There are approximately one million words in the English language, but as Addison stared at her house now stripped of ivy, only one came to mind. It contained four letters...and it wasn’t nice.
Addison slammed her hand on the button operating the privacy window, and before it had even moved an inch, she shouted, “Stop the car.”
“Miss?” George said, halfway turning around.
“I said stop the fucking car now!”
Before George could slip the transmission into park, Addison was out of the Bentley and gawking at the house in the distance. As she stared at her home, her blood pressure began to elevate, and it took only a matter of seconds before her face was beet red, and her hands were fisted.
Climbing back inside the car, Addison closed the door so forcefully the entire car rocked. “Drive.”
Replying with only a nod, George lightly stepped on the accelerator.
“I said bloody drive, or you’ll be out of a fucking—”
Thrown back in her seat when George slammed his foot to the floor, Addison paid no attention to the sound of the pings and chinks as the gravel bounced off the chrome and polished finish of the car. In less than a minute, sending more gravel flying to and fro, George skidded to a stop in front of the house.
Addison shoved the car door open and erupted from the Bentley like lava from a volcano. Taking the stairs two at a time, she marched across the veranda and burst into the house, sending the door so wide the handle embedded in the plaster wall behind it.
Chauncey was prancing from the parlor with his favorite toy when the door swung open, and recognizing Addison, his tail began to wag, but the look on her face changed his mind. Like a metronome, his little stub slowly wound down to zero, and with the toy still in his mouth, he turned around and scampered back from where he came.
Addison didn’t notice Chauncey, and she didn’t notice the light now streaming into the foyer from the glass panels in the dome far above her head. The only thing she noticed was the woman standing at the top of the stairs.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Addison roared, throwing her briefcase across the foyer.
“Well, hello to you, too,” Joanna said, doing absolutely nothing to hide her grin.
Addison’s eyes turned into slits as she charged up the stairs. “What the fuck have you done to my house?”
“Oh that,” Joanna said with a wave of her hand. “I gave it a trim.”
By the time Addison reached Joanna, the veins in her neck had swelled to their extreme. “I never gave you permission—”
“Oh, did I forget to tell you? That whole permission thing just doesn’t work for me,” Joanna said, letting out a snort as she eyeballed Addison. “Sorry.”
Addison’s eyes darkened, and as she moved to within a hairsbreadth of Joanna, her neck corded. “I should smack that supercilious grin right off your face.”
Joanna took a step backward and crossed her arms. “You do, and you’ll have a hell of a lot more to pay for than just home repair.”
“You are a bitch!”
“Look who’s talking.”
“I’ve been trying my best to be—”
“Your best?” Joanna shouted, closing the gap between them again. “I have news for you, Addison, you wouldn’t know best if it came up and slapped you in the face. The ivy’s gone and all your huffing and puffing isn’t going to bring it back. So, why don’t you do us both a favor and just sod the fuck off?”
Joanna wasn’t surprised when Addison continued to glare back at her, so shooting the woman one last cold look, Joanna turned on her heel and headed to her bedroom.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Addison said, running to catch up.
Just as Joanna opened her bedroom door, Addison grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. “Don’t you walk away from me!”
Joanna pulled herself free. “I’ll damn well do as I please. You don’t own me, and you sure as hell don’t scare me. You’re nothing but a pompous, obnoxious, spoiled cow that’s used to getting her own way. Well, I have news for you, Addison, if you want your own way, go tell your slag. She’s paid to listen, and I’m sure she’s more than willing to do whatever you’d like, but there’s not enough money in the world to make me do the same!”
“If I’m not mistaken, I bought you as well,” Addison said, giving Joanna a dismissive glance. “Although I must say, the price was outrageously high for something so cheap.”
The sound of the stinging slap Joanna gave Addison echoed down the hallway.
“If you want cheap, go fuck your whore!” Joanna screamed, and placing her hand on Addison’s chest, Joanna shoved her as hard as she could into the corridor before slamming the door in her face.
Throwing the bolt for good measure, Joanna stomped to the middle of her room, never in her life wanting so desperately to throw a punch at something. Spying the pillows on the bed, she took a step in their direction when the sound of her door being kicked in caused her to almost jump out of her skin.
Addison stood in the doorway with skin flushed and nostrils flaring. “I’d rather fuck you,” she snarled as she strode across the room and pushed Joanna up against the bedpost.
They say the line between love and hate is thin, but the one between lust and hate is infinitesimal. Blood heated by anger and impassioned beliefs flowed like lava through their veins, desire turning molten as it searched for release.
Their eyes locked, and for a moment, time stood still. Denial had been their common ground, but Addison could no longer disavow what she wanted. Leaning in, she captured Joanna’s lips in a kiss as brutal as it was intoxicating.
Addison ground her mouth against Joanna’s, and feeding on the flavor of the woman like an addict for a drug, she claimed Joanna’s mouth again and again. Her kisses were punishing and heated, but anger was no longer her fuel. Driven by something primitive, far beyond anything Addison had ever experienced, the more she pressed her lips against Joanna’s, the more Addison needed to taste...and taste she did.
In less time than it takes to blink, Joanna went from trying to escape Addison’s assault, to relishing every second of it. Addison was relentless, and Joanna was a willing victim, and when she felt Addison’s tongue stab at her lips, Joanna thought she was going to die. Helpless against the desires she had kept hidden for so long, Joanna succumbed and parted her lips. In an instant, a rush of need coursed through her body, and Joanna fisted the cloth of Addison’s jacket, fearing her knees were about to fail as she tasted Addison’s tongue for the first time.
A primitive groan rose in Addison’s throat as she plunged her tongue between Joanna’s lips, and over and over again she ravished her with sweeps of a tongue, warm and wet. Control was lost, squelched by a feral need to take, and Addison did just that, pillaging and tasting until the need for air became too great. Pulling away, she greedily sucked air into her lungs.
In ragged gasps, Joanna fought for oxygen. She kept her eyes riveted on Addison, fearing if she looked away the dream would end, but when she saw the hunger etched on Addison’s face, Joanna swallowed hard. The dream had only just begun.
Like fireworks lighting up the sky, Addison’s mind was ablaze with conflict. Right versus wrong, good versus bad, need versus want, raw versus tender, they flashed and extinguished at a dizzying rate, but in the end, raw won out. Taking Joanna by the shoulders, Addison pushed her onto the bed.
Feeling as if the room had become a furnace, Addison wasted no time in ridding herself of her suit jacket and tie, and climbing onto the bed, she recaptured Joanna’s lips. They were warm and supple and oh so delicious, Addison greedily devoured their softness before she again slipped her tongue between them. Joanna’s mouth was sweet and inviting, and a surge of pleasure rushed through Addison’s body when her wife’s tongue began to dance with hers.
Possessed by something foreign yet so natural, Joanna’s body was no longer her own, and she began to return Addison’s kisses as feverishly as they were being given. Her hands traveled up Addison’s arms and then to her back, feeling beneath the crisp cotton the warmth of the woman’s skin as it radiated through the fabric, and the more Joanna felt, the more she wanted to touch.
Joanna wasn’t the only one who wanted to touch. Although her wife’s lips were divine, Addison’s need to caress, to fondle, to rub, to feel all those parts hidden by cloth and propriety had turned her flame into a bonfire. She shifted ever so slightly and slipped her hand under Joanna’s skirt. Joanna’s thighs were smooth and warm, but what Addison craved to touch would be so much warmer. Wasting no time, she pushed Joanna’s legs apart and cupped her sex.
Every nerve in Joanna’s body seemed to explode at once. A hand, possessive and strong, was molded against her center, a palm pressing down on her juncture as fingers sought out her most secret place and as Joanna gulped for air, she prayed Addison find it soon. Never in her life had Joanna wanted something so much.
The scent of Joanna’s arousal permeated Addison’s senses in an instant, and when she felt the wet, slickness oozing through Joanna’s silk knickers, there was no turning back. Overpowered by the most lascivious of urges, as she reclaimed Joanna’s lips, devouring her in another devastating kiss, Addison hooked her fingers in the silk. Ripping it from Joanna’s body, she slid her fingers through Joanna’s folds and finding her entrance, drove two fingers deep inside.
Joanna cried out, digging her nails into Addison’s back at the flash of pain, but then almost as quickly it was gone, and something else took its place. Something tameless and wanton, it eliminated all but the most primal, and Joanna began to rock against Addison’s fingers, urging her deeper, needing her deeper...demanding her deeper.
In the very core of her being Joanna began to feel her pleasure building. Increasing with every thrust, ripples grew into swells and then morphed into waves of splendor as passion and need collided. For a split-second, Joanna froze, afraid of what was to come, afraid to give into it, afraid to lose her mind and body to Addison knowing she’d never get it back, but it was too late. Addison already owned her, and as that thought entered Joanna’s mind, she opened herself up to the orgasm Addison had created, and it claimed her instantly...in spasm after spasm of pleasure.
The passage of time was lost on Joanna as she shuddered and trembled through the last throes of ecstasy, and as her breathing returned to normal, she felt the mattress dip. It took all the strength she had to open her eyes, and when she did Joanna watched as Addison walked from the room without looking back.
***
Fran followed Lydia Patel into Addison’s outer office, and while the young woman returned to her desk, Fran continued to Millie’s. “So, what’s the emergency?” she asked. “I was in a meeting.”
“Yes, I know, but I didn’t think this could wait.”
“What’s going on?”
Millie looked past Fran to the admins sitting by the door. Keeping her voice low, she said, “Addison came in this morning and told us to cancel everything for today.”
“She can’t do that,” Fran said through her teeth. “Ravi Nahas flew in from Dubai last night. We’ve been working on this for over a year.”
“I know. That’s why I sent Lydia to find you,” Millie said, lowering her voice even more. “Fran, Addison didn’t look at all well when she came in, and I could barely understand her. She was talking in whispers.”
“Is she sick?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you cancel the meeting with Nahas?”
“No. I thought I should talk to you first.”
“Good,” Fran said, glancing toward Addison’s office. “Let me go see what’s going on. If she’s sick and we do need to cancel, I’ll make the call.”
“Of course.”
Fran gave Millie a feeble grin and then went over and tapped lightly on Addison’s door. Hearing no response, she turned the knob and walked inside. It was nine o’clock in the morning, but by the amount of light in the room, it could very well have been midnight. Peering through the shadows, she saw a figure sitting behind the desk.
“A bit dark in here, isn’t it?” Fran asked as she carefully made her way across the room. Flicking on the lamp sitting atop the credenza, she turned around. “That’s better. Don’t you think?”
Addison didn’t move. Her eyes remained focused on a desk barren of files, and since Fran couldn’t hear the hum of a hard drive, she didn’t need to look at the monitors to know they were blank. She kept her eyes on Addison as she went over and sat down, and crossing her legs, Fran took a slow breath. “Okay, what’s going on? Millie said you wanted to cancel the appointment with Nahas.”
Fran waited for Addison to respond, but when the woman remained mute, Fran’s temper got the better of her, and she slammed her hand on the desk. “Damn it, Addison. I don’t have time for this shit! We’ve worked too damn long and too damn hard on this deal to have it fucked up by one of your moods.”
Addison slowly raised her head and Fran’s eyebrows drew together. Even though it was minimal, Addison always wore a hint of makeup, but she wasn’t wearing any, and Fran doubted that the best concealer in the world could have hidden the dark circles under her eyes. “Are you sick?”
“No,” Addison said, lowering her eyes.
“Then why do you look like shit?”
“Just leave me alone, Fran,” Addison said quietly. “Please, just leave me be.”
For a moment, Fran stared wordlessly at Addison. The mood she was seeing wasn’t one Addison had ever had in her repertoire before. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Addison said, slumping further into her chair. “Now go.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
“Please, Fran—”
“We used to be friends, you and me,” Fran said, leaning closer. “You used to trust me. Remember?”
“Yeah,” Addison said, letting out a sigh. “I remember.”
“Then talk to me. Whatever it is, we’ll get it sorted.”
Addison scrubbed her hand over her face, exhaling slowly as she opened her eyes. “I fucked up royally, Fran. Really royally.”
Fran stiffened. Addison’s eyes were glassy, and her expression was so pained it looked as if she had aged a decade. “What did you do? Is this about...about a contract or an acquisition?”
“No—wait. In a way I...I guess it is,” Addison said, running her fingers through her hair. “It’s...it’s about Joanna.”
“Joanna? What about Joanna?”
“Something...something happened last night...” Addison’s voice trailed off as she buried her head in her hands. “Christ, what have I done?”
The color began to drain from Fran’s face. “Okay, you’re starting to worry me. What the hell happened last night and what’s it got to do with Joanna?”
Addison looked up, shaking her head as she struggled to find the words. “Last...last night when I got home, Joanna and I got into a row. Things got...they got really heated, and we ended up...” Addison stopped, bowing her head again. “It just happened so fast. One minute we were shouting at each other and the next...the next I had her on the bed.”
Fran stared blankly back at Addison. While her confession was surprising, Fran couldn’t see the problem. Joanna was of consenting age, and even though she was straight, straight women had switched teams before, even if only for a night or two. Taking her time, Fran replayed Addison’s words in her head, trying to find the missing piece of the puzzle, and then slowly the rest of the color drained from her face. “Wait a minute,” she said, holding up her hands. “What do you mean you had her on the bed? Jesus Christ, Addison, please don’t tell me...don’t tell me you forced her.”
“I...I don’t know,” Addison said, her voice sinking to a whisper.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Fran said, jumping to her feet. “It’s a yes or no answer, Addison. Either you did, or you didn’t. Now, which is it?”
Addison looked back at Fran. “I told you, it happened so fast—”
“Did she say no?”
“What?”
“Did she say no?” Fran yelled, pounding her hands on the desk. “Did she tell you to stop or get out or get off? Did she say no?”
“Um...I-I-I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so!” Fran said, rocking back on her heels. “You don’t think so!”
“It just...it was so fast. We were angry and screaming and...and then we were on the bed. You have to believe me, Fran, if I had known...if I had thought—”
“What the hell are you going on about?”
“Fuck!” Addison said, pounding her hands on her desk. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
Fran’s stomach began to roll. There was obviously more to the story and cringing, she said, “What aren’t you telling me?”
Addison sagged her chair. “I think...I think it was her first time.”
“Of course it was her first time, you bloody idiot! She was straight until she married you!”
“No, I mean...I mean when I got back to my room and...and took off my shirt, I noticed I saw a spot on my sleeve, and then I remembered she had...she had cried out when—”
“Enough!” Fran said, throwing up her hands. “Jesus Christ, Addison, what have you done? What have you bloody done?”
Addison struggled to breathe, the guilt so overwhelming it felt as if her chest was in a vice. “I...I don’t...I don’t know what to say. I...I don’t know what to do.”
“Well, I do,” Fran said, going over to the credenza. Upending a tumbler, she pulled the stopper from the scotch and filled the glass.
“What the hell are you doing, Fran? It’s barely nine o’clock, and that’s not going to help.”
Fran calmly picked up the glass and headed back to the desk. “It’s not for me,” she said, promptly tossing the scotch in Addison’s face. “It’s for you.”
“What the fu—”
“Trust me. You deserve a hell of a lot more than that!” Fran said, slamming the glass on the desk. “Now, clean yourself up and pull yourself together. Nahas will be here at two, and you’re going to be—”
“I canceled that.”
“And I uncanceled it!” Fran said, leaning over so she could look Addison in the eye. “Believe it or not, you stupid cow, this company isn’t just about you. We’ve had no less than twenty people working on this for over a year. Twenty people who were promised bonuses once the deal was made. They gave up their nights. They gave up their weekends. Hell, some of them even gave up their holidays, and I’ll be damned, just because you can’t keep your fucking hands to yourself, they’re going to pay for it.” Fran marched to the door. “I’ll be back before two, and when I get here you sure as hell better be ready for that meeting, Addison, or as God is my witness, I’ll walk away from Kane Holdings and never look back.”
“Where are you going?”
Fran stopped and spun around. “I’m going to go see just how much damage you’ve done, and if Joanna’s hurt...if you hurt her in any way, after the Nahas meeting, you and I are through.”