by Amy Brent
“I wanted them, but we were only married for three years. She was career minded and so was I, running the firm. I suppose that I assumed it would happen with time, but that’s not the way that it was meant to be,” he replied as he searched my face.
“I knew that I wasn’t meant to have children with James. Everyone we know asks, but then he’ll start talking about the firm or something, and they forget.”
“Leave him, Rayna.” I was resting against him on the couch, naked and sweaty as I looked at him. “You might be surprised how freeing it is.” Declan smiled at me as he leaned in to kiss me. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
I stayed late, knowing that James probably wasn’t home. I had Declan drive me back to the car once it hit two in the morning, even though he didn’t want to. We’d slept together one more time in the night, in his bed with his body over mine as we came together again.
I drove home and crawled into an empty bed for a few hours, thinking about what Declan told me. I could leave this house and get my own apartment or something. I worked and made my own money, just more than anybody knew about. I think what held me back is the loss of family, even though I didn’t have them, to begin with. It was all an act for pictures or their precious friends when we were out in public. It was all a lie, but I wasn’t ready to be on my own just yet. I wasn’t willing to feel so lost.
I had the office and the girls that were friends. It was one of the best places to go for my days, but James was barely home anymore. I knew personally how much he saw Angela as well as a couple of the other escorts, not to mention the things that I didn’t know. I
I told him early on that I was allergic to birth control pills, so we used condoms. As much as our families pushed us to have children, I knew that we weren’t ready and he obliged with my wishes. It was the only way that I could imagine getting through sex with him, on the rare time that we did it. I used it as a distraction more than anything, since it seemed to calm him down and make him less edgy. With him home less, I didn’t have to worry about that, and this was a beautiful home. I dreamed of keeping it if we were to divorce, but it was too much for me to handle on my own. Financially, I knew that the mortgage was a lot and I didn’t need all this space.
It was one of James’ trophies, and he could have it. All I wanted was my car since it was paid off and to be honest, I liked it a lot. I’d been one of his trophies in the beginning as well, and I thought back to the time when I thought he cared for me. How wrong I was.
I rolled onto my back and considered leaving again. I thought about Declan and how much he turned me on every time that I was with him. I didn’t think that would happen with my one night of playing escort. I expected it to be awkward but it was quite sensual, and if all clients were like that, I might consider doing it again with another man. I knew first hand that rich people were assholes a lot of the time, though.
Lana and the others handled it well, but I knew that I couldn’t. Declan was different, though, and I heated up as I thought about the passion between us. We had something between us that was electric, and it kept me going back to him, even though I knew that it was wrong. I was married, even if it was just on paper. I saw the dark look in his eyes when he saw my bruises, knowing that he wanted to go after James for that. Declan just held back for now. We weren’t anything at all at this point. We just had a fling that could end at any time.
James told me that he was going away for a month for a conference with the firm a week after that. A month? I knew that there was a lot more to that, but I left it alone. I would get the house to myself and maybe get to spend more time with Declan. Maybe I could spend the night, a thought that made me smile to myself. I could also hang out with the girls.
My parents were on a European cruise for the month as well. They traveled a lot, and it was the reason I was always closer to staff when I was growing up. I knew there would be no seeing them, not that it was fun when I did.
I would just spend time with the people that seemed to care about me. That was what I needed as I walked into the office, knowing that James would be gone the following morning. He wasn’t a fan of giving me a lot of warning when it came to his plans, but it didn’t matter. I was happy that he was leaving.
CHAPTER 11
Declan
I chatted with Rayna every day when she was at the office in between bookings. I sensed that there was a part of her that was a little lost and looking for someone to love her…to really love her. I knew that I shouldn’t step into her life since I was going through my own divorce soon, not to mention the fact that she was married. I did a little digging after one of the long talks one evening, seeing that her husband was a powerful attorney in the area with a lot of wealth and connections. I didn’t find any kind of trace to violent criminals in the city, just that he was a rich asshole.
I felt my scowl when I realized that he’d stayed in my hotels in the past, more than likely with other women. His name was in the system.
He was a cheater, and I wondered why when his wife was so beautiful.
I never cheated on Claire when we were still together. I respected the vows that we took and willingly let her go when she told me that she wanted to be with someone else. I knew that we weren’t the couple of the year when we hooked up but it seemed like a good idea to get married, so I asked her. I was beyond wanting children, and she appeared to feel the same way at the time. With her new boyfriend being a mere twenty-five years old, who knows?
I considered what it would be like to be with Rayna in a stable relationship. We had a terrible beginning if you looked at the facts, but there was something there. There was from the moment that I saw her, but there were so many complications involved in this.
I could see that her self-confidence was wavering at best, even though she was gorgeous. I wasn’t sure if that was because of her parents or the husband, or perhaps both. Being raised to please your family had to be awful, making me angry that she married a man that hurt her because it was what they wanted. What kind of father was okay with his daughter being beaten?
My blood boiled, and I thought about all the things that I’d like to do to that guy. He was cheating on a smart, beautiful woman as well as hurting her. She could do so much better, even if it weren't me that she was with. I didn’t want her to be with anybody else, though. I enjoyed the feeling of being inside of her, having felt her from all my favorite angles and even some that I wanted to try. I liked hearing her laugh and even the way her eyes softened when she got a little sad.
I just liked Rayna, even though I didn’t want to. I was just getting out of a relationship, and here I was considering another.
We kept chatting, and when she told me that she was on her own for a week and suggested coming over after work one weekend, I was happier than I should have been. The idea of spending more than a few hours with her excited me and my mind raced with things that we could do, out of town where nobody would know us. I had hotels everywhere, and I knew how to be discreet.
I told her that sounded great and she sent me a smile.
We had talked the rest of the night before she went home. I tossed and turned, knowing that she was coming over on her own the following evening. I planned to get some dinner or even making something in my neglected kitchen, then watching a movie with her before we went to bed. She was suggesting staying the night, wasn’t she?
Shit, I felt like a teenager again.
I got up early and went to work the following morning, so I’d have the night free. There was another prospect for a location of one of the hotels that I needed to research, and I wanted my mind clear to focus on Rayna.
It came to mind that I never got her phone number during our chats. I knew why being that she was married, but we could talk while he was gone. Couldn’t we? Was her husband the type that traced her phone calls when he was cheating? As far as I knew, that seemed to be the pattern with men like that.
Fuck, I was angry again, and I turned to look out of
my window. I remembered the bruises on Rayna’s arm, and though they were faint, I could tell they still hurt. I had played down my reaction to them since she was clearly embarrassed but I felt like it needed to be addressed. I vowed to talk to her about it this weekend.
I went home in the evening to pick up a little bit and chat with her to make sure that we were still on. I was limited to her work hours for communication, and I wondered what it might be like to call her in the morning or to wake up with her. I wondered what it would be like to text when we couldn’t sleep.
Rayna answered me and told me that the night girl had a sick baby, so she was working a double shift at the office. It was a small staff, so they helped each other out, and I clenched my fist for a moment. It wasn’t a bad part of town, but I didn’t want her working through the night and part of the morning. I asked if they could just stop the bookings for the evening, but she apologized, joking that it was a twenty-four-hour business with a wink.
I sat back and formulated a plan B for us. I knew that she wouldn’t want to go out of town after working all night, but I could work from home while she slept in my bed. We could go somewhere for dinner outside the city, a place that nobody would recognize us if she felt up to it. I felt a bit regretful that I didn’t know her sleeping habits, making me wonder if I wanted to.
Want to come over after the shift? You could sleep, and I’ll do some work from home. Maybe we could get some dinner later.
I sat back and waited, knowing that she might tell me no. I didn’t know if she planned to spend the night or not, to begin with, so asking her to come right over might be a bit presumptuous.
Are you sure? That’s not too fun for you, is it?
I smiled at her response, telling her yes as she offered to get us some breakfast and coffee on the way. Rayna said that she’d be over around seven and I asked if we could keep talking. I sensed laughter when she told me that of course since she’d be up all night and need the stimulation. The very idea of stimulating her got me hard as I silently told my cock to wait until the morning, assuming that she was up for some morning sex. I worked through the night, nibbling on a pizza that I ordered as we chatted. It wasn’t the same as having her here, but I was enjoying the chance to get to know Rayna this way. There was something more open about it even while we kept the subjects mostly light. It was mostly about being a kid and how we grew up, even though she made light of her lonely childhood.
We talked about the agency, and I sensed hesitation when she asked me if I planned to hire another escort. I told her that no, I didn’t plan on it. It was more of a one-time event for me, and I was honest when I assured her that I found someone I liked a lot in that process, a woman that I’d never consider an escort again in my life.
My husband is going to be gone a month. Would you like to see me in that time?
A month was a long time. A lot could happen since I already knew that I liked her more than I wanted to. I imagined the time ending when we wouldn’t be able to be together as freely as we could in that time. Would we be relieved? Would it rip us apart?
At this point, we’d only slept together a handful of times. After a month, it would be so much more, and I sat back and drew from the bottle of beer beside me. The idea of her in my bed on a semi-nightly thrilled me inside, and I knew that there was no way that I would tell her no.
I would. As much as I can.
Me, too.
It was getting late, and I finished the third beer as we chatted, and I wrapped up my work for the night. I gave her my cell phone number in case she needed anything and found myself in an empty bed at two in the morning. The moon was bright tonight as I looked out of my row of high windows across the room, missing her warm body beside mine. I’d planned to fall asleep with her sometimes around this time, if not later but there was always tomorrow.
I set my phone on the table beside my bed, checking that the sound was on. Just in case.
CHAPTER 11
Rayna
I went into the bathroom when I was off, fixing my hair and checking my faded make up nervously. I knew that Declan wouldn’t care since I was just going to sleep, but I did. I patted my skin with a cold, damp towel and fixed my jeans with a wry smile before I called out to Veronica to have a good day.
I was tired to the bone, but I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to go be with Declan, and I grinned at my freedom as I blinked in the light of the sun. I never left work now, but with nobody home waiting for me, it didn’t matter.
I was free for a month, and it was indeed tempting to spend the entire time in Declan’s bed. I was going into dangerous territory, but he just made me feel good. James didn’t compliment me or even respect me, and he was cheating, so there was a big part of me that didn’t even care any longer. I glanced around as I started the engine, deciding to get some breakfast sandwiches and coffee at a cute little bistro that was on the way.
I left with a bag in hand and finished the drive to his house, parking in the driveway as I looked around. I noticed the garage opening as Declan stepped forward and waved me inside. I grinned appreciatively as I parked and he closed the garage with a smile on his face. “Good morning, beautiful.” He took the bag as I hesitated, leaning forward to give me a slow kiss as I let out a slow breath. “Thanks for the food.”
“Not a problem. I might go into a coma after we eat,” I whispered against Declan’s lips before he kissed me again. I felt my heart race as our lips molded together, trembling as his free hand reached out for mine.
“That’s fine,” Declan told me as he pulled me into the house and the small bistro table in the corner of the kitchen. He set up our food and got us water as I looked around the small but neat kitchen with a small smile. “How was work?”
“It was work. Booking as always. It is surprisingly busy late at night,” I remarked as he glanced at me before sipping his coffee. “Why did you use the agency, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I had friends recommend it, and I was newly single…it seemed like a good idea for something casual.” He gave me a worried look for a moment as he crookedly smiled.
“Yeah. That worked out well. Are you okay with this?” I had waved my hand before I took an eager bite of my sandwich, enjoying the mix of cheese, eggs, and fresh sausage as my stomach growled. “Mmmm.”
“I am more than fine with it,” he assured me confidently as he took a bite of his breakfast. “This is good. Where did you get it?”
“It’s called Eggheads. Silly name but the food is fantastic,” I smiled as he nodded in agreement. There was a pause, and I couldn’t decide if it was a good one for a moment. “When did you wake up?”
“Six. I went for a run. I’ll do a little work and maybe sneak into bed for a nap with you.” He winked at me, making my heart jump in my chest.
“That would be great,” I told him as our eyes locked and something deep inside of me twisted. I got to do this for a month. I was in trouble.
We finished, and he led me back to the bed, smiling as I glanced at the messy blankets. I looked at him, and he stepped forward to kiss me again, tasting of the strong coffee and food. His hand slipped around my hips to tug me closer to him, the kiss deepening as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
I felt him take my clothes off, smelling the soap from his shower as he kissed the slowly bared skin in between tugs on my lips. I was dying to feel him inside of me as we moved to the bed, feeling his hand slide between my legs as his tongue danced with mine. Declan tossed my bra to the floor and held my neck to kiss me hard as he fingered my swollen nub. I moaned as I struggled to stay up before he pushed me back without losing contact with my body. I arched my back as he kept stroking me before sliding a thick finger inside of me, clutching his face to mine.
I came within a few deep strokes, feeling him everywhere inside of me. I cried out Declan’s name in a low voice as I rocked against his hand, feeling his teeth on my neck. I whispered to him to be careful, knowing that some people in my life knew that
I was married. Thinking about that a bit further, they would applaud me for this, and I gasped as he pulled his finger out. “I need more,” I told him as he parted my legs and positioned himself before me, staring into my face before he slipped inside of me.
He smelled so good, so masculine and clean as he took me with slow, deep thrusts. I gripped his tight ass and pulled him harder as Declan began to move faster. I knew that he was turned on as he thickened inside of me, stretching me as I groaned. “Oh, fuck,” I breathed as he moved steadily, pressing my legs open to get deeper inside. “Declan.”
“Can you come again?” Declan asked me in a husky voice as I nodded. I was close. “Let go, Rayna. Let go with me.” I yelped as I exploded again and he filled me with his heat, moaning my name as he rocked into me.
I felt my body tingling everywhere as he leaned down to kiss me. I knew that I was developing feelings for this man and the idea scared me as much as it thrilled me. I loved being with him, and I’d take advantage of that fir the next few weeks, but I didn’t want James to find out. I had a feeling that he’d hurt Declan just on principal alone. I was his property, in his mind.
