Chapter 29: The Penthouse and the Motorcycle

AVA

I felt myself slowly settle back down, after having been completely beside myself for as long as the orgasm lasted. My body was still twitching, and I desperately wanted to cover myself with something.

I found my answer in Cyrus, who rolled on top of me, pressing me into my mattress. The sheer weight of him made me calm down a bit, as if he compressed my anxiety.

“That was so fucking hot.” His voice sounded even more gravelly than usual.

He flipped us around, pulling me on top. My lungs decompressed, and I was able to inhale fully again.

I lay my head on Cyrus’s muscular chest, and he wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly to him. I felt drowsy. He kicked up my duvet and caught it midair to spread it over us.

“Go to sleep, baby,” I heard his voice say somewhere in the distance as I drifted off.

***

The next morning went basically the same as the day before. We woke up slowly together, made breakfast, and ate it sitting at the counter.

We cleaned up after ourselves, and I went to take a shower as Cyrus lay on the bed answering some emails on his phone. I relaxed as the water cascaded down on me, washing away yesterday’s sins.

I had just wet my hair when I heard the bathroom door open. I whipped my head around to find Cyrus in the doorway, leaning against the frame. He was watching me with heavy-lidded eyes.

“Mind if I join?”

I pushed the door open in reply. He took off his clothes and stepped into the shower.

He wrapped his arms around me, and we stood there for a while, just enjoying each other’s presence and the warm water.

Then he grabbed some shampoo and started washing my hair, slowly massaging my scalp. He lifted my chin, tilting my head back, and used his hands to guide the water, making sure none got in my eyes.

I took the shampoo, and he got down on his knees so I could reach his hair more easily, steadying himself on my hips.

I washed his hair like he had mine, and I suddenly felt a rush of heat go through me as I was hit with a realization:

I was in my shower, washing my boss’s hair, both of us naked, after having done unspeakable things the night before. I wasn’t sure if this would ever feel normal.

We finished showering and then quickly got out before things could really go anywhere. We had things to do that day.

We both got dressed. Cyrus wore the same clothes for the third time in a row. He grabbed his keys and my purse and took me to his car.

“You didn’t drive here last night after drinking, did you?!”

“Miles drove me here and dropped off my car this morning.”

We drove for a while and then pulled up to a tall condo building. Cyrus put his car in the garage and guided me to the elevator, introducing me to his doorman on the way there.

We rode the elevator in silence, and the doors opened with a soft chime when we got to his floor, which turned out to be the penthouse. Of course it was.

He grabbed my hand, interlocking our fingers, and took me into his home.

I looked around. “This place really feels like you too.”

“Cold and stoic?”

“Yes, actually.” I winked at him.

His place had an open floor plan and was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, like an aquarium in the sky.

Cyrus disappeared for a while to go change, which gave me some time to explore the place.

I looked for little pops of personality, but I couldn’t find any. There seemed to be no trace of him living there, almost like it was a showroom.

Everything was immaculate and stylized. The furniture looked like it had never been touched.

I opened the fridge out of curiosity and was relieved to find some food in there. There were several fruits and vegetables in a drawer, different kinds of fresh meat, eggs, and bottled water.

I jumped when I felt Cyrus’s strong arms wrap around my waist.

“Hungry?”

I melted into him. “Yes, but mainly just snooping.”

He chuckled. “Can’t help your curiosity. But I ~can~ take you out to lunch.”

We exited the elevator, and Cyrus put his arm around my shoulders.

“I have a table at Cleopatra’s for us in twenty minutes,” he said. “Although we might be dressed a bit too casually, now that I think about it.”

I looked at him, just then noticing his attire. My heart fluttered. He had on a white button-down, the sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of faded jeans.

He’d switched out his usual dress shoes for a pair of brown boots, making him look careless and manly. I liked it. A lot.

“What’s up?” Cyrus slowed his pace.

“Nothing!” I said too quickly. “Cleopatra’s sounds great.”

He cocked an eyebrow at me.

“It’s great! The food was amazing.” I hugged his waist with both arms.

“Would you like to go somewhere else?” He now came to a halt.

“No, it’s fine—”

“Tell me what you want.”

“I was just thinking maybe we could do something a bit more casual, but—”

“Did you have anything in mind?”

“Maybe Georgia’s?”

He smirked. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

He turned me around and walked away from his car toward a different part of the garage. I scanned the surroundings, looking for another car, the town car maybe. It was definitely too far to walk from here.

Then another vehicle caught my eye. I whipped my head around to look at Cyrus, who was grinning slyly at me.

“Yep.” He ushered me toward it.

“I’m not dressed for that.”

He pulled his keys out and unlocked a door behind the shiny black motorcycle he had taken me to. He opened the door, took out two helmets, and ignoring my silent pleas, handed me one.

“This was supposed to be my brother’s, but it’s too small for him. Might fit you just right.” He put a way-too-large leather motorcycle jacket on me.

“I don’t think it works if it doesn’t fit properly!” I squealed.

Cyrus scratched the back of his head and turned back to the closet. He dug around for a while and pulled out a smaller-sized jacket and some matching pants.

“These might fit you better.”

He helped me into the jacket. It was still too large, but much less so.

“Are we sure this is worth the trouble?”

“You’ll see.” He hoisted a pair of leather motorcycle pants over his jeans.

Well, at least he looked really hot.

I put on the pants as well, and Cyrus helped me secure my helmet. It fit better than expected.

“I don’t have boots that’ll fit you, but those will do for now.”

I looked down at my feet, happy that I’d worn my combat boots instead of heels today. Cyrus threw his own boots and my purse in a backpack and put on his motorcycle boots.

I sucked in a quick breath, seeing the way the leather hugged his muscular body. I was starting to see the bright side of things.

He put on his own helmet. The black visor took away his last trace of recognizability.

He handed me the backpack and used his body weight to take the heavy motorcycle off the kickstand and maneuver it toward the exit.

Once he had it in the right direction, he called me over with a slight jerk of his head. He kicked his leg over the seat, mounting the bike, holding it upright with just his foot.

“Hop on, cowgirl.” His voice sounded muffled through the helmet, but I could still hear that he was grinning when he spoke.

I stepped hesitantly onto the footrest, swung my leg over the way he had, and leaned into him. I wrapped my arms around his leather-coated torso and tried to find a place to rest my helmeted head.

“Ready?” he said when I had stopped shifting.

“Not really.”

I yelped as Cyrus suddenly accelerated, speeding out of the garage, making me clutch him for dear life.