I watch her go, the sound of her music still playing in my head, the feel of her lips still on mine. I don’t know what to do. I have this overwhelming urge to follow her and push her against the nearest wall. Jesus. What’s happening to me? It feels like I’m boiling inside and that curvy little kitten is the only thing that can soothe the ache.

Her long dark hair and gorgeous green eyes have me in a trance. I want to knot my fingers in her hair and see her eyes light up with desire. I want to have her under me while I thrust into her little body.

My lips are still tingling from where I devoured her. To call it a kiss wouldn’t do it justice. No, that was a claiming. I took her and marked her as mine, and all I want to do is finish marking her in the most animalistic way possible.

“Having a good time?”

Bill’s words shake my attention away from Felicity, and I reluctantly pull my eyes from the doorway she disappeared through.

“Yes, thank you,” I answer as politely as I can with all the other questions screaming in my head. Where did she go? Where has she been? Will you know if I pull her into a dark corner and have my way with her?

“They grow up so fast. I can’t believe she’s in college. It feels like yesterday I was walking her to kindergarten.”

I breathe a sigh of relief to find out she’s over eighteen. I had heard he had a daughter in college, but for a second there I had a moment of panic. I was too far gone and too blinded by lust to stop myself. If she hadn’t been legal, I still don’t know that I could stop myself.

“She’s just like her mother.” Bill’s words are a little wistful as he turns back towards the house and I follow him.

I never met Bill’s wife, but I had heard a lot of stories about her.

I heard she’d only married him for his money. Bill had once told me he only married for Felicity’s sake, but he soon found out that was a mistake. The women cared nothing for her daughter. She only cared about herself. She was out the door when he offered her a few million to sign over her rights.

Apparently she slept her way through most of his colleagues and some of his clients before someone finally told him. I’m sure Bill knew of her indiscretions, but as he’d married her only for Felicity, it’s likely he didn’t care. Bill doesn’t miss much. She saved her worst behavior for parties, I’d heard. She always had to be the center of attention. If that’s the case with Felicity, then I’m sure she’s getting all kinds of male attention.

The thought makes me grit my teeth and clench my fists. I don’t want to envision anyone else’s hands on her, but the way she looks makes me think she’s had plenty. Her body is made for a man’s grip. She’s short but has thick curves in all the right places.

Why am I even thinking these thoughts? I can’t do any of this. Bill is my company’s attorney, and this is his daughter. I need to stay away from her. I need to keep my distance. This could be very bad for everyone involved, so I’m glad I just took a kiss.

Fuck, I wanted to take more. And if the throb in my cock, which refuses to go down, has anything to say about it, I still would. Jerking off in a bathroom crosses my mind, but I push the thought aside. I don’t want my hand. I’ve got something soft and warm I want instead, and I’m trying like hell to not think about her.

As Bill and I descend the stairs, I try to think back to what I know of his personal life. There isn’t much, other than rumors. I remember hearing that his wife left him some time ago. I wonder how old Felicity was when that happened.

I shake my head. I need to clear the thought. I can’t think about her like that. I can’t fantasize about my attorney’s daughter, no matter how much I want to. This would be very bad for business, and I can’t imagine what people would say.

Thank God I pulled away when I did. I didn’t know who was interrupting us at the time, and I’m thankful not to have been caught. I wanted her so badly I didn’t think about the consequences of who she was and where we were. Who knows what I would have done if we weren't interrupted. I have to get better control of myself.

When we finally make it back down to the party, I nod to Bill as he blends back in with the crowd. My balcony antics haven’t been mentioned. It’s as if it never happened. I wish someone would tell that to my cock because he sure as fuck knows it happened. And he’s looking for more.

I grab a glass of red wine from one of the passing caterers and stand by the fire, surveying the crowd. I feel her before I see her. I turn towards a darker part of the room. Felicity is in the corner while a man I don’t recognize leans down to talk to her. I see her look my way and then look to him, a deep blush creeping across her cheeks.

I feel a snap between my fingers and look to see the stem of my wine glass has broken in two. A server comes over and takes the broken glass out of my hand, passing me a clean towel. There only seem to be a few minor cuts, so I wave him off.

When I look over at Felicity, I see her gazing over at me with concern on her face. Is she worried I’m going to tell her father what happened upstairs? Because that would be the last thing I’d want to do. She should be more worried about me going over there and pushing that guy away from her and pinning her in that corner with the lower half of my body.

Gritting my teeth, I grab another glass of wine, careful this time not to crack it in my hand. I also try—unsuccessfully—to not stare at Felicity. I keep my eyes on her, watching as she blushes and nods, hardly speaking a few words to the man. She’s so shy that I can see it from across the room. This doesn't jibe with her father’s words. As the man leaves, I take a step forward and then think better of it. Keeping myself rooted to the spot, I chant over and over in my head that I must not go to her. No matter how much my body wants it.

I see her eyes light up, and she starts to take a step, only to be cornered by another man. This time I want to smash my wine glass on the floor and scream obscenities until I blow the roof off this place. I want to scream that she’s mine, but she’s not. I don’t even know where these barbaric and crazy ideas come from.

She gives the new man a smile, and I stifle the rage in me at the gesture. Why do I even care that she’s smiling at someone? It’s no business of mine. Except for the fact that I’ve marked her mouth and now I feel as if I own it. How dare she use what I own to make other men happy? That mouth is mine and should only be used for my desires.

‘’Calder, are you okay?”

Looking to my left, I see Sidney walk up and put her hand on my shoulder. It’s not the hand I want. The one I want is on the other side of the room, and I hate it.

I nod, accepting her comfort, and try not to be so obvious about my newfound obsession with my attorney’s daughter.

“Are you ready to go? I think I made the rounds for us, and I’m dying to get home. My feet are killing me in these shoes.” She leans on me a little, lifting one and giving it a squeeze. “But they’re so pretty I couldn’t bear not to wear them.”

I just hum as I sneak another look at Felicity. I feel heat flood my bloodstream when I see her with a big smile on her face as she leans into the man in front of her. I guess her father was right. Maybe she is just like her mother, always needing attention. No matter who it’s from. I’m bitter, and I can’t look at the scene much longer.

I take Sidney’s hand and pull her out of the living room. “I’m ready,” I grit out as we exit the penthouse.

When we get downstairs, my car is waiting at the curb. My driver helps Sidney in, and I go around, nearly slamming my door as I get in.

“Calder? What happened?”

Sidney and I have known one another since the fourth grade. She was allergic to peanuts and so was I, so we had to share a lunch table. There was a big sign above the table that declared we had allergies, and it was really embarrassing at the time. So we ended up bonding over it and became best friends.

People always assume we are a couple, and we’ve used that to our advantage. It’s helped me out with social climbers and keeping out of the single spotlight, and it’s helped Sidney keep her sexual orientation from her family. They’re strict Catholics, and having a lesbian for a daughter would be the end of the world to them. So instead, Sidney tells them we’re an item and I just won’t commit. I’m fine with being the asshole to her family and taking all the shit they dish out at the holidays. I’d walk through fire for her, and I know she’d do the same for me.

“Nothing. I’m okay.” I take a deep breath and try to clear my head. Maybe now that I’m not around her, this need will dissipate. “I’m good. Just have work on my mind. Are you staying at Lori’s tonight?”

I try to change the subject to her girlfriend, knowing this will pull her attention away from me.

She sighs and leans back in the seat, and for a second I feel bad about bringing it up.

“No. She told me last week that if I went to another event with you as your girlfriend, then she wanted to break up. I told her that we work together and it’s complicated, but she knows it’s bullshit. She’s asking for something I can’t give her.

I nod, thinking about exactly that—wanting what I can’t have. I look out the window, holding my fist to my mouth as I try to quell the growing desire for Felicity. It’s as if the farther away I get from her, the stronger the urge is.

“Richard, drop me off at my place,” Sidney says, and I look over at her.

“You’re not coming over?”

We’d agreed before the night started that she’d come over and play the new Madden with me. She’s one of my closest friends, but she’s also a badass when it comes to playing football.

She looks over at me and raises an eyebrow. In that one look, I can see everything she’s not saying. That look is telling me I know you’re full of shit and you’re hiding something. I know you need the night to yourself. So unless you want to talk about it, I’m going home.

I nod again and go back to glaring out the window. “You’re right. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The car stops and she leans over, kissing me on the cheek. “Night, Calder.”

I wave to her as she gets out and goes into her building. When the car starts to move again, I lay my head back and put my hands over my eyes. It takes everything in me not to tell Richard to pull the car around and go back to Felicity’s home.

Just one more look. I think if I could see her one more time, that’s all it would take to make this go away.

The distance between us grows, and the lie I keep telling myself falls away. Once with her will never be enough.