Because of His Name (3 page)

“Not at all,” he said, as he finished pouring
the tonic, even slicing a lemon wedge and putting it into the glass.
 
He took a quick sip as she stood
awkwardly and watched him.
 
“Is
anything wrong with you?” he said.

“No, I just—“

I
thought you were going to fuck me, and you didn’t.

His eyebrows rose expectantly.
 
“Just what?”

“Nothing,” she said, looking away.
 
“Could I use the bathroom for a moment?”

“Of course,” he said.
 
“It’s off to the side of the bedroom
through there,” he said, pointing to a large door.
 

Grace walked into the bedroom, which was
surprisingly neat.
 
Untouched, as if
nobody had slept there.
 
Perhaps he
hadn’t intended to actually use the room, or maybe the housekeepers had been in
and fixed it up since the morning.

The room was large, ornate, with a big
old-fashioned canopy bed, fireplace, and a large sofa and chairs.
 
She walked past all of that and into the
bathroom, which was sparkling clean and full of marble.

She’d never been in a room like this in
all of her life.
 
It was
intimidating, just using the faucet to splash some water on her face.
 
Looking at herself in the mirror, Grace
was surprised to find that her appearance wasn’t quite as ragged and unkempt as
she felt.

Her dress was black, which helped, and
once she’d spent a few seconds straightening it and smoothing it, the dress
looked no worse of wear.
 
And then
Grace pulled her hair back into a ponytail with a hair tie, wiped her face off
with a hand towel and then gave a quick smile to see how she looked.

Everything’s
okay.
 
Just pretend you’re fine and leave, and you’ll forget this ever
happened.

At
least you didn’t technically fuck, even if you came pretty close.

Speaking of coming close, he hadn’t
finished.
 
After her orgasm, Liam
had just stopped as though something was wrong.
 
Had she turned him off somehow?

Grace shook her head while looking at
herself in the mirror.

You
knew this was a bad idea.
 
Well, now
you feel like shit.
 
Happy?

She wasn’t happy.
 
She was confused and ruffled from
everything that had happened in such a short time.
 

But whatever it was, it was clearly over.

Walking back out into the main suite,
Grace found Liam still drinking his gin and tonic and talking on the phone to
someone.

“…
have
the money
ready for tomorrow,” he was saying, as she picked up on the conversation.
 
“No, not even close,” he said into the
phone, responding to his unknown caller.
 
“But my boy will be ready for anything he’s got, and you can tell him
that.”
 
Liam laughed, and it sent a
dagger into her chest.
 
He was fine,
just doing his rich playboy thing, while she felt used and empty.

Whatever.
 
It’s done.
 
Now get out of here before he’s forced
to make up some awkward excuse to assist in convincing you to leave.

Grace started for the door, not bothering
to wave as she left.
 
What was the
point?
 
She wasn’t the type to
beg—at least, she hadn’t been until tonight.

“Hey,” Liam called out.

She kept walking.
 
At the door, she put her hand on the
knob and started to turn it.

“Grace,” Liam said.
 
“What’re you doing?”

Grace turned her head slightly.
 
“Isn’t it obvious what I’m doing?”

“Listen, I have to call you back,” Liam
said into his phone and then put it away.
 
“I didn’t know you were just going to take off like a bat out of hell.”
 
He said, walking close to her now, still
holding his drink.

She turned and could hardly meet his
gaze.
 
“Well I don’t feel much like
drinking.
 
And you seem pretty
busy.”

Liam smiled a little, but his eyes were
confused.
 
“Why are you so uptight?”

“I’m not uptight.
 
Was I uptight a few minutes ago when you
had your hand in between my legs?”

“Not so much,” he said, grinning.
 
“But now you’re different.”

“So are you.”
 
She glared at him, challenging him to be
honest.

He sighed, swirling his drink.
 
“Look,” he said, “I want you to stay the
night with me.”

Grace caught her breath, surprised that
he was thinking that—let alone saying it.
 
“You want me to sleep over?
 
In the room with you?”

“Yeah, that’s usually what the phrase
“stay the night” means,” Liam laughed.
 
His smile faded and his cool blue eyes intensified.
 
“Come on,” he said.
 
“Have a drink and stay awhile.”

She was relieved, but hated to admit
it.
 
She’d been preparing herself
for the big kiss-off, the excuses—the pretense that he would call her
when they both knew he never would.
 

“Okay, I guess I can stay a little
longer.
 
I don’t know about staying
the night.”

“Fine,” Liam said, nodding and returning
to the bar.
 
“But the least you can
do is let me make you my famous G&T.”

“I really don’t like hard liquor,” she
said.
 
“Sometimes I’ll have a beer
or a glass of wine—“

“Yeah, but you’ve never had my special
G&T.”
 
He was already behind the
bar, mixing away.

Grace laughed, allowing her shoulders to
drop a little.
 

He’s
so fucking cute and sexy and he knows it.
 
It’s like he can turn it on and off, and I don’t even care.
 
I really just want him to fuck me.

 
It was almost frightening how strongly attracted
she was to him.
 
He’d known exactly
where and how to touch her body, and even just the memory of his hands on her
was making her excited all over again.

She approached the bar and watched as he
sliced the lemon and dropped the wedge into the glass, before finally sliding
it over to her.
 

“Thanks,” she said, wetting her lips and
hoping she could at least gulp it once or twice without retching.
 
But when she tasted it, Grace was
surprised that it was smooth and refreshing.
 
The alcohol taste was strong, but not
overpowering or gross.

“Admit that it’s amazing,” he said.

“It’s not bad,” she said, drinking
more.
 

Liam cracked his knuckles and gave her a
wink.
 
“You’re funny,” he told her.

“What a compliment.”
 
Grace took another sip and made a face.

“No, I mean it in a good way.
 
You have this tough girl act going, but
I can see the other side of you and it’s cute.”
 
He came around the bar and leaned on it
next to her.

She gave him a sidelong glance.
 
Maybe it was the alcohol, but suddenly
she felt less afraid of him.
 
“What
about you?” she asked.

“What about me?” he said, cocking his
head slightly.

“Is this the only side of you?
 
Are you really this happy-go-lucky guy
you seem like right now?”

He shrugged.
 
“I wouldn’t say that.
 
But I’m not miserable either.”

She found herself lingering on his face,
and those blue eyes.
 
His brown hair
was mussed but sexy, his jawline strong and chiseled.
 
He had the looks of what royalty was
supposed to look like in the movies.
 
But he was all too real.
 
“I
think you’ve got problems,” she said, smirking and taking another long sip.

“Problems?” he smirked.
 
“Please do go on, Grace.”

“I think you like to play games.”

One of his eyebrows arched.
 
“Said one game player to the other.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head.
 
“I’m not a game player.
 
I’m the pawn.
 
I get moved around on the chess board
and then sacrificed for a better piece.”

“That’s no way to talk about yourself.”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?” she asked,
feeling suddenly emotional.
 
“I’m
just here at your disposal.
 
You
could send me away and I’d leave.
 
I’m not important enough to matter.”

“That’s not true,” he said.

She stared at the glass in her hand.
 
“I think this is getting me drunk,” she
said, putting it down on the bar.

“Grace,” Liam said, putting a hand on her
hip.
 
“Would you come lay down with
me in the bedroom?”

She sighed.
 
“Of course I will.”

***

How could she keep this forever in her
memory?

In the darkness, Liam held her.
 
She was naked, completely.
 
His hands slid all over her skin,
touching so expertly, tantalizing her with every little contact he made.
 

His lips on her neck, and the feel of his
breath
on her skin.

The wetness between her legs.

“Oh, God.
 
I’m coming,” she said, and his hand was
between her legs too, his fingers spreading her open, pushing into her, sliding
in, touching her deeply.

And then his mouth on her mouth.

“Fuck me,” she said again.

“Not yet.”
 

His words in the darkness, teasing her,
seducing her.
 
She was spinning, just drunk enough to
stop caring about what she’d think tomorrow.

Inhibitions gone.
 
All that was left was the need, the
want, the knowing what he could give her if only he’d just do it already.

“Please, Liam,” she gasped, as he sucked on
her nipple, so sweet and perfect.

“Patience,” he said, and then there was a
soft piece of cloth around her wrists, as he pulled her onto her back on the
bed.

“What are you doing?”

“Having my way with you,” he said,
chuckling a little as he tied her wrists together and then she felt herself
being bound to one of the posts of the bed.

It was dark, so dark she could only see
shadows in the room.
 
She was tied
up, and her nipples were stiff and sore and rigid.
 
Her pussy was slathered with her own
juices.
 
Her legs were spread and
she was moaning softly.

He’s
totally owned me.
 
He’s taken me
apart somehow.

How exactly had he done it?
 
She still couldn’t say.

But somehow he’d managed it, made it look
too easy, and now she was completely stripped in every way, and all of her
defenses were shattered.

“I just want your cock inside me,” she
told him.

“Soon,” he whispered, and then he licked
between her breasts, teasing around her nipples, before kissing down to her
stomach.

Her legs kicked as he tickled her
slightly.
 
“Liam!” she cried out.

But then he was licking down further,
right to the top of her pussy, and it felt so good that she was bucking her
hips, completely out of control.

Fuck,
I’m coming again
, she
thought, ashamed of her own inability to hold out.

She’d had three or four orgasms.
 
They were intense and she was losing
track of how many she’d even had.
 
She was losing track of just about everything.

His mouth was on her, his tongue on her
clit, and he was sucking her juices into his mouth, tasting all of her.

His hands gripped her buttocks firmly as
he lifted her off the bed slightly and sucked her pussy.

Grace was calling out, crying
out—needing him more.
 
She
needed all of him now.