“And you all do these surgeries for free?”
“We do. These countries are all underdeveloped, and access to necessities, such as healthcare, is sometimes next to impossible for the citizens. It’s all privately funded through a panel of donors who prefer to remain anonymous.”
“Wow… that’s extremely generous.”
Our food arrives, and most of the conversation fizzles out while we dig in. I got the caprese salad, while he ordered the chicken parmesan. His smells delicious, and I’m dying for a bite, but after the incident at Nosh last week, it’s smarter for me to stick with this.
About halfway through our meal, the feeling of eyes on me pricks at the hairs on the back of my neck. Doing a quick glance around the room, I don’t see anyone looking at me. It’s probably in my head. Putting my fork down on the plate, I grab my glass, taking another sip. The feeling doesn’t go away like I assume it would, but instead, intensifies.
My gaze darts to Harrison, who smiles at me before returning to his food. Clearly, he doesn’t feel the same set of eyes on him. I’m probably going crazy. Just as the thought crosses my mind, I peer over to the far-left corner, and that’s when I see it. Seehim.
Jules.
I’m surprised the glass doesn’t slip through my fingers and shatter all over the table. I know my eyes bulge when I catch sight of him, sitting at a huge table, surrounded by people who look just as wealthy as he is. He must be at a business meeting or something. What are the fucking odds we’d wind up at the same restaurant?
Fuck! I’ve been doing so well at ignoring him, too.
“Are you okay, Jamie?” Gaze snapping back to Harrison, worry paints his face as he watches me. “You look pale. You feeling okay, babe?”
“Uh…” Swallowing in an attempt to moisturize my dry throat, I set my glass down. “I’m okay. I just need to go to the restroom for a moment. I’ll be back.” My chair scrapes obnoxiously against the hard floor as I push it out, standing up. I don’t wait for a response as I all but run to the bathroom, needing to splash water on my face and calm myself down.
I refuse to glance over at Jules as I pass him, but I feel his eyes following me, nonetheless. They’re heavy and expecting.
Barreling through the bathroom door, I’m thankful to see an empty room. I stop in front of the sink, hands gripping the cool porcelain, while I stare at myself in the mirror. My face is flushed, eyes wide and startled. My pale skin is such a stark contrast against the all-black outfit I have on.
The heavy wooden door opens, and I hear the lock click into place moments beforehismassive form crowds my space. The clean, spicy scent of him circles around me, burying itself deep in my marrow, and when his plush lips brush against the lobe of my ear, a shiver racks through me violently.
“Fancy running into you here, pretty boy.” His bourbon fueled breath brushes across the exposed skin on my neck, causing goosebumps to rise in their wake. “Who’re you with?”
Ignoring the way“pretty boy”gives me a tickle in my stomach, I mutter, “That’s none of your business.”
“Oh, but I think it is,” he purrs into my hair. “Is he a client?”
I meet his gaze in the mirror, our size difference as humorous as it is sexy. I’m all of five foot ten inches on a good day, and a hundred and forty pounds soaking wet. He towers over me. There’s no way he’s any shorter than six foot five. He could probably wrap his hand completely around my neck, and his fingers would touch. He’shuge. It’s hot as hell.
When I don’t answer, a sinister smirk pulls on his lips. “Is he going to fuck you tonight?”
Molten heat pools in my groin as he devours me with his eyes. The question shouldn’t turn me on as much as it does, and I can’t help the way my ass pushes back against him. I suddenly remember the way his lips annihilated me a couple of weeks ago. The way his hands felt twisted up in my hair, on my neck. My eyes slam shut the moment his lips press down on my scorching flesh.
“Open your eyes,” he demands, low and dangerous. “Look. At. Me.”
My icy blues connect with his chocolate browns in the mirror, an inferno raging through my bloodstream. His large hand grips my shoulder, spinning me until we’re face to face. Well, more like face to chest. Lowering his grip to my neck, his fingers force my head up to meet his gaze.
His scrutiny is intimidating and addicting all at once. One second, I want nothing more than to look away, to get his attention off me. But the next, I crave it, never wanting it to stop. Head dipping closer, his lips brush against mine softly, never once pressing down. I breathe him in, dizzy from his proximity. My body is at war with my mind as he continues to crowd my space.
“When he’s inside you tonight, Bodhi, I want you to think ofme.” He licks into my mouth as a shiver works its way down my spine. “When he’s touching you, I want you to imagine it’smetouching you instead.”
Using his ironclad grip on my chin, he turns my head, his teeth nipping at my ear. A whimper falls from my lips, eyes rolling closed. “And when you can’t hold on anymore…” He forces my head forward again, our gaze locked. “When you’re about to come, remember this… I can make you come harder than that. Everything he’s doing, Iassure you, I can do better, pretty boy.”
His words… I feel them like a physical touch on every inch of my skin. I stand there, staring up at him, unmoving.
Then, his lips are on mine in a kiss that might as well be an out-of-body experience as mine part for him automatically. The way his tongue tangles with mine, teeth nipping into my bottom lip, even the way his nails dig into my neck… it’s everywhere. My body melts into his touch, head fuzzy, unable to think about anything other than the feel of him against me and the taste of him in my mouth.
And it’s over before it even begins. He leaves me there, with wobbly legs and bruised lips. The scent of him the only indication that he was ever actually in the bathroom with me. Pressing my fingers to my lips, I turn toward the mirror, looking as disheveled as I feel. With a quick splash of cold water to the face, I head back out to Harrison, praying like hell he doesn’t notice anything is up and we’re able to finish dinner with no issue.
******
“Can I get you anything to drink? Water? Some wine?”
