"No," I answer. "I had long hair as a child because my mom loved to style it, but then she started working and didn't have time to do that so she had my hair cut. I only started wearing it long again in high school."

  "I see."

  Ethan gathers my wet hair in his hands and combs it with his fingers.

  I've suspected this for a while, but now I know it for sure - Ethan likes my hair. The question is: Does he like the rest of me enough to want to have a relationship with me?

  "Do you normally shower with women?" I ask him.

  It's a risky question, I know. Ethan could find me nosy and be annoyed. But I have to start gathering my courage. Maybe if he gives me just a little more hope, it will be easier for me to summon enough later on.

  "No," he answers, and my heart does a little leap. "Consider this your reward for helping me forget my troubles today."

  He lets my hair go and starts to soap my shoulders, my arms, my breasts and my stomach. I hold my breath as I anticipate him going lower, but he soaps my back instead, my ass and the backs of my legs. Then he turns me around and soaps the front of my legs up to my hips. Again, he comes close to the part of me that has started to ache for his touch, but again, he ignores it. He hands the soap to me instead.

  "Your turn."

  I stare at the soap. Okay. I've never given a man a bath before, but I'll give it a try.

  Ethan turns his back to me so I start scrubbing that while he stays still as a statue. I work on his ass next, covering it in suds and then watching as the water washes it all away so I can admire his firm flesh. I only stop staring at it when Ethan turns around.

  I kiss him as I soap his chest. Even though I'm not touching him directly, I can still feel how defined his muscles are. I think I'm doing a good job scrubbing them, too - up until Ethan surprises me by slipping a finger inside me.

  I pull away and gasp. The soap slips from my fingers but I catch it before it slides past his stomach.

  He pushes another finger inside me. I grip his shoulder as my knees tremble. I try to continue washing his body, but when those digits inside me start moving, I drop the soap.

  I cling to Ethan, moaning and trembling as he fucks me with his fingers. I can feel myself melting, contracting around him. I move my hips to get more of the delicious friction.

  Maybe it's because of all the fun Ethan and I had today or maybe it's because my feelings for him have grown stronger. Whatever the reason, I feel more excited than ever before. I can already feel the heat in my body swirling.

  I pull Ethan's face down to mine so he can muffle my moans with his mouth as that heat explodes. I stand on the tips of my toes and press my quivering lips firmly against his. My arms and legs tremble.

  Once the pleasure starts to subside, I let Ethan's face go. I let the soles of my feet touch the cold floor once more as I lean on his chest. He pulls his fingers out and wraps his arms around me.

  For a moment, we stay still, letting the drops of water splatter off our skin and trickle down our bodies. Only the sound of the shower fills the air.

  Then Ethan states the obvious. "You dropped the soap."

  I chuckle. "I know."

  It's his fault. If he had only behaved, I would have been able to finish washing him. I guess I still have to do that.

  I kneel down to pick up the soap. I manage to get my fingers around it, but as I'm about to stand up, I make the mistake of lifting my head first. The sight in front of me immediately distracts me.

  Ethan's long, thick cock, hard and wet.

  Shit.

  I consider washing it. Instead, I let the soap go and grasp it with my bare hands. I plant a reverent kiss on the swollen tip.

  "What are you doing?" Ethan asks.

  I look up to meet his gaze. "Thanking you for taking me sightseeing in Bern today."

  A treat for a treat.

  I close my eyes and wrap my lips around his cock. I make my cheeks hollow and carefully fit as much of it as I can inside my mouth. Then I suck. Ethan draws a sharp breath as his hands fall on my shoulders.

  I start to move my head slowly back and forth. Hopefully, this time he'll let me control the pace so I can enjoy what I'm doing.

  He does. I can tell it's getting hard for him to restrain himself from the way his fingers are digging into my skin and the grunts and hisses I hear each time he trembles, but he accomplishes it. He allows me to drag my tongue and my lips across his cock as I grip his shaft with one hand and cradle his balls with the other.

  I don't know how I know what I'm doing, considering this is just the second time I've ever given a blow job, but Ethan's reactions tell me I'm doing it well, and that inspires me to do even better.

  I want to give him even more pleasure, to make him lose his mind.

  I move my head faster. At the same time, I move my hand to provide more friction. My lips burn. My cheeks start to grow numb. My eyes get teary as I struggle to breathe through my nose. My knees start to hurt as well. But I ignore all that and keep going.

  Ethan swells inside my mouth. His hisses grow louder. His fingers become entangled with my hair.

  I can tell he wants to take control. I want to make him lose control.

  I move even faster. Ethan trembles. He clutches my shoulders.

  "Stella, stop."

  He tries to push me away but I plant my fingers on his hips and keep going. I know he's close. I also know that if I don't stop, he'll come inside my mouth. I don't care. If this is the last time I'll get to be with Ethan, I want to experience everything about him, even that. I want to know what he tastes like.

  "Stella!"

  Ethan pulls my hair and keeps my head in place as he shoves his cock inside my mouth. I breathe through my nostrils and try not to gag. His cum fills my cheeks. Some trickles out of the corner of my mouth. After he lets go of me, I pull my lips off his cock and swallow.

  It's unlike anything I've tasted before. That's for sure. But it's not entirely unpleasant. And the fact that it's Ethan's makes it something I wouldn't mind having again. Too bad I never may.

  I try not to think of that as I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. Ethan pulls me to my feet.

  "Are you okay?" he asks me.

  I simply nod, still trying to catch my breath.

  He cups my face and strokes my hair. "You didn't have to do that."

  I look into his eyes. "I wanted to."

  And I can tell a part of him wanted me to do it, too. I know he definitely liked it.

  Ethan kisses me tenderly, then touches his forehead to mine as he caresses my cheek.

  "Oh, Stella, what am I going to do with you?"

  "Fuck me?" I suggest.

  I still want him inside me, so much so that I reach for his cock. I grin when I find it still hard.

  "You can manage that, right?"

  He grabs my wrist and draws a breath. Then he, too, grins.

  "As you wish."

  He places my hand on his shoulder and kisses me again, this time fiercely. I wrap my hands around his neck and part my lips. His tongue explores my mouth, stirring it back to life. My tongue starts to slither again, too, and I push it back against his to give him a taste of himself. Ethan doesn't seem to mind.

  He pushes me out of the beam of water and against the wall. At first, I find the tiles cold, but as Ethan continues to kiss me and begins to tease my nipples, my skin grows warm. Hot.

  He takes the two stiff peaks of my breasts between his fingers and twists them gently. He rubs them as he sucks on my lower lip. Then he abandons one of them and drops his hand between my legs. His fingers find my nub. As soon as he starts stroking it, I start trembling. My breath catches. I pull my mouth away to take a fresh gulp of air. I rest my head against his shoulder and moan against his skin.

  When the pleasure proves to be too intense, I grab Ethan's wrist to move his hand lower. I push his fingers inside me and try to suck them in, but Ethan withdraws them after just a few thrusts.

  He grips my shoulders and pushes me back against the wall. Then he lifts my right leg. He drops his hips. The tip of his cock brushes against my opening.

  "Ready?" he asks in a whisper against my ear.

  I clasp my hands behind his neck. "Ready."

  I just want him inside me. I want our bodies to be connected. I want...

  My thoughts fly out of my head as his cock starts to enter me. My eyelids fall shut and I throw my head against the wall.

  Little by little, Ethan pushes himself past my other pair of lips. Strained sounds rumble in his throat. I purse my lips and try to relax so I can accommodate his girth and take him deeper inside me. The more his cock rubs against my hidden walls, the wetter I feel them become.

  Ethan stops to catch his breath. I open my eyes to look at him and see his flushed face, his puffed cheeks. Beads of water still cling to his hair and the bridge of his nose. He meets my gaze and I see the pleasure and the agony in the murky dark pools in his eyes. His cock throbs inside me. A shiver goes down my spine.

  He captures my lips once more. Then he grabs my other leg.

  "Hold on to me," he says.

  It's the only warning I get before he lifts both my legs off the floor. I wrap them around him and his cock penetrates my body more deeply. I let out a gasp as I fasten my hands more tightly around his neck.

  Is he crazy? Can we really do it like this? What if he drops me?

  Then Ethan starts to move. His hands support my ass as he jerks his hips. His cock plunges inside me. My cries start to spill.

  He gives a deep thrust and I feel his cock penetrate me to the hilt. My mouth opens in a silent scream.

  Deep. Too deep.

  But damn, it feels amazing.

  Ethan continues with his thrusts. All I can do is cling to him and try to keep myself from falling even as my body starts to grow weak from the pleasure. I'm completely at his mercy.

  Eventually, I start to tremble. Excitement buzzes in my veins. My skin is on fire.

  "Ethan!"

  I call out his name and grip his hair as the pleasure overwhelms me. Tears leak out the corners of my eyes. My cries bounce off the bathroom tiles.

  He gives a few more thrusts and then one deep one, burying his cock in my belly as he begins to shake. I cling to him with all the strength I have left, worried that I might fall. His body hardens as his muscles grow taut. His fingers dig into my skin. His grunts and growls spill against my ear.

  Afterwards, he falls silent. His chest heaves against me.

  Slowly, he pulls his cock out of me and sets me down. My feet touch the floor, and yet I still feel like I'm floating. My knees still feel weak so I lean against the wall. My tired arms hang limply at my sides.

  Ethan pulls me back under the shower. I lean against him as the water trickles down my skin. Somehow, we finish washing each other. Then Ethan dries me off and wraps a robe around me. I can still barely walk, so he carries me to the bed. Then he goes back into the bathroom to dry himself.

  As I stare at the ceiling, my eyelids start to flutter. I close my eyes, about to fall asleep. But then I remember that I still have something to say to Ethan. My eyes fly open and I sit up.

  Ethan emerges from the bathroom. My heart starts to pound, this time out of fear.

  This is the moment of truth.

  I swallow the lump in my throat and place my hand over my chest as I gather my courage. For a split second, I wonder if I should go through with this, if maybe I shouldn't, after all. Then I straighten my back and open my mouth. I'm about to speak - but Ethan speaks first.

  "I have something for you."

  Before his words sink in, he pulls his hand out from behind him and presents me with a black box.

  My heart skips a beat as my mind races to a conclusion.

  Is that what I think it is?

  Then again, the box looks big. The voice in my head tells me it's too big to contain a ring. My heart holds on to hope.

  "What is it?" I ask Ethan calmly even as I feel like jumping out of my skin.

  He opens the box. My breath catches.

  No, it doesn't contain a ring. But there is a beautiful watch inside, the most beautiful I've ever seen. It's covered in flecks of gold that look like tiny diamonds, making it sparkle with a rosy glow. I can tell that it's superbly made, too.

  I glance at the name under the cover of the box.

  Audemars Piguet.

  My eyes grow wide. No wonder it looks like some kind of royal treasure.

  Ethan starts to take it out of the box but I push his hand away and shake my head.

  "I can't accept this, Ethan."

  His eyebrows furrow. "Why not?"

  "It's too much."

  I'm sure it's worth thousands of dollars.

  Still, Ethan takes it out of the box.

  "You don't have to wear it all the time. You can just - "

  "That's not the point," I tell him. "This isn't something you should be giving me."

  "Because you're just my assistant?" he asks.

  I look into his eyes and draw a deep breath. Here goes.

  "Isn't that what I am?"

  Isn't that all I am? Please tell me no.

  "You're not just my assistant, though," Ethan says.

  I'm not?

  "You're an asset to me. Apart from my brothers, you're the most valuable employee I have. You understand me better than anyone. You support me more than anyone."

  So I'm just an employee. Just as important as his brothers. Maybe less. My heart starts to sink.

  "I'm just doing my job," I tell him.

  "Which you do so well," Ethan says. "So well you deserve this."

  He tries to put it on my wrist. I pull my hand away.

  "No."

  Again, he gives me a puzzled look.

  "It's a gift, Stella. It's my way of thanking you for proving invaluable to me during this trip."

  "Because I had sex with you?"

  He pauses. "Not just because of that."

  I don't think I'm getting my message across to him, so I decide to blunt.

  "Is that all I am to you? An assistant that you can count on for sex?"

  "And a friend," he answers.

  Just a friend? My heart shatters.

  Well, there you have it.

  "I don't understand why you seem upset," Ethan says. "If you don't like the watch - "

  "I don't like the sex," I cut him off. "I mean, I don't want us to have sex anymore."

  His eyebrows arch. I stand up.

  "Tonight was the last time," I tell him with a voice that I try to keep from quivering. "When we get back to Chicago, I'll just be your assistant. And your friend. We'll carry on as before. We'll pretend we never had sex, and we never will again."

  "Never?"

  I swallow and try to keep a straight face. "Not even when we go out of town or out of the country."

  Ethan's eyebrows drop. His expression turns serious as he falls silent.

  Is he upset? Why doesn't he try to change my mind, then? Why won't he say anything.

  "Do you understand?" I ask him.

  "Yes," Ethan answers. "I understand perfectly."

  No, he doesn't. He has no clue I'm breaking into pieces right now. And it's better to leave it that way.

  He doesn't really care about me anyway. Not in the way I care for him.

  "Good."

  I walk to the bathroom to change back into my clothes. I see them on the floor right next to Ethan's and my chest tightens.

  I guess this really was the last time.

  I try not to think of that. I try to fight the tears stinging the back of my eyes as I put my clothes on. If only I could pick up the shards of my broken heart as easily and put them back inside the gaping hole in my chest.

  I can't find my hair tie so I just leave it. I comb my hair as best I can with my fingers. I hang the robe I used on the peg by the door. Then I walk out.

  All I need are my shoes and my purse and then...

  I stop in my tracks as I see Ryker in the room. I didn't hear him come in, so my eyes grow wide in surprise. His narrow as he stops talking to Ethan.

  Shit.

  "Good evening," I croak.

  "Good evening, Stella," he says without a smile.

  He's not going to scold me in front of Ethan, is he?

  "Stella," Ethan says. "You won't believe what Ryker just told me. The missing employee has been found."

  I let out the breath I've been holding. "Really?"

  "Yes. And it doesn't seem like he's sold the files to anyone. Of course, I'll have to make sure of that myself." He turns to his brother. "Just give me a second to change, Ryker, and I'll be with you."

  He walks past me on his way to the bathroom. I turn.

  "Do you need me to come with you... sir?"

  He stops but doesn't turn or even glance at me. "No need."

  The coldness in his voice feels like an icicle being dropped on top of me.

  Is he mad at me? Well, I did reject the expensive watch he bought for me.

  So long as he acts normal when we get back to Chicago, it will be fine.

  "Understood."

  He disappears into the bathroom. I try to ignore Ryker's presence - and his disapproving glare - as I put on my shoes and pick up my purse. Then I make my way to the door.

  "Stella," Ryker speaks just before I reach it.

  I draw a deep breath and glance over my shoulder.

  "Don't worry. I did what I'm supposed to do. I'm not that stupid... sir."

  Ryker says nothing. I leave Ethan's room and go to mine. Inside, I throw my purse on the bed, kick off my shoes and walk towards the balcony. I open the sliding door and lean against it. My eyes rest on the mountains in the distance as they fill with tears.

  I'm glad I was able to see Switzerland. I'm glad the Odermatt acquisition is going to pull through. I just wish the trip could have ended with me winning Ethan's heart, too.

  But there's nothing I can do about that. I've lost. Whatever we had here in Switzerland is over.

  It's time to go home.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ethan

  "You're back," my father greets me from the top of the stairs.

  I look at him. I haven't even been at home for ten seconds and he's already showed up. It would be nice if this was a warm welcome, but I know that's not the case.