A Private Affair

by A. C. Arthur

  She arched off the bed, her thighs trembling as her release stormed through her body.

  “Yes! Give it all to me, Riley! Give me what’s mine.”

  Chaz lost himself in the moment. Glorious sensations rippling over every muscle in his body as he continued moving in and out of her. There’d never been a place that felt like this. The perfect fit, the deep thrusts, the mind-boggling feeling that pulsed through him as he gritted his teeth and held on tightly to her ankles when his own release filled the condom.

  When he could take a breath without feeling as if he were going to pass out, Chaz kissed both her ankles and smiled at those sexy-as-hell heels she was still wearing. He was just about to ease her legs down to the bed, pull out of her and lie beside her, when Riley moved first.

  She lowered her legs, ignoring his grip that instantly loosened. She was away from him and off the bed in seconds. Chaz was still on his knees blinking as she grabbed a black silk robe from a chair and carried it into the bathroom, where she immediately closed and locked the door.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  OKAY, THAT WAS DONE.

  It was good. Damn good.

  But it was done.

  So why were her thighs still trembling and her body already missing the warmth of his?

  Riley kicked off her shoes, dropped her robe onto the closed toilet and rested her palms on the cool marble top of the sink. She lowered her head and took a deep breath. When she looked up, the woman staring back at her through the mirror was only slightly foreign. Her eyes were bright with remnants of desire. Her cheeks were flushed, lips plump from his kisses. Delicious kisses that had served as the appetizer to a greater entrée she couldn’t have imagined if she’d tried.

  She wanted him again. Dammit!

  Riley turned on the water, hoping the noise would take the foolish thoughts from her mind, but then realized they’d agreed to twenty-four hours or at the very least sunrise tomorrow. He’d only been there an hour and a half, which meant she still had plenty of time to indulge in Chaz’s scrumptious body. She leaned forward and splashed water on her face. It was cool and her body shivered with the contact. She pulled her hair free from the pins that still partially held it back and took the next few minutes to wash up.

  She’d intended to take some time to clean up and then return to the bedroom, to face the music so to speak. Instead Riley pushed her arms into the sleeves of her robe and tied it tightly around her waist before moving to sit on the lip of the soaker tub, and closed her eyes.

  She’d had sex with Chaz Warren.

  And not one time had he complained about her not making enough noise, or not praising every move he made. There’d been no requests for her to do anything he’d read about online or saw in some movie. She wasn’t given instructions on how to please him and she’d never once had to wonder if he would please her. Riley’s orgasm had come like a full-blown explosion of sensation that still had her body quaking.

  Walt had always complained. Nothing Riley did was ever right for him, and to be honest, she’d stopped trying long before she’d caught her ex with another woman.

  I won’t go into specifics but things could get pretty frigid in Riley’s bedroom.

  Riley closed her eyes as she recalled the quote she’d read in the newspaper the day after she’d walked calmly out of Walt’s condo, leaving him and a model she’d seen before—but would love to never see again—naked in bed. She hated that she remembered those words and hated more how they still made her angry. She wouldn’t allow them to make her self-conscious. Riley knew how to bring herself pleasure and she’d had a few experiences with other men besides Walt, so she knew his words had been laced with vindictiveness. If their sex life wasn’t what it should have been, Riley wasn’t solely to blame. But she’d wanted to spare her family and the reputation of their company so no rebuttal to Walt’s inappropriate declaration was made.

  Which was why this fling between her and Chaz would definitely end in twenty-four hours. There was no doubt in her mind about that.

  With her shoes in hand, Riley walked out of the bathroom and into the empty bedroom. Chaz was gone, and a quick punch of disappointment landed in the pit of her stomach. She walked to the closet and placed her shoes inside before turning slowly to look around once more, confirming that the room was empty.

  “I thought you might be thirsty.”

  She startled at the sound of his voice and glanced in the direction of the door to see Chaz standing there with two glasses of champagne. He was wearing his boxers and nothing else and her body instantly responded with disappointment shifting to the slow burn of arousal.

  “Yes. Thank you.” For lack of anything better to say, Riley met him as he came into the room and accepted a glass. Her bare feet moved across the plush beige carpet until she could sit on the side of the bed.

  “You don’t have to be nervous,” he said.

  She finished the sip of champagne and looked toward the end of the bed where Chaz now sat.

  “Why would you think I’m nervous?”

  “You’re not talking.”

  “I was drinking.”

  He shrugged and took a gulp of champagne. “Guess what I mean is that this doesn’t have to be uncomfortable. We can just take things as they come.”

  “Right. For the next twenty-four hours.” Riley glanced at the clock. It was almost two in the morning. “I’ve had a really long day.”

  “Me, too.” Chaz finished his champagne and walked around to the other side of the bed. “I was hoping you weren’t going to expect sex all night long. I mean, not that I wouldn’t be glad to oblige. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t fall asleep on you. But it might be a good idea to get some rest.”

  She hadn’t meant to, but Riley smiled. “I wasn’t expecting sex all night long.”

  “Great. We agree.” He proceeded to arrange the pillows before pulling back the duvet and sheet.

  Riley had been watching over her shoulder and set her glass on the nightstand before easing off the bed to pull the bedcovers down on her side. She normally slept in a nightgown but she wasn’t about to walk across the room to the bureau where she’d put her clothes to retrieve one. The robe would do just fine for tonight. Her pillows didn’t require a lot of adjustment and she lay easily on her side of the bed.

  Chaz lay on his side. He pulled the covers midway up his chest. The chest that was still bare and undeniably enticing. There was a scar beneath his left pectoral. She’d seen it when he was standing in the doorway. She wondered how he’d gotten it.

  “This is the only time I’m a fan of lights-out in the bedroom.” It was an easy comment made seconds before he leaned over and hit the button that turned off both bedside lamps simultaneously.

  The room went dark and Riley’s heart began to pound a different rhythm. It wasn’t a totally unfamiliar feeling but one that she didn’t welcome now. She pulled the covers up, tucking them tight beneath her armpits, and closed her eyes. She could do this. She could sleep in the same bed with a guy. Although she’d never done it before.

  Riley Eliza Gold was twenty-nine years old, one of the youngest woman executives at RGold Fashions. She’d graduated summa cum laude with a degree in statistics from Columbia and went on to hone her skills at the Parsons School in New York. She was in charge of a multimillion-dollar line within her family’s company, their legacy. There was nothing she couldn’t do.

  Except, at the moment, she was having a hard time regulating her breathing knowing that if she just extended her arm she would touch a man. Chaz Warren, the renowned brand manager for King Designs, her family’s biggest rival, to be exact.

  That last thought probably wasn’t the smartest one she’d had tonight since it only increased her breathing and had her clenching the sheets.

  Riley was counting down from one hundred when something moved beneath the sheet. It could have been her imaginat
ion since her mind was going at a rapid pace, but no, it wasn’t. His foot touched hers and she jumped.

  “Shh. It’s just me.”

  Well, of course it was him, who else would be in her bed?

  Riley’s eyes were wide-open and staring into the darkness. And this was the second time he’d shh’d her. She wasn’t a child and she didn’t like it.

  “I figured you weren’t the cuddling type, but I wanted to reassure you that you weren’t alone.” Did his voice sound richer, huskier in the dark?

  “I’m definitely not the cuddling type.” It was an honest reply even if she didn’t exactly like how it sounded. “And I know I’m not alone.” Because when she was alone at night she could breathe. She could also fret that she might well be alone forever, but at least she could breathe easily while doing so.

  “Do you normally cuddle the women you sleep with?”

  “Whoa, I have a strict rule about no discussion of prior lovers while in bed with the current lover.”

  “We’re not lovers.” Her response was quick.

  He moved over, not close enough to touch her, but close enough that she no longer had to stretch out her arm to touch him.

  “For the next twenty-four hours we are.”

  His feet brushed against hers again, but she didn’t jump this time.

  “I’ve cuddled before. I can see the appeal, but it’s not high on my list of things to do after sex.” He paused. “What about you?”

  Riley had already realized the folly in asking that question and she’d hoped he would stick to his rule about not discussing former lovers.

  “I don’t see the appeal, either.” There, she didn’t have to admit that Walt was always in a hurry to leave the bed when they were finished, and that with the couple of men she’d slept with in the three years since her very public breakup, she’d been the one to get up and leave first. Just as she’d done with Chaz.

  “So we won’t cuddle,” he said. “We’ll just lie here and go to sleep.”

  “And play footsie?” Riley added.

  “Well, since you asked.” Chaz turned on his side and extended his legs so that both of his feet tangled between hers.

  They were warm, and focusing so much on this simple yet very different touch had managed to calm the anxiety that was steadily building inside of her. She smiled into the darkness.

  * * *

  Chaz listened as Riley’s breathing steadied and she finally fell asleep. He couldn’t see the clock but he’d guess maybe a half hour to forty minutes had passed since they’d first climbed into bed. Riley Gold wasn’t used to sleeping with men. The assessment kind of went with the tabloid’s perception of her, but a part of Chaz had always envisioned her as the intelligent businesswoman who shed that shield in the privacy of her own home, opening up to the man in her life. However, instinct had told him cuddling wasn’t on her agenda. That and the fact that she’d gotten into bed and lain so close to the edge he was afraid she might fall off. Still, just as pleasure was the key to tearing down her defenses, touch was one of the first steps to that pleasure.

  Their feet were still entwined as she lay on her back and he on his side. She hadn’t made any move to get closer to him, but she hadn’t ordered him back to his side of the bed, either. That was progress.

  Why he was even the least bit concerned about that progress, Chaz had no idea.

  This was just sex. Long overdue and really good sex, but just sex nonetheless. He wasn’t in the market for anything else. And neither was she. They were the perfect couple, or noncouple, as their business lives came first.

  Except for tonight. Chaz wasn’t going to think about his business or the work he was doing for his uncle and he didn’t want Riley thinking about her job, either. These moments were reserved for them. While this hadn’t been the way Chaz thought he would end his evening, he was glad things had turned in his favor.

  He’d had sex with the infamous Riley Gold. A triumphant smile touched his lips but fell away the moment he recalled how quickly she’d jumped up from the bed and run into the bathroom. For a few startled seconds he’d wondered what that was about, but realized he already knew. While the fashion industry might look at Riley like some worldly princess trying to make a name for herself, Chaz had always felt he knew her better. It was strange, this insight into a woman who’d done nothing but brush him off since the first day they’d met.

  Chaz wasn’t Riley’s type—he was too outgoing, had too many women and was too public with his social media background in comparison to the privacy she fought like hell to maintain. And yet, they’d been drawn to each other from the start. So much so that he was barely restraining himself from touching her again. Sure, his feet were on hers and for the last little while he’d been content with that. Now, not so much.

  He eased over slightly until the warmth from her body beneath the covers reached out to him. With the lightest touch imaginable, Chaz let his fingers trace a line from her wrist up her bare arm. To do this he’d had to push up the sleeve of her robe. Her skin was so soft and warm he ached to kiss her right there, in the spot where her elbow bent and around to her shoulder, over her back, down to her... She stirred and in the next seconds Chaz knew she was wide-awake. But she’d made no move to push him away.

  Chaz eased his hand around her waist and untied the belt of her robe. He pushed the silky material off her arm and pressed his lips lightly to her shoulder. She didn’t move or speak but he felt her body relax. He kissed her there again and moved closer to her, so close the hard length of his cock now rubbed against her upper thigh. If she had a reaction to feeling him so hot and ready for her, she wasn’t showing it. Despite that little chink in his ego, Chaz continued.

  He ran his hand over the parts of her skin he’d just kissed, easing her onto her side so his lips could glide over the skin of her back. Untangling the lower part of his legs from hers allowed Chaz more range to continue tasting her golden skin. The faint hint of her floral perfume lingered and he wondered if she’d rubbed the fragrance over every part of her body. He kissed down the path of her spine, his fingers moving over her skin softly. The small of her back was a delectable little spot where Chaz couldn’t help but plant openmouthed kisses, circling his tongue from one side to the other, as if the very act was somehow branding her as his.

  She sighed, a quiet little whoosh of breath that encouraged and further aroused him. He planted his palms on the smooth globes of her ass and closed his eyes to sensations rippling through his body at that simple touch. Riley Gold had a great ass. Plump enough to make his dick hard just from watching her walk across the room and delicious enough naked to make him grit his teeth and pray for patience. He’d already given her hot and fast at her request, now Chaz was aiming for nice and slow.

  He kissed one rounded half and then the other before touching his tongue lightly to the top of her crease. Her breath quickened but she did not speak. Her body felt relaxed and compliant while the thought of her waiting for what he planned to do next had to be one of the most erotic moments he’d ever experienced.

  Chaz didn’t keep her guessing. He followed the line with his tongue, gripping her cheeks in his hands until they were overflowing his fingers. When he was down far enough, he extended his tongue until he could touch the warm lips of her pussy. She was already wet for him. He groaned and took another lick.

  “I love that you’re already bare for me.” He murmured the words and didn’t know if she heard them or not before his tongue was on her heated flesh once more.

  He slid his hand from her bottom to her thigh and lifted her top leg higher, giving himself greater access. His mouth was fully open now and all over her with slow but hungry strokes of his tongue. It was a cliché but Chaz didn’t give a damn, she tasted so irresistibly sweet. He never wanted to stop tasting her. But her thighs had already begun to shake and his dick was painfully hard, poking through the slit in h
is boxers. He was going to pull away and grab a condom, in just a second, after he licked her right there...

  Riley hissed loudly and arched her back the second his tongue inched inside her warm entrance. She shattered in his hands, her moans echoing in the room while her climax shook her body.

  Chaz moved the moment she was still again. He rolled over to the side of the bed where he’d left his empty champagne glass and the strip of condoms. He pulled one free, tore open the packet and sheathed his bobbing length. When he eased onto the bed again, he reached around to touch Riley’s chin, turning her face toward his.

  “Tonight, it’s only about pleasure, Riley. Yours. Mine. Nothing or nobody else. Understand?”

  He could feel that she was nodding but Chaz needed to hear the words. He wanted to hear her voice.

  “Say it. Tell me you want this. That you want me. Say it, Riley.”

  He hadn’t realized how desperately he needed to hear those words. The feeling was urgent and deeply seated inside him, just as the need to break down her barriers was. Chaz couldn’t explain either circumstance. He wasn’t in the market for a girlfriend or any type of commitment. Sure, he’d wanted Riley in his bed for a long time, but this was different. He knew it even though he couldn’t explain it.

  “I want you.” Her voice was husky and sexier than any other sound he’d ever heard. “I want this.” She reached up to flatten her palms on his chest and moved them slowly down until she could wrap her fingers around his thick length. “I want it all right now, Chaz. Right. Now.”

  She was still lying on her side but had turned slightly to touch him. Chaz touched her hip and then reluctantly eased her hand away from his length. It was a necessary bit of torture so that he could completely remove her robe. When that was done, he returned her to the position on her side, with her plump ass facing him.

  “You can have it now,” he whispered and lifted her top leg so that he could slide between her thighs. “You can have anything, Riley. Any damn thing you want.” He clenched his teeth as he slid deep into her with one long stroke. He was buried inside, and still, Chaz felt the burning desire for more. He began stroking in and out, loving the feel of her heated moisture gliding seamlessly along his rigid dick. He closed his eyes and let the pleasure overtake him while one word echoed in his mind repeatedly: damn.