Chapter 17

Sleep had dulled the senses and momentarily erased the previous night's memories. Ivory forced her eyes to pry open, her entire body aching. Her eyes widened, her body instantly shutting down at the sight of a male body sprawled on her bed next to her, his arm resting along her stomach. She blinked numerous times until recollection swarmed over her. She attempted to raise his arm slightly so that she could give herself some space between her, her bed, and the man in it. Ivory slid her body from under him, stumbling to the floor in the process as the direct result of her legs getting tangled in the sheets.

"Damn it!" she mouthed, grasping her shin until the pain subsided and praying the thud wasn't loud enough to wake Raiden. She stumbled to her feet and limped the rest of the way to the shower. She finally felt herself breathe as the water cascaded over her body. She had no experience with 'just sex' relationships and while she could never regret the night she had with Raiden, Ivory found herself questioning whether she really was capable of separating love and sex, She was fully aware that the two were not mutually exclusive yet in her world it had been and now she had dived headfirst into unchartered waters.
She knew she was attracted to Raiden, she liked him. If she didn't she wouldn't have craved his touch. On the other side, was attraction and love separate? A person must first be attracted in order to someday be in love, right? So how could she be sure that what she felt was just physical attraction as opposed to emotional? Was there really a difference?

This feeling of utter relaxation was novel to Raiden, his body felt tension free as he eased his eyes open. His first thought; the bed was empty. He immediately sat up, the sound of the shower running alerting him. He checked his watch. He had slept in. He inwardly laughed at himself, this was the first time he had ever overslept while in the presence of someone else. He pushed back the covers and made his way to the shower. He saw her before her senses realized his intrusion.
He knew it was easy for him to get accustomed to seeing and knowing her so intimately. She was standing underneath the shower, her entire body bare and glistening alluringly with water droplets. He hadn't the time last night to fully observe her body and now that he did, he regretted not having noticed how curvy her body was.

He couldn't help but think she looked as perfect as an Atlantian water spirit. Every stroke she made across her body, every movement that caused her features to relax in pleasure under the tentative fingers of the rain-like water made his body tense in anticipation. He slid the door open and stepped into the confined space, she had turned around coming face to face with him. She had finally seen him, her gaze intense, her lips parted. He sensed no hesitation or doubt, he took the opportunity to sheath his turgid member. Raiden nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck, taking turns between nibbling and passing his tongue across her tender skin. Her hands instinctively threaded through his hair, her eyes lids falling, rendering her surrounding a deep shade of black.
His hands ran along her body, setting a trail of fire from her shoulders to her chest and coming to rest on her hips. His grip tightened on her waist, rotating her body until her back was to him. He pulled her back against him, his lips continuing their assault, this time at the nape of her neck. His hands moved the tendrils to one shoulder, draping her hair across her left breast, his hands coming up from her hips to cup both her breasts. Ivory arched back against him, the feel of his engorged member against her lower back. He pulled his body of hers, her body instantly missing his heat.
Raiden's hand came to rest on her left buttock, and then it was gone, replaced by a slight smack. Ivory gasped in complete surprise, the action wasn't hurtful, on the contrary, it was surprisingly sensual. Her body all but begging for him. He could sense her urgency. Hell, he felt it too. He slid into her from behind, burying his face into the crook of her neck as her body welcomed him. He thrust into her, the motion laced with a sense of carnal urgency as his pace quickened. Ivory could do nothing but feel and experience the pleasure coursing through her veins due to his maddening rhythm. She felt her body tense, she was close, her body writhing in pleasure against him as her cries heralded her release and his. Spent, she slumped against him, their chests heaving.

***
Raiden and Ivory hadn't said a word to each other since finishing up in the shower. She walked out of her bedroom to find him dressed. He stood fixing his cuffs, absent-mindedly he offered her a ride to work.

'"No, that's fine." She responded, her nerves acting up once again. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to react to him. Was she supposed to make conversation? Was there a particular set of rules in such a situation?

"Do not be ridiculous. We are going to the same location." he finally gazed at her. Ivory shivered, his gaze was cold, unfeeling. This was enough to convince her that niceties didn't matter. He wanted her body and that was all, to him she was barely anything else. She relaxed, deciding not to allow herself to feel awkward, he expected nothing more from her than sex.

"Isn't that the problem? What if people see us?" She questioned.

"There can be numerous reasons why we arrived at the same time, not only that we had sex. I am also certain lots of people will be arriving at the same time as us. Just a coincidence." He attempted to assure her.

Ivory breathed, her mind considering what he had said. It didn't help that he made sense, but how was she to say that she didn't want a ride because it was with him? She didn't know if she could take forty-five minutes of awkward silence.

"Don't be unreasonable. If you take public transportation, you'll be late." he didn't wait for any further response and led her to his car.

***
Felix laid back into his chair, plugged in his earphones, and closed his eyes for some well-deserved relaxation, notwithstanding the fact that he was at work. Yet, he decided to take the risk and just lay back, after all for the past few days he noted Raiden's demanding temper had been taken down a notch or two for some unconfirmed reason, of which Felix had his suspicions.

Felix instantly rotated forward as his earphones were ripped from his earlobes, his feet meeting the floor awkwardly, barely able to balance himself. Annoyed golden orbs stared blatantly at him. He couldn't register the fact that this woman was angry at him, not when his entire body ceased to function. His eyes perused every inch of her, from her charcoal hair that was screaming to be re-united with her shoulders, they surely were inching closer. He breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes drank in the sight of her hands; no ring.

"Is it natural for you to be slacking off while at work?" she demanded, almost as scary as Raiden.
Felix smiled. "not when I think I'll get caught." he did all but wink at her but she was not amused.

"Is Ivory Remington on this floor?" she questioned, completely ignoring him.

"You know Ivory?" he questioned cautiously.

"No, I thought it fun to run into a building and ask for a random person that does not exist," she responded coldly. Her sarcasm intriguing him. He loved challenging women, life was never boring with them. He was surprised that she would be acquainted with Ivory, the two women were like night and day. Ivory reserved, clumsy, and always wearing a smile whereas this woman was confident and sharp-tongued,

"Is she on this floor?" She questioned again, this time her voice growing darker.

***
Ivory found herself yawning-again. She hadn't felt this tired in ages, but the late nights with Raiden, while enjoyable, had been reducing her sleeping hours. She peeked at him, buried elbows deep in work, and yet he appeared alert. She envied him his energy. The office door was pulled open and Felix entered abruptly, Ivory instantly averted her gaze from Raiden as his eyes were alerted to her direction.

"There is someone here to see you."

"Let them in," Raiden responded absent-mindedly.

"Uh, It's not for you Mr. De Ville." This caught Raiden's attention immediately.

"What?" he questioned impulsively.

Ivory gazed at Felix, her eyes wide. "Me?" She questioned, gazing back and forth between both men.

"I'll let them in." and he was gone. Ivory felt tense, praying it wasn't someone she didn't want to see.