High Stakes (A Deal With The Devil)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Aiden

I feel like I’m back in control. Like I have this handled, and Jakes stupid game is a done deal. Bella was practically on her knees for me this morning and I didn’t even touch her. A few more weeks and I’ll do what needs to be done and walk away. It’ll be easy. Right?

I scrub my hands over my face, I want to believe that, but I’ve spent the entire morning focused more on her than my damn meetings.

I head out to the waiting car, climbing in. JP gives me the side eye before starting the engine and pulling out into traffic. “You’re distracted,” he notes.

“You’d be distracted if you had the shitty deal hanging over your head.”

“I do,” he says, arching a brow. “We all need to make this happen with as much damage limitation as possible.”

“I’m working on it,” I say, pulling out my mobile and calling the local florist. I order fifty red roses to be delivered to the bakery.

JP waits for me to hang up before asking, “You made progress?”

“Raff was right, I needed to take control. And actually, it worked.”

JP’s head whips round, “You’ve fucked her?”

“No, not yet. I thought I’d do it at the end,” I say, my voice slightly lower as guilt eats at me. “It’ll hurt less.”

“And now you’re just kidding yourself.”

“I could sleep with her now, drag it out into what she sees as a full-on relationship. Or I can play the long game and wait for the two months to be up, shag her at the end and leave.”

“Both ways will break her heart. Besides, what if she asks you to sleep with her? She’ll think it’s odd if you tell her you want to wait. ”

“Or she’ll respect me for respecting her? I have to make her believe I’m worth giving her virginity to. She’s not the sort of girl that’ll jus fall into my bed without my effort.” My mind flashes back to this morning, wondering if I could have taken things further.

“Has Raff sorted the end game, like, how is this going to play out?” he asks.

“Jake sorted the doctor out. I just have to convince her to go for a check-up after the deed. Fuck knows how I’ll do that.”

“Unless someone walks in on you, confirming you were fucking?” suggests JP and I know he’s back on side and all that bullshit about trying not to hurt Bella, is past him.

“Maybe, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. How was Aria, did you get her home safe?” I ask, smirking.

He grins, “Wild! I’ve never met anyone like her. We had a crazy night. She showed me moves that I’ve never seen before, and you know how many tricks I’ve learnt along the way. But this morning, she practically kicked me out of there. It was weird.” I smirk again, “You sound like a hormonal woman right now, JP. Replay those words in our head then go and wash your mouth out with soap.”

He laughs, “I just didn’t get her reluctance this morning. I thought she enjoyed the night too.”

“Did she come?” I ask, and he laughs harder .

“Of course she did.” He groans, “So many times. And now I feel like she’s got me by the balls with her name tattooed all over them. I can’t get her out my head.”

I slap him upside the head, “Pull yourself together would yah. A month and a half left, and we can tag team a whole bunch of girls at the click of our fingers, now get a grip.”

Bella

“If you like him, I don’t understand the issue?” I ask Aria who’s going through the accounts while I stand in the office door.

“He’s keen,” she says, referring to JP. “But I like to keep him on his toes.”

“Ah, he’s keen and that’s why you’re backing off?” I smirk, knowing this is always the moment in any kind of ‘situationship’ where she panics.

“It’s not that,” she argues, even though we both know it is. “I like him.”

“So, what’s your problem.”

She sighs heavily and wraps a handful of receipts into a rubber band. “I just don’t want him to think I’m falling hook, line and sinker. It’s only been a couple of weeks and he’s already texting me at least five times a day.”

“He’s attentive. ”

“Needy,” she counters.

“It wouldn’t hurt to see where it goes,” I add.

“I will,” she says, “Just at my own pace.”

I arch a brow, “I can see this going horribly wrong.” She’ll push him away and he’ll find someone else, then she’ll be heartbroken, and we’ll end up picking her up off the floor again. Although Jack tends to be better at that part than me.

“What about you and Aiden? Did he say anything about the voicemail?” I turn away slightly, feeling my cheeks blushing. “What?” she asks, suspiciously.

“He blamed it on Laurie.”

Aria rolls her eyes, “Of course he did.”

I shrug, “It seems like something she would do.”

“Regardless of who sent it, what was his excuse for being with her in the first place?”

“He didn’t give me one,” I say, “But wasn’t it you that said we’re not together, so I have no right to be pissed?”

“Don’t listen to me, I’m blagging life right now.”

“But something weird happened last night.” She eyes me, waiting for me to continue. “We slept in the same bed.”

Her eyes widen, “How come?”

“That’s the weird part, Ari. He kissed me mid argument before stomping out. Then he waited until I was asleep and carried me into his bed. When I asked him what he was playing at, he said he wanted to see how it felt to sleep beside me.”

“Oh,” she says with a thoughtful expression.

“And then he demanded I shower in his bathroom.”

“Oh,” she repeats, smirking. “And how did that go?”

I groan, burying my face in my hands. “Well for him.”

She laughs, “Again?”

“I’m weak,” I wail. “I wanted to be mad with him. I even told him last night that we were no longer friends.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Bells, but you’re giving the guy mixed signals.”

“I know,” I cry. “He just has this way of getting out of shit and worming his way into my good books.”

“The way I see it, you can just relax and enjoy whatever this is between you, or you can sit him down and talk about it. But something tells me he won’t like that option.”

“Yeah,” I agree, “He isn’t the talking kind.”

“Would it be so bad to just enjoy it then?”

“Whilst it lasts,” I add.

“Exactly.”

We’re closing up when Aiden arrives. “You don’t look like the type of guy to purchase a sweet treat,” remarks Aria as he leans casually in the doorway with his eyes fixed on me .

“Depends how it’s served,” he says with a smirk.

Aria rolls her eyes, “Let me guess, you’re a whipped cream fan?”

He smiles wider, “Too messy, I prefer to eat straight from the source.”

My cheeks burn, “Are you here for any particular reason?”

“I was passing,” he replies, biting on his lower lip briefly before adding, “Thought I’d drive you home.”

“Cute,” Aria remarks, grabbing my bag and jacket from the chair behind the counter and passing it over to me. “See you tomorrow.”

I follow him out onto the street, pulling on my jacket. Aiden takes my bag before slipping his hand in mine. “Have you eaten?” I shake my head, and he continues walking on past the car. “Me either. Let’s grab something now.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to question him further, but the words die on my lips. Aria is right, I just need to relax and see where this leads.

Aiden

I order two steaks the second we’re seated. I have another meeting in an hour and then I’ll be at the club until the early hours, but the need to see Bella was overwhelming and I found myself driving to the bakery without giving it much thought.

“Did you have a good day?” I ask, shaking my head at the waiter when he approaches with a bottle of wine. “Just water today, please,” I tell him.

Bella frowns slightly, “It was busy. You?”

“Same. Although I was extremely distracted all day.”

“With what?” she asks innocently and thoughts of our morning shower flick through my mind for the thousandth time. I shift uncomfortably as my cock stirs to life. I’ve already had to relieve myself twice already, I can’t do a third.

“Oh, business stuff.”

“Are things harder now without your brother?” she asks.

“Not really, Jake was the clown. He was great at promotion and advertising, but I’ve always ran the business side of things. Do you miss seeing your dad?”

She stares down at her hands, “Sometimes. I’m so used to looking out for him, it feels weird not checking in.”

“It shouldn’t ever be like that,” I say bitterly. “He’s supposed to look after you, Bella.”

“He’s not well,” she defends sadly, “But he does love me. ”

I want to scoff out loud. The man is a waste of space and how she can think he gives two shits about her is laughable.

The steak arrives and I dive into mine, checking my watch. Bella eyes it and after a few seconds, she says, “You didn’t ask me what I wanted again.”

I chew my mouthful before replying. “I can have it changed,” I say, holding up a hand to get the waiters attention.

She immediately grabs it, slamming it down on the table. “No, don’t do that.”

“Then eat your steak, Bella.”

I finish up and drop my napkin on my plate. Bella’s eaten half of hers and now she’s pushing it around her plate like a sulking teenager. I check my watch again and this time she catches me. “Do you need to be somewhere?”

“A meeting, but eat, I have time.”

She shakes her head, “I’m not that hungry.”

“Would you like it boxed so you can have it later?” I wave the waiter over before she replies and ask him to box it up.

Ten minutes later, I pull up outside Tremos. “You’re quiet,” I state.

“I’m just . . .” she sighs. “Taking it all in, I guess.”

I get out of the car and head to her side, opening the door. She steps out and I press against her, trapping her. “You’re over-thinking,” I whisper, pressing my lips to her neck. She tilts her head slightly. “We’re enjoying each other’s company. Just go with it.” I feel her relax, and I pull back to press my lips to hers. “I won’t be home until late,” I add. “But you’ll be in my bed when I get back.” Then I take her by the hand again and lead her inside.