Chapter 15
Vince had a problem. It was about five feet, nine inches in length and had blond hair. Marissa Roy was not at all what he’d been expecting when he’d set out on his little sugar baby adventure. She was too young, too inexperienced to truly fit into his world, and yet everyone who looked at her saw the same spark he did. She lit up the room whenever she walked into it, drawing attention to herself and somehow making everyone around her feel special. It was unintentional, completely natural, and utterly distracting.
After his father’s unfortunate presence and his own abrupt departure from the party last night, Vince had needed another chance to speak with Simon. Vince had been immediately aware of Geoff’s pawing of Marissa the moment it had begun, and Simon had gone so far as to call him on his lack of focus. Not that Simon had any love for his father, but if Vince had wanted to show that he was better than Geoff, then getting into some sort of fight with him wasn’t the way to go. It was best for all involved for Vince to get Marissa and get out of there before his dad tried anything else.
Vince had hastily arranged to meet Simon at Peacock Alley at the Waldorf for breakfast this morning. He knew it was a favorite location of Simon’s, and if nothing else, he needed to pull out all the stops to ensure Simon would seriously consider his pitch and not go against what his own board was suggesting. All he had to do was ensure his father didn’t show up to ruin everything, and everything would be fine.
Too bad Marissa had come out of the bedroom wearing a pair of slacks and a shirt that were far too enticing for her own good.
“Why are you wearing that?” He couldn’t take his gaze from the swell of her breasts or the teasing amount of cleavage that peeked out from the folds of fabric.
She looked down at her outfit and frowned. “What’s wrong with it? I thought it was a nice match.”
Crossing the room, he stopped a few inches from her, his cock already hard. “You’re too fucking beautiful.” He reached up and slid his hand down the side of her breast, enjoying the way she shivered. “All I want to do is cancel breakfast, strip you down and stay in bed for the rest of the day.”
Her face was flushed and her eyes wide as she ran her tongue along her bottom lip. “That wouldn’t bode well for your sale.”
“Hence, the problem with your outfit.”
It was a horrible idea to move his hand so he now cupped her breast, his thumb teasing her taut nipple through the fabric. He was supposed to be better than this, not be a slave to his dick, to be able to push those thoughts aside and focus on what was important. He was supposed to be better than his father.
Vince let her go, and took a deep breath. “We should probably get ready to leave.”
Marissa’s mouth had slipped open as she continued to stare up at him. “What time do we need to be there?”
“Ten.”
She stepped closer and began to pull apart his tie. “We have time.”
“We shouldn’t do this.” He reciprocated and made quick work of the buttons on her shirt, being extra careful not to pull them off. “This wasn’t supposed to be about sex.”
“Will you shut up?” She yanked his tie off, and was even faster than he was with his shirt. “Because I’m getting tired of that excuse. We’re both consenting. And I’m really horny now.”
Well, it was fine if she was on board. “Yes, ma’am.”
Tossing her shirt to the floor, he didn’t bother to remove her bra, picked her up and carried her over to the kitchen counter. The pants were going to be a problem, but working together, they were able to quickly remove them and her panties. Dressed in only her bra, Vince took a moment to savor the sight before him. He picked up her feet, and placed them on the counter, so her pussy was fully exposed to him in all its glistening glory.
“I need a snack before breakfast.” Scooting her back, he bent forward and licked a long swipe up the length of her.
Marissa groaned, her body shaking beneath him. “You’re really good at that.”
“Lean back.”
She did, using her arms as a prop so she could still look down at him. Vince held eye contact with her as he stuck out his tongue and flicked it across her clit. It was glorious to watch her suck in a breath, and bite down on her lip. Another flick of his tongue and her eyes closed. God, he’d forgotten how much he loved doing this for a woman he liked. For someone who he had a connection with, even if it wasn’t anything more than friendship. The awkward angle was going to make it difficult for him to keep at this for long, so he reached over and slid one of the stools over so he could have a seat.
“Guess I’ll have my brunch buffet a bit early.”
Marissa laughed, the sound of which brought warmth to his chest. Now comfortably seated, he wrapped his arms around her legs, tossing one of them over his shoulder, leaned in and sucked hard on her clit. Her laughter turned into another moan, which only encouraged him on. Slipping a finger into her pussy, he fucked her with it, setting a fast pace in time with his mouth.
This was fucking heaven. The smell and sounds of her washed over him as he coaxed her pleasure from her. Her juices coated his face, the pressure of her foot pressing down against his back, and his cock throbbed from the orgasm he knew was going to hit her soon.
Marissa began to buck her hips in time to his tongue. She stretched back on the island counter, her head dangling over the edge. Her legs began to quiver, her thighs twitching on either side of his face. Yeah, she was so close now, he knew it wouldn’t take much. Pulling his hand from her pussy, he reached up and pushed his fingers beneath the edge of her bra. It was a stretch, but he was just able to capture her nipple between his fingers. He squeezed the peak as hard as he could in the same rhythm of his tongue again, knowing how much she liked that.
It was all she needed. “Shit!” Marissa sat up, her hands flying to the back of his head, pushing his mouth down hard as she cried out. He lapped at her as she came, swallowing down everything she gave him, even as his body cried out for oxygen.
He rode out her release until she finally freed his head, leaning back once again. Vince stood, sending the stool flying backwards to land on its side. He’d shoved a condom in his pocket earlier—because while he hadn’t planned on sex, it was apparently always on the table when it came to her—which he fished out before undoing the opening of his pants. Vince shoved his pants and briefs, before awkwardly slipping the condom on.
Marissa had scooted her ass closer to the edge of the counter and braced her feet on the edge. “Fuck me hard.”
Vince had to close his eyes and take a breath as he lined up. God, she could push him close to the edge with a single sentence. It was only after he got himself under control again, did he open his eyes and thrust into her. “This is going to be a short ride.”
God, her smile was like a bullet through to his spine. “Good.”
Grabbing her by the knees, Vince mercilessly pounded into her. Her pussy was still hot and quivering from her orgasm, and the feeling of it clenching around his cock was nearly too much for him. It was difficult to keep his eyes open, but he didn’t want to look away from the sight of her splayed out on the counter, her bra half pushed up and her body flushed. This was how he’d likely remember her in the middle of the night when he was alone in his room. He’d fuck his hand thinking of this moment, how open and free she was, how amazing she felt around him.
Vince groaned as his balls tightened, signaling that he wasn’t going to last much longer. He adjusted his grip, and thrust into her until pleasure exploded through his body.
“Fuck!” The cries didn’t stop, grew louder with each thrust until every last drop of energy was bled from him. Finally, the waves of his orgasm wavered, taking the last of his ability to stay upright. He fell forward, his face pressed to her breasts, as he struggled to regain his equilibrium.
For several long moments, the only sound that filled the room was their uneven breaths. Vince couldn’t hold his hips up any longer and his softening cock slipped from her body. “That was awesome.”
Marissa laughed, just as the telephone rang.
Holding the condom in one hand, he forced himself to move and answer it. “Yes?”
“Mr. Taylor, your limo is here. Would you like me to ask the driver to wait?”
“We’ll be right down.”
Marissa was already moving before he’d hung up.
* * * *
They’d barely made it through Sunday morning traffic, but managed to arrive for breakfast with a few moments to spare. Simon and his wife Natalie were already waiting, but had only just been seated.
Vince held out his hand and Simon shook it. “Sorry to keep you waiting. We got held up in traffic.”
Marissa’s smile widened, even as she blushed. It was a beautiful sight to behold. “Vince told me about the brunch here. I’m very much looking forward to trying it.”
Natalie patted the chair beside her. “Marissa, why don’t you join me and we can let the men talk about their deals.”
Ah, Simon must have worked things out with his wife ahead of time. He leaned in a placed a kiss on Marissa’s cheek. “Play nice.”
With her on his left, Vince sat and turned to his right to speak with Simon. “I’m sure you have some questions. Why don’t we get them out of the way over a coffee, then we can enjoy the rest of our meal.”
“Your father would always insist on eating first.” Simon poured cream into his coffee. “Claimed he never wanted to miss the meal if the deal went south.”
“I’m not as pessimistic as my father.”
“No, I can see that.” Simon took a sip before gracing Vince with one of his practiced smiles. “Why not split the difference? We eat as we talk.”
Vince wasn’t fool enough to try and force Simon’s hand over something as simple as a meal. He knew he was being tested, and wasn’t about to fail. He gave Marissa a quick glance as he stood. “Lead on.”
It was easy to make business small talk with Simon, even if his mind wasn’t completely on it. Despite having washed his face thoroughly, he could still smell Marissa every time he took a breath. It was making it increasingly difficult to keep his focus on playing nice with Simon instead of sneaking glances at her. He could see from that Marissa and Natalie currently had their heads bent forward in conversation. With no way to hear what they were saying, he could only imagine it was something naughty, based on the identical smirks on their lips and the flush on Natalie’s cheeks.
He gave Marissa a questioning look when they returned to the table, but she ignored him. “You should get something to eat.”
“That’s an excellent idea.” Marissa stood and waited for Natalie to join her before heading over to the buffet.
“I’m surprised you haven’t sold GreenPro to anyone else before now.” Simon speared a piece of smoked salmon, holding it an inch from his mouth. “It’s an interesting business model.”
Vince forced his attention back to the older man, hoping his obsession wasn’t obvious. “My father and I made the initial investment years ago, back when the technology wasn’t even available. The idea was sound and I knew eventually the need for green energy sources would catch up. I have a lot invested in this project and I need to know whoever takes it over will see it through to its full potential.”
Simon frowned briefly before stuffing the salmon into his mouth. “I assume you’re willing to walk away without regrets once the sale is complete. The last thing I’d want would be to constantly receive unsolicited advice on the direction of my acquisition. More importantly, I want to be sure that your father won’t have anything to do with this. I want your word as a businessman that he will be gone.”
For a heartbeat, Vince wanted to say he couldn’t. He didn’t want to walk away from GreenPro’s potential. He didn’t want to hand it over to anyone, let alone someone who he couldn’t guarantee wouldn’t cannibalize the bits and pieces from the company to suit his own needs. But selling the company was the only way he could sever ties with his father, leaving Vince with no other option.
“Please, Simon. How long have you known me?” He gave himself a moment to collect his thoughts and took a sip of his coffee. “Once I know the sale is right, I take my investment and go on my merry way. You won’t have to worry about some nosy Canadian causing you grief. Father is as anxious to sell GreenPro as I am.”
“Pleased to hear that.” But he didn’t exactly look convinced.
Vince leaned forward. “To ensure everything is above board, we can write it into the contract. I don’t want you to have any reservations about this deal. I’m well aware of your history with Geoff, and I promise that I’ll ensure he stays as far away from you as possible.”
“I was…surprised to see him at dinner last night. He hasn’t shown his face around me in a number of years.” Simon’s gaze snapped to his wife as she chuckled. “What’s tickled your funny bone, dear?”
Vince had been on the receiving end of Simon’s snappish tone many times in the past. It had a way of unnerving a person. Despite having been married for over a decade, Natalie wasn’t immune to it either. “Marissa was telling me about a conference she’d attended.”
The light blush on Marissa’s cheeks deepened to a bright red. “Yes, I was. It was a few years ago and I was seriously lacking any sort of experience. I managed to get myself into quite a bind.”
Vince had gotten quite adept at reading her expressions over the past few days. There was a lot more to that statement than she was saying. Simon narrowed his gaze, but neither Natalie nor Marissa said anything else.
Shit.
Setting his coffee down, Vince got to his feet. “Marissa, would you like to see the chocolate fountain? I guarantee you haven’t had a better experience than this.”
“I’d love to.” She gave Natalie a smile and a wink. “Remind me to tell you about the session I attended after that one.” And without another word, she placed her hand on his arm and let him lead her to the chocolate.
“Dare I ask what the two of you were actually discussing?”
She didn’t look over at him, her gaze locked onto the sweet treat they were approaching. “Honestly, I was talking about a conference.”
“You don’t seem the type to go to many of those. Was this for school?”
She took a plate and filled it with strawberries and pineapple slices. “No, it was FanExpo. I was telling her about the time I dressed as an anime character and what happened when I ran into someone who was cosplaying as my love interest. Andrew nearly decked the guy when he came up and threw me over his shoulder, spanking my ass as he took off with me into the crowd.”
Vince’s stomach turned and for a moment he couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. “You told her what?”
Marissa must have practiced the innocent look she was now giving him in the mirror. “What? She’s nowhere near as conservative as Simon is. We got chatting about last night and what Geoff had done. Then about your reaction and I couldn’t help tell her about FanExpo.” She then turned and started dipping her fruit into the chocolate. “I love these things. Though this smells better than the cheap stuff that I usually have to use. Mom had a mini fountain that we’d use on movie nights.”
Vince chanced a look over where Simon was currently grilling Natalie. From the look on his wife’s face, she wasn’t thrilled about it either. “Shit.”
“What?” Marissa followed where he was looking. “Oh no.”
“I doubt she’ll say anything to make you look bad, but I can’t imagine he’ll be in a good mood.” God, this was the last thing he needed.
When he turned back around, Marissa’s eyes had widened and were shining with unshed tears. “I didn’t think my stupid little story would cause any problems. It’s not even all that funny.”
He didn’t want her to feel bad about how much of an asshole Simon was. “Don’t worry about it. You were being yourself, which is all I can ask of you. Simon and I were just talking about Dad and that always brings up the reason why Natalie is Simon’s second wife.” Vince knew he’d have to be on high alert once they got back to the table.
“Did you want any of the fruit?”
Looking back at Marissa, the tension that had threatened to rear up inside him dissipated. She hadn’t done anything wrong. No matter how much his father wanted to sell GreenPro to Simon’s organization, or Vince wanted to be done being under his father’s thumb, he realized that it wasn’t worth selling his soul to accomplish those things.
Dear God, what was happening to him?
Setting his plate down, he took Marissa’s from hers. “That’s not nearly enough to enjoy the full experience. This is some of the best chocolate you’ll have.”
Vince knew she’d been living up to her end of the bargain, she’d played the part of his girlfriend perfectly—too much so, if their adventures in bed were any indication—the least he could do was fall into place as the dutiful boyfriend.
And did that make him sound like he was a teenager again.
It was worth it, to see the hurt clear from Marissa’s eyes, even as her gaze lingered on the other couple for a moment. “Thanks. I think I will.”
She turned and added more fruit and chocolate, ignoring the looks of others around them. Vince wanted to growl, to bark at anyone who was looking at her in any way that resembled a rebuke. She was sweet and kind, and he’d be damned if anyone faulted her for that.
They were about to head back when she popped a strawberry into her mouth. “That’s amazing.”
“I knew you’d like it.”
“I feel bad for her.” She licked the chocolate from her fingers.
“Natalie? She can hold her own.”
“No doubt, but it’s exhausting having to be constantly on guard around someone like that. Toward the end of our relationship, Andrew was always questioning what I was doing, where I was going, and what I was saying when he wasn’t around. It went well beyond him not trusting me any longer. The paranoia hurt a lot.”
Vince couldn’t press her for any more information as they were back within hearing range. Instead, he put on his best smile as he pulled out the chair for Marissa. “She’s got quite the sweet tooth. I don’t know if I’ll be able to drag her out of here.”
Natalie smiled at them both, but the light that had been in her eyes earlier had been snuffed out. “I’m on a diet, otherwise I would have joined you.”
“You’re a stronger woman than I am. Though I’m sure you can have some of the fruit if you want. Whenever my mom’s on Weight Watchers, she gets excited about fruit being free points, or something.” Marissa held out her plate and smiled brighter when Natalie plucked a strawberry from the plate.
Simon got to his feet quickly. “Unfortunately, we have to cut our breakfast short.”
“We do?” Natalie frowned, her gaze shifting from Marissa to her husband. “But we haven’t finished eating.”
Vince internally cringed at the look Simon gave his wife. Natalie stood, retrieving her purse as she went. “It was lovely to meet you, Marissa. Vince, I hope you’ll bring her for a visit the next time you’re in the city.”
“I’ll be sure to give you a call.” Vince didn’t know whether to be pissed off that Simon was walking away from the deal and he’d still be stuck with his dad as a partner, or relieved that he’d get to hold on to GreenPro a bit longer. “Simon, I hope you won’t mind if I give you a call next week so we can discuss the details further? Or if anyone on the board has any additional questions.”
“I’m not sure if I’m free. Call my assistant and she’ll let you know.”
Vince knew his business mask was securely in place, but it threatened to crack when Marissa set her plate down and gave Natalie a quick hug. “It was wonderful to meet you. I’m sorry you have to leave.” She then turned and held out her hand to Simon. “It was great to meet you again, Mr. Berry. I hope you’ll be able to speak more to Vince about GreenPro. It’s such a marketable idea, I just know it will take off.”
Simon looked down at her hand, back to her eyes, before glancing at Vince. “Have a safe flight home. I need to pay the bill.” He then turned and walked away.
Natalie’s mouth fell open. “I’m so sorry. He gets like that sometimes.”
If Marissa was upset, she didn’t show it. “Don’t worry about it. And here’s my email address. Drop me a note and I’ll tell you the rest of that story.” She scrawled her email address on a scrap of paper from her purse. “Take care.”
Rage had exploded within him, but he managed to hold everything inside until Simon and Natalie were out of earshot. “That asshole.”
Marissa sat back down and began to pick away at her fruit. “I get the impression that he’d be a jerk to people even if he wasn’t insanely wealthy.”
“The fact that he’s like that is the reason he’s insanely wealthy.” Vince continued to glare at the now vanished couple, before reclaiming his seat. “I don’t think he’s going to go for the sale.”
Having pierced a pineapple spear with her fork, Marissa began drawing circles in the chocolate on her plate. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For ruining the deal. You wanted me with you to ensure you presented the best possible image to him, and instead of doing that I was the cause for the deal falling through.”
Vince squeezed his hot coffee mug in his hand, needed the short burst of pain to help calm him down. “You didn’t. Simon was looking for an excuse to raise a stink. If it wasn’t you, it would have been me. I’ve been fighting an uphill battle on this the whole way. He hates Dad and I’m sure before this is over, things are going to be said about what happened back then.”
He reached over and placed his now warm palm on her hand to give it a squeeze. When she turned her hand over, and laced her fingers with his he couldn’t help but smile. His attention had been so focused on the contact between them, he hadn’t been prepared for the camera flash.
Spots danced in his eyes, as chaos erupted around them. A man who looked to be in his mid-forties stood in front of them, shoving a phone in her face. “Are you Vince’s girlfriend? What’s your name?”
The waiter and maître d’ rushed over to pull the offending photographer away. Vince got to his feet, following several steps before the maître d’ came back. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Taylor. We didn’t notice he was taking pictures from where he’d been sitting. It wasn’t until he came to your table that we noticed. Did you want us to contact the authorities?”
“There’s not much you can do about that.” He didn’t think that the man was paparazzi. More likely someone who recognized him and saw an opportunity to make a quick buck.
“Rest assured, he’ll be permanently banned from the establishment.” He looked over at Marissa, and smiled. “Of course, your meals will be covered. Consider it an apology.”
While he hated the intrusion, that was always the risk of being recognized in public. He nodded and shook the man’s hand. “Accepted.” It was only when he sat back down, his emotions slowly coming to settle, did he look over at Marissa. Her face had drained of color, her eyes wide. “Are you okay?”
“I’d like to go home.”
While getting accosted periodically by photographers wasn’t anything new to him, he’d forgotten that it wasn’t exactly something that she would have experienced before. “Sure. I’ll call the limo to take us back to the hotel. Or we can go back to The Met for a while. There’s lots more we can see.”
She gently set her fork down, folded her napkin, and gripped the edge of the table. “I mean to Toronto.”
Vince frowned, shifting in his seat to look at her better. “We’re scheduled to depart tonight. I can see if they can change the flight plan, but that can cause problems.”
She got to her feet, her gaze flicking around the room. “Fine. But I have to get out of here.”
He should have suspected she’d have been upset by something of this nature. “Let’s go.”
But when he moved to put his arm around her, she deftly stepped to the side avoiding the contact. “Thank you for breakfast. I won’t forget this.”
Strangely, that didn’t sound like a good thing.