Dex, Hector, and I arrive at Kara’s house to pick her up at a quarter to eleven a.m. Reaching for the doorbell, I remember her informing me — very brusquely — that it doesn’t work. I knock on the steel security screen, and I’m surprised when I hear the sound of a woman shouting at the door, “Coming!”

It’s not Kara’s voice, so it must be her father’s caregiver. Though this woman is not related to Kara, I can’t help but feel a bit nervous about meeting her. Kara obviously trusts her enough to leave her father with her for an entire weekend.

The front door swings inward and, through the mesh security screen, a robust woman smiles at me. She’s possibly in her early thirties, with golden-brown hair pulled into a messy bun atop her head and a warm smile that lights up her round face.

She unlocks the security screen, and I step back as she pushes it open. “You’re better looking in person,” she remarks as I step inside.

I chuckle. “Ah, hell. I think you actually made me blush.”

She shakes her head as she closes the door behind me. “Is that even possible?” she asks, holding out her hand for a shake. “I’m Jacie, Kurt’s caregiver. And this handsome man is Kurt, Kara’s father.”

The emaciated man lying in the hospital bed in the living room looks nothing like the images of Kurt Langley I saw when I Googled him. He looks like a crumpled piece of paper covered up by a thin blue blanket. The last time I saw him, he was asleep. This time, his tired eyes are locked on mine.

“If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.” The words come out of his mouth in hoarse whisper, but I hear them clear as day.

I have to fix what I’ve done. This man will not die because I didn’t fight hard enough against those layoffs.

“I won’t hurt her, sir. You have my word,” I reply, meeting his gaze straight on.

Kurt shakes his head and closes his eyes. “Your word means nothing to me, kid.”

His words hit me like a punch in the gut. It’s not that I don’t deserve his disdain, but it still catches me off-guard. So much so that I don’t see Kara until she’s standing right in front of me.

She’s wearing a silky black dress that falls gently over her curves. I’m fairly certain the pearl necklace around her graceful neck is meant to impress my parents and the board. Her long, dark hair cascades over her delicate shoulders in luscious waves.

“What?” she asks, glancing down at her outfit self-consciously as she secures a diamond stud earring on her earlobe. “Should I change? I can totally wear something more conservative. I have a cardigan and some chinos.”

I shake my head. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in all my life.”

She rolls her eyes. “Are you making fun of me?”

Jacie laughs out loud. “Honey, you look gorgeous. Take the compliment.”

Kara lets out a heavy sigh. “I’m going to screw this up. I don’t think you should take me.”

“You’re not going to screw anything up,” I assure her, gently grabbing both her arms to look her in the eye. “If the board still pushes me out after they meet you, then it’s because they never had any intention of giving me a chance. I already told you, you’re coming away from this with everything I promised you, no matter what happens. I’m going to make this right. Okay?”

She glances at her father, obviously aware that I’m talking about atoning for what I’ve done to her and him. “Okay.”

When Dex has loaded Kara’s weekender in the trunk of the Mercedes, I open the door for her to slide into the back seat. As the car sets off toward Henderson, Nevada, I can’t help but stare at her. This woman whom I’ve hurt so terribly is trusting that I will follow through on my promise to bail her out of the healthcare nightmare I got her into. As cynical and tough as she can be, her strength is what allows her to surrender to her vulnerability. And what a sight it is.

She stares at her hands in her lap, deeply lost in thought. Reaching toward her, I take her hand and bring it to my mouth to place a kiss on her knuckles.

Her shoulders drop as she seems to relax. “I want to do my best for you, but I’m so afraid I’m going to say or do something wrong.”

“Come here,” I say, beckoning her into my arms.

She smiles as she wraps her arms around my waist and rests her head on my shoulder. “Tell me your favorite childhood memory. I should know that if we’re engaged.”

I chuckle as I hold her close. “I don’t know how extensively you’ve Googled me, but I used to have a younger brother. Gage. He died of meningitis when he was four and I was seven. I was too young to really understand what happened, but I remember his funeral like it happened yesterday, because as we were leaving the graveside, my mother picked me up and carried me to the car. She hadn’t done that in years. I was pretty tall for my age, so I didn’t think anything of it. But when she carried me to the car, I just remember feeling like…everything would be okay.”

We’re both silent for a while before she responds. “Was it?”

“Was what?”

“Was everything okay?”

I grit my teeth against the surge of emotion as I realize she’s asking me to assure her that everything will be okay after her father is gone. “No. But it was nice to believe it would be okay, for a little while.”

She nuzzles her face into my neck and I tighten my hold on her. “Don’t leave my side when we’re there.”

“I won’t,” I assure her, grabbing her jaw to tilt her face up, so I can look her in the eye. “I won’t leave your side for anything. It’s me and you against the world now.”

She finally cracks a smile. “You do look better in person in broad daylight.”

“So you did hear Jacie talking to me. Did you hear your father?”

Her smile fades. “He’s a good man…with an insidious addiction. I wish I didn’t have to deal blackjack to make ends meet. I feel like a drug dealer, knowing how my father’s gambling addiction destroyed us.”

“You won’t have to work at the Billionaire Club anymore after this weekend.”

She sighs and rests her head on my shoulder again. “Why do you always smell so good?”

I chuckle. “Are you complaining? Would you rather I roll around in shit before I take you out?”

“When have you ever taken me out?”

It’s a simple question, but it cuts me deep.

“When we get from the retreat, I’ll take you out, anywhere you want to go. You name it,” I say, my hand landing on her knee.

She lays her hand on top of mine. “Anywhere?”

I slide my hand under the skirt of her dress. “Anywhere.”

The inside of her thigh is soft and warm. The rise and fall of her chest quickens as my hand moves farther up. The sound of her breath comes louder each time she inhales.

My hand reaches the apex of her thighs and I’m pleased to feel no fabric between my fingers and her pillowy flesh. “No panties,” I whisper in her ear as I slide my middle finger along her slit. “And so wet. What am I going to do with you?”

Her body twitches and her hand curls around the lapel of my blazer as I slide my finger inside her. “Anything you want.”

“Anything?” I reply, massaging the ridged pad of flesh just inside her entrance. “I want to lick your pussy.”

“Right now? But what about Dex and Hector in the front?”

“That pane of glass separating us is one-way privacy glass,” I say, lifting her dress so I can see her in all her glory. “They can’t see or hear us. Scoot back, baby.”

“Oh, God,” she murmurs as she scoots into the opposite end of the back seat.

I lay her uninjured leg along the seat, then I gently raise the injured one to look at the bandage on the back of her thigh. “Does it still hurt?” I ask, placing a soft kiss on the inside of her thigh.

Her chest trembles as she breathes heavily. “Not too much.”

I lower her leg and slowly push her dress up to expose her pussy. “Did you shave or wax?”

She lets out a breathless chuckle as I trace my finger along the crease of her thigh. “Wax? Why?”

I kiss the inside of her other thigh. “Because waxing is painful. Knowing you waxed for me makes me want your pussy even more.” I lay a soft kiss on her bare mound and she gasps. “I’m going to show you how much I appreciate your pain.”

I slide two fingers inside her soaking pussy and she leans her head back. Using my other hand, I spread her lips to expose the glistening jewel between her thighs. I softly pinch her clit to feel how engorged it is and she lets out a beautiful moan. Leaning closer, I wait a while, letting her anticipation build before I use the tip of my tongue to trace delicate circles around her swollen nub.

“Oh, my God,” she gasps as her body trembles.

My fingers fuck her deeply as my tongue applies feather soft pressure. The contrasting sensations have her writhing with ecstasy in a matter of seconds. I sense she’s getting close, I slide my fingers out and fuck her with my tongue, so I can drink her in. And she tastes just as delicious as I imagined she would.

I lay the flat of my tongue against her labia and slide my way back up to her clit. Being careful not to touch her bandage, I wrap my arms around her thighs to hold her steady as I devour her. Alternating between firm and gentle strokes, I lick her until her body convulses uncontrollably. She lets out a guttural moan as she practically pulls my hair out. I quickly drink up the cum that gushes out of her, so it doesn’t ruin her dress. Then, I lay a parting kiss on her clit before I come up for air.

She shakes her head as she attempts to catch her breath. “Are you sure they can’t hear us?”

I help her straighten her dress as she fixes my hair. “Positive,” I say, looking out the window. “And look at that. We’re here.”