He moves up into a sitting position and tugs me even closer into him, so that my tits are on his bare chest. He dips his head to take a nipple in his mouth then moves back up to take my mouth on his. He wraps his arms around me to pulls me into him again and again. He’s so far up in me, stretching me so wide, kissing me so deeply. When we come, I drop my head back and let the barrage of sensations wash over my body.
“You’re beautiful,” he tells me, giving me one last kiss before we separate.
Afterward, we open up the still-warm dishes and eat on the bed.
“That’s not actually why I came over,” Rex says.
“Yeah, right,” I tease.
“What can I say, you’ve got me hooked,” he says, taking a bit of lo mein. “I haven’t told you much of what’s going on at my work because I’m sure it’d bore you to death.”
“No, I want to know,” I say. It’s exactly what I want—more of him, and not just in bed. “I want to know everything about you.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know everything,” he says, moving away from the moment quickly. He’s the master of that. “I have this huge meeting tomorrow. Basically there’s this family in Hong Kong that I’m trying to convince to open a division of their production company here in the States. I got word that they’re here in L.A. on vacation with their spouses and some family—I set them up with a private back lots tour of Universal. Then I got them to agree to a casual lunch with myself and my gorgeous companion.” He strokes my cheek at this. “The meeting is tomorrow at one-thirty at Sushi Roe. I’ll have the car pick you up at one-ten to take you there. It’s near my office so it doesn’t make sense for me to come over here first.” He dips one of the dumplings in sauce and pops the whole thing in his mouth.
I freeze mid-bite. I’ve been dying to try Sushi Roe but as usual it’s too expensive for my non-existent bank account. I want to help Rex out in any small way that I can but my audition is right before the lunch, and auditions never run on time.
“I don’t know if I can do it,” I tell him regretfully. “Unless you don’t mind if I’m a little late? I have an audition tomorrow.”
“No, you can’t be late,” he says, shaking his head. “Definitely don’t be late. Jesus, that would look terrible. I’ve been kissing their asses for weeks and had to throw in the chopper tour just to get them to meet me for lunch. Plus I promised them it would be casual and that their spouses should come as well. If I show up without you they’ll think I’m jerking them around. And this family hates to be kept waiting. They see it as an insult, like their time doesn’t matter. So no, we can’t keep them waiting.”
“You don’t have to hold the whole lunch up for me. Start without me,” I say, even though I know he won’t go for it.
“Impossible,” he says, popping a baby corn in his mouth. “Just skip the audition.”
“What? No way,” I say. “I can’t miss my audition for your lunch. Rex.” I let out a little laugh. “Come on.”
Rex readjusts himself on the bed. He sets down his chopsticks, and I know something more is coming. My heart hammers in my chest.
“It’s not just that these Hong Kong people are important,” he says. “Like I said, I haven’t bored you with a lot of my work stuff because it is boring but I just don’t like talking about it. My company—Croft International—is at a precipice. I told you my father died recently.”
“Yes, you mentioned it,” I say, a lump in my throat. That’s all he did—mention it in passing as if he was telling me his car didn’t pass inspection. I want to reach out for him but I don’t know if I should or leave him be. I decide to sit still, and listen.
“It was his company. My brothers and I worked for him, all in different cities but basically at the same level. When Father died, we all assumed that Jackson, as the eldest, would take over control of the company. But that’s not what happened. Instead, he left the fate of the company up to my brothers and me. Whoever marries first and proves that he is a true family man will gain control of the company. And that could be me.”
I feel like I’ve been pulled deep underwater. My breath has been taken away, and a sharp pressing fills my chest. “Wait. So that’s why you hired Damien? To marry the first woman he sent over in order to gain control of the family business?”
I knew he had a reason, but I have somehow managed to put it out of my mind since we’ve been spending time together. I can’t believe how oblivious I’ve been.
“Yes,” he says frankly, watching me closely. “I know. It doesn’t exactly sound great. In fact, it’s horrible. I admit that. But that’s my old man for you. That’s the kind of son of a bitch he was. Had me and brothers fighting for dominance our whole lives, and then he pulls this in death. And even though I haven’t given up on having you in my life every day for a very long time, I can’t deny that I’d be the best son for the job. I have a more modern take on running the company, especially more so than Jackson, who is as entitled as any heir would be.
I shake my head. “I guess I understand…”
“All that’s to say—that’s why this lunch is so important to me. If I can get these guys to go in with me, it’ll show my brothers and the executors of Father’s will that I have what it takes to run the show, even if I’m not married. Unless you’ve changed your mind about that?”
I don’t take the bait on his little joke. I’m startled at all he just told me. My feelings are tugging me in all sorts of directions. For one, he’s finally opened up to me about his family. But then again, what he’d been holding on about them is stranger and more disconcerting than I ever would have imagined—especially considering how cavalier he’s being about it.
“Are you okay?” he asks. “It’s a lot to take in, I know. That’s why I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“Rex, I can handle it,” I tell him. “Whatever it is, I can handle it, as long as you just tell me. Be honest. I don’t like that you’ve been holding out on me. But yeah, I admit—it’s beyond strange and totally messed up.”
“Don’t I know. Growing up rich isn’t the only thing that was abnormal about my upbringing.”
I finally reach out for his hands. “I want to know you, Rex. You can always tell me anything. I promise not to run away screaming.”
He rubs his thumbs across my knuckles. “So you’ll come to the lunch?”
“I just don’t think I can,” I say, my stomach clenching. “I want to…”
Rex gets this look on his face that I’ve never seen on him before. He’s hurt. He actually looks sad at what I’ve just said—and maybe with how I said it.
“I mean, I'm sorry,” I say. “I want to be there for you but the timing is bad. And if you’re sure I can’t be late…”
“Can you get into the audition earlier? Ask for another slot. Tell them you have an emergency, or better yet, another gig. That’ll make you look more in-demand.”
“It doesn’t really work like that.”