When I woke up the following morning, she was gone.

No note.

Nothing. Nada. Zip.

That woman didn’t mess around, did she?

Every woman I’d taken back to my place had stayed until the following morning. Most of them, even longer than that. And it even got to the point where I had to offer to give them a ride home because they weren’t getting the hint.

But she must have left the second I pulled out of her.

She was like a man—but as a woman.

My week passed with its usual chaos. There was too much to do and not enough hours in the day. Even if I worked around the clock, I still wouldn’t be able to manage everything. With executives managing places I never physically visited, I still wasn’t covering enough ground.

But to a man like me, even everything wasn’t enough.

I got lost in my work enough that I stopped thinking about the woman I’d taken back to my apartment. But like a sinister thought that just wouldn’t go away, she haunted me. She popped back into my brain at the strangest times, even in the middle of a meeting.

I didn’t tell my friends about her, keeping my word to Titan. She didn’t want anyone to know about us, to avoid the public obsession that followed me everywhere I went, and I respected her request.

I was a gentleman, after all.

And I made her come like every gentleman should.

But I’d expected her to call my office or get a hold of my phone number. I’d left a business card with her assistant so she would know how to reach me. But I didn’t hear a peep out of her.

It was like that night never happened.

I should be happy. That’s exactly how I liked most of my affairs—with a clean break. As soon as I shut the door, I never wanted to see that woman again. I didn’t want her to blow up my phone asking for another date.

But now that all I had was silence, I second-guessed my preferences.

I thought being with her once would satisfy me enough to stop thinking about her.

But fuck, I wanted her more.

What the hell?

Was it because the sex was that good? Or was it just because she didn’t give a damn whether I lived or died?

Beats me.

There was an opening to a new club downtown that I received an invite to. I was planning on going with the guys to spend money, hook up with women, and talk shit about any competition we had.

And I wondered if she would be there.

She had been at Atlas, which had the same owner as this new place.

My chances were good. I would meet with her again naturally and see where things went. If she weren’t there, then I’d have to figure out another plan.

---

The sound of the bass drowned out most of the conversation. Pine and Mike both had a girl under their arms in the booth. One of the women’s friends sat next to me, but I didn’t make a pass. She was pretty, of course, but my mind was elsewhere.

My eyes were glued to the entrance.

We got there late, on purpose. We never showed up to anything until the last minute, and of course, there was always a table waiting for us. My eyes glanced to a group of women that walked inside, but none of them was Titan.

Pine waved his hand in front of my face. “Who are you looking for? You’ve got a perfect ten right here.” He pointed his thumb at the nameless blonde beside me.

I didn’t answer him, my eyes still on the entryway.

“I bet he’s looking for Titan,” Mike commented.

“You’re still on her?” Pine asked incredulously. “She’s hot but seems uptight.”

“She’s not uptight.” I couldn’t diminish the anger in my tone. He hit a trigger I didn’t know I had.

Pine raised both hands when he realized he’d pissed me off. “Fine…she’s not uptight. You are.”

That insult was okay—if it was meant for me. Because I was the most uptight guy on the planet.

“Anything more happen with her?” Pine asked.

I told my friends everything. We’d been through a lot together, a lot of ups and downs. It was felt strange not telling them the truth when they asked me a direct question, but I had to protect her reputation. “No.”

“Then you’re never going to seal the deal,” Pine said.

“She’s with Thorn Cutler anyway,” Mike said. “They’ve been on and off since I can remember.”

My head snapped in his direction so hard I almost pulled a tendon. “What?”

“Thorn Cutler,” Mike repeated. “You know him.”

I’d heard of the guy, but I didn’t care about that. “She’s seeing him?”

Mike shrugged. “That’s what I heard. It doesn’t seem like it’s ever been confirmed or denied because their relationship is pretty secretive, but they’re spotted together all the time.”

She had a boyfriend?

Did she cheat on him with me?

My blood boiled at the thought, disgusted that any human being would do such a deceitful thing. But when I thought about her character, her obvious concern about the world’s perception of her, that didn’t make sense. There must be some kind of explanation.

I’d give her the benefit of the doubt.

“Speaking of the devil…” Pine nodded to the entryway.

Titan walked inside with Thorn Cutler right beside her. They didn’t hold hands or show any affection, but they were close to each other, closer than two friends would stand together. The two girls I saw her with last time came up behind her. One was a supermodel, and another was a fellow business owner. She kept a tight circle just the way I did.

They sat at a table that had obviously been reserved for them. Thorn ordered their drinks, getting her an Old Fashioned like she liked, and they talked amongst themselves. Laughs were exchanged, and smiles were plastered on the faces.

Thorn and Titan were close together, their shoulders touching. Thorn looked into the crowd, more preoccupied with seeing who else was there than paying attention to her.

I found that odd.

When I stared longer than I should, I looked away. I didn’t know what my next move was. Thorn complicated matters. It was none of my business if she was sleeping with him or not, but I wanted to know anyway.

---

I entertained myself watching them together on the dance floor. The girls moved to the music, and it wasn’t long before men joined them, doing their best to get as close as possible. One guy grabbed Titan’s hand and spun her around.

She went with it.

My eyes immediately went to Thorn.

He watched them before he pulled out his phone and texted someone.

He didn’t give a damn—at all.

Now I was even more suspicious than before. If Titan were my woman, I wouldn’t let her dance with some guy while I busied myself on my phone.

They kept moving with the music, and when his hand slid around her waist something inside me snapped.

I got out of my seat, walked onto the dance floor, and took her for myself.

What the hell was I doing?

I spun her around and pulled her into my chest, dancing with her like I’d been there the whole time.

The look Titan gave me was a mix of horror and utter surprise. She faltered in her moves before she picked up the beat again.

I stared the guy down, telling him to back off if he wanted his head to stay on his shoulders.

He made the right decision and walked away.

I pulled her close to me and danced with her, our eyes locked together just the way they were when we fucked in my bed just a week ago. I remembered exactly how it felt to be between her legs. My cock was rock-hard and about to burst every second I was buried between her legs. The sound of her orgasm would be permanently embedded in my mind for the rest of time, along with the face she made when she came around my dick.

Her friends finished the song and walked away with their dates, hitting the bar to rehydrate. I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her off the dance floor, away from her friends and mine.

She didn’t pull away like I thought she might.

When we were in the darkness away from everyone, I finally spoke my mind. “It’s been a while, Titan.”

“I suppose.” She adjusted her hair with her fingertips, taming the wild strands after hitting the dance floor. She wore a sleeveless burgundy dress, a nice color for her skin tone. She wore diamond earrings that were worth more than most people’s cars. The necklace around her throat looked ten times as expensive. She didn’t lavish herself with jewels, but she definitely wore classy pieces to highlight her stature.

I was floored when she acted like nothing had happened between us. If she’d spotted me first, she probably wouldn’t have stopped by to say hello. I shouldn’t be surprised, and I certainly shouldn’t care, but that wasn’t going to happen. “I heard you and Thorn are a bit of an item.” I didn’t directly ask her the question, seeing how she would react to the speculation.

She met my gaze fearlessly, saying nothing.

I kept my silence, not backing down.

She didn’t back down either.

Jesus, she was stubborn. “You don’t have a comment to that?”

“I don’t kiss and tell.”

I cocked my head, annoyed by her feistiness.

“My personal life is none of your concern, Hunt.”

“It’s not?” I asked. “Because you just fucked me last week.”

“Your point?” she asked coldly. “So a man can sleep around, but a woman can’t?”

“Are you sleeping around?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “What is this about, Hunt? Did you really come over here to interrogate me? You strike me as a man who doesn’t care if a woman he slept with one time is sleeping with someone else.”

When she put it that way, it seemed like I was overreacting. “I’m not a big fan of cheating.”

“Me neither.”

If that was her response, I suppose I had nothing to worry about. It explained why he didn’t care if she pressed up against some guy on the dance floor. It explained why he was more invested in his phone than her whereabouts.

Titan held my gaze a little longer before she glanced over her shoulder. “I should be getting back. It was nice seeing you, Hunt.” She turned away.

I grabbed her and pulled her back toward me. Just when she opened her mouth to tell me off, I guided her against the wall and kissed her. My hand fisted her soft hair, and I enveloped her in the shadows. Once my mouth was on hers, she kissed me back immediately. There was no hesitation on her part.

She wanted me.

I ground against her, the music playing over the speakers and loud conversations surrounding us. My cock was hard, and I pressed that against her stomach, wanting her to know I wanted her as much now as I did the other night. Our mouths devoured each other, and our tongues swirled together, dancing erotically.

My hand snaked under her dress, and my fingers dug inside her underwear. The second I touched her folds, I noticed her wetness.

She was soaked.

She definitely wanted me.

I kept my mouth against hers but ended the kiss. “Come to my place.”

Her eyes left my lips and met my gaze. “That was a one-time thing, Hunt.”

“Your wet panties say otherwise.”

She narrowed her eyes in anger, but the rest of her body came alive with an electric current. Her pulse increased, and her breathing went haywire. Her normally pale cheeks were flushed with redness. “No.”

“Yes.”

Her cheeks flushed more when I refused to accept her answer.

I ground my cock right against her clit, rubbing against that nub the way all women loved.

She released an involuntary moan.

My mouth found her ear. “No man can make you come the way I do.”

Her arms reluctantly circled my neck, and she breathed directly into my ear.

“Now come home with me.”

---

I was on my knees and positioned behind her, pounding my enormous cock inside her unbelievably tight pussy. Even through a condom, I could feel how wet she was. White globs of cream sheathed the condom because she kept coming all over my dick.

Her screams were muffled when she pressed her face into the sheets. Her panties were around her ankles, and her dress hiked up so I could fuck her. I didn’t even get my shirt off before we got down to business.

My hands were on her hips, and she gripped my wrists as she held on, our bodies moving together in slick unison. Her ass was in the air, that beautiful asshole looking back at me. Her body was beautiful, flawless and sexy. I loved to drag my tongue across her skin, tasting her and marking her at the same time.

She came again, her pussy full of my cock. “Hunt…”

I closed my eyes for a heartbeat, savoring the sound of my name. I’d never enjoyed making a woman come so much in my life. Making her come was enough for me to let go, but I made her come three times before I allowed myself to release.

I fucked her like I had something to prove.

I fucked her like I didn’t want her to forget me.

I fucked her so she would be there in the morning.

When I was ready to explode, I pulled out of her, ripped the condom off, and came all over her ass. I wanted my heavy come to touch her directly, to claim her in a way other men couldn’t. I jerked myself hard until every single drop landed on her luscious skin. A final moan escaped my lips when I finished.

She remained on the bed with her face in the sheets, just as exhausted as I was.

I cleaned myself off in the bathroom and disposed of the condom. The nice thing to do would be to get her toilet paper to clean herself off, but I wanted her to do it herself. I wanted her to feel how much come I’d sprayed all over her.

When she walked into the bathroom, she checked her reflection in the mirror.

And she saw it.

Her eyes contracted in arousal. The reaction was short, but I caught it.

And I grinned.

She came back into the bedroom and found her panties on the ground.

I tapped the area next to me on the bed, silently commanding her to lay beside me.

She eyed the spot before she pulled on her panties and adjusted her dress.

Did she ever follow directions? “Titan.” I patted the spot beside me again, making the sheets puff under my touch.

She dismissed my invitation. “I should get going…” She turned away to grab her shoes.

That’s when I hooked my arm around her waist and yanked her onto the bed. She crashed against my chest when we were both in the center of the mattress. “Does everything need to be straight business with you?”

“When it’s a business matter, yes.” She propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at me. When her hair was messy like that and her mascara was smeared, she looked even sexier. She looked like a very handsome man had just fucked her good and hard. Her lips were swollen, and her lipstick had disappeared—because it was somewhere on my body.

I rested my head back on the pillow and watched her with a perfect view. Her long body stretched out across the bed, and I saw the way her torso led to a narrow waist. I preferred her naked, but she was still sexy in that skintight fabric.

Her hand moved to my stomach, and she slowly slid her hand over my six-pack, her fingers gliding over the tough grooves of my muscles. Her soft fingers were a direct contrast to my hardness. It was like rubbing a feather against sandpaper. Her eyes darkened imperceptibly, but the reaction was enough to tell me she enjoyed the touch.

I was glad she liked touching me as much as I liked touching her.

She turned her head until her eyes landed on mine. She examined my messy hair before she stared my lips. “You’re a very handsome man.” Her hand slid to my chest, feeling the hard muscles of my pectorals.

Titan wasn’t the kind of person who handed out compliments, and if she did, it was because you earned them. “Thank you.”

Her hand snaked down again, her fingertips drawing lines across my skin until she reached my happy trail. She felt the scruff before she circled back up again. “And your place is nice too.”

“Maybe I can see yours sometime.” The words popped into my brain just a millisecond before I spoke them out loud. As a successful man, I always considered everything I said in detail before I let another human being listen to my words. But with Titan, there wasn’t much thinking going on.

Just doing.

Her hand continued to explore my body, her eyes not giving the slightest reaction to what I said.

What was she thinking?

“I hope your girlfriends aren’t worried about you.”

“They know I can handle myself.” She had an answer for everything, like she’d already witnessed this conversation and rehearsed what to say. Not once had I seen her flustered. Even when faced with difficult questions, she cruised through them without fumbling. She was the world’s most graceful woman—not just the richest. “And they can handle themselves.”

“Do they know about me?”

“What is there to tell?”

I propped myself up on my elbow so we were eye-to-eye. Even when I turned my body, her palm remained glued to my muscular torso. She could act indifferent to me all she wanted, but her affection was unmistakable. “That I don’t just make you come hard—but good.”

When she smiled, she didn’t project that diplomatic grin that she reserved for her adversaries. Now there was a gentle smile on her mouth, a soft affection in her eyes. Her hand moved up my chest and neck until her fingers were right against my jaw. She felt the scruff that had grown in since that morning. The hair was dark and rough where she explored my short beard. “I haven’t told them about you—but I will.”

“Sounds like you trust your friends.”

“Of course I do. They’re my family.”

I didn’t know anything about her family. All I knew was she was insanely rich, classy, and smart. But now I’d have to do some digging—especially into Thorn Cutler. “Will you tell Thorn about me?”

Her smile didn’t fade away. “For a man who’s just interested in getting laid, you ask a lot of questions.”

“Who said I was only interested in getting laid?”

She sized me up with those watchful eyes. “Well, that’s all I’m interested in. I hope the same from you.”

Every woman I’d been with wanted more. If I asked them to stay, they would. If I asked them to quit their job and run off with me to Greece, they would. I’d never met a woman so detached, so indifferent. It was definitely a new experience. “I have an open mind.”

“I don’t.” She sat up and fixed her hair before she moved to the edge of the bed. “Thank you for the fun evening.”

I didn’t want her to leave, but I’d already asked her to stay once. I couldn’t do it again. “You know where to find me if you have an itch you just can’t scratch.”

She slipped on her heels then stood up. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

I wasn’t sure why I expected tonight to be different from the last one. She only saw me as a fuck machine, a man to make her come on cue. And that was perfect for me, more than perfect. I fucked her once to my satisfaction. Now I’d fucked her again, and I was ready to move on.

Or was I?

I got dressed and walked her to the door. “Can I take you home?”

“No, thank you.” She grabbed her clutch from where she left it in the entryway. Her hair was fixed, and it didn’t seem like she’d just gotten fucked—minus the missing lipstick. “Goodbye, Hunt.” Her hand glided up my bare chest, and she kissed me on the mouth, soft and lovely.

That mouth was perfect. I kissed her back and nibbled on her bottom lip slightly, pulling out a quiet sigh from her slender throat. I took her breath away, and we both knew it. Her bones ached for my touch, for my kiss. I proved it tonight at that club. Once I pressed my body against hers, she was mine.

And she would be mine again. “Good night, Titan.”

Her hand slid down my chest as she walked away, her long nails gently scratching me during their departure. Her ass shook as she walked, her perky behind just as sexy in the dress as it was bare. Her heels tapped against the hardwood floor as she walked off, the graceful sound announcing her departure.

I stared at her as she got into the elevator and turned around. I was just in my slacks with bare feet. My hard body was still flexed with the adrenaline that she generated with her touch. I examined her intimately, watching every feature of her face. When I stared too long at a woman, she eventually looked down. The heat became too much.

But Titan wasn’t a woman who looked away.

She held my gaze, refusing to be intimidated by any man—not even me.

Our gazes locked, the elevator beeped, and the doors slowly began to close.

As they slid together toward the center, her profile became less visible. Her body faded away until I could only see an inch of her.

Then the doors closed.

Neither one of us won the standoff.

But neither one of us lost either.