Loving The Corporate Prince Ch. 13-14

Copyright © 2021 by M.J. Moréo

All rights reserved. This book or any portion of, may not be reproduced, used, or distributed in any manner without prior written permission of the publisher or author, except in the case of brief quotations for critical reviews and other non-commercial uses.

Trigger Warning:

This book contains scenes that may trigger dysphoria including transphobia and penetrative intercourse (not at the same time). This book contains kink scenes including limb restriction and more. If these are themes you are not prepared to handle, please do not continue. Always read and play responsibly!

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⟡ CHAPTER THIRTEEN ⟡

We finally arrived in New York and I could feel the energy shift even on the outskirts of the city. We dropped Dustin's car off at a mansion in the country that had a large gate and an equally large driveway that was hidden from the rest of the world with an overcast of trees and flora.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"This is my dad's place. I know, I know, I'm still driving my dad's car but trust me, once we get into the city you'll see why we won't need it."

"I-is he here? Right now?"

"Who? My dad? No, he's in Paris. Don't worry, I wouldn't just spring something like that on you if I could help it. We're just dropping the car off. I've gotten a car to pick us up from here,"

I couldn't help but gaze at the mansion we stood in front of. Everything was large about it. Even the front door was larger than what other front doors felt like. The driveway was longer than Ellis was wide and who knows how incredibly intricate the inside of the house was. My ears began ringing, the same, familiar ring that happened when I met Dustin. It was such a high-pitched noise that faded in and out, but still caught my attention whenever it happened.

Dustin caught me staring up at the enormous building and must have sensed my apprehension because he laid a warm, comforting hand on my shoulder before slithering his arm around my waist.

"Whatchya thinkin' about?" He whispered.

"This place is the biggest house I think I've ever been to in real life... D-did you grow up here?" I asked, nervously.

Dustin nodded.

"I did... Do you want to see the inside? Sometimes experiencing the thing is a lot better than letting the thoughts roam,"

I thought about it.

It would be pretty cute to see where Dustin grew up. His childhood bedroom and pictures of him and his family.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Dustin ushered me toward the front door and together we entered the mansion. Just inside, an enormous chandelier lit the entrance. The floors appeared to be marble but there's no way I would know if it was real or not. To the left, a large and intricate winding staircase went up for what felt like miles.

"Home sweet home," Dustin laughed. "Do you want anything to drink? Water? Coffee? OJ? Beer? Pop? Juice? My dad keeps everything stocked."

"No, thanks," I laughed as my stomach twisted in knots. "I appreciate you offering though."

"Let me know if you change your mind. What do you want to see first on the grand tour?"

"Uhh -"

Before I could answer, a loud squeal came from the end of the hall. Part of me was so thankful I didn't have to pick where to go in the intimidatingly large warehouse of a home, the other part was beginning to shake with nerves at unexpectedly meeting someone that day.

A young woman who looked to be around our age with a cropped gray sweatshirt and matching sweatpants zoomed down the hall in front of us. As she grew near, the messy bun on top of her head flopped and fell to the side before she crashed into Dustin, nearly knocking them over with her strong embrace.

This had to be one of the cutest things I've ever seen as I watched Dustin wrap his arms around his friend and nuzzle his face into her shoulder as she continued squealing. I couldn't help but stare.

'Why do I feel like I know this person?'

"I missed you too, Cas!"

"Ugh! I have so many questions! What was it like? How did your classes go? Did you pass them? Did you go on a spiritual journey? Did you find yourself? Were people mean to you? Do I need to beat anyone up? Was it awful? Was it amazing? When do I get to meet this sexy man of yours?"

"He's right behind you," Dustin laughed as Cas released him with another squeal.

"Are you River!?" She screamed as I smiled and released a laugh and nod when she instantly shoved Dustin to the side and gave me the same warm embrace she had given him.

"Oh my God, it's so nice to finally meet you!" Cas said through our hug. "God, Dustin was right. You are sexy. Why do you feel so familiar? When was the last time you were in New York?"

"Never," I smiled. "It's my first time."

"No way! Are you Insta famous or something? You're so hot, seriously, with how much Dustin talks about it I was like, there's no way he's that hot but ya proved me wrong! But anyway, why do I feel like I know you?"

I looked at Dustin with a sly smile, watching him blush intensely and rub the back of his neck in that nervous way that I couldn't resist. Before I could say anything, Dustin interrupted my thoughts.

"Cas, what's going on? What are you doing here? If I had known you were here I would have made plans to do something or... Something."

Cas sighed while fumbling with her long, brunette hair that had since fallen from her scrunchy before she twisted it back on top of her head.

"I know I should have told you before but Whitney and I broke up and I've been spending some time here while she moves out of the apartment."

"Oh my God, Cas. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, it's fine. I mean it sucks, but it's mutual and it's been coming for a while but... Yeah. What are you two doing here? I thought you were heading straight to the city."

"We're headed there next. We came to drop off the car and I thought I'd give River a tour while we waited for our ride."

"Oh! I don't mean to crash the party but can I puh-lease come with you? I'm so sick of being in this place alone..."

Dustin looked to me, quizzically, as if silently asking me if I would mind.

"The more the merrier. I'm a little nervous to go to NYC so it's probably a good idea for us all to stick together," I winked at Cas as she beamed and gave me another warm hug.

"Don't be nervous, sweetie. You stick by me and Dama Cas will take care of you,"

✧

Everything was so different here and I hadn't realized how much I'd feel like I was sticking out, but it was well worth it because seeing Dustin in his own element was priceless. It also helped that Cas and I had warmed up to each other immediately.

Even if I had met her without Dustin being present, I could see myself wanting to be best friends with this person.

I sat in the back of the spacious car Dustin had called for us. It was a sleek black SUV that picked us up. It even smelled fresh and expensive when we stepped in.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Garnier! Mx. Cas, it feels like just this morning I saw you! And who is this fine young friend we've brought along?" said the driver.

Shiny leather gloves gripped the steering wheel loosely as the driver's smiling eyes peered at me through the rear-view mirror.

"This is my b-" Dustin paused before his brow furrowed and it was abruptly brought to everyone's attention that Dustin and I hadn't gone over the whole labels thing yet.

'What are we to each other anyway? Boyfriends? Best Friends? Fuck-buddies?'

"This is River. River Foster. We met at Lake Stanfield Community College and he's been amazing to me, so I wanted to give him a small vacation as a thank you."

"Very nice to meet you! Shall I call you Mx., Mr., etc.?"

"Oh!" I blushed. "Y-you can just call me River -"

"He's not gonna do that -" said Dustin.

"Yeah, he won't. Mr. Elliot is a stickler for honorifics." Cas chimed in. Her voice was a little husky and deep, which only added to her charm and warmth. She had the soul and essence of a protector.

"Learned that lesson early on," Dustin mumbled.

"Come now, Mr. Garnier, don't pout back there like you didn't miss me." Mr. Elliot laughed as the car turned around the tallest buildings I had ever seen.

More people surrounded me in that exact moment than had ever surrounded me in my entire life put together. I could hear the noise of chattering and traffic and the motion made my head feel cloudy and hazy like there was so much going on everywhere I couldn't even think. Everywhere you looked, something was happening.

People were just there, loud conversations were to be had, cars were whirring past one another. It had an amazing way of making me feel small, but not in a bad way. In a way that reminded me how many people were in this world that I would never get to know. Coming from a small town where everyone lives under a microscope, it was a nice reminder that every single action or mistake I made - in the grand scheme of things - wasn't as bad as my surroundings made it seem.

The mention of my name brought my thoughts back to the conversation between Mr. Elliot, Cas, and Dustin.

"Mr. Foster, is this your first time in the city?"

"Yes, it is." I smiled from the back seat, unable to unglue my eyes from the massive buildings. "It's nothing like I imagined but also, it's exactly the same as I imagined."

I could see Cas smile at Dustin out of the corner of my eye. They must have been having a ball seeing someone in awe of the surroundings they're so used to. With a small struggle, the car pulled off to the side as much as it could, but traffic was practically not moving. Dustin and Cas had decided that we were close enough, after all, we could see the front of Dustin's apartment from where we sat.

We grabbed our bags - mine was a backpack but Dustin had a full suitcase and Cas had a sporty, over-the-shoulder bag - and we hopped out of the car after our farewells to Mr. Elliot. We crossed the street that was much larger than any street I had ever seen in my life and made our way to the door where a man stood outside in a simple uniform. He pressed a button and the door opened automatically for us.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Garnier! Mx. Cas!"

Dustin and Cas smiled and greeted the man as we entered the building. I could feel my nerves rising just by looking at the immaculate front door and I hoped it wasn't so obvious that I just didn't belong here. The doors were larger and cleaner than anything I had ever touched and when we entered, the black-and-white marble floor shined, every inch of it had been polished to perfection.

The lobby was decorated with minimal furniture and random tables with large, ornate vases on them. If you wandered far enough back, which I wouldn't dare do on my own, you'd find a desk area where folks in uniforms typed furiously under their crisp hair and headsets. Their clothes were trim and perfectly pressed, everything about everyone here, down to their poreless skin - was perfect.

Dustin fit here like a snug little puzzle piece. Even Cas, who was practically in pajamas, had the unmistakable crispness of wealth. I felt filthy just being here. My clothes didn't feel clean enough, my skin didn't feel fresh enough... Even my posture felt wrong. I had no idea the degree of Dustin's wealth and everything, from his father's mansion to this, felt like a bizarre dream.

"What exactly is Lake Stanfield like?" Cas asked, softly. "Can I come visit sometime?"

We entered the elevator, which felt like the size of my bedroom and rode up smoothly.

"Of course you can, I had no idea you'd even want to."

"I know, I've been awful at texting and keeping up. I just wanted to give you your space and with everything that's been going on with Whit... Hey, maybe I need a change of scenery too!" Cas laughed.

"I honestly think you could fit all of Lake Stanfield in this building alone," I said before Dustin chuckled.

"That's probably true, square footage wise but it's not a bad thing." Dustin began. He rested his hand on my shoulder. "There's so much nature there. Everything - and I mean everything, Cas - is green. It's gorgeous and the people are so nice there. I couldn't even tell you how many times River and I took walks and random people just smile and wave and you can hardly leave the house without running into someone you know. It's literally like a movie."

The elevator binged, finally. I didn't even notice the buttons glow almost all the way to the top when the door slid open to a wide corridor with very, very few doors. I followed Dustin and Cas to the correct door, Dustin slid his key in, and my gut did somersaults when I saw his home.

My mouth hung open as we entered.

The ceilings were magnificently high, decorated with ornate crown molding. The hardwood floors shined, much like the marble in the lobby, throughout the entire space. Ornate and expensive gold lights hung down in the middle of his living room, whose only walls looked like thick, glass windows. Much like his apartment in Lake Stanfield, this living room had multiple sofas around a clear glass coffee table that sat neatly in front of the large, flatscreen TV.

There was a dining room table, a bar in the kitchen, whose counters wrapped all the way around. I couldn't help but feel like I was standing in an Instagram photo rather than real life.

"This is it," Dustin inhaled, resting his hand on the small of my back. "What do you think?"

"I... I... This... Holy..."

"Come on, sugar. You must be tired, let's relax." Cas looped her arm around mine after kicking off her shoes, ushering me to the couch with her before we both slumped into the soft cushions. She took a large blanket from the back of the couch and covered us up before sighing loudly, as Dustin announced he was going to change.

It wasn't until we were sitting down near the window that I realized how high up we are. This building was so tall that we were shooting through the clouds.

Suddenly, I felt like the floor was about to crumble beneath my feet. I imagined the beams holding the building up, swaying with the wind, and felt the food in my stomach curdle. Words can hardly describe the anxious feeling of floating, but that's exactly what it was. I could feel the ground beneath my feet, physically, yet the knowledge of the ground being beneath me was gone. The blood that was in my face rushed elsewhere and my breathing grew short.

"Hey, River? Are you OK?" Cas asked, softly.

"I-I've n-never been this high up b-before," I said, gazing out the window.

"You really haven't been to a city, have you?" Her hand rubbed reassuring circles in my shoulder which helped ground me a little, but it wasn't enough.

We were too high up. The atmosphere couldn't hold the breath in my lungs, even though I breathed as deeply as I could. My fingers vibrated as Cas scooted closer to me, I mirrored her actions until our thighs were so close they were practically on top of each other.

Soon, her arm slid around my shoulders and she squeezed, which reminded me that I was not actually floating and I was keenly aware of every single touch. I knew she could feel me vibrating beneath her and her squeeze was her gentle way of holding me down.

"We're OK, River. We're OK. This building is so strong and so secure."

I nodded. I couldn't think, all I could do was bounce a jittery leg, like that would exert the jitters out of me. My heart skipped a few beats when my anchor left me. Cas got up and closed the incredibly large curtains that covered the walls - which again, were only windows - but it somehow helped. Covering the windows at least gave me the illusion that we were no longer so high and that the walls were more secure than the idea of fragile glass windows being the only barrier between us and a fatal fall.

Cas returned to me and pulled me up off the couch. She once again put her secure hands on my shoulders and I stayed standing despite feeling like my knees were too weak to hold me.

"Let's take a deep breath," Cas inhaled and I inhaled with her. Together we exhaled and I felt the shakes push out of my body a bit more. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen."

Somehow, she knew exactly what to do by putting me in a room that felt secure and handing me an ice-cold glass of water.

"Thank you... I-I'm sorry." I laughed as embarrassment overwhelmed me.

"Nothing to be sorry about, hon. We've all been there. I know I definitely have..."

"Not very cool of me, though, is it?"

Cas smiled a kind, gentle smile.

"Being genuine and vulnerable is the coolest thing you could do."

"Is everything OK out here?" Dustin said as he entered the room having removed his socks and replaced his cleaner casual khakis with grey sweats and a t-shirt. Nothing about his outfit was particularly revealing or anything, but seeing him emerge in a fresh, more comfortable outfit made him glow.

I couldn't help but stare. My jaw fell open as my face burned for what felt like the millionth time that day.

"Everything's fine, I was just reassuring River that... Um... That..."

"That she's gonna stay for dinner!"

"Ok..." Dustin looked between us with his brow furrowed and his arms crossed. He leaned all his weight to one foot, making his hip-pop quizzically as his eyes darted between us. "Am I going to regret introducing you two?"

"Oh most definitely," Cas laughed as Dustin rolled his eyes. When he turned his back to us, looking in the fridge for what we might eat later, I mouth silently to Cas.

'Thank you.'

'Of course.'

✧

"Are you guys excited for the holiday party?" Cas asked, tearing a slice of pizza out of the box and letting the cheese drip into her mouth.

"Always. Speaking of which, I haven't told him yet but I want to get River a really nice outfit for the party tomorrow. Want to come shopping with us?" Dustin smiled, tilting his head back and mirroring Cas, letting the cheese cascade over his pink, shining, lips.

The two giggled together and it was obvious to me that they had been friends for so incredibly long that their souls had almost merged in a way that made them so much more than friends - they truly were family.

"Um, duh, anything to get out of the house for a while." Cas sighed.

"Are you staying at The Estate?" Dustin asked in a somber tone.

"For now, yeah. At least until... You know,"

I scooted my chair closer to Cas and laid my head on her shoulder, comfortingly.

"I know we just met but I'm here for ya," I said before Cas wrapped her arms all the way around my shoulders.

"Dude, you're literally the best. I'm so glad Dustin finally found someone who's not a total-"

"AHEM!" Dustin coughed.

"Waaaaait," My tone became whiny while Cas released her grip on me. I looked her in the eye and together we did our best to ignore Dustin's distractions from the conversation. "I wanna knowwww!"

"Well, there's nothing wrong with anyone who he's been with - I guess... That's what his sweet, pure, golden heart would say... They just all want to say they've been with a Garnier or want to be with him because they need something from him, not because they love him for him..."

"That's not true! Giovanni didn't know who I was..."

"Don't even get me started on that asshole!" I could see Cas fuming. Her skin went red, hot and although her eyes were directed at no one, they squinted as if her target were directly before her. "I still can't believe Marius invited him to the holiday party. River, you're gonna have the great misfortune of meeting one of Dustin's exes on Thursday!"

"OK, calling him an ex is a huge stretch. He's an escort and we hooked up a few times but he's also a model - which I didn't know - who had worked on a campaign for Health Gena. Oops! Sue me." Dustin shrugged.

"Wow, you dated a model? No pressure there," I blushed.