Player in Paradise (15 page)

“I like this new Olivia….taking risks, living on the edge!” he teases back, jogging ahead of me.

It’s not my first time in one of these places, but Austin is making me crack up over every little thing, pulling giant dildos off the shelf and edible thong underwear for men. Or maybe it’s because I’m still drunk that I’m finding everything hilarious. The staff keeps eyeing us, but I’m not sure if it’s because they recognize Austin or because we’re being a nuisance.

Austin holds up a pair of red fuzzy handcuffs. “We’re
definitely getting these.”

I squint back at him.
“Is that so?”

He nods a
nd brings them to the register, along with a few other goodies we found on the shelves. I’m eager to leave the store and get back to the hotel to try out our new purchases.

I run through the
hotel doors and laugh loudly as Austin follows with the brown bag of toys in his arms.

As soon as the eleva
tor shuts I’m on him like Velcro. My lips can’t press hard enough and my fingers can’t touch deep enough. I unbuckle his belt and slide my hand down the front of his jeans, caressing his erection.

The elevator opens and I tug at his shirt to lead him out. We rush to the room and Austin enters first, grabbing the tequila off the counter and taking a swig straight from the bottle. He holds it over
my mouth next, pouring it from above. I swallow it down and remove his belt through the loops, tossing it to the floor.

“Fuck, you’re hot,” Austin growls, unbuttoning his shirt. “Remind me to get you liquored up more often.”

I slide my dress over my head and stand in front of him in my matching black bra and panties. Searching through the brown bag, I pull out the red fuzzy cuffs. “You’re in trouble now.”

Austin grins before running away. He jumps over the sofa and escapes my atte
mpts to capture him. Sticking out his tongue, he taunts me to come closer. I inch my way over only to have him tackle me to the floor. As we roll around the carpet, he tickles me to the point of near hyperventilation, until I finally pin him to the ground. Did he let me win the rumble? Possibly, but I still act like I’m the victor as I sit on top of his waist and hold his shoulders to the ground.

With a quick flick of
my hand, I attach one of the handcuffs to his wrist and drag him up off the floor with me.

“You taking me to prison?” he asks.

“Maybe.”

“Can I get one last drink while I’m still a free man?”

I nod and grab the bottle. “Sit.”

He perches himself
on the edge of the bed and I pour the alcohol for him. I’m not as precise and miss his mouth a little, but lick up the excess around his lips. I hastily unzip his jeans and slide them down his legs. I immediately grab for his package, teasing him through his soft cotton boxer briefs.

Pushing him toward the headboard, I grab the other handcuff and click it around the bed post behind us. “Now you’re mine.”

“I’ve been yours,” he says under his breath before lifting his head to kiss me. “All yours.”

I stare at him from above. His eyes search mine and
he smiles. “So what are you going to do with me now, boss?”

I grab the brown bag, searc
hing for something else intriguing. Extracting the small bottle of pink liquid, I unscrew the cap and slowly pour the smooth substance onto his chest. It smells like sweet strawberry.

Austin closes his eyes as I massage the oil into his muscles. Leaning closer, I breathe
out heavily onto his slicked up skin.

He squirms under my body weight and grins. “It’s getting warmer
when you do that,” he says.

I rub the
oil onto his neck and blow close to his ear. He shivers and bites his bottom lip. “Mmm, I like that.”

I reach into the bag again,
pulling out a blindfold. He allows me to cover his eyes with the satiny fabric. “No peeking,” I instruct.

I move my lips down his chest, tasting the
sweet berry flavor and warm up his body along the way. When I reach the elastic band of his boxers, I slowly peel them down, letting him free. Squeezing a few drops of the oil in my hand, I move my fingers gently down his shaft. His hips flex forward and he bites his lip again.

I exhale deeply onto his area, causing the warming se
nsation to go into full effect before enveloping my lips around him. He moans loudly and the bed shakes as he strains against the handcuff.

It’s not long before
he’s wriggled his hand free from the loose cuff. He slides the mask up his face so that it acts as a headband, pushing his hair up and over the edge, and swiftly lifts his upper body off the mattress to hold my head in his hands. “As much as I love you taking control, I can’t fucking wait a minute longer to be inside you.”

He flips me over and slides
my bra off with ease. His smooth body glides against mine and the friction causes the warming chemical to react. There’s so much heat between us that I’m ready to catch fire.

He grabs my face again and pulls my hair, moving my lips
closer to his. His teeth graze my bottom lip with a pinch, then a pull. I slide off my panties as fast as I can and scrape my nails against his back.

He quickly
rolls on a condom before entering me and muffles my screams with another forceful kiss as he slams his body into mine again and again. Throwing my legs over his shoulders, he dives even deeper than before. He grabs for my breast and squeezes my nipple hard. Ecstasy; I am living the definition of ecstasy right this second.

The further he thrusts, the better it feels. I dig my nails into his glistening skin and am overcome with one of the most intense orgasms I’ve ever ha
d. He soon follows and lands on top of me in a hot, sticky, strawberry heap.

As we catch our breath, he turns to the side and looks into my eyes.
“I love you, Olivia.”

A smile drags across my face and I kiss him quick.
“I love you too.”

I push the blindfold off his head and twirl my fingers in his damp hair until we both pass out
, watching the sun rise out the window.

My head feels like it’s been pounded against a brick wall, the sheets are stuck to my body
, and my hip itches like hell.

“What the fuck did we do last night?” Austin asks, twirling the fuzzy handcuffs above his head.

I try to answer, but my throat feels like I just swallowed glass. Austin hands me a bottle of water from the nightstand. I glance around the room to find clothes and shoes strewn about, and numerous bottles of alcohol on the floor. I take a few sips of water before I’m able to speak. “I dunno, but it sure looks like we had fun.”

Austin lifts the covers.
“Holy shit.”

“What?”
I scream, expecting there to be something gruesome underneath.

“You have a tat
too!”

I
do? I could have sworn I dreamed that. I lift the sheets and slowly peel the bandage off my hip, studying the tiny black lines in the shape of a seashell. Thank God I didn’t get Austin’s name on my body.

“Does it look good?” I ask.

Austin nods. “Yeah, it’s fucking hot.”

“I don’t feel so hot right now.” More like a hot mess. My hair is stuck to my face and when I rub my eyes, black eyeliner rubs off onto the back of my hands.

“I’d still do you,” he states. What a hornball.

I try to sit up, but the room begins to spin as I lift my head of
f the pillow. I turn over and see that Austin’s not in much better shape than me. He grabs his sunglasses off the nightstand and slips them on.

“Stay here, I’ll get us some coffee.”

I nod and curl back under the blanket as he steps into a pair of jeans and throws on a wrinkled t-shirt from the floor. I squint at the clock across the room – it’s 1:00 PM. Will I recover enough to make it on our flight back to Los Angeles tonight?

I spot my purse on the couch near the door and wish I could magically teleport my cell phone from the bag to my hand. Hangovers are cruel punishment for having a good time. I just wish I could remember more of what happened. I close my eyes and press my fingers to my temples, searching my brain for any memories.

There’s the club…I remember that sketchy dude asking Austin if he wanted to get high. There were boobies, lots of boobies in that room…oh, and Austin giving me a professional stripper-worthy lap dance, but everything else gets a little fuzzy from there.

Austin comes back with two large cups of coffee and some pastries. I want to eat, but I feel sick to my stomach.

“Here.” He hands me the coffee and I take a sip. He sits up against the headboard next to me and wraps his arm behind my shoulders. “I feel like shit too.”

Laughing, I nuzzle my face into his chest. Why can’t it always be like this? Why can’t it just be easy? I hate sneaking around and lying to people…it’s just not me.

“Do we have to go back tonight?” Austin asks. Is he reading my mind now?

I take another sip of coffee and answer him.
“Unfortunately.”

“Well, I’m glad I got to pop your NYC cherry.”

“Me too. I definitely enjoyed it. How do you know so much about the city anyway?”

“I used to live here,
” he responds.

“I thought you were from the South.”

“I am…” He sighs and pulls me closer. “When I was taken away from my mom, the state agency could only find one living relative that met their criteria, and he lived in Queens. He’s a distant cousin who didn’t really care much about me, but he wanted the money that the agency would provide to take care of me. I’m pretty sure he used it all for drugs, and I ended up hanging out on the streets most of the time. I met some interesting people here… We used to hang in that back room at Electricity. That’s actually where I got discovered. I was only sixteen, but I looked older. A talent scout found me there one night and brought me to her agency the next day. They signed me on the spot. I honestly can’t believe it’s been seven years since then.”

“What about your cousin?” I ask.
“Why didn’t we meet up with him while we were in town?”

“He’s scum. He didn’t give two shits about me, but as soon as I started modeling and bringing in some cash he tried to
be my best friend. I don’t know why he would think I would trust him…”

“I’m sorry
, that sucks.”

“It’
s alright. It took a long time for him to stop contacting me, but he finally did. I don’t know if he’s dead or alive, and I really don’t care. I’m better off without him, even if he is technically family.”

“Thank you for confiding in me
; I know it must not be easy.” My heart aches for him. It’s no wonder he’s afraid to let anyone in. But the fact that he’s sharing this information proves to me that he loves me, whether he realizes it or not. I want to tell him that I love him. I want him to hear those words from someone who truly wants to be there for him. I feel like I dreamed about confessing my love to him last night. Or maybe it was real…I can’t be certain, and I don’t want to bring it up.

He tilts his head down into my hair and breathes in softly, intertwining his fingers in my bed-head curls. “Just promise not to leave me,” he whispers.

“I promise.”

We land at LAX at midnight with minimal paparazzi around. Cassidy took a separate flight and I haven’t heard from her or Priscilla all day. I’m
not sure if that’s a good sign, or if it might mean that Tyler didn’t do his job yet. Austin and I go our separate ways once we’re outside.

I text him throughout the next day asking if he’s heard from Cassidy, but he says she’s been silent. This isn’t going as planned…I didn’t want to have to send the photo out to the press. Especially since it’s not incredibly incriminating, they just look very friendly.

Austin calls me as I’m driving home after work. “I think something’s about to go down.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your boss called me in for an emergency meeting at 9AM tomorrow morning.”

I want to die. “She did what?”

“Yeah…just giving you a heads up. I have no idea what it’s about.”

“Thanks, I’ll make sure to be in the office.”

“Whatever she has to say, I’ll take care of it.”

“Ok
ay.” I want to cry or throw up, or both.

“Seriously, you’ll be fine.”

Can he hear the tears in my voice? “Okay.”

“
I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night, babe.”

“Night.”

An emergency meeting? That does not sound good at all. I almost wish he hadn’t told me so I could walk into the disaster blissfully unaware. Crap.

After a completely sleepless night, I’m at the office an hour early.

Mandy comes in at 8:45. “Sweetie, you look awful.”

“Priscilla called Austin in for an emergency meeting at nine.”

“Shit.”

“I know.”

The door opens and Priscilla comes through without a word. She speed-walks into her office and I bring in her usual cup of coffee.

“Stay here for a minute,
” she says after I place the cup on her desk.

I nod and swallow hard. My head is buzzi
ng and I want to run and hide.

Her phone rings. “Great, bring them in.”

Them?

Austin a
nd Cassidy enter the room. Cassidy has a smarmy grin on her face. What the hell is she up to?

“Sit, sit,” Priscilla says, bringing over two chairs next to mine.

Austin takes the seat between Cassidy and I. “So, what’s this all about?” he asks.

“Don’t act like you don’t know,”
Cassidy quips.

I avert my eyes from everyone in the room and keep my head
down, hoping to avoid the confrontation.

“What are you talking about?” He sounds perfectly innocent
.

“Your girlfriend here t
ried to blackmail me,” she accuses.

My head bobs up
. Girlfriend? Blackmail? Oh holy hell.

“Is this true, Olivia?” Priscilla asks me directly.

I want to speak, but no words come out when I open my mouth. Austin immediately takes over.

“This is ridiculous, why are you making shit up, Cassidy?”

Priscilla ignores him. “Olivia, is this true?”

She knows me..
.the real me. She knows I’m just a small town girl trying to make it in Los Angeles. She knows I’m not made of the same stuff as Austin and Cassidy. That I can write a lie on paper, but not say it out loud.

I look away an
d sniff back my emotions. Austin stares at me out of the corner of his eye, waiting for me to stick up for myself, but I can’t. I don’t want to lie to my boss anymore. I nod my head, admitting my action in a non-verbal manor.

Austin quickly comes
to my defense. “It’s my fault. I seduced her. I made her fall in love with me. Don’t punish her; punish me.”

“She knew the rules,” Priscilla says.

“I’m sorry,” I choke.

“I have to let you go,” she responds.

I nod, blinking back tears.

Austin jumps out of his
seat. “You can’t do that. We’re not just hooking up...it’s not like that at all…I’m in love…I’m in love with her.”

He then points a finger at Cassidy.
“And I don’t want to pretend to be in a relationship with this evil bitch anymore. Just let me break up with her, and I promise that my relationship with Olivia will not interfere with our work, I can assure you.”

He’s in love with me? And he’ admitting it to my boss?
I want to jump up and hug him and tell him that I love him back, but I somehow manage to restrain myself.

“You can’t break up with me now,” Cassidy says.

“Why the hell not?” he asks.

She rubs her belly and
smiles. “Because I’m pregnant.”

“You’re
full of it. I don’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth,” he replies.

“It’s true;
I’m eight weeks along. You wouldn’t want to break up with your pregnant fiancé, would you?”

I’m about to have a heart attack. Is she serious??

“And who says the baby’s mine? It’s probably Tyler’s!” Austin yells.

“I haven’t
slept with Tyler in years. We’re just friends.”

“
Sure, yeah, okay. We haven’t even hooked up lately!” he screams back.

She touches h
is shoulder lightly. “We had sex eight weeks ago, Austin...”

He doesn’t respond.
It must be true. I mean, I know that they used to get it on, but Austin’s silent confirmation makes my insides burn. I need to get out of here, now, but I’m glued to my chair, unable to make a move.

Priscilla sticks her hand in the air to clear the air. “We’ll talk about this later. For now, Olivia, you need to grab your things and leave the office.
It’s unfortunate, I thought you were showing real promise here, and I’m sorry to see you go.”

I
peel myself from the leather seat, standing up slowly, and then bolt for the front door. Mandy races after me as I rush into the women’s restroom and immediately begin to bawl my eyes out.

“I
’m fired, Mandy. She fired me. I don’t know what to do,” I cry.

She pulls me in for a hug and tries her best to console me as I weep into her shoulder.
I feel so ashamed, embarrassed like that in front of everyone, especially Austin.

“I’ll be over tonight
with a bottle of wine and multiple pints of Ben & Jerry’s,” Mandy states.

I smile and hug her back. “This is not how I wanted things to happen.”

As my eyes finally begin to dry, Austin barges through the door.

“Get out of here, asshole!” Mandy y
ells as he steps past the threshold. “It’s your fault! All of this!”

I wish she wasn’
t so harsh, but I really don’t want to see him right now. I don’t know how I feel about this whole Cassidy being preggers with his baby thing…I don’t want to think about it yet. I’m not ready to process everything that just went down.

“Please, I need to talk to you,” he pleads
, trying to catch my line of sight.

I turn my head away from his gaze.
“Not now. I can’t…just, not now.”

He
inches closer, but Mandy shoves her arm in front of us, shielding me away from him. “She’ll talk to you when she wants to talk to you, Austin. Get out.”

He
turns and leaves, slamming the door behind him.