Drowning the Past

My heart pounded a frantic, erratic rhythm against my ribs as Gideon finished stripping down at the edge of the illuminated pool. He didn't break eye contact as his hands moved to his waistband, pushing down his tailored slacks and letting them pool on the wet tiles. The tight black briefs he wore underneath clung perfectly to his lower half, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. The ambient blue light of the water reflected off his damp skin, turning him into a living, breathing statue carved from pure temptation. His body was an absolute masterpiece of raw, unfiltered masculinity. Every defined muscle looked sculpted out of pure sin, and his heavy, thick erection was clearly, undeniably outlined against the dark, wet fabric.

He slipped into the warm, glowing water with the predatory grace of a large cat. Every stroke he took toward me was slow, measured, and entirely deliberate. His eyes had darkened dramatically, swirling with a hungry, primal intensity that made my breath catch in my throat. I hesitated for a fraction of a second, my mind struggling to process the sheer magnetism radiating off him. Here was a complete stranger—a man who suited up and pretended to be a rich, high-society darling by day simply to collect a paycheck—now looking at me as if I were the most special, irreplaceable woman in the world.

But as the humiliating, pitying smiles of Chase and Sloane from the wedding flashed violently in my mind's eye, the hesitation vanished instantly. I remembered Chase's condescending stare and the crushing weight of being completely disposable. I knew I desperately needed this. I had hired him to fix my bruised ego, to give me one night of reckless abandon so I wouldn't feel so goddamn empty inside. I needed to feel desired, worshipped, and entirely consumed, even if I was literally paying a premium for the privilege.

Beneath the surface of the pool, his large, scorching hot hands slid around my bare waist. His touch sent a violent jolt of electricity straight down my spine as his thumbs began to slowly, methodically trace the sharp line of my hips.

"You're trembling," he murmured, his deep voice carrying over the quiet splashing of the water. His mouth hovered dangerously close to mine, his hot breath fanning across my parted lips.

"I'm not," I replied instantly, though my voice was a breathless, hopelessly unconvincing whisper.

Flashing a devastating, sinfully seductive smile, he whispered against my flushed skin, "We'll see."

His touch was absolute torture, slow and deliberate. His hands mapped the wet, shivering skin of my back and thighs before his grip tightened securely on my hips. He lifted me effortlessly through the water as if I weighed nothing at all. Pure, unadulterated instinct took over, and my legs immediately opened and wrapped tight around his hard, muscular waist.

The friction of our bodies colliding sent my senses into overdrive. I felt his hard, thick arousal pressing directly against my sensitive core through the thin barriers of our soaked underwear. The rational, practical part of my brain screamed a desperate warning. It reminded me that this was just his job—a highly calculated, transactional act perfectly designed to make me feel like a queen for the night. But my body was entirely on fire, burning from the inside out, and I simply didn't care anymore. I needed his heat, his sheer physical power, to completely drown out Chase’s cruel, echoing insult: *You were always so boring.*

"You like it when I tease you, don't you?" Gideon murmured, pulling me away from my dark thoughts. He trailed his open mouth along the sensitive, pulsing cord of my neck, biting lightly at my rapid pulse point.

"Gideon…" I gasped out loud, my fingers tangling desperately in his wet, dark hair, pulling him closer.

"You'd better hold on," he laughed softly, a dark, low sound that vibrated straight through my chest. Before I could even process the warning, he tilted my chin up and pulled me into a deep, demanding, soul-stealing kiss. The electric shock of his mouth against mine short-circuited my brain, erasing all coherent thought. His mouth was hot and unrelenting. His tongue swept confidently into my mouth, claiming me completely, tasting faintly of expensive champagne and raw, untamed hunger.

He didn't break the kiss as he swam us backward through the water. We hit the edge of the pool with a dull thud. He pressed me flush against the smooth, wet tiles, effectively trapping my body entirely between the hard, unforgiving wall and his massive chest.

"Now there's nowhere to run," he whispered against my swollen, tingling lips.

"And who said I want to run?" I breathed back recklessly, arching my chest firmly into his, chasing the friction.

His eyes flared with a dark, blazing heat. With skilled, urgent fingers, he reached down between our tangled bodies and hooked his fingers firmly under the hem of my wet black lace lingerie. With one swift, forceful motion, he ripped the delicate fabric away, tossing the ruined lace onto the tiles without a second glance. His large, rough hands instantly found my bare breasts. He squeezed the soft flesh firmly, his calloused thumbs rolling relentlessly over my hardened nipples, pulling a loud, shameless moan from my throat.

"You have the sweetest way of saying my name," he rasped, his voice rough and uneven. The blinding intensity in his dark eyes made me wonder for a fleeting second if that was even his real name. How many women had moaned a name that wasn't even his? Right now, it didn't matter. For those stolen seconds, the only reality that mattered was the scorching heat of his body.

Then, gripping my hips with an almost bruising force, he reached down and pushed his wet briefs aside. He perfectly aligned his thick, rigid length with my soaking wet entrance, and without any hesitation, he thrust deep inside my body.

"Fuck, Tessa…" he ground out through clenched teeth, his head dropping heavily onto my bare shoulder. His rough, gravelly voice was dripping with a primal desire that felt far too raw and far too real to simply be a paid, rehearsed act.

The sensation of taking him in was utterly overwhelming. He stretched my tight walls completely, hitting a sensitive spot so incredibly deep inside me that I cried out his name again, my back arching violently against the pool tiles. The warm, soothing water of the pool entirely vanished from my awareness, completely eclipsed by the scorching, desperate heat generating between our joined bodies.

The world outside this luxury rooftop vanished completely. There was no wedding, no cheating ex-fiancé, no smug best friend. There was only Gideon. Every firm, deep thrust pulled a sharp gasp from my lips, pushing me further and further away from my pathetic, broken reality. I clung desperately to his broad, tattooed shoulders, my nails digging deep into his golden skin as I fought to anchor myself. I was desperate to forget everything in the world that existed beyond the intense, physical friction of this pool.

He fucked me with a desperate, animalistic intensity, the water violently slapping against our skin with every hard plunge. His rough groans mixed perfectly with the wet sounds of our bodies colliding harder and faster. My internal walls tightened and spasmed around his thick cock as the pleasure built into crashing, uncontrollable waves.

"Come for me, Tessa. Let go," he whispered thickly directly into my ear. His pace quickened even further, shifting into brutal, relentless thrusts that battered against my deepest spots.

That dirty, demanding request was exactly what pushed me right over the edge. It shattered my final, fragile threads of control. A violent, blinding shock of pure release ripped through my core, exploding outward. I unraveled entirely in his arms, completely surrendering to the overwhelming sensation as my muscles trembled and convulsed with the sheer force of the orgasm. My body arched rigidly, clenching tightly and repeatedly around his hard, pulsing cock.

A split second later, with one final, incredibly powerful thrust that buried him to the very hilt, he groaned my name. His massive body went entirely rigid against mine as he followed me over the precipice, filling me completely with his hot release.

In the ragged, heavy silence that immediately followed, only the loud sound of splashing water settling against the edges of the pool and our harsh panting filled the humid room. He didn't pull away. Instead, he held me steady and secure against the wall, gently kissing my bare, damp shoulder as our rapid breathing gradually slowed.

"Best deal I've ever made," I muttered absentmindedly, resting my exhausted forehead heavily against the crook of his neck.

But the absolute second that single, loaded word—*deal*—left my mouth, the illusion completely shattered. The cold, familiar emptiness came creeping violently back into my chest, wrapping its icy fingers around my racing heart.

It was a transaction. A business arrangement.

Tomorrow morning, the fantasy would end. I would pack up my belongings and return to my cramped, pathetic little room at my parents' house. I would go straight back to selling beautiful wedding dresses to perfectly happy couples, and cry alone at night over Chase's broken promises. Yet tonight, wrapped tightly in his strong arms, with my body still throbbing from the sheer force of his possession, I wasn't the betrayed, pathetic girl everyone pitied. I was a woman entirely in control, and Gideon was an absolute master of his craft, worth every single penny I was going to pay him.

The problem?

As I rested against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, a horrifying realization settled in my gut. I had absolutely no idea how much a man like this actually charged for a night of completely unregulated, mind-altering perfection.

I was about to find out exactly what that massive bill would really cost me.