Chapter 6

MARIAH

Everything about River drove Mariah crazy. She could hardly contain herself. He was brash and dominant; he made her smile and feel like the sexiest woman in the world. River didn’t care that she had no way of actually helping him unless she knew the truth about his past. He was just a giant jerk, who happened to be sexy as hell.

Yet when she felt her body pressed up against his, there was an entirely different feeling pulsing through her body. He drove her crazy in a much different way when his hands wrapped around her waist, and she looked up into his hazel eyes.

Mariah knew she shouldn’t have taken those two drinks of Sake. But her anger at how River was acting had overwhelmed her, and she wanted to show him she was tough. But combined with the two shots she had finished off before the date, Mariah had a very good buzz going on and knew she needed to get her butt into bed so she could sleep it off.

“I’m fine. I can take a cab back,” Mariah said as she tried to muster up all her poise so she didn’t seem as tipsy as she felt.

River didn’t answer her and just stood with his arm around her waist as they waited for his driver to pull up. Mariah looked up at him and searched his face for some sort of response, but got nothing. He was so firm as he stood there next to her. Every part of his body seemed like it was made out of solid muscle. Mariah couldn’t help letting her imagination wonder to what River would look like without his clothes on.

Mariah wasn’t the type of girl that often imagined men being naked. She was much more proper and shy than that. But River drove her wild and put her body on alert when he was near. She couldn’t stop herself from imagining him without his clothes on.

“Yen, thanks for coming back so soon. Can you drive us around for a bit?” River said as he opened the door to let Mariah in.

“Sure,” Yen responded as he went back to the front of the SUV.

River waited until Mariah was all the way in the vehicle to shut the door before running around to the other side and climbing in. The first thing he did when he got into the vehicle was put the solid partition up behind the driver.

“I thought you were taking me home?” Mariah asked as she crossed her legs and leaned over toward River.

“We still need to talk,” River said, leaning toward Mariah as well.

She felt her body drawn to him with a need to just jump into his lap and straddle him right there in his vehicle. Her fingers moved ever so slightly closer to River as her breathing quickened with the thought of him. His dark suit was perfectly tailored to his body, and Mariah wanted to feel it against her skin again, or perhaps under her body as she straddled him.

Boy wouldn’t that be unprofessional, she thought.

River was the type of guy that Mariah wanted. He was handsome and confident. Even the fact that he had ordered her food without consulting her had sort of turned her on; although she certainly wasn’t going to admit that to him. He was sexy in everything he did. Even sitting there next to her in the SUV, River looked like something right out of GQ magazine.

His sleek suit was fitted to every muscle of his body. Mariah felt her body as it urged her on to touch his chest again like she had when he steadied her in the restaurant. She wasn’t used to being around a man like River. A man that made her feel so out of control; it was something new to her.

Everything inside of her said that she needed to get away from River. Whatever his secret was, it had to be bad if he wasn’t even willing to tell his PR company about it. He was almost twice her age and obviously had much more experience at everything than Mariah did. Yet as much as her mind told her to get away from him, Mariah felt her body moving closer and closer to River.

“What do we need to talk about?” Mariah said as she moved herself to the middle seat of the SUV.

River looked at her legs as she uncrossed them and pressed herself into the closer seat, then crossed them again. She was teasing him, and she saw how his eyes fixated on her. There was a certain power in controlling him the way she did with her body. Mariah liked the idea of having just a little control over a man as powerful as River Anders. She suspected not many people had any sort of power at all around him.

“Don’t you want to know what I need your company for?” River said as he let his fingers slide up and down Mariah’s arm.

“Nope, I don’t want to know at all. Remember, I think you should go work with my father. Don’t tell me anything,” Mariah said as she lifted his fingers off of her arm and put his hand back into his own lap.

She didn’t really know what had come over her, but Mariah felt a power and attraction to River that she didn’t want to give up. It was certainly the combination of alcohol and adrenaline from meeting with River, but Mariah didn’t really care. She loved how it felt to be close to River and feel him wanting her.

“I want you,” River said.

Mariah couldn’t help smiling at River’s declaration to her. He didn’t seem the kind of guy who women said no to very often. But Mariah liked the game they were playing. She liked how bad he wanted her and how she felt like she was in control.

“Oh, you do?” Mariah asked as she let her hand touch his thigh.

The feeling of his hard muscular thigh under her fingers sent wetness throughout her body, and she almost instantly moved her hand. She couldn’t take it; Mariah couldn’t stand the feeling of wanting River so bad and not being able to have him.

She started to move back to her own seat, but River grabbed her hand and held her in the middle seat of the vehicle. His hazel eyes gazed intently at Mariah, and she froze in place. Her breathing became more labored as she tried to think of what she should do next. Everything about their night had been against what she normally did. She wanted River so bad she could almost taste his lips on hers.

“I mean, I don’t want to work with your father,” River said as he released Mariah’s hand.

“Then tell me what I need to know.”

“I can’t. Not yet. I want one night of you looking at me like that and not knowing how horrible a person I really am,” River said as he leaned in close to Mariah.

For a moment, Mariah thought that River was going to kiss her. It wasn’t something she would have denied; Mariah wanted to kiss him just as bad. She licked her lips in anticipation as River leaned in close to her.

His eyes darted back and forth between her lips and her eyes. Mariah felt the pull of his conscience as he watched her. There was only a small amount of willpower between the two of them, and with just one quick movement they could get past that obstacle and have their lips pressed against one another.

“I won’t think you’re a horrible person,” Mariah said as she let her hand touch his.

River closed his eyes and took in a deep breath at the feeling of her skin against his. Mariah felt the exact same way as River, but she couldn’t be the one to give in to her desires first. Only after River gave in to his desires would Mariah give in to her desires. She had to be at least that strong.

Suddenly River pressed the button to put the window down so he could talk to the driver.

“Yen, let’s go back to Miss Waves’ apartment please,” River said.

“My friend will be gone. I live alone,” Mariah said as she looked into River’s eyes and tried to persuade him that whatever he was thinking about was exactly what she was thinking as well.

Again, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Mariah loved how out of control he looked at the moment while trying desperately to stay in control. She felt powerful in the haze of her drinks from the night. Mariah felt like a vixen on the search for her prey, and River was just the man she wanted to play with.

She had never tried to seduce a man before and didn’t really know what had come over her with River. But somehow she had the confidence to go after him, and she wasn’t going to give the moment away. Mariah wanted River in her bed that night.

Out of the blue, she wished she had worn something a little sexier than a turtleneck. It was really hard to be sexy when you couldn’t show any skin above the knees on any part of your body. Mariah arched her back and pressed her breasts out as she tried to get more of River’s attention.

“I’ll walk you up, but then I should leave,” River said as they arrived at Mariah’s apartment.

“Why?” Mariah asked as she held his hand and hopped out of the vehicle.

The tipsy feeling she had at the restaurant seemed to have passed slightly, and Mariah felt more in charge than ever. She wanted River, and Mariah knew he wanted her as well. There was no way he was going to deny her.

In the morning, Mariah would just tell her father that she wasn’t up to the task of taking on River’s case. It would be as simple as that. Her father and Elizabeth could take on the case, or even Rudy for all Mariah cared. She just knew she had to have River, and if that meant not working with him, then that was just fine. Never had she felt such an intense attraction and pull to be with a guy. She was going for it.

“I’m not going to take advantage of you Mariah,” River said as they stood and waited for the elevator.

Mariah didn’t respond at first and stood there silently as the elevator opened and they walked in. She leaned against the railing in the elevator and arched her back as she let her head rest against the wall. River didn’t have to take advantage of her, she was planning to take advantage of him.

“What if I want to take advantage of you?” Mariah said as she looked over and smiled at River.

He couldn’t help smiling back at Mariah. As the elevator opened, Mariah grabbed River’s hand and pulled him toward her apartment. She laughed as he seemed to reluctantly follow her down the hallway. When they arrived in front of her door, she leaned back and pulled River right up next to her as she wrapped her arms around him.

“I’m taking advantage of you,” she whispered with a little bit of a giggle.

River couldn’t hold back a second longer. He pressed Mariah firmly against the door and let his lips take hers. The feeling of his lips shocked Mariah at first, not because he kissed her, but because of the passion that he had with his kiss. It was clearly very obvious that River had wanted to kiss her for a long time and had just finally given in to his desire.

As their lips pressed against one another, River let his hands wander up and down the curves of Mariah’s body. His touch left her knees weak as she tried to stay in an upright position. Everything about River was like out of a movie. His looks, his attitude, he could have been the next 007 character from the Bond Series.

Mariah wasn’t used to having such a handsome and successful guy interested in her. Throughout college, most of the men who asked her out were the jocks and jerks. She didn’t go out with many of them but certainly knew they weren’t the kind of men she wanted around once she was out of school.

Mariah felt her hips pressing up against River, and she could feel the hardness of his erect body as he pressed back against her. She wanted him desperately. At that moment, Mariah didn’t care about work, her career, her father, or anything else. All she could think about was having River in her bed.

She turned around and got her keys out as she tried to get the door open. River wrapped his arms around her and gently moved her hair away from the back of her neck. He pressed her turtleneck down and let his lips touch the delicate skin under her ear. Mariah stopped, and instead of unlocking the door, she pressed her ass back against him and leaned her body into his.

“I’m going to have to leave now,” River said between kisses to her neck.

“No, you can stay.”

“You and I both know, I need to leave, Mariah.”

Just then, Mariah unlocked her door and stepped inside. She turned around to look at River and pulled on his hand in an effort to get him to come inside. He was just trying to be a gentleman and say that he couldn’t stay. She was intent on convincing him that he needed to come into her apartment. He needed to be naked in her bed.

“Come in,” Mariah whispered.

“Goodnight, Mariah. I’ll see you tomorrow,” River said as he kissed her hand and turned to walk down the hallway.

Mariah watched him walk away and then closed the door when she could no longer see him. She slid down to the ground and then jumped back up in excitement. Everything in her body felt invigorated, and she couldn’t help jumping up and down with the extra surge of energy. It had surprised her that River didn’t take the offer to come into her apartment, but she didn’t mind at all. He was obviously into her, and that sent exhilaration right through her soul.

Nothing had ever felt as full of electricity as that night with River. He was something she had never experienced before, and everything in her body wanted to have him near her. The way he looked at her, talked to her, touched her; Mariah wanted to have more of that as soon as possible.

Mariah didn’t care that they were going to work together, and she didn’t care what his secret was. It couldn’t be all that bad of a secret; it wasn’t like he murdered someone or something like that.

Mariah had no idea what had happened at all and why he had decided to leave, though. It didn’t seem like something River would do. They had gone from arguing about him telling her the truth to kissing. It wasn’t something Mariah had expected, yet it didn’t surprise her at all either. There was just something about River that was so out of control and new to her. She had to call Elizabeth.

As she dialed the phone, Mariah quickly hung up. What was she going to tell Elizabeth? She couldn’t admit to the kiss with River and still work with him. Elizabeth would just tease her about it, and they would never get any work done. Or it was entirely possible that Elizabeth would freak out and tell Mariah that she was being unprofessional. Hopefully, Elizabeth wouldn’t feel that way; she had been part of the planning for the date. But Mariah never knew what Elizabeth was going to do when a situation got out of control. If her father found out about her little date with River, Mariah certainly wouldn’t get to keep working with him, and Elizabeth would have to defend herself and not stand up for Mariah.

Mariah could still ask her father to take the case, but she felt a new need to be around River and wasn’t all that excited about giving away that time to her father. Maybe she would just pretend like nothing happened and continue to work on his case. Certainly, nothing all that big had happened, they had only kissed. People had worked together with much worse histories behind them; Mariah was sure of it.

She decided not to call Elizabeth, not to tell anyone what happened. Mariah was intent on keeping River for herself. Whatever his secret was, it couldn’t be all that damning; Elizabeth could tell a lot about people, and even though River was a little rough around the edges when it came to dealing with her, Mariah couldn’t imagine that he had done something as horrible as he thought it was.