Novel Full Chapter 275: The Gentleman
Chapter 275: The Gentleman
Vivienne’s hands trembled as she adjusted her skirt, smoothing the fabric that had ridden up during his assault. Her fingers felt clumsy, uncoordinated, like they belonged to someone else.
The game she’d orchestrated… the elaborate deception, the role-play, the carefully constructed fiction… suddenly felt less like power and more like a noose.
She couldn’t drop the mask now. She was too deep.
She forced herself to breathe, to steady her hands, to summon the ghost of “Helena” back into her eyes.
Alex stood a few feet away, watching her struggle. He was infuriatingly composed… hands in pockets, shoulders relaxed, that devastating smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. He looked like a man who had all the time in the world, while she felt like she was unraveling at the seams.
Just as she thought she’d managed to pull herself together, he moved.
Sudden. Decisive.
His hands gripped her hips, spinning her around and pressing her back against the wall before she could even gasp.
“Alex… what…”
His fingers didn’t go for her skin this time. They hooked into the waistband of her black lace panties.
Vivienne’s breath hitched, her eyes going wide with shock as she felt him tug the fabric down… dragging the wet, heated silk over her hips, past her thighs, down to her ankles.
“Step out,” he commanded softly.
For a heartbeat, she couldn’t move. The humiliation was sharp and immediate. She was Vivienne Vanderbilt. She commanded boardrooms. She didn’t stand in hallways obeying orders to strip.
But her body betrayed her.
Her face flushed hot, a violent mix of shame and arousal flooding her veins. One shaky leg lifted, then the other, stepping out of the delicate scrap of lace until she was standing in nothing but her skirt and stockings.
The air in the hallway hit her bare skin… cool, shocking, and dangerously exposing.
Alex straightened, holding the panties up between them.
They were a ruin. Heavy with her scent, darkened by the evidence of how badly she wanted him.
He met her eyes, holding her gaze captive as he brought the lace to his nose. He inhaled deeply, deliberately, his eyes darkening as the scent of her arousal hit him.
“You won’t be needing these,” he said, his voice dropping to a rough, possessive timbre.
“Alex…” Her voice cracked, breathless and uncertain. “I… I can’t…”
“Can’t what?”
He folded the panties carefully… slowly… and slipped them into his trouser pocket.
The gesture was possessive. Intimate. He was effectively pocketing her control.
“Can’t walk around your boss’s villa with nothing on under that tight little skirt?”
He stepped closer, crowding her space until she was pressed flat against the wall. His hand slid up her thigh again, but this time, there was no barrier. His fingers grazed the bare, sensitive skin right above the stocking line, sending a jolt of electricity straight to her core.
“You know, Helena…” His voice dropped to a low, analytical murmur, as if he were dissecting a complex puzzle. “In this short time, I’ve figured something out about you.”
His thumb brushed the very edge of her damp heat, making her breath hitch.
“You’re bold. reckless, even. You don’t just tolerate risky situations… you feed on them.”
He leaned in, his nose grazing her jawline, inhaling her scent.
“I can tell you enjoy these types of games. The danger of getting caught… the thrill of being exposed… it makes you wet, doesn’t it?”
Vivienne couldn’t answer. She could only tremble as his words cut straight through her defenses. He was right. God, he was so right.
“Just think about it, Helena,” he whispered, his lips moving against the sensitive skin of her neck.
“Think about walking into that dining room. With every step you take, the lining of that skirt is going to rub against your bare skin. Friction… teasing you… reminding you that you’re wide open.”
His hand moved slightly, his palm hovering just millimeters from her center, the heat radiating between them.
“And when you sit down… you’ll have to keep your legs squeezed tight together, won’t you? Because if you relax… if you shift even an inch…”
He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, his expression twisting into a dark, conspiratorial smirk.
“What happens if your boss drops her napkin?”
Vivienne’s eyes went wide.
“What happens if the great Vivienne Vanderbilt glances under the table?” he continued, his voice dripping with malicious temptation. “And sees that her loyal, professional assistant is sitting there bare… dripping… completely accessible to a stranger?”
He patted her hip… a demeaning, possessive gesture.
“Imagine the look on her face when she realizes exactly what kind of dirty little secretary she actually hired.”
He paused, tilting his head as if a new thought just occurred to him.
“Though… I suspect your boss isn’t much different.”
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper that sent shivers down her spine.
“They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, right? If her assistant is this filthy… this desperate to be used… then the great Vivienne Vanderbilt must be hiding something too.”
He smirked, a cruel, calculating expression.
“She probably craves it just as much as you do. Maybe she likes to be humiliated too. Maybe she’s just waiting for someone strong enough to strip away that expensive suit and show her what she really is.”
Vivienne’s breath hitched. Hearing him talk about her… about breaking the woman she actually was… while treating her like the woman she was pretending to be, was a mind-bending layer of arousal she hadn’t prepared for.
“But don’t worry, Helena,” Alex murmured, his thumb brushing her hip bone. “You won’t be alone in this state for long.”
His eyes gleamed with dark promise.
“I’ll make your boss do the same. I’ll strip her down and parade her through this villa right alongside you. Both of you… naked… completely exposed.”
He leaned back, looking satisfied by the image.
“And then that bitch… Jennifer.”
He let the name hang in the air, heavy with disdain.
“Just imagine it. Her mother and her aunt, on their knees, waiting for me. It’s thrilling, isn’t it?”
The image flashed in Vivienne’s mind… fractured and confusing because she was the boss… but the sheer taboo of the scenario, the perverse idea of her entire dynasty being brought to heel by this one man, sent a fresh, overwhelming wave of arousal crashing through her.
“Are you going to help me, Helena?” he asked softly, offering his arm. “Aren’t you going to help me break them?”
“Oh my goodness,” he chuckled darkly, feeling her tremble. “Tonight is going to be fun.”
“Now then,” Alex said, his tone snapping back to mock politeness.
The warmth vanished, leaving her aching, empty, and terrifyingly exposed.
He waited, arm extended, looking every bit the perfect gentleman, as if he hadn’t just stripped her, pocketed her panties, and outlined a plan to dismantle her entire family.
“Shall we join her? I’d hate to keep the lady waiting.”