Second Lies (The Second Life Series) Read online

  She gasped, eyes wide with shock, “What the hell are you going to do?”

  I shrugged my shoulders, “I don’t know. He told me he was ‘playing a part.’ Whatever, I’ll probably just find some guy, hook up with him, and show Garrett what it feels like.”

  “Or you could ditch this party altogether and come with me?” Bethany nodded her head approvingly at her idea. “I’m only staying here for an hour, so I’m getting ready to get out of here soon. I’m meeting up with some friends in Atlantic City. Come with me. It’ll be a blast. I got a room and everything.”

  I drank down the rest of the bottle and sat against a desk in the middle of the room, thinking about the tempting option laid out before me. Finally, I shook my head. “I can’t. Dennis will have my head if I leave this thing. Normally, I can get away with sneaking out, but this is the Christmas party. I have to stay.”

  “Okay, but it’s your loss,” Bethany combed through her hair with her fingers. “I’m getting ready to get out of here. Call me if you need anything.” She pushed open the door and turned back to me. “Oh, and Adriana?” I nodded. “You can only get in trouble if you get caught…think about that the next time you get some alone time with the golden haired Sex God.”

  I shook my head with a laugh and returned to the kitchen to dispose of the bottle. Isabel met me in there looking frantic, “Baby, where have you been? Dinner is about to be served.”

  The normal mother would probably care that her underage daughter was beyond drunk at a social gathering…but not mine. She ushered me into the lavish dining room, forcing me to take a seat next to hers. Dennis was at the head of the table, casting his eyes over the crowd. He put his hand over Isabel’s, and it was all I could do to not vomit onto my empty plate. Honestly, I’m not sure if this feeling was caused by all my drinking or the sight of them touching each other or a mixture of both.

  Again, Dennis began a speech, and again, I immediately tuned it out. I was ridiculously drunk by this point and in no mood to pretend to be interested in a fucking word coming out of Dennis’s mouth.

  I searched through the crowd and finally spotted him. Garrett was seated by himself at the other end of the table. Our eyes connected. He licked his lips. I blushed and fidgeted in my seat. Suspicion and surprise peeked at my interest. Michelle was no longer with him. Next to him, there was an empty seat. Bethany’s words played back in my head again. You can only get in trouble if you get caught.

  The waiter came around and served us each our food. I barely ate a damn thing. I went through the motions and sat quiet in my seat. That always seemed to be good enough for Dennis. Occasionally, I’d look in Garrett’s direction. He never once took his eyes off me, even ignoring several women in his immediate area that attempted flirting with him. I couldn’t help but smirk when that happened.

  As dinner began to dwindle down, I stood from my seat. Garrett’s eyes burned through my skin, but besides him, no one else seemed to notice me. Without a word, I sauntered away from the table and out of the room, but not without shooting one, last, longing look in the direction of a married man who left me scorching with desire.

  Chapter 10

  All of the night’s worries disappeared with the shedding of my dress. Garrett stood me up and pushed me against the wall, so my back was facing him. He ripped down the zipper and pulled the dress down the curves of my body, leaning in to trail a series of kisses down my spine while I stood naked before him.

  He stood back up and kissed my neck, molding his body against mine, his cock growing hard against my back. He whispered breathlessly into my ear, “Are you sure?” I nodded my head, instantly becoming wet with desire. “Turn around and prove it to me.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, unable to think on my own. All I could do was react to the sound of his voice. My body was aching to be touched, practically trembling underneath him.

  “Turn around and suck me off,” he barked, leaning both of his hands against the wall on either side of me.

  For some reason the commanding tone of his voice was enough to make me hornier than I ever thought possible. Slowly, I turned around and leaned down on my knees. I could feel him staring at me while I undid his pants. I pulled him out and into my mouth without hesitation. He leaned his head back and groaned, automatically becoming stiffer as I sucked him into my mouth.

  Aggressively, I took him in, being careful not to choke on his growing erection. He pushed his hips forward, coaxing me to take in more. Bravely, I complied but with some difficulty. He pulled a hand down and shifted, so he was supporting the weight of his body on one forearm. With the other hand, he rubbed the back of my head in approval as I picked up the pace, running my lips and tongue up and down the shaft.

  “That’s enough,” he said as he pulled himself out of my mouth. “Stand up.” As I rose to my feet, he grabbed me by the chin and forced me into a passionate kiss. I felt limp in his arms as his cock dug into my stomach. “This is your last chance, Adriana. Are you sure?” The strain in his voice was hard to miss. In this moment, I didn’t’ think it was possible for either of us to stop.

  “Yes,” I moaned into his mouth as his fingers found their place between my legs. He pushed in one and then two, teasing an ache deep inside of me. I writhed against him, but he kept me still with the pressure of his body against mine and the wall to my back. When he pulled them out, his fingers were slick as he circled my pulsing clit. “Fuck.” I groaned. My body felt like it was going to shatter into a million pieces.

  In one swift motion, he picked me up by my waist and put me face down on my bed, my ass still in the air. He struggled to pull his pants down further, fumbling with his belt as he yanked them down his thighs. Finally, once he was ready, he dug himself deep inside of me until I was completely filled, letting it rest there for a moment while my muscles adjusted to his sizeable erection.

  “Feel good?” He asked as he circled his hips, his abdomen pressed up against my backside. The pleasure from this long awaited fuck was spectacular. I couldn’t even think, let alone speak coherent words.

  As I gripped the comforter beneath me, he didn’t wait for an answer. He started pounding himself inside of me faster and faster, harder and harder. It was wild. It was primal. It’s exactly what my body wanted from him. Garrett was a big, muscular guy, and I certainly wasn’t a delicate, “love-making” kind of girl. He pulled on my waist to meet the rhythm of each of his blows. Yes, I wanted to fuck him. I wanted this to be carnal and passionate, and with a guttural scream released from my throat, I instantly knew this is exactly what I was getting. He slapped my ass, letting it hang there as he possessively grabbed a handful. I screamed again.

  “Shit, that’s hot,” Garrett groaned. He pushed himself as deep as possible and then ripped himself out, laying his pulsating cock along my back. Come spurted onto me as we were both left gasping for air and relishing in this moment. He climbed off the bed. “Is this the bathroom?”

  Again, he didn’t wait for my answer. He opened the door and retrieved a towel, wiping me clean and then climbing into bed next to me. We both silently stared at one another, wondering and thinking a million different things. Neither of us said them aloud, but finally, Garrett gave me a longing kiss. It was something so heartfelt that it completely changed the dynamic of what we had just done. This was no longer just a fuck. It was no longer a quick hookup before anyone noticed either of us was missing. As his lips pulled away from mine, this became more.

  I wasn’t allowed to dwell on this for too long. The sound of steps came up the wooden staircase, and I leapt out of bed to lock the door. The doorknob shook, and that was followed by a few, hard knocks to the door. It was my mom.

  “Adriana, are you in there?”

  “Yeah, I am,” I called back. A devious look took hold of Garrett’s face. He noiselessly climbed out of bed and stopped when he was in front of me. I gulped, wondering what he was about to do.

  “What are you doing?” She called as I mouthed those same wor
ds to Garrett.

  He picked up one of my legs and threw it over his shoulder. He ran his tongue over my clit, and I struggled with my thoughts. My eyes rolled back in my head, putty in his more than capable hands. “Um, I-I just wanted to go the bathroom for a minute.” I sucked in a breath of air. “I spilled something on my dress.” He reached for my breast and massaged it with his free hand.

  “Just throw something else on. The guests are beginning to leave,” I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but that only made him grip me harder. His tongue expertly maneuvered over the sensitive skin, each nerve screaming and begging for mercy. God, he could drive me crazy if he kept this up. “You should say goodbye to them.”

  I covered a loose scream as a cough, “Okay, Mom, go downstairs. I’ll be down in two minutes.” Her footsteps retreated, but Garrett didn’t. He sucked and licked at my clit until finally I came, digging my nails into his shoulders, just like I’d done at the bar.

  As I fought to catch my breath, he stood to his feet and caressed my cheek. He kissed me hard. I could taste the tangy salt on his tongue. He pulled away, and pressed his forehead to mine, “Give me a second to get dressed. I’ll go downstairs, blend in with the crowd. You come down five minutes after me, so no one suspects anything. I’ll meet you in Philly at your apartment.” None of these things were questions but rather some well laid out plans. All I could do was nod my head in response, unable to argue against a thing he wanted. Truthfully, I’m pretty sure I wanted the same. I couldn’t take the thought of him going back home to his wife…

  I climbed down the stairs in a short black dress with the same blue pumps I was wearing with my earlier outfit. It was the first thing I saw in my closet. My hair was a mess when I looked in the mirror, but there was little I could do about that now. After applying some hairspray and clips, all I could do is pray no one noticed or said anything about it.

  Garrett did a marvelous job at blending in with the crowd. The somewhat awkward man from earlier in the evening was no longer before us. This guy was confident and happy, bumping shoulders with Dennis’s elite guest list. Yes, I was exactly what he needed to put him back on his A-Game. I couldn’t help but feel a little smug about that, knowing Michelle had all but shattered his confidence in the first place.

  Isabel was bragging to one of her many friends about how proud she was of me, being able to make time for her family even while balancing an Ivy League education. I stood before them nodding politely, drifting in and out of the conversation. My mind was on something completely different tonight. I was still wet and thoroughly aware of it.

  “Excuse me, Mrs. Darth,” my mother and I spun around at the same time to spot Garrett who refrained from looking at me; admittedly, it was probably for the best. That alone might be enough to make me spring into round 2…or 3. I wasn’t too sure what the next encounter would qualify as. “Hi, I’m Garrett Holden. We haven’t met yet, but I wanted to say goodnight and thank you before I left for the evening.”

  Isabel touched a hand to her throat, gaping at Garrett in his supreme male glory. She smiled in a way that told me she was interested in him. I cringed. “Mom, maybe you should learn how to blink and say goodnight. You’re being rude.”

  Garrett shot me a knowing smile, worshiping the moment where I showed a hint of secret possessiveness for him. Quickly, he looked back to my mom, “Your home is beautiful. I had a wonderful time.”

  “Garrett Holden?” She asked. He nodded. “As in, from Holden Industries?” She looked at me, examining my expression. “Are you Wesley’s brother?”

  “Yes,” Garrett answered without looking for my expression too, which was a good thing because I’m sure I reacted to the sound of his name. It still did torturous things to my heart. “He’s my younger brother.”

  “Wesley is a good man,” she continued to look at me. We had never talked about why the relationship ended, and I intended on keeping it that way, especially now. “Please tell him I said hello. He hosted an event for us in the past at one of your establishments. It was wonderful.”

  Garrett nodded again. His voice was a little sharper now, “Yes, we try very hard to uphold superior standards for our clients. Thank you again for your business and of course for opening up your home to me.”

  As if my mother remembered how perfectly gorgeous Garrett was, she tore her sight from me and back to him. Her eyes warmed, “You’re welcome here any time. Don’t forget that, Mr. Holden. I rarely do business with strangers, so I’d like it very much if we could get to know each other better in the future.”

  “Goodnight,” he said briefly to my mom with a smile, but then holding my gaze, he walked away and out the front door.

  “Wouldn’t it have been easier for you to just hike up your dress and bend over?” I shot towards my mom. If it was possible for me to turn green, I’m sure I would have.

  She fanned herself with a free hand, staring after the path he had left the home in. She exhaled, “Those Holdens are delectable. Adriana, I don’t understand how you could give something like that up.”

  “I’m holding out for a relationship founded on true love and trust,” I sneered, “but you wouldn’t know anything about that.”

  Refusing to tolerate one more minute in this household, I stormed out to the driveway and climbed into my car, completely aware that I was still a bit drunk. I leaned my head back on the headrest and thought about what I was going to do. Tonight, when I got home, Garrett would be waiting for me. Tonight, we’d no longer be playing some sort of flirtation guessing game. He knew what it was like to be inside of me. There were absolutely no more secrets. Everything was out in the open. Tonight, I’m sure I’d end up in a whole lot of trouble. God, Bethany would be proud. Deciding to chance it, I turned on my car and started my drive towards the city.

  I pulled up in front of my apartment, and the valet took my keys. I ran inside the lobby, completely frozen from the short walk inside. The snow picked up, and I was still in this damn, short, black dress. I was in such a hurry to leave that I never got changed into warmer clothes or grabbed my coat from the closet.

  “Good evening, Ms. Ward,” Jeff, the doorman, greeted.

  I dug into my clutch and pulled out some cash. Jeff looked confused when I handed it to him. I said, “Jeff, you work the night shift, which means you’ve seen me at my absolute worst, and yet you still smile at me and call me ‘Ms. Ward’ every single time, like I’m such a lady.” I waved my hand dramatically in the air. “You deserve to be rewarded for maintaining such professionalism even when dealing with the likes of me.”

  Jeff laughed, shaking his head, he tried to give the money back. “Really, it’s not a big deal. You always make my nights more interesting, Ms. Ward. It’s more of a pleasure than anything else.”

  I spotted Garrett across the lobby, sitting in a chair, clearly undressing me with his eyes. I patted Jeff on the shoulder. “Please, keep the money. The worst has yet to come.”

  With that, I joined Garrett, taking a seat next to him. I was still freezing cold. My legs were covered in goose bumps. He must have noticed that too because he put a hand on each thigh and slowly ran it up and down the exposed skin.

  “You actually came,” I managed to say, despite my distraction.

  “Why wouldn’t I?” He asked, cocking his head to the side. Even though his hands stilled, they remained in place on my legs. “I told you I was coming. I haven’t lied to you yet.”

  “I’m still wrapping my head around all of this,” I answered truthfully. “This still feels like some sort of dream, like none of that stuff really happened.”

  “Oh, it happened,” he smirked, “and I have the scratches on my shoulders to prove it.” My cheeks blushed, and I buried my face into my hands. I still couldn’t understand how he was capable of doing this to me. I did not like giving up control, and he took so much, so easily. “Are you going to invite me up, or do I have to watch you storm up the stairwell again?”

  “Let’s go,” I stood, and he
followed suit.

  As we took the elevator up to my floor, I couldn’t help but notice how impossibly close Garrett was to me. He was standing behind me, hugging me against his body. I fit perfectly within his hold. His hands rested on my thighs, caressing them up and down. Finally, I decided he must be a leg-man. He was obsessed with touching my legs, and I wasn’t complaining one bit. The elevator stopped and let us out on my floor.

  I unlocked the door and pushed it open. Garrett took in my apartment until his eyes settled back to me. “This is a nice place and so close to the Philly bar. That’s convenient for me.” He looked at my dress and the cleavage that was spilling out of it. “Maybe, you can wear that the next time you visit my office.”

  “We should talk,” I said while removing my pumps. My feet relaxed against the flat, wood surface of my floor. “I’m trying to figure out what the fuck all of this means. We just had sex tonight.”

  “Yes and I’d like to do it again since I was feeling a little rushed last time,” I frowned, and he walked towards me, wrapping his arms around my body in a hug. He dipped his head and kissed me. Instantly, I lost all of my senses. How could he do that? “What do you want? Because I want you.”

  “You have a wife and a daughter and a baby on the way,” I said coldly. I swear I could feel his ring on his hand even through the cloth of the dress. “That tends to complicate things.” He didn’t answer. “Are you really done with the marriage? It couldn’t have been that long ago that you loved her. She’s what? Five? Six months pregnant? I can’t imagine you agreeing to have a baby with someone who you were no longer in love with.”

  He nodded but tightened his hold around me. “You’re right. When I agreed to have the second baby, I thought I might still love her. Things were getting better. We were dating again. It was like old times. It was perfect.” It’s crazy. A married man talking about falling back in love with his wife was wrenching at my heart. “Once she found out she was pregnant, things went back to how they used to be. She used me. She fucked with my head, so I’d give her another baby.”