Page 46 of The Senator: Raphael

She continues a bit more confidently. “You humiliated him in front of everyone, he probably wants some kind of revenge because of that or because I didn’t sleep with him. Hell, if something like that came out, he’d sink us both with the same story.”

I turn to Matthew, furious. “How is this possible? You told me you took care of the story about her past and where she’s worked all these years. Why is this coming out now?” Anger drips from my words.

Matthew straightens his spine and briefly glances at Silver, like he’s annoyed at her theory. “I took care of it,” he hisses, “personally. Without delegating to keep questions about her identity hidden like you asked.”

“Cleary, you did a sloppy job.” I know this is a low blow, but I can’t stem my fury.

It’s like I slapped him in the face. Surprise and anger make his jaw clench. He stares at me, challenging me, wanting to hit me square in the face. I can see it clear as day.

“Matthew, can you leave us alone for a moment, please?” Silver’s voice is calm but firm.

He turns to her, staring her down and gritting his teeth like he wants to tell her to fuck off. I’m sure he’s restraining himself because he knows if he says something to her, I’ll punch him in the face.

“Leave,” I order, and after a moment of hesitation he walks out of the room without looking at either of us.

Silver comes closer to the desk I’m leaning on. She puts her hands on my chest and looks at me straight in the eye. A sweet smile graces her lips and the fury simmering in my chest dies down a little bit.

“Matthew can’t control everything, you know that, right?”

“He should. I pay him to prevent these things,” I mumble, ashamed because she’s right. You can’t foresee everything.

“But he can’t. It could be anyone. The guy that harassed me, Ice, or anyone who works or goes to that club. It’s probably someone who knows I worked there. I met literally thousands of people during the eight years I worked there. We were prepared for this eventuality and did the damage control,” she murmurs, coming closer.

She’s standing so close I reach out and grab her waist to press her perfect body against mine. I like the way she feels in my arms, the way she relaxes and surrenders when she’s close. It’s like she’s waiting to let her walls down and only does it when the heat of my body envelopes her. It’s strange what we have, the intimacy forced on us that seems more natural than faked.

I lower my forehead on hers and close my eyes. I inhale her sweet scent deeply and let my hand travel to the back of her head, grabbing her hair and enjoying the shiver that run down her spine. She whimpers softly when my lips brush hers, and when she opens her mouth for me, I sink into her sweet taste and bask in the pleasure of this moment.

She grips her arms around my neck, sinking her fingers into my hair, pressing her body firmly against mine. I need more, I crave this closeness like my life depends on it. And maybe my life will crumble into pieces if I let her go. I don’t know, but I don’t want to find out yet. There will be a moment in the future when she’ll have to walk away, but right now all I need is here and I don’t want to think about the future.

I turn around, pulling her with me, then push her against the desk and help her hop up on it. The kiss becomes frantic, and when I slip between her legs, pressing my erection against her core, she lets out a soft moan. That’s it. I’m done for. Every restraint I had, every excuse I fabricated to not sleep with her, goes up in flames. I slip my hand under her dress and enjoy the silkiness of her inner thigh. I reach the apex of her thighs and brush lightly against her soaked lace panties. She whimpers, pushing her hips against my hand, wanting more, craving that contact we’ve denied ourselves for months.

A loud knock and the door opening abruptly startles us both. “What the hell?”

I turn around and find my father’s furious face. My blood freezes. I can sense Silver jumping down from my desk and discretely hiding behind me.

“Leave!” he booms, looking at Silver.

She hesitates for a moment, then she steps in front of me and looks at me a bit scared and a bit perplexed, silently asking me what to do. God, she’s beautiful, with her hair a mess from my fingers and her lips swollen from my kiss. I nod slightly and she reluctantly turns around. She assesses my father for a long moment, straightening her spine and raising her chin. She is not intimidated by him and I admire her for that. Not everyone has the guts to stare down my father like that.

She stalks out of my office with confidence, and when she closes the door behind her the air is sucked out of the room. I pull my eyes back to my father.

“We need to talk.”

“About what?” I ask with more confidence than I feel.

“About the fact that your wife is a whore!” he booms.

And just like that, my nightmare begins.

I grab the handle of Raphael’s door, not sure what to do. There is such a storm in my chest I can’t even think logically. The way he touched me, lighting up every part of my body, is something I’ve never experienced with a man. It was like he was trying to brand my lips, my skin, my blood, my heart. Raphael is intense, he exudes power, but the way he demands access to my body is another level of passion.

Then his father’s booming voice echoes through the door, saying I’m a whore, and here I am, stopping in my tracks to go back in there and tell himNo, I’m not. But his icy words are like a cold shower that extinguish the fire in me. He’s scary, and I need that fire to go face to face with him.

“No, she is not!” I hear Raphael shout and the spark reignites in me.

I should be in there defending myself. Not Raphael, not Matthew, not anyone but me. Anger starts to rise in my chest and it’s enough to make me open this door again and barge in on their conversation.

Raphael’s eyes widen when he sees me and when his father turns toward me, his fury so scorching it terrifies me. But I swallow and stare at him.

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