I don’t know why I took Brody’s hand. I don’t know why I’m going with him. I should stay with Gabe; that would make things simpler. That would be the right decision, the better choice. But it’s not the choice I made.

I don’t know what the hell just happened, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Gabe was the one who started it. Right now, I can’t stand Gabe, and when I look at Brody, all I feel is disappointment. Both men are idiots who don’t deserve me. But, right now, Brody might be the lesser of two evils.

So, I let him lead me out of the restaurant while I keep my eyes on his back, ignoring all the customers who are staring at us, shocked at the scene that we caused. I don’t question him when he flags down an Uber, and we climb into the backseat.

It takes a minute for the realization of what’s happening to hit me.

The car begins driving away from the restaurant before I find my voice again. “Where are we going?” I ask Brody.

Brody looks at me, and I realize I’m still holding on to his hand, but I don’t dare let it go.

“My hotel.”

I nod. It’s what I expected him to say, but I’m not sure if it’s the right answer.

I glance out the window and watch the buildings whiz by as we drive. I have no idea which hotel is Brody’s or how long it’ll take us to get there, but it’s long enough to make me regret my decision.

“Actually, can you take me to my condo first and then drop him off? My condo is just down this street,” I ask the driver.

Our driver is an older gentleman. I would guess mid-sixties. “Of course, miss.”

“What are you doing?” Brody asks.

I remove my hand from his. “I’m sorry. I can’t do whatever you think we’re doing. I just need to go home.”

Brody runs his hand through his hair, messing up his sculpted locks. “You don’t have to go back with me, but you shouldn’t go home with him either.”

“What happened?” I ask even though I’m afraid I already know. It’s going to make me pissed off. And, if I’m pissed off, I won’t make smart decisions.

Brody grabs my cheeks, looking at me as he strokes my face. “Gabe is not a good man, Skye.”

“What happened?” I ask again. I don’t need to be told what Brody thinks of Gabe. I just need the truth.

Brody drops his hands and purses his lips as he tries to find the words to tell me the truth.

“Please.”

“He wanted an arrangement where I’d get to fuck you in exchange for him getting to fuck other women. He wanted an open marriage, except it seemed he’d get the much better end of the deal. He’s a little cunt, Skye. He’s a bitch, a disgusting motherfucker who doesn’t deserve another second of your time. Forget about that asshole. He’s not worth your time.”

I stare out the window while my hand rests on the base of it, fidgeting with the lock button. It hurts, but then I’ve known for a while what Gabe is.

“Skye?”

I don’t answer him. I can barely breathe, let alone speak. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get out of the horrible situation I’ve found myself in.

“Skye, what are you thinking?”

I can’t. I just can’t.

Brody senses that something is wrong. He undoes the seat belt and scoots close to me until his body is pressed against my side. He slowly moves his arms around me, pulling me into a hug. Neither of us speaks as the Uber driver drives toward my condo after Brody tells him the address. He finally stops, and I just sit for a moment in Brody’s arms.

“Stay with me tonight. I have a suite, so you can have your own bedroom. I won’t talk to you. I won’t bother you at all. I will give you some time and distance to figure out what you want.”

I nod, still unable to speak. I feel numb, rough. The driver starts driving the five blocks it takes to get to his hotel. He stops outside, and Brody, now deciding to be a perfect gentleman, opens my door and helps me out of the car. He keeps his arms wrapped around me as we walk through the lobby to the elevators. I don’t remember the elevator ride, just that it happened along with what I assume was a walk to the door of his hotel room. I somehow make it inside.

“Your room is this way.” Brody leads me down a small hallway to the bedroom. He goes over to the bed and pulls down the sheets, leading me over to it and setting me on the edge of the bed. Then, he takes a step back.

“Is there anything I can get you? Food? Drink? Someone to talk to?”

I shake my head.

“Okay. I’ll be just down the hallway. If you need me at any time of the night, just come in and wake me.”

He turns to walk out.

“Wait.”

He does, exhaling as he stops.

He stares at me, and I stare at him.

Then, I stand up and walk over to him. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” He leans down and sharply kisses me on the forehead. And, in that second, the spell breaks.

I grab his cheeks. I move his lips to mine, and I kiss him. And, damn it, the kiss feels good.

Why did I have to kiss him? Now, there’s no going back. There’s no way I’m going to be able to stop, and it’s just going to make things so much worse. It’s not bad enough that I’m about to marry a crazy person, but I have to do it while being hung up with this asshole. My heart and mind are torn between two people, and I’m about to give them both what they want. But what about what I want?

I don’t know what I want, except that I want Brody to fuck me and make me forget about everything else.

Brody grabs my neck as he kisses my lips over and over. We stumble backward until we’re falling on the bed. Arms and legs tangle around each other, but our lips never part. It’s almost as if neither one of us takes a second to really breathe and think about what we’re doing, so we will stop. So, neither of us will allow that to happen.

Instead, we kiss, we groan, and we tear each other’s clothes off. Brody rips his jacket off while I pull his tie over his head. His shirt goes next; buttons fly as it falls in a heap on the floor, showing me his hard, strong chest that I haven’t been able to get out of my head since I saw him shirtless again in Albuquerque.

“I knew you wanted me the second you saw my abs again. You’re a sucker for hard abs and biceps.” He smirks as he flips me over and slowly starts unzipping my dress. “Did you wear this dress for him or me?”

I bite my lip, refusing to answer. If we are going to fuck, we’re not going to talk about what’s happening. The whole reason for sex is to make me forget, to allow me an escape, not to figure out what I really want.

He spanks me hard on the ass, and I yelp.

“Tell me who you wore the dress for, or I’ll spank you again.”

My lips curl up a little at that thought. I like this game. He spanks me again, and my whole body jerks at the force. My mouth waters, my nipples harden, and my panties become soaked. I forgot what it felt like to have a man be rough with me in bed. Gabe, for all his rough and controlling in real life, prefers rather vanilla sex.

“Have you had enough?” He kneels behind me, clearly getting turned on himself with every spanking as his hard cock rubs against my ass.

“No.”

“Then, I’m going to enjoy punishing you until you tell me who you wore the dress for. Because I think you wore this dress, that hides your body, for me. To keep me away from your sexy body.”

He rips the back of the dress in half. I flinch at the sound, knowing now that there’s no way to hide what I’m doing from Gabe, not that there was before or that I would have. I’m not a cheater or a liar even if Gabe deserves to be cheated on.

“There’s your body. You have been hiding it from me beneath your scrubs and this ridiculous dress but no more.”

His lips brush over my ass, lightly kissing each cheek. I gasp as he grabs my legs, spreading me wide, and then his hand comes down, slapping over my cunt.

“You’ve been a dirty girl who deserves to be punished. Say it.”

“I’ve been a dirty girl who deserves to be punished,” I say through gritted teeth as he spanks me again.

I hear him moving his pants down, and I turn my head to get a look at his thick cock, but he grabs my hair and turns me away from him, shoving my face hard into the pillow, so I can’t see anything.

“You don’t get to look at me, baby. You don’t get to be rewarded in any way until you answer me.”

“Please.”

“Are you ready to answer me?”

I groan.

“I guess that’s a no.” His cock pushes inside me, spreading me wide, filling me with the pain and pleasure I haven’t felt in months.

“Fuck, Skye.”

I feel him slip in and out of me as he pounds into my body. He slaps me hard on the ass whenever I try to look at him. And he hardly touches me, except with his dick. He punishes me over and over as he moves in and out, giving me only the tiniest bit of pleasure, driving me mad.

I feel his breath on my neck. “I know you’re stubborn, Skye. And we both know how much of a dick I can be. So, answer me. Who did you wear the dress for?”

“You.” I glance back at him and see the smirk on his face.

“Good girl.” His hand reaches around and starts rubbing my clit as he fucks me, building me in a way that only he knows. He makes it hard for me to breathe or think about anything other than my coming climax.

He brings me close and then stops begging me with his words. “Tell me you’re not going back to Gabe. Tell me you’re going to break up with him.”

My throat is dry, but my body still aches for relief.

“Give me a chance. I know you think I’m nothing but a dick, but I can be so much more. I can behave. I can love you like Gabe never has.”

I can’t breathe. My heart aches to believe that his words are true, but I’ve been fooled by too many men before to believe anything that leaves his mouth, especially with his cock still inside me. He doesn’t mean a word that he says.

“I won’t go back to Gabe. I’ll give you a chance,” I say, telling my own lie.

He lets me come, and it’s the relief and distraction I’ve been seeking, but it’s over far too soon. Moments later, all I can think about are his stupid words and how I wish they were true. I think about the words that I spoke and wish that they were what I was going to do. But, right now, I can’t.