“Well, you can’t say it wasn’t an interesting match,” said Brandon. His cheery voice echoed in Luke’s hotel suite.

Luke smoldered on the couch, glaring at Brandon. “We didn’t even get to half-time. The tickets were two hundred pounds each.”

Holy crap. All that money wasted. I sat next to him and stroked his arm. “Yeah, thanks for bringing me to the football game,” I said in a dry voice. “I mean, now I can say I’ve been to one. I’ll never forget the experience.”

For a moment, Brandon’s gaze met mine, and he looked like he wanted to laugh.

“You don’t have to be so sarcastic,” Luke said, glowering at me. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “They took photos of me fighting. I can’t wait to see the headlines.”

I remembered what we were doing and that his father would see pictures of Luke fighting with the West Ham fan. I sobered and squeezed Luke’s hand.

Brandon stood. “All right, well, I’ll let you get patched up and maybe later we can meet up.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

I took Brandon’s hand. I wished that he would stop looking at me with that calculating look. “See you.”

“It was lovely meeting you.”

He gave me a swift smile and then he swept from the room. I didn’t move until I heard the elevator door chime.

My bare feet turned on the slick marble floor, and I gazed at the stunning suite. I had to suppress a wide grin as I took it all in. We might've hit a snag at the football match, but so what? It was the most exciting day of my life. The sightseeing was great, and I was having a fantastic time, but Luke wasn't.

“I’m glad you think this is funny,” he said in a dour voice.

My spirits fell as he flushed with humiliation and anger.

“I’m not laughing at you. I’m just happy.”

He lifted an eyebrow.

“I wanted to thank you for everything.”

He said nothing, but his eyes softened. I rejoined Luke on the white leather couch. He was still holding the ice pack. His hand was white with cold, and a wave of sympathy rippled through me.

“Here, let me take it,” I took it from him. The goose bumps on my arm rose as I inched closer to him. Our faces were close, and he was looking at me with his hard, blue eyes that always made me feel vulnerable. “Your friend doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

"He's just suspicious. Usually, the girls I'm with are gold diggers."

That took me aback. “Do I look like a gold digger?”

His shoulder shrugged under my hand. “You don’t act like one. That’s probably why he’s confused.”

“He will figure this out and realize it’s all a sham.” There was a sharp, painful feeling in my chest. None of this felt fake. I looked at his face, trying to register his feelings. I wanted him to say something.

Before I could stop myself, my hand flew to his hair, and I brushed the dark strands off his forehead. He closed his eyes and sighed, his neck craning over the couch as his shoulders sagged. “I’m worried about my father. He will get the wrong idea from those photos because I used to get into fights at football matches.”

That poised, dignified Luke would do something so pedestrian made me want to laugh. The two images clashed horribly. It made little sense. It was like seeing the Queen of England throwing back a pint at a dive bar.

“Maybe you should call him now and explain it all before it’s in the papers.”

Luke made a dissenting sound. “It’ll just make it worse if I bring attention to it.” His eyes opened and blazed with intensity. “I don’t have to explain myself to him.”

Luke sighed as I stroked his hair, dragging my fingertips across his scalp.

"I'm going to take it off for a few minutes." I set the ice pack on the coffee table and smiled at Luke's grumpy expression. My hair fell like a curtain between our faces as I gave him a kiss on his frozen cheek. His skin was so cold it burned my lips. The blue eyes watched me as I leaned back and resumed my stroking of his hair.

“Why are you doing this?” His voice was as chilly as his skin.

“You know, not everyone has an ulterior motive revolving around screwing you over.”

“Not in my world.” He shook his head. “It's rare for someone to approach me without expecting something in return.”

A dull longing throbbed inside my chest. I would never take advantage of you. “You don’t give people a chance.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Luke, the first night we met you shoved an NDA in my face.”

He looked bewildered. “So?”

“If you do that with everyone you meet, you will never trust anyone. Sometimes, you have to take a risk to get what you want.” I spoke more about myself than him. My cheeks heated as Luke gave me a shrewd look. “I was always afraid of men. Well, ever since my childhood. Being alone with men made me panic, so I didn't date. I never had boyfriends. I avoided the whole thing, even though a part of me was desperately lonely. It wasn’t reasonable.” I looked at him. “Just like it’s not sensible to make everyone you know sign an NDA.”

He sighed and waved me off. “For all I know, this is part of your con.”

“You’re the one who interviewed my foster parents,” I said in a shaking voice. “I’m not lying about that. I’ve had a lot of bad experiences, Luke. They warped my perception of people, just like yours have. A part of me knows that they ruined me.”

Heat flushed under my skin, and my hand fell from Luke's neck to clench into a fist at my side. I hated what they had done.

His thigh bumped against my leg as he slid closer and rubbed my back. “They didn’t ruin you, Jess.”

“How would you know?”

“Because I spent the whole day with you, didn’t I? You’re funny, low-maintenance, and easy to get along with. Not to mention gorgeous.”

The grittiness in his voice curled between my legs. Gorgeous.

“You kept kissing me at every opportunity.”

I turned my head, feeling Luke’s hot breath on my cheek. “That’s my job.”

“I wasn’t supposed to want you while we’re alone.”

The lines are fucking blurred.

“Do you want me to stop?”

I didn’t want to stop touching him, or for the warmth on my back to disappear. I looked at him. He seized my head, almost forcing his lips over mine. I fell backward onto the couch and gasped as his heavy weight fell over me. I registered nothing but shock.

Holy crap, what’s happening?

My heart pounded somewhere in my throat. All I could focus on was the sharp contours of Luke’s body over mine, his mouth devouring every inch of my flesh as he kissed a hot trail down my neck.

I heard myself murmur a small oath as his lips and tongue brushed hotly over the top of my breast. A small moan ripped through me as he teased the delicate flesh, sending sharp, electrical signals down my spine. I marveled at how strong the response was in my body; it was jarring. My fingers tangled in his dark head, roaming up and down his lean back.

He let out a small moan as he pulled back, teasing the buttons of my blouse out of their holes one by one. “God, you are incredible.”

I said nothing. I couldn’t speak—I was confused. Desire and fear were mingling together in a whirlwind of emotion, crashing against my ribcage like an animal clawing to get out.

I want him, but am I ready for this?

An impatient voice inside me told me to shut the hell up.

His face had that drowsy look, infused with lust. I sat up and allowed my shirt to roll off my shoulders. Every sound was amplified as it dropped to the ground with a harsh whisper. I felt the bulge of his cock vivid against my thigh. The roar of my blood pounding in my ears was deafening. I wanted his hands all over my naked flesh. My imagination took his hands moving inside the waistband of my jeans and forced them to curve into my wetness. My stomach trembled. Oh God, I wanted this. My legs moved on either side of his waist.

He groaned and leaned forward, his lips kissing at my breast and his fingers scraping my shoulders, the thin bra straps falling down my arms. With every kiss, I was being healed. It was as though Luke was reaching inside my core and mending my pieces back together.

Why did I wait this long? This feels so good.

“Dammit,” he hissed as pulled back from me as though he burned. “This isn’t right.”

It was like falling into an ice bath, and the euphoric feeling dissipated like gas. "What?"

His face was hot and bothered, his lips still swollen. He held me in his hands and stroked my cheek. “I really want to, Jessica. But it’s not right. You’re an employee.”

“To hell with that! I want this, too.”

He shook his head and moved away from me. I think he wanted to distance himself as much as possible.

He leaped up from the couch, terrified by how close he had come to losing control. Luke dashed out of sight, and I was left with the searing heat of his hands all over my flesh, slowly fading away.

LUKE PARDINI CAUGHT IN FOOTBALL MATCH BRAWL

Under the bold headline was a rather impressive photo of Luke clocking the West Ham supporter with a terrific right hook.

Years of boozing finally seems to be catching up to young Luke Pardini, as he was caught fighting a West Ham supporter earlier today at Boleyn Ground.

Not wanting to read anymore, I set down Brandon's smart phone. Luke leaned back in his chair and his cheeks filled with air, looking like he was past caring about anything at all. A small bruise bloomed on his cheek, but I covered most of the damage using my makeup.

I didn’t forget about what happened earlier. I could barely pay attention to the conversation; my mind kept obsessing over how amazing Luke’s tongue was like dancing on my skin and how close we had come toward steamy sex. I felt my chest burn in the same area where his lips had touched my breast. I clenched my fists under the table.

Luke gave no impression he was thinking of the same thing. He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Whatever happens, happens,” he said as the server set down three dripping mugs of cider in front of us.

“Cheers,” Brandon said to the waiter. He swiveled his concerned gaze to Luke, who picked up his mug and gulped it down.

I looked down at the golden liquid and took a sip. It was crisp and light, like apple juice but not as sweet, with a slight kick of alcohol.

This will go great with the pie.

We were in a tavern in London that made great savory pies. This was one of Luke’s favorite spots to eat in London, and that Brandon was on a mission to cheer him up.

It’s time to change tack. “How did you two become friends?”

A slow smile spread across Brandon's face. "Well, we went to the same boarding school. We were in the same year, and both of us had an affinity for Pokémon cards. We used to play all the time."

I snorted into my cider, and even Luke smiled apologetically. "That's so weird. I did the same thing with my best friend, Natalie. We didn't have the cards, though. We played on our Gameboys."

“There was also Dungeons and Dragons.”

This time, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “Oh my God. That’s so nerdy.” I gave Luke a playful swat on his leg. “This is the juicy gossip I would expect on a tabloid. It’s a lot more shocking than reading about you punching out someone. Dungeons and Dragons!”

He gave me a thin smile and zeroed in on me. “How did you both meet?”

My insides froze as I tried not to glance at Luke. Well, shit. We had never come up with a rehearsed plan, and my brain worked, trying to think of a quick, believable lie. Fuck!

“It was a support group,” I blurted.

A stunned silence followed my words, and my face radiated heat.

Oh, God. Why did I say that?

I clutched Luke’s hand under the table and winced at the force of his fingers wrapped around my palm. I hoped that my utter fear would be seen as humiliation from admitting something so private. Luke will kill me.

Brandon was a gentleman to his core. If he felt any stunned disbelief, he kept it to himself. Nothing showed on his face except mild interest. "That's really, well—"

“Yeah,” I said too quickly. “We talked, and we realized that we had so much in common.” I gave Luke a quick glance. He wore an expression appropriate to being clubbed over the head. “I’m sorry, baby. I know you like to keep these things private, but I figured that since Brandon was an old friend, it would be fine.”

“It's okay,” he said in a voice that implied otherwise.

I grimaced at Brandon, who almost looked sorry for me. “I don’t know what to tell people when they ask, you know? I’m a normal person from the Bay Area. Lots of people look at me and him and they don’t really get it.”

Luke stood up, and my hand slipped from his grasp. He gave me one look of extreme disapproval before announcing that he was going to the loo.

"Oh, shit," I whispered as Luke stormed from the table. "He'll be so mad at me."

Brandon patted me on the back, but when I looked up, his face was full of sympathy for me. The pain twisting my guts loosened.

“Luke’s a private person, but I’m glad he’s going to this support group with you. He needs it. Don’t tell him I said that,” he added.

“No, of course not.” Guilt squirmed inside me. Even his friends could see how his father was tormenting him.

“He’s always been my best mate, but he’s never been very happy. It’s hard when you have a dad like his.”

I wasn’t sure if I should be talking to Brandon like this, but I couldn’t resist. “Maybe it runs in the family,” I said, thinking of his mother’s suicide.

He shrugged. “I’m just glad he has someone who has gone through the same thing. By the way, I’m sorry if I came off standoffish when we first met. The girls he usually dates are only with him for the money, but you’re not like any of the ones he’s been with.”

The guilty feeling in my stomach doubled, and I half-heartedly returned his beaming smile.

I am with him for the money—sort of.

I didn’t like lying to him, and I battled an overwhelming urge to confess and tell him the whole truth. My fingers moved around the glass mug. Luke would be upset. I stamped down on my impulse and looked down. For the first time, I felt guilty about this whole arrangement. How many people would I have to lie to? I hoped that they weren’t as nice as Brandon.

“What’s his father like?”

"I've only seen him a few times. He seemed polite. Maybe cold. That's normal, though. I know everything about him through what Luke has told me, and he has told me some terrible things. It's not just him. It's the cousins and his uncle. They all want a piece of Luke's inheritance, and they'll do anything to get it."

My fingers were white around the handle of the mug. “Can’t he get power of attorney over his father?”

Brandon shook his head.

What a mess, I thought. Part of me wondered whether it would be such a horrible thing if Luke’s father wrote him out of his will. Sure, he’d lose his inheritance, but didn’t he have a great deal of money in his bank account already? Didn’t he have millions of dollars worth of property? How many millions does one need, anyways? At least he’d be out of his father’s influence for good, and he would never have to stress about his family trying to usurp his inheritance.

“Would it be the worst thing in the world if he lost it? Wouldn’t it be good to be out of his father’s hair once and for all?”

He stared at me with a shocked expression as if I had suggested that we boil Luke’s head. “What—give up his legacy? Are you mad?”

I shrugged. “It’s just—I would be happy with a million dollars. Why does anyone need that much money?”

“It’s not about the money.”

Bullshit. I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s totally about the money. Look, I understand. Losing that kind of money would make anyone crazy.”

“It’s his inheritance. He deserves it. He’s earned it. It might go to people who don’t deserve it, who aren’t even affiliated with the company at all.”

Despite his assurances to the opposite, I still didn't think Luke would be as motivated if his inheritance were a few thousand dollars. How does one earn five billion dollars? You can’t. Mr. Pardini could do whatever he wanted with his money. Still, it was an asshole move to shove your only son out, especially when he had worked so hard his whole life for his father’s approval.

Hell, who am I kidding? He deserves it. Luke toiled his whole life expecting to take his father’s mantle. To have it ripped out of his hands when this line of work was the only one he knew would be downright cruel.

At that moment, Luke rejoined us at the table, and I was tight-lipped, avoiding his gaze. The waitress brought us three steaming pies surrounded by mashed potatoes and a moat of gravy, and I soon forgot everything I worried about. Brandon laughed at me as I sighed in ecstasy with each bite. The steak and ale pie was dripping with decadence; the meat was slow-cooked for hours so it fell apart and melted in my mouth. The gravy mingling with the mustard seed potatoes was delicious, and I devoured it, burning my tongue. After we had finished, we sat for a while and enjoyed the peace of a warm, full belly. Brandon patted his stomach and stood up to leave.

“I should get going.”

“I hope I see you again,” I said, shaking his hand.

“Likewise.”

Luke stepped forward to grasp Brandon in a one-armed hug and then he turned as Brandon left the pub.

I couldn’t read his face. “Luke, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to say—”

“Don’t be sorry. That was brilliant, even if it was mortifying.”

My cheeks flushed at his praise, and they burned even brighter when he smiled at me.

Luke's arm dropped from my side the moment the elevator doors closed. He stepped a mile back and focused his gaze on everywhere but me. It was as though I was invisible.

I thought that he believed he could ignore me into nonexistence. After the almost-sex in our hotel room, Luke avoided staying too long around me. For hours, I'd stay in the room, alone. It wasn't too terrible. The money I earned was used to travel. I visited York Minster Abbey and marveled at the Gothic splendor, even climbing the abbey's spiral staircase. It was amazing, but I wished I had someone—anyone to experience it with.

On the weekends, Luke and I went out together on fake dates. We kissed in front of paparazzi, we made out in park benches, and we took trains to Bath, Oxford, to the Lake District. The sexual tension between us was as taut as a tightrope, trembling, ready to snap. It all felt so damn real, but every time we returned to the hotel, Luke was distant. He separated himself from me the moment we stepped inside as though he couldn’t wait to be rid of me.

There was an aching hole inside my chest. I no longer enjoyed going out with him—he made me feel even lonelier than I did when I walked alone. It sucked. 

I closed my eyes. “Luke?”

“Hm?”

“I can’t take this anymore.”

The elevator lights beamed with the sixth floor.

Luke looked at me with a puzzled expression. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t go on kissing you every day and acting like it means nothing.”

“Jessica, we made an agreement—”

"Then we almost had sex. I haven’t been able to think of anything else."

A heavy weight settled on my shoulder. His abdomen bumped into my back, and I tried to stamp down the swell inside my heart. His fingers brushed aside the strands of hair on my naked skin, and just that was enough to make the heat between my legs blaze into a forest fire.

“Do you think I want to push you away? I'm trying to protect us."

The bell chimed. Seventh floor.

"Maybe I don't want to be protected."

"You're making this harder than it needs to be. I want you, too. More than you realize. But we can't."

"Says who?"

I turned around, and he looked at me with a lopsided smirk. "Damn it."

He bent his head. His hands fell on my head, and his lips sealed against mine in a slow, long kiss. I moaned into him, and his tongue slipped inside, flicking my tongue as if his head was between my legs. As I imagined that, my hands slid around his back and clenched over his ass.

“Is this what you want?” he asked in a heated whisper when he broke the kiss.

“Don’t toy with me.”

“I’m not toying with you.”

I couldn't think while he touched my breast.

"I was just trying to keep my distance.”

He didn’t seem to care about distance anymore. I gasped as his fingers found the waist of my jeans and groped for the zipper. My heart bashed against my ribs as Luke unzipped my pants, his back to the elevator doors. The cold air stung my skin as my pants fell.

“Luke! They might record—we’re in an elevator.”

“So?"

"Maybe we should wait 'till we get—"

"You want me to stop?"

His hands paused their tracing of my cotton panties. He cupped my pussy, the heat of his palm burning my body. Then he reached forward with his middle finger to stroke my clit. It was a very light touch, but it was enough to send a spasm through me. Then he slowly parted my panties aside, which were soaking wet with my arousal. He dipped into me, watching my face transform with a satisfied smirk.

“Luke.”

“That’s it,” he whispered. “I want to get you off.”

There were two fingers inside me now, pumping inside my wet walls. The sounds echoed through the small elevator as Luke fucked me with his fingers.

Another chime of the bell. Eighth floor.

I didn't care that anyone could walk in. My walls clenched around his thrusting fingers, and I seized Luke’s head. He crushed his lips against mine as I buried my tongue in his mouth. My moans interrupted his frenzied kissing, but he kept the same steady rhythm, his fingers curling into the spot that made me groan. My pussy contracted in pleasure, and I felt my stomach clench as Luke pushed me toward my breaking point. I cried out and felt my core contracting around his fingers as he plunged them in hard one last time.

My back hit the wall as Luke pushed me, grinding his hardness into my naked thigh as heat seared up my spine. A smile staggered across Luke's face as I came on his fingers.

"I could fuck you right now."

I imagined him taking me by the waist, my hands flat against the stainless steel walls.

Bing.

The elevator chimed, and the door opened to the top floor. The lust didn't leave Luke's eyes as he dropped his hands from me and stepped back.

Luke paced the hotel suite. “Did anyone call?”

“You asked me that. No.”

Things between us were tense lately, mostly due to Luke's refusal to bend the rules. 

Just fuck me already.

“Why hasn’t he called?”

I watched him, my eyes flicking from the toned skin peeking out from his shirt to his eyes. I didn’t know what to tell him. “He’ll call. Maybe he’s busy.” I knew that my assurances meant nothing to him, but I didn’t know what else to do.

Luke looked at me with heat in his gaze as he ripped off his shirt and threw it on the floor. “He’s busy harassing the nurses, I’m sure. This is just another way for him to screw with me.”

A loud ringing filled the hotel suite and Luke stood shock still. It was coming from the office. Wow, that’s creepy. He stared at me

“Well, answer it!” I yelled as the second ring jarred the air.

He sprinted toward it, and I followed swiftly, hanging near the door, which Luke left ajar. Should I stay here?

“Luke Pardini."

I peeked inside and saw Luke hunched over the desk, shirtless, looking as though he wanted to throw up. He saw me watching and pressed the speakerphone button.

“Hello, Luke," said an old, male voice. "I see you've been very busy these past few weeks. A new girlfriend and a drunken brawl already?”

“Hi Dad,” he said grimly. “I wasn’t drunk. Someone was in a fight and—”

“I’m not interested in hearing your excuses. I’m more interested in the girl. She doesn’t look like the tarts you usually date.”

I yanked my necklace chain against my skin.

“Well, her name is Jessica.” Luke gave me a worried look. “She has a BA in English—”

“Useless degree. What else?”

A ripple of anger went through me. Useless? Well, I had heard it before.

“She—um, she volunteers at a soup kitchen every week and wants a job in editing.”

“How quaint.”

I was astounded at how demeaning he could sound in the few words he spoke.

The speaker of the phone let out a garbled sigh. “Luke, I called because I’m removing you from VP of Acquisitions for a few weeks.”

Luke’s shout of rage was enough the make the walls tremble. “You’re what?”

“I can’t afford to get any more bad press on the company. You know that you’re a magnet for it, right? I don’t know why you like to make my life so difficult.”

“Dad, you can’t believe everything you read in the press!”

The explosion of anger that erupted from the speaker made me back away.

“Do you think it matters to the shareholders? What about the board members? They see you as a loose cannon. You've attracted so much negative attention to the company, and I want nothing impeding the Hilton merger. I am sick and tired of our name being dragged through the mud because you can't fucking grow up!"

“Then you can say goodbye to the multi-million dollar deal I made in San Francisco!”

The voice screaming through the speakerphone drew a sharp breath and began a violent coughing fit. When it recovered, his tone was shrewd.

“What deal?”

"I didn't tell you, but I discovered a bed-and-breakfast chain in the city with high-profit margins and cut them a deal. They're all over California, and we have plans to expand to Oregon and Nevada. It will net us an annual thirty million dollars. I was going to tell you when it was finalized."

I almost winced at the unspoken plea in Luke’s voice: I wanted to impress you, Dad.

“What will make me happy is having a son that doesn’t shame me and the name he was born into. When are you visiting me?”

Luke didn’t bother answering back. He smashed his fist down and ended the call, making the phone bounce off the table. He picked it up and hurled it again. The machine flew at the glass, but it was one of those expensive, well-constructed, sleek models and it didn’t break.

“Luke, stop!”

His screams seemed to be a combination of insults and unintelligible outbursts of sheer rage.

I never saw him lose complete control like this. If I touched him, would he whirl around and unleash some of his rage on me? He kicked the phone across the room and paced in front of the glass, refusing to face me.

“Luke!”

He slammed his fist into the wall and crushed his hand. I saw his dark reflection. His lips were parted as if he had just finished an exhausting run. “Fuck, I hate him."

My hand touched his trembling shoulder, and I took it as a good sign he didn't throw my hand off. I spread my fingers and stroked his shoulder. When he didn't protest, I lifted my other hand and did the same to the other side. Luke's body leaned against mine. My heartbeat was almost painful.

I should say something. “I’m sorry that your father is such a...” Asshole? Jerk?

Luke took one of my hands inside his and I felt a sudden flare of attraction as he traced lines in my palm. "Bastard."

“He’s just cranky from his illness.”

He smiled. “He’s been like this my whole life, Jessica.”

“Well, maybe’s pissed that you won’t visit him.”

“Hell, maybe you’re right. Maybe I need to placate him with a fucking visit.”

His hollowed eyes shined with years of tortured anguish. Deep down, he was still a little boy desperate for his father’s approval and some scrap of affection. He knew he would never get it.

He didn’t move from me, the same resigned expression on his face I knew deeply. His lips pulled into a bitter, half-smile and he shrugged his shoulders. He moved in closer before I could speak. “I need to feel good about something.”

His lips came crashing down on mine, and I responded with a fervor that made his back slam against the glass wall. It was probably our first real kiss, not borne out of a desire to present an image to the press, but out of a physical need to feel better. I needed his closeness, his naked chest writhing over mine, and his lips and tongue fondling my breast. I moaned into his mouth as his hands slid underneath my shirt and groped my breasts, his thumbs slipped under my bra and grazed my flesh, flicking my erect nipples.

Luke's mouth pulled away only to lift my shirt, and then his lips sealed against mine once again, his hot hands wrapped around my back to search for the clasp of my bra. It snapped away with one twist of his fingers, and I felt the shock of the cold stinging my nipples. Luke closed the space between us and kissed my neck. My head tilted, and I let myself dissolve into the ecstasy that was his lips and tongue. His fingertips ran up and down my body, running up the small of my back and along the curve of my breasts. Then his hands teased the waistband of my jeans, slipping his fingers through to stroke the top of my ass, curving over my hipbones and sliding down the thin fabric of my underwear. His middle finger stroked my mound in a circular motion, both of us breathing hard. The familiar feeling of desire and anxiety reared up again, but I knew I was safe with Luke, and it was incredible. I reached down and unzipped my jeans and Luke bent down to pull my jeans and panties down my legs. I wrapped my arms around myself, now completely exposed, and gazed at Luke with a little of fear.

He sighed in a pained voice. "You are so gorgeous and I want you so badly, but—"

"—No." I covered his mouth with my hand, and his blue eyes cut through me. "Please, don't. I need this, too."

My head was ringing. I was stark naked in Luke Pardini's hotel suite, overlooking the night sky of London in his office. Perhaps I was dreaming. He nodded at me, and I uncovered his lips.

“Ok, then.”

He grinned as he swept me into his arms and I yelped as I lifted into the air. Luke sat down in the chair with my body in his arms. I curled over his legs and chest. I liked it. It was much more intimate. His cock was like a rock under my legs, and I felt a stab in my chest, but he leaned over and kissed me, stifling my violent vortex of thoughts. Then he kissed my neck and then my breast until his tongue went for the kill and sucked my puckered nipple until it was raw.

I moaned his name and wrapped my arms around his head, tugging at his dark locks as he sucked and tongued. His other hand groped down my hips, searching for the damp heat between my legs. His fingers found my slit, and he rubbed the ridge of his middle finger up and down; I was so wet I could hear myself all over his hands.

Everything condensed to just us; the external sounds disappeared, and the background seemed to fall away like in a dream. His body was lean and hard, full of a powerful desire for me. He was like a furnace, chasing away every wisp of cold that clung to my skin. He stroked a finger inside me, curving it and striking just the right spot with the tip of his finger. I bucked my hips and cried out as pleasure bloomed all over my body.

Every thought was consumed by pleasure. I cried out for more, but Luke smirked and resumed his careful rhythm. I gripped his head and forced his lips over mine. His finger slipped out, and I felt him pull back as he looked at me.

"Jessica, you only need to say so, and we'll stop right now."

“No, don’t stop. Never stop.”

All common sense flew out the window. Who cared if he paid me? My body was screaming for him. My hands moved across his thighs and felt his hardness like an iron rod in his slacks. I unzipped his pants, and he fell into my hands, thick and heavy. Luke’s briefs slid to the floor as I straddled his trim waist, my breast throbbing with my heartbeat.

“Wait.” He grabbed a little square packet from what seemed like nowhere and ripped it open, rolling the thin latex over his aching cock.

Then he looked at me, not moving a muscle. It was all up to me, then. I felt a surge of—I don’t know what—freedom? For the first time, I had complete control. He was giving it to me. I raised my hips over his thick thighs and sunk downwards. Then his hips pressed upwards, and he was spearing me, splitting me open. I gripped his hair so hard that he grunted in pain. It was painful—shocking, almost as if I was a virgin again. For what seemed like forever, I slowly sank down, admitting more of him inside me as my walls parted.

“Jessica,” he moaned against my breast, his cavernous mouth opening to swallow my breast. Heat exploded over my skin.

God, he felt good. I raised my hips, feeling his cock sliding out before I plummeted back down, so suddenly that we both gasped. Every thrust made my toes curl; he held my hips and thrust upwards as he met my downward plunges. We connected with a satisfying, wet smack and our mouths met each other in a series of desperate, breathless kisses. I increased the rhythm, groaning as his cock pounded my sensitive core. All the sounds of sex and his deep voice uttering little moans all whirled inside my head, bringing me higher and higher. My nails dug into his shoulder as the pace quickened. Every nerve inside me screamed for release, and his hot hands gripping my hips and his mouth and his skin, damp under my hands—all of it combined and I cried out as I felt him plunge my depths one last time. I gripped his head, feeling his thighs flexing under me as I leaned into him and my body shattered. All the energy left me to be replaced by warm, exhausted happiness.

Luke let out a long moan that made my heart thud against my chest and then his cock jumped inside me. I collapsed against his heaving chest, paralyzed with joy. As I looked up at him and stroked his hair, it was almost in a loving caress. He kissed me hard, his hands still moving all over my body. He broke away, breathing heavily.

“I needed this.” He gave me another smoldering look before he kissed my neck. “You make me want to go again.”

His words thrilled me, and for the second time, I felt afraid. I was giving too much of myself to this man. I looked at him and knew that I would be devastated when we parted ways. Was this love or was it infatuation?

He sighed into me. “I’m getting really confused about our arrangement. I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

“Does it feel like a bad idea?”

“Well, no.”

“Then why can’t we enjoy it?”

“Because we said we’d keep things professional. I don’t want either of us getting attached.”

“I’m already attached. It'll hurt no matter what.”

His eyes were shining. He cupped my cheek and didn’t look away. “Jessica.”

I hated the softness in his voice. He said nothing more, but he didn’t have to. His face was full of regret. I slipped from his lap, tears already falling down my cheeks as I bent down and gathered my clothes.

“Jessica. Jessica, wait!”

I ran into the bathroom to escape him. He doesn’t want me like I want him. The whole point of this was to help Luke. He was paying me a huge sum of money, and I had no right to be upset. Luke had said from the beginning that this would never be anything more than a two-dimensional relationship. I needed to accept that.

“Jessica, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have—”

The bathroom door ripped open as I yanked it open. Rage exploded in my stomach. I was still naked, but Luke had pulled on his pants.

“Don’t you dare say you shouldn’t have done it. Don’t tell me it was a mistake. I’m not a mistake!”

There was a desperate plea in my voice that made me feel sick.

Luke looked horrified. "I would not say that. Of course, you're not a mistake. Jessica?"

All the anger deflated from my chest. I wanted to curl in a ball under my sheets. It’s your fault for making me feel like I had a chance.

Luke hovered near the doorway, the conflict wreaking havoc on his face. He wanted to comfort me, but he was afraid of upsetting me.

"Look, we have to fly to Chicago tomorrow to visit my father at the hospice. I can't put it off any longer. Let's talk about this after that. I felt so overwhelmed with my father, and you made me feel good. You always make me feel good."

His cheeks went a little pink, and I hated myself for the hope soaring in my chest. I wiped the tears staining my cheeks and nodded. “Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Luke hesitated, guilt written all over his face as he looked at me. “Okay.”

Even if it amounted to nothing, I gained a victory tonight. I had sex with a man, and it hadn't been a disaster. It hadn't been painful. It was awesome.