Page 39 of Empowered
He extended his hand to help me off the floor. Pulling me close to him and wrapping his arms around my body, he said, “Your inspiration has inspired me. Undress and get on the bed.”
I giggled playfully. “Happy to play a role in you ‘paying it forward.’”
He backed me up to the bed. “I’ll show you howcharitableI can be.”
“I wouldn’t mind a demonstration,” I said, slipping my dress down my body and discarding it onto the floor. I turned to climb ontoourbed.
“Prepare yourself for the show of your life.” He smacked my ass cheek hard before lowering his head between my legs.
Chapter XXIII
Amelia
“Everyone’s here,” Shyam said.
“I just need five more minutes.” I smiled apologetically, still fussing over my hair in the bathroom mirror.
“Okay. Meet us down there when you’re ready.” He gave me a kiss on my cheek before shutting the bedroom door.
Jai and I had successfully convinced him to have a dinner at the house with a few of his men. He had frowned against having more of them in attendance when I pressed him—something about them being “too lewd to attend a dinner party.” I think it was more about him not trusting them around any woman he was dating because he was madly overprotective.
I compromised and asked if we could just have a small dinner with Saran, Javed, and Zayn to thank them for coming to rescue me. I hadn’t seen Zayn since the day of the wedding, and I also wanted to apologize for breaking his trust when I left the car despite his warning.
I fluffed my hair up one last time and applied a coat of lip gloss to my lips. The scar on my face was completely unnoticeable now, and I had put on the few extra pounds I needed, which made my cheeks seem fuller. The pallor of my skin was no longer there, and I looked healthier. Healthy and happy. Definitely happy.
How could I possibly have been miserable after spending all night making love to the man that I loved? Things were amazing between us. There was an openness and honesty that had never been there before. We talked about everything over dinners and in the wee hours of the night between sex sessions. He told me of his childhood with Jai and stories about his parents. I shared stories about growing up in Seattle and my awkward adolescence.
The only thing we hadn’t discussed yet was the future. Honestly, I was nervous to broach the topic. We had finally reached a great place and I didn’t want to mess it up. He didn’t react well to neediness, and I didn’t want to come off as a naggy girlfriend.
I turned off the bathroom light and slipped on my shoes before heading out of the room.
The guys were all gathered in the sitting area adjacent to the dining room. Watching these strong, strapping men all sitting around with tumblers of liquor in hand did something to me. It was a sexy sight to witness. And knowing that the most powerful one of them all was all mine was enough to make my thighs squeeze together to ease the resulting pressure.
Shyam noticed me and came to my side. “Jaan.You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” I blushed and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.
The other men followed suit, rising from their seats. Jai approached me first and kissed my cheek. “Hey, neighbor.”
“Long time, no see!” I joked. Jai lived in the same house but stayed in a private apartment of his own on the opposite end of the estate. I ran into him around the house when he was working with Shyam and sometimes had lunch with him. For the most part, he preferred the privacy of his own apartment to enjoy his bachelor life without disturbing his brother. I never saw any of the women he brought home, but I overheard the maids talk in broken English about how easy they were and how they constantly had to clean up underwear and condoms from his private pool.Yuck! I didn’t want a visual of Jai in some sort of wild orgy, but the man could charm the pants off anyone.
Javed and Saran both greeted me with handshakes and commented on how well I looked. I thanked them for coming all this way to help me.
Zayn approached me and wrapped his arms around me in a big bear hug. His embrace was caring and full of emotion, like that of a sibling. “You look great.”
I let go of him and stood back, grinning. “Thanks.”
“Shyam taking good care of you?” he asked, resting a hand on my shoulder.
From my periphery, I eyed Shyam, who kept his eyes on me cautiously. I nudged his arm with my elbow. “Too good.” He was jealous of any guy who touched me, even if they were practically his family.
“You’re behaving yourself?” Zayn smirked.
I scrunched up my nose, embarrassed by the trouble I had caused everyone. “About that. I’m really sorry for not listening to you that day.”
All four men stood silently staring at me as I spoke, making me feel even more on the spot. I wouldn’t have blamed them for hating me for the shit I had put them through. My armpits were sweaty, but I continued with my apology.
“I was stupid and stubborn, and I really regret putting everyone at risk,” I said as I looked around and addressed each of them.
