Chapter Nineteen: In Which She Plays Devils Advocate

Glory paced back and forth in her bedroom, raking her fingers through her hair. Duke was laid out on the foot of her bed like a the king he thought he was watching her with a look of boredom, tail flicking back and forth. Her body still ached from the power of Arden Fox, fingerprints on her hips from where he had gripped her tightly. She spun to face Duke, "I'm going to have to buy myself a chastity belt...that's the only solution...." He stared at her in silence before letting out a meow.

She turned away from him, throwing her hand to her hips wincing slightly, "Great now I'm talking about my self control problem to my cat..." Glory closed her eyes, lifting a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I'm losing it...completely and utterly losing it." It was going to be a very long night of tossing and turning, thanks to the subconscious filled with regrets and stupid thoughts.

She woke up to the sound of someone knocking on her door, rolling over she checked the alarm clock—red light glaring back at her that it was two in the morning. The knocking became heavy pounding and Glory groaned as she threw back her covers, stomping out of her room ready to ream whoever dared to interrupt her beauty sleep. She snapped the deadbolt open, twisting the knob of her door, "You better have a damn good—" Her threat was silenced as large hands grabbed a hold of her face, pulling her foreword and kissing her like she had never been kissed before.

Her eyes widened in surprise, hands pressing into a firm chest. Arden broke away from the kiss still holding her face between his large hands. Glory stared into his eyes, breathing in short gasps, "How--What are you doing here?" She couldn't seem to grasp what exactly was going on between the two of them. It was an inexplainable force that had them continually clashing and crashing into each other.

He gave her a crooked grin—a familiar grin he had given her the night at his mothers dinner. She narrowed her eyes, "Arden you're drunk..." The fire that he ignited in her turned into a fire of another kind, simmering below the surface. His hands dropped away from her as he shrugged his shoulder, "So what if I am? I couldn't get you out of my head. I needed you again—" He reached up grabbing onto one of her hands, sliding it down his body until he had it pressed against his arousal.

Glory swallowed hard as she remembered the feeling of him inside of her, quickly she pulled her hand away—clenching it at her side, "We can't do this—you need to go home. It's late and I'm tired..." Even to her own ears it sounded like a weak refusal. Arden's full lips pouted at her words, clearly not pleased by her denial of his desire to loose himself in their combined fire again. Not one to give up that easily he took a step into her apart, the warmth of his body causing goosebumps to rise on her skin.

Arden leaned down, bringing his lips dangerously close to her own, "I know you want me Gloriana—there's no reason to us both the pleasure of me being buried deep within you." He planted his hand gently on her hip, before stepping around her—his fingers playfully skimming her stomach as he took up residence behind her. He pressed his lips to the side of her neck and she found herself tilting her head, body shaking from the tantalizing touch.

Biting into her lip, Glory twisted away from him, "No—no...we can't...I can't...this is not going to end well. We work together and clearly you've forgotten that we hate each other..." Arden growled as if possessed by some kind of beast as he grabbed onto her again, kissing her like their lives depended on it. All thoughts of denying him further fled from her mind, Glory moaned as she succumbed to her overwhelming desire for him. They became a tangle of groping hands, as they tried to shimmy out of their clothes. Glory pulled away gasping for breath—lips stinging from Arden's hunger.

She let her eyes rake down his body—lingering on the parts of him that she longed to gorge herself on. Glory took a step backward then another, beckoning for him to follow her like a siren. His crooked grin made another appearance as he watched her sultry dance toward her bedroom, "Close that door quick before I handle myself without..." She smirked knowingly at him as she turned her back to him, giving him the opportunity to walk away though she knew he would--just like she wouldn't.

Glory stood in the center of her darkened bedroom, the sound of the front door closing had her heart racing. Their was a moment of tense silence, followed by the sound of heavy footstep—his outline framed by the soft light in the kitchen.

Arden backed her up into her bed in the darkness, the sheets brushing the back of her knees, "I don't know what it is about you..." He nipped at her neck and shoulder, "but no one has ever driven me this mad before..." Glory threw her head back with a throaty laugh, finding herself amused by his admission. The truth was she had never found anyone who had her so willing to go against her own rules of engagement.

His fingers skimmed down her naked flesh, exploring her slowly—building the ache between her legs. Glory rubbed her thighs together with anticipation, arching her back as he took beaded nipple between his teeth—teasing it with pleasure and pain. She dug her finger in deep to his thick hair, pulling at it.

Arden escaped her grasp as he pushed her back into the bed, her body bouncing slightly against the mattress. He ripped off the rest of his clothes, stumbling over himself in his haste. Glory pushed herself up onto her elbows to watch his drunken dance, smiling to herself as more of his body became visible. His muscles were taunt and defined, clenching with every slight movement. Once he was naked—he stood at the edge of her bed proudly, with every right to feel that way. Everything about him seemed immaculately designed from the top of his head to the tips of his toes—he truly had be gods morning star.

Glory parted her legs for him, angling her body so that he could see all she was—no shame. He groaned deep in his throat, reaching down and fisting himself—giving his most prized possession a couple of slow, loving strokes. She licked her lips as she watched him, the prince of darkness—Arden Fox. His eyes seemed to shine brightly as they devoured the sight of her laid out on the bed for him, ready for the taking, "Some time tonight big guy...I'm drying up over here..." She taunted him.

He crawled up onto the bed and up her body, coming to rest perfectly between her thighs. Arden held his weight up off her, staring down into her face, "I'm going to have you in every way before this night is over Gloriana...you'll never think of wanting any man but me inside of you." His husky voice danced over her and pooled in her southerner region. Glory felt a tremor of fear in the back her mind that his promise might become a truth.

"You talk a big game but it seems to me that you're the one who is having trouble wanting anyone else..." She felt the words pass from her lips without a second thought. He lowered his face until there lips were a breath apart. Her heart jolted in her chest as hungry gaze pierced through her, "There's that smart mouth again...what did I tell you about that Gloriana?"

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Gloriana woke up to the feeling of something poking into her backside. She groaned in annoyance, swatting away the disturbance with her hand, "Jesus—you are like a goddamn bunny...you should consider officially changing your name Mr. Fox..." Her muscles had a deep ache to them with even the subtle movements. He had made sure to deliver on his promise last night—more then once. She was seriously beginning to question his genealogy—perhaps he truly was some kind of god of desire, it was the only thing she could rationalize at this point.

The poking came again, only this time much more forceful. She growled in frustration ready to give Arden a piece of her mind as she rolled over. Her eyes widen with surprise when she found him passed out, his piece barely covered by her duvet and Lucy standing on her side of the bed with a look of condemnation. Talk about getting caught red handed, Glory gave her best friend a sheepish grin as her pulled the blanket up toward her chin.

"I've been meaning to get that key back from you..." She mumbled to herself not sure what else to say about the situation. Lucy pointed at her with a stiff finger then toward the living room, mouth the words 'right now'. Glory sank deeper into her mattress knowing she was about to get the lecture of the century, glancing over in Arden's direction—she thought to herself it had been worth the dance with her personal devil.

Rolling out of the bed she searched for clothes in the mess of the night before, looking around her people might think a natural disaster had taken place—rightly named, Hurricane Arden. In the end she grabbed his shirt because it was the one in view to lazy to scavange for her own, fingers going to the buttons only to find half of them were missing from his none to graceful removal of it.

Lucy was brewing her a pot of black gold when she walked out of her bedroom—understanding well that she needed it to be awake enough to have whatever dreaded yet well meaning conversation they were about to have. Glory wrapped her arms around her waist as she shuffled into the kitchen, "I'm guessing you came here for a reason other then to lecture me for my after work activities...which I can explain...but you're probably not going to like it."

She spun on her heels, blonde beach waves flowing out like a little girl in a twirling skirt, "You know I was concerned because my best friend kind of fell off the face of the planet for a couple weeks. I wanted to make sure that she hadn't done anything drastic because of a certain asshole billionaire...didn't realize you'd been bringing work home with you..."

Glory gave her friend a half-hearted smile that didn't reach her eyes, feeling slightly guilty for giving her an accidental cold shoulder—Arden had rooted himself so deep into her mind and life that it had become almost an obsession, an addiction—other things had become less important in comparison. Even now she stood wrapped up in his shirt, the scent of their lustful activities of the night before clinging to her skin—and in the back of her mind her gluttonous little devil was hungry for more, needed more.

"Don't look at me like that Gloriana Novacek! Have you lost your mind? I mean sure he is smoking hot...but you hate him and he's probably just using you, now that he's gotten what he wants...well you know how guys are..." Lucy crossed her arms over her chest to show how truly upset she was—it was like being reprimanded by her mother, minus the continual demeaning comments.

"Look it's because I hate him that you don't need to worry—I couldn't care less about what Arden Fox does or doesn't do with his dick...there are no emotions involved at all. It's purely a physical thing between two consenting adults who happen also hate each other." She felt a strange bubble in her throat as the words came out of her mouth, noting it as an uncomfortable tickle she quickly pushed the concern away.

Lucy rolled her eyes dramatically, snorting out a sarcastic laugh, "Oh yeah, Glory—so you have no feelings for him at all?"

"Other then feelings in my vagina? None. I swear." Glory held up a hand as if she was performing an oath in a courtroom.

Lucy narrowed her eyes into slits, "Swear it on Duke's life and I'll believe you."

Glory took a small breath, really wishing the coffee was done—she really needed her caffeine to deal with this,"I swear on the life of my beloved, yet extremely obese cat that I have no feelings for Arden Fox. None, whatsoever." She waited silently for her friend to make the final call—staring deeply into each other eyes, trying not to flinch under the intensity of her stare. Glory wiggled her nose slightly, feeling the sudden urge to sneeze.

"You're such a liar...oh my god, I can't believe this...You've caught feelings for the mega douche!" Lucy whisper yelled at her before turning her back to her—throwing hands up in the air. Glory reached up and rubbed her itchy nose, laughing at the ridiculousness of her best friend, "Luce...I swear I don't care about Arden..."

The sound of a heavy groan broke through her laughter. She turned her face to find Arden standing in her bedroom door way completely naked—everything hanging free in the wind. He looked completely disoriented and a little green around the gils—that alcohol wasn't doing him any favors this morning. Glory let her eyes roam slowly down the expanse of his body, finding herself mesmerized by the sight in the morning light—the darkness of her bedroom had kept her from really getting a good look at his majesty.

"Oh my..." Lucy commented breathlessly from beside her, pulling her back from her own ogling. She strolled quickly toward her couch, grabbing a pillow and throwing it towards him. It smacked him in the stomach, plopping down onto to ground at his feet. He gave her a dirty look before realizing that they weren't alone in the apartment. He quickly bent over and covered himself with the small pillow, "Good morning..." He croaked out trying to come off as relaxed.

"Good morning to you too Mr. Fox..." Lucy gave him a knowing smile—her gaze lingering on the pillow a little longer then Glory appreciated. The little hypocrite had come into her apartment, practically broken in and lectured her—only to bat her lashes at the same person she had been harping on. Glory crossed her arms over her chest, clearing her throat, "Thanks for stopping by Lucy but as you can see I'm a little busy this morning—be sure to tell Royce I'll have my article for him on monday." She lied through her teeth, not liking the way her friend was eyeing up the guy she had only just had sex with a couple hours ago.

Lucy peeled her eyes from the man meat in front of them—smiling wickedly at her, "Couldn't care less...my ass..." She turned away, stuttering over the counter victoriously where her purse was setting. Glory watched the little victory walk—feeling slightly sick to her stomach at the forced realization her friend had just put upon her.

"You two enjoy your weekend—remember lots of water, hydration is key." She gave a finger wave from the door, the sound of the timer on the coffee maker ringing out as she disappeared from sight leaving me to deal with my denial alone—I was definitely going to need that caffine.

*****************

The two of them stood silently together after Lucy left. Glory wasn't sure what she should do with the awkward tension floating between them, "There is a shower through the connecting door in my bedroom." She rattled off quickly.

"Right..." Arden cleared his throat. Glory chanced a peek in his direction, trying to hide her desire to laugh when she found he was still standing there using her little throw pillow as covering. He had alway seemed so in control of himself but in this moment he looked like high school kid who got caught by his parents.

"There are clean towels in the cupboard above the toilet." She wrapped an arm around her waist, lips curved upward. He must have noticed that she was having a small laugh over his predicament, because his eyes narrowed slightly. He tossed the pillow away, letting himself be completely exposed to her. He didn't say anything as he turned and strode away, butt muscles flexing deliciously as he walked away.

For a fleeting moment she had the thought to follow him, but she knew what would happen if she did—they would never leave her room. With a sigh she turned away, pouring herself another cup of coffee before putting out some breakfast for Duke.

A half hour later, Arden exited her bedroom fully clothed—well mostly clothed, she was still wearing his shirt. He had the towel slung around his neck, the ends clenched in his hands. He gave her a relaxed smile. The smile caused a storm of butterfly to erupt in her stomach—she quickly looked away.

"Do you want to some coffee? Or maybe something to eat? I think I might have some eggs in my fridge..." She let the words hang between them without the confidence she normally felt. It was as if he had fucked it all out of her last night, only to further surprise her with the fact that he was still in her bed when she'd been awoken this morning. Part of her wanted to play it off as meaning nothing, but still the desire for him to linger for a little while longer poisoned her thoughts.

Arden pursed his lips as if to respond but before she could get an answer his phone rang loudly. He let out a heavy sigh of exasperation as he fished it out of his pocket, "Hold that thought."

He turned his back to her answering—holding the phone to his ear, "Fox." Glory rolled her eyes, thinking she really needed to break him of that greeting—it was too uptight, business tycoon or not there was no need to be a stiff.

"Calm down, Mona. I can't understand what you're saying." She can hear the slightly rise in his voice, the concern for this Mona person coming through loud and clear. She felt a spike in her heart rate, similar to when Lucy had been eyeing him like a piece of candy.

Great, I'm so in over my head—She thinks to herself, trying to busy herself with the cup of coffee that sat in front of her.

"Alright. Alright. I will be there soon to get you. Don't talk to anyone, just keep your mouth shut." He hung up the phone spinning around to face Glory. The look on his handsome face said he felt conflicted but there was a rushed look burning in his eyes, as if he needed to be wherever else he needed to be—and he needed to be there ten minutes ago.

"Gloriana..." He began to explain himself, but she stopped him by holding up a hand. She lifted her mug taking a sip of her coffee, "I understand, no need to explain yourself Arden. I know how these things go."

His lips twitched and he lifted a brow, "How what things go exactly?" She felt a wave of annoyance that he was going to make her say what had happened between them aloud—the bastard was always looking to embarrass me.

"We're both adults Mr. Fox. I think we both know we had a good time but it's just that a good time. No reason to complicate with explanations and excuses." She tried to say it in a relaxed tone to cover up for the buzzing feeling in her heart that screamed she was a big fat liar who needed to just shut her mouth. Arden gave her a bemused smirk, rocking back onto his heels, "I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed yourself, but just to be clear I wasn't trying to make an excuse. If I wanted to leave I would have been gone last night...That was my sister...she apparently got herself arrested."

He had somehow turned the entire conversation around in a span of seconds to make her feel like a complete ass for assuming otherwise. Glory felt her cheeks flood with heat, lifting her coffee mug to take a sip to hopefully cover up the reaction.

She cleared her throat, "I see. Do you need a ride to the station?"

Now it was his turn to look slightly embarrassed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "Actually, that would be appreciated. I don't need to set any more of a bad image for my family, considering the press are probably going to have a field day with this one." He got a little more tense over the mention of his family. Glory was beginning to understand that family was the one area of Arden's life that made him a little more human—more relatable, almost redeemable.

She set her coffee down on the counter, "Let me go put on something a little more presentable."

His eyes raked over her from head to toe, the burn of his gaze made her heart speed up and her mind fill with dirty images of the things that he had done to her—and the things she wanted him to do again. He must have been on the same wavelength because he moved towards her, pulling her close by the collar of his shirt—thumbs smoothing the material between his fingers as he held her gaze, "You keep looking at me like that Gloriana, and I'll fuck you right here. I won't be able to stop myself."

She sucked in a breath, her body trembling with need, "Maybe another time, Arden. I can't imagine your sister would like to know that you were fucking my brains out while she was locked up behind bars." Glory reached up and pulled herself free from his grasp, slipping out of his shirt--so that she stood completely exposed before him. She had to muster every ounce of self-control to walk away from him and into her bedroom. The moment she closed the door she locked it—there was no part of her that trusted Mr. Fox to not follow her into her room and take her the way his eyes had said he wanted to take her.

Twenty minutes later the two of them left Gloriana's apartment in silence. She lead them to the parking garage for her apartment, finding her car was exactly where she had left it last—still in need of a wash.

"I didn't know you even had a car—every time you've shown up to work you've taken a taxi." Arden commented as he opened the door to her old mustang. She was proud of it, the one thing she had kept from her old life before college. She had spent her entire senior year of high school rebuilding the engine. It had been the biggest secret she had kept from her parents—they had thought she was taking night classes. In truth she had been 'slumming' it with the guy she'd ended up losing her virginity to, being a part time mechanic made him very talented with his hands.

Arden gazes around the interior with a smile, touching the leather with his long fingers, "This is a beautiful car. I am surprised you don't drive this around more."

She starts up the engine, it rumbles to life—vibrating through her body, "Buckle up, Mr. Fox." She smiled to herself, as she peeled out of the parking garage just for the fun of it. Arden clutched the arm bar on the door tightly, which only made Glory chuckle to herself--maybe she should offer to drive him around more. It could become a new form of torture.