“WHERE THE HELL did you find that?”
I stared, wide-eyed at the picture of two lovers embracing on the pavement amid a throng of curious onlookers. Within hours, the clinch worthy of an epic romance Nate and I had shared was receiving numerous hits on an internet blog.
“Well, um,” Mai stammered, looking extremely sheepish. “I kinda set up Google Alert.”
“For Nate?”
“For you.” She winced at the thunderous look I gave her. “Don’t be pissed with me. It’s exciting. My BFF is famous!”
I snorted. “I am not famous.” I yanked my bag onto my lap and dug out my tin of lip balm. “I feel like I’m being stalked,” I whined, slathering on the strawberry balm. Add in all of Nate’s obsessions with safety and I was becoming a little more than freaked out.
“People wanna know what Nate-sexy-as-fuck-Blake is doing,” Mai said, swiping the pad of her index finger over the waxy balm and dabbing her own lips. “You’re newsworthy by association. This blog gets all the scoops on you two. It was the first to break your relationship, now this. There’s a fashionista one that’s loving your style, and—”
“Stop.” I held up a weary hand. “Please stop.” Scrubbing both hands over my face, I sighed. “If you want to keep reading this garbage, go ahead. Only do me a favour?”
“Sure thing, sweet cheeks,” she smiled, her eyes dancing with fevered excitement.
“Don’t tell me about them anymore. I don’t want to hear about any of it.”
Mai returned to her desk, subdued and sorry for herself. I didn’t have time to worry or feel guilty. I was in the right, entitled to defend my privacy any way I could. I would have to become more vigilant and alert to my surroundings, that’s all.
A little after seven, Nate arrived at my apartment with a small overnighter and laptop bag to work on later. Whilst he showered, I ordered dinner from the organic cafe I regularly used. We ate cross-legged on the sofa and watched repeat episodes of Friends. Afterwards, Nate propped his feet on the small round ottoman stool and the laptop on his lap.
I curled up and enjoyed watching him work, fascinated by how fast his mind worked to resolve issues, and how easily he manifested ideas and suggestions for strategies and plans. He remained focused, even when he joked I was distracting him. When Indecent Proposal came on TV, I soon became engrossed in the film, even though I’d seen it many times before.
“Are you seriously crying?” Nate laughed, catching me wiping my eyes with a tissue.
“What?” I shrugged, taking another from beneath the coffee table. “He let his wife sleep with someone else, now he’s devastated.”
“More fool him,” he murmured. “If you were mine, I wouldn’t share you with anyone.”
I grinned, realising he’d been watching as he repeated one of Robert Redford’s lines. “Thought I was yours?”
“Ergo, my point is proved.”
Shifting to the other end of the sofa, I propped my bare feet in the gap between his stomach and the laptop. “You’re a gazillionaire, have you ever made an indecent proposal?”
“I want to,” he purred provocatively, eyes darkening as they raked the length of my body, “to you.”
I turned back to the TV. “I slept with you for free.”
“Poor negotiations on your part, baby.”
“Don’t think so.” Nate had given me guidance to discover myself again. That alone was worth far more than any amount of money. “Besides, I wanted to be romanced first. You had to prove you were worth the risk.” I shrugged, stifling a smile and faced him again. “Girls are suckers for all that.”
“Hmm.” Keeping one hand wrapped around my feet, the other stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You want to be wined and dined?”
“Wined, dined, then taken to bed for some exceptionally good sex,” I admitted shyly.
Nate’s mouth curved lazily, whilst his eyes flared with unfulfilled desire. It was the same way he always looked at me. Like he could never have enough. He lowered his feet to the floor, snapping the laptop shut and setting it down beside them, deliberately taking his time with measured movements. Then he tugged my ankles, pulling me flat on my back.
He crawled over my body and straddled me, the brunt of his weight taken by his thighs. “I can wine and dine…seduce you.” The intimacy of his quiet voice stabbed at my chest and squeezed all the muscles in my groin tight. His talented hands found their way beneath my tank and cupped my bare breasts.
“Copping a feel isn’t seductive.”
“No?” he teased, head tilting as his smile widened to his eyes. His thumbs skimmed my nipples. I shook my head, unable to speak for fear of a groan escaping my mouth instead. He lowered to graze the hard point with his teeth over the fabric. “I can tell you like it, though,” he murmured, blinking up through thickly lashed eyes.
I let out a long breath, squirming beneath him. Nate removed his hands and pinned mine above my head so they dangled over the arm of the sofa. “Allow me to try again.” His mouth swept over mine and started nibbling along my jaw. “This better?”
“Better,” I whimpered, filling my lungs with the fresh, clean scent of his washed hair and skin, “but keep going. I need to be sure.”
I felt him smile. “See?” One hand trailed down my arm, caressing my torso, and slid beneath my arse. “I told you I could do it.”
“You’re pretty good at it, too.” I pushed my breasts into his chest, desperate for contact.
“Yeah?” Nate sat back, releasing my hands. His eyes shone triumphantly from having his sexual prowess confirmed. I spread my fingers over his thighs, appreciating the thick slabs of muscle beneath his black sweatpants. “Are you still bleeding?”
I nodded, embarrassed, as an ache swirled its way through my core. “A little bit.”
“Damn.” Nate dropped his head, but I could see the playful smile creeping over his face. “I was kinda hoping you’d keep those glasses on, make all my wet dreams come true.”
THE next morning I woke with a driving urge to make love. I was aroused, merely laying beside Nate, the knowledge he was near seeping into my psyche, making me wet between my legs. He was propped up with pillows—his customary sleeping position—his breathing even and rhythmic. His right arm curled around my shoulders as he slept with me tucked safely against his chest.
Tentatively, I tiptoed fingertips over sculpted pecs and down, not stopping until I found him beneath the sheet. Nate’s upper body rolled, like a wave moving through him. Fearful of him waking and me losing my nerve, I circled a hand around his morning erection and began masturbating him.
Nate hummed his enjoyment, a rough gravelly sound from deep in his chest, quickly followed by a sleepily breathed, “Fuck, yeah,” that had all my senses tingling with feminine supremacy.
Sliding on top of him, I held him steady and took him inside me with a quiet gasp.
I caught the flutter of his opening eyes just as I lowered to kiss him. He took a second to respond, not fully alert. Then he opened up and let me in, his tongue joining mine in a lazy, wake up embrace.
Nate’s hands finally found me, gliding up from my waist. He gathered my hair and held it away from my face in a makeshift ponytail.
The look in his hazy blueish-grey eyes was unlike anything I’d witnessed before. The unquenchable thirst he constantly had for me was present, but something else lingered behind it. It was almost a sense of pride, of accomplishment. Nate cocked his head, his cheek beginning to dimple as he waited for my next move.
I started to rock, my palms pressed to his ribs for balance. An orgasm was brewing, purely from him being inside me, stretching me, throbbing and swelling. He was magnificent, full of sexual masculinity as he sat back for the ride, his eyes twinkling in the early morning light. Occasionally, he licked and suckled my breasts as they bounced mere inches from his face, but mostly he quietly watched me, focusing on my face…and losing control with every ragged breath he took.
Sweat dotted his upper lip as he bit down on the lower one. I saw the spark in his eyes, the brief fluttering shut of his eyelids, the second he fell over the edge. “Kara.”
Nate stilled my hips with both hands, pumping into me ferociously as he came.
“Ah, God!” I was right there with him. The shudders of my orgasm spurred through me, every single nerve ending alight with sensation. I collapsed onto his chest, hot and flushed, the sounds of our heavy breathing and racing hearts in my ears.
“Jesus, where did that come from?” Nate panted, his fingers winding into my hair. When all he got was a small shake of my head in response, he gave a long contended sigh and pinned me to him, working a hand up and down my spine.
Mmm, I could get used to this. Abstaining for a few days whilst I had a period didn’t feel like so much of a hardship if playing catch up was this much fun. When my limbs felt like they belonged to me again, I sat astride him. Damp, messy hair and beautifully pinked cheeks, my breath caught as I gazed into his bright sparkling eyes.
I was becoming addicted to Nate, to this, and the way I felt when we were together. My shyness was abating, and I was becoming more comfortable in my own skin. A few short weeks ago, I wouldn’t have dared make the first move as brazenly as I had. I basically jumped him the minute I woke. No talking. Nothing.
“Good morning,” I said softly, brushing my hand through his hair.
“Waking up with my dick inside you makes it a fantastic morning.” Nate’s magnificent smile flashed as he squeezed my arse. I grinned and rolled off, scissoring one leg with his and settled into his side. “You’re frisky this morning, baby. What’s gotten into you?”
“Waking next to a sex-god can do that to a girl.”
He snorted. “A sex-god?”
I giggled and tugged him closer. “Sorry, did I say that out loud?”
Nate tipped up my chin. “You did.” His glorious face was so bright with happiness, I had to touch him, almost to check he was real. I stroked his jaw from ear to chin and swept my lips over his neck, tasting the saltiness of his still slightly damp skin. Then I buried my face in the crook of his neck so he wouldn’t see how deeply I was falling for him.
“What time are you meeting Manny for golf?” I asked, outlining his pecs with my finger.
“Ten.”
“I never had you down for a golfer.”
“It’s a businessman’s sport. A time to make deals, gather contacts. It’s an easy way to spend the day catching up.” Nate reached across and checked my phone for the time. “I’ll go home after we’ve dropped you at work.” He curved my thigh, urging my leg further around him like he was settling in for a while, and began drawing circular patterns on my flesh.
“Ross is coming here?”
“Yeah,” he said, his hand moving to my bare arse.
“When?”
“In about thirty minutes.” He laughed when he saw my panic.
“I better get ready,” I said, trying to free myself.
“No,” he breathed into my hair, “I want to lose myself in you a little longer before facing my day.”
“I can’t stay late tonight to make up time. Mai has us meeting the girls straight from work.”
“Fine,” he sighed, his grip relaxing. “Don’t drink too much tonight. And stick together as a group.”
Smiling, I sat and swung my legs off the side of the bed. “All day, when you’re out on the golf course, playing with your balls, think of me,” I suggested casually, staring him right in the eye.
Nate gave me a wicked smile. “I’d rather you played with them.”
“I know,” I murmured. “And now I’ve guaranteed, every time you take one out, every time you tee up, you’re going to be reminded of me and how badly you want me.”
I moved so fast he had no time to catch me when he lunged forward. Instead, I left him sprawled naked and so goddamned sexy across my bed in a groaning heap of sexual frustration. I bumped the en-suite door closed with my hip and went to the shower with a swagger and a smile I’d never experienced before.
AFTER the great start to my Friday, the workday was relaxed and relatively uneventful. My co-workers were chilled and everyone was winding down for the weekend. Except for Michael.
At ten minutes to five, when a lot of staff were leaving, he’d called me with a last minute request. Now, I was scrambling to piece together a high-level financial presentation for him to review over the weekend.
“Why didn’t he ask for it earlier?” Mai whined from the visitor’s chair where she’d been waiting impatiently since five.
“Don’t know.” I kept my focus on the computer screen, concentrating on my accuracy.
“It’s Friday night for fuck’s sake!” Scowling, Mai collected the papers spewing from the printer. “Doesn’t he get we have lives?”
“Apparently not.” We were due to meet Robyn and Jenna at Estrella at six—twenty minutes ago. Mai dumped the papers on my desk and slumped back into the seat. “You should help with this,” I suggested. “Brush up on your analytical skills.”
“Bullcrap. My analytical skills will be finely tuned tonight, when I check out the finest men this city has to offer.”
I snorted a laugh. “Are you ready?”
“Just have to re-do my make-up.” Mai was gorgeous as she was. Her hair was shiny and sleek, face flawless and subtly made-up, and her tiny frame poured into a thigh-skimming LBD, with obligatory four-inch black heels. Fortunately, I’d managed to change and get ready before Michael threw our plans into disarray.
“Do that whilst I pull this together and hand deliver it to Michael. We’ll leave when I return.” I shoved my seat back and stood, gathering the presentation pages together.
“You best put your jacket on before you see him. Those tata’s look fan-frickin-tastic in that jumpsuit.”
“Go!” I covered my chest with one hand and pointed to the door with the other. Mai didn’t argue and skipped off to the bathroom.
“I’ve emailed a copy and printed one out,” I told Michael, who was at his desk playing Solitaire on his computer. That put my back up. “Here.” I thrust the papers under his nose and stepped back to the doorway.
After fifteen minutes of silence whilst he read through, and then re-read it again, I was itching to leave and audibly sighing. Unprofessional, but I was getting annoyed and suspected he was doing it deliberately. I checked my watch for the umpteenth time, hoping my subtle hints would tell him I had to be somewhere else.
“Good work, Kara. I’ll enjoy reading it more thoroughly later,” Michael finally offered. More thoroughly? He tucked it into his briefcase and leant back in his chair, his rounded belly making one button on his shirt pop. “How’s everything going? Settling in well?”
I’d worked here for almost two months, yet only now did he deem it necessary to ask how I was. “Everything’s great, thanks. I’m really enjoying it.”
“Hmm, I’m sure,” he muttered, brown eyes assessing me. “You look nice. Who’s the lucky guy?”
“Um…” I crossed, then uncrossed my arms, uncomfortable with his perusal. “No guy. I’m meeting friends for drinks.”
“Oh well,” he suddenly said cheerfully, “have a good weekend.”
“You, too,” I called, already halfway back to my office. Mai sprung from her chair the second she saw me, collecting my bag from her workstation.
“No need to go in there,” she said, gesturing to my office. “I’ve shut everything down and locked up.” She stripped my jacket off me and shoved my black envelope clutch into my chest. “Let’s get outta here.”
AFTER wine and tapas in Estrella, we all hopped in a taxi and continued our night at a bar in West Hollywood. By 11 p.m., much alcohol had been consumed, and plenty of laughs had been had. To escape the sticky heat and heaving throng of people inside, I joined Mai outside whilst she had a cigarette.
“Where’s Nate drinking?” Mai asked on a long drag.
“Not far from here,” I said. “Manny’s at the Mondrian.”
She perked up, her pretty face taking on that mischievous appearance. “We should go say hi.”
My brows lifted. “No, we shouldn’t.”
“C’mon, it’ll be fun.”
“It’s getting too crowded in there,” Jenna announced as she and Robyn joined us. “Let’s go someplace else. Any suggestions?”
I closed my eyes because I knew what was coming before Mai even opened her mouth. “I know just the place!” I heard her exclaim.
The queue outside the Skybar wasn’t all that long, and eventually the doormen allowed us past after some sweet-talking from Mai and proof of age. She strutted through the discreet white door at the side of the hotel. I followed, yanking up my top and fussing over my appearance, hot and flustered.
The bar was modern but comfy, and with a distinctly more refined clientele. Gorgeous men and women adorned cushioned stools in earthy tones scattered around low-level tables. Steps led down to an outdoor terrace, where more patrons enjoyed a party-like atmosphere with uninterrupted views of the LA skyline.
“Drinks,” Mai announced, zoning in on the bar. She ordered four apple Martini’s, conveniently forgetting she’d recently sworn off them. After being served, she gave a coquettish flick of her hair as thanks to the bartender. “Now, where’s that fine man of yours?”
“Not sure.” The four of us moved away from the crowded bar. I wasn’t sure how Nate would react to me being here. I edged us towards the stairs when I heard a rich, throaty laugh that was all too familiar…”You have to be kidding me.”
“Kara!” Mai cried, slamming into my back and almost sending us crashing down the steps. “What the fuck?” She followed my eyes and saw what had caused me to freeze.
Walking around the pool edge, his head lowered close in deep conversation, was Nate and a petite brunette. His hand was lightly grazing her lower back—skin to skin—and hers was around his waist.
“It might be nothing.” Mai tried reassuring me, but my pulse was racing and heart thundering at an alarming speed. I couldn’t move.
“Yasmina Sadek,” I muttered through gritted teeth, gaping at the beauty wearing a short silver cocktail dress that shimmered as she moved like a second skin.
Mai dragged her eyes from me back to them. “Shit, you’re right.”
They reached their group of friends—two men and two women—and sat. Close. The group didn’t blink at the couple’s shared intimacy, nor when the dusky beauty pawed at Nate’s chest over the white cotton of his shirt.
Warning bells started ringing in my head. I downed my drink in one go, ignoring how violently my hand was trembling.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Mai repeated, her eyes large and fearful. I could see the doubt creeping into her thoughts the more she stared at me. Nate chose that exact moment to plant a flirty kiss on the corner of Yasmina’s mouth as her fingers twirled in the hair at his nape.
“Still convinced?” I sneered cynically.
“Girls!” Jenna called. Her and Robyn had found space at a table and were busily making room for us to join them. They’d also managed to order shots whilst I’d been watching my world fall apart before my very eyes.
My feet carried me over, but my mind was lost in other thoughts. I sat, sliding the olive off the stick with my teeth, and contemplated how all my hopes and dreams had been destroyed so quickly. He’d been found out. Blatantly flirting, basking in the reciprocal attention, was making me sick. I knocked back a shot. Then I knocked back Mai’s.
“Getting pissed isn’t the answer, K.”
I dismissed her scorn with a wave of my hand. Obliterating my pain with alcohol sounded like the ideal solution to me. A heavy, thumping bass tune was pumping out from the DJ on the decks. My head was beginning to feel the numbing effects of alcohol, but mixed with the noise and a fog of deceit, it really started pounding.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Through the blur, it hit me. He wanted to prove a point, one I’d known all along. That he could have who he wanted and would quickly replace me when I’d served my purpose. Little did I know it would be with a woman who’d been a constant in his life for years.
“I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation,” Mai offered cautiously. “He said he was meeting friends. Don’t torture yourself with something you don’t know for sure is happening.”
“Why do you always stick up for him? If you think he’s so great, go ahead, be my guest. Looks like he’s fair game tonight.” I dropped my head, staring into the next full shot glass lined up in front of me. “It’ll be history repeating itself all over again.”
I tipped my head and swallowed down the tequila, wincing at the taste but not sucking on the lime. Mai stared, crestfallen and wounded by my vengeful comments.
“Sorry,” I sighed.
“I’d never do that to you. I’m always Team Kara.” She reached for my hands. “Let’s go down,” she said, standing. “If he is fucking you around, he’ll have me to answer to.” With large, determined eyes, I knew she meant business.
I wobbled when I stood too quickly. I would never get past the unknown, past the constant questioning of a man’s intentions unless I confronted him instead of running away.
With shaky legs, I headed to the stairs.