“Take your clothes off, Blaise.”
The light. The tattoo. Shit. “Hit the light first.”
“Why?” She smirked. “You shy all of a sudden?”
“No, I just love fucking you in the pitch dark. It intensifies the feeling.”
“Whatever,” she said, lifting a shoulder as she walked to the bathroom to kill the light.
I’d dodged a bullet, and I knew it. It wouldn’t be so easy next time… assuming there was a next time. There had to be. I couldn’t lose her. Not yet. “Come here, you sexy little thing.” I knew she needed it rough and dirty. If I tried to make love to her the way I wanted to, she would only push me away.
“You still have clothes on?”
I made quick work of shedding my clothes.
When I moved to the bed, she said, “Not there.” She pointed at the chair. “Here.”
Jesus, she was trying to make this as impersonal as possible, and I hated it. Before she came up to me, I reached for my pants and pulled a condom out of the pocket. I was surprised when she tossed it over my shoulder.
“We don’t need that tonight.”
“But…”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, planting her hands on her hips. “You afraid he gave me something? You think I’d be stupid enough to let him do me without a condom?”
I hated the words coming out of her mouth. They were so vulgar, so unlike her, which proved just how detached she’d become.
“Oh, I get it. You’re afraid of knocking me up, aren’t you? You think I’m trying to get pregnant so I’ll have a baby-daddy to take care of me.” She reached into the nightstand and retrieved a plastic disk of pills. She turned the disc and tapped one of the pills into her hand. “Don’t worry. This will prevent that from happening.”
I watched her take the pill, wondering why she was willing to let me love her without a condom. I knew she was feeling reckless, but that seemed extreme.
“What is it about a lap dance that gets guys off?” she asked, gliding her hand over my shoulder as she circled my chair.
Damn, I hated that her mind was still back at that club while her body was with me.
“Is it the anonymity of being with a stripper?” She leaned over my shoulder, allowing her breasts to caress my back.
“I wouldn’t know,” I said tightly, trying to maintain control. “I’ve never been with a stripper.”
“Come on,” she said, moving in front of me. “You’ve never even fantasized about it?” She pressed a button on a bedside speaker, and her iPod came to life, filtering music through the room. “You’ve never been to a strip club, watched beautiful women take their clothes off, and wondered what it would be like to take them home?” Her hands glided over her stomach before caressing her tits. “To have one of them—or more—all to yourself for just one night. Isn’t that every guy’s fantasy?”
“I don’t have to pay for it,” I said, trying to keep my anger in check. I hated that
he
was still there, in that room with us. Her mind was on him, on what he’d done, even though she was taunting me with her body. “And women like that don’t interest me.”
“I don’t believe you.” The smile in her voice was evident. “I don’t believe that a nice slow, erotic lap dance wouldn’t get you hard right now.”
“I’m already hard.”
“That’s what I like about you,” she purred, inching closer. She spun in a slow circle in front of my chair. “You’re always ready to fuck me.”
I gripped the armrests as she brought her nipples to my lips again. This time I didn’t back down. There was no point. She’d already decided how the night would play out. Might as well let her have her fun. I grabbed her waist and drew her closer as I licked her.
She tipped her head back, gripping my shoulders. “Hmmm, I like that.” She inched down on my cock slowly. “And you like that, don’t you?”
There was no sense denying it. I was rock hard. “You know I do, angel.”
She gripped the back of the chair, her eyes locked with mine. “You’re so good at this. You like sex, don’t you? How many women have you had? Dozens? Hundreds?”
I gripped her waist and thrust into her in perfect rhythm. “It doesn’t fuckin’ matter.” I punished her with deeper thrusts. She wasn’t the only one angry and frustrated. I was furious she wouldn’t let me comfort her, hold her, make love to her and dry her tears. That’s what she needed, not some raunchy fuck-fest that could only end with more tears. “I’m here with you now. That’s all that matters.”
“You’re here with me now,” she said, riding me hard and fast as though she had something to prove. “And who will it be tomorrow? Who will you be fucking then?”
“Damn it, why are you doing this?” As mad as I was, I was determined to get her off before I came. I dug in, moving her hips to provide just the right amount of friction. “I’m here with you. You’re the only one I want.”
“How many women have you fucked in the last month?” she asked, her breath coming in short gasps. “Two, three, four… more?”
“None of your goddamn business.” I hated that she was asking, hated that she was making me think about other women when I was buried inside her.
She had the nerve to laugh before a shudder moved through her. “That many, huh? Why am I not surprised?”
There had been a few, I wouldn’t pretend otherwise, but I couldn’t even remember their names with her on my lap, making me lose myself in her tight little body. “Don’t punish me for his sins, Maura. I’m not him. I’m nothing like him.”
“You’re exactly like him.” She cried out, her limbs trembling as her pussy throbbed with her release. “You can’t get enough. It’s never enough. I’ll never be enough for you.”
“Angel,” I said, pulling her close, “you’ve always been enough for me.” My orgasm tore through me, filling her and distracting her before she could question my outburst.
***
I woke the next morning to a note that read, “Thanks for being there for me last night. Please show yourself out. And Blaise, don’t call me again. M”
What. The. Fuck? Did she really think she could get rid of me that easily? If so, she was seriously delusional.
I used her shower and ran back to my hotel long enough to change before I stormed into her office. I didn’t care that her receptionist said it wasn’t a good time. Maura was going to see me whether she liked it or not.
“Can’t you read?” she asked, glaring at me as she slid off her reading glasses and tossed them on her desk.
I’d never seen her wear glasses. She was seriously hot with them, but I couldn’t get distracted. I was there to tell her off, to demand answers, and… what? Insist she see me again? Demand that she let me make love to her whenever I wanted? Make her promise she wouldn’t let another man touch her? Maybe I was the one who was delusional.
“You really thought I was just going to disappear?” I asked, fisting my hands on her desk. “You’re crazy, lady.”
“I’m crazy? No, I think you’re the one who’s crazy.” She turned back to her computer screen, obviously intent on ignoring me.
As if I was going to let that happen. “You’re right. I am crazy. About you.”
She tried to pretend my words didn’t affect her, but I could tell by the way her fingers stopped, hovering over the keys for the briefest second, that she was trying to hold it together.
I walked around the desk and turned her swivel chair to face me. I gripped her armrests and leaned in. “I’m nothing like him, so don’t treat me like the fucking enemy. He’s the one who hurt you. I’m the one who held you when you cried yourself to sleep last night. Don’t forget that.”
She’d told me to leave after we’d had sex, but I told her I wasn’t going anywhere. I knew she didn’t want me to—she was just trying to protect herself. So we changed the sheets and blankets, and I crawled in behind her, spooning her, kissing her neck, telling her how beautiful and strong she was, telling her she was better off without him.
It wasn’t until she’d thought I was asleep that I felt the first tear fall on my arm. I hated that she was crying over that bastard, but I’d done all I could to obliterate her pain. I just had to give her the time and space she needed to work through it. But that was last night. Today was a new day, and I wouldn’t be dismissed so easily.
“I haven’t forgotten anything,” she seethed. “I remember every son of a bitch who ever hurt me, who promised to love me, then destroyed me. I meant what I said last night. I’m done with men, and that includes you, so you can go and find some other little play thing. I’m not interested.”
I clenched my jaw as I pushed off her chair. I was frustrated, furious. I wanted to step in the ring to take out some of my frustrations. I wanted to kick the shit out of her ex-fiancé for being a clueless dick. I wanted to make love to her, to remind her that I was different than all the rest. But I couldn’t do any of those things at the moment. I had to maintain my composure and try to make her see reason. Sitting across from her, I stared at her until she finally tore her eyes from her computer screen.
“I thought I asked you to leave,” she said.
“Too bad. I own this building now. I can sit here all day if I choose to.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re so juvenile. What do you hope to accomplish by sitting there and watching me work?”
“I figure eventually you’ll realize I’m not going anywhere. I bought this building. I bought your apartment building. I bought you a fucking Ferrari—”
“None of which I asked you to do.”
“I did those things because I want to be—” I raked a hand through my hair, trying to find the words to make her understand this wasn’t a game to me. It was my life, and I wanted her to be a part of it. “Close to you.” I realized how pathetic that sounded. “I know I’ve come on a bit strong—”
She choked on a laugh. “A bit strong? You’ve invaded every part of my life. You come to my hometown, build a relationship with my father, buy my office building, my apartment building, destroy my engagement—”
“He did that when he fucked other women. Not me.”
“Would you keep your voice down? I don’t need the whole world to know about it. My point is you can’t just strong-arm me into having a relationship with you. I know you’re rich and powerful. I get that. You’re used to women falling all over themselves to get close to you, but I’m not one of those women. I don’t want you.”
“Liar.” My scowl matched hers. “You wanted me last night. You needed me last night.”
“I used you last night,” she said calmly. “Just like you used me. I wanted sex, and so did you. We both got what we wanted, and now it’s over.”
“How long are you going to go on lying to yourself?”
“Think what you want. I don’t care.”
I knew we were just going around in circles, but I wasn’t a quitter. When things got tough and situations looked bleak, I fought even harder. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m moving into the vacant apartment and I’m keeping an office here, so you’ll have to get used to seeing me.”
“That’s crazy,” she said, gripping the edge of her desk. “You have a life in New York. You have a business to run. Why are you wasting your time here?”
“I have some other business to attend to here. I’m not sure how long it’ll take.”
“And in the meantime you intend to stalk and harass me? There are laws against that, you know. Not even billionaires are above the law.”
Don’t I know it.
“What part don’t you understand?” I demanded, my tenuous grip on my temper slipping. “
I
own this building.
I
own your apartment building. I have every right to be here and there. If you don’t like it, find somewhere else to live and work.”
She gaped at me. “You expect me to just uproot my life because you’re too stubborn to take a hint?”
I shrugged. “Do whatever you want. I’m just telling you what I intend to do.” I stood. “Have a nice day, Maura. Maybe I’ll see you at home later.”
“Damn it, Blaise, why are you doing this?”
With my hand on the doorknob, I turned and smiled at her. “Because I can.”
Chapter Four
I was sitting in my temporary office, trying to focus on work and waiting for a report from my private investigator, when Eric knocked on the door. Since I needed a break from my thoughts, I motioned him in.
“It’s looks like things are all wrapped up, Blaise.” He handed me two oversized sets of keys. “My lawyer just called to say both deals have closed.”
I smiled. “That was quick.”
“Yeah, well, when you’re paying as much as we are to have those guys on retainer, they better ask how high when we tell them to jump, right?”
“Yeah.” I threw the keys in the desk drawer. “I hope you don’t mind that I made myself comfortable here before the deal was finalized.” I gestured toward the small office I’d claimed. “I needed a place to work. I’m going to be in town for a bit longer.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Eric said, claiming a guest chair on the opposite side of the desk. “It’ll give you more time to spend with my daughter. The country club called to tell me she canceled her appointment this morning and didn’t want to reschedule. Am I to assume she knows about Jeff?”
“Yeah, she knows.” I reached for my take-out cup, took a sip, and grimaced when I realized it was now iced coffee. “I took her to the club. I thought she might wanna see what he was up to for herself.”
Eric made a face. “You took my daughter to that god-awful place? Do you really think that was necessary?”
“Yes, I do.” I hated being challenged, especially since Maura already had me teetering close to a full-on meltdown. “It gave her a chance to confront him. She threw his engagement ring back in his face.” I couldn’t suppress a smile.
Eric’s lips twitched. “I wish I could have been there to see that.”
“She was brilliant,” I said with pride. Even though she made me mad as hell sometimes, I admired her strength and determination. Not many people would have the guts to tell me off the way she did, and while I would never admit it to her, I liked that she stood up to me. “He definitely won’t be bothering her again.”
“Glad to hear it.” Eric raised an eyebrow. “So where does that leave things with the two of you? Are you making any headway?”
I wasn’t naïve enough to believe Eric liked me for me. He wanted bragging rights at the club. He wanted to impress his pompous friends with the news that his daughter’s new boyfriend was Blaise Walsh.