That night, in the presidential suite of the L&C Hotel, Leah Sinclair bit her lip hard, but she still couldn't stop a few soft moans from escaping. The man on top of her had kissed her domineeringly the moment he entered the room, as if he wanted to devour her whole. And yet, just a few hours ago, he had been so cold and indifferent.
"Don't bite it." The man's lips brushed against her ear, his voice husky with desire.
"I... I..." Leah stammered for a moment, not knowing what to say. A fine sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead. 'This is my first time.' Making these sounds filled her with shame, yet under the man's every move, she felt an unprecedented sensation swelling within her body.
"Cry out," the man commanded.
"Cry... what?" Leah Sinclair asked, her voice trembling. Sensing he was about to make his next move, she nervously gripped his firm arm.
"Can... can you be a little gentler?"
Hearing this, Asher Keating paused.
He hadn't expected the woman beneath him to say that. Lifting his head slightly, he looked at her flushed, shame-filled face, and for some reason, his movements truly did soften.
"Ngh..." She bit down hard on her lower lip. She bit so hard that the metallic taste of blood soon filled her mouth.
Just as the pain intensified, Leah felt the man on her stop moving. A moment later, her lips were pried apart. She was forced to awkwardly receive his kiss, her fingers caught in his grasp.
"Relax," Asher whispered in her ear again.
But Leah couldn't relax; it hurt too much. Just when she had finally started to adapt, she tried to bite her lip again, only to have her mouth covered by his. He kissed her domineeringly, giving her no chance to hurt herself again.
All Leah felt was pain. Asher Keating had only given her a few minutes to adjust at the beginning. Gradually, waves of pleasure even more foreign than before began to radiate from deep within her. She couldn't control the sounds escaping her lips, which filled her with shame. Even when she clamped her mouth shut, she couldn't hold them back.
Encircled in his arms, she felt like a drowning person, clinging desperately to his back as if it were a life raft.
She lost count of how many times it happened that night. Leah only vaguely remembered that Asher seemed tireless. By the end, she felt completely broken. Only after one last, powerful session did he finally stop.
She felt him carry her to the bathtub and wash her. Leah wanted to say she could do it herself, but she had absolutely no strength left. She drifted off into a hazy sleep.
After carrying her back to the bed, Asher went into the outer room and lit a cigarette. He picked up his phone and made a call. It was already past three in the morning, but the person on the other end answered almost immediately. "President."
"Investigate who was behind what happened tonight. And this woman," Asher said, his voice cold.
"Understood."
Asher hung up. He smoked his cigarette and stared out at the night view. Even in the middle of the night, the skyscrapers in the city's CBD were still aglow with lights. With a blank expression, he replayed the evening's events in his mind. The gathering had been arranged by Ethan Shaw, and he had provided the woman, too. 'But I don't believe Ethan would drug my drink.'
He had returned to the country just yesterday. Half a month ago, Ethan had told him a new woman had shown up at Azure Bay who bore a striking resemblance to Madeline Sterling. Ethan ran into her on her very first day and paid to have her "saved" for him. Asher had called him ridiculous at the time, but he was dragged here as soon as he got back. When he saw Leah in person, she was wearing makeup, and there was, indeed, a slight resemblance. The moment she entered the room, Ethan had pushed her to his side.
Her skirt was apparently too short, and Leah was clearly uncomfortable, constantly pulling down the hem. Noticing her anxiety, Asher had someone bring her a small blanket to cover her legs. She seemed both shocked and grateful, thanking him profusely. After she took the blanket, Asher heard her let out a soft sigh of relief beside him.
There were over a dozen people in the private room. Ethan's group was boisterously playing drinking games. But aside from Ethan and Riley Sterling, who were close to him, none of the others dared to pressure him to drink. So, they made Leah drink instead. When he returned from the restroom, he told Ethan he was leaving. That's when Ethan pushed Leah onto him, saying she was prepared just for him and he should take her.
Asher had been about to refuse, but then he turned, saw Leah's flushed and tipsy face, and frowned. 'If I don't take her with me, who knows who will end up with her tonight?' On some strange impulse, he agreed. His original plan was just to take her home and give her some money so she could complete her task. But before they left, he had finished that last glass of wine.
At this thought, Asher's gaze darkened. He walked back to the bedside and looked down at the sleeping Leah. She seemed restless, her brow slightly furrowed. At first, under the influence of the drug, he hadn't paid much attention to the details. He only thought that she was incredibly inexperienced—she didn't even know how to kiss. But at the time, he was in no state to dwell on it.
'Plenty of women in these clubs know how to fake innocence.' But when he entered her, he felt that unmistakable barrier. He had to force himself to hold back and let her adjust. Seeing her with her eyes squeezed shut, biting her lower lip until it bled, he couldn't resist leaning down to kiss her. The taste of her blood in his mouth had cleared his head, just a little.
After that, he still couldn't hold back. He lost count of how many times he took her; it was partly the drug and partly his own primal instinct. Whenever he saw her beneath him—eyes red-rimmed, stubbornly biting her lip to keep from making a sound—all he wanted to do was kiss her and make her cry out.
On the bed, Leah turned over in her sleep. Asher's eyes fell upon the mottled marks he had left all over her skin. He also saw the small red stain on the sheets. Although he had been almost certain before, seeing the proof with his own eyes still made him raise an eyebrow.