I paused, taken aback at the realization of what I was doing. I was pacing, actually pacing throughout my mansion. I don't think I've ever paced before. What causes it? I didn't know… nervous energy maybe? Uncertainty? Confusion? I'd never felt this way before and I didn't like it, not one bit. I paused, looking out the window into my backyard and the channel beyond, looking at my reflection in the mirror just as dawn rose, my silhouette highlighted by the kitchen light behind me. I saw my scowl and purposely relaxed the muscles in my face, feeling foolish. Feeling like I was a high school kid again. What was the phrase an old girlfriend used to say? Wishy-washy? That was it. I was feeling wishy-washy. Hesitant. Like sitting on a fence. Indecisive. How many other ways could I express it? Still, I wasn't quite sure what I had to be indecisive about. At work, everything was going fine. At work, I was in charge. I made the decisions. I controlled negotiations.

Problem was, every time I thought about work – my corner office specifically - I recalled the image of Riley striding in that day. So it was that I again caught myself pacing and forced myself to pause in front of the great window in the kitchen, looking out toward the channel, my feet spread wide, fists cocked on my hips. When I realized my head slowly shook back and forth, I purposely stopped that too. Just the thought of Riley had my heartbeat accelerating, the blood thrumming through my veins. My dick awakening by increments inside my pants. Hell's bells. I couldn't understand it. What was so damn special about Riley Hunt? Why couldn't I get her out of my mind?

Since our "date night" on the boat I couldn't get her out of my head. The first dinner we'd had together had been interesting. A blind date that was not so much blind as an exploration. A curiosity. A chance to see what this young lady was made of. While I had enjoyed the dinner, found Riley an interesting woman, I left with nothing special. Not this constant thinking of her. None of this physical reaction at the image of her in my mind. But since the day I'd taken her out on my yacht… now that was a changing point. I still couldn't figure out why but there you have it.

Last night I had gone out with a woman I saw off and on, but even that didn't distract me. Without saying it in so many words, she suggested that I take her home or to a hotel, and I declined. Declined! Since when did I turn down sex with a gorgeous woman, one who didn't expect anything from me in return other than a good romp between the sheets?

"You're an idiot."

How many times have I said that about myself since the moment I decided to take Riley Hunt on with her outrageous suggestion? Even more important, why did I feel such a strong attachment to her? I couldn't allow it. I told myself that I didn't care that she was a breath of fresh air, that her apparent lack of concern about my financial status made me feel like I was just an ordinary guy for a change. Most women who went out with me wanted something. While I couldn't classify all of them as gold-diggers, well, if the shoe fits…they were not important to me. After the sex, they were gone. They went their way, I went mine. I had no long-term mistresses, no girlfriends waiting in the wings, no long-term plans with any woman. Certainly not one that I had even considered marrying. Not that I was thinking of marrying anyone, but it would be nice, just once, to get to know a woman without worrying about what she wanted from me. Like money.

Don't get me wrong. I don't pay off any of the women I date or sleep with. I don't have to. I have the reputation of being somewhat of a player, but I don't like to think I take advantage of women. They come on to me, I respond. I've never chased a woman in my life. I don't have to pay for escorts or dates or sex. Never have, never will. If a woman offers herself, well, of course, that's one thing. But it's always consensual. Most of the time, it's short-term. One-night stands. Some 'relationships' last a week. One time, it lasted a month. Unfortunately, I ultimately realized that none of them could be the woman I was subconsciously looking for. And who exactly was that?

Out of the blue, I wondered what my dad would've thought of Riley. I think he would've liked her. My mother? Not so much. As narcissistic and controlling as she could be, my mother rarely got involved in my personal affairs. I heard about it though; a snide remark here, a criticism there, a frown of disappointment… so I could just imagine what she would think if I introduced Riley to her. Just like me, my mother had ways of finding out things about people. I didn't condemn her for that. To me, such research made good business sense. You had to know who you were dealing with when it came to finance. What would my mother think about Riley? That she was nothing more than a woman after my money.

Like the rest of them. I had thought it. My mother had said it. So it wasn't a huge step to believe that my mom would ultimately end up disapproving of any woman I entangled myself with.

I had long ago made a promise to myself that I would never, ever allow myself or my emotions to be controlled by a woman. My mom had viciously abused my dad, emotionally and verbally. It got to the point where my dad, smart as he was in business, cutthroat as he could be in that business, had withdrawn into himself around my mother, not even wanting to argue with her anymore. Ultimately, he didn't even care. He ignored her most of the time. They ended up in separate bedrooms, rarely even sitting at the table together. Maybe that's where I'd developed my talent of being emotionally unavailable to women. I inherited the best and the worst of both my parents; how I had learned to be a compulsive risk taker, especially with those high-stakes deals. And getting used to the fact that if I wanted something, I ultimately found a way to get it, no matter the cost.

I had foreclosed on many homes and shut down a number of businesses. So why had I taken pity on Riley Hunt? I turned from the window and paced again. Through the kitchen, into the hallway and up the stairs, admiring the handiwork, the skill, the beauty of my home, but all not quite pleasing me at the moment. I emerged on the balcony outside of the master bedroom, looking down over the swimming pool and hot tub in the backyard, surrounded by neatly trimmed emerald green grass, the breeze gently swaying through the fronds of the stately palm trees between the end of the yard and the dock. Why did the house suddenly seem too big for me? Too empty?

I watched my yacht ever so slightly shift from side to side on the low swell of a wave in the canal as a yacht trolled slowly down the canal, headed toward the bay. I couldn't even look at my yacht anymore without seeing Riley on it, sitting on the deck, her cheeks flushed with sunshine, that smile on her lips, her eyes bright and inquisitive as she took in and absorbed everything she had seen and experienced that day.

Heading back downstairs into the kitchen to make some coffee, I decided that it would just be best if I got this deal over with. We should just do it and move on. But I wanted to see her again. I wanted more of her. More than just that painfully polite yet shy exterior. She was intelligent. Her eyes told me that, always seeking, staring, watching. She didn't say much, but I could tell that she was always thinking, reasoning, exploring in her mind… I had seen it on the boat, her interest in all the gizmos and gadgets, asking shyly what this one did, what that one was for. Riley Hunt appreciated the small stuff in life that I had long grown so used to that I barely noticed them. Ignored them really. The small pleasures in life that I saw Riley enjoying. The way she lifted her face to the sun as the boat cruised through the bay, the wind blowing through her hair. That smile. That such a simple thing as taking a little boat ride could induce such a smile…

For the first time in my life, the thought of emotionally blackmailing someone left me feeling less than satisfied. I didn't do it maliciously. Not really. At work, when negotiating a deal, I used every piece of information I could gather to throw into the deal-making process. I studied human behavior and motivations. When I took action, I did so without regret. But with Riley and this deal of hers? Actually, I felt kind of slimy. I should never have agreed to this proposal. At the same time, it wasn't like me to turn down an easy score.

An easy score. Was that what Riley meant to me? An easy score?

That scared me. What the hell was happening to me? I hadn't slept with a virgin in many years, but back in the day, through high school and college, it never bothered me. But now?

With a sigh, I searched for my phone, found it on the small table in the middle of the downstairs foyer, picked it up, and found Riley's number. I was going to give her an out, a chance to forget the whole thing. Then maybe my conscious could rest easy. I wanted the old me back, not this man I didn't recognize in my head. The phone rang once, twice, three times. I figured she was at work at the diner. I was prepared to just leave a voice message telling her to call me when she had a chance when she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Riley, it's Wyatt. Are you working?"

"I'm off today."

I heard the slight hesitance in her voice, almost wary. Was she afraid that today would be the day? Tonight? Once again, I shook my head, feeling like a jerk. My God, I was a grown man, a habitual flirt and smooth talker, and if I was to admit more of my faults, I was self-absorbed and arrogant. But I also liked to think that someone, I didn't know who, would someday look beneath the veneer. That someday, someone would pierce that outward veneer I wore, who acted like I didn't care about anything as someone who cared about a lot of things. My lifestyle, my habits and attitudes… it didn't help, and that was on me.

"Riley, do you still want to go through with this?" Silence. Finally, she answered, her voice so soft I heard the nervousness in her words.

"I want to keep to the agreement."

I strained to hear the words. So be it. I took a deep breath and nodded, my decision made. "All right then, Riley. No more putting it off. Can you come to my house this afternoon?"

I heard a low, strangled sound from the other end of the line. I almost told her to never mind, that she didn't have to, that I would keep my end of the bargain in regard to the loan even if she didn't sleep with me. This wasn't a game to me anymore. It wasn't a challenge. So why was I still going through with it? I knew why, I just didn't want to admit it to myself. I did anyway. I liked her. I liked Riley Hunt.

"I'll be there. Is two o'clock all right?"

"That's fine, Riley. You know where I live."

"Yes, I do."

The call disconnected and I placed my phone back down on the table, suddenly feeling more nervous than I had ever been, not since my first time when I was fifteen and fumbling awkwardly with a girl under the bleachers at the high school.

I sighed, returned to the sliding glass window looking out into the backyard. I opened it and walked around the pool and toward the berm of grass that separated the edge of my yard with the channel. The docks along the channel floated gently up and down as far as the eye could see in either direction. I couldn't decide whether I was excited or nervous at what today would bring.

"Shit."

Riley was right on time. She wore a simple sundress. To make it quicker and easier to undress? And get dressed when we were done and rush out again? Her face pasty white and her lips nearly colorless proved how nervous she was. I saw the pulse throbbing in her neck. I took pity.

"Would you like a drink? Some wine?"

She shook her head. "No thank you."

She tried to discreetly wipe her palms on the skirt of the sundress, glancing around at the house, at everything but me. I couldn't tell her not to be nervous. This meeting of ours was not spontaneous. It was planned. Like an appointment. Clinical, no emotions involved. But that was where I realized my mistake. I did care. I already felt the stirrings of desire in my dick, just the thought of burying myself in her prompting a half-erection. She didn't see it, keeping her gaze studiously above my shoulders, barely even looking at my face for more than a few seconds at a time.

"Would you like—" She interrupted me.

"Let's just get this over with, all right?" she offered with a weak smile and a shrug. "I— I'm already nervous enough as it is. If we can just do it and… sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like that."

Standing in my foyer, I smiled at her. A genuine smile. A surge of tenderness took over and I nodded. I would do my best to make this first time special for her. For her. Not for me. I surprised myself with a totally unexpected and undeniable urge to kiss her, to make her relax, to make her want me. Make her want me. Now, that was an odd thing for me to even contemplate. All the women I'd dated had wanted me. They made sure I knew it too. Some of them said it right out. Others tried to act as if they were seducing me. A touch to my chest, a hand that slid upward along my thigh, or even so bold as to cup my balls and rub their tits against my chest.

But Riley…not like that. I felt the desire to kiss her and show her how good it could be with someone… even better if she cared about that person. But for now, this was just sex and nothing more. I would show her how good sex could be without emotion. Just imagine what it would be like to have it with someone you cared about…I knew she found my body enticing. I saw the way her pupils dilated, the way her cheeks flushed with color when she caught me looking at her on the yacht the other day, and vice versa. I knew she was curious about sex. I also knew that she did not take this step lightly.

Neither would I.

I gently took her hand and led her upstairs, winding our way up to the second floor, down the hallway and into my master bedroom. She looked around a moment and then turned to me, an eyebrow slightly raised. She didn't know what to do, so I would have to show her everything, beginning to end.

"You've never made out before?" I asked in disbelief.

"A little," she admitted with a shrug.

To my startled dismay, she crossed her hands, reached for the bottom of her sundress and swept it up and over her head. She stood in front of me in a plain white bra and cute, snug boy shorts that hugged her hips. Her face flushed with color, turning an alarming shade of red.

"All right then," I said, placing my hands on her shoulders, trying not to stare at her perfectly shaped breasts, trapped within the confines of the bra. I pulled her closer to me so that those breasts brushed against my chest. "I'm going to kiss you." I murmured. Since she didn't want to delay, I wouldn't make her.

I lowered my head and lowered my lips to hers, so soft and full, frozen for a moment before I deepened the kiss and then pulled back. She stared at me with wide eyes and then lifted her hands to place them on my shoulders. She lifted her face again for another kiss, having to lift herself onto her tiptoes to do so. I almost laughed in surprise at her bravado, but didn't. I obliged her, my lips touching hers again, my cock coming to life as her hands clutched at my shoulders and then tightened. I heard a sound from her throat but couldn't tell whether it was panic-induced or pleasure-induced. I prayed it was the latter. I pulled her closer to me so she'd feel my erection. My desire for her.

What happened next surprised the hell out of me. It was as if the moment she felt my dick, that moment when she sensed she had some power in this situation, that I wanted her that way, she took the lead. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me even closer, the noises in her throat now purring with pleasure. She pressed her hips closer to mine. She was reacting instinctually, and I wished at that moment that I could ask her what she was feeling but didn't want to interrupt her exploration of new sensations that surely swept through her body as sensations swept through mine.

I used my tongue to gently urge her to open her mouth and she did. My tongue dipped inside, explored hers, gently suckling. My hand left her shoulder and caressed the side of her face, traced her jawline and then slid down that exquisite throat of hers. My fingers only heightened her own desire and she pressed herself tighter to me, her own tongue now bravely exploring my mouth as well until we played tag with them. My dick rose to full attention, throbbing with desire. I hadn't expected this. This passion. With me? Her defenses were down now, all of them and what a glorious feeling it was to be with a woman who showed no guile, no ulterior motives… God, she was sexy and attuned to her body, exploding with a passion that took me by surprise. Who would have imagined…?

I reluctantly broke off the kiss and stared down at her, a grin lifting my lips. She stared up at me, pupils fully dilated with desire, her cheeks flushed, her chest rising and falling fast. I saw the pulse in her throat racing as she stared up at my eyes in amazement.

"You ready for more?" I asked, my voice soft with undeniable desire.

She nodded. "Do you have protection?"

"Of course." I released my grasp on her shoulders and whipped my shirt over my head, wanting to feel the warmth of her body against mine, to feel her breasts against my chest. I reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. It slid forward, revealing the plump, perfect mounds to my view. As I stared, her pink nipples hardened. My cock throbbed now, I wanted more than anything to feel her writhing beneath me, her legs wrapped around mine, taking each other to the ecstasy I knew awaited.

As I bent down to kiss her once more, I wrapped my right arm around her waist as my left hand inched upward from her waist toward her breasts. I was delighted once again when she pressed herself closer, and as my hand found her breast, a startled yet pleasurable noise escaped her throat. At that moment I felt a special duty to make sure that this experience was one she would remember forever; not one of pain and force, but of the utmost patience. I wanted to show her, I wanted to teach her, to encourage her to explore her own body, my body, and gain a great deal of pleasure from this first time. She kissed me back, growing braver, her hands now skimming over my shoulders.

She moved, leaning into me, the palm of one hand now resting on my chest. My fingers gently groped her breast, my thumb skimming across her nipple, producing yet another gasp. I caressed and squeezed, gently, my own passion growing as her nipple hardened still more beneath my touch. Her breathing accelerated and soft, mewling sounds escaped her throat. I broke off the kiss and looked down at her, at the wonder in her expression. My heart thudded in my chest as I stared at her beautiful breasts, and she stared at my own chest. She moved and her breasts jiggled slightly and shifted position. I felt my cock growing longer, harder. I grasped her hand and guided it toward my pants. She hesitated only slightly as I guided it further, along the length of me. She froze for a second or two and then continued exploring, her hand gentle as she traced my length. I could hardly stand it. I needed more. I wanted more.

She pushed herself even closer into me, so close it took my breath away. Waiting for me to guide her, I reached down and unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans. She helped me push them down and then I stood back, staring at her. She seemed hesitant to take her eyes from my face. I wondered…

"Have you ever seen a naked man before, Riley?" I asked, trying to hide the disbelief from my voice, but the way she flushed, the way she studiously avoided looking… I bent down and quickly divested myself of the rest of my clothing. I stood upright, my hands down by my sides.

"Look at me, Riley, look at what you have done to me."

I watched, an indescribable feeling taking over me as she swept her eyes down, stared at my cock and flushed a deep, deep red. But she didn't look away. My cock wiggled with desire, leaning toward her more, aching for her touch. I chuckled softly.

"Go ahead, Riley," I said calmly, my voice soft. "Touch it."

After yet another moment of hesitation, she did, wrapping her hand around my shaft, nearly prompting me to jump out of my skin and lose it right there. I'd been touched there before, stroked, licked, and sucked, but Riley… damn, I've never felt like this.

Before I lost it for real, I smiled at her, her hand still clutching my dick, and urged her toward the bed. When the back of her knees touched the mattress, she let go, again unsure and hesitant. I lowered my head and nuzzled the crook of her neck with my tongue. I gently pressed her back onto the bed until she was on her back, her body flushed with desire, or embarrassment, perhaps both. I wanted to nuzzle, lick and suck my way down her body. I wanted to feel her nipple in my mouth. I laid down beside her. She stiffened but I spoke softly, quietly, taking my time. I dipped my head lower to take a nipple into my mouth. She hissed in a breath and her chest left the bed, thrusting her breasts closer to me, her hand reaching for the back of my neck. She moaned as I suckled her nipple, using my hand to pluck gently at the other. She breathed heavily, the moans growing louder.

I was hard, aching for her, aching to thrust myself deep within her. I trailed a hand down her stomach, felt her muscles clench beneath my hand and then continued lower. She didn't stop me. I felt her moist center. I took my time, trying not to grit my teeth as I slid my tongue beneath the crease of her breasts, down her flat stomach, further down her abdomen, hot flesh against hot flesh. Suddenly, she lost all shyness. Her hands roamed at will, touched where they wanted to touch. I let her. She wasn't shy any longer, and although she was inexperienced, she wordlessly let me know what she wanted. She reached for my hard cock and firmly gripped it, then instinctively stroked. I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped my own lips as she slowly began to stroke. I felt as if I couldn't get enough of her warmth, her welcoming of my touch, and I felt that I could do nothing but succumb to hers. Her touch was soft and sometimes tentative, but I enjoyed every single one.

I shifted position and straddled her, looking down into her flushed face, her wide eyes, pupils wet and dilated, balancing my weight on hands and knees while my dick bounced against her belly, no mistaking my desire for her. I lowered myself again to kiss her and her arms slid along my arms, first tracing a trail of heat along my biceps and then along the bulge of my triceps. When she stroked her hands down my back and then my ass, I nearly lost it.

I reached for the bedside table and opened the drawer, retrieving a condom. She saw what I was up to and reached for it, her eyes warm, her smile tantalizing, her knees apart and spread, my hips tucked now between her knees. Where had shy Riley gone? I watched as she tore open the packet and dropped the foil pack, staring at my dick.

"Can I do it?" she whispered.

My dick responded as she awkwardly but with determination rolled the condom down my length, those fingers of hers so gentle, caressing every inch of the way down. That done, she looked up at me and I looked down at her. She spread her legs, her feet on the mattress as she prepared herself, not knowing what to expect. She smiled up at me, such a brave little smile and it floored me. Humbled me. The pulse in her throat raced.

I guided my dick closer to her slit, kissing her at the same time. She was wet and ready. Slowly, I entered. She tensed and I froze and murmured softly in her ear, my back hunched over her. She wrapped her arms around my waist as if we were jumping off a cliff together. I plunged inside and then froze again. She hissed, stiffened, and then slowly relaxed.

"Are you okay?" I asked. I hadn't wanted to hurt her. Hadn't wanted—

"I'm good…" She murmured, and then her hips lifted upward to pull me in closer.

Exquisite. She was so tight but I slid in easily. I began to move, slowly at first, attuned to her body, allowing her to set the pace. She did, her breath quickening, her moans louder, longer, and deeper. As I thrust, she slightly lifted her hips to meet mine. My heart pounded. I felt astounded that she enthusiastically met my thrusts, as if inviting me to go deeper.

Soon, mewling sounds erupted from her throat and I slowed my strokes despite her grumble of protest. I had to grit my teeth again to curtail my own desire to let go and release. Her hips rocked, faster, shorter, and then she threw her head back into the pillow and uttered a low keening sound. Then she gasped and I felt her muscles contracting in a rhythmic pattern around my shaft. Only then did I let myself go.

We lay joined for several seconds, both of us breathing hard, our hearts pounding. Finally, I moved and pulled myself from her. I quickly and discreetly unrolled the condom off my still erect dick, the blood still pulsing through the engorged veins along its length. I grabbed a tissue from the drawer, wrapped the condom in the tissue and then dropped it on the floor to take care of later.

I sat up and brought her with me, allowing her to rest her head on my shoulder for a moment while she caught her breath. I noticed her hand trembling. I gently stroked the hair back from her face as I gazed at her. Had I hurt her? Had she—

"I never imagined…" She stammered. "I mean, I…"

She paused, then turned to look up at me. "Regardless of why this happened, Wyatt, I'm glad that you were… that you…"

I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "You don't have to say a word, Riley." I tried to ignore the thudding in my chest, the desire to keep her here in my bed. I didn't want to let her go.

But I had to. It was over. The deal had been done.