Chapter 17

Leo

Watching Grace walk out on me was one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced. I had visions of pinning her against the wall and fucking her senseless. But I could never do that.

I need her to want me as much as I want her.

She has some crazy effect on me that I don’t fully understand. I never felt anything like this about my ex-wife.

Everything about Grace is new to me. The way she makes me feel when I look at her. The way the crease forms in the corner of her eye when she smiles. The way she can make me laugh without even saying anything.

And the way she makes me hard without doing a damn thing.

After she left, I spent a long time in an ice-cold shower, trying to clear my head. After four fingers of scotch, I managed to get a bit of sleep. At least for a few hours.

I’ve been up since five, playing the night over and over. What went wrong?

I wonder if Colt’s comments had anything to do with it. Because I can’t come up with another reason.

Her body clearly reacts to mine the same way my body reacts to hers.

It’s eight-thirty, I’ve waited long enough.

Last night, I had my housekeeper escort Grace to a suite at The Plaza. Now I’m going to make the same journey.

After tugging on a pair of black jeans, I pull a plain black T-shirt on over my head. I pick up one of the extra bunches of roses from last night, look at them and then set them down again.

I’m not about to do anything to upset Grace again.

I make my way through the grand lobby of The Plaza, up the elevators to Grace’s suite.

“Room service,” I say, knocking on the door.

She doesn’t answer, so I knock again, louder this time.

“I didn’t order breakfast,” she says.

“I don’t care.”

The door cracks open, and Grace appears. Her eyes are red and puffy. She’s clearly spent a lot of the night crying.

Pushing the door the rest of the way open, I walk past her. The suite is ornate duck-egg blue trimmed in gold. It’s the polar opposite of my apartment. Yet it’s somehow fitting for Grace’s beauty.

“We need to talk,” I say, not looking back at her.

“What is there to talk about? I decided I didn’t want to be your whore.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the stomach, hard enough to knock the wind out of me. I struggle to stop from buckling in half.

After taking a moment to refill my lungs with air, I say, “That’s what you think?”

I still haven’t turned to look at her. And I still haven’t heard the door click shut.

“I may be a virgin but I’m not stupid.”

“Why would you be stupid? You’re incredibly intelligent,” I say, spinning to face her.

My eyes move over her. She’s wearing a loose T-shirt and panties, but her hair still holds its glamour from last night. I momentarily lose my breath again at the sight of her.

She pinches her lips together as she examines me. Tilting her head to the side, she steps away from the door and pushes it shut.

“Trust me, the very last thing you are to me is a prostitute. I’ve never gone to such lengths to take someone on a date in my life. Yet somehow I managed to screw it up.”

Grace scrunches her swollen eyes shut and shakes her head. “But what about Shawna?”

“Shawna? What about her?”

“She’s telling everyone at the office that you’re going to license us your brands and save the company because of me coming to New York with you.”

Rage shoots through me from head to toe and it’s all I can do to keep from grabbing the nearest lamp and smashing it to pieces.

Breathing hard, I take Grace’s hand and pull her to the sofa. I sit and pull her down beside me.

“Shawna’s a fucking idiot. I’d never invest in her company. Ever. Especially because of the way she sent you to my hotel lobby. If I wasn’t so grateful for meeting you, I would’ve given her a piece of my mind yesterday.”

“Well, she’s going around telling everyone it’s a sealed deal.”

“She’s delusional.”

“You’re our only hope to save the company.”

As if that company can be saved. I purse my lips and shake my head, not knowing where or how to start explaining the situation to Grace.

“I’m sorry, Grace. I really am, but I cannot invest in Shawna’s company,” I say, stroking her arm.

Grace is silent, her eyes far away in contemplation. She’s probably wondering what will happen with her company and her job. My chest is heavy knowing she’ll lose her job, but I’ll make sure she’s taken care of. If all goes to plan, she won’t have to worry about a job at all.

“But why—” Grace starts, before her voice trails off.

“Why what?”

She sighs, and asks, “Why do you use escorts? I don’t understand.”

Her eyes bore into my face, examining me. And I realize right now exactly how much she means to me. That all the ways she’s making me feel mean how truly special she is.

Leaning back into the sofa, I inhale deeply, and say, “All I ever wanted when I was young was a happy marriage and kids. I’m a toymaker. I love children.” My throat tightens, and I pause. Grace doesn’t say anything. After a moment, I continue. “I met someone who I thought was the love of my life. Tina. We got married.” I pause again.

This time Grace shuffles closer to me, and takes my hand. The gentleness of her touch relaxes me.

“What happened?” she asks.

I raise my eyes to hers, and say, “On our wedding night she told me she had no feelings for me, and that she was never having kids. All she expected was for me to provide a lavish lifestyle for her.”

Grace gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. “That’s terrible.”

“In the months it took to go through the divorce, I decided that I wasn’t going to let that happen to me again. And the safest way to do that was to use escorts. Women only want me for my money, I may as well go out with someone up front about it.”

“I wasn’t interested in your money, only you,” she says, her voice soft.

“I wasn’t only interested in you. I am only interested in you. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, not even Tina when I thought I was in love with her.”

She shuffles closer to me again so that our legs are pressed against each other’s.

“I’ve never felt this way about anyone either. My friends always thought I was weird or stupid for waiting for the right guy.” Grace pauses, her lips parted.

I draw her into me, and close my mouth over hers. My hand runs over the bare skin of her thigh. Fuck. It makes me instantly hard. Though somehow it’s a different quality of hardness than last night.

It’s more than want. It’s more than need. It’s something that has no name.

Moving my body to the side, I lay her down on the sofa. Positioning my body over hers, I kiss her neck as I lift her top. I palm both of her tits with my hands, their softness making my dick pop the button of my jeans.

I move up her T-shirt so that I can access her breasts. My tongue travels down her front, swirling around both of her nipples until they stand as hard as my cock. I could spend all day with my face buried in her big tits. But for some reason, all I want to do is make Grace feel good.

I move lower. My tongue slides down her front all the way to the edge of her panties. I tug them down, and toss them onto the floor.

Kissing around the edge of her mound, Grace moans. I lick through her folds, and she tastes better than I’d ever imagined. With my fingers, I spread her lips, exposing her clit to the air.