His Payback
His Payback
Grey woke up with a headache. It felt as though his head would split in two. He eased himself into a sitting position, but the pounding in his head made him fall back onto the bed
Groaning, he closed his eyes and waited for the pain to subside before opening them again. The sight greeting kom wes white ceilings, pink walls, and furniture with a feminine touch that made it clear to him he hadn’t slept in his own room “Damn,” he cursed under his breath while squeezing his temples in confusion. Hess unable to tell how he had wound up
in this room.
He was sure he was still inside the Bradford mansion because he remembered relaxing in his office and drinking wine, but he wasn’t certain how he had dragged himself into this room.
Natalia had been in his office too, he thought, and suddenly, as though a switch had flipped on, the events that followed smoothly returned to his memory.
God forgive him for the term, but the bitch had tried to seduce him, and when her tactic didn’t work, she had fallen into desperate measures and tried to drug him with liquid ecstasy.
Grey heaved a deep sigh at the memory. Thank heavens he managed to press the alarm and summon his trusted friend, Blake, the head of security, before Natalia succeeded in her plans.
So what did he do after Natalia left? Also, why was he naked? Grey eased himself on the bed as he asked himself that question. This time, he was careful not to exert too much force and trigger another spasm of pain in his head
Leaning against the headboard, he took a deep breath. As he did so, the sweet, familiar scent of shampoo and perfume permeated his nostrils. In that moment, he knew he was occupying Lily’s room.
Grey expected to be alone in the bed. Imagine his shock when he turned to his right and found himself staring at the slim figure lying beside him.
Terrified at the thought that Natalia had followed him into his room and then seduced him, he stared at the unmoving figure in shock. When he regained his scattered wits, he removed the blanket covering the woman’s head and found himself staring at straight ebony black hair instead of red wavy curls.
Relief washed over him after confirming that it wasn’t Natalia but Lily,
Lily. He repeated her name in his mind. The sudden realization made his pulse skitter and his heart race in his rib cage. Last night was both beautiful and wonderful, and it hadn’t been a dream at all. He thought, reeling in shock as he was reminded of how wild and responsive Lily had been when they made love last night.
Unable to resist the urge, his fingers gently slid aside the hair covering her face. She was sleeping so deeply that the movement didn’t wake her. Tenderly, he watched her face with a smile on his lips.
He’d been staring at Lily for a while now, but he felt as though it wasn’t enough. If only fate would allow, he could spend the rest of his life staring at her.
Now that he had the time to watch her face without her knowing, he savored the moment. He knew once she woke up, things would return to the way they had been before.
Summoning all the courage he could muster, he willed himself to get off the bed. As he did so, his gaze dropped to the wall clock, and he cursed under his breath as he realized he had overslept.
It was almost eleven. He should be in his office now, tending to his papers, signing what needed to be signed. But here he was, still in Lily’s room, enjoying the view of her sprawled on the bed like the Greek goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, while a part of him resisted leaving her. But Grey knew he better leave, or else he wouldn’t find the courage to do so. Also, when Lily woke up, he wasn’t sure how she would react once she knew what had transpired between them last night. He better leave her now, fix himself for work, and then afterward return to talk to her.
After deliberately convincing himself, he looked at Lily one last time, then slid the blanket over her shoulders so she wouldn‘ t be cold when she woke up.
Mustering his strength, he turned his back on the bed and crossed the room, where he found his clothes thrown haphazardly on the floor. He picked them up and put everything on except his shirt. Half–naked, he padded across the arched hallways, feeling the cold, hard floor against his bare feet.
There was no one in the hallway, not even a maid. He safely reached the privacy of his room without anyone spotting him. Great, he thought with a sigh of relief.
He better prepare for work now, or else he was going to be even later.
Grey immediately took a quick bath. Two minutes, he noted, as he emerged from the bathroom with only a towel on. It was the quickest time he could muster. The training he had in the military had taught him how to bathe in less than two
minutes.
His Payback
He was buttoning his usual formal suit when he realized for the first time in his life that he was fate coming to his company Everyone in the office would joke about it behind his back, and there was nothing he could do to stop them Grey sighed and tamed his unruly hair with his fingers. Without bothering to check himself in the mirror, he walked out of his room Returning to Lily’s room, he gently opened the door and glanced at the empty bed Suppressing the disappointment brewing inside him, he listened for any sounds coming from the bathroom, but there was no indication it was being used Still, he wanted to be sure if Lily had left or not.
With quick, hurried movements, he crossed the distance between him and the bathroom. He knocked on the door, but no one answered. He then turned the knob. It wasn’t locked, so he entered. It was empty. There was no sign that Lily had used the bathroom this morning, but she had certainly used it last night. The water in the tub was evidence of that
He got out of the bathroom, finally accepting that after waking up, she had immediately left the mansion.
Grey moved to the door, eyeing the crumpled bed that reminded him of what took place last night. The memories came crashing back to him with clear, vivid details. He swallowed hard as the scene played in his mind.
He made his way through the quiet, arched hallways until he reached his office. He took his briefcase from the table where he had left it yesterday.
On his way to the door, he stopped in his tracks as he spotted the wine bottle still standing on top of the glass table. Everything was still in place, except that the wineglass was empty. His excellent memory reminded him that it had been half full before he dragged his feet out the door.
Could it be that Lily had accidentally drunk the wine too?
He sucked in a deep breath as the possibility sank in. At first, it was only a possibility, but after pondering hard, his doubts vanished, and he was certain–one hundred percent sure, in fact–that she had consumed the wine.
Lily had acted so wild last night, and now he knew why. Like him, she had been influenced by the drug Natalia poured into the wine after she drank some of it.
The liquid ecstasy had turned both him and Lily into horny teenagers. He wasn’t going to lie, he liked what happened last night. But a part of him knew they were lucky enough not to consume too much wine, or else it could have been fatal if they had overdosed. They could have died.
Grey thought, anger slowly building inside him. He would make Natalia pay for trying to force him to have sex with her. When she didn’t succeed, she had resorted to underhanded tactics by drugging his wine. He was lucky his brain had acted quicker before the drug did, or else he might have been in serious trouble. Not literally dead, but close to it. He knew why Natalia had been so desperate last night. She needed money. Blackmail was the answer she thought she knew.
He checked his wristwatch and hurried out of his office with the briefcase in hand. Reaching his car, he opened the door, climbed inside, and drove out of the mansion.
He had made up his mind. The contract with Natalia Romani would be rightfully revoked.
She would be furious when she read the company notice.
Now they were even.
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