Slipping the condom off my cock, I pursed my lips together tightly as I stared at the red-tinged latex dangling from my fingertips. One thought dominated my mind, and I let the soiled object fall into the trash to sigh before raking my hands through my hair. Glancing over at the bed, a smile picked up the corners of my mouth at the sight of Lilly all curled up under a thin sheet.

We hadn’t even been here an hour and she was spent. Of course, it was her first time.

Once the pain had died, Lilly was a trooper- pushing herself to keep going even as the unfamiliar experience sapped her energy. Sloppily pulling on my jeans, affection built up in my chest as I sauntered over to caress her pinked cheeks. I’d never taken someone’s virginity before, but I didn’t expect it to feel like it had. My palms tingled with the urge to slip into bed and hold her, and I let out a breath filled with want through my nose.

Even now, at 43, I never wanted to sit around and watch a woman I had just been with as she slept. I enjoyed my bachelor life; I traveled and did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, with no one to tell me not to or disapprove of my decisions. The women I occasionally slept with were ongoing affairs, and they knew it’d never go anywhere.

But Lilly was different, and I pushed a few stray, frizzy hairs out of her face before reaching to rub my jaw.

Leaving Lilly to head for the en-suite bathroom, I stood in front of the vanity to twist the faucet knobs. Water gushed into the sink, and I cupped my hands to catch it and splash my face. Repeating the action a few times, I turned off the water and gripped the sides of the sink to stare at my reflection. A check burned a hole into my jean pocket, and I grimaced at myself before fishing it out.

I should write a new one. I took a lot more than just Lilly’s virginity tonight. Indecision tore apart my chest, and I clenched my jaw before ripping up the check and tossing it in the waste bin. I’d given Lilly her first kiss, her first date, her first time seeing a tattoo- for fuck’s sake. Those things were priceless, worth so much more than a measly $4.4 million.

The only problem is I wasn’t sure that Lilly would take more. Turning away from the mirror, I left the bathroom and stalked to the barrier that kept out the only person I could seek answers from.

Kayla was still sitting Indian style against the wall directly across from the door, and her eyes widened when the surprise of my appearance faded. Gesturing her into the room, I ignored the hot eyes that scanned my back; I knew what she’d see.

Lilly had only seen the tattoos on my front, but my body was littered with them.

“I need your help.” Speaking lowly, I glanced at the bed as I shut the door behind us, and Kayla cocked her head when I looked back at her. “I feel like it’s not enough.”

Lilly’s purple-haired friend instantly knew what I was talking about, and she bopped her head in a nod. She was very pretty now that I got a good look at her, but she couldn’t hold a candle to Lilly. Kayla was just too out there for me, both in terms of looks and personality.

After all, she sat outside the door while I had sex with her best friend. There was no way I could handle that hurricane of an attitude.

“Well, she won’t take more, Richy-Rich. You should’ve seen her when she saw that figure in the first place.” Whispering loudly, Kayla’s little nickname sent a slight scowl on my face, and she rolled her eyes at me dramatically. Yep- definitely not a girl I want to mess with. “Anyway, she doesn’t even have a place to put it. I’m supposed to take her on Monday to create a bank account. Her parents are controlling pieces of shit, and I spent a week convincing her to use my address so they don’t find out.”

Arching a brow at that, my gaze slid to Lilly to narrow into fine points. Suddenly, everything started to make sense, and a tightness gripped my chest before I heaved a sigh.

“I take it you’ll be holding the check for… safety reasons…?” Fishing my back pocket for my checkbook, I watched Kayla nod out of the corner of my eye. “You do a lot for her. How’d you become friends, anyway?”

Snatching a pen that sat next to my keys, I scribbled on a notepad provided by the hotel before hovering the ball over a fresh check. My mind was scrambled, debating what I wanted to do as I waited for Kayla’s answer. I didn’t really care how they became friends, but Lilly obviously saw something in her.

And who knew- maybe someone like Kayla would be useful in my line of work. In the short time I’d known her- of her- I realized she was the kind of person that could and would get and do what she wanted. There was always value in those kinds of people.

“It’s kind of funny, actually. We went to high school together- just clicked on the very first day. Lilly had never met someone before with dyed hair like mine, and it freaked her out something bad. So, she would follow me around and stare at me all the time. She was a puppy I’d never had, but she started getting bullied because her mother wouldn’t let her do her homework, so she had to do it in class. Everyone thought she was stupid or slow. After I started standing up for her, my own mom had to come to school because I was getting suspended left and right. She’s a lawyer, by the way. But- anyway, the same thing happened. Lilly had never met a woman so powerful like my mom, so she sort of clung to her. And that’s the story.” While Kayla talked softly, I just wrote the original amount on the check; she was right, after all. Lilly probably wouldn’t take any more. Signing my name at the bottom, I held out the rectangular piece of paper to Kayla as I slowly processed what her story meant.

“She’s really a real church girl, isn’t she?” It almost felt wrong to talk about Lilly with her friend, but I only leaned on the table to cross my arms over my chest. “So, it’s not even about the money or defying her parents, is it? It’s about finding her own way and making her own decisions. Being a doctor- she’ll have power.”

From under furrowed brows, I watched Kayla nod again, and she eyed me up and down appraisingly- like a shopper looking for any imperfections on a slab of beef. It’d been so long since anyone looked at me that way, and my skin crawled slightly. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be assessed as a person, not a businessman, and I pursed my lips together before she opened her mouth again.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but Lilly essentially used you. It didn’t necessarily have to be you, but I heard you at the bar. You set yourself up for this. You’re right- it’s not about the money. This decision to sell her virginity originated as a desperate act to get out from under her parents’ thumbs. In my personal opinion, you’d be good for her, Richard. You’re everything she wants to be, and she needs help. Her parents drilled the whole ‘your worth is measured by your looks, temperament, and virginity’ into her so hard that she’s only just beginning to break through it. And if you two screw your way into another level of independence, great for you. She has no men in her life, and that fucks with her something fierce.” Eyeballing Kayla closely, I took steady breaths as I took my turn to give her a once over.

Lilly mentioned they were going to medical school together, but Kayla was a shark swimming in a pool of fish that didn’t deserve her attention. The way she talked, the way she carried herself, was that of a woman not to be messed with. There was plenty of time to think about what she’d revealed later, and I cocked my head in the growing, heavy silence.

“What about you? Are you going to medical school just to support Lilly?” Kayla snorted outright at my probing, and I cracked a smirk when she jerked her head in a nod.

“Damn right I am. I don’t want to be a nurse- are you kidding me? But, like I said- Lilly needs help. You hear all the time about people like her- following her friends to college because that’s what she is… a follower. I can get a job anywhere; my mom is one of the most powerful attorneys in the city. If I told Lilly that, she’d be crushed, though. She’s too quick to blame herself even when it’s not her fault. So, I just fake it.” The woman obviously had no problem with this little, white lie, and I ducked my head in a nod. I understood it, and Kayla carefully folded the check to slip it into her bra before huffing lightly. “Were you going to stay or do the walk of shame?”

“I’m staying. I want to make sure Lilly’s okay.” A thought popped into my head as Kayla sauntered into the living area, and I snatched my phone off the table before following her. Giving Lilly one last glance, I couldn’t help but smile at the arm she’d slung haphazardly to keep her hair from her face. She was totally knocked out, and I found it beyond cute as I sat on the far end of the couch. “By the way, let me give you my number. Lilly won’t take it-“

“Of course, she won’t. Her parents dump her phone at least once a month- more if they think something is up.” Cutting me off, Kayla whipped out her cell phone with a sour expression. A deep, disturbed frown dragged down my mouth, and I cleared my throat to rattle off my phone number. Navigating to the settings, I made sure it was the right one before grunting affirmation; I had a few phones, and sometimes it was hard to keep track of what was what. There was no way I wanted to give Kayla the wrong information, though- not when I wanted to see Lilly again.