Mister West by R.J. Lewis (animal farm read .TXT) 📕

meetings, actually.”

“What, this late?”

“You think a man this loaded ever gets time off work?”

“Doing what?” I prod, curiously.

“Nice try.”

I roll my eyes. “You still won’t tell me.”

“I like being anonymous. It’s a nice change for me, Ivy.”

“I wonder if I should look you up, then.”

“Please don’t.” I swear he’s being serious about that.

“Well, I’d need to know your last name, wouldn’t I?” I ask.

“You would.” Then he adds, “I hope so, anyway.”

It’s a bizarre response from him. “You’re not a seedy dude, are you?” I wonder aloud.

This time his laugh is loud. “Define seedy.”

“You got a criminal record I should know about?”

His tone is light. “No, nothing like that, Ivy.”

“Then I won’t look you up.”

“Good.”

“So, I’m stuck just calling you Aidan then.”

He chuckles softly. It goes straight to my sex. “You can call me Sir.”

This time I laugh, repeating, “Sir?”

“Fuck,” he curses, letting out a breath. “I didn’t expect that.”

“Expect what?”

“For that word to go straight to my cock the way it just did.”

My pulse spikes and I go quiet, squirming. I shut my eyes, shaking because a man’s never spoken to me like this.

“Ivy,” he says quietly, “relax, beauty. I’m not crossing any lines.”

I rub my legs together. “You’re crossing lots of lines, actually.”

“Name one.”

My voice is dry. “Are you so out of touch, you don’t know what is socially appropriate?”

“I am very out of touch,” he admits. “But I know when I’ve crossed a line, and believe me, Ivy, I know I haven’t crossed yours.”

“How do you know that?”

“You haven’t hung up on me.”

I bite my lip. He has me there, but I’d rather die than admit that. “Actually, Aidan, I haven’t hung up on you because it’s a rude thing to do to someone.”

“Is that your excuse?”

“Excuse? What do you think the real reason is for staying on the phone to you?”

“You’re curious about me. You’re feeling a high right now. You’re probably smiling. Probably rubbing your legs together, too, feeling that ache because you like my confidence. You like the sound of my voice. You’re drawn to me, just like I’m drawn to you.”

Fuck.

He’s right. His voice is doing crazy things to me, and don’t get me started on his arrogance. I swallow hard. I don’t answer for a moment because I have to compose myself. Then I finally say, “Aidan, how does it feel to be so arrogant?”

“It’s a lot of fun.”

I can’t help laughing again. “The world would be a better place if we all loved ourselves as much as you do.”

I can hear the smile in his voice. “You think I love myself?”

“Don’t you?”

“Actually, I love what you do to me.”

I fidget, growing hot. “Really?”

“I’ve never stared at my phone so much in my life, praying for a message. I’m floating right now, Ivy. You’re doing things to me.” Then he adds in a lower voice, “Am I doing the same to you?”

I close my eyes, grinning like an idiot. I’m not giving him this satisfaction. “You’re a lot of fun to talk to… I guess.”

He groans. “You guess?”

“Uh-huh. You help me pass the time.”

He lets out a long breath. I can tell he’s shocked. It wasn’t the answer he expected.

“Do I do nothing to you?” he wonders lightly, but I think he’s partly serious.

I leave him hanging because it’s fun to make him question this. I’m certain this man is used to women falling over themselves for him. He can hack a little bit of uncertainty just this once.

“You’re playing with me, aren’t you, Ivy?”

“I would never do such a thing.”

“Liar.”

My brows shoot up. “Because I haven’t tickled your ear and told you I want to be fucked silly by you, that means I’m playing with you? Is your ego wounded, Aidan, because I haven’t crumbled to you like they all do?”

It’s his turn to be quiet.

I’m shocking him, I just know it. He’s not used to this.

“The things I would do to that fucking mouth,” he breathes out just then.

“What would you do?” I challenge before I can stop myself.

“Worship it.”

I still. It’s not at all the response I expect. I thought he would say something filthy in that arrogant way of his.

My eyelids flutter shut. If I close my eyes, if I’m completely still like this, if I don’t answer, I’m not going to say something I’ll regret. I can’t let him know he’s getting to me. I can’t.

Cheers break through the silence. The guys are going insane. I hear Derek’s crazy shouts, followed by a crash.

“Sounds like you’re in the middle of something,” Aidan says.

“I’m not,” I tell him. “The guys are here, and they’re watching the hockey game. They get a little passionate about it.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“What do you get passionate about, Ivy?”

I let out a quiet breath, thinking. “Me…”

“You,” he presses.

I search for a response, for a moment holding back because I'm afraid to answer. Then I say fuck it.

“I think…I think I’m passionate about the unknown, Aidan. Imagine having the entire day to yourself, and it’s not mapped out. Imagine if your life isn’t run by the clock.”

“What would you do with all that time?”

“I certainly wouldn’t clock watch. I’d live in the now.”

“I don’t know what people mean when they say that,” he admits quietly. “How do you live in the now?”

“By being present, Aidan. By understanding that you’re just a person on this small planet that orbits a sun, in a tiny galaxy among billions of others, just…existing. Not running around and giving everyone else your time. Our time is precious. I don’t know why we just freely hand it out to anyone that comes along.”

“So you’re passionate about time.”

“I guess so.”

He hums thoughtfully. “You’re pretty deep, aren’t you?”

I laugh softly, feeling a little embarrassed. “I don’t talk like this to everyone.”

“No?”

“I swear.”

“I’m lucky then.” He doesn’t say it to be funny. He sounds genuine.

I want to ask him what he’s passionate about. I’d love to get inside his mind, dig deep and find out what’s at the center of him. He’s still such