Torn(40)

I put on the condom, pulled her legs over my forearms and f*cked her hard and fast. I had more stamina than even I expected and when I finally did come, it was brutal, the force too much. I cursed through the entire thing, yelling her name, my hands clawing at her hips.

I fell onto her and she soothed me with her fingers on my back and whispered words in my ear. I would have stayed in that position all night but she was thirsty and with a push on my arm, she slid out from underneath me.

When I walked into the kitchen to check on her, she was leaning against the counter, her head bowed in deep thought, her face buried in her hands. I didn't want to disturb her. I turned on my heel and went back into my bedroom.

"What time do you have to be at your studio today?" I wrap her into my arms, pulling her against my chest. Her nipples instantly furl into hard pebbles. My cock stirs.

She moves slightly. "You're getting hard again, Asher. I want to be on top this time."

I seal my mouth over hers for a deep kiss before I pull back. "I can barely move, Falon. You'll have to be on top and you'll need to do all the work."

"I'm up for the challenge." She dips her chin. "Apparently you are too."

My dick brushes against her hip. "Give me a minute to catch my breath before you ride me. I might need two minutes."

"I can give you that." She rests her head against my chest. "I need to leave soon though. I want to go home and shower. I have an early shoot today."

I have no sense of what time it is. I'm surprised that she does. She must have checked her phone in the other room before she came to bed. "What time is the shoot?"

"I want to be there by nine." She taps her fingers one at a time on my bicep. "I'm doing some shots of the Bishop Hotel in Tribeca."

"You got a job shooting that hotel?" I shift slightly, my cock finally settling down even though her body is pressed snugly against mine. "That's a pretty big deal."

She kisses my chest softly. "Today is just some test shots. I don't have the job yet. I want it though. If I get it, I'll be traveling all over the country shooting their new hotels. It would be a huge job for me. It could change my career."

I dig my hands into her flesh, tugging her even closer. I'm happy for her. I want her to have everything life has to offer. She deserves all of that and more. I just know, in my own f*cked up, selfish mind, that when this runs its course and she leaves to pursue her dreams, that I'll have to face my life head-on.

She's not a distraction anymore. It may have started that way but it's shifted to something more and the thought of watching her walk out of my life scares the f*ck out of me.





CHAPTER 31


Falon




"You've actually met Julian Bishop?"

I'm beginning to seriously wonder if Maya should be my assistant, instead of Remy. Maya called me early this morning to see if I wanted to do lunch today. We don't get together as often as we used to what with each of us dedicating so much time to our careers. She's also busy with Jason and if I'm being honest, it's been incredible to spend as much time as I have with Asher.

This morning after he fell asleep, I tried to rouse him so I could say goodbye but he was out cold. Instead, I grabbed his notepad from the dining room table, wrote him a quick goodbye letter and then I slipped out. I went home, showered, dressed in a conservative white sundress and pinned my hair up before I double checked the batteries for my camera.

"I took his photograph in my studio." I pull on the handle of my camera case. Technically it's a black, fabric suitcase with f*cked up wheels. I added some padding inside to hold my camera, lenses and a few clamps. It's not ideal, but it does its job right now.

Maya heaves the canvas case with my lights over her shoulder, pulling on the strap. "Is he going to be there today? I swear I'll ring your neck if he is. I didn't dress up for this."

I stop mid-step to turn to look at her. It's not even nine yet and she's got on full make-up and an adorable light blue dress. When I told her Remy bailed on me yet again, she offered to help me with the shoot. It's not the first time she's come to my rescue. I know it won't be the last either.

"You look fantastic, Maya. You look better than me which an assistant is never supposed to do."

She laughs. "I have a meeting this afternoon, Fal. I'm dressed for that. If I knew there was a chance I'd meet Julian Bishop today, I'd have worn something that he'd drool over."

She's more drool worthy than she realizes. "He'll drool if he's there. I don't know a man who wouldn't."

"Asher Foster wouldn't."

That stops me again. I move to the right to make room for a man walking three dogs. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She sets the case of lights on the sidewalk. "I saw a picture online of you kissing him. Holy shit, Falon. I know you said he was interested, but that looked like a prelude to a f*ck kind of kiss to me."

"We have," I admit through a shy smile. "More than once. A lot, actually."

"You slept with Asher Foster?" she crows, causing more than a few people to look our way.

I press my finger to my lips. "Technically we did that too. I stayed at his apartment last night."