“Who's Lucas Murdoch?” I ask when we're home, sitting on the couch.

I’ve been quiet since the incident at the lobby, too busy with my own thoughts to talk. I keep coming back to the same question, and I need to know the truth now.

Despite the extensive research I’ve done on Ethan, that was the first time I’d ever heard that name.

“Lucas Murdoch,” Ethan says with a heavy sigh, “is the thorn in my side. I used to think he was a friend, and that was the biggest mistake I ever made.”

“What happened?”

Ethan takes a deep breath. Looks like this is going to be a long story.

“It's a long story,” he says. No kidding.

“We have time.”

“Yeah. I'm just trying to think about where to begin.”

“At the beginning?”

“Good suggestion.” Ethan chuckles and pauses to think. “I got to know Lucas at some networking event—I don't even remember which one. I used to go to a lot of networking events when I was getting started, trying to find people to do business with.”

“And you partnered with Lucas?”

“Something like that. Before I got sick, I worked as management at a mall. I knew there was a lot of money to be made in running shopping centers in certain areas. I’d done my research and I knew exactly what to do. I had the experience and the skills, but not the money.”

“Let me guess, Lucas had the money?” I ask.

“Close,” Ethan says. “He didn't personally have the money himself, but he knew people who did. After listening to my ideas, he told me he’d introduce me to some people. Investors. People with money but no time—or skills.” Ethan snorts in a way that makes it obvious he’s aware of how good he is.

“Long story short, I presented my ideas to some rich people and some of them agreed to work with me. I built a team and we, well, made it happen. Lucas was the person responsible for acquiring land and erecting the actual building.”

“From what those people said at the office, it seems like he didn't really follow the rules, did he?”

“You’re right. He didn't.” Ethan heaves a big sigh. “He definitely didn't. He was harassing landowners who didn’t want to sell, and pushing their prices down.”

“Didn't you know he was doing this?”

“No, and that's…” Ethan trails off, looking like it's a real struggle to get the next words out. “I trusted him. He was there from the beginning, you know? He was the first person who believed in me. I thought he was my friend.”

So he got burned by someone close to him. That explains why he always prefers to work on his own, and why he keeps a distance from the staff.

“When I found out, I kicked him out of the project. I told him I was going to tell the investors what he’d done if he didn't leave. So he did. He left.”

“And you never told anyone about it?” I ask incredulously.

“It's… I want to say it's more complicated, but that's not an excuse. I didn't tell anyone. I regret that now, but at the time, I…had other things on my mind.”

“Like what?” I can't believe he’d turn a blind eye to something like that, happening right under his nose. What excuse could he have?

“Well, that was when I was just beginning to earn some money and talking to lawyers about getting Penny back. It became apparent that I needed to spend a lot in legal fees. I was worried that if I’d told the investors about what that fucker was doing, they’d pull their funding and we’d have to end the whole project. And then I might never get another chance to try again. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“Can't you get him now?” I ask.

“I’ve asked my attorney about it, but I don't have anything on the guy. I was eager to just get rid of him without alerting the investors, and I was relieved when he said he’d leave voluntarily. The only thing he wanted was to comb through the documents and get rid of anything I could use against him. I said yes.”

“Why?”

And how could you? I want to ask. But I feel like Ethan would have a good reason behind his actions, even if he’d made questionable decisions.

“I was worried he’d call my bluff and tell me to go ahead and report him to the investors. I wouldn't know what to do had he done that. I could lose everything, all my hard work, all my effort to get Penny back, up until that point.

“And Penny, she hated living with Ashley. Penny used to call me in the middle of the night when Ashley hadn't come home yet, scared shitless because it was dark and she was home alone.

“It was so hard not to just go there and take her with me. You should've heard her voice. She was always trying to be strong, trying not to worry me. She’d tell me she was just calling because she was missing me, but I could hear the fear in her voice, and it was…” Ethan’s voice trails off as he rubs his palms over his face, his sentence unfinished.

Taking a deep breath, he continues, “It was the hardest thing I’d ever done, just listening to her and not being able to do anything about it. They would've arrested me for kidnapping, had I just driven over there and taken her home.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” I scoot over on the couch and rub his back, hoping to give him some comfort.

“I know it was wrong that I let Lucas go like that. He wronged all those people. I should've done more to help them.”

“You had your own problems. I understand why you made the decisions that you did. You had to put Penny first.”

“Yeah. That's what I tell myself. But it doesn't make me feel good when I have people coming to my office, screaming about how I’ve ruined their lives.”

“They just don't know the whole story. I’m sure people would understand if they knew where you were coming from.”

“I could've done more,” Ethan says with a regretful expression that breaks my heart.

“No, you couldn't have. Not without sacrificing your goal of getting Penny back.”

He goes silent, then he turns to me. Looking at me with a pair of vulnerable blue eyes, he says, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For saying that. I never told anyone that story before. I didn't think anyone would understand. But you…” Ethan’s sentence hangs in the air as the corners of his lips curl up. He repeats, “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” I return Ethan’s smile.

I don't mind him unloading on me at all. If anything, it feels like a privilege to be the first one he trusts with his side of the story.

Now I know why he had to put his work first, above anything. It was all for Penny.

Despite the vast wealth that he has today, he was struggling all those years ago. Like many other people, he was just doing his best for his family.

Ethan gazes deep into my soul. And in this moment, I feel like we’re bound together—not just by the legal contract of marriage, but by this secret that he has just shared with me. He has just invited me into his inner circle, showing me that he trusts me.

I forget all the anger I feel toward him. It’s like all those ugly emotions have just evaporated, replaced by overwhelming affection.

I lean closer and touch my forehead against his, closing my eyes. I’m not surprised when he kisses me, light and refreshing like a drizzle on a sunny day, washing away any negative feelings I’ve ever had against him.

I know him now, and he’s a good man.

He’s not flawless—nobody is. He’s right, in a way; he could’ve done more for the victims of his former business partner.

But he didn’t actively do anything bad. He just found himself in a shitty situation and made the best decisions he could. Nobody could please everybody all the time.

He brushes his lips against mine and swipes his tongue between my lips. Every part of my body pulsates, yearning for more. I open for him and release a sigh against his lips. Putting my hand on his face, I run my fingers over his jaw, smooth from a fresh shave.

The kiss grows more and more intense, making me dizzy and breathless. Ethan puts one hand on my back and leans me back, laying me down on the couch.

Even though neither one of us says it, we both know what’s coming next. Our bodies tell of our desires without words.

Ethan hovers over me, our legs tangled as our tongues continue to twist together. The muscles in my pussy clench around air, and I yearn to be filled up.

I don’t understand these new sensations, but I know I need Ethan more than air right now. I feel more alive than I ever have. Whatever he’s doing, I never want it to stop.  

Ethan slips his hand under my back, and I arch my body to give him access. He pulls the zipper down my back, while I reach up and tug at his shirt.

He pulls back just enough from the kiss to quickly yank it off, showing off his sculpted chest and abs. He has a beautiful body. Whoever said that women don’t get aroused by visual stimulation has never seen someone like Ethan.

Under the sunlight that’s pouring in through the big glass panels, he looks majestic. Powerful. And all I want is for him to unleash all that power on me.  

“Take off your dress,” Ethan says in a hoarse voice.

“Only if you take off your jeans,” I respond.

“Deal.”

Again, I arch my back and pull my dress off.

I may have been happy enough to let him lavish his attentions on me so far, but it’s time for me to explore his body as well.

I want to see all of him, like he has seen all of me. I want to make him sigh and gasp, like he has made me. I want to make him come—or at least try. I’ve never done this before, after all, and I have no idea how to do anything.

“Your panties. Off. Now,” Ethan demands, resorting to short sentences, now that lust has overtaken him. I can see the primal desire in his eyes, and it only makes me want to be taken by him.

His voice reminds me of those days in the office, when I used to follow his orders without even asking, and even back then, it used to send chills throughout my body. Now I know what those were about. I’ve always wanted this man, even when I thought he was a heartless monster.

I obey him, slipping my panties down my legs as he throws his pants down on the floor. I can’t help but stare at Ethan’s cock. It looks big, hard, and frightening.

Of course I’ve seen cocks before in pictures and videos—this is 2017 and you can find anything on the Internet. But seeing one in real life is completely different, especially when I know it’s about to go inside me,.

“You can touch it if you want,” Ethan says when he notices my curiosity.

I gingerly raise my finger to his cock. As soon as I graze the velvety skin, it jumps. I hear Ethan gasp, and my gaze flicks toward his face. His jaw is slack, his mouth open.

I haven’t even done anything, but he’s already reacting. I don’t know what I’m doing, but he doesn’t seem to mind; he just wants my hand on him. I know now why he always wears an intense expression when he makes me come; this is a trip.

I get bolder and touch him again, with my whole hand this time, wrapping my palm around his cock like I’ve seen people do online. It seems I’m doing something right because Ethan groans, a sound that gets right under my skin.

The thick shaft of his cock is hard, but the head is kind of spongy. A drop of clear liquid has gathered at the tip, and I’m overcome by the urge to taste him, just like he has tasted me. I brush the tip of my index finger over it and stick it into my mouth. It's thick, salty and musky.

“That's the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” Ethan says, his voice low and dangerous. He’s been staring at me, I realize, while I’ve been preoccupied with his cock.

I give him a smile and reach back down to grab him again, but he takes my wrist and pins it against the couch, over the top of my head.

“Stop, or you’ll make me come,” he says.

“Maybe that's what I want to do.”

“Oh, you’ll get to do that, don't worry. But if I’m going to come,  I’ll going to come inside you.” He gathers my other wrist and holds them both with one hand, while his other hand travels south to find my folds.

I’m still slick from the orgasm he gave me at the rooftop, and from the raw sexual energy crackling between us right now. Running his fingers over my pussy, he stares into my eyes and says, “You're ready for me, aren't you, kitten?”

I bite my lower lip and nod.

“This might hurt, but you don't care anymore, do you?”

I softly shake my head while looking up at him in surrender.

“That's what I thought.” Ethan puts the tip of his cock right at my opening and locks his gaze on me, watching me as he takes my virginity.

He pushes inside. It just feels strange at first, and then it gets painful as his thickness stretches me. I wince.

“You okay?” He stops and waits until I’ve collected my breath and nodded. Then, he slides a tiny bit deeper.

It hurts and I can't help but wince again, even though I want this really badly.

The next time Ethan stops, he gets up. I worry he might be getting fed up and want to end this. I'm just about to beg him to continue. But instead of leaving, he just gets on his knees and pulls me up until my thighs are over his.

He puts his finger on my clit, reminding my body of its arousal. I moan. It feels exquisite, this mixture of pleasure and pain. Gradually, the pleasure trumps the pain, and it doesn't bother me as much anymore.

With his cock still halfway inside me, Ethan rubs my clit with circular motions. As my arousal builds up, my muscles grab onto his cock and I feel myself grow wet.

“Come for me, kitten,” Ethan commands.

Like a good pet obeying her master, my body starts to shake on its own, and soon I can only throw my head back as an orgasm tears through me. Through the fog of pleasure, I’m vaguely aware of Ethan moving inside me. When I open my eyes to look at him again, he’s staring where our bodies are joined together.

“You just creamed all over my cock,” he says. “I love how wet you get.” Smirking, he adds, “I’m all the way inside you now.”

“I know,” I say. I can feel his balls pressing against my ass. He feels strange and foreign, but I have to admit, it feels good when my muscles have something to grab onto as I come.

Ethan slides his cock out, then he pushes himself back inside me. With the added lubrication, it doesn't feel painful anymore. It's actually starting to feel good.

“You’re so fucking tight,” he says as he leans down to hover over me, slowly sliding in and out of me to a steady rhythm.

I moan when he kisses my neck and pinches my nipples. All the pleasurable sensations—on my neck, my nipples, all over my skin—shoot straight to my pussy, which is still sensitive from the orgasm. My muscles grab on tight to the thick cock inside me.

Ethan growls in my ear as he picks up his pace, although I can feel him holding himself back. Maybe he's afraid he might hurt me. I feel precious, being treated with such care by a man who doesn't waste his affections on most people.

I put my hand on his ass and pull him close, urging him on. I feel his muscles tense and relax, as he pumps into me harder and faster, taking my invitation. His fingers seek out my clit and effortlessly find it. Rubbing my pleasure button, he continues to fuck me. When I come for the third time at his hands today, he swells bigger inside me.

“You’re mine,” he says as he stares right into my eyes.

“Yeah.”

“Say it,” he groans.

“I’m yours,” I gasp.

I feel his cock twitch inside me as we both explode together. I can only hold on, my fingers digging into his ass cheeks, when he grinds into me and stills.

“Say it again. Say that you're mine.” Ethan gazes at me with tenderness and possessiveness. He wants to own me, and I want to belong to him.

“I’m all yours.” I have no idea if he’s my husband or my lover. Somehow, we’ve skipped the boyfriend-girlfriend phase and jumped straight into this strange, intense live-in relationship.

But as Ethan kisses my temple softly and strokes my hair, I know I’m right where I belong.

“I’m yours, too,” he says.