Page 9 of Savage Temptation
I admit, that’s wishful thinking, but not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Aside from the awkwardness of it being her first encounter, she clearly wanted it. She was ravenous, her hands roving my body like ivy.
But I probably should stop thinking about that because I’m not entirely sure she’ll be okay with me greeting her with a boner.
I give myself one last look in the mirror before exiting the bathroom, but instead of finding Tessa where I left her, I find an empty bed.
Her clothes that were strewn around the room are gone. It’s like she was never here.
I think back to last night when I had found her by my bed, wearing the prototype.
Shit…
I walk over to the headset and put it on. It opens to the day of Tessa’s graduation party, a scene that I’ve poured countless hours into perfecting, so I could get it just right.
Or rather, as wrong as I want it to be. Using the original footage from the event, I pieced together a new scene. One where I confess long-held feelings for her, and she tells me she loves me in return.
“Play footage watched from last night,” I tell the device.
The screen comes to life, and I see exactly what Tessa had, her standing off to the side as I approach.
“I have something I’ve wanted to tell you,”my avatar’s voice says.
“Oh, yeah,”the virtual reality Tessa says back.
Shit…
But a moment later, the screen goes blank. She never heard the heartfelt confessions I had programmed in.
I should be relieved. Instead, I feel hollow. How long have I been aching to tell her how I feel? After last night, it should be easy, but coming back into my bedroom and finding her gone makes me wonder if perhaps I’ve made a mistake.
“Security, show me footage from this morning, near the elevator. Any movement within the last half hour.”
A screen on my wall activates, and a voice smooth as honey says, “Yes, Master.”
Yeah…I realize how childish that is.
I watch as a panicked Tessa dashes to the elevator, smashing her fingers into the button.
A sick feeling roils my gut. She never wanted this. Last night was a mistake. When I walked in on her, she was probably terrified I’d call the police, so she played along, allowing me to have sex with her for fear she’d wind up in jail.
Oh, God—I really fucked up…
I sit on the edge of the bed, trying to figure out how I can make this right.
Why the hell was she even poking around my room in the first place?
And then it hits me. Tessa investigates fraud. What if someone is doing a hit piece on my company?
The harder I think on it, the worse the situation becomes. I can’t believe how foolish I was, how blinded to what was going on right in front of me.
As much as I want to feel betrayed and offended, Tessa is a bloodhound. If she had even an inkling that I was doing something corrupt, she’d seek out truth no matter who I was, which is ironic considering she was breaking all kinds of laws.
And what better time to make a move than when I’m out celebrating?
I bury my head in my hands, wondering how I should navigate the situation. Lance might very well murder me when he finds out I banged his little sis, especially considering the conditions of our coupling.
And Tessa—fuck!Seeing how frantic she was to leave makes me ache. I feel like I’ve somehow taken advantage of her. I never wanted her first time to be as deplorable as it was, but there’s no taking this back.
Perhaps it would be better for the both of us if I never brought the matter up again. Never saw her again.
