sher’s POV
There was a lump in my throat, my mouth turned dry, and heads of perspiration formed on my forehead despite the chil “conditioning. Aristarna battle aged inside of me, couldn’t believe the images before me.
No matter how much i squinted my eyes to look and tied to picture someone else’s face, I knew I was the naked man in those pictures,
I gritted my teeth and stole a glance at Taylor. The expression on her face remained unchanged. She looked like the unbothered person who had strutted into my office just moments earlier. She didn’t feel any of the discomfort I was feeling no signs of nervousness, nothing but that darned smile on her
“What are these?” My voice had dropped an octave, my hands trembling as I held the pictures.
She glanced at my hands and then back at me. “They are exactly what you think they are, Asher…”
I glanced at the pictures again, Taylor was there, naked, with me. There was one of her on top of me. In all of them, I looked like a compliant participant. There were pictures of us locking lips, tangled in the sheets. In my head, I was screaming No, no, no. This couldn’t possibly be me. I told myself repeatedly, and I almost believed it. I would have, if I didn’t know exactly what day that was
“You know what I’m talking about, Taylor.”
She leaned closer. “Okay, those are pictures of you and me. Quite hot, don’t you think?”
I slammed the table hard, causing everything on it to rattle. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I yelled, rising to my feet.
She shook her head. “That’s really us.” She peered at the door. “You can call someone to confirm
Thad never wanted to knock the smug expression off someone like I did right now. I hated the aloofness she wore on her face. She was redlined on the chair, legs crossed, a small smile playing on her lips, like she was enjoying this
I knew she was. While my world was crumbling around me, Ivy’s perfect face smiling at me, trusting me, haunted my thoughts. Taylor was enjoying this
too much.
“How did those come by!” I asked in a controlled voice.
She shrugged nonchalantly. “I took them.”
She smiled suggestively. “I was fucking Asher Sterling. Of course, I needed to keep the memory forever I mean, you have a reputation.” She looked at me lewdly, brushing her thumb against her lower lip and sighing. “You were everything they said you’d be and more….”
The muscles in my jaw stiffened, “Ha…has any other person seen these?”
Her smile widened. “No, I thought to show you first…”
crumpled one of the pictures and tossed it across the room.
She dryly chuckled. “You’re a smart man, Asher. You know those aren’t the only copies I have.”
I knew that, but it was a way of taking out my frustration. My heart was pounding, my chest felt constricted, I stopped pacing and turned sh
at her. “I asked you! I asked you if anything happened between us, and you said no!” I hanged the table again, but she didn’t even flinch.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Hied” she said with a smile and a slight shrug
1 frowned. “And why would you do that?” I asked, not beleving my ears
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11:38 Tue, 11 Jul
Chapter 71
Her brow perked up. “Because I was fury?”
I shook my head in disbelief. “This didn’t happen, not at all. These are some sick joke, some like pictures you created. I would never hurt hey like this,
This is a bloody lie
Her smile widened. “Okay then, if you say so.” She picked up one of the pictures and peered at it, “So, I’m assuming if one of these pictures were to land in hy’s hands somehow, then there would be no drama?”
Islammed the table and leaned into her, but she didn’t flinch. “You do no such thing?” I said through gritted teeth hy couldn’t know. Not right now Not when we were working through our issues. She was only just opening up to me. She trusted me.
She exhaled. “Whatever you say,
Histed my hands. “Don’t…don’t call me that, ever,” I said, my tone icy. “How did this happen in the first place?”
“Truly, I have a faint memory of how everything happened that night.” She began, “I only remember you had a lot to drink, and you were bragging all night about what a fantastic relationship you and Ivy had.” She shook her head. “Which is ironic because you went on to cheat on her with the one person she hates so much. She giggled. “I think she probably hates me more than she hates Mae, it’s my betrayal that hurts her the most. That’s the woman you take to bed…”
“I didn’t take you to bed!” i retorted.
“The pictures say otherwise.” She waved the one in her hand.
“I didn’t cheat on my wife. I’d never cheat on my wife,” I said, exasperated. “I have no memory of that night…”
She frowned, shaking her head in displeasure. “You men are truly all the same.
“I said, I don’t remember having sex with you. If I ever did, I’d remember something at least…”
Her smile widened, and she pulled her legs up onto the table. “I could jog your memory,” she said in a sultry voice, beginning to pull her dress.
I grabbed her hand to stop her. “I don’t care for you, Taylor. I don’t care to see what you look like because whatever you do, you’ll never be Ivy. You’d never compare to her…
There was a flash of annoyance in her eyes, but it disappeared almost instantly. I knew what this was about. This was all about hurting ley. Taylor was jealous of her, and she would do anything to hurt her. I had aided her, even though I didn’t remember anything that happened. The pictures were there.
I had cheated on Ivy.
Taylor removed her legs from the table. “That’s fine. I’ll just take my pictures and videos…
My eyes widened in shock. “Th–there’s a video!” I stammered.
“Yes. What?” She leaned closer. “Do you want to watch? I thought you didn’t care about me or what I look like.” Reclining in her chair, she crossed her legs again. “I looked so damn hot, you know? I could make a lot of money out of this, out of us naked….
I grabbed her hand. “Please, Taylor,” I begged. Fear gripped me, an unfamiliar and unsettling sensation. It wasn’t fear for myself – it was the lear of losing Ivy forever. She would never forgive me if she saw these pictures. I’d lose her. “I want you to delete them.”
“And why would I do that?” she asked, her tone mocking.
I bowed my head. “I don’t… I don’t want ivy to find them…”
“But I do,” she cut in sharply,
“Taylor, please,” 1 pleaded, gripping her hand tightly.
Her lips curved into a smirk, and I knew she was reveling in this. “I’m going to play our videos in the background and touch myself to the image of you
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11:39 Tue, 1 Jul
Chapter 71
成包72%日
begging me, Asher Stering” She leaned close to my ear, her breath warm against my skin, and ran her tongue along my earlobe. “I got deeply turned on by powerful men getting down on their knees, their heads touching the floor, and begging me ”
In a fit of rage, I grabbed her throat in a chokehold
She bit her lower lip and shrugged, her voice strained but amused “This could work ton”
Disgusted, I pulled my hand away. The fact that she took pleasure in it only made it worse. “What do you want, Taylor? I know you took these pictures because you want something. Now tell me what is it?
She blushed coyly. “Now, that’s a tough one, isn’t it? A hot billionaire is asking me what I want? I mean, there are so many choices.
“I’ll give you money to delete them.”
“That’s nice too. I could take good money,” she interrupted, her eyes gleaming with malice. “Or I could take a lot if Sterling crumbles forever”
The muscles in my jaw tightened.
She shrugged, as
d, as if it was all a game.“1 could ask
sk for sex, I mean…
“She reached forward and touched me
and and
I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to shove her hand away and throw her out of my office. But my hands were tied–she held all the cards, and she knew it. She lingered, fondling me through my pants until my body betrayed me, stirring against my will,
Her eyes lit up. “Oh, oh, the dragon’s awake!” she giggled excitedly.
My heart pounded in my chest. I clenched my fists at my sides to keep myself from lashing out. “What do you want, Taylor?” Tasked, forcing my voice to remain calm.
She looked up at me from under long lashes, licking her lips and batting her eyes. “I could want you on the side. It’s a win for you. You get to fuck a hot
“Lalready fuck a hot woman, I shot back. “You have no idea… My voice trailed off, my thoughts straying to hy. Just thinking about her made my ar intensify. “You have no bloody idea.”
Her gaze flicked downward, and she frowned, “Well, I could make trouble and demand you marry me.
Thad a sharp retort ready, but she cut me off
“Could you imagine how humiliating it would be for ivy if you maried me with no explanation whatsoever! She threw her head back and laughed. “The media would go into a frenzy, by would be completely shattered…”
What do you want, Taylor?”
She sighed dramatically “I could want… nothing”
I looked at her, incredulous. “What?”
She stood, grabbing her purse and letting out a heavy sigh. “There’s so much pressure with this. You’re a billionaire. There are so many things I could want. I just can’t make up my mind,”
As she turned to leave, I grabbed her hand to stop her.
She looked down at our hands and smiled. “I don’t know, Asher. You keep giving me mixed signals. On the one hand, you claim to h wife, yet here you are, touching me. This is exactly what you did at the club that night. We were tugging at our clothes on the drive to the hotel.
with your
Tyanked my hand back. “Please, don’t tell ivy. Please. It would hurt her.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said nonchalantly before sashaying away.
it,”
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Chapter 71
I slumped into my chair, my head pounding with regret, What the fuck have I done?
AD
