Attainment (The Temptation Series) (10 page)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

A few weeks after jumping Alexis’ Chelsea-hurdle, she is
nearly back to her old self. I couldn’t be happier. Although, she has been
hitting the gym quite hard, and as much as I don’t like seeing her treat her
body so harshly, I figure it’s best to stay out of it. I don’t want to dampen
her improving mood.

Standing at the window in my office, looking out onto the
balcony to where she is utilising the weight machine, my dick throbs in
anticipating agony. I’m almost at the point of having to go knock the top off of
it just to get some relief. I desperately want to be inside her, having not
made love to her for nearly four weeks due to her post birth healing.

I suck in a breath and growl like a friggin’ bear as I watch
her legs open and close, her abductor muscles flexing and taunting me. Right
now I wish they were closing and clenching around my head while I taste her
sweet pussy, followed by them tightening and clamping around my hips as I fuck
her senseless.
Jesus, fucking Christ!

Adjusting my raging hard-on, I shuffle to get some relief,
but my relief is short lived. She stands up then grabs her towel and bottle of
water, and I watch with perverted delight as she drags the towel across her
forehead, over her face and down her neck. I’ve never wanted to be a towel so
much in my bloody life.

She presses her drink bottle to her lips and tilts her head
back, gulping the water and quenching her thirst. A little bit of the water
misses her mouth and travels down her chin to fall on her chest and down in
between her breasts. Now, I want nothing more than to be that droplet of water.
Fuck! I need her.

Stalking her like she is prey I’m about to devour, I walk
along the windows to my office, not taking my eyes from her mouth-watering
form. My dick seems to have a mind of his own, escalating his request to
explore her depths. And believe me, I’m more than inclined to grant his ardent
appeal.

She turns, bends over, and places her water and towel back
onto the ground. And I can’t help but pause my pacing of the window to stare at
her arse which is primed and in position for me to grab hold of. I’m completely
done for—Cock-stunned and fuck-ready.

“That’s it!” I groan.

Eagerly striding toward the door which leads into the
apartment, I’m halted with the ring of my phone.

“What now?” I growl at the plastic telecommunication device
from hell; the bane of my existence.

Walking back to my desk, I hit the speaker button and bark
like a vicious animal. “What?”

“Bryce, sorry, have I caught you at a bad time. Is
everything alright?” Arthur asks, concern manifesting in his voice.

How this man finds the most inappropriate times to interrupt
never ceases to amaze me.

“Yes, Arthur, everything is fine. But I am in the middle of
something,” I say through gritted teeth as I watch Alexis now performing knee
raises on the Power Tower.

Her gaze travels to my window and she struggles a smile as
she strains to lift her legs.

I smile back.

“I’m sorry, but this can’t wait. There has been an incident
downstairs on the casino floor.”

Eyes still trained on Alexis, I watch as she blows me a
kiss.
Fuck!

I drop my head back and close my eyes in heated frustration.
“What kind of incident?”

“Armed hold up at one of the cashier booths, Sir.”

 Breathing in deeply, I turn around and take a seat at my
desk. “Which one?” I ask, as I access the casino’s security feed through my
laptop.

“Booth six. Dale has the assailant in the holding cell, and
the police on their way.”

I find the security files for Cashier Booth Six. “How long
ago did this happen?”

“Approximately five to seven minutes.”

I click on the file date-stamped eight minutes ago and begin
to watch the feed. Not before long, I notice an agitated Caucasian male pointing
a hand pistol at Selena; one of my long-term employees. Selena is a 54 year-old
mother of three and has been working for me for over twelve years.

“Shit! Is Selena okay?” I ask, running my hands through my
hair.

“She’s a little shaken, but she’s fine.”

“How the hell did this creep go unnoticed?” I question,
furious that our state of the art facial recognition software and highly
trained security officers were unable to prevent this attack.

“I don’t have all the details yet, but obviously we will
have to review the entire event. Dale is waiting for you in the cell, but if
you are busy—“

“No, I’ll be there. Just give me minute.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

I hang up from Arthur and drop my head in my hands.

“Is everything alright?” Alexis asks as she makes her way
toward my desk with Brayden against her chest.

The sight of both them rips my aggravation away like tearing
off a Band-Aid.

“Yes, everything is fine. But I have to head downstairs for
a moment. There was an armed hold-up on the casino floor.”

“Shit! Is everyone okay? God! Nobody got hurt, did they?”

Putting my arms out, I indicate I want to cuddle my son, and
Alexis obligingly hands Brayden over to me. The mixture of his pure baby-smell
and the soft scent of Alexis’ perfume, has me feeling at peace once again.

I sigh a little and answer to put her at ease. “Selena, the
cashier who bore the brunt of his threat is apparently a little shaken. I want
to go and see if she is alright and gather a few more details as to how this
happened.”

“Of course, I’ll cancel my afternoon with—“

“No, don’t do that. You deserve an afternoon of pampering
with your friends. It’s long overdue.”

“It’s okay. It’s only hair, massage, and some waxing. It
really isn’t that important.”

“Hunny,” I say, as I touch the side of her face. “You’re
going. I promise this won’t take long. And anyway, I’m looking forward to a bit
of just-me-and-the-kids-time.”

The buzzer to the door sounds, interrupting us.

A huge smile covers her face. “You are, are you?”

Instantly, I sense her smile and tone of voice holds hidden
meaning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She takes Brayden from me and, like always, the feeling of
loss is unpleasant.

“Nothing,” she replies, clearly full of shit.

I would’ve interrogated her further, but she opens the door
to my office and is nearly thrown back by a massive bunch of baby-blue and
white balloons.

Lil—the bearer of those balloons—awkwardly stumbles through
the door. “Hello, congratulations! Let me see, let me see,” she squawks while
letting go of the helium filled bunch she is holding.

The balloons hit the roof and bob around.

Following Lil through the door is Carly, Jade, and Steph,
who is holding a big green dinosaur and a bunch of flowers. They all gather
around Alexis and Brayden and coo at my little man like he is the most adorable
sight to be seen. Well...I can’t really blame them...he is.

Smiling, I shake my head and get ready to head out the door.

“Where’s Tash?” Alexis asks, disappointment appearing across
her face. “Don’t tell me she can’t make it.”

The girls all laugh, except for Lil who just rolls her eyes
and places her hands on her hips. “She refused to ride in the elevator with the
balloons,” Lil deadpans.

Alexis looks to the roof and cracks up laughing. “Oh yeah...I
forgot she has a phobia of balloons. Funniest thing ever.”

Phobias are far from the ‘funniest things ever’, I should
know. But balloons? Yeah, that is pretty amusing.

Just as I’m about to kiss Alexis and Brayden goodbye, Tash
enters the room and gives the spot where the balloons have rested against the
roof a very wide birth while eyeing them suspiciously. “Keep those fuckers away
from me. I swear, Lil, if you pull the shit you just pulled downstairs with
those evil things again, I will cut you. I’m not kidding.”

“That’s my cue to leave,” I announce. “I’ll be back soon.”

I kiss Alexis and Brayden goodbye and then head out of the
room. As I’m walking to the elevator, I hear Alexis ask what shit Lil pulled.

“She locked Tash in the car with them,” Steph explains. “It
was hilarious.”

“Yeah, ha ha...very funny,” Tash responds. “I’m scarred for
freakin’ life.”

I smile and shake my head, but soon frown at the thought of
being locked in the car with a clown. That shit is just not funny.

***

After spending a little time with Selena and praising her
for staying calm and following protocol, I reaffirm that she was at all times safe
by reminding her that all cashier booths are bullet proof. But regardless of
her now settled nerves, I choose to send Selena home on extended leave and
organise some counselling for her. Despite the fact it is company policy, I
want her to be well looked after.

I’m then briefed by Dale—my head of security—that the
assailant is a desperate drug user and not the sharpest tool in the shed. I
make it very clear that I want a full rundown of exactly how a shady
character—looking the way the dickheads looks—got into the casino in the first
place and then leave Dale to handle the aftermath with the police.

***

Opening the door to my apartment, I find Alexis
breastfeeding Brayden while sitting around the lounge with her friends.

“I swear, I shot milk a good metre away,” Steph says
proudly.

“Yeah, well I could write Jade on the shower screen,” Jade
explains as she grabs at her breasts and mimics the lettering of J.a.d.e.

What. The. Fuck?

“Yuck! You two are disgusting. I’m not having kids for that
reason alone. No one should be able to write their name with liquid from their
boobs,” Carly interjects.

I tend to agree with her.

“Oh grow up,” Lil grumbles. “When you have that much milk in
your ducts, you can’t help it. It just squirts out.”

Feeling the need to end this conversation before I hear
something I will never be able to wipe from my memory bank, I make it known
that I am standing in the room. “Ladies, sorry I took so long.”

I head over to Alexis, kiss her forehead, then cup Brayden’s
head in my hand and rub his earlobe with my thumb. Hearing what sounds like a
loving sigh, I look up to find Steph staring at me all dreamy, like a bloody schoolgirl.
I give her an awkward smile just as Jade elbows her in the ribs.

“Here you go, Daddy,” Alexis says, handing me my very
milk-groggy son. “He needs to burp and he also needs his nappy changed. I
should only be gone for three hours. Ring me if you need anything and I’ll come
straight up. If he happens to get hungry again or I’m running a little late
there’s backup milk that I’ve expressed in a bottle in the fridge. He’s got a
little nappy rash, so don’t forget the cream and—“

“Go!” I demand, kissing her worried face and stopping her
rant. “We’ll be fine. Won’t we, Bray?” I ask, giving him a fist-bump. “Go and enjoy
yourselves.”

“Bye kids,” Alexis calls out, Nate and Charli reciprocating their
acknowledgement by shouting back.

Carly links her arm around Alexis’ and practically drags her
to the front door, Tash giving her arse little smacks on the way there. I’m
momentarily jealous, wanting to be the one giving her arse small smacks, not only
with my hand but with my hips and...

Brayden’s little cry snaps me out of my light bondage
fantasy of Alexis. “Shit! Burp, that’s right,” I murmur to myself. “Sorry,
buddy.”

I drape the burping cloth over my shoulder and hoist him up
gently, patting his back as I walk upstairs toward his nursery. Seconds later,
he lets out a noise that I’m fairly sure was not solely a burp.

“That did not sound good, Bray,” I state, a little
concerned. “That sounded wet.”

Passing Charli’s bedroom, I find her lying on her stomach on
the floor, colouring in. “Hey, Charlotte. What you doin’?”

“Drawing Addison a best friend picture. Do you like it?” she
asks, holding up a pink piece of paper covered in girly pictures and sparkly
shit.

“Yeah, it’s...girly.”

Charlotte giggles. “Of course it’s girly, silly. Addison is
a girl. I can’t give her a boy picture.”

As per usual, the little lady is correct.

“No you can’t,” I say with a smile as I turn and head toward
Brayden’s nursery.

“Um...Bryce?”

“Yeah,” I call back, twisting around.

Charlotte screws up her face and points toward me. “You have
baby spew on your back.”

I twist further and catch a glimpse of a white trail down my
shirt. “Gee...thanks, Brayden, just what Daddy has always wanted. Come on,
looks like we are both getting changed.”

I walk back out of the room.

“Can I help?” Charlotte calls out.

“Sure.”

We enter the nursery, and I automatically smile at the Space
theme Alexis and I agreed on. Stepping in here reminds me a little of being in
the Observatory. Painted on the walls and roof are constellations, planets and
spaceships. Okay, so the spaceships don’t remind me of the Observatory but the
rest does.

Right before I lay Brayden down on the change table, he lets
one rip, except like the burp beforehand, it sounds incredibly wet.

“Please don’t tell me you did what I think you just did?” I
groan.

He grunts a little, reinforcing that, yes...he did.

“Err, what’s that smell?” Charli whines, pinching her
nostrils.

“What do you think it is?” I ask, not really requiring an
answer.

“Brayden, did you just do poo poo in your nappy?” Still
pinching her nostrils, Charlotte drops her head close to his face. “Poo poo is
for the potty.”

He widens his eyes at her closeness, seemingly to adjust his
tiny vision.

“He’s a bit young for the potty, Charlotte.”

“Starlight’s a baby and she uses the potty.”

Who the fuck is Starlight?

I look at her a little perplexed. “Who’s Starlight?”