AN: hey! if y'all are not kicking, screaming, blushing, yelling, by the end of this chapter, im clearly not a good writer and you need to drop this book ASAP. pls come back and tell me what you think and whether im a good writer or not. (hopefully, im)
My phone dinged with a new message. It had been a while since Vienna and I came to the office, mutually deciding that whatever was going on between us was to be kept under wraps for a while, at least until we both figured out exactly what we were.
From the moment I stepped into my office building, I had been receiving birthday wishes from the employees and my phone had been blowing up with texts from my other relatives, some buddies from school and especially the paparazzi. It might not have seemed like it but being one of the youngest CEOs of such a huge company gained me more popularity than I liked.
My social media had hundreds of thousands of followers and everyday, there were various texts from different people, ranging from some asking me to follow them back or give them a shout out on my story to women sending me their pictures in lingerie, asking me for a night, which honestly was absolutely disgusting and I even considered putting my account to private but the PR team suggested it wouldn't be a good promoting scheme so we just stuck to disabling the DM option for anyone that I didn't follow.
The point of my monologue was that the only people that could contact me now were the paparazzi companies that had the company email or my family. My mom and dad knew better than anyone to not disturb me on a work day and were arranging a birthday party for me this weekend - which by the way they were thinking they were being secretive about. They weren't. Lily had already called early in the morning after my breakfast with Vienna and even wished me when I had entered the office.
So, when my phone vibrated on my work desk again, I picked it up just to see Sully's name flashing on my screen. I unlocked my phone and tilted my head to the side, surprised to find a hey and a picture of a floor-length dress.
Me: what's that?
Sully: a dress?
Me: I can see that. why are you sending this to me? I don't wear dresses.
Sully: uh what no- OH
Sully: would you look at that? Ha Ha. I was supposed to send this to Vienna.
Sully: oops. what a rookie mistake.
Me: no it wasn't. you sent this to me on purpose, didn't you? might as well tell me why you sent it to me.
And then, Sully sent me a three minute audio, explaining about how Sav made him do this. It was a dress that Vienna had really liked when they had gone shopping yesterday but hadn't bought it and made an excuse saying they didn't have it in her size, when really she just didn't want to spend that much money on a dress.
When I asked him what he was doing in the mall right now, he again sent me a two minute audio explaining how Savannah wasn't done shopping yesterday and since the girls were busy with work, he was the scape goat today and while they were shopping for her, she found this dress and told him to immediately text me.
Me: so thanks for telling me. . . . I guess? what do you want me to do about it?
Sully: are you usually this shallow or pretending to be?
Me: Sully. . .
Sully: fine. dude. you're her boyfriend, you have a lot of money. she's your girlfriend, she loves this dress but doesn't want to spend money on it. CONNECT THE DOTS? or do you want me to spell it for you.
The dots clicked and realisation had me getting up from my chair and grabbing my coat from the back of my chair before I put it on and texted Sully, while walking out.
Me: be there in 10. DON'T let anyone buy that dress.
"Hey, you going somewhere?" Vienna asked the moment I stepped out of my office. I buttoned the last two buttons of my suit and looked at her, hoping to see a pink pencil tucked behind her ear and her hair in a bun with her strands straying everywhere but what I saw had me clenching my jaw tight.
Jonah from HR stood besides Vienna's chair, his arm on the chair's top headrest and the other one resting on her desk by her hand. Way too near her hand. Remember when I said I could name about ten guys on top of my head who had fuck-me eyes for Vienna? Jonah would be number one on that list.
"Ky- Mr. Archer?" Vienna said again, bringing my attention to her.
"What are you doing here?" I levelled Jonah with a subtle glare.
He was a decent guy with a decent fit. His blonde hair was messy on top of his head and he doned a grey button down with white pants that made him look fucking decent. Vienna had called me hers. It didn't matter who talked to her or who leaned over her like he was. She was mine. Mine.
"Nothing." Jonah had the audacity to shrug as he pointed his finger at the paper hearts and paper rings on Vienna's desk. "My neice made them and I knew J would like the pink hearts and rings so I brought them over for her to chose." When my expression didn't budge, he cleared his throat and jutted his chin out. "Would you like one too?"
"J?" I raised a brow in Vienna's direction, ignoring Jonah's fucking proposal. I didn't want his paper hearts or rings.
She must've heard the tightening in my voice, or the palpable anger, because she winced and looked up at me. "Jane. That's my middle name so he calls me J for short."
The fucker grinned. He actually fucking grinned and nudged her shoulder with his elbow. "Hey, I don't call you J for short but because no one calls you that. It's special."
Oh boy. Looks like someone has a death wish. "Huh," I said slowly. "I thought the only special thing you like is princess treatment." I stalked towards her desk and planted both my hands on either side of the papers scattered on it and cocked my head to the side, my tone malicious. "Isn't that right?"
"Princess treatment?" he scoffed. "Dude, she deserves, like what, Queen treatment."
"Dude!?" I laughed incredulously and faced the fucker. "I'm your boss and not your fucking dude. And besides, are you guys having too much free time on your hand for you to be roaming around like this? Because as far as I remember, the finance company has been having troubles with the new recruitment and it is your job to help the department out." I smiled but my eyes had darkened even more, seeing his pinky finger on the desk touching hers. "Newsflash, you haven't helped them resolve it yet."
His eyes widened like he was caught redhanded. "You know that?"
"As I said," I enunciated. "I'm your fucking boss and I own this company. So, obviously I know what is going on in my company."
He gulped. I was pretty sure that he'd never seen this side of me, ever. Hell, even I didn't know I had this side to me until I saw him so close to Vienna, touching her, even if it was involuntarily. "Right. Of course, I'll just. . . "
"Do you know what else I know, Mr. Stone?" He paused and slowly shook his head, his blonde hair falling to either sides. I said the next words with lethal precision, making sure he hadn't just heard what I was saying but also understood it. "It's that I can very easily fire you just like I had employeed you for even breathing in the direction of what's mine." I stinkily eyed where his pinky was touching Vienna's and poked my cheek from the inside, before setting him with a glare. "And you, Mr. Stone, went ahead and touched her." I smacked his hand away from hers. "Never do that, ever, again," I warned and he nodded, murmuring a goodbye and ran away like his ass was on fire.
Satisfied, I smirked to myself and looked down at Vienna but she was already getting up from her seat and rounding her desk to reach me, her cheeks flushed. She placed both her hands on either sides of me, on her desk and narrowed her eyes in my direction, pinning me to her. She was wearing her long ass heels that gave her an advantage but even with those she still remained some good inches shorter than me and had to crane her neck upwards to snarl, "What was that?"
I furrowed my brows, feigning confusion. "What was what?" I asked her in return, placing my hands on her hips and pulling her flush against me.
She took a deep breath and her hands came to rest on my shoulders, her chest flushed against mine while I leaned my hips against her desk. She pointed her manicured fingers towards my chest and jabbed it. "He's my friend, you know? You can't just shoo away all the guys in my vicinity just because you can."
"Watch me," I smirked.
She groaned. "What's your problem? He's just a friend."
"One who's single and has had eyes for you ever since you strolled into this office like you fucking own it." Her breathing deepened and a red tint covered her cheeks. "And you're mine," I stated firmly and leaned in to bite her neck and then kissed the hollow of her throat. "And no one touches what's mine."
When I looked at her from her neck again, I had expected her to look angry or even pissed but her lips had turned into a smirk and she took a step towards me, her finger darting out to touch my cheek as she trailed her finger against my cheekbone before she leaned in and whispered, "Jealousy suits you, Mr. Archer." My semi-hard cock straightened like a soldier commanded attention as her eyes fell to my lips and she darted her tongue out to pick her own lips. My hold on her hips tightened and I pulled her so close into me, my stone hard cock rested against her belly.
"And no one touches what's mine either," she decided before her lips latched onto the tender skin on the side of my neck and sucked on it, soothing the sting with her tongue as she lapped at it for a while. Once she was satisfied with her handiwork, she looked up at me from my neck and caressed the hickey she just gave me, a spark in her eyes. She tapped my chest once before pushing away from me. "Happy birthday, Kyst." She looked at the hickey and pointed at it before winking. "That's my third gift of the day."
The flowers. The breakfast. And now the hickey. I was going fucking insane. Before she could go back to her desk, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to me, then spinned us around so I was hovering over her so fast, a gasp of surprise left her mouth. "One day, baby," I told her, my words filled with the intensity of a starved man and my tone brimming with a dirty promise that I would make true on. "One day, I will claim you in this fucking place, against this exact table and all you'll be doing then is working your smartass mouth for yelling my name until stars explode in your vision."
A full body shudder went through her and she lifted her hooded, brown eyes to stare up at mine. "Is that a promise?"
"It's a threat," I said, causally stepping back from her fresh, addicting scent before I did something stupid like tear her clothes off her body and bend her over the desk while I claimed her mouth. I turned around ready to walk away but then stopped and turned around, giving Vienna a once-over, rendering her breathless. "Seriously, Vienna. Let another man touch you and see how I make true to my threat while making the guy watch."
"It's not that serious, Kyst," she breathed, waving me off.
"I don't mind Sully hanging around you because I know his intentions for you and that he cares for you. But Jonah," I shook my head sternly. "Ask around about him. He's not a bad person but he's not necessarily a good one either. Make friends but be sure they're with you for you and not just because they want to fuck you." I paused, giving her time to register my words. "Okay?"
When she nodded, I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, adjusted my collar so it hid the hickey and not because I wanted to but because I had to since Vienna wanted to keep it quiet— whatever it was — and was out of my office and into my car in record time.
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Vi Darling: shit you distracted me
Vi Darling: i forgot to ask you what time you'll be back?
Me: I distracted you? *smirk*
Vi Darling: what part of "I forgot to ask you what time you'll be back" did you not read?
Me: im naturally on the advanced mode. meaning, i only read what's important to me.
Vi Darling: you're insufferable
Me: *grins* i know
Vi Darling: seriously, when are you coming back?
Me: in an hour. two hours tops.
Me: why? miss me, already?
Vi Darling: see you Kyst! drive safe!! (even though you didn't tell me where you're going)
Me: tell me you're mine and i might tell you where im right now
Vi Darling: nah. doesn't seem like a fair deal. why do you get the bigger end of the deal?
Me: looks like you don't get to know where I am after all
Not that I would tell her, anyway. I bought the dress as soon as I stepped into the shop in the mall and I had just looked at it for a second before I knew it would be perfect on her.
Obviously, Sully and Savannah were there and had seen the Instagram story of some other brands and CEOs wishing me for my birthday so they'd bought cake for me which I really appreciated and cut with them at one of the restaurants in the mall.
"I wish Vienna was here," Savannah said loudly, sighing and cuddling up against Sully's side.
"Me too." I pressed my lips in a thin line and shrugged. "But if I had brought her here, it would've ruined the surprise and besides, she would never have let me buy her this dress if she'd known."
"Yeah," Sully agreed as he popped a peanut into his mouth, nodding. "And besides, we'll be seeing her at Kyst's party on the weekend anyways, so it's fine."
My parents were arranging this birthday party for me on the weekend in our childhood home's background, like they did every year. Everytime they'd ask me if there was any friend I'd like to invite but since I didn't have any friends, I'd always decline. This year, however, when I had told my parents I'd be having two of my friends over, they had been elated and over the moon.
By the time I bade Sully and Savannah goodbye with a hug, it was already six in the evening. I hadn't even realised how time flew so fast when Sully forced me to go shopping with them, telling me that they hadn't gotten me a gift and wanted to get me one. It was a shitshow as we went from shop to shop, rummaged from suits to suits and from shoes to shoes until I finally settled on a Cartier watch that I liked.
Sully was adamant like that. It didn't matter that we weren't exactly close or bickered like three-year olds, he still cared about me just like I cared about him. While my love language for expressing it was making fun of him, his was giving gifts. He loved giving gifts to people, especially customizing them and making them memorable.
When we had gone shopping yesterday, he had specially ordered a customised suit designed specially for me as a thank you gift for agreeing to become his bestman and hanging out with him. For as much as I ridiculed the man, he was genuine inside out and loyal to a fault. There was nothing I'd want more than that from a friend and he treated Vienna well, which was bonus points in my book. I would never admit it but I really enjoyed his company.
As I parked in the parking lot of my company, my phone dinged with a new message.
I was surprised to see Vienna's name on the screen and slid my password into my phone, clicking to see her text.
Vi Darling: you said you'd be back in two hours. it's been three. is everything alright? where are you?
Me: everything's fine. don't worry so much, darling. im just coming up.
As I stepped out of the elevator on the twentieth floor, my eyes instinctively searched for Vienna. There were about three offices on this floor, one of which belonged to me. The other two belonged to two of the board members who were never here and just came in during the meetings so their offices were usually empty or used as storage rooms to fill in the extra copies of books or the rejected designs and other stuff.
As I walked straight ahead, towards my office and Vienna's desk, I noticed the change. When we'd left home, Vienna was decked out in her blouse and skirt but right now, she was wearing a simple black dress that did nothing to hide her curves. She looked stunning, with her hair out of her pony tail, resting on her shoulders and light makeup on her face.
When she noticed me staring at her, she grinned and walked towards me, twirling in a circle, revealing her bare back because of the backless design of the dress. My hands fisted by my sides as I ignored the urge to grab her and kiss the fuck out of her and then fuck the cuteness out of her. "How do I look?" she grinned up at me, completely unaware of the rampant, brash thoughts swimming in my head.
"Like you're mine," I grinned, taking her hand in mine and spinning her before pulling her flush against me. It didn't matter for how long I touched her or saw her, it was just not enough. I wanted to be around her all the time, be able to touch her whenever and not be afraid of her finding out about the marriage and leaving me. "Are you going somewhere?"
"Noooo," she stretched the syllables before going on her tiptoes and booping my nose with her index finger. "But we are."
I arched a brow at her, still holding her close to me as I studied her makeup. The wing of her eyeliner to the slight pink blush on her cheeks and the shiny light pink gloss she'd swiped over her lips. My eyes lingered on her lips before I brushed my thumb against her lower lip, wiping the residue of the lipgloss she'd applied as her eyes glazed with a newfound arousal and her lips parted. I smirked, "I didn't get any email."
"What?" she murmured breathlessly, and only when I retracted my thumb from her lower lip did she widen her eyes and clear her throat.
"The email you're supposed to send to your boss asking if you could get a half-day off." I narrowed my eyes at her.
"I did send you an email and oh— where was my boss!?" she asked incredulously, breaking free from my hold and placing both her hands on her hips, a small pout on her lips. "Hanging out. With who? Hmm, I wonder who? My friends! My! Without me. You were hanging out with my friends without Me!" And with that, she huffed, grabbed her bag from her desk and walked towards the elevator with a slight sway of her hips.
My eyes fell to her ass once, swaying deliciously in her black, tight dress that even though hid her cute ass very well, did absolutely nothing to hide the swell of it and my hands burned with the need to mould them in my palms. Shaking my head once, I stepped out of my stupor and walked towards her, sighing, before grabbing the sling bag from her and slinging it over my shoulder. "How do you know that?"
She looked over at me in disdain, a sadness swiftly flashing through her brown, wide eyes. "I saw the story Sully posted on Instagram."
I cursed under my breath. We'd decided he wouldn't put anything on the story since I didn't want Vienna getting upset but I also couldn't take her with me because - sighs - the dress. "I'm sorry," I apologized, causing her to pause and turn around as she waited for me to apologize properly. I bit my tongue once and lied through my teeth, even though I hated it with all my being. White lie. It's for her. She'll be happy when she sees the dress. "I was meeting a friend at some restaurant and Sully and Sav were there for a date so when they saw me, they obviously wished me and insisted they buy me a gift. It's not that I didn't want to tell you, I promise, it just kind of happened, I guess?"
She gulped, contemplating the truth in my story. Then she nodded softly and peeked up at me through her lashes. "When you meet them again, will you inform me too?" she asked softly.
My heart fucking broke at the vulnerability in her voice. I didn't know what had happened to her in the past but it was evident in the way her eyes glossed over and her voice was so weak that she hated not being in the know. Especially if it was something related to her friends or the people she cared about.
Hating that I didn't know her full story and so I couldn't exactly give her the comfort she needed in the moment, I wrapped my arms around her and rested my chin on her head. "Of course, baby. You don't have to worry about me trying to invade your personal life or interfering in it—"
"That's not—" she fiercely shook her head against my chest.
I cut her off by tightening my hold around her. "It's okay, darling. Now tell me," I smiled, holding her at my arm's length. "Where are we going?"
She gave me a sinister grin just as the elevator stopped on our floor and we stepped in. She gestured at her purse I was holding for her and I gave it to her. Watching me closely, she removed a black blindfold and pushed it in my hands, demanding, "Tie this over your eyes, give me your car keys, put a finger on your lips and sit tight until we arrive at the destination."
Raising a brow at her, I tied the blindfold around my eyes, careful of the gauze still wrapped around my head and leaned forward in her direction so my mouth was on her ear and I felt the shudder from her body as I whispered the next words, "One day, baby, I'll fuck your smartass mouth so hard, so fast, all you'll be demanding for will be my cock and my cock only." And with that, I dropped the car keys in her palm and walked out towards the underground parking lot of my company as she helped me into the car and turned the ignition on before taking off.
||
The car came to a screeching halt and I furrowed my brows. We'd only been driving for nearly fifteen minutes and I was confused as I heard her turning the gas off and retrieving the keys from the hole.
Were we already there?
"Vi?" I called out. When I didn't hear her answering, I reached upwards to untie the blindfold but then her tiny hand wrapped around my wrist, stopping me.
"You called me Vi," she breathed.
I stilled. Shit. I completely forgot that she didn't like me calling her Vi. Oh God. "I'm sor-"
"Call me that again," she cut me off.
"Wha-"
"Call me Vi again, Kyst," she said urgently, her voice squeaky and impatience brimming in her tone.
"Vi?" I said, blinking under the blinfold. "Baby?" I called again, feeling her going slack besides me before her breathing picked up pace.
Whatever stupor she'd been a couple seconds ago, she slammed out of it, muttering, "Today's your day. We'll talk about me later." Then, she got out of the car and rounded it, reaching my door and opening it for me. "Hold my hand and come."
"That's usually my line," I smirked. "Vi," I added, just for fun and felt her hand tighten around me. I wasn't sure if she was liking it or hating it but with how her sassy mouth snapped shut when I called her that and how her hold on me tightened, if I were to guess, I'd say it was the former.
"You should really start calling me that," she whispered a while later as she guided me through a couple stairs and then we came to a sudden stop.
Thunder rumbled from deep in the sky and even though it was only six or maybe seven, I felt the sky darkening. Was it supposed to rain today? I didn't even have the time to think more about it because I felt Vienna's breats brushing deliciously against my chest as she worked her way upwards, untieing my blindfold.
"Ready?" she whispered and I nodded. A second later, the blindfold came off and I was sent back to my childhood all over again.
"Vienna—"
"I know," she whispered encouragingly, forcing me to take a look at our surroundings.
I didn't have to. This place was engraved in my memory whether I wanted it to or not. This was the beach where my grandpa and I used to come together to walk in the rain. Vienna brought me to the place my grandpa died on my birthday. My blood roared in my viens and I felt delirious. I didn't know whether to be angry at her for bringing me here on my birthday or relieved that she brought me here, on my birthday, because this was the place I felt closest to him.
"Remember how you told me you haven't come to this beach in years because it brought back the traumatic memories?" Vienna asked, forcing her palm against my cheeks and bringing me back from my mind to look at her. Thunder rumbled loudly again but staring into the depth of her eyes calmed me again.
I nodded, vaguely remembering how I told her about my love-hate relationship with the rains and the beach only two days ago, and how I must've also told her I hadn't visited this beach since my grandpa was found, dead, in a manhole.
"You only remember the bad memories, Kyst. You only remember how your grandfather passed away here. You only think about how tragic it was that he left you," she emphasized each word slowly, meaningfully and my entire attention remained on her. On her eyes. On her hands on my shoulders. On her eyes on me.
The first drop of rain fell on my cheek but I didn't wipe it off. The rain started off slow but as seconds flew by, it fell strongly, hard and fast. My heart thudded in my chest. It stopped for a second, as the memories of my grandpa lying stone cold on the ground while it rained like today assaulted my memory. But then it fluttered back to life just as fast when other memories like him telling me stories about his childhood, the love in his eyes when he told me about how he met grandma and the laughter he shared with me telling me how he raised my dad passed by my eyelids in a blur.
"I forgot the good memories, Vi," I murmured, as I savoured the droplets of rain digging into my skin. Her hold on my shoulder tightened and she gave me an encouraging nod and a beautiful smile that reached her eyes. "I associated rain with his death but I completely forgot the fact that he was also the most alive when it rained." A tear slid down my eye as an illusion of my grandpa nodding his head with a smile on his face passed in front of my eyes. It was as if he was proud of me, of what I had become. "I've been hating rain for all the wrong reasons," I realised and searched Vienna's eyes. "You brought back the good memories, Vi. You- you mended me, I- You're perfect— I— I—" I love you.
"Hey—" Vienna said softly, complete unaware of the emotional turmoil going on in my heart. "Can I add one more good memory to your heart in the rain?"
I desperately nodded. Anything to keep myself distracted from the realisation that I was in love with her. In love. I loved Vienna. The rain fell harder against my skin, as if patting me on the back for realising it.
Vienna looked up at me, her hair pushed back because of the rain and small droplets resting against her eyes and her cheeks and her lips. My belly dropped with the need to claim them and make her mine but I focused on her eyes as she said the words that were my undoing. "Date Me, Mr. Archer?"
My lips parted in ecstasy and unbelievable euphoria as she grinned up at me. My eyes fell onto the heart shape of her lips, how the water outlined the plump shape and I didn't think for another second, didn't resist for another milisecond before framing her cheeks in my palms and clashing my lips onto hers.
And as her lips met mine, I wanted to yell from the top of the world that I was absolutely, undeniably, desperately in love with this one woman who I’d been lying to since the day we met for the first time.
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so wait uh i just gotta um AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
*heaves a breath
Right. did that just happen? uh. . . .
OMG OMG OMG OMG im experiencing so many things at once rn i can't keep up
this was supposed to be a thankyou chapter for 10k reads, 15k reads, 1k votes, 200 followers on wattpad, 400 followers on Instagram and well, I couldn't do all that with a simple chapter right? THIS is the chapter I unleash trouble with.
GET READY FOR SOME FLUFFLY, SMEXY, SMUTTY TIME. enough angst man, LET'S GET SOME EROTICA now!
thanks for reading!!!!!
vote and comment<3
i love you💌