I hear the bathroom door open, and I sigh. “I’m sorry, I need just a moment and I’ll be out of your way,” I say, bending down to pick my shoes up.
*click*
I rise up slowly, turning to face the door. Bishop is leaning against it, arms crossing his chest. He has one foot crossed over the other staring at me like I’m a little kid who just got caught stealing candy.
I swallow loudly. My heart is in my throat. I hear it beating, thump, thump, thump. It doesn’t slow for a second. A tingling sensation spreads across my stomach. My toes twitch. I lean on the counter for support, afraid my knees may give out. I’m locked in a bathroom with Bishop.
Fucking fantastic.
“He’s cute, baby girl. Real fucking cute.”
Bishop’s voice reminds me of the night we had sex in that office. Dark, sultry, rubbing all across my body. I grip the counter tighter, clenching my jaw. Everything in my body feels alive under his gaze. His eyes were an on switch to my sexual drive.
“What are you doing, Bishop?”
He clicks his tongue, shaking his head back and forth. “Tsk, Tsk,” he starts as he pushes off the door walking toward me like a predator stalking his prey. I try to sink into the counter, pushing my body flush against it.
“Is that what gets your panties wet now? Pretty boys in purple suits?”
The closer he gets to me, the faster my heart beats. This must filter into the room. It’s so thick I can barely breathe. The tension building in the room is heavy, almost tangible. At any second one of us could reach out and lose control of it. A hidden flame, something that burns so brightly, but somehow we’re the only ones who can see it.
“Are you asking if he’s fucked me, Bishop? Is that what you want to know? Will that make you leave me alone?” I stare at him with a fury buried so deep inside of me I’m sure he can feel the heat of it on his skin.
“Yeah, B. He’s fucked me. He’s be─”
His arm reaches forward at lightning speed. His large hand wraps around my throat aggressively, but the placement keeps it from hurting me. The pads of his fingers dig into the sides of my neck, and I know they can feel my pulse quicken.
I’ve pissed him off now.
He jerks me forward by my throat and leans closer to my face breathing down on me. “Watch your fucking mouth, Valor. I will fuck you in front of him and wink at him while I do it. I’ll make you beg me to let you come right in front of that piece of shit. Do. Not. Push. Me. Are we clear?”
His words make my thighs shake. They squeeze together trying to aid the throb between them. I want to head-butt the fuck out of him, but my body wants him to help us find release. Bishop notices this, of course, and he smirks.
“Do you love him?”
His words make me feel weightless, like a feather caught in a breeze, or a dandelion carrying a wish. My fingers are going numb from the death grip I have on the counter behind me. I don’t move to open my mouth. I just stand there staring at his eyes.
He tilts one side of his lips up, scoffing. The smell of his cologne makes my body hotter. My personal aphrodisiac.
I was frozen under his touch. I didn’t dare breathe, let alone move.
“You see,” he purrs in my ear, “I need to hear you say them. Tell me the words, Vallie and I’ll walk away.” His teeth playfully bite my earlobe, tugging it. I feel him inhale deeply, his body stiffens above mine. I feel his other fingers grip the pendant that hangs on my chest, his necklace, the one I still wear every day.
His grip on my neck tightens and I whimper in pleasure. My thighs are slick with the heat that’s leaking down them. He nudges my ear with his nose, leaning his face on the side of mine. I don’t even realize there are tears in my eyes until I see them drop onto his suit. Emotions of all kinds bubble inside of me. Love, sorrow, lust, pain, rage, they all fuel each other. I’m a volcano about to explode.
“But if you can’t tell me. If you don’t love him, it means you’re still mine,” he whispers.
“Mine.” The torment in his voice rips my heart to shreds. Once he pulls back, his thumb reaches up running along my bottom lip slowly. He watches my lips, staring at me like I’m his last meal on earth.
It’s all too much. The lust suffocates me like smoke. I’m inside a burning house and I need out of it. There is no hope here. If I stay here I will die. I need out, out, out.
I push him back roughly. Before I can even stop myself, my hand swipes across Bishop’s face leaving a bright red spot on his cheek. The slap stings my hand, and the shock that rocks my body is like an earthquake. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
“Go fuck yourself, Bishop Maverick. You don’t own shit. I’m not yours, I don’t belong to anyone. Fuck off,” I spew, as my emotions bleed out onto the floor of the bathroom.
I push past him, unlocking the door, and make my way out of there. I clutch my chest, trying to gulp all the fresh air I can. Anytime I’m around Bishop it’s my own personal labyrinth.
He burns me alive. I guess that’s that downside of loving the sun.
You can’t get too close or you’ll be consumed.
After I got my shit together, I went looking for Preston. I found him on the phone. When he saw me he raised a finger at me, letting me know it would only take a second. Once he finished his call, he walked up to me rubbing my arms.
“Bad news, love. I have to leave.”
I raise an eyebrow. “What for?” I ask softly.
“Work just called. They need extra help on a case they just got in. Your dad can give you a lift home right? I’m just going to call an Uber.” He was interning at the law firm where his dad worked. Of course, he got the first call.
I nod my head giving him a forced smile. He sighs in relief. “Great, text me later, I love you!”
I don’t think he even waited for me to say it back. Preston leaving meant less emotional stress, so maybe the universe was going to start working in my favor. I visibly sighed and began searching for my social butterfly of a father.
I found him and Nico by the food table eating, figures.
“Hey Dad, is it okay if you go ahead and take me home?” I couldn’t be in the same space as Bishop anymore. I needed out. I wanted to go home and eat ice cream with Riggs.
He nods. “You feeling okay? Where did Preston go?”
I give him a smile. “Yeah, I’m just tired. Plus all the kids have left anyway, that was the whole reason I came. Preston had to leave for a work emergency.”
“Come on, kiddo. Let’s get you home,” he says before looking at Nico. “Nico, you need a ride home, buddy? You don’t live far from Valor and Aurelia, it wouldn’t be any trouble,” he offers.
Nico swallows an ungodly amount of food, nodding. “Yeah if you don’t mind, it’ll save me from having to get a taxi.”
With everyone gathered, we head towards the vehicle. I want as far away from Bishop Maverick as I can get right now. I’m in the backseat, while dad and Nico take the front. The entire drive consists of the two of them going back and forth about hockey.
I mindlessly stare out the window, watching as the cars and buildings pass me by. I can’t help but wonder how different my life would be if I never met Bishop. If he was never drafted to the Chicago Fury I never would have crossed paths with him.