Page 44 of Bought

I woke up quite suddenly, conscious that I wasn’t on Jay’s uncomfortable couch with the springs digging into my back. This was an actual mattress, and it was soft, also there seemed to be a lot of pillows, and instead of blankets there was a thick comforter.

All was silent, and I was warm and very comfortable, so for a moment I lay there in the blissful quiet with my eyes closed, utterly relaxed for the first time in years, trying to remember the lovely dream I’d been having. I’d been in a castle of some kind, in the most beautiful room. I’d been wearing a gorgeous gown and I felt warm and safe and cared for. There had been a wonderful feeling of excitement sitting inside me, as if someone I loved was coming to visit me and I couldn’t wait to see them—

Wait. If I wasn’t on Jay’s couch, then where was I?

I was in a large room with white walls and dark charcoal carpet. The bed I was in was pushed up against one wall and facing large windows covered by sweeping white curtains. There was nothing else in the room but a large dresser and a couple of nightstands on either side of the bed.

It was as featureless as a hotel room. No, the hotel room I’d been in last night had had more character, so where the hell was this?

Then all the air left my lungs as the memories from the night before caught up with me. The auction, the room after it, the limo, the hotel. Losing my virginity on the living room floor. And…him.

Tennyson Fox. Cold blue eyes, powerful hands, control and strength and absolute authority. So. Fucking. Sexy.

A sweeping wave of heat washed through me, and I put my hands over my face, for a second overwhelmed. God, the orders he’d given me and the things he’d said, the things he’d made me do…and I’d done them without protest. No, more than that. I’d loved doing them. I’d wanted to do them.

Touching myself to orgasm in front of him. Bending over and letting him eat me out then fuck me from behind. And no fear, no fear at all…

Falling asleep on the carpet like a fool.

Belatedly, a chill crept over my skin. Dangerous to be so out of it with a man who was essentially a stranger to me, then again, there had been that inexplicable feeling of safety with his powerful body behind me. Perhaps I’d been sex drunk or something. All I remembered was being so tired and kind of overwhelmed.

You were naked, in a place you didn’t know, with a fucking stranger, and you went to sleep.

Yeah, and that should be freaking me out. But it wasn’t.

I remembered him picking me up and holding me against his chest, and that safe feeling had magnified. His arms were strong, and he was so warm, and I’d known nothing could touch me in that moment.

I didn’t want to be a damsel in distress. I didn’t want to need a man’s protection, but sometimes it was hard having to protect yourself all the time, to be on your guard constantly. Sometimes all you wanted was to relax, to know that you were safe, that someone had your back.

I’d done more than relax, though. I’d fallen asleep the moment he’d put me to bed.

I’d trusted him.

I lay there for a moment as the reality of that sank in, and then realized something else. He’d said one night and apart from the sex in the living room, that’s all we’d done. He hadn’t woken me up and judging from the light coming around the edges of the curtains it was day already, so now our night was over.

An odd sense of deflation hit me. Had he not wanted more? Was that why he’d let me sleep? Because he didn’t strike me as being the kind of man who’d be too concerned about my sleep if he wanted more sex. Or maybe he didn’t want more sex. Maybe me collapsing like an idiot after he’d fucked me had been a complete turn off.

He preferred you strong and fighting him, not acting like a victim.

A lump rose in my throat, pain collecting inside me, though why I cared so very much I had no idea. I’d only met him the day before and sure, he’d taken my virginity, but it wasn’t as if he’d been kind. He’d been cold and distant and controlling, so why did it matter if he didn’t want more? I didn’t care.

You still haven’t got the evidence the Hamiltons want either.

I groaned softly. Fuck. I hadn’t even thought about that. I’d gotten here and he’d put me on my knees, and all thought about the stupid evidence I was supposed to find had gone completely out of my head. And now the night was over, and I still didn’t have it.

You won’t get your money now.

No, fuck that. I wanted that money. I needed it. It was my ticket out of my shitty life, and I wasn’t going to let stupid Tennyson Fox sidetrack me. I was still here, which meant I still had time to look for whatever evidence the Hamiltons thought was here. Time to stop lying around in bed and mooning over the dumb hot billionaire.

I shoved myself up and sat on the bed for a moment, listening. It was very quiet. I couldn’t even hear the city outside. Then again, the bedroom door was closed and there was probably some expensive soundproofing all through the house. He might be having a massive party out there and I still wouldn’t hear anything.

Too bad. Now, while he wasn’t here, was the perfect time to start searching.

I slipped out of bed and took a cursory look around for some clothes, before remembering that of course I didn’t have any. Damn. Since there wasn’t much to be done about that and since I didn’t want to go prowling around Fox’s house naked, I settled for wrapping a sheet around me before going to the door and opening it.

Outside was a long hallway with various doors leading off it. Right at the end was a big window that gave a view out across the rooftops of buildings nearby and through which light poured.

I still couldn’t hear anyone moving around. Was I alone? Or was Fox still somewhere in the house? I’d need to be careful and quiet if so.