonight. You know, make it official,” I let my lips gently touch her ear as I spoke and I felt the involuntary shiver that ran down her body. God, I wanted her so badly. I wanted to fix her—to help her feel things that only I could make her feel. I was lost in the feel of her body, the way her soft curves molded to my hardness. I was just about to tell her that we needed to get the fuck out of there when a hand clamped on my shoulder.

“Andris, can we have a chat? Excuse me, Nicola. I need to speak to my nephew,” my uncle chimed in, breaking my moment with Nicola.

“No problem, Dr. Gunn. I need another drink anyway. Thank you for the dance, Andris,” she said, pinching my side before she walked off towards the bar.

“What is it, Bobbie?” I asked in irritation as I ran my hand through my hair. This party wasn’t anything to be desired and the only thing that made it worthwhile was Nicola.

“It seems that you have pissed off one of our guests, dear
nephew
. Let’s go outside and get away from wondering ears,” he said sternly as he glanced around the room. Spinning on his heel, he turned towards the exit of the bar, and without saying a word, he expected me to follow him.

Like a fucking puppy.

The same way my father used to treat me.

When we got outside, the frigid air hit me and the wind was cold enough to bite through the fabric of my jacket. Pulling out a cigar, my uncle extended one to me, knowing damn well I wouldn’t take it before shoving it back into his pocket and lighting the one he put in his mouth.

“It seems you’ve pissed off one of our clients tonight, Andris. I thought we were perfectly clear what was to happen when you took over the clinic. Nothing will change once you take ownership. The
arrangement
will go on as planned.”

I clenched my fists, partially because it was freezing, but mainly because I felt myself wanting to give in to the anger—wanting to give into the sensations that always invaded me whenever I was disappointed. My drive to succeed sometimes fell second for my drive to not fail. But this situation was different. I was trying to do the right thing. Trying to do what I knew was going to be right for the clinic.

It ate at me.

Everyday.

“Did you hear a word I said, boy?” My uncle asked, getting up in my face, the pungent smell of cigar invading my nostrils from his breath.

“I heard you.”

“Antonia Cardinelli has taken a liking to Nicola. You practically slapped him in the face when you removed her from their conversation and had your hands all over her out on the dance floor,” he seethed.

“Antonio Cardinelli is married. He needs to go and have a conversation with his wife.”

My shirt was pulled and my uncle was so close to me that I could feel the spit come from his mouth as he degraded me.

“I’m only going to say this one more time, Andris. You do what the fuck Cardinelli wants. When he wants, how he wants, do you understand? I still have the choice not to turn the clinic over to you. How would you like that, huh? I’ll give it to someone else. I won’t have you fucking shit up for us.”

He pushed me away hard enough that I stumbled backwards before he turned around to head back inside the bar. I stood there, watching his retreating form, not even feeling the sting of the cold wind anymore. The wind was sharp enough to slice through my body like a knife, but I was numb.

I needed a fix.

I needed to get the fuck out of there.

I WAITED BY THE BAR, throwing back another cocktail as I waited for Andris to return. My head was feeling fuzzy from the alcohol. Between stares from Cardinelli, as he raked his sleazy eyes all over my body, I was ready to retreat. At the same time, I didn’t want to leave in case Link really did show up.

I felt the pangs of want. The need for my fix filtered through my veins, turning my blood warm and heating my body from the inside out. I needed the needle. The penetration that invaded me and let me surrender to the sensations and feelings that I got to experience when I was with
him.

I felt my phone buzz in my clutch and fished it out of my purse.

Unknown: He wants you outside in 5 minutes. A car will be waiting.

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. Like the crack addict who just got the promise of relief after a three day withdraw. I slipped my phone back in my purse and started to head towards the bathroom to freshen up when a large hand on my upper arm stopped me.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

I recognized the voice of my client, Mr. Patterson, so I spun around and plastered the practiced smile that I had down to a T. Years of faking had really made me into a beautiful actress.

“Hello, Mr. Patterson. I’m just off to the ladies room before I leave for the night.”

His beady eyes landed on my chest, zeroing in on the skin of my breasts framed by my dress.

Hello, asshole. My eyes are up here.

“You can’t leave just yet, Jericho. Mrs. Patterson has already retired for the evening and I have another room booked in the other tower of the hotel. Cardinelli wants a session. He said he is willing to pay twice our normal fee.”

I looked over Mr. Patterson’s shoulder to see Antonio staring at me as he tipped up his glass before draining the liquid from his glass.

“I’m very sorry, Mr. Patterson, but I am booked for the evening. In fact, I am booked in advance for the next twelve weeks. I’m sure if you call the agency, Alexandra will find you a suitable girl.”

“We don’t want another girl. My good friend here has raved about you, and after seeing you for myself, I must have a taste,” Cardinelli said after he had approached where Mr. Patterson and I were standing. He lifted a hand to trace his fingers down my arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake.

And not the welcome kind.

Something about this man screamed trouble. There was a gleam of dominance in his eye and I watched his pupils dilate as he scanned my body.

“I’m sorry, I really am booked. I must be leaving. I have a client that has paid in advance and has requested my services,” I said as I looked around the room, whispering so that no one could hear me. Cardinelli’s eyes changed, where there was once fire, now there was ice. The fingers that were skimming my arm, encompassed my wrist, squeezing so hard I could feel my heart beat through my pulse point.

“I’ll double what he is paying.”

Woah.

Double the pay? Twelve weeks at twelve and a half grand a session and this man in front of me was offering twice that amount? Momentarily my mind wanted to say yes. That amount of money would put me ahead for a really long time. I wouldn’t have to fuck so many sleezeballs in order to survive and I could pull back on my client list. I could even afford a vacation, new wardrobe, and anything else that I wanted.

But my body was denying me. It wanted to feel the strength of Link’s hands on my body, the shudders that I felt as his cock massaged me from the inside out. It wanted the heat, the fire, and the desire, that I felt the night I was with him. I wanted to see where it would go. I was curious to see if the same feeling of desire was there when I was with him once again.

Maybe he was exactly what I needed to fill my empty soul. To bring myself out of the darkness and push myself forward to not being this vacant shell of a bottomless pit that filled me.

“Thank you for the offer, Mr. Cardinelli, but I must regretfully decline. We can reconvene once my twelve week contract is up.”

His glare never relented, only continued to burn a hole through my body. Any other person would have probably felt uncomfortable, but I just stood there, glaring back at him as my body buzzed with excitement. I needed to hurry and get outside, or I’d miss my chance with Link. I pulled my wrist away from Cardinelli, who reluctantly let go, and I turned to make my way toward the bathroom before offering my apologies to Mr. Patterson. I felt his eyes on me the entire time I was walking to the bathroom. Heat flanked my backside and I risked one more glance over my shoulder as I pushed open the door to the restroom.