Club Prive Complete Series Box Set: Alpha Billionaire Romance by Parker, M. S. (2)

Club Privé Book 2

By M.S. Parker

 

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 M.S. Parker

Published by M.S. Parker Romance.

 

Chapter 1

 

I tightened my grip on my phone, Gavin’s words echoing in my ears as he waited for me to respond.

“I missed you and just had to hear your voice, so I did my detective thing and found your number.”

What was I supposed to say to that after what I’d just learned?

The list went rapid-fire through my mind. Gavin pretending to have been just a member of Club Privé when we’d met him there last night, when, in fact, he owned the place. Even worse than that, he had hired Jeff to follow Krissy, to get to know her while pretending to be a rich investor; all so he could get the two of us to the club’s opening. And I still didn’t know who had been the target. Krissy... or me.

Krissy stared at me with wide eyes. She mouthed his name and I nodded. Her eyes narrowed. “Hang up on the bastard.”

I was seriously considering it.

“Carrie?”

Apparently my near full minute of silence had made Gavin realize that something was wrong.

“Are you okay?”

The sincerity in his tone as he asked the question was what set me off. The temper I usually had no problem keeping under control flared.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I didn’t shout the words, but Krissy actually sat back as if I had. My tone was flat and I struggled to keep it that way. “You lie to me, fuck me, and then call me like everything’s just fine?”

Krissy stood up, the expression on her face saying that she didn’t want to be here for this. I was too pissed at the moment to be grateful for the privacy. I would’ve had it out with Gavin even if we’d been in the middle of a public place. Like I’d said before: I didn’t get truly angry often, but when I did, it was bad.

“Whoa, wait. What are you talking about?”

I could hear the shock in his voice, but I didn’t believe it for a moment. It all made sense now. Him knowing where I worked. Showing up at the club. Having access to that room and saying it didn’t matter how long we were there. He’d been playing me. I wouldn’t even put it past him to have arranged our first meeting at Huggins. I wanted answers, and I could feel the cool logic that made me good at my job breaking through my anger. One fueled the other and my focus sharpened.

“Let’s start with the easy one.” Studying to be a lawyer had taught me to think in steps. Some lawyers came out with the big guns first, but I always did it the other way, building my case from the weakest link to the strongest, wanting to leave the jury with the most damning piece of evidence when they went to deliberation. “You aren’t a member of Club Privé. You own it.”

Silence.

At least he didn’t come back with a quick denial. That would’ve pissed me off more.

“You’re half-right,” he said finally. “I’m only part owner. I have several silent partners.”

“Part owner,” I echoed his words back to him. He still sounded like he was hedging, and I needed to know how open he was going to be. If he balked at this, I’d never get the truth out of him about the stalking.

“Club Privé was my idea but a club this elaborate, of this magnitude, requires a lot of capital,” he explained. “I could never have built this on my own. There are nine other investors. Technically, they each own a part of the club, but since I’m the creator and day-to-day manager, I guess you could say I’m the owner.” His tone had shifted from confused concern to something more cautious.

“You told me you were a member. You never said anything about being a part owner.” I stuck with the accusatory method rather than asking questions. I wasn’t in the courtroom, so I could get away with it. Besides, I was still pissed.

“I like you, Carrie, but I don’t know you that well,” he said. “I wanted to see if you liked me for who I was, not because I had money. I’ve had enough women offer to sleep with me to get to my bank account.”

I scowled. That was a good reason. I didn’t want him to have a good reason. I wanted to trap him in this lie without an excuse so that it would be easy to believe he was just a fake, a bastard pretending to be a good guy.

“I’ll give you that,” I had to concede before I moved on to the big issue. “But you also said it was a coincidence that we ended up at the club at the same time.”

I paused, waiting to see if he’d incriminate himself or lie again. He did neither.

“You knew I’d be there.” My voice grew tight as the betrayal cut through me again. “You knew because your employee, Jeff, told you that I would be. He told you because you hired him to stalk my roommate and use her to get to me.”

“Carrie, that’s not–”

I interrupted, my temper overcoming my logic as my hurt strengthened my anger. “It’s bad enough you kept tabs on me, but to have someone follow my friend and pretend to like her? They slept together, you know. You paid your employee to fuck my friend. Do you know what that makes you?”

“Hold on!” Gavin raised his voice, cutting off my tirade. “That’s not what happened.”

“So you’re calling Krissy a liar? Or was it just Jeff who’s lying?”

“No,” Gavin said. “That’s not – I mean...” He sighed. “I did have Jeff get to know Krissy and invite her to the Club. I asked him to suggest she bring you, but I never told him to sleep with her. In fact, I told him just the opposite. He could flirt, but he wasn’t supposed to have sex with her.”

“Excuse me if I don’t believe a word you say.” I pulled my legs up underneath me. Part of me wanted to curl up in a ball here on the couch and cry, but I couldn’t do that. Not until I knew the truth.

“Look, from the moment I met you at Huggins, I was drawn to you.” Gavin’s voice took on an almost desperate note. “I kept waiting for your call, and when you didn’t make one, I thought maybe I’d done something wrong. I got curious. I had to know more about you, find you so I could figure out what happened. I did go back to the bar to ask about you. It’s the truth. It wasn’t until after we went to lunch that I realized I had to be a bit more creative if I wanted to learn more about you. Getting Jeff to invite you both to the club seemed like a good idea at the time. It was stupid, I know, but I was desperate. I needed to know more.”

“So you hired someone to stalk my best friend?” I ignored the way my stomach squirmed when he talked about needing me.

“What better way to get to know someone than to talk to the person who knows them best?”

That was actually pretty smart, I thought.

“I’m so sorry, Carrie. And please tell Krissy that I never meant for her to get caught in this. It was just supposed to be a few drinks. I didn’t know Jeff was going to sleep with her.”

That wasn’t going to happen. “You’re going to have to make right with her on your own. I’m not playing your go-between.”

“Fair enough,” Gavin said. His voice softened. “Please believe me, Carrie. I just wanted to see you, to get to know you. I was an idiot who went way too far, but I get...obsessive when there’s something I want. And I want you.”

I swallowed hard as my body responded to his words. I wanted him too. Badly. But could I trust him? Trust wasn’t really an issue for a fling, but if it was ever going to be anything more than that one time – okay, technically two times – I had to know that he was being honest with me.

“You lied.”

He was silent for a moment. “No more lies. I swear. Please, forgive me. Let me see you again. I promise to make it up to you.” He sounded more insecure than I’d have thought possible. “Forgive me.”

I wanted to, and the words were on the tip of my tongue to say. Just a few little words and I could be with him. But my heart still stung with his betrayal, and no matter how good he was in bed, or how enamored with him I was, it wasn’t enough to soothe the pain.

“I don’t think I can.”

I hung up before he could plead his case any further.

Chapter 2

 

I’d had some bad weekends in my life, but this past one was definitely near the top of my list. Krissy hadn’t asked me for an explanation, but she deserved one, so I told her everything, leaving nothing out. She was a smart woman. She could decide for herself what Jeff’s intentions had been. In true Krissy fashion, she’d declared the need for shopping therapy. I’d declined the invitation and spent the rest of the day moping around in my robe and eating half a carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream. I’d retreated into my room by the time Krissy returned with three bags, two of which were full of shoes. She was also smiling and in a great mood. Apparently there was something to be said for shopping therapy.

Then it was Monday morning and time to head back to work. I’d turned my phone off after Gavin had called twice, and now, as I headed for my desk, I turned it back on. We weren’t allowed to take personal calls at work, but we could leave our phones on if clients had our numbers. A good lawyer can be reached any time of day or night. I stopped halfway to my desk, staring at my phone.

Four more missed calls. A total of six voicemails – I hadn’t bothered listening to or deleting the first two – and twelve text messages.

I shook my head as I started walking again. I sat down and placed my phone on my desk. I was torn. Did I want to just erase everything without listening or reading, or did I at least want to hear what he had to say? Even as I tapped voicemail, I asked myself if I only wanted to listen to the voicemails to hear the sound of his voice. I didn’t answer.

Each one was the same. He apologized. Said that he never meant for anyone to get hurt. Begged me to forgive him.

I erased them all and then looked at the text messages. They would probably just be more of the same, but I couldn’t help myself. I began to go through them one at a time.

“Please, baby, forgive me. I’m so sorry.”

“I never meant to hurt you.”

“I just want to see you again.”

He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said he was obsessive. I knew it should have freaked me out, but it didn’t. There was something about his persistence that was flattering and sweet rather than creepy. I’d never had anyone pursue me even a fraction as passionately. He may have lied about the details of who he was, but I’d connected with him more deeply than on the surface. The parts of him that were intense and attentive, those were genuine. He was strong and had a fierceness to him, but I hadn’t detected a hint of violence in him. I didn’t need to be scared of him. I knew that. What I didn’t know was if I could ever trust him.

As I was deleting the last of his messages, a delivery man walked down the aisle next to my desk, a bouquet of red roses in his arms. It didn’t really surprise me when he stopped in front of me.

“Carrie Summers?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said with a sigh.

“Here.” He handed me the flowers, gave me a smile, and walked away.

I didn’t have to look at the card to know who they were from, but I did anyway.

“I’m so sorry – G.”

I threw the flowers into the trash and pushed thoughts of Gavin out of my mind. I had work to do.

There was one little problem with my plan to use work as a distraction. The only case I was supposed to be working on at the moment was the Howard Weiss divorce. I hadn’t considered how much Gavin was going to show up in my research.

Mimi had assigned me to find out as much as possible about Howard’s personal habits, before and after his marriage, as well as since his separation. The best place to start for anything that could be considered dirt was in the very place that did the mud-slinging: gossip magazines and tabloids. While the latter were notorious for making up stories, occasionally they did stumble across a little bit of truth. Besides, if Howard’s wife’s attorney was any good at his or her job at all, these rumors were going to be ammunition.

I went back nearly twenty-five years, to when Princeton graduate Howard Weiss had taken the business world by storm. He’d been one of the city’s most eligible bachelors by age twenty-two and, from the looks of things, had made the most of it. Nearly every picture I found had at least one woman on his arm, usually some new up-and-coming actress or model. Going through Howard’s dating history was like looking at a list of the country’s future stars. Most of them were names that were still big now. Cassandra Maltese had won a Golden Globe last year for her portrayal of Eleanor Roosevelt, and Neesa Kole was considered one of the hottest lingerie models over thirty. I’d seen Tony Award-winning Iris Sanderson on Broadway two months ago when Mimi had given me one of her extra tickets.

As of fifteen years ago, the pictures shifted to Howard with one woman: heiress Meredith Decker-Weiss. Her family had invested in Howard’s companies at the beginning, helping him go from handsome, wealthy businessman to richer than they were. He and she had dated for just eight months before getting married in a huge, lavish wedding. For the first year, everything had seemed perfect. I found hundreds of articles and photographs where they were together, arms around each other, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes. I sincerely hoped that this was going to continue. We could deal with a reformed ladies’ man.

Then, other pictures started to creep in. According to what I read, Meredith had begun to spend more time doing charity work and less time pandering to the cameras with Howard. They both claimed that she preferred privacy, and he had no problem being the public face of the companies he ran. In the years that followed, pictures of Howard generally included pretty, petite blonds hanging on his every word.

I sighed. Once a dog... I closed my eyes and counted to ten. I couldn’t judge my client. Even if he had been cheating on his wife with every one of these women, the only way it was relevant was in regard to how it affected the case – who could prove what. Pictures at public events where the most intimate contact was his hand resting on a hip didn’t mean infidelity. Or so I told myself as I turned my attention back to the photographs.

At first, the women were dressed a little too... “party girl” for his formal events, but starting about six years ago, there was a subtle change. The women he was with in the newer photos looked more sophisticated and less like co-eds. Their hair, while probably still not natural blond for the majority of them, didn’t have the brassy, fried look of a cheap dye job. They too wore make-up, but less of it. Gone were the blood-red lips, changed out for something a little more subtle. Their dresses were still fitted and revealing, but looked more like something from the red carpet than from a frat party.

I wasn’t sure if that meant Howard had gone from girls he could flirt with while they went with him to events to women who could hold a decent conversation, or just that he’d finally realized that he’d started looking like someone having a mid-life crisis.

I was still pondering the reason for the change when a familiar face caught my eye. My heart skipped a beat as I saw Gavin standing off to the side at a charity ball. He was dressed in a tux and looking good enough to eat. I swallowed hard, then glanced at the date. Over a year ago. I didn’t know how long Gavin had worked for Howard, but this suggested at least fourteen or fifteen months.

I kept looking through the pictures, but instead of paying attention to the three or four repeating female faces that showed up next to Howard, I found myself scanning the background, looking for that handsome profile. The next time I spotted him, he was right next to Howard in the center of the photograph. I read the caption, hoping for some insight as to what Gavin did for his boss, but there was nothing there. Not just no information about Gavin’s relationship to Howard, but nothing about Gavin at all. It was like he didn’t exist.

Finally, I gave into my curiosity and typed Gavin’s name into a search engine. A few things popped up, but nothing that connected to the Gavin that I knew. Not a single social networking page, or photo tags. Now I was intrigued. I began combing through everything I could find even remotely related to Howard Weiss, searching for anything that could offer me more information about Gavin.

Even as I read, looking for his name, images of him began to dance behind my eyes. They weren’t of the photographs I’d found him in, but rather snapshots of my own memories.

The hungry expression on his face when he’d seen my bare breasts for the first time.

His eyes nearly glowing as he peered up at me from between my legs, his mouth fixed...

I pressed my thighs together as that memory brought a rush of heat. It didn’t matter how angry I was at him, my body responded to the memory of his. His lips moving over my flesh. His stiff, throbbing manhood sliding inside me. Our bodies dancing together.

“Dammit,” I muttered. This was making it very hard to concentrate, and worse, I was starting to soften towards him. Maybe forgiving him was the right thing to do. I just couldn’t be sure if it was my head, heart, or other things further south, talking.

Chapter 3

 

It hadn’t been easy, but I’d finally managed to focus on work by telling myself that the only thing I was allowed to look at were the dates on the articles and the names of the women with Howard. I hadn’t read the prenup, but it was standard practice for infidelity to void it. We needed to know which of these women, if any, would be able to confirm that they had been involved in a sexual relationship with Howard Weiss prior to the separation. I seriously doubted every one of these relationships had been platonic.

I hadn’t realized that it was time for lunch until Krissy came over and interrupted me.

“You’re looking busy.” She grinned down at me. “Trying to keep someone off of your mind?”

I glanced down at the trashcan and her eyes followed, widening as she saw the bouquet I’d thrown away. “Those came after I didn’t answer his six calls or dozen texts.”

“Wow.” Krissy looked impressed rather than creeped out.

“Yeah.” I sighed. I didn’t know what to do. I’d been set on being pissed at Gavin for a couple days, then moving on. I hadn’t expected him to try to win me back.

“Let’s go to lunch,” Krissy said. The sympathetic note in her voice told me that she could sense my inner turmoil. The two of us couldn’t be more different, but there was a connection that sometimes made it seem like we were twins. We could sense how the other was feeling and, like now, what the other was thinking.

I nodded. My stomach growled as Krissy and I headed to the elevator. She chatted as we rode down, keeping the conversation light and away from Gavin. The one-sided conversation about her cousin’s lengthy email containing a play-by-play of her trying to seduce a college professor continued until we arrived at the café a block away from our building. I ordered my usual chicken salad with a side of Italian dressing and Krissy decided on a panini. Neither of us spoke while we waited for our order, the air around us filled with the buzzing of the other patrons.

After we received our food, we found a small booth in the back where we could talk freely without being overheard. Attorney-client privilege wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Better safe than sorry.

“What did the messages say?” Krissy asked after she’d taken a few bites of her sandwich.

“What?” I asked. The last I remembered about her story was that her cousin had just discovered that the professor was gay.

“Gavin’s messages. The voicemails I know you listened to and the texts you read,” she clarified. She didn’t bother trying hide her curiosity.

I frowned at her. Apparently we were going to talk about something private, whether I wanted to or not. I stabbed at my salad with more vengeance than necessary.

“Come on, Carrie. What did they say?”

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” I asked. When she just looked at me with that steady, unwavering gaze, I sighed. No, she wasn’t going to let me get away without answering. “Fine. He apologized and asked me to forgive him.”

“What else?” she prompted.

I narrowed my eyes. How did she know he’d written anything else? “He said he missed me.” I could feel my cheeks getting hot.

Krissy grinned. “I thought so. A man doesn’t call that many times, send text messages and an expensive bouquet of flowers just to apologize to someone he doesn’t want to see again.”

“Are you forgetting what a bastard he was?” I asked, scowling at my lettuce like it had done something to offend me.

“No.” She shook her head. “But I believe he was telling the truth about why he did it.”

“What are you talking about?” I was starting to regret having shared with her the entire conversation Gavin and I’d had.

“He said that he wanted you, and I don’t think he was just talking about sex,” Krissy said matter-of-factly. “I think Gavin’s falling for you. I mean like serious head-over-heels, ass-backwards, falling for you.”

I shook my head. “That’s crazy. We’ve only known each other for two weeks. Less, actually.” I pushed my salad away, half-eaten. I wasn’t hungry anymore.

Krissy leaned towards me, the expression on her face serious. “I’ve known, dated, and slept with a lot of guys, and trust me when I say: if all he’d wanted was sex, he never would’ve called the first time after.”

That made sense, but I wasn’t sure I could trust it. After all, look what he’d done. How did I know there wasn’t some ulterior motive? Maybe he was one of those men who wanted what they couldn’t have. If I’d been fawning all over him when he called, maybe he would’ve gotten sick of me and just ignored me.

“I don’t know,” I finally said.

“Listen, he pulled a dick move, but I don’t doubt for a minute that his feelings for you are real.” Krissy touched the back of my hand and I lifted my eyes from my half-eaten food. “And unless I’m wrong, you feel the same way.”

I swallowed hard, wondering what she could read in my eyes.

“If you don’t at least try to make this work, you’ll never forgive yourself.”

She was right. I knew it and she knew it. I just couldn’t bring myself to acknowledge it. She pulled her hand back and returned to her sandwich, as if sensing that the conversation was over. After a few minutes, I started on my salad again. I wasn’t hungry, but I hated to waste food. Besides, I hadn’t eaten breakfast and I needed something in my stomach. Eventually, she started a new discussion, this one about the finale of one of our favorite shows, and that carried us through the check and back outside into the sunny spring afternoon.

We were halfway back to our office when a cab pulled up to the curb and, just a few yards in front of us, Gavin emerged from the back.

For a full thirty seconds, I couldn’t speak. He took two steps, then saw me. His eyes widened and his mouth opened like he was going to say something. The idea of having to listen to him apologize when he had the nerve to show up in front of my work was too much, and a flare of anger went through me. I was still in control, but I was mad.

“What the hell?” I crossed to him in just a couple angry strides. His eyebrows shot up as I crowded his personal space. “I’m pissed at you for stalking me and you figure the best way to apologize is to keep doing it?”

He put up his hands, palms out in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not stalking you. Honest. I have a meeting in that office building behind you.” He pointed. “I told you about it last week. Remember?”

Shit. I did remember. We’d made plans to have lunch together because I hadn’t wanted to commit to a dinner.

“Right,” I said. “Sorry.”

I cringed at how harsh the words sounded. I needed to leave before I embarrassed myself anymore. I started to step around him when he spoke again. But this time, he wasn’t talking to me.

“Krissy,” he said. “I’m truly sorry for what Jeff did. I had no idea he’d told you all of those lies about himself. All I asked him to do was talk to you, be nice, and buy you some drinks. I wanted him to invite the two of you to the club opening so I could see Carrie again. I swear, I never would have asked him to do any of that if I’d known he’d take it that far.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see how my friend was taking the apology.

“Well,” she said. “Maybe you should keep a tighter leash on your employees.”

I knew that tone. She was trying to be tough, but she was softening.

“He’s no longer my employee.”

Krissy’s jaw dropped and I knew my shock mirrored hers. “You fired him?” she asked the question.

He nodded, his expression firm. “I can’t employ someone who would stoop so low.” He held her eyes for a moment, then glanced down at his watch. “I have to go.” He turned to me, and the depth of emotion in his eyes made me catch my breath.

I knew he was waiting for me to say something, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know what to say. A wave of sadness washed over his face, but he didn’t press it. Instead, he nodded at me, then at Krissy, and walked past us.

Krissy and I were both silent until we got back on the elevator. I was pretty sure she was processing as much as I was. I’d forgotten to factor in her libido.

“You know, since you no longer want to date Mr. Totally-Uber-Hunk, do you mind if I...”

I glared at her and she didn’t finish the sentence. She was not going to go there.

“Just kidding,” she laughed as we arrived at our floor.

I didn’t think it was very funny.

Chapter 4

 

Two days. Over forty-fucking-eight hours and I hadn’t gotten a single phone call or text message from Gavin. After all of that obsessive stalker behavior, he’d stopped cold turkey. I tried telling myself that was a good thing; that I’d wanted him to stop. I’d told him as much. And he’d finally listened. He’d apologized to both Krissy and me for what he’d done and now he was leaving me alone to live my life. That was what I’d wanted.

The argument would’ve been valid if it wasn’t for the way he kept popping up in my mind at the most random, inopportune times. Like how I’d been in the archives researching precedents for the Weiss case and my brain had decided that was the perfect time to concoct a fantasy in which Gavin swept into the room and fucked me against the stacks. Or yesterday afternoon when the whole office had been eating cake for Merle’s retirement party and I’d started wondering what it would be like to spread icing all over Gavin’s abs and lick them clean.

Yeah, that’s pretty much how the past two days had gone. Every time I’d think I could finally start focusing and get some real work done, another inappropriate thought would come up. Worse were the ones that didn’t have to do with sex. They were the ones that were flashes of things deeper and more meaningful.

The way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled.

The heat in those blue eyes when he’d looked at my naked body.

What I imagined it would be like to stroll down the street with him, his arm around my waist.

Taking him home to Alabama to meet my family.

That last one had come just as I’d started drifting off to sleep the night before. My eyes had shot open, my pulse pounding. It had taken me over an hour to calm down enough to actually sleep, and even then, it hadn’t been very restful.

It wasn’t until I was getting my things together to go home that I finally admitted to myself the truth behind why Gavin’s silence was bothering me.

I didn’t want him to give up on me.

That wasn’t an easy thing for me to be honest about. I hated those women who strung men along, who wanted them to pursue her no matter what she did, and now I was one of them. No, I told myself. I was different. I wasn’t playing with his emotions. I didn’t want him to stop asking for forgiveness, because I wanted to give it to him.

“You’ve been awfully quiet all day,” Krissy said as the two of us walked home. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, that ideal temperature that made an early evening stroll the perfect way to unwind. “In fact,” she said slowly. “You’ve been quiet ever since we saw Gavin after lunch the other day.”

I loved Krissy, but sometimes I wished she wasn’t so observant. Because I knew it wouldn’t do any good to try to deny it – she did know me, after all – I told her all of it. The fantasies, the dreams, and my personal revelation.

“You need to take control of the situation,” she said.

“What?” I gave her a sharp look. I really hoped she wasn’t suggesting what I thought she was suggesting.

Krissy linked her arm through mine. Her expression was stern. “You need to take some initiative and call him. You can’t let things end this way. He’s too good to not fight for.”

She was right. I knew she was right. Gavin was an amazing man, everything I’d ever wanted. Even if I didn’t think the timing was right, or if I was still mad at him, I couldn’t let those things keep me from finding out where this could go. After all, how often in a single lifetime can a person find someone they connect with like Gavin and I did with each other? For most people, maybe once...if they’re lucky.

I was in the process of figuring out what to say when my phone rang. Thinking I’d answer it and give myself some extra time to decide what I wanted to do, I pulled it out of my purse. The moment I saw the screen, however, my heart almost stopped.

It was Gavin.

Wordlessly, I turned my phone towards Krissy.

She let out a low whistle. “True karma.” She squeezed my arm. “Talk to him.”

I didn’t allow myself time to actually think about the action.

I just answered it. “Hello.”

“Please don’t hang up.” The pleading note in his voice tugged at my heart.

“I’m listening,” I said softly.

Krissy released my arm and moved so that she was walking a couple of feet ahead of me, giving me some privacy.

“I know you don’t want me calling you, and this is probably a really bad idea, but these past two days have been hell. I can’t sleep or concentrate. I think about you all the time.”

The words came pouring out of him in a rush, and they could’ve been my words, my feelings.

“It’s killing me not seeing you, Carrie.” He fell silent for a moment, as if waiting for me to tell him to leave me alone, to hang up, to do something.

“Is that why you called?” I asked. My heart hammered against my ribcage as I waited for his answer.

“Yes.” He kept it simple, and that one word thrilled me. “You have no idea what being away from you is doing to me.”

I thought about how little I’d accomplished, and almost said that I had a pretty good idea.

“Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is you. Your eyes. Your smile. Your body.” His voice held a pleading note. “I need you.”

I swallowed hard. How could I say no to that? All he was asking was for us to meet. “What did you have in mind?”

“What about Saturday night? I have to attend a charity event and I would be honored if you would come with me. It’s an auction with a big gala dinner afterwards. Nice and public, and you can keep me at a distance. You could even think of it like a favor.”

“I already returned your favor.” My tone was half-teasing.

“Then I guess I’d owe you one.” After a moment, he added, “I just want a chance.”

“I don’t know,” I said, ignoring my body’s protests. Of course I wanted to go with him. I wanted to be with him. Feel his touch. His body... I shook my head. I couldn’t give in too easily. I needed to maintain the upper hand, especially since I still wasn’t sure I could trust him. “I’ve been really tied up with work.”

I immediately cringed at my word choice as the memory of the straps on the bed at the club popped into my head. Things low in my body tightened and throbbed at the image that followed without conscious thought.

My wrists and ankles were tightly bound, pulling my arms and legs as far apart as they would comfortably go. Devoid of any clothing, I was exposed to my lover’s gaze.

I swallowed hard and pushed the thought away. Gavin was talking.

“If it makes you feel better, Howard will be there. You could consider this a work thing.”

Work, I thought. That was a possibility. I could get the chance to see first-hand how Howard interacted with people, specifically women. If I saw him flirting, I’d know that Mimi would need to coach him on his behavior prior to negotiations. If he kept it friendly but not sexual, I’d know that we’d be able to move forward without any issues.

“Maybe,” I said. Something occurred to me even as I said it. “But I don’t even know what to wear to something like that.”

“Don’t worry,” he said.

I could hear him smiling.

“I’ve already taken care of it.” Before I could question what that meant, he continued. “So, will you come?”

I hesitated for several seconds, making him wait, before I answered. “All right.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty Saturday evening. I can’t wait.”

He ended the call without waiting for a response, and I wondered if he’d been worried that I’d change my mind.

“What was that all about?” Krissy asked, her question interrupting my thoughts.

I gave her the summary, leaving out how just hearing Gavin’s voice had made me hot, and my brief flash of fantasy. I was pretty sure she guessed it, because she gave me a wicked grin.

“One thing I don’t understand,” I said, as much to avoid having our conversation head in that direction as anything else. “What did he mean when he said he’d taken care of it?”

“I’ll bet he bought you an expensive dress to wear,” Krissy predicted.

I shook my head. That couldn’t be it. “That would mean that he knew I’d say yes.” It had to be something else.

The moment we walked into the lobby of our apartment building, however, I was proven wrong. The doorman pointed at a package he’d set off to the side where it wouldn’t be disturbed. I didn’t even need to open it to know that Krissy was right. My palms were sweating as I carried the package up to the apartment. Krissy wanted to open it right away, but I told her I had to go to the bathroom first. In actuality, I needed a moment to gather myself.

What had I gotten myself into?

I splashed some cold water on my face and then went back to the living room, where an impatient Krissy was practically dancing next to the table. My fingers were shaking as I opened the box and lifted out the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen. No, that wasn’t right. This wasn’t just a dress. It was a gown. A Prada gown.

“Fuck me,” Krissy breathed. “It’s gorgeous.”

I couldn’t speak. All I could do was gape. It was long, with a slit up the side that stopped at what I could see would be mid-thigh. Just high enough to be sexy while not so high that it was slutty. The same could be said for the neckline. The straps were thin, holding up either side of the plunging neckline. This was the kind of dress that a woman didn’t wear a bra with because it would be impossible to keep it from showing. Then there was the color. My coloring tended towards the fair; I was the kind of blond who burned rather than tanned in the sun. Unlike most of my friends, however, I didn’t use fake tan products. I wasn’t sickly white or even that milky shade of pale. No, my skin was more the translucent kind of fair, the kind that looked good in warm colors. And the dress was definitely a warm color: a rich, deep crimson.

“Try it on.” Krissy urged.

I shook my head, finding my voice at last. “I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”

“Are you kidding me?” Krissy was incredulous. “Let the man buy you a dress to wear to a party he wants to take you to. You deserve this, Carrie. Enjoy yourself for once.”

A part of me still said it was too much, said that if I accepted it after having slept with him, it made me no better than a prostitute. I told that part to shut up and went into my bedroom to try on my dress.

When I emerged just a few minutes later, I didn’t need to look in the mirror to know I looked good. Krissy was speechless. I’d never known her to be at a loss for words, and her not being able to speak was the highest compliment I’d ever received.

“Wow,” she finally said. “You’re like fucking Cinderella.”

I looked down at myself. The dress hugged my curves in all the right ways, and my skin gleamed against the color. I was impressed at how he knew my size.

“Gavin’s not going to know what hit him.” Krissy circled me. “I don’t think he could’ve had any clue how amazing you would look, and even if he had, you’re still going to blow his mind.” A mischievous smile curved her lips. “Among other things.”

Heat crept up my cheeks, but before Krissy could continue to embarrass me, the lobby buzzed, announcing we had a delivery. I went over to look at myself in the mirror while Krissy told the doorman to send the delivery guy up. I tried to picture how I’d look in heels, with my hair twisted up in one of those elaborate updos that Krissy always told me I needed to wear, and my make-up done to perfection. I went back into the living room when I heard the knock, curious about what was being delivered. Could it be more flowers from Gavin?

“Sign here, please.” The delivery guy sounded bored as he handed Krissy the electronic pen. As she scribbled her signature, he looked up, his eyes widening when he saw me.

“Package?” Krissy prompted when the young man didn’t make a move to hand over the small box in his hand.

“Right. Sorry,” he mumbled, his face flooding with color.

Krissy waited until she shut the door before she started laughing.

“That’s not funny.” I tried to be stern, but it was difficult with Krissy holding her stomach as she walked over to our couch.

“Are you kidding?” she gasped. “Did you see the look on his face? I was surprised he wasn’t drooling.”

“Stop.” I shook my head. “He just probably wasn’t expecting to see someone in a fancy dress and bare feet.”

“Really?” She grinned at me as she caught her breath. “Bare feet? You think that’s what got him all hot and bothered?”

“Hot and bothered? Seriously, Krissy?” I carefully perched on the arm of the couch. The dress wasn’t too tight, but I felt as if I needed to be extra careful with it. I knew how much something like this cost.

Krissy didn’t bother to respond. Instead, she looked down at the package and I followed her gaze. A card sat on top of the brown wrapping. My name was written across the creamy stationary in a masculine but elegant script. Without a word, Krissy handed the box and card over.

I knew who it was from, of course, but had no idea what it could be. I opened the card. The message was simple and without a signature. “I forgot this.” My curiosity piqued, I set the card aside and unwrapped the package. The box was plain, a simple shiny white, secured by a single red ribbon. My heart pounded in anticipation as I untied the ribbon, dropped it on the card, and opened the box.

Inside, nestled against rich black velvet, was the most beautiful necklace I’d ever seen. I almost couldn’t bring myself to pick it up, terrified that some mistake had been made and that a single touch would bring people swooping down into the apartment to ask me how I dared to have such a lovely piece of jewelry.

Krissy whistled, the sound soft enough to tell me that she was almost as stunned as I was.

I lifted the necklace and held it up. The fading sunlight glinted off the diamonds, throwing rainbows across my skin. The settings appeared to be white gold or platinum. I’d have to take it to someone to be sure, but I knew there was no way this many diamonds would be set in anything else. I found most expensive diamond necklaces ostentatious and many downright ugly. Not this one.

Two thin ropes of rubies that matched my dress perfectly met on either side of three flawless diamonds, two the size of the tips of my index fingers, the middle one half again as large. The design and quality of the stones made the necklace more expensive than some flashier pieces with larger, but lesser quality, gems.

It was beautiful, just like the dress, and it made my insides squirm pleasantly at the thought of someone being willing to spend that much money on me. That was the problem, though. These gifts. The nightclub. Gavin had money, just how much, I didn’t know. The other thing I didn’t know that concerned me far more than how much, was where. Where was he getting this money from? Was he heir to some fortune, or was it all self-made? And if it was self-made, just what kind of business was he in that he could afford lavish presents and a big investment in a club like Privé?

 

Chapter 5

 

By the time Saturday night rolled around, my entire body was humming in anticipation. I still wanted to know what Gavin did for a living and I still wasn’t sure where our relationship was headed, but all of that had been overshadowed by excitement. I wanted to see him. Wanted him to see me in the dress and necklace he’d bought for me. Wanted to touch him, even if just innocently. It had taken all of my self-control over the last couple days not to call him. Now that I had a date, Krissy had advised me to play it cool.

I was pretty sure I was driving her nuts. I’d never been one to get all giddy over a guy, especially not a guy I barely knew, but then again, I’d also never slept with a guy I’d barely known, so I was in all new territory here. For the first time in our friendship, I was the one going on about my plans while Krissy sat on the couch and listened. It wasn’t until I was bouncing from the couch to the chair to the kitchen, waiting for five o’clock to come so I could start getting ready, that I realized Krissy hadn’t been listening this whole time. Something was wrong.

That tempered my enthusiasm, and I sat down on the couch next to her. She looked over at me, forcing a smile as she waited for the inevitable excitement to spill out.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

The smile faltered, then disappeared. She sighed. “I’m sorry, Carrie. I don’t mean to get all gloomy before your big date.”

“Krissy, what’s going on?” I put my hand on her shoulder. “You’re my best friend. You’re more important than any guy.”

“Even one as hot and rich as Gavin?” she teased, though her heart didn’t seem in it.

“Even him,” I said. “Talk to me.”

She pulled her legs up onto the couch and hugged her knees. “It’s just – I can’t help thinking, when I see how much Gavin wants you, the lengths he’s willing to go to for you, that I’m never going to have something like that. I don’t attract guys like Gavin. I attract losers.” She rested her chin on top of her knees. “I keep finding one wrong guy after another.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. In a way, she was right. The guys she dated were usually jerks. Not abusive or anything like that, just self-centered pretty boys who cared more about money and cars and sex than they did about anything with substance. The problem was, those were the kinds of guys she went after. It wasn’t that she didn’t have standards, but that she had the wrong ones. I just didn’t know how to tell her that.

“Spill it, Carrie,” she said. “I know you’re thinking something, so just say it.”

“All right,” I said. “Maybe the problem isn’t that you keep finding the wrong guys, but that you’re looking for the wrong guys.”

She gave me a puzzled look, but there wasn’t any anger in it, so I kept going.

“You look for the good-looking ones, the ones who have the flashy things and money to spend. Instead of scratching the surface, maybe you need to start looking deeper.”

She was silent for a moment and I waited to see if she was going to make me regret being honest. Finally, she shook her head. “Gavin’s good-looking and a good guy, so I don’t see what my type has to do with anything.”

Her tone made it clear that the discussion was done. The alarm on my phone beeped, reminding me that it was time to start getting ready.

“Go on,” Krissy said, giving me a half-smile. “After you get out of the shower, I’ll do your hair for you.”

I nodded. One of the benefits of being so close: I knew that Krissy really did want me to go. With each other, we didn’t do the whole “say one thing but mean another” thing. If she’d wanted me to stay and talk, she would’ve said it. I got up and headed for the bathroom to start getting ready.

At six-twenty, I was ready. Well, dressed and coifed ready. I wasn’t sure I was emotionally ready. I stole another glance at myself in the mirror before walking out into the living room. Krissy followed, her mood much brighter than it had been earlier. I had a feeling she took some sort of perverse pleasure in doing this kind of makeover. She’d wanted to do one for years, claiming that I didn’t use my natural assets nearly as much as I should. I had to admit that she’d been right about one thing. I was a lot prettier than I’d ever believed.

In addition to the dress and the necklace, I was wearing a pair of silver four-inch heels that Krissy had pulled from her overflowing closet. They’d matched much better than the black ones I owned, and fit perfectly. Krissy and I might not have been built the same, but we did wear the same shoe size. I was just thankful they were a lower heel than most of hers. I wasn’t sure I was coordinated enough to manage some of the six- and seven-inch ones she owned.

My hair was twisted up behind my head in an elegant style that had taken Krissy nearly forty-five minutes to get how she wanted it. A dozen or so pins held my curls up so that they were mostly contained. A few curls had been pulled out to frame my face and brush over my shoulders and back. Then there was the make-up. Krissy hadn’t done much on foundation or even blush. I was fortunate enough to have good skin, so I didn’t need any of that. Instead, she’d focused on my eyes and mouth. She’d done a smoky thing that made my eyes look huge and even darker than normal. They were like two pools of liquid chocolate. I didn’t know where she’d found the lipstick, but the color matched the dress perfectly. I had no idea my mouth could look that full and wet and not feel like I had crap caked on my lips. She’d assured me that the lipstick was smudge-proof, the twinkle in her eyes saying that she wasn’t thinking about leaving lip marks on wine glasses.

At six-thirty exactly, the doorman buzzed to tell me I had a guest. My mouth went dry and my heart began to pound as Krissy told the doorman to let Gavin up. I pressed my hands together as I stood in the middle of the room. It wasn’t until he knocked on the door that I remembered I hadn’t cleaned the apartment. I moved closer to the door. I wasn’t ashamed of where I lived. Krissy and I worked hard and we rented a nice place, especially for two paralegals. I just didn’t think there was any need for Gavin to see how messy the place was.

The moment Krissy opened the door, I forgot about the apartment, about why I’d been mad at Gavin, even my name. All I could think about was how amazing he looked. The tux he wore was obviously not a rental. It had been tailored specifically to him – to his narrow hips, broad shoulders, muscular arms and legs. The material clung to his body in all the right places, enough to draw attention but not so much that it was obscene. In contrast to the black of the tux and his hair, his eyes nearly glowed, darkening to that night-sky blue as his gaze ran over me.

“Wow,” he breathed the word to break the silence. “You look – I don’t think there’s a word for how stunning you are right now.”

Krissy put her hand on my back and gave me a little push forward. “You two have fun.” She grinned at me. “And please do everything I would do.”

She closed the door behind me before I could reply, and then it was just Gavin and me in the hallway.

“You look great too,” I said. My compliment sounded lame, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say. What was I supposed to tell him? That seeing him in that tuxedo made me want to tear it off and remind myself of what was underneath it?

We went down to the lobby in silence, both of us stealing sideways looks at each other, the tension between us heating up. Gavin had a town car waiting. The driver opened the back door for us and Gavin got in first. I followed, sliding across the leather seat so that the driver could close the door behind me.

The first thing I noticed was that there was a window separating the back seat from the front. Gavin and I were essentially alone. My stomach twisted. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

As the car began to move, Gavin leaned closer to me. He reached out and wrapped one of my stray curls around his finger. “I’ve missed you. I know that sounds silly since we haven’t known each other that long, but it’s the truth, and I promised no more lies.” The back of his fingers brushed across my cheek. “And you truly look breathtaking.”

I took a shaky breath, my skin burning where he’d touched it. “Then in the interest of honesty, I have to say that I’ve been thinking about you too.”

“Really?” He looked pleased.

I nodded. I would’ve preferred a drink before I got this honest, but the timing was right, so I was just going to go with it. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.” I flushed. “That night we had together was amazing.”

He cupped the side of my face, turning me so that we were just inches apart. “It was, and I hope you’re going to let me show you many other, even more amazing, nights and days.”

My breath caught in my throat as his head bent towards me. This was a bad idea. I knew I should stop him. We were still on tentative ground.

But I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted those lips against mine, his tongue slipping inside. I wanted his hands on me, touching, caressing. My entire body craved his touch.

I let him kiss me. At first, his mouth was soft, hesitant, as if he wasn’t sure I was going to allow it. Heat flowed through me from where our lips met and I couldn’t stop myself from responding. I opened my mouth, catching his bottom lip between my teeth. He made a sound in the back of his throat and wrapped his arms around me, crushing me against him. As his tongue traced my lips, I slid my hands underneath his jacket, feeling his muscles beneath the soft fabric of his shirt.

He kept one arm around me while his other hand dropped to explore my body. It ran the length of my side, over my ribcage and down to my hip, then back up again to brush against the side of my breast. I moaned into his mouth and felt him smile. His hand moved lower, finding the slit in my dress. His fingers skimmed against my bare skin – hose didn’t work in a dress like this – and I flexed my fingers against his abs. When his hand started to move under the dress, I froze.

I pulled my mouth away from his, panting as I gave him a gentle push back. He gave me a questioning look as he caught his breath. I noticed with an almost distant amusement that Krissy had been right. My lipstick hadn’t transferred to Gavin at all.

“I don’t want to mess up the dress,” I said. All right, that was only half-true, but I couldn’t tell him that I’d really stopped because I didn’t trust myself with him. That was the real problem, I realized. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him. It was that I didn’t have any self-control when it came to him, and that frightened me more than anything.

Chapter 6

 

To my surprise, the rest of the ride to the event wasn’t awkward. Gavin had simply threaded his fingers between mine and rested our clasped hands on the narrow strip of seat between us. No pressure, no unspoken expectations. He was a true gentleman.

I remembered the way he’d taken me on the table in that upstairs room at the club. Maybe gentleman wasn’t exactly the right word.

“We’re here,” he broke the silence as the car pulled up to the curb.

I peered through the tinted windows at a building any good New Yorker could recognize. The Waldorf Astoria Hotel. I’d seen the exterior before, of course. Krissy and I had walked all of the best places in Manhattan when we’d first moved into our apartment, but I’d never been inside.

The driver opened the door and I swung my legs out, feeling decidedly awkward as I tried to climb out gracefully. It wasn’t until I was halfway out that I realized Gavin had gotten out the other side and was standing in front of me with his hand out. I took his hand and let him help me the rest of the way.

“I apologize. It was thoughtless of me not to have you get into the car first so I could help you out when we arrived.” Gavin wrapped my arm around his so that my hand was resting on the back of his forearm. “Though, in my defense, it’s nearly impossible to think straight with you looking like that.”

I blushed. “Thank you.” Those two words seemed so inadequate compared to the compliment he’d just paid me.

As if sensing my embarrassment, he changed the subject. “Have you ever stayed here?”

I shook my head. “I’m still a paralegal, not a lawyer yet. I don’t think I could afford an hour in a place like this.”

He shot me a sideways look, an amused grin playing on his lips. I started to ask him what was so funny, then what I’d said registered and my cute little blush turned into full-on red flames. Paying by the hour? What the hell had I been thinking? Gavin was going to think that I had sex on the brain.

“I didn’t – I mean –” I stammered.

“Relax.” He leaned down to whisper the word in my ear as the doorman opened the doors for us.

I shivered as his hot breath puffed against my ear, making things low in my belly squirm. Maybe I did have sex on the brain, but only when it came to him. I’d never had a particularly active sex drive, though I wasn’t the prude Krissy thought I was either. I’d always liked sex, and there were times I wanted it, but it had never been like this.

As soon as we stepped into the lobby, thoughts of sex vanished. It was all I could do to keep from gawking like some awestruck tourist. Rich wood paneling. Plush carpeting. Every piece of furniture looked like it cost more than my rent for half a year. Gavin kept us moving forward, past the check-in desk, and then we were following a pair of elegantly dressed members of high society. Panic began to creep in. What was I doing here? I didn’t belong with these people.

Gavin put his hand over mind and applied gentle pressure, bringing my eyes to his face. He smiled at me. “Just breathe.”

Easy for him to say. If I tried breathing too deeply, I was afraid I was going to either fall out of the dress or rip it. Still, I pushed back the panic and stood straighter. I wasn’t going to give Gavin the chance to regret having invited me.

We walked past someone who was taking invitations, but Gavin didn’t hand anything over. The man just nodded at him like they knew each other. Then I was entering the main ballroom, and I forgot to wonder how much pull Gavin had.

It was like something out of a dream, or a fairy tale. High vaulted ceilings. Expensive tapestries and ornamentation. And a chandelier. Not one of those little things pretentious people use to try to show how rich they are. This was a full-sized, falling at the end of Phantom’s first act, chandelier. I was standing in what I imagined Cinderella’s ballroom must have looked like.

“The auction is first,” Gavin said.

I nodded, barely understanding the words. An auction. Right. I let Gavin guide me to where seats had been set up at the front of the room, all facing a platform. He and I took a seat near the back, for which I was grateful. If we’d been in the front, I’d have been even more self-conscious than I was now.

“In a few minutes, the auction will begin.” Gavin unhooked our arms, but took my hand again. I caught one of the passing women giving me a thinly disguised dirty look. Not that I could blame her. I might’ve been a bit partial, but I thought Gavin was the best-looking guy at the event.

“What’s being auctioned off?” I asked, keeping my voice low. I didn’t want to seem as ignorant as I felt. Auburn, Alabama, was light-years away from this.

“Art,” Gavin said. “Some very exquisite pieces have been donated. All of the proceeds from the auction go to Feed a Child.”

The name sounded familiar. “Isn’t that the charity for poor and starving children in the US?”

Gavin nodded, looking pleased that I knew of it. “Howard is the spokesperson for Feed a Child. He actually donated quite a few pieces for the auction.”

I filed away that bit of information for Howard’s case. If his wife brought up all of the women he’d been seen with, it would be good to have something as positive as Feed a Child to counter with.

I turned my attention to the stage as the auctioneer walked to the podium. The first painting was brought out and the bidding began. I watched as hands twitched and gestured faster than I could follow. When the auctioneer declared the painting sold for twenty-five thousand dollars, I couldn’t believe how quickly it had happened.

“This next one is one of my favorites,” Gavin whispered in my ear. He leaned close so that our arms were pressed together.

I didn’t turn towards him, afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from kissing him. Instead, I let him talk, narrating what I was seeing.

“Gerard Thomas isn’t a very well-known artist, but his work is simply beautiful. Look at the lines, the color. I think in another twenty years, his paintings will be in as much demand as some of the greats.”

I had to admit, the windmill among a field of flowers was quite lovely.

“He did this particular work three years ago, shortly after his wife died,” Gavin continued. “When asked why he’d named a painting of a windmill and flowers after his wife, he’d simply said that it was the closest he could ever come to capturing what had made her unique.”

Wow. I squeezed Gavin’s hand to let him know that I’d appreciated the story. Each subsequent painting brought a small anecdote, but none was as personal as the one for the painting titled Callie Rose. Near the end of the auction, another of Howard’s donations was brought out. The bidding for this one was fierce. Gavin told me that it was an abstract from nineteen ninety-one, a work by Michael Payton entitled Soul Searching.

As the bids climbed past forty thousand dollars, I stared at the painting, trying to see what everyone else saw. I couldn’t though. All I saw was something that looked like a three year-old had done it with finger paints.

I didn’t say that out loud, of course, not even when it sold for seventy-five thousand dollars.

At least it was all going to charity.

Chapter 7

 

Once the auction ended, we were directed to the tables set up behind the auctioneer’s platform. Gavin explained as we walked that two hundred people had bought seats for a gala dinner. Again, all of the proceeds went to Feed a Child. Curious, I asked how much the seats cost. I immediately regretted it when Gavin said one thousand dollars. He must’ve seen the shock on my face because he released my hand and put his palm on the small of my back, allowing our bodies to move closer together.

“It’s a great cause and I can afford it,” he murmured. “Besides, I’d pay more than that just to see you in that dress, smiling.”

I looked up, giving him a weak smile. He didn’t understand. I was a scholarship kid who’d still needed to take out loans to pay for college. For me, the money I made as a paralegal was more than my parents had ever made combined. A lawyer’s salary would make me feel rich. And still, the poor girl from the South who lived inside me couldn’t imagine spending a thousand dollars on a meal, even if it was for charity.

He led us to our seats and pulled out my chair. I sank into it gratefully. The shoes may have looked great with the dress, but they weren’t the most comfortable things. As he pushed in my seat, an elderly couple approached. Everything about them said old money. I took as deep a breath as I dared and prepared to make small talk.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, it was clear that I wasn’t going to need to worry about small talk. The eight other people at the table all seemed to know each other and their expressions made it clear that they merely tolerated us. No attempt was made to include me as they discussed politics and economics. Gavin would occasionally throw me glances, as if to ask if I was okay, and I’d just smile.

By the time our first course had come, I was ignoring the conversation around me and letting my mind wander. Unfortunately, the place it kept wandering to was Gavin, and the things I was thinking were far from appropriate.

Dropping my fork and crawling under the table to get it. Moving between his legs so I could touch him, unzip his pants, and take him in my mouth right there. Listen to him try to carry on a conversation while my tongue was dancing over his skin. Feel him spill into my mouth.

I pressed my thighs together, the ache between them growing. A new scenario came into my mind.

Taking Gavin’s hand and leading him to the bathroom, not caring if people saw us go in. Taking off my soaked panties and sitting on the edge of the sink, waiting for him to sink into me, hot flesh melding together. Each stroke taking me higher and higher. Moaning and calling out his name, hoping that the roomful of stuck-up pricks could hear every sound. Climaxing with a scream.

“Are you okay?” Gavin asked, the question cutting into my fantasy.

“Mmhm.” I nodded. I wasn’t sure if that was entirely true, but I couldn’t exactly tell him that I was horny and thinking about all of the ways we could fuck right here. I doubted that would be considered polite dinner conversation.

I took a long swallow of my champagne. I wanted something stronger. I needed something stronger so I could be brave enough to act on what I wanted. Not that I was going to bend over the table and ask him to fuck me right there, but I just wanted to do something. Something maybe a bit daring.

I heard Krissy’s voice in my head, everything she’d ever said to me over the years about being myself and letting who I truly was show. I’d told her time and again that I was who I was, that I didn’t try to hide myself, but if these past couple weeks had taught me anything, it was that she was right. I censored myself, making sure I fit into the nice little box of who I was supposed to be. I did like being the “good girl,” but there were times I wanted to be a bit... naughty.

Before I could lose my nerve, I dropped my hand out of sight. I felt Gavin startle when I put it on his knee. I turned to look at him as I slid my hand higher and higher. The muscles in his thigh jumped as I moved closer to what I wanted. His lips parted and I watched those beautiful blue eyes darken. He swallowed hard as my hand came to rest on the bulge at the front of his pants. I moved my fingers, ever so slightly, and felt him twitch. I smiled and began to caress him through the fabric of his pants. He swelled under my touch.

After just a couple minutes, Gavin’s fingers closed around my wrist, moving my hand back to his knee. He leaned over and spoke low in my ear, the rough edge to his voice making my knees weak. “If you’d kept that up, I would’ve had a very embarrassing wet spot on the front of my pants.”

I grinned, a surge of pride going through me that I’d been able to make him respond like that.

“I’m going to need a minute,” he said. “And then we’re going to make some rounds, because if we keep sitting here, I’m not going to be able to stop myself from asking you to finish what you started.”

I removed my hand from his leg and tried not to think about how obvious his erection would be if he stood up right now. It wasn’t easy.

Several very long minutes passed, and then Gavin stood. He held out his hand and I took it, shivering as our palms skimmed each other. He hooked my arm through his again and we began to walk. He greeted people at every table we passed. Most appeared genuinely pleased to see him, and a few of the men gave Gavin sly smiles, their eyes flicking to me and back again while their wives looked oblivious. It took me until we were halfway through the room before I realized what those smiles were about.

Those men were members of Club Privé. A hot blush began creeping up my neck as I realized what they must be thinking about me. Did they know that Gavin had used the club’s room? Did they know with whom? I didn’t think Gavin was the type to brag about his conquests, and I certainly hoped I was more to him than that, but men talked and, sometimes, things slipped out, even if unintentionally.

I mentally scolded myself. I was a consenting adult, and I’d more than consented to what Gavin and I had done. I’d initiated it. There was nothing shameful about it, and I had nothing to be embarrassed about. I lifted my chin and made sure the next guy who gave me that look got a hard stare in return. If Gavin noticed, he didn’t say anything about it, he just continued to steer us around the tables.

We stopped at the center one.

“Carrie, you remember Howard.”

“Of course,” I said automatically.

“Carrie works for Ms. Styles. We all met last week,” Gavin explained to Howard.

He didn’t remember who I was. It didn’t surprise me. Aside from the fact that I’d just been a paralegal there for note-taking at the time of our first introduction, I had a feeling Howard had his hands full trying to remember the names of all of the women in his life. Case in point, Howard’s table was the main table in the middle of the room. Three seats were empty and the other ones were occupied by beautiful women, each looking like she belonged in a Playboy spread. At least they were more clothed than those models. They all wore expensive-looking dresses that showed off their varying sizes of cleavage and hips. I suddenly felt like the Plain Jane I’d always believed myself to be.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Howard stood and extended his hand.

I disentangled myself from Gavin and let Howard take my hand. He looked all the more like one of those old-fashioned movie stars when he raised my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. My cheeks heated. I’d never had someone do that before, and I wondered if he did that for everyone or if he was just being extra charming because I was there as Gavin’s date.

“Thank you, sir,” I said.

“I can’t believe I don’t remember meeting you before,” he said, his gaze running over me. It wasn’t lecherous, but there was something about it that made me uncomfortable. “Surely I would have noticed someone who looked like you.”

I gave him a half-smile. “This isn’t exactly my work attire.”

Howard was silent for a moment, appearing to be thinking hard about something. Then his face lit up. “Of course! Carrie Summers. Mimi’s paralegal.”

“Yes, sir.”

He waved his hand. “Enough with the ‘sir.’ It’s Howard.” He kept his eyes on me but spoke to the woman at his side. “Sheryl, if you would.” The woman next to him got up and moved into an empty seat.

“Carrie, please.” Howard gestured at the seat next to him. “And, Gavin, please find a seat as well.”

I glanced at Gavin, but couldn’t read his face. Fine, if he wasn’t going to say anything about us being separated, neither was I. I sat down next to Howard and, after a moment, Gavin sat between an attractive blond and a brunette who looked like she was half made of plastic.

“Now, Carrie, I have to say, you look ravishing.” Howard angled his body towards me as if I captured all of his attention.

I tried to smile at the compliment, but I thought it was a bit much. I deflected. “I’m flattered, Mr. Wei – Howard, but it’s all thanks to Prada and diamonds.” I laughed, the sound fake to my ears.

He apparently didn’t notice. “Well, diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” he said. “But I think it’s a little more than that.” The look he gave me was right on the border of friendly and heading toward something more.

I tried not to squirm. It wasn’t anything personal, I knew. He was like this with all women. After all, look at how many he had hanging all over him. I knew they didn’t do that just because he had money. He was charming in his own way, but I didn’t trust him. There was just something about him that made my skin crawl.

“I must say,” he continued, “I now have a very good reason to continue to work with Ms. Styles.”

Seriously? I was here as Gavin’s date and he was pushing the boundaries of what constituted polite conversation.

“How do you like working for Mimi?” he asked.

I relaxed slightly. That was better. Work talk was fine. The last thing I needed was Gavin’s employer, whom my boss had a crush on, hitting on me for some unknown reason.

“I enjoy it,” I said. “She’s an amazing attorney, and I’ve learned so much from her.”

“She is good,” he said. “You know, I’ve been looking to hire some people to help my general counsel. I think you’d be a great fit at my company.”

My eyes widened. He was offering me a job?

“You’d be quite an asset to have on hand,” Howard said. “I can think of a million different ways I could use you.”

Okay, maybe I was reading too much into things, but that sure sounded like an innuendo. I glanced at Gavin to see if he shared my opinion, but he was involved in what looked like a deep and meaningful conversation with the blond whose name was probably Candi or Sunshine. She was sitting in such a way that I knew their legs were touching. The brunette on the other side was leaning against him, her barely covered breasts pushing against his arm. A stab of jealousy went through me.

I couldn’t take Howard flirting with me while Gavin just chatted up some bottle blond. I needed a minute.

“Excuse me, Howard,” I stood. “I need to visit the powder room.”

“Of course.” He smiled at me.

I wasn’t sure I liked that smile.

I started to walk away from the table, not looking back to see if Gavin had even noticed I was gone. He seemed rather busy at the moment.

Chapter 8

 

As I walked back towards the discreet restroom signs, I told myself that I was being stupid. If I got jealous every time some woman flirted with Gavin, I’d spend our entire relationship being that way. He was smart, confident, strong, sexy as hell, and rich. Just one of those things would be enough to attract plenty of female attention. Put them all together and they were a lethal combination. If Gavin and I had any chance of making anything out of what we had, I had to learn to accept that women were going to hit on him.

Still, I countered, that didn’t mean he had to flirt back. And even if he wasn’t flirting back, shouldn’t he at least let the women know he was taken? Why hadn’t he? And why hadn’t he said something to Howard about the seats or about how Howard was flirting with me? Was it just because Howard was his boss or was it something else? He’d said he couldn’t quit thinking about me and that he wanted me. He’d never said that he was looking for a long-term relationship. Was that it? Was I reading too much into his attention?

“Carrie.”

His voice made me stop just outside the door to the women’s bathroom. I didn’t turn, though. I still wasn’t sure if I was hurt, pissed, or indifferent, though I was leaning towards the second one.

“I’m sorry.” The words were soft, contrite.

I turned. He was standing just a foot away, near enough that I could’ve reached out and touched him.

“I shouldn’t have let Howard separate us,” he said. “He can be... difficult to deal with at times, but I shouldn’t have let that stop me. I should have insisted on sitting next to you.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I told myself that no matter what, I wouldn’t turn into one of those angsty heroines who whine and cry. Those women always pissed me off. Grow a backbone already. Your man acts like an ass? Kick him to the curb and get on with your life.

He reached out and took my hands in his. “But I’m even more sorry for letting Delilah and Ellie flirt with me like that.”

I raised an eyebrow. He knew their names?

As if sensing my question, he continued, “They’re two of Howard’s regular... entourage. Anyone who’s worked with Howard for more than a couple weeks ends up meeting them.”

Well, that at least explained why he felt so comfortable around them.

He released my hands and took a step forward. He cupped my face, raising it so that our eyes met. I knew I could drown in those eyes.

“You’re the only one I want to be with, Carrie. The only one on my mind.”

A small exhalation escaped my lips, and then his mouth was on mine. It started soft and gentle, his apology in physical form. Then he drew back for a moment and I read something darker on his face and it twisted things low inside me. All of my previous arousal came flooding back.

“Carrie.” He breathed my name as he dropped his hands from my face and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me tight against him.

This time, his kiss was hungry. His tongue plundered my mouth, exploring every inch of it as I clung to him, my knees weak. He spun us around, and my befuddled brain didn’t even register that he was taking us into the bathroom until I heard the faint squeak of the door. Not that I cared. As long as his arms stayed around me and his mouth kept moving with mine, I didn’t care where we were. I slid my hand up his chest and neck so that I could bury my fingers in the soft hair at the base of his skull.

He made a noise in the back of his throat and I felt him grow harder against my hip. Fuck. I wanted him. My previous fantasies danced around the edges of my mind. Krissy had always told me that I needed to stop repressing myself. This seemed like as good a time as any. I walked backwards towards the last stall, the big one. There’d be plenty of room in there.

The idea of letting Gavin take me in the hotel bathroom made me wetter than I’d wanted to admit. Still, I turned so that his back was going to push open the door. Once we were inside, we’d see where...

A scream tore Gavin and me apart.

A heavyset elderly woman was sitting on the toilet, looking equal parts mortified and furious. Heat flooded my face and I saw Gavin’s cheeks turn red.

“I am so sorry,” I gasped.

“Get out!” she shrieked. “Get out!”

I wanted to but I was rooted to the spot, unable to move. Gavin grabbed my hand and yanked me after him. I stumbled, but managed to keep my feet underneath me as I let him pull me from the restroom. We darted around the corner, still hearing the woman shouting after us. He pushed open the door to a stairwell and we ducked inside, breathing heavily from everything that had just happened.

As I leaned forward, trying to catch my breath, the lunacy of the situation struck me and I began to laugh. Gavin gave me a puzzled look, then, after a moment, joined in. Our laughter echoed in the stairwell, but no one came to investigate, so I figured we were alone.

“You know,” I said when I’d regained my ability to speak. “Whenever people in the movies or on TV go into a bathroom to fool around, they never burst in on someone who forgot to lock the stall door.”

“That’s very true,” Gavin said. He straightened and grinned down at me. Beneath his amusement his desire still burned, and my body tightened in response. He looked up the stairs, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Come on.” He grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs.

“Where are we going?” I asked as I silently cursed maneuvering in this dress and shoes.

He didn’t answer as he opened the door at the top of the flight of stairs. We entered a hallway and saw a sign on the wall to our right. Conference rooms A-F. Now I was really puzzled, but I followed him. He tried the first door and it was locked. When he tried the second door and found it locked too, I realized that he’d brought me here for us to be alone.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I’d fantasized about having sex with him in some daring place, and I’d been willing to go as far as he’d wanted in the bathroom, but now that I’d had a moment to cool down and think about it, my nerves were kicking in. This wasn’t just a quickie in the restroom. If we got into one of these conference rooms...

I didn’t have the chance to finish the thought, because he found a door that was unlocked and pulled me through the doorway, releasing my hand once we were inside. He flipped on the lights to reveal a conference room easily the size of the one at Webster and Steinberg. The table in the center of the room had to be at least sixty feet long and ten feet wide, able to seat over fifty people.

I heard a click behind me and turned to see Gavin locking the door. Part of me knew that should freak me out, him locking us into an empty room on what appeared to be an empty floor. The only anxiety I felt, however, had nothing to do with what I thought Gavin could do to me.

A slow smile curved Gavin’s lips as he started to walk towards me. My heart began to pound. I wanted him, but I didn’t know if I could do it like this. Before, it had been in the heat of the moment. If I did this, it would be deliberate. I couldn’t say I’d been caught up in what we’d been doing. I was thinking clearly – or at least as clearly as I could when Gavin was involved.

“Come on, Carrie. Where’s your sense of adventure?” His voice was practically dripping sex and it coated my skin like heated liquid.

Adventure. I almost laughed. I’d always thought of adventure as being something like rock-climbing, or hiking through a rainforest. Krissy was the sexually adventurous one. Not me. That had never been me.

Or, the thought hit me, maybe it was me, and I had always just been too scared to admit it.

I crossed to Gavin and grabbed the back of his neck with one hand, pulling his head down until our mouths met. I felt his surprise at my impulsiveness and slid my other hand down his chest. If I was going to do this, I might as well go all the way. I pushed my tongue past Gavin’s lips, tasting the champagne he’d drunk. The hand on his stomach moved lower until it was back where it had been earlier in the evening.

Gavin practically growled as he wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up. He carried me, our mouths still pressed together, to the table. He placed me on the edge and pushed my skirt up enough that the slit gave me the space to part my legs. He stood between them, his hands running up and down my thighs. As his palms moved from skin to cloth and back again, I pushed his jacket off his shoulders, my hands lingering on his broad shoulders. A moment later, my fingers found the buttons of his shirt and started to work them open. I wanted to feel his skin.

His hands moved up over my hips to my waist as I slipped my hands inside his shirt. He moaned as I explored his muscled torso, feeling every ridge and dip. When his fingers brushed the undersides of my breasts, I teased his nipples between my fingers.

“Shit,” he swore as he pulled his mouth away from mine. His eyes blazed and he raised his hands to the straps of my dress. He kept our gazes locked as he hooked his index fingers under each strap. Slowly, he lowered them until they were hanging halfway to my elbows. The front of the dress sagged, the material clingy enough to keep the low-cut neckline from falling completely. Still, I knew I couldn’t move or breathe too deeply. The fabric was precariously balanced just above my nipples, exposing the rest of my breasts.

Gavin bent over, his lips starting at my jaw. I tipped my head and my back arched, the movement just enough to free the rest of the dress. My top pooled around my waist and the cool air caressed my bare skin. His hands stayed on my arms as his mouth descended, lips and teeth worrying at my skin until I feared he was leaving marks. Not that I was going to stop him. My entire body was on fire, a new flame igniting each place his mouth touched. He moved across my collarbone and then down to my breasts. Only after his lips pressed against my soft flesh did he let his hands touch me.

Any patience he’d had fell away as he began to run his tongue over my breasts and around my nipples. I moaned as he teased at the sensitive flesh with teeth and lips on one side, fingers on the other. He switched back and forth, scraping and tugging until my nipples were hard and extended, my body writhing against his. I made a frustrated sound as he pulled back, and he chuckled, the sound sending a shiver of pleasure through me.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m going to get you there.”

He reached beneath my dress and took the waistband of my panties. I automatically raised my hips, letting him pull my underwear off. He dropped them on the floor even as he went down on his knees. Oh fuck. He was going to do that here?

He spread my legs further apart and gripped my hips in his hands. I kept myself propped up on my hands, wanting to watch. I whimpered as he buried his face between my legs. My muscles started shaking before he’d even completed his first pass, his tongue dancing between my folds as if it knew every nook and cranny to touch to start driving me towards an orgasm. It dipped inside me, caressing every inch of silken skin that it could reach.

I was panting, my breasts heaving as my body hovered on the edge of release. When he moved up to my clit, I gave a little cry, my hips jerking. He held me in place as he took that little bundle of nerves between his lips and began to suck. This was no gentle suckling. He was pulling on it, the suction almost too much. My head snapped back and my arms gave out. I slumped back on the table, twisting and turning as I came. Wave after wave crashed over me, each one stronger than the last, built by every pull of Gavin’s mouth. Only after I cried out his name did he stop and stand.

I blinked up at him, my eyes trying to focus as I floated, pleasantly buzzed from my orgasm. I had a feeling we weren’t finished.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom.

I raised an eyebrow because it was pretty much the only thing I could manage to move. “You brought a condom?”

He chuckled, that low, satisfied sound that a man made when he knew his attention was welcomed. “What can I say? I was hoping to get lucky.” He ripped the wrapper open. “And I believe in the Boy Scout motto of always being prepared.”

I struggled to push myself back upright as he unzipped his pants. I wanted to see him. I’d been fantasizing about that piece of flesh for days. He caught me watching, but didn’t say a word as he shoved his pants and boxer-briefs down, letting them hang at mid-thigh. I didn’t care about his pants. All I cared about was the thick, swollen shaft peeking out from between the folds of Gavin’s dress shirt. I swallowed hard and my entire body throbbed in response to my need. He quickly rolled the latex over himself and then reached down to put his hands around the back of my knees.

“Lie back,” he said.

I did as he said, wondering what he was going to do. He raised my legs until they were resting on his shoulders, my ankles behind his head. I wrapped my fingers around the edge of the table, my breath coming in pants. I’d never done it this way before and had no idea what to expect from the different angle.

He looked down at me and I felt the tip of him nudging against me. I was wet – that was actually an understatement; I was soaked – but the only foreplay had been his mouth.

“Slow?” he asked.

I could see on his face what he wanted, and I wanted it too. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t completely ready. I needed him. Now. I shook my head. “Fast.”

His eyes widened, but he didn’t argue with me. He positioned himself, then grabbed my hips, his hold tight enough that I knew I’d have bruises tomorrow. Our eyes met and he snapped his hips forward, burying himself inside me with one swift thrust.

My back arched, my mouth opening as if to scream, but no sound came out. I’d known he was big and I’d felt before how full he made me, but this was different. This wasn’t just full. This was overflowing. I didn’t know how he fit inside me. Every inch of me was on fire, half-pain, half-pleasure, mixing together to create the most intense sensations I’ve ever felt.

“You’re like a fucking vise,” Gavin ground out the words, his fingers convulsing against my hips. “So tight.”

I needed friction. If I didn’t get it, I was going to hover here, on this precipice of too much, and it would drive me insane. I let go of the edge of the table, my fingers throbbing from my tight grip. The move was almost pure instinct. I pushed my first two fingers into the space between my legs.

“No,” Gavin growled. His eyes were almost black as he grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away. “Mine.”

My jaw dropped, but I didn’t have a chance for any response other than a flare of heat in my belly because he was moving. He did as I’d asked and began to drive into me over and over, each stroke deep and fast. I keened as he reached every part of me, leaving no spot untouched. I barely had enough presence of mind to shove the side of my hand into my mouth to stifle the sounds I was making. I could feel my orgasm approaching, a wave that would drown me in pleasure. I slid my free hand up to my breast. It wasn’t going to take much, I knew. I pinched my nipple, tugging on the tip once, twice, and then I was gone.

I was dimly aware that I was biting my hand and that Gavin was cursing, but I couldn’t really register anything but the force of my climax washing over me. Then he was gone and the loss shocked me back into my body. Before my brain could stop spinning, he was pulling me off the table and turning me around. Automatically, my hands went out to keep me from landing face-first on the table. I felt him shove the bottom of my dress up around my waist and push my ankles apart, and then he was inside me again.

I whimpered as he thrust into me, each one hitting me deep enough to send sparks through me. He curled his body over mine so that he was rubbing against my g-spot with every stroke. He pressed his mouth against my ear as his hands slid up my ribcage to cup my breasts.

“No touching yourself,” he said, his fingers skillfully manipulating my nipples. “I don’t want you getting yourself off. That’s my job.”

“Oh, shit,” I breathed as I felt another orgasm approaching. I wasn’t sure I could take another one.

“I want to be the one to make you scream.” His voice was liquid sex, sending fresh waves of desire flowing over me. “My hands touching you where you need them. My body making yours respond.”

I closed my eyes as my arms began to shake. I was so close and every word he spoke was pushing me closer.

He yanked us both upright, wrapping one arm across my chest so that his hand was still on my breast. The other hand slid beneath the fabric of my skirt.

“Mine.” The moment the word left his lips, his fingers slid between my folds to find my swollen clit.

Just as I was about to explode, I heard a noise from the door. I couldn’t tell what it was, but before I could ask, three things happened at once. Gavin’s teeth scraped over the place where my shoulder and throat met. His fingers gave my nipple a little twist. The fingers between my legs flicked my clit.

He got his hand over my mouth barely in time to hold back my scream. My body went rigid, every muscle tightening. I heard him say my name and felt him pulse inside me, but that was all secondary to the light and heat coursing through me. This, I thought, was what lightning must feel like. Explosive energy bound in a form that can’t contain it. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it was gone, and I went limp. Gavin’s arms around me were the only things that kept me from falling to the floor.

Chapter 9

 

Through my post-orgasmic haze, I suddenly became aware of my situation. I was bent over a table, the top of my dress under my bare breasts, the bottom rucked up around my waist. Gavin was resting on my back, still inside me, and I assumed, still mostly clothed.

And someone was knocking on the door.

I tensed and Gavin hissed.

“Keep that up and I’ll be ready to go again,” he murmured against my ear.

“There’s someone at the door,” I whispered.

I pushed back against him, fighting against a sudden and irrational fear that he was going to hold me there. Instead, he stood, sliding out of me as he moved, and leaving me with the sense of loss that could only come after feeling complete.

I straightened, my legs shaking as I smoothed down my skirt and began to pull up the top of my dress. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gavin pull off the used condom and, after a moment glancing around the room, toss it into a garbage can. I couldn’t stop my gaze from lingering on him as he tucked himself back into his pants. Even spent, he was impressive.

“We need to get out of here,” I kept my voice low as whoever was at the door started asking who was in the room. I reached towards my panties, but Gavin beat me to it.

“You really want to wear something this wet?” He grinned at me as he slipped my underwear into his jacket pocket, completely at ease with what we’d just done. The grin faded as he looked at my face and his voice became serious as he asked, “Are you okay?”

“We just had sex on the table in a hotel conference room and now someone’s standing outside that door and they’re going to know why the door was locked.” The words rushed out of me.

“Well, that door is.”

My jaw dropped and I stared at him, horrified. He couldn’t mean...

He gestured towards a door at the other end of the room, one I hadn’t seen. “It’s okay. It just goes to the bathroom.” He took a step towards me, his eyes taking on that dark glow that did things to me deep inside. “Come on, didn’t it turn you on a little? Knowing we were someplace we weren’t supposed to be? That anyone with a key could come in at any time?”

My breath caught as my stomach churned at his words. It wasn’t nausea, but arousal. I hadn’t recognized it at the time, but I acknowledged it now for what it was. A part of me had enjoyed the taboo of what we were doing.

“Don’t worry.” Gavin held out his hand. “We had fun. Don’t let a little embarrassment spoil it.”

I nodded and took his hand. I gave myself a quick once over to make sure nothing important was showing and followed Gavin to the door. My face was blazing, but I kept my head high and tried to forget the fact that I wasn’t wearing anything under my dress now. He glanced at me and I nodded again. He unlocked the door and opened it.

A very startled looking janitor stood next to his cart, where he’d apparently been searching for the key card that was now in his hand. His eyes went from Gavin to me and back again, and the expression on his face turned from one of shock to one of disgust. Yeah, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess what we’d been doing.

Gavin didn’t say a word as he pulled me down the hall after him, but when I caught a glimpse of his face, he appeared to be amused. That wasn’t exactly the emotion I was feeling at the moment. Just before we reached the stairwell, I saw a sign and tugged on Gavin’s hand.

“I really need to freshen up.” I pointed towards the restroom sign.

“Sure.” He released my hand. “I’ll wait.”

As soon as the door closed behind me, I closed my eyes and let out a shuddering breath. What was this hold Gavin had over me? I wasn’t the type of girl who fucked near strangers, but I had. More than once. I didn’t come on to men or do things like grope them under a table. But I had. I would never have sex in a public restroom. But I would have if that old woman hadn’t been there. And I certainly didn’t let someone I barely knew fuck me twelve ways from Sunday in an empty conference room. And yet it had happened.

I opened my eyes and went into one of the stalls. When I was finished, I not only washed my hands, but used some paper towels to wipe myself down. Unfortunately, it couldn’t do anything to hide the purple mark where my shoulder and neck met. He’d given me a hickey. I scowled at my reflection. If we went back to the gala like this, everyone would know what we’d been doing. At best, they’d think we just made out, but that still wasn’t the kind of reputation I wanted. A glance at my hair told me that it was evidence itself. I yanked out the pins, letting my curls fall down over my shoulders. It hid the hickey nicely. I’d just say it had been giving me a headache. With hair as thick as mine, that did tend to happen.

When I walked back out, Gavin was waiting, a concerned expression on his face. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. It was only then that he seemed to notice my hair.

“Why’d you take it down?” he asked as we started down the stairs. “Not that I’m complaining. I like it.”

“I had to cover this up somehow, didn’t I?” I brushed my hair back to show him what he’d done.

“Oops.” He gave me a sheepish smile and I could see a hint of that boy he’d once been. “I got carried away.”

“I’d say so.” I wanted to sound angry, but I couldn’t, not with him looking at me with eyes that were steadily heating up. I turned my face away, afraid he’d see my own desire. It was so raw, so intense. It scared me. He scared me. Not because I was afraid he would hurt me, but because I never knew how I was going to act around him or with him.

“Carrie, do you – do you want to leave?” His voice was hesitant.

I pressed my lips together to prevent me from speaking. I wasn’t sure what I’d say if I opened my mouth. Probably something embarrassing like telling him that he could take me wherever he wanted. He waited for an answer, no trace of impatience on his face. I didn’t want to get him into trouble, so I focused on making a single question that I could trust. “Don’t you need to stay, for Howard?”

“We put in an appearance,” Gavin said. “That’s enough.”

I nodded as we stepped out of the stairwell and headed back into the throng. Gavin kept his hand resting lightly on the small of my back, a polite distance between us. I could almost pretend that we were one of these high-society couples who probably only had sex in the missionary position with the lights off. Or, at least I might have been able to if my underwear wasn’t currently in Gavin’s pocket and my body wasn’t feeling well-used – in a good way.

“Howard.” Gavin gave Howard a charming smile. He leaned down and said something that I couldn’t quite make out.

I just stood beside him and put on what I hoped was a tired smile. Gavin straightened and reached for me again. His palm pressed against my back.

“We really must be going.”

“But the night is so young.” Howard stood, his smile flashing all of his perfectly white teeth. “If the gala is boring you, Carrie, perhaps we should move the festivities to my penthouse suite. I’m sure you’ll find the accommodations quite... expansive.”

I shook my head. “Thank you so much for the invitation, Mr. Weiss – Howard. Unfortunately, I do have to be up early in the morning, so I’ll have to decline.”

“Surely Mimi doesn’t expect you to work on a Sunday,” Howard pressed.

“Thank you, but I’m afraid that’s not the reason for my early morning.” That, at least, was true. This next part was a lie. “I have a paper for school that needs my attention. Columbia Law won’t take excuses.”

“Ah, well, maybe next time.” He truly seemed disappointed.

That made me uneasy. Why in the world would someone like Howard be so insistent that I, a virtual stranger, join him in his suite? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to that question. Besides making things awkward with Mimi, who seemed to have a thing for Howard, it would also undoubtedly create tension between Gavin and Howard, and I didn’t want that. If Gavin felt the need to say something to Howard about the flirting, he could do it in his own time, without any pressure from me.

“Perhaps.” I kept my answer vague. “Good night.”

“And a good night to you as well, my dear,” Howard said.

The pressure of Gavin’s hand turned me and we made our way through the crowd towards the lobby. His town car was waiting for us. I assumed he’d called while I’d been in the bathroom. Either that or his driver was psychic.

I got in first, sliding to the middle of the seat as Gavin followed. His leg pressed against mine and I could feel the heat between the layers that separated us. He didn’t touch me anywhere else, but I could feel the electricity crackling between us. It was so intense, that I almost thought if I looked hard enough, I’d be able to see it. Sparks of yellow and orange and red, sparks of that white-blue that was almost too hot to look at.

“What did you think of the gala?” he asked.

I couldn’t believe his voice could be that casual. Couldn’t he feel the connection between us? I looked up at him. The moment our eyes met, I knew he felt it. He was just making small talk.

“It was lovely,” I answered in a voice that didn’t sound like my own. I hoped his questions didn’t get any harder, because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to form anything more coherent than what I’d just said. The pressure of his leg against mine was sending little flares of heat licking across my nerves and reminding me of all the other places his touch had given me those same feelings.

“Had you ever been to an auction before?”

That was simple enough. I shook my head and hoped for more questions like that. My gaze traveled over his body, as if I couldn’t be this close to him and not look at him. And, of course, when I looked at him, I had to remember what we’d done tonight. The pleasure of his mouth on me. How he’d felt inside me, stretching and filling me. The low, possessive sound of his voice declaring that my body was his. I pressed my thighs together as they grew slick with my arousal.

I didn’t recall talking about anything else, but I was pretty sure by the time we pulled up in front of my apartment building, Gavin and I had held an entire conversation.

As the car came to a halt, I turned towards him. I didn’t want the night to be over. I knew I couldn’t help myself when I was with him, but I didn’t care. I just wanted him. Again. And again.

I was already starting to lean towards him when his mouth descended on mine. Our teeth crashed together, the force of our lips bruising. This was no tender good-night kiss, but one of hunger. We devoured each other’s mouths, tongues thoroughly exploring every ridge and crevice, teeth scraping over lips. I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t need to. His kiss was enough. It was burning through me, over me, consuming me.

When we finally pulled apart, we were both gasping for air. This was the moment, I knew, where what I said would determine how this night would end. I could say good-night and go upstairs alone, and I knew he wouldn’t hold it against me. Or, I could act on those desires that Krissy kept telling me not to suppress.

“I could make you a nightcap,” I said.

His eyes were nearly black as he answered, “That would be nice.”

Chapter 10

 

I was having a hard time keeping my hands to myself as Gavin and I entered the building. Tom, the doorman, grinned at me as Gavin and I passed. There wasn’t anything lecherous about that grin. Well, not towards me anyway. Gavin was more Tom’s type.

Gavin wrapped his arms around me as we waited for the elevator doors to open, his head bending down to capture my mouth again. We nearly tumbled into the elevator, our kisses growing more intense, more passionate. I could feel the heat radiating off of us as we rode the elevator up. My hands found their way under Gavin’s jacket and I tugged his shirt out from his pants. When my palms skimmed over the bare skin of his back, he moaned and ground his hips against me. He was definitely ready for round two.

His hands were wandering across my body as well, fondling my breasts over the soft fabric of my dress, teasing at my nipples until they were hard and visible through the material. One hand found its way under the slit and slid up between my legs, fingers brushing against my exposed skin. I shuddered, my nails digging into his back.

I might have let him take me right there if the elevator hadn’t dinged and the doors slid open. As it was, it took most of my control not to hit the stop button. Instead, I disentangled myself and practically dragged Gavin down the hall to my apartment. My hands were shaking as I tried to fit the key in the lock and I heard him chuckle.

“Shh,” I whispered. “I’m hoping Krissy’s already asleep.”

“Ashamed of me?” There was a note of seriousness under the teasing.

I looked up at him. “More like not in the mood for any interruptions.” The door opened. I stepped inside, then stopped and half-turned towards Gavin. “Warning – the place is probably a disaster. It was Krissy’s week to clean and she’s not the neatest person.”

“Somehow,” Gavin said, “That doesn’t surprise me.” He lowered his voice to that pitch that made my insides quiver. “But surprisingly, I don’t care about that.”

He cupped my chin and kissed me, hard. I suddenly didn’t care about the mess that the single living room lamp was illuminating.

“This way.” I took his hand and led him down the darkened hallway.

Before the door had finished closing behind me, Gavin’s hands were on my dress, peeling it from my body. I was equally as busy, nearly growling in frustration as I tried to undo the buttons of his shirt.

“Not fair,” I muttered. “You have too much to take off.”

He laughed.

“Shh.” I hushed him. “We need to stay quiet.”

“Quiet?” He laughed again, this time softer. “You? Are you kidding me?”

My hands dropped and I flushed as I remembered how loud I’d been earlier. The side of my hand gave a throb, reminding me of how I’d had to muffle the sounds I was making. I was going to have a bruise, and maybe even teeth marks.

“Hey,” Gavin lifted my chin. “I love how vocal you are.” His thumb brushed across my bottom lip. “You have no idea how much it turns me on, knowing I can get those sounds out of you.”

I swallowed hard. I was still embarrassed, but that was quickly being burned away by the return of my arousal, hotter than before. Gavin tossed his jacket aside as he kicked off his shoes. He yanked at his shirt and I was pretty sure a few buttons popped off. He didn’t seem to take any notice. I greedily ran my eyes over his torso. He was so beautiful, like something sculpted. Then his pants and underwear followed and my gaze was dropping down over his flat abdomen to that delightful bit of flesh.

He stepped towards me and buried one hand in my hair, his other arm going around my waist and pulling me against him. He was hot and hard against my stomach.

“Didn’t you want your drink?” I teased.

Gavin looked puzzled. “What drink?”

“Your nightcap.”

He smiled. “Oh, I’m going to get my nightcap right now.” He spun us around towards my bed.

We fell on it, our limbs tangling even as our mouths came together. We writhed against each other, bodies rubbing together in ways that made me want to squirm and cry and beg all at once. My nipples were hard bullet points against his chest, each movement sending little shivers of pleasure through the sensitive flesh. I moaned and clung to him as we rolled across my bedspread, hands sliding over soft skin, exploring, touching as if each sensation was something new.

I took him in my hand and he groaned. I still marveled at how something so hard could be so soft at the same time. His skin was like silk or velvet, one of those kinds of fabric that you just want to touch all the time because it feels so nice against your hand. I stroked him, trying and failing to wrap my hand around his base. My fingers couldn’t touch until I was more than halfway up, and I made a sound in the back of my throat as I remembered how he had felt inside me just a short while ago.

He rolled off of me suddenly and I blinked, my hormone-soaked brain trying to figure out what had just happened.

“If you’d kept doing that, this was going to be over before it really began.” Gavin grinned at me. “And I fully intend to take my time with you tonight. If I can go another time after this, I want to make them both count.”

I shivered in anticipation.

“Roll over.”

I did as he asked, folding my arms under my head. The bed dipped as he got up and I heard him cross to my dresser. A moment later, he was back. I heard the sound of a bottle opening and then the scent of lilacs filled the air. I knew what he had then, though I didn’t know why.

“Oil really works best for this, but lotion will do,” Gavin explained as he rubbed his hands together.

A moment later, I felt his knees on either side of my waist and his hands on my back. His strong fingers began to knead at my muscles, finding knots I hadn’t even been aware had existed.

“From the moment I met you, I could tell you were the type of person who wanted to be in control, to have a plan.” His voice was soft as he worked over my upper back to my shoulders. He gently pulled my arms from under my head and began to massage them as well. “And I could feel it in your body. Even after sex, you would still be tense, like you were waiting for something else to happen.”

He was right. I was tense pretty much all the time. For maybe a minute or two after a great orgasm, I’d relax, but that never lasted very long. Now, though, it was impossible to resist his strong fingers turning my muscles into jello.

“I’ve been wanting to do this pretty much from the moment you walked up to me in that bar.”

He moved his thumbs against my palms and my breathing stuttered. I’d never known my palms could be an erogenous zone. Then, he released my hand and started on the small of my back. As his thumbs began to knead just above the swell of my ass, the desire that had been simmering began to spike. Instead of making me tense, however, it just flowed into my muscles, further loosening them. When he began to move lower, my eyelids fluttered.

“Such a beautiful ass,” he murmured as his hands worked my flesh. His fingers brushed the insides of my thighs as he started down and I parted my legs, wanting him to touch me there. He chuckled. “Not yet.”

He worked his way down my legs to my feet. When he reached them, he stopped. “Roll over.”

I did as he said, surprised at how relaxed I felt. I grabbed a pillow and propped up my head so I could watch what he did next. He didn’t notice, his attention on my feet. He began to rub them, his thumbs putting the most delicious pressure against points that made things low in my body tighten. How could a person’s feet be that connected to other places?

By the time he started on my other foot, I was moaning. When his hands moved up my legs, continuing the massage, I had to bite my bottom lip to keep myself from getting too loud. Then his hands were under my breasts, cupping them, fingers moving over them to trace my nipples. I felt the sensitive flesh harden under his touch.

“Relaxed now?” he asked.

I nodded. I was relaxed. Every muscle in my body felt like liquid. There was no tension anywhere, only heat.

“Great.” He gave me that smile that men give women when they know what their touch will do. “Now let’s see if I can change that.”

He didn’t give me a chance to figure out what that meant. His mouth closed over my nipple and I cried out. The wet heat sent a jolt of arousal through me and then he began to suck.

“Shit,” I cursed, my back arching.

He knew just the right amount of suction. Not too little or too much. Hard enough to pull the tip up into a point, but not so hard it was painful. His tongue swirled around my flesh and was followed by teeth scraping and nipping. I fisted my hands in my bedspread, panting as he alternated between bites and licks, one causing little pinpricks of near pain, the other soothing.

My eyes were squeezed shut, my head tilted back. I could hear the sounds coming out of my mouth and knew that I was being too loud, but I couldn’t stop myself, not with the wonderful things his mouth was doing to me. When he switched to the other breast, the cool air caressed the wet skin he abandoned, sending a whole new sensation through me. He wasn’t touching me anywhere else, only his mouth on my breast, but it felt like every inch of my body was on fire.

He bit down, just this side of painful and I cried out, an orgasm crashing over and through me. He sat back, letting me ride out my climax untouched. I’d never known I could come just from a mouth on my breasts. I’d heard women say it, but I’d never believed it until now. There was no denying the pleasure coursing through my body.

It wasn’t until I opened my eyes that I saw Gavin was watching me. I blushed, part of me wanting to cover up, as if he hadn’t already seen everything there was to see. It was different this way, though. Coming while we were touching was one thing. Having him sitting back, almost separate from the experience, was something else.

“You’re beautiful when you come, you know,” he said.

He ran a finger over my calf and I shivered. Something so innocent should never feel that good.

“At some point,” he continued. “I think I’d like to watch you pleasure yourself, just your fingers. See how you touch yourself. Watch your face when you bring yourself to orgasm.”

I made a sound that I wasn’t sure was either disapproval or agreement. I hadn’t done that with any of my previous lovers. Granted, there had been times I’d helped myself along, but it was always while we were having sex. If I ever had to finish myself off because he didn’t get the job done, I waited until I was alone. That had always been a private thing for me. Now, I found myself wondering what it would be like, to touch myself in front of Gavin, knowing that he wasn’t going to do anything but watch. Would he then return the favor? I’d never thought about watching a man masturbate, but the idea of seeing how Gavin touched himself turned me on more than I’d thought possible.

“Someday,” he said, interrupting my thoughts. “Tonight, however, I have other plans for you. We’re just getting started.”

Chapter 11

 

I started to sit up, but Gavin put his hand on my shoulder and shook his head.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he teased.

I smiled up at him and ran my tongue out to wet my lips. It was time for the bold me to come forward again. “I want to go down on you.” I was rewarded by a low oath and Gavin’s hand tightening on my shoulder.

Something crossed his eyes and then he said, “I’d like that very much.” He shifted so that he was straddling my waist. “But how about we try something a little different?”

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I nodded.

“Do you trust me?”

I wasn’t sure about the answer to that one. Hadn’t that been what I’d been puzzling over since I’d met him?

Gavin’s expression grew serious. “I’d never do anything to hurt you, or anything you wouldn’t like. All you have to do is ask me to stop and I will.”

I could read the truthfulness in his eyes. I might not know if I could trust him emotionally, but sexually... I believed I could. He hadn’t done anything I hadn’t wanted him to do, and he’d always made sure I was okay with anything he did. I nodded, pushing down the sliver of panic that wanted to ruin it.

A pleased look crossed Gavin’s face, and it wasn’t just lustful. There was something deeper there that made my insides squirm.

He didn’t speak as he took my wrists in his hands and moved my arms above my head. The long fingers of one hand wrapped around both of my wrists, effectively trapping them. His grip wasn’t too tight and the angle wasn’t painful, but my breathing quickened anyway. He raised himself higher on his knees and leaned forward.

I watched as his face moved out of sight, but it wasn’t until I saw his stomach and lower that I realized what he was doing.

“Fuck,” I whispered as he reached my mouth. He was long and hard, hovering just above my lips, and I wanted him. I knew he was waiting for a signal from me to know that it was okay. I flicked my tongue out to touch the tip of his shaft and felt his fingers twitch against my wrists.

He lowered his hips as I opened my mouth. I swirled my tongue around him, tasting every inch of the hard flesh that passed my lips. Now I understood why he’d asked about trust. I had no control, no way to stop him from going too far and choking me. Arousal and panic warred inside me. I closed my eyes and focused on the weight sliding across my tongue.

He drew back until the tip rested against my lips. I teased across his slit with the tip of my tongue. I wanted him back in my mouth. He got the hint and began to lower himself again. He didn’t go far, only letting a couple inches inside before he started to withdraw. It took only a few strokes before I caught his rhythm and began to work with it, using my tongue on the downward movement, hollowing my cheeks to apply suction as he pulled out. The first time I did it, he swore, more loudly than he should have, but I didn’t say anything about it. Speech would’ve been a bit difficult with my mouth stretched so wide around him. He may have been thinner at the top, but he was still big enough around that my jaw was going to start aching soon.

Before that could happen, he drew back completely. I opened my eyes as he released my hands. His cock was flush with blood, a deep red that glistened with my saliva. He climbed off of the bed and reached for his pants. I propped myself up on my elbows as I watched him bend over. I normally wasn’t much of an ass person, but he had a nice one.

“Seriously?” I asked as he straightened with a condom in his hand. “Another one? Just how lucky did you think you were going to get?”

He grinned as he tore open the wrapper. “What can I say? I’m an optimist.”

“Good thing,” I said. “I’m pretty sure I only have one I keep for emergencies.” A sudden thought occurred to me. “And I don’t think it’ll fit.”

His smile widened at that one. “Guess it’s a good thing I have a couple more in my jacket, huh?” He paused as he rolled the latex over his cock, then added, “I guess it’d be too much of a guy thing to ask for a comparison?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, that would be too much of a guy thing.”

He shrugged. “We all like to get our ego stroked now and then.”

I moved up onto my knees. “It’s not your ego I want to be stroking.” The words popped out of my mouth before I thought about them and I saw surprise flash across his face before it was replaced by something darker.

He climbed onto the bed and started to reach for me. I shook my head. He hesitated, desire dampened by confusion. He’d had his moment of control. It was my turn, and there was something I’d been wanting to do since I’d first seen him. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle push. It wasn’t enough to actually move him, but enough to convey what I wanted.

“Carrie?”

I put both my hands on his shoulders, applying more pressure. He laid back, his eyes on me as he stretched out. When he was finally still, I swung one leg over his waist and placed my hands on his chest, leaning forward so that our faces were just inches apart.

The bold me was still in charge. “I’ve been fantasizing about this since we first met.” His eyes widened. “Riding you until you can’t see straight.”

“Fuck.”

“That’s the idea.” I grinned as I straightened, moving myself back until I was above him. I kept my eyes locked with his as I reached beneath me and held him in place. I wanted to see the expression on his face when he entered me.

I was still stretched enough from our previous encounter that there was no discomfort as I slowly lowered myself onto him, only the delicious sensation of being filled. Gavin’s face was an array of emotions as I moved, so varied and complex that I couldn’t separate them. The muscles in his neck and arms stood out as his hands opened and closed convulsively against my bedspread. I put my hands on his stomach to keep my balance and felt the minute tremors going through him.

“So tight. How are you still so fucking tight?” The words came out in pants.

My eyelids fluttered as he reached that point inside me where he was rubbing against my g-spot. I answered, barely aware that I was doing so, “Never had anyone so big inside me.”

His hands slid up my legs to my hips. I could hear amusement in his voice. “Guess that answers my question.”

I laughed and the sound was cut short as the vibrations made Gavin and me both groan. He was almost completely in now, the end of him already past where my other lovers had gone. The muscles in my legs were trembling now with the effort, but as I dropped the final two inches, that wasn’t important. I rested for a moment, my body struggling to adapt to the intrusion. We hadn’t done it this way before, and the difference in position changed things enough that I needed a minute.

Gavin’s fingers twitched on my hips and I began to move. I started with a simple back and forth movement, letting myself get used to the feel. I opened my eyes as I switched to raising myself up and then sliding down. Gavin’s pupils were blown so wide I could barely see any blue around them and I wondered if my own looked that way. I slid my hands up his stomach to his chest and back again, matching my movement with the rhythm I was setting. I lost myself in the motions, giving my body over to instinct as I rode him.

I could feel his hips rising to meet my downward motions, driving him deeper than should have been possible. The end of him hit something inside me that made me cry out as stars burst behind my eyes. I dug my nails into his chest and he swore. He sat up, wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me against him, our bodies joined as closely as possible.

His mouth slammed into mine, his tongue pushing its way between my lips as it greedily plundered my mouth. His teeth scraped against my lips, nipping at them until I was writhing against him, my body barely able to move in his tight grip. I needed to move. The pressure inside me was too much, and I was going to explode if he didn’t do something.

Almost as if he could hear my thoughts, he lifted me. For a moment, I thought he was going to put me on my back, finish it that way, but he didn’t. Instead, my back slammed into my headboard. My hands automatically went out to my sides, grabbing onto the top of the carved wood. One of his arms stayed around my waist while the other held on to the top of the headboard as well. I was pinned between him and the polished wood. He was on his knees, my legs on either side of his waist; the only thing keeping me from falling was where his body held mine.

“Fuck me–” The words had barely gotten out of my mouth before he was doing just that.

I keened as he thrust into me, each stroke sending a wave of ecstasy through me. The base of him rubbed my clit even as his shaft pressed against that spot inside me, and the friction alone would have been enough, but it was more than that. It was the sound of him grunting in my ear with the force of each thrust. The raw, almost primal feeling that he was somehow claiming me, that this was just the end of something that had started earlier tonight, something that went beyond a good fuck.

My body opened for his, welcomed the shockwaves that rolled over my nerves, driving me towards a release that promised to be bigger than anything I’d experienced before. I released the headboard and wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him as he pounded into me.

I wasn’t even aware that I was speaking until I suddenly heard my voice.

“Oh, fuck! Yes, Gavin! Yes!”

I thought I sounded like a bad porn star, but the words just poured out of me. His name. Various expletives. And, of course, the singular affirmative that came out in a wail.

His hips jerked as his rhythm faltered and I knew he was close. He pulled me away from the headboard enough to get both of his arms around me. He lifted me until he was almost completely out and then pulled me down. The force of gravity and him combined buried him almost painfully deep, and I screamed as I came, the sound carrying me towards darkness. I felt him pulsing inside me and heard him call my name, and then, nothing.

Chapter 12

 

I wasn’t out for long. I knew that less than a minute had passed, because the first thing that I was aware of was that Gavin was still inside me and not quite back down to his pre-erection size. The second thing that I knew was that he was holding me against him, and his breath was hot against my ear.

He moved, maneuvering us so that he was pulling out as he lowered me to the bed. He leaned back, pulling off the condom with a grimace and tossing it into the trashcan next to the bed. He then collapsed next to me, turning his face towards me. We lay like that for several minutes, me on my back and him on his stomach, trying to catch our breath.

“You know...” He broke the silence. “It’s a good thing you were so quiet.”

I scowled at him.

“You think you woke her? If those first couple ones didn’t get her, I’m sure that last scream did.” Gavin grinned at me. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if your neighbors called the cops.”

I hit his shoulder with an arm that still felt rubbery. “That was nothing compared to what I’ve heard coming from Krissy’s room.”

Gavin looked thoughtful for a moment. “So a threesome would be like having surround sound?”

“Funny.” I rolled onto my side. Now that all of the sexual tension had been sated – at least for the moment – I found my thoughts returning to the night’s previous events, and not the sexual ones. “Howard offered me a job.”

Gavin’s eyebrows shot up, the surprise on his face so genuine that I couldn’t doubt he hadn’t known. He rolled onto his side as well, so we were facing each other. “Are you going to take it?”

I shook my head. That wasn’t why I’d brought it up. “I got the feeling he was looking more for another conquest than he was for a new employee.”

Gavin laughed. “Don’t worry about that. Howard’s not like that. He’s just a flirt, which has obviously been a problem in his marriage, but he doesn’t act on it. Besides, he’d never try anything with you because he knows we’re together.”

A thrill went through me at his words. He said we were together. I’d wanted to think of us that way, but hadn’t let myself since I hadn’t known how he’d felt. Now I did.

Gavin continued, unaware of what his statement had done to me. “I hope your boss knows her stuff. No one’s going to believe that Howard just flirts. His wife’s convinced he’s been cheating on her for years. Proving otherwise is going to be difficult.”

I reached out and brushed hair back from Gavin’s forehead. “How did you meet him, anyway?”

Something dark crossed Gavin’s face. “Some years back, I was going through something really bad and Howard helped me get out of it.” He twisted one of my curls around his finger. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. I owe him everything.”

I put my hand on his cheek. I could see a deep pain and grief in his eyes, and my heart ached. “What happened?” I asked.

Gavin shook his head. “Let’s not spoil the mood with my sad story.”

He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me towards him. Our mouths met, but this kiss was slow and lingering. His hand ran over my side to rest on my hip. I let my hands slide over his chest, up to his shoulders. The kiss lasted only a minute, but it chased away some of the hurt I’d seen on his face. It wasn’t enough, though. I wanted to make him forget we’d ever discussed it.

I raised myself up slightly, letting my mouth follow where my hands had gone. I wanted to taste every inch of him. His fingers teased at my nipple, but I didn’t let him distract me. I kissed my way up his neck to his ear.

“I want to explore your body with my mouth.”

He went still next to me.

“Run my tongue over every inch of you.” I flicked his earlobe with my tongue. “And this time, you’re going to finish in my mouth because I want to taste your cum.”

“Fuck, Carrie.”

A shudder ran through him and I felt his cock stir against my leg. That was a start. I resumed my exploration, licking down the side of his neck, pausing to suck at the pulse point in his throat. He’d given me a hickey. He deserved one in return. Once I was satisfied with the mark I’d made, I turned him so that he was lying on his stomach again. I started to make my way across the tops of his shoulders when his tattoo caught my attention. The second my tongue traced along the edge of one of those angel wings, I felt him tense.

I leaned back, but not completely away. Instead of my mouth, I used my finger to run along the wings. He relaxed a bit, but not much. They couldn’t hurt. The tattoo was too old for that. It had to be something else.

“What do they mean?” I asked, keeping my voice soft. When he didn’t answer, I lightly ran the tip of my finger over the date just between where the wings met. I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss in the center of the closest wing. “You can trust me.”

“It’s not that,” he said. His voice was thick with emotion. “The date represents the worst day of my life. The initials are for the best and most important thing in my life.”

Oh. I resisted the urge to trace the letters. SC. I sat back and looked down, but Gavin’s face was turned away from me.

“You know.” I tried to keep my voice casual but wasn’t sure I was succeeding. “Initials like that, they’re usually done for a woman. Someone that has such a hold on your heart that you can’t let her go.”

Gavin didn’t say anything.

I pushed on. “Like an ex-girlfriend.” Still nothing. An icy feeling was settling in my stomach and I fought back the suspicions that wanted to creep forward. “It is an ex, right?”

Gavin sighed and pushed himself up on his elbows. He turned towards me. “You really want to know?”

I couldn’t read his face. There was something closed off about his expression, and it frightened me. Part of me said I didn’t want to know, that it was going to be something I couldn’t handle, but another part of me said I had to face it so I could deal. I nodded.

“SC is for a girl. One who does have my heart.”

I was going to throw up.

“SC stands for Skylar Camille. She’s my daughter.”

 

End of Book 2