Chapter 3. You Should Marry Me

Colt did not recognize me, but I was not surprised. Even my own father would not recognize me.

“Have you made a decision?” My aunt asked, and I looked away from my monitor screen.

My eyes followed hers around my office, at the gift bags and boxes all over.

“They are really working hard to be picked.” She looked up and pinned her hazel eyes on me.

“No.” I shook my head. “These are all from the second son.”

“What?” My aunt shouted. But just as quickly, she regained her composure. “You are not going to choose him, are you?”

“It’s not the weekend yet.”

She frowned at me, “Watch yourself, girl. You are no queen yet,” she said, her voice dropping several degrees.

I said nothing, knowing at times like these it was best to be quiet around my aunt.

She stared at me for several more seconds before she sighed.

“You will be the Queen of all this,” she waved her hand around my office, as soon as you give the family an heir, and a logical number of spares.”

I nodded quietly.

“But I do not want the younger son for you. I will not watch you relive your mother’s mistake!”

I stood up so quickly my chair crashed back, startling her.

She said nothing more, took her bag and left.

I walked to the window to stare out, breathing through my mouth to calm my nerves.

At that moment, I heard a quick knock and the door opened.

“Mr Fletcher is here to see you.”

“I do not see anyone without an appointment, Emma.” I said, “There are no exceptions,” I trailed off as I turned around to see Colt walking past her.

"Sir, you cannot..." Emma started to say.

“That will be all, girl,” he cut in, waving her off nonchalantly.

Emma looked at me, and I nodded.

“How can I help you, Mr Fletcher?” I took my seat as the door closed gently behind Emma.

“Coffee would do,” he said, staring directly at me.

He was shirtless again today, his tattoos visible under the open leather jacket, and my office lights bounced off his nipple piercing.

My hand shook slightly as I picked up the desk phone.

Here, alone in my office with him, my resolve was not as strong as it should be.

“Emma. One cup of coffee, please,” I said, and placed the phone back down.

“It’s impolite not to have ordered one for yourself.”

“I have no thirst,” I replied calmly, and his eyes burned into me as his fingers caressed his abs absentmindedly.

I quickly grabbed my mouse, pressing my knees together beneath the table.

I had gone one whole year without sex, a monumental achievement for a woman with my condition.

I was not about to lose that to this fool.

Emma opened the door at that minute, and I was tempted to ask her to stay and take notes for me or something.

She stole a glance at Colt as she set the tray down, but he did not look at her even once.

The man was still so arrogant. How had he not recognized Emma? Unlike me, the woman had not changed one bit.

“I’ll be clocking off in twenty-three minutes," I said, turning to my monitor when Emma left. “Do you have something to say?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, good. Let’s hear it.”

“You should marry me.”

My fingers froze on my keyboard. I would laugh if I were not so bloody enraged at his audacity.

Turning around, I decided to humor him. “Why should I?”

“Why shouldn’t you?”

“Is this how you convince your investors? I see why Quiver Corporation is struggling.”

“You…” He flew up from his seat, but I did not move, did not even flinch, just stared at him.

He stopped. “Do you know me?”

I stopped breathing, but managed to maintain my posture. Had he recognized me already?

“Did I ever do anything to you? Because I cannot understand why you are so damn rude to me, sending my gifts back every evening, and talking down on me when you burn for me.”

“What?” I gasped.

“You get so damn wet every time you see me.”

My jaw was hanging now, my eyes as round as donuts. “What did you just say to me?” I said, standing up slowly.

“I mean no offense, Olivia, but I can smell you, and it’s so fucking arousing.”

“Miss Auclair to you!” I finally screamed, pointing angrily at him.

“Don’t get excited, lady, your bouncing tits are distracting.”

My hand flew up to cover my mouth, “You pervert.”

“No. I only have a habit of saying what other men would think in their head but pretend otherwise.”

“You really think I will pick you now?”

He closed our distance in one move and stood before me. “Why not? I am as intelligent as Dean, strong, but unlike him, I can fulfill those desires you are too embarrassed to tell your girlfriends.”

“Get out!” My whole body was trembling now. I was losing control.

I had forgotten just how good at dirty talking Colt was.

Breathing against my face, his eyes tracing my cleavage line, his tattoos. Good god, his fucking tattoos…

“Get out!” I screamed louder this time, taking two steps back. “If you show up again before the weekend, the Fletchers can kiss this marriage arrangement goodbye.”

He gave me a long look, turned and left.

As soon as he closed the door, I ran for it and turned the lock. Then I grabbed a pillow from the couch and screamed into it.

The idiot!

But venting was not enough. Colt had broken something inside me all over again.

My one-year abstinence streak? Useless now.

I ran to my desk and grabbed my smartphone, skimming for my therapist’s number with a blurry vision even as my knees shook.

“Ugghnn.” I threw my head back and pressed my knees together as I placed the phone against my ear.

My therapist’s kind voice greeted me from her voicemail.

I threw my phone down on the desk, breathing heavily. I did not want to do this. I really did not.

I couldn't have come so far just to break this way.

I unbuttoned my shirt for ventilation, but my hand brushing over my chest aroused me more.

My nails dug into the desk as my other hand somehow found its way to my nipples.

“Fuck.” I bit back the moan.

My fingers picked up pace, twirling around my nipple to the image of Colt’s hungry eyes just now.

I moaned this time because somehow my fingers suddenly felt like Colt’s.

I was making too much noise at this point, so I hurried to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

There, I fell to my knees in front of the mirror. His memory was so vivid that he could have been kneeling behind me.

The bed of my nails found my clit and journeyed up and down the arc.

“Ughnn,” I bit my lip to the sensation.

How had I stayed off all sexual activities for so long?

“Fuck you, Colt.” I cursed, a tear slipping from my eye.

I'd been doing so well.

I heard his voice behind me, telling me to go on and fuck him, so staring in the mirror, I slipped my fingers in me.

My eyes scanned my curves as I rode what I imagined to be Colt’s fingers. I appreciated my impossibly tiny waist, the generous curve of my hips, and my naked breasts bouncing as I moved faster.

My moans rose higher and higher till I felt the familiar tremor in my abdomen and squirted all over my office bathroom floor.

The tears fell heavy from my eyes now.

But I wiped them off savagely and stood up.

This was much better than letting that idiot touch me ever again. Getting distracted by him now would cost me my life.