Rise by Cassandra Robbins

 

 

 

 

RHYS

Present – Thirty-five years old

Paris, France

Why I’m standing outside her door pounding on it instead of making an appearance at the runway show is beyond me. I can’t even remember the designer, but Paulette is in it.

I said I’d show up. I should. I owe her that, I guess… even if it is only for show.

It’s been time to break it off with Paulette for a while. And since I just spent ten minutes flirting with a receptionist, taking selfies with her and fans, all so she’d give me Gia’s room number, I’d say Paulette needs to go.

I almost get my phone to text it to her, but that’s a dick move, and I don’t do dick moves anymore.

So here I stand outside room 696.

Needing to break up with Paulette, but so obsessed that I have to see her. Call it unhealthy. I don’t care. I just want to be near her, even if it’s for two minutes.

I pound on the door more forcefully than I need to. Adrenaline pumps through my veins.

Christ, I didn’t think this through. I want her, so here I am. Unfortunately, if Sebastian is with her in her room, I might lose it again. Which would be unfortunate since I’ve made him the DP.

I take a breath and wait to pound again, not trusting myself, though at least I’m acknowledging it. The other day filters through my mind. I should have been fine. It’s not like I haven’t run into plenty of women I used to fuck yet didn’t look twice.

But none of those women were Gia.

She’s mine.

I knew she was in that restaurant the moment I set foot in it. Because I can feel her. What I didn’t factor in was Sebastian. Seeing her with him set me off. For a split second, all the rage and pain brewing inside me for almost seven years came out.

All I heard in my head was he’s been inside her. I wanted to kill him for being able to touch what’s mine. I take a breath. If he’s in there with her… I pound again and hear a squeal.

“Sebastian. What now? I’m trying to meditate all my negativity awa—” The door swings open.

Gia Fucking Fontaine in all her glory.

I almost reach to rub my chest because just looking at her hurts. She thought I was Sebastian.

I want to wrap my hands around her beautiful neck. Bring her ripe lips to mine and fuck the thought of any man out of her head. Go all caveman and shit and keep her with me twenty-four seven. That’s the thing about obsessions. They grow and snake their way inside your head until you’re consumed.

She stands in a white hotel robe, her naturally tan skin glowing with health. My eyes trail to the V of the robe, which is open enough to allow my eyes a glimpse of her full breasts.

She’s fucking magnificent.

My cock bulges at the thought of her hard nipples.

She’s also holding a joint in one hand, and a cigarette in the other. My mouth twitches, this ought to be interesting.

“Rhys,” she states. Her eyes narrow, and for a split second, I see her pain. It’s gone as fast as she tries to slam the door on me. I stop it easily with my hand and walk in.

“Excuse me? Get the fuck out. Granger.”She sashays by me as I catch a whiff of her scent. Vanilla beans, coffee, and whatever shit she’s smoking.

Jesus Christ, she’s high as a kite.

“You’ve got some nerve. I knew you were an egomaniac, but using Sebastian to get me to do your movie is fucking—”

“Watch it, Brat. I’m giving your boyfriend a career and you know it,” I snarl, my blood pumping. I haven’t felt this good, this interested, in years.

For a second, she blinks at me as if she’s trying to come up with something to say but can’t.

I grin at her. She frowns and walks over to the phone. “Do I need to call security?”

I sit down on her couch and prop my hands behind my head. “Why would you do that? I’m not gonna bite… yet.” She slams the phone down.

“Look, I don’t want to fight. I agreed to do the movie so get—”

“You gonna share that or just wave it around?” I interrupt her as I motion to the joint with my head.

“Wait, what?” I can tell she wants to go off but can’t do it justice. I smile. Can’t help

it.

“Sit, Brat. The least you can do is share what I’m assuming is making you feel pretty goddamn good. Then we can hash it, you can have at it, tell me how I hurt you—”

“You didn’t hurt me,” she says. “You destroyed me.” She drops down onto the couch. Her words are fierce, yet her body heat radiates off her and into me.

She needs to be fucked and hard. I take the joint from her and it’s like a fucking electric volt zaps us with that single touch. She feels it also—her lips puff out a little air and her chest becomes flushed.

Her eyes trail down my body, and I lift my hips to pull out my lighter.

“Axel’s latest strain?” My voice makes her eyes blink back up to my face and she leans back and smiles.

“No, Rip’s.”

I almost demand, Who the fuck is Rip? but I light the joint and inhale deeply, then take more as I hold, feel the magic, and slowly exhale.

“This is good shit, Brat. This Rip’s a dealer?” She smiles, and again my heart burns, aches as I bring the joint back to my lips.

“He’s partners with Axel, not that it’s any of your business.”

I lean my head back and inhale again, then hand it to her as my eyes watch her every move. Blowing the smoke at the ceiling, I say, “Axel’s done well for himself. Twins, marriage…”

“They’re not married yet,” she retorts. “He saved your ass, so yeah, Axel is doing amazing.”

I roll my head to look at her. “What are you talking about?”

“‘Untouched.’ It put you guys on the top again, and that was all my brother.” Venom drips from her pretty lips.

“Huh.” I nod. “Say it, Gia. Let out all the anger that’s eating you up.”

She leans on her elbow. “Fine.” Her eyes narrow on me. She hesitates as if she’s almost startled by the way I look, then licks her lips… as if my dick isn’t hard enough.

“I don’t know why you want me on this job. It’s shitty that you’re using Sebastian and my love for him to get to me. But most of all, I can’t stand you. Everything I thought you were was a lie. I loved you and you betrayed me.” Her chest heaves and her eyes swim with angry tears. But all I hear is love and Sebastian, and I’m glad the fucking man isn’t here. I should get up and leave. This is going to get ugly, but ugly is how she left it.

Unfinished. So, I guess today we finish it.

“Brat, the fact is, you couldn’t handle this life. You didn’t trust me. You left me. You believed everybody but me about that fucking pregnancy. I told you that baby wasn’t mine.” I sit up, my hands clenching as I try not to throw something.

“I waited for you, thinking you’d come back after it was all over the news that the kid was Cash’s. But nothing. So fucking hate me, but at least get the facts straight, baby.”

“Oh, trust me, I’m not your baby, and I don’t hate you, Rhys. I loathe you, despise you, my skin crawls if I hear your crappy, sellout music on the radio. I used to think you were a musical genius.” She snorts. “You’re nothing but a mediocre musician, at best.”

My nostrils flare as I watch the play of emotions on her face. I can sense her need, almost smell her fucking wet cunt.

“Admit it, Granger, you sold your soul to be a fucking star.” The room is silent besides our breathing. My eyes caress her face and lying mouth, which is almost trembling.

“You need to be fucked, Gia,” I grunt into her shocked mouth. “I wanted to kill Sebastian, fucking beat him until he couldn’t ever touch you again, but looking at you makes me actually feel sorry for him.”

“Get out,” she pants as my hand wraps around her neck.

“I’m not going anywhere.” I take her mouth. I’m not being gentle because she doesn’t need gentle. It’s rough and deep. Her tongue twists with mine. She tastes like fucking coffee and maple.

I open her robe and almost fucking come. She has her right nipple pierced. It’s then that it all falls into place for me.

She has and always will be mine. My muse. Sinking to my knees, I go straight for her wet cunt, sucking on her clit hard as my thumb rubs the gold hoop on her nipple back and forth.

“Oh fuck,” she groans and spreads her legs wider.

I latch onto her pink clit and suck as she tugs on my hair. Unbuttoning my pants, I grab my cock, ready to jerk it. I can tell she’s close.

She freezes as her body jerks and pulses in my mouth, her face thrown back, and I give her one more suck, watching all the emotions play out on her face. I stand, towering over her as her eyes lock with mine. It’s all there, her anger at letting me make her come, her pain, and most of all, her hate.

And I fucking love it. I kick my shoes off and jerk my jeans down. Grabbing my cock, I start to slide my hand up and down, jerking my hand on my piercing.

“That’s it, Brat.” I don’t think my dick has ever been this hard. There’s something intoxicating about being this connected with someone because she’s fucking primal, wild right now. She’s at war with herself, and that turns me on.

Power. It flows through me as I sit, spread my legs, and grab her hips so she can straddle me.

“Now, fuck me hard. I want to feel how much you despise me.” With eyes like glittering gems, she takes over. Nails dig into my chest, and she drags them across my abs. The sting makes me growl as her lips hover over my mouth.

She wants my soul.

The truth is, I gave it to her years ago.

“Fuck me, baby,” I demand as she grabs my cock, impaling herself on it in one fast thrust.

“I do hate you. I fucking hate you more than you can imagine.” Her tight cunt is so wet and hot that I grab her hips, needing her to move.

She smiles and her lips take mine, her tongue twisting as we fall back into our own rhythm. Her hands reach around for mine and she removes them. Then I’m gone. When she stops kissing me, her hands move to the back of the couch on both sides of my head and she raises herself slowly off me, then thrusts down hard as we both groan.

“Jesus.” My nostrils flare as she fucks me. Her full tits hit my face. As I bite and suck on the piercing, she rams her wet core up and down on me.

“I hate you,” she hisses like a feral cat, nails digging into the couch as she pounds herself on me. Her head is thrown back, and if I died right now, I’d be fine. I’ll never have this connection with anyone but her. It’s raw and powerful, fucking ecstasy. She jerks her hot, slick cunt greedily on my hard cock. Thrusting and rubbing her clit on me, she works us into a frenzy and I let go. Fucking soar as I call her name. My hands grasp her ass, and my piercing hits her G-spot. Her cunt grabs my cock and we both go off together.

“Fuck,” I say hoarsely as my cock fills her cunt. She collapses on me, her lips and breath cooling my neck. Our bodies are slick with sweat as we both try to come back to earth.

Slowly she lifts her head and we stare at each other, her finger tracing my lips as she lets me stay inside her. Be with her.

She seems calm, connected.

“Gia.”

Slowly, she lifts herself off me. And I know that we are not over, that she will and always has been mine.

My muse.

She stands, her hair having come loose in our primal fucking. It flows in wild disarray around her face.

She says nothing but turns and walks to the bathroom, slamming the door. What the hell just happened? I look at the closed door and smooth my hand up and down my face. Christ, that was more than casual fucking. Neither of us expected something that intense.

I jerk my jeans up and put on my shoes as the shower turns on.

“Fuck.” I grab my cigarettes, lighting up as I make my way to the door. I’m not sure what I expected to happen, but mind-altering fucking was not it. I bring the cigarette to my lips and smell her on my fingers, my shirt, goddammit.

I’ve got to get out of here. I don’t trust myself to stay. There are things I need to clean up in my life. And we both need time to cool down and process what just happened, because now I want more.

Fuck that, I want all of her. I pull out my phone and press on Rafe’s number.

“What?” he snaps.

“Get her to sign the contracts and tell them I’m ready to start filming. Now.”

I hang up before he can respond. Rafe will get her to sign. She’s in too deep now not to. We both know it.

Good or bad, it’s time.