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dramaqueeenamby · 3 years

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𝙎𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝗈𝖿 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 | eight

Parings: CEO!Chris Hemsworth x Stripper!OC // Words: 7K // Type: Series // Taglist: Yes/No (Inbox me to be tagged or removed) Warnings: Some Smut.

The lack of heat and weight on top of him was the first thing that Chris noticed when his eyes fluttered open, welcoming him to the state of consciousness. The heat and weight, however, were the only things that bothered him because of what they meant.

Kaya.

That night was the first they’d slept together in a non sexual manner. She had her room at the house, and he had his, they’d only shared a bed for their sexual escapades. Last night, however, was a first.

Kaya, without prompt, peeled back the blankets of the California king and climbed under the fitted sheet. Typically, Chris’s mind raced with thoughts and mental planning for what the next day would bring, but this time, sleep preceded forethought. As soon as Kaya pushed her body against his, her thigh swinging over his lower body, he knew he’d be unable to focus on anything other than the woman under him.

When exactly he fell asleep, he hadn’t a clue. He did, however, wake up at some point in the middle of the night and chuckle when he realized Kaya had shifted positions. She was no longer tucked into his side but rather sprawled across him, her left cheek pressed against his chest.

True to her word, she’d kicked the blankets down to her ankles, his calves, leaving them both susceptible to the chill of the room. He attempted to at least pull the flat sheet over them only to stop when she groaned in her sleep and shifted her body upward, head closer to his neck than anything.

If he had the opportunity, he would have snapped a photo to savor the image. He would definitely, however, tease her with it when morning came.

And it had finally arrived.

Sighing and stretching, he sat up in the bed and closed his eyes. Chris was an early morning riser. Early mornings and late nights. They made up his way of living. This morning, however, he felt a bit exhausted. He chalked it up to the stressful day prior and climbed out of bed, heading straight for the bathroom.

He overheard the faint sound of Kaya’s humming from the room over which was why he bypassed searching for her. She was still in the suite, and that was all he needed to know.

Twenty minutes later, he exited, freshly showered and clean, ready to start his busy day. One of many. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand, unaffected by the litany of notifications that overtook his lock screen. It was the norm for him.

He unlocked it and proceeded to wade through the many unread messages. He would start with the missed calls, follow up with the emails, and end with the text messages, the order of which would include starting with most important to least.

He’d seen only two calls that he needed to return when he walked into the dining area, clearly catching Kaya off guard.

She jumped up from the sofa, knocking her phone into the beige carpet. Her eyes were wide and her eyebrows slightly lifted, but a small, tentative smile graced her soft features. He took in her appearance. She was dressed only in a black tank top that stopped just above her belly button and a pair of flannel pajama shorts that were dark blue with white lining. Her hair was down but pulled back, allowing an unobscured view of her face.

He always thought she looked most beautiful like this, off guard, in her natural state.

“Hi,” she greeted quietly. “I mean, uhh, morning.”

He eyed her skeptically. “Good morning.”

“Did I wake you?” She asked, almost fearful that his answer would be a yes. “I tried to be quiet.”

His eyes narrowed. “Would you care if you did?”

“Of course.” Now, he was alarmed. This wasn’t like Kaya. At all. “I ordered us breakfast,” she chimed, motioning to the table. “Belgian waffles with blueberries on the side and strawberry syrup.” As she spoke, he walked up to her, tossing his phone on the sofa on the way. Chris brought his hands to her face, peering down at her. “I’ve noticed you—”

“What are you doing, Kaya?” He could tell she was about to deflect, so he clarified. “Why are you acting like this?”

“What are you talking about?”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re many things. Dumb isn’t one of them.”

He saw it, the flash of anger that appeared in her gaze, but she pushed it away. “Don’t bait me.”

“Don’t put on an act with me,” he calmly challenged.

“You’re trying to pick a fight.”

“And you’re deflecting.”

She pulled away from him, only to realize that he had no intentions of releasing her. Chris held onto her arm. Kaya looked back at him and scoffed, shaking her head. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“Kaya,” he spoke softer. Chris had an idea what she was doing, but he needed her to be honest. If not with him, at least with herself. “Talk to me.”

At his words, she looked away. “I did. Last night.”

“That’s what this is about.” Again, he knew what it was. He just wanted her to admit as much.

Chris could tell that she was searching for the right words. “L—last night was a lot.”

He nodded slowly. “It was.”

“And you’ve had a chance to sleep on it.”

“Sleep on what?”

She hesitated, angling her body toward him as she hugged herself, Chris finally releasing his grip on her forearm. “Us.”

He stepped closer to her. “Do you honestly believe that my feelings for you could change just like that?”

“A good night’s rest does the mind wonders, so I’ve heard.” Chris rolled his eyes. “So, you’re not, like, going to abandon me in this foreign country and force me to prostitute my way back home?”

“Why would you even—No, Kaya, I admit that I can be—”

“A dick?”

He chuckled. That was the Kaya he was used to. It was the one he liked .

“Difficult,” he spoke carefully. “But, I’m not heartless.”

She chewed on the corner of her lip. “So we’re still good?” He saw how she redirected her gaze, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation, uncomfortable with being so vulnerable. “You and me, I mean?” He nodded slowly, an action she reciprocated.

“Okay.”

“Alright?” He cupped her face again, searching for any sign of deception. He found none.

Kaya then released a heavy breath. “I never get nervous like that. I hate it. It makes me feel nice.”

“What’s wrong with being nice for once?”

She looked at him with a blank face. “Have you met me?”

He laughed and pulled her into his body. “I have.”

Aware that he couldn’t see her, she smiled and bit on her bottom lip before looking up. “Also, I actually ordered breakfast for myself and then remembered that you needed to eat, so your food should be coming in like ten minutes.”

He snorted. “That’s more like the Kaya I know.”

“Hey, at least I ordered something you like,” she reminded, clearly proud of herself for that. “Even though my waffles mine are way better.” She pulled away, taking his hand in hers as she led him to the sofa. “Coffee?”

He shook his head. “I’ll get it later.” Kaya waited for him to sit before she plopped down next to him and picked up her phone, her legs draped over his lap. “There’s something else I need to ask you about.”

He noticed the way she looked up from her phone but nodded. “Okay.”

“You fainted—” Her eyes shut as she groaned. “Why?”

“It’s stupid and embarrassing,” she sighed, sitting up and tossing her phone to the side. “Sometimes when I get really anxious or, nervous, I faint. It’s extremely annoying and absolutely ruins my devil may care image.”

“You’re like 4’5”. Devil may care image was never even an option for you.”

Mouth ajar, she grabbed a pillow and slapped it against him. “Fuck you!”

He laughed and caressed her leg. “So, you’re okay?” He stared at her.“You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”

She scoffed quietly, lips together. “You’d care?”

His answer was instant. “Of course.”

Kaya nodded, hesitantly. “Yes, I’d tell you.”

For a second, she thought she had to throw up. She felt sick to her stomach. Last night was honesty hour, so how had she ended up on Lying Lane?

“Good.” Chris gently squeezed her calf. “Now for the next thing.”

“What is this, an interrogation?”

“What did he say to you?”

Kaya couldn’t show it, but she was eternally grateful for the change in subject, even if she didn’t want to talk about that either. “Who?”

Chris closed his eyes. “The man from last night, Kaya.”

She groaned and sulked into the sofa again. “Not this again.”

“Now, Kaya.”

Kaya realized that she was lucky to have gotten away with the lie about why she fainted, so she decided to at least be honest about this much.

“He—said that I was beautiful and wanted to know how much you were paying me. Wanted to buy me for a night, maybe a week,” she scoffed and shook her head. “It took me a minute to realize what he thought I was and what he wanted. It wasn’t until he said I looked exotic and wondered how I tasted that I caught on.”

“Son of a bitch,” Chris cursed, adeptly managing his anger as he motioned for her to continue. “What else?”

“Well, after I told him to go fuck himself cause I certainly wasn’t going to, he got a little upset.” She pushed her lips together and wiggled her brows. “Told me that the toilet he had just pissed in was worth more than me, called me cheap, illegal, a whore, and a bitch. That’s when I punched him. Cue the panic, me running into you, couple of emotional breakdowns later, and here we are.”

“He touched you, though,” Chris added. “You lied when I asked you about it last night.”

Kaya pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m becoming too predictable.”

If Chris wasn’t juggling between flipping over the coffee table, he would have broken into a small smile. If only. “Kaya.”

She released a second loud groan and relented. “He wouldn’t let go of my arm—that was definitely annoying—then he moved it to my thigh and tried to take a grab at dulce—”

“What?”

“You know.” She gestured to her crotch. “Dulce.”

“You—named it?”

“Her,” she corrected. “And of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

He almost wished that he wasn’t too upset to enjoy the absolute humor that accompanied her statement. She spoke with an absolute straight face.

“I’ll handle it,” he announced.

Kaya sat up again. Her abs starting to contract from the constant up and down movement. “What do you mean?” He eyes widened. “Are you—are you going to kill him?” She moved to sit on her knees. “Holy shit, are you in the mafia?”

That finally broke out a small smile. “What?”

“It makes sense, you’re rich.”

“This is true.”

“And handsome. Like, very very handsome.”

“Also true.”

“And you’re a dick.”

“Debatable.”

Kaya climbed onto his lap and smiled craftily. “That would actually be kinda hot.”

“Would it?”

She nodded as her hands moved up his chest. “So, are you going to tell me what you plan on doing?”

He laughed humorlessly. “Of course not.”

She glared. “You are a dick.” Kaya attempted to climb off his lap only for him to restrict her. “Let me go. The seduction didn’t work. I’m gonna go eat.”

His gaze darkened. “What do you think I’m trying to do?” She watched him sit up and felt his hands palm her ass. “For someone so smart, you do take an awfully long time to catch on.”

“I resent that.”

“I don’t care.”

Kaya went to protest more when he laid her down on the sofa, hands going to tug down her shorts. “You think you can distract me with sex.”

“Mmmhmm,” he hummed against her neck, mouth traveling to the valley between her breast.

Kaya’s eyes fluttered as she squeezed the side of the sofa. “Well, it won’t w—work.”

He chuckled, kissing the inside of her thigh. “You sure about that?”

“Don’t play with me,” she forced out as his long fingers pushed her panties to the side.

Chris blew on her vagina and gave a slow, long kiss to her clitoris, prompting Kaya’s back to promptly arch off of the sofa. His dick twitched. He loved how receptive and sensitive she was to his touch.

“That’s exactly what I intend to do.”

——

“Why don’t you like backshots?”

Chris looked down at Kaya. She laid at the end of the bed, flat sheet pulled up to her chest as she propped her head up with her elbow that was anchored into the bed.

“What?”

“You know.” She proceeded to move to her hands and knees, the sheets accentuating her ass perfectly. He had to contain himself.

“I know what they are, Kaya.”

“So why don’t you like them?” She asked again, returning to her previous position. “I thought all men did.”

“Why do you assume I don’t?”

“Chris, I can count on two hands how many times you’ve bent me over, and we’ve certainly fucked many more times than what I can count on those two hands.”

He chuckled, closing his eyes, purposely not answering.

“Hello?” Still nothing. Annoyed, she tried to kick him in his side. “Don’t ignore me.”

“I want to see your face every time I make you cum.”

Kaya stilled, her thighs immediately clenching. It wasn’t when he made her cum. It was every time, and there certainly were plenty.

“Damn you,” she groaned quietly, laying her head down on the bed. It made sense, so much sense. When he did have her face down ass up, his hand swiftly moved to her throat or fisted her hair, yanking her head back so that he could see her face. Kaya moaned quietly, suddenly eager for another demonstration, fully aware that she was unable. Even if Kaya wanted them to go another round, her body couldn’t withstand it. It always amazed just how much he could milk from her.

Quite literally.

“You asked.”

Again, she kicked him. This time, he caught her leg, his hand gently moving up and down her calf.

“Hey.”

“Hmmm.”

“Can we—” She saw that his eyes were still closed. “Can we stay in today?”

He opened his eyes and peered down at her. “What?”

She blew out a breath and sat up on her knees, sheet falling, exposing her nude body. “Hear me out.”

Chris’s fingers danced up her thigh. “I’m listening. Somewhat.”

Kaya rolled her eyes and placed her hand over his. He interlaced their fingers. “You know so much about me now.”

“Yes.”

“But, I feel like there’s so much I don’t know about you, and I don’t like that.”

“What do you want to know?”

Satisfied, she laid her body so that she was on her side, pulling the flat sheet up to her hip, but laying right-side up so that she could see him. “So we can stay in? Like, just….chill?”

“If that’s what you want.” She smiled. “But tomorrow, we go out.”

Suspicious, she asked, “is it for that surprise you keep talking about but won’t tell me about?”

“I’m sure you would love to know.”

“You truly are the worst.”

“Your question limit is nearing.”

Rolling her eyes, Kaya decided to table that topic. For now. “Why were you at the club that night? You looked miserable.”

“I was.”

“So why go?” She pressed. “And what man gets miserable at a strip club?”

Somewhat invested in the conversation, Chris turned on his side as well to face her. “Men go to the club, strip and beyond, to seek out women.”

“Pussy.”

“Precisely,” he agreed. “Does it look like I need to actively look for that?”

Eyes taking in his frame, even Kaya couldn’t deny he had a point there. Chris was many things, but ugly could never be one. The man was inhumanely handsome, insanely wealthy, built like a god, and knew the difference between harder and faster. It didn’t get much better than that.

“Touché,” she relented.

“But to answer your question, it was Evans birthday.”

“So, you were being a good friend,” she realized and admitted. “I can see that.”

“See what?”

“That you’re a good friend. You’re—you’re loyal.”

“When I deem someone’s worth it, yes.”

“I’ve never cheated,” Kaya shared. As per the course as of late, she continued to open up, sharing more and more of herself with him. “Been cheated on, of course, but never the one to do it. I just don’t get it, ya know? If you don’t want to be with someone, cut em off. Don’t hurt em.”

His eyes took in the way her voice dropped at the end, the softness of her tone. “Like you’ve been hurt.”

Kaya looked up over her long lashes and offered a crooked smile. “That’s one thing about me. I don’t give out second chances. You only get to fool me once, after that,” she said something in Spanish. His brow quipped. “What?”

“I’m not used to hearing you speak in Spanish.”

“I—I don’t do it a lot anymore. It—it reminds me of my family.”

“You think about them a lot.”

“Every day,” she whispered.

Chris thought about the question before he asked, wondering if it was too soon, not for him, but for her. Yet, he needed to know. “Do you think you’ll speak with them again?”

Likewise, Kaya considered her answer, replying truthfully. “I’d give anything to talk with them again. To be able to feel one of mami’s hugs or to hear papi complain about the neighborhood kids and their music.” She cleared her throat. “But, I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I—I haven’t spoken with them in years, Chris. When I left, they still loved me, but now—after everything, I don’t know.” She swallowed. “And I don’t think I could handle them not wanting me as a daughter anymore.”

“But if you knew they wanted to see you, that their love hadn’t changed….you’d meet with them?” He pressed. He needed to know. He would never do anything he thought could hurt her.

Kaya surprised herself when she answered instantly. “Yes.”

Chris made a mental note of that.

Kaya decided to flip the switch. She could only handle vulnerability in small doses. “So back to the club, mister?”

Chris beat her to it with the questions that time around.“How’d you start working there?”

“Umm, it’s my turn to ask a question.”

“I don’t care.”

Normally, Kaya would object. This time, however, she simply smiled. “Well, during my spiraling, I discovered that the only thing I really liked about partying was the music and dancing. As soon as I learned to throw my ass in a circle, it was a wrap. Then I met Nia a few years back, learned she was a dancer, heard how much money she was bringing in, and that was all she wrote.”

“You made it seemed like you hated it.”

“Not at first,” she answered truthfully. “It was kinda fun, you know? I know I’m pretty, and I know I have a nice body, so I liked the attention. Initially. But, then it became less self serving, I started to feel less like a person and more like a product.”

“You felt objectified.”

“Exactly,” she scoffed. “Did you know I had to move from my old place because this guy started stalking me? Somehow, he found out where I lived. He followed me home a couple of times. Now that was scary.”

Chris’s jaw clenched. He felt a mixture of anger and guilt. Anger at whatever bastard had been able to render even Kaya frightened, and guilt at himself for how he had swindled his way into her life. He’d asked about her, of course, but showing up at her school, in hindsight, probably wasn’t the best course of action.

Kaya could practically see his mind reeling. “It was different with you,” she assured with a sly smile. “I’ll never complain about a handsome billionaire propositioning me. Well, as long as they look like you.”

“I still could have gone about it different.”

“You live and you learn.” She shrugged and studied him. “Besides, I’m glad you did. Even I have to admit, my life has become a lot more eventful since you decided to Pretty Woman me.”

“What?”

Kaya’s jaw dropped. “No.”

“What?” He repeated.

“You’ve never seen Pretty Woman?”

“How has it you’ve seen such a wide array of films?”

“It’s called being cultured.”

“It’s called needing a life.”

She ignored him and grabbed onto his forearm. “So, we now have our movie selected for this evening.”

“You do know I have a job, right?”

“And I have school,” she countered easily. “Ever heard of procrastination?”

“When do you graduate, anyway?”

“Next month,” she answered casually. His brow lifted. “What?”

“When did you plan on telling me that?”

“Well, up until like last night, I was still under the impression that this was all fake and you didn’t give two shits, sooo—”

“I care,” he said simply. Kaya quieted and watched the way he stared at her.

“I know.” A beat. “So do I.” She cleared her throat and kicked the blanket off. “Now, if you excuse me, that mammoth of a bathtub is calling my name. I live for a good bubble bath.” Kaya swung her legs over the side of the bed when he reached for her wrist. She looked over her shoulder. “Yes?”

Chris eyes drank her in. Kaya sat completely unaffected by her nudity. Her confidence was one of the many things he liked about her. She was so sure of herself.

“Have you tried the shower?”

“Not yet.” Kaya caught his drift and smiled, leaning over. She’d probably have to end up taking a pain pill anyway before the night was over. “Wanna join me?”

——

Kaya’s left hand was planted against the glass door, with the other against the marble wall. Her hair was soaked, curls dripping down her back. If this was any other situation, she would have been fuming. She hated doing her hair, one, because she didn’t know how and two, because not knowing how made it take even longer.

But this was different.

She didn’t give a fuck about her hair.

The only fuck she cared about was the way Chris was fucking her.

Long and deep, his strong arms held her up effortlessly, controlling the depth and speed of his strokes. He swallowed her moans, suppressing the cries of pleasure that edged off the tip of her tongue. He was so deep in her, Kaya couldn’t get enough of him. Sex was always a fun activity for her. But, this was beyond fun. This was inhuman rapture. She couldn’t get enough of him, and him, her.

Chris growled, his grip on her ass tightening, clutching her against his body. He was infatuated, the way her body reacted to his, she fit him like a glove, gripping him firmly.

Kaya moved her hands to his broad shoulders, her nails pressing into his skin. A moan escaped her mouth as she pried her mouth away, lips parting as she caught her breath, as best she could. His stamina was relentless, and she was starting to wonder if his goal was in fact to immobilize her.

If so, he was well on his way.

“Do you know how fucking beautiful you are?” He breathed heavily, gaze darkening, hips slamming into her harder. “How lost in I get in you.”

Kaya was beyond the point of words. All she could manage was a whimper, her head back against the shower wall.

“How many times I think about being inside you, think of the faces you make as I make you cum over and over again.”

In truth, Kaya was only hearing about 40% of what he was saying. It was nearly impossible to focus on both words and the insane pleasure he was causing her body while the showered rained down on them both, bodies dripping from both internal and external sources.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he said, voice laced with want. Need. “I’ll never get enough of you.”

Kaya realized that the water pooling near her eyes wasn’t entirely because of the shower. She was crying. Kaya felt so many things beyond lust. When she first propositioned that sex could be a benefit of their arrangement, she thought nothing of it. She thought it would be something that could fulfill her physical needs.

But, it’d become so much more than that. He’d become so much more than that.

Never had Kaya been treated the way Chris treated her, and she’d been in plenty relationships. Many, and none even came close to respecting and spoiling her the way he did. And it was beyond the monetary gifts, he was attentive, he respected her, but he also pushed her. He met her verbal spar for verbal spar. He understood her humor, he understood what she did and didn’t like. He just got her.

He made her feel….good.

He made her happy.

Panting, she brought her hands to his face, mouth parted, staring. So many words, unspoken but understood, were conveyed in the moments they matched gazes. Her mouth contracted before she smiled softly, fingers running down his face, against his beard before she captured his lips in a gentle kiss.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

It was both a truth and a lie. The truth was that she didn’t want to go anywhere. The lie was that what she wanted was no longer in her control.

Kaya just wondered just how long it was going to take for her to garner the strength to tell him that.

If time didn’t beat her to it.

——

An hour later, Kaya was in her bathroom having just finished blowdrying her hair. She had taken picture and sent it to her group chat with Beth and Dana, knowing the latter of the two would be furious that she used heat.

Dana was attempting to help Kaya learn how to style her natural hair. However, Dana was nowhere around, and Kaya didn’t have the patience nor the skill to replicate the wash n’ go Dana preached about, so she used her blow dryer and slicked it back into a low bun.

When she stepped out the bathroom, she found that he was sitting at the office area (she’d never even known a hotel could provide such a thing), glasses on, shirtless.

Smiling, she sauntered over and stood in front him.

“Hi.”

Chris looked up and over his screen. “What is it?”

“I can’t say hi to you?”

“You can’t be nice to me.”

Rolling her eyes, she pulled out her phone to scroll down to Nia’s thread, wondering if she’d missed a text.

She hadn’t.

“You’re rude,” she sassed. He ignored her, typing away. “Are you working?”

“No, I’m typing just because.”

She shrugged. “I’ve heard of rich people doing weirder things.” Kaya’s smile widened when she saw that the corners of his mouth lifted for the faintest hint of a smile. She loved their banter. “Anyway, it was freezing last night.”

He pulled his glasses off and looked at her with incredulity. “Kaya, you pushed all of the blankets off.”

“And?”

“And, that’s fucking why you were cold.”

“Everyone pushes the blankets off,” she argued, hands on her hips. “You kick them all off, pull some of the blanket over one leg, and then put he other leg on top of the blankets.”

“Kaya, literally no one does that.”

“Chris, literally everyone does that.”

“Well, I don’t.”

“Because you’re a selfish bastard.”

“Because I don’t agree with your strange sleeping habits?”

“Yes,” she answered indignantly. “And, I’ll prove it to you.”

“Prove what?”

Kaya ignored him and proceeded to close up all the apps she had opened until she was returned to her regular home screen. Opening Tik Tok, she hit the plus sign located at the bottom middle of the screen. Looking around the room, she realized that the best place to stand it up was against his laptop.

Chris watched as she situated the phone, messed with her hair, pressed something on her screen, and straightened.

“Okay, so I’m currently having a sorta argument with my boyfriend about something that I know everyone does, but he’s convinced that I’m crazy.”

Chris chuckled quietly. That was the first time he’d heard her refer to him as such.

“Psychotic,” he interjected.

“Shut up,” she shouted, her volume contrasting with the smile on her face. “You’re such an asshole.” Kaya shook her head and continued. “So, when you guys are sleeping, don’t you like get hot and kick all of the blankets off, but then you get cold so you like pull one blanket on one leg and keep your other on top of the blankets?” She used hand gestures as she spoke to help illustrate what she was trying to explain. “Let me know in the comments.”

“Let her know she’s wrong.”

“Shut up, Chris!” Laughing, she stopped the video. Kaya reviewed it once and added a filter before typing out a brief caption and adding the hashtags. She hesitated before posting it for one reason.

Nia.

Kaya was once of the small group of people who refused to give into the Tik Tok craze. She saw it as nothing more than a poor man’s version of Vine. It’d been Nia who encouraged her to give it a chance, making Tik Toks with Kaya that quickly gathered hundreds and then thousands of views. Kaya also realized that this would be the first video she posted that didn’t have Nia in it. It felt strange.

She hit post.

It also felt good.

Last Kaya checked, she had a little over ten thousand followers. Not nearly as many as a lot of creators, but more than the average person. She expected at least a couple of people to reply but wasn’t holding her breath. In the meantime, she thought about something she wanted to ask Chris about.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Not now,” he answered distractedly.

She rolled her eyes. Kaya realized he thought she was pestering him again. “No, not that. I just—”

He heard the hesitation in her voice and lifted his gaze to her. “Yes?”

“I noticed you never talk about your family.”

She studied him, watching as he tensed before scoffing bitterly. “That’s because they’re nothing worth discussing.”

“It’s a sensitive subject,” she guessed.

“No,” he easily dismissed. “That would mean I actually care, and I don’t.”

“Everyone cares,” she carefully disagreed. “We just don’t always like to admit it.” He looked up. She smiled softly. “I would know.”

Chris thought about what she said. As much as he thought he was able to help her, sometimes he wondered just how much she realized she was helping him.

“I—I only remember seeing my parents a few weeks out the year growing up. When they weren't shipping me off to boarding school, they were hiring live in nannies to take care of me.”

Kaya frowned and pressed. “Why?”

Chris sat forward and clasped his hands together, having pushed the laptop away so he could rest his elbows on the table. “Work was always their number one priority. Not me.”

“So why have a kid?” Kaya spoke, as always, without thinking. “Especially if you don’t want to be a parent.”

“They needed an heir,” he answered simply before explaining. “Both of my parents came from money, generational wealth, if you will.”

“Old money.” He nodded. “So, they wanted to keep the tradition going.”

“Precisely,” he replied. “They just weren’t expecting me to forge my own path and certainly not to cut all ties with them.”

“You don’t talk at all?”

“I have my office send them a card for the major holidays, but personally, no, not in years.”

Kaya quieted. She was actually saddened by his story. She knew that no two people had the same upbringing, but she also knew the happiness and love she felt from her parents during her upbringing. They would have done anything for her. Their kids were their world, but from what Chris was saying, his didn’t even want to be bothered with him.

“That was probably hard for you,” she finally spoke again. “Growing up with shit parents.”

He shrugged. “It helped me to become independent.”

“Is that why you’ve never been in a longterm relationship?” She asked. He looked at her with surprise. Kaya shrugged. “Beth, Dana, and I talk.”

“About me?”

“Stop trying to change the subject,” she lectured. “I don’t know, I just imagine it’s hard to commit to a whole stranger when your own parents couldn’t even commit to you.”

His eyes softened on her. “It was.”

Kaya’s smile was inevitable around him, she was starting to realize. She also thought of something else. “Have you ever, ya know, talked to anyone about your relationship with your parents?”

“One, there is no relationship. Two, like a therapist? No.”

“Not interested?”

“No time.”

“Sounds like an excuse to me.”

“I’m sorry, are you studying business or psychology?”

She laughed softly. “I—uh, I went to therapy for a little while to help me deal with what happened to my brother but also—” Kaya hesitated but eventually decided to be honest about this much. “I wanted to have a total hysterectomy.” She looked down, fingers scraping against her thighs. “To make sure that I could never get pregnant.”

Chris had a feeling he already knew what her explanation would be, but he still had to ask. “Why?”

She lifted and dropped one shoulder. “I felt—I felt like I didn’t deserve to be a mom and the right thing to do was to make sure I never was.” Kaya looked off, starring at the artwork on the adjacent wall. “Thankfully, the GYN I went to at the time convinced me to talk to someone before I made such a drastic decision at a young age, and clearly it worked.” She motioned to her upper left arm. “I settled for the implant.”

He thought about what she was sharing, what he was sharing. Never had he been so open about his family situation with anyone, let alone someone he was seeing. Though Chris knew he had to admit, to himself and aloud, that his relationship with Kaya was more than anything he’d ever been in.

And she meant way more to him than anyone before her.

“And now?” He urged. Chris always imagined himself being a father someday, not necessarily anytime soon. In the latter side of the future. He wasn’t so sure anymore, however. “How do you feel about kids?”

Kaya had similar sentiments. Growing up, she loved pretending to be a mom, her baby dolls representing the kids she would certainly have one day. But then it happened, and everything changed. Therapy, however, was a great help. It helped her think not so much about current feelings but more how much they could change. How much they did change.

“I would love to be a mom someday,” she whispered and smiled softly. “Can you imagine it? A mini me.”

Chris chuckled. “God forbid she takes after your personality.”

“Well, she certainly wouldn’t be better off taking after yours.” Once again, her words betrayed her. Kaya was getting fed up with the verbal vomit that always seemed to occur whenever she was around Chris.

That didn’t mean she missed the way his eyes momentarily lit up at her unintended admission.

“Oh,” Kaya cleared her throat. Once again, the conversation was going down a lane she hadn’t meant to turn on. “I forgot to check.” Kaya grabbed her phone and quickly maneuvered to Tik Tok, mouth dropping.

“Holy shit.”

“What?”

Not only had she garnered thousands of new followers, but she had just as many comments on her video. Kaya went to her profile and nearly dropped her phone when she realized she was a couple hundred followers away from 100K.

“These people need lives,” she murmured to herself, turning around and walking toward Chris. Without thinking twice about it, she settled herself onto his lap. “What’s so interesting about me?”

“You’d be surprised,” he spoke into her shoulder, arms secured around her body.

Kaya, still shocked, managed to check the comments and cheered in triumph. “Told you!” Chris eyes landed on her phone where he read some of the comments, immediately rolling his eyes.

“Young people.”

“Is your pride so big you can’t even admit you were wrong?”

“You asked a generation of people who think partaking in challenges where they swallow Tide Pods is exhilarating,” he pointed out. “Forgive me if I don’t exactly respect the legitimacy of their veracity.”

Kaya paused. “Maybe you have a point.” She sighed quietly and sat back against his chest, continuing to scroll through the comments. “But, I’m still right.”

He shook his head and danced his fingers against her stomach. Kaya swallowed. She wondered what he was thinking about, though she had a good idea.

Kaya shifted in his lap, pulling down her notifications, when she sat up and gasped again.

“What now?”

Nia had responded. Eager, Kaya quickly swiped to open it only for a frown to form.

Since when do you post Tik Toks without me?

Kaya was immediately upset. She’d been honest with Nia, apologizing for how her behavior may have hurt her best friend, asking to make amends and what she needed to do to make things right.

Only to be rewarded with that sort of reply?

Anger replaced patience as she started to type out a smartass reply only for the three dots to appear. Kaya anxiously awaited for the message to arrive, and a minute later, it did.

Don’t worry about it. Do you. Imma do and finally take care of me.

Nia and Kaya had gotten into arguments before, but never like this and certainly not over a man. Initially, Kaya felt bad, wondering if she had let her relationship with Chris get to her head, but after reading this text, she realized that she had nothing to feel bad about.

Nia was the one who was acting ridiculous, and Kaya hadn’t a clue what she meant by “finally taking care of herself,” but she couldn’t be bothered.

She had so many other things to consume her mind and time with.

As if on cue, another notification chimed, but this one made her stomach curl.

It was a reminder from an unheard voicemail message.

“Are you alright?”

Kaya looked back at him and remembered he’d been patiently waiting to see what was wrong.

Forcing her mask back on, “Nothing, just stupid female drama.” Kaya lifted herself from his lap. “I’ll be back. I forgot to put my satin wrap on.”

“The bonnet?”

“No,” she groaned. “That’s the hat one. This one lays my edges.”

Chris shook his head and placed his glasses back on. “Women.”

Laughing, she walked into the bathroom and closed the door, locking it.

Kaya hopped up on the corner and nervously bounced her leg up and down. She already knew what he was going to say. It was the same thing he’d been trying to speak with her about for months. Truthfully speaking, she expected him to give up, to move on, to let her go. Clearly, he could not do that. And to his credit, she figured it was because of all the time they’d spent together. He’d grown fond of her, and she hated that.

She hated that he couldn’t just let it go, let her go.

“Fuck,” she muttered. Kaya leaned over to turn on the faucets, hoping to drown out the noise, even if she did plan to listen to it without the aid of speaker.

Sending up a quick prayer, she opened her voicemails and hit play, lifting it to her ear. Her heartbeat was a mile a minute.

“Kaya, it’s me again. I know this is still your number because your voice is still on the message.” She made a mental note to change it to the automatic setting. “I know it’s been a couple months, and I know you said your decision was final, but I beg of you to give it some more thought. There is still time, and if we restart trea—”

Kaya ripped the phone from her ear, the case knocking against the granite counter. Feeling by her eyes, she looked at the wetness on her fingers and scowled. Without hesitation, she deleted the voicemail.

She couldn’t—she would’t do this again. He clearly did not understand nor respect boundaries. The decision was not his to make. It never was. It was hers, and she’d made it. His inability to accept that was his problem, not hers.

Locking her phone, she hopped down and turned around, planting her hands on the granite as she stared at her reflection.

“You’re fine,” she spoke to herself. It was a habit she’d started a while ago, even if it was a lie. It provided her a sense of false comfort. “You’re okay.” Her voice cracked despite her tenacity to remain firm in her choice. “You’re gonna be—”

“Kaya.”

She jumped, staring at the door. Realizing the water was still running, she shut it off. “Yes?”

“Did you order room service again?”

The tone of his question and the irritation in it gave her a much needed smile. She hurriedly wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath. Kaya swung the door open and plastered on a smile.

“Of course.” A beat. “Wanna share?”

Fine.

---------

A/N: There was definitely foreshadowing for a couple of things that are going to occur in upcoming chapters, one of which happens in the next one. What did you catch?

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TAGS: @islandvamp @notacamelthatsmywife @cocoamoonmalfoy @toni9 @tashawar @missyperle @mani-lifes @brittyevans @amorestevens @shegoesbyarose @destinyg237 @periodtcevans@fangurlingismyforte @liquorlaughslove @nycoledon @ljstraightnochaser @jurneesjourney @hello-therree @kpizzletrash @letsshamelessqueen-m @champagnesugamama @cest-la69vie @goldenrosexx @yanniebunny5151

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#chris hemsworth fandom #chris hemsworth fanfiction #chris hemsworth x woc!oc #chris hemsworth x black!oc #chris hemsworth x black!reader #chris hemsworth fanfic #series: seasons of love

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dramaqueeenamby · 3 years

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𝙎𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝗈𝖿 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 | seven

Parings: CEO!Chris Hemsworth x Stripper!OC // Words: 7.8K // Type: Series // Taglist: Yes/No (Inbox me to be tagged or removed) Warnings: Sexual harassment, racial themes, discussions pertaining to child death, miscarriage, alcohol/drug use, and suicide attempts. Angst.

A/N: I'm so sorry for the inexcusable delay in updates. This chapter is hella long and perhaps should have been split into two, but I promised ya'll some answers in the last chapter, so here they are!

“What is that haircut?”

“Why are you zooming in?”

Kaya said nothing, continuing to pinch her fingers to gain a closer look, her smile widening by the second. “Holy shit, you weren’t kidding. “

Chris rolled his eyes. “All children go through phases.”

“This is beyond a phase, my friend. Don’t even get me started on the outfit.” As she erupted in yet another fit of giggles, he took advantage of the opportunity to snatch the iPad away from her.

“Go to sleep.”

Quieting herself down, she wiped at her eyes. “No. Come on. I’m enjoying this, and like you said, you were a dumb kid. How were you supposed to know these photos would haunt you till’ the end of time?”

“Only if they get out.”

“Don’t tempt me with a good time, sir.”

Chris closed the app and looked over at her. “What about you?”

Kaya’s brow lifted. “What about me?”

“What about your phases?”

She snorted. “Absolutely not.” He continued to stare her down, prompting her to cave, a surprising move even for her. Kaya’s tenacity was typically much stronger than that. “Fine.”

She grabbed her phone and unlocked it, opening Google Photos and scrolling mindlessly. She knew that any horrifically embarrassing snapshots would be from as far back as her library went. The older the photo, the higher the likelihood she would regret ever caving.

It took roughly two minutes for her to locate a set, her eyes shutting and a small moan leaving her partially closed mouth.

He smirked. “Found it?”

“Shut up.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“You’re going to make me regret this, aren’t you?”

“Without a doubt.”

She couldn’t help it. She laughed. “At least you’re honest.” Blowing out a breath, she issued a formal forewarning. “In my defense, I was young and dumb.”

“How is that diff—fine, I will reserve my judgment.”

“Liar.” When he said nothing else, she took another deep breath and gradually pulled her phone away from her breast, twisting her wrist so that he could see the screen. “I give you, thebaddestputa69.”

She watched the corner of his lips lift upward as he fought off a smile in favor of a smirk. “Hotmail or aol?” Her surprise at his knowledge of the fallen email servers must have shown because he commented, “I’m old, not ancient.”

She matched his smirk and leaned over to whisper. “Hotmail. Definitely hotmail.”

“AIM username?”

“Come on, the same as my email. I wasn’t creative enough to have multiple aliases.”

He chuckled, grabbing her phone to examine the photo. “I certainly do not miss the peace sign era.”

“I’m pretty sure I used that same pose in all of my photos back then.”

He gestured to the plastered graphic that read ‘jealousy is a disease, get well soon’. “With the same masterful level of editing, I’m sure.”

“But of course, blingee and picnik were a staple.”

A comfortable silence befell them as he returned her phone, and she quickly swiped up to close the app. Kaya was grateful that he didn’t swipe right or left, something she was expecting him to do, if she was being completely honest with herself.

Kaya yawned and naturally laid her head on his shoulder as she reached over to grab the book she was reading when they somehow got on the topic of rebellious and wild phases of days of past.

“Are we th—”

“Finish that sentence, and I will personally throw you out of this damn plane myself.”

Kaya looked over at him, eyebrows furrowed, and mouth pronounced. “It’s a legitimate question.”

“No, it was a legitimate question. However, it stopped being one when you asked me the fifth time.”

“I’m just trying to keep the conversation going. Damn.”

“No, you’re just trying to pester me.”

“Look, it’s obvious you don’t want to hear me talk anymore, so I’m just going to shut my mouth for the remainder of the flight.” He snorted. “What?”

“We both know that’s not possible.” He finally broke his gaze from his phone as he looked over with that knowing smirk that she despised. “You always have to have the last word.”

“That is not true.”

“Kaya, you’re like a child.”

“Keep it up, and you’ll be the one who’s personally tossed from this jet.”

“See what I mean.”

Groaning, she threw her hands up and shook the book in her right hand. “This is the second book in this series.”

“And?”

“And I started the series when we were still on the taxi.”

He shrugged. “Read slower.”

“Chris!”

He laughed, reaching to place his hand on her thigh as she sighed while banging her head back against the headrest. “Relax.”

“Don’t you think if I could, I would?”

“You were doing great five minutes ago.”

“That was in the past.”

“Next time, we’re taking separate jets.”

She didn’t know why but hearing him refer to future happenings both excited and saddened her, for more reasons than one. She cleared her throat. “This is a work trip, right?” He looked down at her as she placed the book down on the ground and held onto his bicep. “You know, something for your company.”

He studied her for a moment and looked up, closing his eyes as he laid his head back against the headrest. “I have the cover of this month’s GQ Italia.”

“Fancy,” she remarked, still unsatisfied with his answer-non answer. “So, I was right. This is a work thing.”

Chris thought about what she said, what she asked, as well as his response before he replied. “They offered to contract a photographer in LA.”

Brows scrunched, she had to ask, now more confused than she was just a few minutes ago. “So why go to them?”

His silence only irked her, the seconds dragging into minutes, which felt like hours. Frustrated and impatient, she called his name again. “Chris-”

“Jesus,” was all she heard before his lips were on hers, palm of his hand pressed against her cheek. Everything else after that was a sensual blur. His other hand moved to her hip, pulling her onto his lap, never once breaking their kiss. She placed her hands on his shoulders, giving a light squeeze, inching her body closer to his, close enough to feel the heat that always emanated over him.

And then, it was over.

Eyes fluttering and breath staggering, she nearly whined when he ran his thumb over her swollen bottom lip.

“This isn’t work for me.”

----

“This is our room?”

Chris looked up and chuckled, watching Kaya spin around the middle, eyes soaking in their suite. He placed her bag near the closet while crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

“It is.”

Kaya nodded and grabbed the bottom of her sweatshirt, tugging it over her head. She extended her arm out and turned around, lifting a brow. “And we have maid service, correct?”

He eyed her. “Of course.”

Kaya smirked and let the garment fall to the floor.

Chris chuckled. “You wanna explain that?”

“What?” She played innocent, fingers toying with the waistband of her joggers as she began to shimmy out of them. “Staying in a fancy hotel where I don’t have t0 clean up after myself?” She walked toward him, moving to grab her suitcase so that she could find her next outfit. “Granted, we have the maid service at home, but—” Both Christopher and Kaya paused at her statement, equally surprised by how easily it flowed, but more so with the statement itself.

Defense immediately kicked in and Kaya cleared her throat. “I mean, ya know, your place.” She refused to make eye contact that exceeded ten seconds, grabbing the handle of her suitcase and dragging it in the direction of what looked like the bathroom.

“Dibs.”

Her feet weren’t moving fast enough for her liking. In fact, they were slow enough that Chris was somehow able to cross the room and grab her by her arm. She looked up, managing to remain calm while inwardly panicking.

God, please don’t let him ask anything.

“Don’t take too long.”

She swallowed. “Why?”

Her grip on the handle tightened when he moved his hand to her face, the back of it brushing against her cheek. Had he been paying close enough attention, he would have noticed the way she shivered at his touch.

“You want dinner, don’t you?”

-----

“This isn’t exactly what I meant.”

Kaya looked up from her pizza, pausing mid chew. “What? Pizza in Italy? This is goals.”

He intended to take her to a fine restaurant, one where only the elite could afford to dine. Instead, she requested pizza delivered to their room. Kaya never ceased to surprise him. “And why are you eating pizza with a fork?”

She shrugged, adjusting the thin strap of her shirt. “Because pizza is messy, and my life's already messy enough. I avoid when I can.”

Chris didn’t say anything, simply watching her eat. She caught his gaze and looked away. If she could, she’d go back in time and stop herself from ever saying what she did. It’d ruined everything. He’d been acting different around her since, and she hated that. She also hated that she hated it.

Since when did she give a flying fuck about what people thought of her? Let alone him.

It was out of character for her, and she didn’t like it.

She didn’t like it at all.

Similarly, Chris also found it difficult to focus on anything other than the encounter from earlier, but not for the reasons Kaya thought.

Not even close.

“So, what’s the agenda for this trip?”

He chuckled and brought the champagne to his lips. “And ruin the surprise?”

Her eyes narrowed as she replaced the fork with her fingers so that she could eat the crust piece by piece. “What surprise?”

“What kind of question is that? Who gives away a surprise?”

“Are you capable of ever just answering my questions with a straight answer?”

He pretended to think. “I could.”

“But?”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“You and fun? Never realized they were synonymous.”

“I’d like to think we have fun.”

“We have sex. Really, really, great sex.”

“You don’t consider that fun?”

“Fun isn’t a strong enough word to describe it.” He lifted a brow, and she scoffed, tossing a red pepper packet in his direction. “Stop it. I am trying to have a mature conversation here.”

“Not quite sure how possible that is when both parties are inebriated.”

“Bullshit. You know damn well neither one of us is drunk. You haven’t seen me drunk. Hell, I haven’t seen me drunk in a while.”

The way her tone changed toward the end of her sentence garnered his interest. “Why not?”

She looked at him, her smile faltering as she nervously cleared her throat. “I—uh—I get really bad migraines, and Excedrin is the only thing that works for me.” Telling him the truth, well, a fraction of the truth, felt strange yet relieving, probably because she’d spent so much of her life hiding and lying that the truth was unfamiliar territory. “Needless to say, meds and alcohol? Never really a good combo.”

“You’re drinking now.”

“I haven’t taken any medicine yet.”

“Maybe you won’t have to.”

She smiled sadly. “I will.” A beat. “It’s all I have.” Kaya snatched another piece of her crust and swallowed fully before explaining. “That’s why my sleep schedule, if you can even call it that, is so fucked up.”

He thought about it. “Excedrin has caffeine.”

“An insane amount.”

“It helps your migraines—”

“And keeps me up in return.” When he grew quiet, she offered. “Trust me. The insomnia is much better than the pain.”

“I’m sorry.”

She grimaced, eyes darting in either direction. “Why?”

He sighed and ran his hands all over his face. “That’s why you get so upset when I wake you up.”

“I wouldn’t say upset.”

“You threatened to slit my throat in my sleep.”

“Okay, maybe I was a little upset,” she confessed, and they shared a laugh before his tone grew serious again.

“I’ll be mindful of that.” Head tilted to the side, a sign she was still confused, he continued. “So that you can sleep.”

She smiled teasingly, abandoning the last bit of her food, and pushing her plate to the side. “Is that consideration I hear?”

“It is.”

The way he was looking at her, the lack of typical sarcasm in his tone, it was both welcoming and conflicting. Crawling across the floor, she moved his plate to the side and climbed into his lap.

Hands on his shoulders, she lowered her voice and whispered into his ear. “Well, I’m up right now.”

He made a sound and brought his hands to her hips. “You are.” Her eyes shut when his lips moved to her shoulder. “You should get some sleep.”

Immediately, she coiled back and glared. “Are you serious right now?” He laughed, which only upset her further as he stood up, her legs locking around his waist. “It’s been at least 8 hours.”

“You keeping a timer or something?”

“Look.” She waited for him to place her on the bed before she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and tugging so that he laid back on the mattress. She quickly climbed on top of him. “If there’s one thing I know about us, we are ideal intimate partners. Our sexual chemistry is astronomical.”

His eyes drank her in. “Is that it?”

“Is what it?”

His voice lowered. “Is that all you think we have?”

At that moment, Kaya realized a couple of things. This was wrong. She was suddenly very much uncomfortable. And this was a mistake. This was why she didn’t tell the truth. It meant putting yourself at risk for being vulnerable.

She was never good with that.

Clearing her throat, she climbed off him and flashed a crafty smile. “I’m gonna go shower.” She couldn’t handle seeing his face, so she turned around, purposely pretending she had to look around the room to search for her luggage.

“You should know I hate sleeping with blankets.” Kaya needed to redirect the conversation to another topic. This was becoming all too much for her.

He sat up and rolled his shoulders. “So, strip the bed? Got it.”

“Absolutely not. I could freeze.”

“You just said—”

Kaya stood by the door that led to the living room area and smiled sadly. “I’m a hot ass mess, Chris.” A beat. “The sooner you accept that, the better.”

-------

We need to talk when you get a chance. Please?

No matter how many times she looked at the phone, a new incoming gray message never appeared. She waited and waited, even scrolling up only for it to bounce back with no change.

She missed Nia. She missed their banter. She missed making tik toks with her. And she especially missed the advice giving, of which she could desperately use right about now.

Something was happening between them. With her and Chris. Of which she didn’t know, nor did she understand. It drove her mad because it was a new experience, one where she didn’t feel as though she always had to walk on eggshells.

Being with Chris….

“God.” She ran her hand over her face. What the hell was she doing? She wasn’t with Chris. Not like that, anyway. This was a business transaction. They were both using each other for selfish purposes.

Maybe it was the sex. Nia always warned her that behind every sexual encounter, there was at least some trace of feelings.

Kaya always thought that was bullshit.

Now….now she wasn’t so sure.

“You alright?”

She looked up from her chair and saw Chris walk in. She chewed the inside of her cheek as he sat down in the chair opposite of her. Kaya took in his wardrobe, so casual and laid back. She’d never seen him in denim before, but he looked good.

She didn’t even know the photographer, but she was a fan. A billionaire in Levi’s? Iconic.

“How does it feel to dress like us common folk?”

“Poor.” He winked as she glared. “We should be done soon.”

“Don’t rush on my part. The snacks here are delicious, and who knows, I could play dress up.” She wiggled her brows and straightened when there was a knock on the door.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the photographer spoke up and offered Kaya a friendly smile. “You’re Kaya, yes? I’m Elena.”

Kaya was surprised by the fact that this woman was both speaking to her and actually knew who she was, so her response was delayed. “Yes. It’s nice to meet you.” She offered her hand and noticed the woman was staring at her. Welp. It was nice while it lasted. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“I’m sorry,” she apologized but continued to stare. “It’s just...has anyone ever told you that you have amazing bone structure?”

Kaya sputtered. “Not unless they wanted something from me.”

Elena smiled. “Well, I suppose this is no different.”

“I don’t understand,” Kaya asked, looking over at Chris. He was surprisingly quiet.

“How about we get some shots of the both of you?”

She immediately protested. “Oh no. I—I’m just here for moral support.”

“You did say you wanted to play dress up,” he reminded. She glared. Of course he would choose to speak up now.

She turned her narrowed eyes on him and harshly whispered. “Not while being photographed.”

He placed his hand over hers. “Relax.”

Kaya remembered that they weren’t alone and therefore, had to keep up the act. Even if it was starting to feel less and less like acting.

“I’m used to people watching, not photographing.” He lifted a brow. Laughing, she slapped his chest and took a deep breath. She looked over at Elena. “Will I at least get to see them before you pick which ones to use? If any.”

“Of course.”

Kaya caved. “Fine.” He kissed the top of her head and mouthed a thank you. “You owe me.”

“Sure, I do,” he dismissed, slapping her on her ass as Elena grabbed her to drag her away.

“Time to make magic.”

-----

It was a bad idea, one of many that had occurred, Kaya realized.

When she joked about wanting to play dress—up, she didn’t think that it would actually happen. She didn’t think that she’d become involved in his shoot. Kaya especially didn’t expect to have as much….fun as she did.

And she hated that, too. The fact that she managed to smile and laugh more in one setting than she had in, hell, longer than she could remember. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like it at all.

She really, really didn’t like the way Chris looked at her every time she walked onto set in a new look, and there were a couple of them. The way he focused on her, eyes taking in every bit of her form, all the way down from her shoes up to her hair. Like he didn’t want to look away. Like he couldn’t look away. She despised the way he held her when they were photographed together, often being the reason for her smile or laughter with his comments that he whispered into her ear, sneaking in a kiss against her temple or holding her against him.

It was all so domestic and sweet, and it made no sense.

He was starting to make no sense.

And she especially didn’t understand why she was putting off leaving the bathroom, having sat on the toilet for at least 15 minutes.

As if on cue, two loud knocks on the door pulled her from her thoughts.

“I’m coming, damnit.”

“That’s what you said last time. Come on, Kaya.” She was both surprised and annoyed that it was Chris. She expected it to be members of the glam team that he’d hired to help her prepare for the GQ function he was invited to, and of course, she was forced to accompany him. Turns out he wasn’t just chosen for the cover. He was man of the year. “We’re going to be late.”

“Maybe you should just leave me behind,” she muttered.

“Maybe I can just kick this damn door down,” he countered.

“Then you’ll have to pay for the damages.”

“Then I’ll buy the damn hotel,” he shot back testily. “I’m not going to ask you again, Kaya.”

She scowled and rolled her neck. Kaya knew he was being serious. The bastard could buy his way out of anything.

If only….

Blowing out a deep breath, she swallowed and stood, holding up her dress. It was undoubtedly beautiful, gold, a slit in the middle of her chest and on her left leg exposing more skin than she would have thought appropriate. Her curls were styled in a fancy updo, and her makeup was equally as bold as her dress, finalized with a red lip. She knew that she looked good, and that’s what scared her.

Chris had been looking at her like that all day, and she couldn’t keep handling it.

If she could even consider it handling. Managing was perhaps a better term. Poorly managing was the perfect term.

Kaya ripped open the door and plastered on a fake smile. “Happy?”

And there it was, his eyes widened and softened as he gave her a onceover. “And don’t tell me I look beautiful, cause’ I already know it.”

Kaya figured if she said it for him, she wouldn’t have to deal with the weird and uncomfortable knotting in her stomach that she experienced every time he complimented her.

And it worked, he said nothing, only helping to hold up her dress as they walked to the SUV that would escort them. In the car, she was also pleasantly surprised that he didn’t attempt to make small talk with her during the drive. She was certain, however, that it was because he took at least three different work calls during that time.

She made drafted Tik Toks in the meantime.

When they finally arrived, Kaya nearly ran out of the car right then and there.

“Is that a red carpet?” Her mouth dropped. “What the hell? You said nothing about having to walk a damn carpet that is red.”

He chuckled. Kaya realized his hand was on the exposed portion of her thigh. “Stay close to me, and I’ll take care of you. You’ll be fine.”

Kaya was used to having eyes on her, but that didn’t mean she liked it, especially when it didn’t involve money being thrown her way. “I don’t have to say anything, do I?”

He squeezed her thigh. “You’ll most likely receive compliments.”

“I can handle that,” she spoke more to herself than him. “Just long as no one asks if I prefer cats over dogs or whatever shit they ask.”

He laughed quietly and looked at her. “You ready?”

No. “Yes.”

Chris climbed out the car first so that he could help her out of the vehicle, and as soon as she stepped out, she cursed to herself. There were so many damn people. People taking photographs. People being photographed. People helping both the people the photographed and the photographers. And then there was her. She felt so out of place.

If he wasn’t already holding her hand, she would have grabbed for his.

Kaya used her left hand to hold up her dress, while making sure that she stayed close to Chris who led the way, smiling for the camera while sparing her glances every so often to assess her level of comfort.

Kaya played along, evoking a smile as she posed with him for a few photos. That’s when it started again. Like the photoshoot from a few hours ago, she found herself feeling less forced and more comfortable. Like, it was natural.

Like it was real.

Kaya was eventually allowed to stand to the side as he gave a few interviews, some in English, most in Italian. She’d meant to ask him earlier when the hell he learned to speak so many languages. This was the third she’d learned of. She had a feeling at least one or two journalists asked about her, because he would look in her direction and shoot a wink or something of the sort.

Her smile was a natural reaction.

The process was less daunting than she anticipated, not that she’d ever admit that to him. It was once they moved inside that Kaya realized they’d yet to reach the hard part. That hardest part was “socializing” with the guests, many of which were white, spicy white at best. She spotted some minorities but found that they were just as distant as the rest.

The vim of the event was welcoming, however, which confused Kaya to some extent. She simplified it down to the event was nice, the people were trash, and Chris was both an ass and a gentleman for forcing her to come.

He’d introduced her to a few people, most of which spoke poor English. That, she could acknowledge, was nice. Not the strained English, but his obvious concern for her wellbeing. He was going out of his way to make her feel as comfortable as he could.

It was also irritating because it resurfaced those damn knots.

They were seated at a table, and he was texting someone when she leaned over and tugged on his sleeve. Kaya also took a moment to appreciate how nice he looked. The man was something sinful in a suit. “I think I know him.”

He looked up, immediately locking his phone. “Who?”

She gestured with her chin. “The guy over there talking to the girl with the green dress. But don’t look at them.”

His eyes lifted to the ceiling. Right before he proceeded to look right in that direction.

She laughed despite her irritation. “What did I literally just fucking say?”

“I’ll never understand why people want to do something without actually doing it. I don’t have the time.” She shook her head. He was so impatient. “And how do you know him?”

She lifted a brow. He asked with a newfound sense of urgency. If she didn’t know any better, she would have guessed it came from a place of jealousy.

Kaya studied the stranger across the room again when her eyes widened. “I know. He’s that actor from that porn movie we watched.”

“We don’t watch porn, Kaya. We make it.”

“Stop it.” She leaned closer, hating that her smile contrasted the frustration she felt with how vulgar he was speaking in such a public setting. “And you know the movie where they…..ya know, basically the whole time, and he kept asking in that godawful delivery, are you lost, baby girl?”

Her equally terrible impression caused him to laugh quietly. “I think that is him.”

“I told you.” She spoke a little louder than she would have liked due to her excitement at being correct. “He looks better on screen.”

Chris glanced over at him once more and scoffed. “He’s scrawny.”

“Sir, not everyone is like you and built like a fucking tanker.”

“Not my problem.”

Kaya rolled her eyes and gathered her dress. “I’ll be back. I have to use the restroom.” She stood and leaned over, arms around him from behind as she whispered. “Try not to be too much of a dick while I’m gone, okay?”

He turned to look at her. “And where’s the fun in that?”

Turns out finding the bathroom was a harder task than she’d anticipated. She’d asked one of the servers while maneuvering through the crowd, but it also turned out that Kaya wasn’t the best with directions. She did find it, though.

Eventually.

Kaya was navigating her way back to Chris when she was stopped by a man in a suit along the way.

He was of average height, average build, and average attraction. She was immediately annoyed.

“Hi,” Kaya greeted with a tight smile.

“Hello,” he smiled. Add in average dental health. “You are very beautiful.”

Kaya realized he didn’t have an accent, either. American, most likely. “Uhh, thank you.” When she moved to walk past him, he blocked her. “Sir, I really should—”

“How much?”

Her eyes darted to either side. “I’m sorry?”

“Money is no issue, as I’m sure you can see, and I’d like you for a week.” He stepped closer, bringing his hand to trail it down her arm. “Longer even, perhaps.”

“Sir, I have no idea what you are talking about, and please do not touch me.” It wasn’t so much of a request as much as it was a demand. “Now, I really should—”

“You’re not American.” Kaya continued to be confused as hell when his eyes lit up with excitement. “That explains why you look so exotic.” Confusion easily morphed into rage as she finally caught on to what he was referring to. “I bet you feel di—”

“You’re disgusting,” she hissed, pulling away from him. “I am not a fucking prostitute—”

“Call it what you want, girl,” he dismissed. “I don’t judge. I can pay you well.”

“Go fuck yourself, you sick son of a bitch,” she cursed, turning away when he grabbed her arm. “Let me go.”

“You think that you’re special?” He’d taken on another tone, one that conveyed his anger at being rejected. “The fuckin’ stall I just pissed in is worth more than you, bitch.”

Kaya refused to allow him to see her cry, but she’d be lying if she tried to say that his words didn’t sting, especially his next verbal attack.

“You can slap on that expensive dress and let Hemsworth make you feel special, but I know, you know, and everyone else in this fucking place knows that you’re nothing but a cheap, illegal whore—” Panic arose when he moved his hand to the exposed skin of her thigh, squeezing tightly. His hand started to inch upward when Kaya acted on instinct. He cursed aloud while Kaya gasped as she realized that she’d silenced him with her fist dead square in the middle of his face. “You fucking bitch!”

Shock and fear took over as Kaya gathered the bottom of her dress and ran, as much as the gown and her heels would allow, that is. Certain he was going to chase her for retribution, she consistently looked back, unaware that she needed to be just as aware of what was in front as what was behind.

She shrieked and immediately went to pull herself away from the strong body she’d collided with.

“Kaya.” Refocusing her attention, she looked up and realized it was Chris. “Where the hell—” He stopped amid his statement when he took in her appearance and realized that she was crying. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” Kaya looked down, speaking more to herself than him. Not that it mattered. He was judging based on what he saw instead of what she said. He’d learned by now that her words rarely matched the truth. “Let’s just go—”

“Kaya,” he repeated, softer. Chris brought his hands to her face, forcing her to meet his gaze as he asked again, slowly. “What happened?” A strike of anger flashed in his blue eyes. “Did someone touch you?”

“No,” she answered, quickly. Too quickly.

The anger escalated exponentially. “Who? Tell me.”

Kaya could have slapped herself. She wasn’t helping the situation. She was making it worse. “It doesn’t matter, I hit him, and now he’s probably going to sue you—”

“Where is he?” Chris was looking behind her, eyes flaming. He was livid. “Show me. Now.”

“No.” Speaking was becoming an increasing challenge, especially against the backdrop of overwhelming emotions. Everything she’d been feeling, preventing herself from feeling, and afraid to acknowledge was gradually bubbling to the surface. “Just—just let me go back to the hotel. I’m messing everything up for you.”

He calmed for a second, realizing what was happening. Chris was unfamiliar with this side of her. Unfamiliar with seeing her so vulnerable. “What?”

Kaya suddenly realized that her eyes were burning again. She was fighting back tears. “I’ll give you back the money for the day, it’s—it’s fine, you’re better off without me here—”

Her offer to pay him incensed Chris. This wasn’t about the money. It stopped being about the money a long time ago, even if he hadn’t realized that until today. “I don’t want the fucking money, Kaya.”

She shook her head and closed her eyes. “Don’t—don’t say that.”

“Why? It’s the truth.”

“Please,” she plead. Control over her emotions was a battle she’d all but lost at that point. Her words, she was certain, would be next.

He raised his voice. Chris sensed, saw that she was uncomfortable, but he also realized that this was what she needed. A push. “Why?”

“Because this all about the fucking money, okay?” She matched his volume, accepting that her tears were going to fall no matter how much she willed them not to. She’d lost the war. “It has to be about the money, because if it isn’t then that means you care, and—you can’t, alright?”

He studied her, wondering if she realized this conversation was difficult for him too. He brought his hand to the side of her face. “Why is it so impossible for you to accept that I fucking care about you?”

She looked up, glistening eyes and wavering voice. “Because then I have to admit that I care about you too, and I can’t do that.” She spoke to herself, as if vocalizing it would cement a decision that was already out of her hands. “I won’t do it.”

“Why?” He pressed. Chris brought his other hand to the other side of her face, cupping it and moving closer. He gave zero fucks about where they were and who could have possibly overheard. “Why are you fighting this so hard?”

She pulled herself away from him, back colliding against the wall as she blurted, “because all I do is hurt the people I care about alright?” In that moment, Kaya realized she was so far gone that the point of return was no longer an option. Her mouth trembled as she struggled to form her next sentence, listing off names with her fingers as props. “Mami, Papi, Nia. Hell, my own brother is dead because of me.” A beat. “I’ll only hurt you, and I care about you too much to do that.”

“Kaya—"

A newfound heaviness started to weigh upon her chest, another blockade to her speech. “I’m standing here in a dress I can’t afford, a building I can’t even fucking pronounce, and with a man I don’t deserve.”

His voice lowered. “Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, I don’t deserve you?” Kaya looked at him, her eyes softening before she squinted, her face scrunching up in obvious pain.

He took note of this. As invested as Chris was in finally getting Kaya to open up about how she really felt, her wellbeing would always be his primary concern.

“Kaya.” He placed his hands on her waist, steadying her. “What’s wrong?”

“I—” She blinked several times, blinding lights obscuring her vision. “I—can’t—" Kaya felt the firmness of his chest, inhaled the scent of his cologne, and heard her name on his lips before everything faded to black.

-----

She awoke on her side, body clutched against a pillow, and a thin sheet covering half her body. Never one to take her time returning to her senses, she forced herself to sit up, eyes still scrunched from the sleep.

Looking down she realized she was dressed in only one of Chris’s dress shirts, her dress discarded.

Memory returned as Kaya replayed the events that transpired prior to her slumber. The photoshoot. The party. The asshole.

Chris.

“I don’t care. Tell them to send it in the mail or something.”

She recognized his voice traveling from the living room area, prompting her to swing her legs over the bed, her toes submerging into the soft carpet. She’d never been in such a fine hotel where the carpeting probably cost more than six months’ worth of rent on her one-bedroom apartment.

“Evans, I don’t give a flying fuck about any of that right now. You can handle it. I don’t care.”

Kaya contemplated remaining where she was, eavesdropping without being detected. She quickly decided against it. She’d done enough.

Her feet carried her out of the room, and she stood in the doorway where she saw he was standing against the massive window that provided a breathtaking overview of the city.

Again, she considered leaving him be, but he either had exceptional peripheral vision or caught her reflection in the window because he spun around. Kaya’s eyebrows furrowed when she realized he was still dressed in his suit, with the expectation of the jacket and dress shirt which were both discarded, leaving the white undershirt.

Uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her, more concern than that, she settled onto the sofa, pulling a decorative pillow to her chest as she crossed her legs.

“I have to go,” he spoke briefly before pulling the phone from his ear and hanging up.

Kaya swallowed. He’d yet to speak, so she took the opportunity to do so. “Still don’t believe me when I said I’m a hot mess?”

“What happened tonight, Kaya?”

“Which part?” She knew that playing coy wasn’t the best route, but she was forever stubborn and would fight until she had nothing left. “Where I ruined your evening, assaulted a millionaire, told you one of my deepest secrets, or fainted in your arms? There’s a lot.”

“All of it.”

She looked away and licked her lips. Kaya felt cornered, absolutely trapped. Emotionally. She’d always assumed being physically stuck would feel far more suffocating and frightening. She was wrong.

Kaya considered her options, though far and few in between. She could deflect. She was a master at that. She could redirect blame onto him. Call him out on even making her go on the trip, for not telling her ahead of time what to expect, maybe throw in a few insults. And lastly, the most frightening of them all, she could be honest.

That was the scariest of them all.

“I lied to you.” The words spilled out before she realized it, but Kaya accepted the fact that she was tired. There was only so much she could carry, and she’d reached her limits. “My—my parents aren’t dead. They still live in the same house in Parlier that I grew up in with Denes. He’s—he was my brother.” It felt strange talking about, verbalizing what she’d quietly struggled with for so many years. And yet, there was a peace that accompanied the release. “He was such a beautiful little boy, but….different. He didn’t talk much, life skills were….hard for him, and he had these fixations on certain things. He didn’t like change.”

“Kaya, you don’t—”

“When I was eleven, and he was eight, my parents found out they were pregnant. They’d been trying for so long….they were so happy.” She roughly wiped at her face to do away with the silent tears that fell. The crying, however, was inevitable. “One day, they had a checkup appointment, and the babysitter fell through, so they asked me to watch Denes.” She nodded slowly, reverting to the same rush of emotions she felt that day. “I was so….mad, because my friend had just gotten Guitar Hero, and I was supposed to walk down to her house so we could play it.” To that day, Kaya felt a strong surge of rage whenever she ran across a throwback picture or read an article referring to that game. It was a trigger.

“My parents promised that I could go when they returned, but I just couldn’t wait.” Her nose turned up with disgust, disgust directed 100% inward. “I just had to go play that stupid fucking game.”

“Denes loved birds. They were one of his fixations. They think—they think he saw one outside our living room window or something and walked outside to see if he could catch it because, of course, I forgot to lock the front door.” She stared off into space before closing her eyes. “I had just walked into my friend’s house when I heard someone scream like I’ve never heard a scream before.” Kaya tugged the pillow closer to her chest and lowered her head. “I ran back so fast because I thought—I thought I could help him. I thought I could save him.” Her voice cracked. “—But there was so much blood, and he was so hurt—he died in the middle of the street, bleeding, terrified, and it was all my fault.”

Chris closed his eyes and shook his head. “Kaya—”

“They never found the driver,” she added quietly, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “The shock of it all……it was too much for my mom, and she miscarried.” Kaya laughed, but there wasn’t a trace of humor. “I spiraled after Denes passed. Everything bad and terrible I could get myself into, I did. I—I skipped class, I partied, I drank, I tried drugs.” She scoffed. “I lost my virginity when I was thirteen to some guy whose name I still don’t know because I was so drunk.” She leaned back into the sofa, staring at the intricate pattern of the rug. “I just—at the time, I thought if I did enough, I could make my parents hate me, because it’s what I deserved. But for everything I tried, they kept giving me chance after chance.”

“So, then I attempted suicide, twice, and I couldn’t even do that right.” She groaned and wiped at her eyes again. The cuffs of the shirt were nearly soaked. “I realized that God or the universe or whomever clearly wanted me to suffer and to live with my guilt, but in the midst of trying to punish myself, I failed to realize that all I’d done was cause my parents more pain.”

“Day of my high school graduation, I woke up at the crack of dawn to pack up my bags, told my parents that I was going out with some friends, but I’d be home by 7—and I haven’t seen or spoken with them since.”

She clapped and lifted her hands. “And there you have it. You’ve now seen me naked; you’ve seen me cry, and now you know that I’m a murderer—”

“You’re not a murderer, Kaya,” he was finally able to complete his sentence, still very much in shock over what she’d disclosed. “And what happened to your brother wasn’t your fault.”

Chris watched her demeanor soften, shifting from her previous facetious tone to a more somber tone. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“I’m saying it because it’s the truth. You were a child.”

She shrugged sadly. “So was he.”

“That still doesn’t make it your fault.”

She turned away from where he sat across from her. She hadn’t even realized he’d moved from his initial position by the window. Untangling her legs, she moved the pillow to the side and stood in front of him. “Why are you so nice to me? You should be running for the hills.”

Chris brought his hands to her waist and pulled her in between his spread legs. “Why do you keep asking questions you already know the answers to?”

“Even after everything I’ve done?” She whispered, emotion betraying her for the umpteenth time that day. “You—you still—you still feel….like that about me?”

“You’re stubborn, impulsive, argumentative, flippant, and undoubtedly one of the most complicated women I’ve ever met.” He slowly stood up, never once breaking eye contact as he cupped her face, fingers brushing away the dampness of her flushed cheeks. “And yet, seeing you smile is the highlight of my day.”

She chuckled and nervously cleared her throat. “So, was today subpar? Like, medium light? Half-light? It all went downhill after 12pm.”

He shook his head and kissed her forehead. “You are, in fact, a hot mess.”

Her fingers grasped at his sleeves. “I really am sorry about ruining your evening.”

“You didn’t ruin my evening, Kaya.” He brought his hand to her hair, pushing back the tendrils that had fallen from her updo. “Thank you for opening to me. I know that wasn’t easy.”

“It’s a lot easier opening up my legs,” she muttered, watching as he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry—you’re right. It’s—it’s not easy, and I don’t like talking about….feelings.” Her eyes lifted as she chewed on her bottom lip. “But, I do have feelings for you.” She shut her eyes and licked her top lip. “And there’s something else I need to tell you.”

His gaze softened. “Anything.”

It was so simple, the opportunity was available, the setting was perfect. She’d already told him the hardest part, now all she had to do was tell him the rest. The problem though, was that what she’d shared hadn’t changed much. It only helped him to understand her better. It would potentially improve their relationship.

This would destroy it.

She cleared her throat again. “If you tell anyone I’m capable of crying, I will smother you in your sleep.”

He chuckled and kissed her temple. “It’s late. I’m going to shower.” He studied her. “Try not to get into any more trouble, yeah?”

She smiled softly. “I make no promises.”

He gave her side a gentle squeeze before yawning as he walked back into the bedroom. Finally alone, she fell back onto the sofa and hugged the pillow against her body. Kaya felt both disgust and frustration. If there was a perfect moment to tell him, that was it, and now it was gone.

She was running out of time

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