Cheers To Comeuppance
Chapter 31

Leon

It was risky business sending those text messages to Annika in the morning, and it felt like I had entered some reckless, high-stakes gamble. As a business mogul, I’m used to dealing with surprises, but I’ve never met a woman who managed to surprise me in the right ways at every single turn. Seeing her assert her dominance again while outclassing Sadie on all counts, both in their capabilities and social status, put me under a spell. That spell awoke the beast within me, which was impossible to tame after Annika’s display of authority. Power is the most potent aphrodisiac to a guy like me, and I could no longer hold myself back. I had already made several confessions to her, so she was well aware of my feelings. Still, I couldn’t help but feel nervous about going back on my word that I would wait to pounce on her until after Sadie and Jeffrey were prosecuted. I had a few occasions where I asked for forgiveness, rather than permission, under my belt with her; I didn’t want to push her any further. But deep down, I knew that if I didn’t solidify the fact that I wanted her—and everyone knew I had it bad for her—she would shoot me down before I even got the chance to really lay my cards out on the table.

I was a nervous wreck while waiting at the private terminal, glancing at my watch constantly. It was already 7:20 AM, and I had told Annika to meet me within the next five minutes. I must have looked like some meerkat on the lookout for predators among the crowd as I kept watch for a certain petite brunette. Minutes quickly passed, and sure enough, by 7:27 AM, she had yet to show her face. Annika was known to be punctual, so I couldn’t help but feel defeated when I realized she probably wasn’t coming. By 7:29 AM, I knew it was a lost cause, and I made my way through the terminal towards my private jet.

The massive gamble I took when I asked her to accompany me on this trip last minute was a complete failure, and it seemed as though I had jumped the gun. I more than likely ruined any chance of gaining her affection. I gripped onto the stair railing of the jet, palms clammy, and took one look back at the terminal, still clinging to the hope of seeing her running towards me. But alas, it seemed like Annika was destined to be the one to teach me what it means to be denied what I desire more than anything. I suppose I was incapable of pursuing her the old-fashioned way, and a bitter smile formed at the notion that my plan was doomed from the get-go. I let myself be vulnerable by getting my hopes up, which was no easy feat, only to be let down again. I climbed the stairs and was about to enter the aircraft door when the sound of someone calling out to me made my ears perk up.

“LEON!!!” I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around. Annika was running for dear life out of the gate, just as I had imagined a minute ago. My body moved on its own, and I found myself quickly descending the stairs to meet her halfway on the tarmac.

“Annika! You came!?” I was shocked to see her in the flesh and blinked a few times to make sure it wasn’t a dream.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry I’m late! My i***t brother-in-law drives like an 80-year-old man,” she replied while hunched over, her hands on her knees as she huffed and puffed for air. I had just noticed Annika showed up empty-handed when she looked up and gave me the most dazzling smile once her breathing normalized. It was another dose of aphrodisiac, but I knew I had to rein it in for the time being.

“Where’s your luggage?”

“I didn’t bring any. I figured since you promised to make time for pleasure, we could throw some shopping in there?” she replied and bit her bottom l!p, staring up at me through her lashes. Annika had a way of charming me with just a simple look, and it had the same disarming effect as the first time she showed me this expression inside my work office. I wonder what sort of expressions you’ll show me in the near future.

“I’ll make time for whatever you want,” I replied before pulling her into my embrace and holding onto her for dear life. There was no way in hell I would let her slip away from me ever again.

“Leon, did you mean what you said?” Annika asked while slowly reciprocating my hug.

“I meant every word, Annika. If you truly give me the chance to show you.” She nodded her head, and I tightened my arms around her, trying desperately not to crush her.

“Mr. Von Doren! We need to leave, Sir!” Toby shouted from the jet. I reluctantly let Annika go but held out my hand for her. She coyly put her hand in mine, and I couldn’t help but smile and pull her with me. She ascended the stairs before me and made her way into the cabin. “Ms. Silverton, I’m glad you were able to join us today,” I heard Toby greet her sincerely as he ushered Annika to her seat. Toby was definitely a fan of hers. Which was in stark contrast to how much he loathed Sadie.

“Thank you for having me, Toby,” she responded and sat down. I promptly took my seat next to her and immediately put my hand over hers. She looked down, smiled, and gently interlocked our fingers together. A deep satisfaction simmered in my eyes, and that moment felt like when the Ice Age began to thaw. I was melting, and everything came alive after my insides had been frozen for so long. My heart felt like it was running a marathon and about to hurdle out of my chest from pure happiness as the adrenaline rush hit me. I had never wanted a woman so desperately in my entire life until I met Annika. At first, I only wanted to get close to her because we were valuable to each other’s revenge plots, but every day I spent with her went beyond just business. Her exotic beauty was one of a kind, but there was so much more to her than meets the eye. Her absolute confidence gave her even more s*x appeal, which only added to the thrill of the chase, and falling in love with Annika filled the gaps in my life that I didn’t even know needed filling. She was the one who made me realize I had been chasing after the wrong people all my life.

“Mr. Von Doren, Ms. Silverton, please prepare for takeoff,” Toby alerted us. We unraveled our hands to put on our seatbelts and didn’t even wait a nanosecond before interlocking them again. Annika gave me a squeeze, which felt like nothing in reality, but the impact was enough to make my heart skip a beat.

Neither of us said a word to each other while the jet was taking off from JFK Airport, holding hands in comfortable silence. Annika eventually directed her attention outside and stared out the window while I just stared at her. Everything about her was beautiful in my eyes, and I couldn’t believe she had made the conscious decision to join me. A part of me still expected her to vanish into thin air, only for me to realize it was an illusion all along.

“Mr. Von Doren, we have reached 20,000 feet. You and Ms. Silverton may move about the cabin freely, Sir,” Toby announced as he approached us, and I wordlessly hummed in response. He quickly took his leave, and I sensed Annika’s eyes on me, so I turned to face her. She stared back blankly at me for a minute, confusing me as to why.

“Is there something on my face?” I asked her.

“Is this actually happening?”

“What do you mean?”

“Am I actually sitting here? With you? Holding your hand?” I c****d my head to the side before lifting our interlocked hands.

“Does this answer your questions?” I responded and smirked. She smiled and nodded her head. After another moment of silence, I pulled the back of her hand to my l!ps and k!ssed it. She looked into my eyes, and hers slightly widened at my gesture. “Annika, why are you here?” I asked as I kept our hands near my face.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, why did you decide to come?” She grinned and pursed her l!ps as she thought of her response.

“Truth?” I nodded. Annika leaned in and whispered in my ear, and an overwhelming sense of déjà vu brought me back to the first time we met when she did the same thing in her exam room. “Your texts made me so w.et that I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.” I lifted my brows in surprise and instantly felt my shaft harden in my slacks.

“Annika, you’re playing a dangerous game here,” I replied and placed her hand on my lap so she could feel just how hard she made me with that one comment.

“Leon!” she whisper-shouted and retracted her hand immediately, her face turning incredibly red.

“As flattered as I am with your dirty words, Annika, why did you really say yes to being my girlfriend?” I questioned her a little more seriously.

“Truth?” I nodded again. “It’s because of what you had said before, how we’re both damaged goods, but that we could heal each other. After what Jeffrey did to me, I built a fortress of solitude around my heart, but you’ve slowly torn it down. And not by force, which I expected from a brute like you. No, you took your time, chipping away at the impenetrable exterior, and removed my defenses single-handedly, all while showing me nothing by compassion and honesty. Even though I was a prude through and through, I wasn’t immune to our undeniable chemistry. Though your methods of replaceing me were a little deceitful, I have to give it to you because it was unique.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at her comment. “What you said in your texts was also a contributing factor, the whole bit about not listening to Sadie and her gaslighting bullshit because you assured me it came from a place of jealousy. It’s funny because it was the exact same thing Kenzie said to me right before you texted me. I was up all night and struggling to sleep because I let her words get to me. I started questioning my worth and whether I was good enough for anyone. But the validation of hearing Kenzie, my best friend and colleague, and you, the man who claims to love me for me, tell me that I did nothing wrong in my marriage and that it was all Jeff and Sadie who did me wrong helped me come to terms with it all.”

“I meant everything I said, Annika.”

“I know you did. That’s why I shared your texts with Kenzie, whose response was all of one word.”

“And what was that?”

“Go.” I beamed like the sun on the first warm day after a long and shitty winter and gently put my arm around her shoulder as she leaned her head into my chest.

“You have no idea how happy I am that you came with me.”

“I think I have an idea. After all, I just felt it with my own hand.” I had to give it to Annika, her wit was unmatched, and we both laughed at her remark. Once we settled back down, she nuzzled the side of her face further into my chest. We had a moment of silence where we were just holding each other, and I felt as if I was in pure eutopia.

“Leon, your heart is beating well over 120 beats a minute.”

“Is that dangerous, Doc?”

“Normally, I would say yes, but I don’t think this is your usual resting heart rate.”

“It most certainly isn’t. It’s your fault it’s acting up.”

“Me? What did I do?” I found it incredibly arousing when Annika played innocent.

“This is what you do to me, Doc. You make my heart beat fast. So fast that it feels as if it’s going to jump straight out of my chest so I can offer it to you. I can’t breathe when I’m near you, and being away from you physically pains me.”

“Oh my, that’s not good. Are you having any shortness of breath?” Annika asked as she peered up at me. I looked down and nodded my head. “Are you having any chest pains?” I shook my head. “Hmm, perhaps, a little mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is in order?” she whispered and lifted her face while I leaned down at the same time.

“I think that sounds like a good plan, Doc,” I answered and leaned in further, gently putting my finger under her chin. Our l!ps had lightly brushed against each other when a voice from behind me ruined the initiation of foreplay.

“Mr. Von Doren, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Toby apologized, and I grunted in pure frustration while Annika just giggled. I felt her l!ps make contact with a swift chaste k!ss before she pulled away completely.

“Toby, you better have a damn good reason for your interruption.”

“Sir, Counselor Janko is on the satellite phone for you.”

“Is that one of your attorneys?” Annika asked. I nodded in response. “Take it. It might be about the pending case.” I g*****d inwardly but knew that she was right. I shot out of my seat and took the call in the jet’s private room.

“Hello?”

“Leon.”

“What do you want, Jameson?”

“Sir, we just heard back from D.A.’s office, and it seems that both Mr. Hollands and Ms. Galloway made bail this morning.”

“What!? How!?”

“The judge signed off on house arrest until the court date.”

“House arrest!? Are you serious right now!? And the D.A.’s office allowed this!?”

“They tried to fight it during their arraignment hearing, but since neither one of them is considered a flight risk or has any actual history of violent crimes, their bails were set to one million each, and both are to be detained at home until the court date.”

“Which is set for when?”

“One month from today.”

“ONE MONTH!?”

“That’s the earliest Judge Trainor had an opening to try both cases. You and I both know these aren’t the types of cases that will be settled in a day; they’ll take weeks.”

“F.uck.”

“The team and I are preparing everything that will be managed in court. You just do what you normally do.”

“Do not screw this up, Janko. Sadie and that f.ucker, Hollands, took millions from me and my company. I want every f*****g penny back and then some. Do you hear me?”

“I understand you loud and clear, Leon. Don’t worry. We have voir dire in two weeks.”

“Fine.” I disconnected the call and rubbed my face. I couldn’t believe we had to wait an entire month before going to court. I came out of the room and returned the satellite phone to Toby before I sat next to Annika again.

“Is everything okay?” she asked as I buckled my seatbelt.

“You were right. It was about the case.”

“What did he say?”

“They made bail.”

“WHAT!? Who made bail!?” Annika exclaimed and turned to face me completely.

“Sadie and Hollands. They both made bail this morning.”

“How!? Why!?”

“Judge Trainor considered them non-violent and non-flight risks, so they’re being put on house arrest until the court date.”

“Which is when?”

“A month from today.”

“A MONTH!?” I nodded, and she scoffed in disbelief.

“I know it’s not what we were hoping for, but this is the best Trainor can do, considering the intricacy of our cases. Remember, we’re both suing dumb and dumber individually, and the city is going after Jeffrey in their own case as well. Although a month seems like a long time away, it really isn’t if you think about how complicated things really are.”

“I guess you’re right. But damn, a month? What are we supposed to do in the meantime?”

“Truth?” She nodded. “Live our lives like we normally would. Hunter and my team of lawyers will do their parts, and I’m sure you family’s lawyers have their own game plan lined up. All we need to do is show up. He told me the voir dire is in two weeks.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s the process of interviewing potential jurors.”

“Oh, that. I didn’t realize there was an actual term for it.”

“Aren’t your sister and brother-in-law attorneys?”

“Yeah, but it’s not like she talks to me about the day-to-day life of her profession. That would be like me telling her what I do every day as a primary care physician.”

“You don’t?”

“No. We talk about things sisters talk about.”

“Such as?”

“I don’t know. Girly stuff.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Not really.” I chuckled at her reluctance to share. Though, I was pretty certain I knew what sisters gossiped about to each other.

“So, before we were rudely interrupted by my i***t assistant, where were we?” I slyly asked and leaned into her.

“Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she feigned ignorance suddenly and turned to face the window again. I licked my l!ps and lightly squeezed her leg next to mine as I felt her body stiffen. I closed the distance between us even further, and I knew she could feel my breath on her neck. I gently took her hand and placed it on my ever growing member. “Leon, what are you …” she trailed off and tried to pull her hand back, but I firmly kept it in place. “Leon …” I moved her hand up and down and slightly closed her palm around it. Her breath hitched, but she didn’t attempt to retract her hand anymore. I watched as she slowly gulped.

“Annika, I don’t think you realize what you signed up for when you decided to be my woman. But I’ll show you as soon as we get to the hotel.”

“Um … Wh-where are we going, exactly?” She took in some air as I continued to move her hand and rub me down and my own eyes began to flutter.

“Mmm… We’re going to Dallas, Texas.”

“Why Dallas?”

“My company is expanding, and we’re getting ready to open a location down there. I need to monitor the day-to-day aspects, but it’s during normal business hours. So we’ll have plenty of time for personal things. And plenty of time for pleasure,” I breathed into Annika’s ear and made her firmly grasp my raging boner. “I expect you to pleasure me in return, Annika. Just like this,” I told her sternly, to which she nodded. I left her hand on me and slowly reached between her legs. Annika was wearing a dress that had slightly ridden up while seated. I noticed she was holding her breath as if she was waiting for something to happen, and it was then I realized she came commando. “You’re not wearing any panties?” She shook her head, and I swore I could feel my pupils dilate. “You’re w.et, baby. Does giving me a hand job turn you on?” I asked and pressed my open palm against her sensitive folds and cupped her aching p***y. She gasped, gulped, and nodded. “Use your words.”

“Yes,” she replied breathlessly.

“Yes, what?” She turned to face me, and my eyes bore into hers as if we entered a staring contest, and I flicked her p***y, making her whimper and close her eyes.

“Yes, it turns me on,” she answered and fisted my d**k completely, causing me to g***n in sheer satisfaction that she was finally doing what I wanted of her own free will. I slid my middle finger between her moist l!ps and rubbed her in a figure-eight motion as my finger became coated with her juices, earning me a delicious m0an out of her mouth.

“Does that feel good, darling?”

“Yes.”

“How about this?” I suddenly inserted my finger, and she opened her mouth to gasp again, but I captured her l!ps in a searing k!ss as I pushed my finger into her velvety insides even further, and all she could do was m0an into my mouth. I didn’t move an inch, but I could feel her squeezing my inserted finger, and she kept her hand around my c**k without moving. I kept our l!ps together for a few more seconds before pulling away and gently removing my finger from her.

“Leon …” she whispered.

“What is it, baby?”

“I want you.”

“You have me.”

“No. I. Want. You.” She enunciated and gripped me even harder, making me hiss in response to her advances. I caught her wrist and pulled her hand away; it took every last bit of self-control because I wanted her to make me c*m in my pants.

“I will give you all of me once we have some privacy, Anni.”

“Why can’t we just use the private room in the back?” she asked sweetly and reached for me again, but I deliberately held her hand between our bodies and stared her down.

“I said no, baby.”

“But …”

“Annika.” I gave her a steely expression, and she finally surrendered. “Trust me when I say that telling you ‘no’ right now is one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever encountered, and I want nothing more than to bend you over and f**k you on this table in front of us. But you have to remember that Toby is about ten feet away. All of the ways I plan to worship your body will have you screaming at the top of your lungs, and I doubt the infamous Doctor Annika Silverton wants anyone to hear her while she’s riding out an o****m now, does she?” Annika shook her head and ever so slightly touched her l!ps against mine.

“You’re saying that you’ll have me screaming at the top of my lungs, huh?” she asked, and I nodded in affirmation. “I’m going to hold you to that, Mr. Von Doren.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less of you, Doc.” She put her hand to my chest and smiled. “What?”

“Your heartbeat is still quite high. Are you still having trouble breathing?”

“A little.”

“Hmm, perhaps a little mouth-to-mouth would do the trick?”

“Who am I to deny what my doctor has ordered?” We both smiled and slammed our l!ps together. We continued to play tag with our tongues for several minutes before deciding to take a nap together in the private room of the jet. I couldn’t wait to get to the hotel and make Annika mine.