Page 11 of Possessive CEO

The stylist is still standing to the side, trying not to react to our public display of affection, especially as Ethan slips an arm around my waist and pulls my back to his chest. “I like it on you, but I prefer it off you.”

“You’re basically buying this to throw it on the bedroom floor?”

He nips my earlobe and I suppress a shiver. “Exactly.”

To the stylist, his tone is flat and cold. “We’ll take everything she chose.”

As we step into the restaurant, I realize we’re going on our first date. He opens the door for me and I take his hand, still getting used to wearing heels. God, the things women do for fashion. I like that it makes me look tall, but other than that, it’s a pain to wear. Literally.

We walk inside and just like every single time he shows me a peek into his world, I try doubly hard not to gawk. Soft, warm lighting casts a gentle glow all over the place. The hushed bits of conversation, the gentle clinking of the cutlery, and soft instrumental music fill the air.

The manager arrives to escort us to our table. “Good evening, Monsieur Erickson, Mademoiselle. We’re glad you’re dining with us tonight. This way please.”

He leads us to a table, which is curtained off from the rest of the restaurant. We can see the other patrons, but they can’t see us unless they look so closely.

Ethan orders for us, which is great because I don’t know half of the foods on the menu. They don’t even have prices on them. I can’t imagine the anxiety of eating and not knowing how much it costs. Thank God I’m not paying.

“You know we’re going home to my place, right?”

I choke on the water but he just smiles knowingly. “I know.”

He leans back and runs his forefinger along his mouth as his eyes focus on my lips. The temperature rises a few degrees. I’m wearing a sleeveless long dress, but I might as well have been covered in a trench coat because of how hot I suddenly feel, a drop of sweat sliding down my back.

“Why are you nervous, little girl?”

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. Ethan is not mocking me. He’s not making fun of me, just genuinely curious. And I have to tell him and be prepared for him to walk away from me. My inexperience might bother him or turn him off. But I’m pretty sure he’ll be able to tell, so there’s no way I can hide it.

“I’ve never…you know…done anything like this before. Never dated, never kissed, never…never slept with anyone.”

Tension is thick between us as his eyes narrow into slits. He doesn’t say anything, and I’m not sure he heard me. Leaving no room for misunderstanding, I clear my throat and whisper, “I’m a virgin.”

One, two, three seconds, and no reaction from him. This is it. He’s gonna tell me to go. He’s gonna…

It takes him two breaths to walk around the table, reach my side, pull me up, and slant his mouth to mine. Even as the waiters arrive carrying our plates, Ethan doesn’t pull away. He ignores them, and so I do too.

I clutch his muscular arms, and even in heels, he’s still way taller than me so I stand on tiptoe, kissing him back eagerly, giving as much as I’m getting. When we come up for air, he growls in my ear, “I’m gonna lay my claim before this night ends, baby girl. Make no mistake about it.”

The rest of dinner goes by so slowly. We talk about everything and nothing at all, both of us fully aware of where our minds are. Where we’re going after this. What we’ll be doing. How we’re spending the night.

We’re almost done when his phone rings. He ignores it. After a few seconds, it rings again. He pulls it out to turn it off, but his forehead furrows, and looks apologetically at me. I just shrug and smile. It must be important.

“Yeah, I’m in the middle of dinner… No, why? Wait, I’ll check.”

He looks at his screen and his face darkens. “I’ll call you back.”

Unable to stop myself, I lean toward him. “What is it?”

He huffs in exasperation and shows me his phone. It’s an entertainment website and there, occupying the entire screen, is a photo of him and me walking into the restaurant. This was taken just an hour ago. The title reads, “Reclusive Billionaire Ethan Erickson Spotted With A Female Companion For The First Time!!!”

It’s not just one picture but several shots, including one where I’m facing the camera. My face is so clear that my heart starts pounding wildly.

Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no. Janus is gonna see this! He’s gonna see this and find me. Find us. I know how his twisted mind works. He’s gonna threaten me. He’s gonna try to make money off Ethan.

I can’t let that happen. Oh, dear God. I can’t. That man isn’t scared of anything, of anyone. He’s not above pointing guns at innocent people, and he badly needs money for his addiction.

I’ve gotten so lost inside my head that I don’t notice my hands gripping the edge of the table until I see Ethan kneeling beside me and slowly peeling my fingers and brushing them along his lips. “Baby girl, I already called my assistant. He’s making sure the photos get wiped from the internet. Give him 15 minutes and it’ll be as if those pictures never existed.”

The relief knocks the breath out of me and I slump on the seat, not caring if I don’t look elegant or sophisticated. Ethan has taken care of it. Without me telling him. He knew. He knew what to do. He took over. I didn’t have to do a thing.

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