Sugar Baby Âœ”ϸ eighth: toast

credit again to littlegardens for the graphics <3 

“Why the fuck are you asleep at this time?”

“I’m standing in front of you and not asleep, Grayson.”

He sighed and shook his head. “It’s eight. Harold thinks you’re already over at Rosalie’s.”

I felt annoyed by his pestering but just shrugged in response. I made my way back inside my apartment and to my annoyance, he followed me inside and continued.

“I told you, Xavier. You need to take this seriously.”

“I know, mom.“

He shut up at once. Whether from anger or amusement, I wasn’t sure. I knew my retort was childlike, but I was extremely irritated by his pestering. I had barely managed to wash my face and brush my teeth when my doorbell had rung and I found Grayson Shelby standing outside, his jaw set and eyes dark. Clearly on a mission. A mission to annoy me as much as he could perhaps. 

Since when was taking five-hour mid-day naps illegal? I believed in sleeping and eating whenever I needed to. But I couldn’t imagine a clockwork-like him to understand the concept of spontaneity. 

“Did you plan how you are going to get the invite for the yacht event?”

He sounded calm as ever and I slumped onto my bed, placing my hands on the mattress and gazing at him. “I have decided to just go with the flow.”

He pursed his lips into a thin line. I noticed the way he happened to do that whenever he disapproved of anything. I made a conscious effort to tear my gaze away from his lips he spoke, “That is prone to mistakes. It can jeopardize the mission.”

“It won’t. I think she likes me.”

He sighed. When he spoke his voice was low, “Xavier, haven’t you thought why she let you into her house so easily?”

“Because I’m secretly aphrodite,” I answered and batted my eyelashes at him, smirking.

He clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Don’t you understand? It means she isn’t afraid of you finding anything in her house. It means she isn’t keeping anything in there. Not in plain sight at least.”

The thought had crossed my mind before. “I know. But regardless, I have to earn her trust first.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest and raised an eyebrow. “And how do you plan on doing that?”

“I…” I took a deep breath, wondering if I sounded stupid. “Er…thought I might buy her some flowers.”

I waited for him to burst out laughing but was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t. 

“Knowing her choices, that classic act might be a good move. Although, go for something very common. Something she is likely to not have an allergic reaction to or else things would go downhill fast.”

“What would you give?” I asked, the words out of my mouth before I could stop them. 

His eyes widened slightly at my words. “You mean to a date?”

“Yeah,” I admitted, feeling suddenly nervous. In spite of all my ability to read people, when it came to him, I was clueless. He didn’t talk much and even less about himself. Sometimes, I thought maybe it was possible that he reciprocated my feelings, but for the most part, I knew I had nothing to give him. 

He tilted his head to the side as if thinking. “Jasmine and lavender,” he answered finally. “I mean, I know they’re not very conventional. But I really love the fragrance. And-” he shrugged, “purple and white look great together.”

I was burning to ask him when was the last time he had given anyone flowers. I wasn’t even sure if he was in a relationship. How could I ask that without being obvious that I had indecent dreams about him?

“Yeah they do,” I agreed. Silence fell between us before he cleared his throat.

“Alright. Goodluck.” He turned and left. I sat still till I heard the front door shutting and then sighed deeply. What was I doing? I knew I needed to stop catching deeper feelings for him before I ended up hurting myself. 

I rose to my feet and dressed quickly, making my way downstairs and out to the street and forcing my mind to divert itself from Grayson Shelby. 

I stopped by the florist near my house. I had to pretend to be starstruck. Obsessed. But not overly so. It was going to be tricky to maintain the perfect balance between being obsessive and being simply lovestruck.

I stood still for a while, gazing at the several rows of flowers arranged expertly on the shelves. I wasn’t sure which ones I should go for. I knew Gray was right and I was much better off just sticking to something simple. 

Finally, I decided to get a bouquet with the classic red rose, adding some lilies and jasmine for the scent. I took a whiff of the sweet jasmine and knew at once why Gray liked them. 

I drove my trusty SUV back to Rosalie’s place. My mind was left wandering. Full of ‘what if’s’.

I pulled in to her driveway about half an hour later. I took a deep breath, walking towards the grills and pressed the intercom. I was let in a few moments later. I parked the car in the front porch, my eyes roving over the manicured lawns. It was dotted with well-maintained topiary and an array of colourful flowers. Their sweet scent greeted me almost violently. The fragrance woke me up more effectively. 

I picked the bouquet in my arms and checked my reflection in the mirror. Gray had told that she had strong opinions against the ruling government. I needed confirmation. Today, I would get one. I reached into my pocket, taking my phone out and setting it on record. I made my way up the staircase as the door opened and a familiar voice drawled. “Good evening, Mason.”

I sucked in a breath at the sight of Rosalie. I smiled softly at her, letting my eyes roam over her enticing curves, accentuated in her tight outfit. She looked lethally sexy in the short bottle green dress. Her hair falling elegantly on her shoulders. The one good thing about my facade was that despite my lies, I didn’t have to pretend to be attracted to her. And clearly, she was too. I could tell that she had been expecting me. “Hey.”

I handed the flowers to her as her eyes twinkled. She took a deep whiff of them, closing her eyes. “Mm. These are beautiful. Thank you, Mason.”

She stepped back to let me in and I shut the door behind me. “I hope it’s okay that I came here.”

I laced my words with what I hoped was the perfect balance of hopefulness and hesitation. She smiled and I was relieved to see that she didn’t seem angry or annoyed. “Of course. I was going to call you anyway.” She leaned forward and kissed me. “Come on. Let’s get a drink.”

 I was slightly alarmed that she was asking me to drink already. It was still early evening, but I knew it would make things easier for me. 

She led me inside towards the bigger door located on the opposite end of the hall. I entered to see that it was decorated with cupboards similar to those situated outside. They were filled with a wide array of drinks. A fireplace was located on one side of the wall, a cosy looking armchair in front of it. On the other side was a grand piano, glinting under the soft yellow glow.

She took my hand and led me onto the armchair as I sat down on it, gazing at her as she went to fetch drinks. “What would you like?’

One of my rules was to never drink on the job. However, it was crucial to gain her trust and put her at ease. I sighed softly as I answered, “Champagne.”

She nodded, pouring the sparkling liquid in two glasses and walking over to me, her hips swaying seductively. “Classic. Elegant. I like it.”

She smiled, biting her lip as she handed me the glass. I smiled at her, leaning back and stretching out a hand towards her. “Come here.”

I lowered my voice, making it huskier. If I got her vulnerable enough, I could try to gain some information about the case. Also, gain her trust enough that she would invite me to the yacht.
Her eyes lit up mischievously as she climbed on top of me, straddling me. “Is this okay?”

At the back of my mind, I wondered where Scarlett was. Somewhere, I still felt pity for the girl. But for now, I had a mission.

I grabbed her with one hand, pulling her closer to me so she was seated where I needed her. I moaned softly. “Perfect.”

She giggled and I was slightly taken aback by the uncharacteristic sound. She clinked her glass against mine. “What do we toast to?”

I gazed at her, tilting my head, pretending to think. “How about your sweet ass?”

She laughed. “Let’s just forget the toast.”

She took a sip of the drink. I gazed at her intensely. Noticing the way her lips clasped the rim of the glass, glistening as she took a sip. I let her catch me staring and tore my eyes away, pretending to be flustered.

She smiled, taking the bait. “Find something you like?”

I leaned over her and bit her lip. “A lot.”

I placed my mouth on the rim of the glass, tilting it slightly so the drink touched my tongue. “You look beautiful in that dress.” I leaned forward and nibbled her earlobe gently. “Although I’d love it more to take you out of it.”

She gasped, shivering slightly at my words. “I think I’d like that too.”

She took another sip of the drink. It was time to steer the conversation into another direction. I needed to get her ideas about the government on record.

“You know, I would have got here earlier.” I sighed, stroking her waist and biting my lip. “But the damn traffic.” I pretended to be frustrated. “The traffic lights have been out for twenty-four hours now. It’s chaotic. It astounds me how no one is fixing it yet.”

She took another drink, her eyes flashing. I knew I had struck a chord.

“The government doesn’t seem to have time to look after such issues.” She shook her head, her beautiful face suddenly hard. “All they care about is creating vote banks. Giving constant incentives to the less fortunate so at least their votes are locked.”

I shook my head, placing the glass on the table beside us and pulling her closer. I nuzzled her neck, speaking softly. Whining. Complaining. Spurring her on. “Can you believe, the fucking government is cockblocking me now.”

She laughed softly as I continued. “The things I could do to you…” I sucked her neck, leaning back to look at her. I gave her a soft smile. “I love how you have such strong opinions. Unafraid to state them.”

She sighed, her eyes narrowed. “Oh, I have very strong opinions about the government, Mason. They are nothing but a bloodthirsty bunch of people. Sucking off people’s goodwill. Their policies are biased. I just wish…”

She stopped suddenly, hesitating. “Imagine if there was anarchy,” I whispered, lowering my hand and squeezing her possessively. I had to lead her on. “I could abduct you. Tie you up. And have my way with you. “

She sucked in a breath, her eyes fiery with lust. “Maybe there will be.” She smiled, some secret message on her lips. “But you don’t have to wait until then to have your way with me.”

I grinned and took her glass, placing it beside mine on the table as I pulled her close. Our lips met in a searing kiss. I supposed there would be a lot more on my recording than Shelby wanted to hear. A part of me revelled in the fact that he would hear me. I couldn’t quite understand why. Maybe on some immature level, I wanted him to be jealous. Knowing perfectly well that he had no reason to be. 

“Mind taking this upstairs?” she whispered.

“Next round you mean.” I unzipped her dress and tugged it off her quickly. “I do not see the point in wasting a perfectly good couch.” I let my fingers graze her thigh. “I like what you’re wearing.”

She smiled coquettishly at me. She wore sexy, lacy black lingerie. It pleased me to know that she was putting in efforts for me. It would bring me closer to my goal.

“Let’s focus on you right now,” she whispered again, clasping my mouth with hers.

I smirked at her, tugging my t-shirt off me. “Yeah?” I leaned forward and kissed her, whispering against her mouth. “What will you do me, Atkinson?”

She bit my lip as a surge of desire coursed through me. “Why don’t I just show you?”