by Amali Rose
His hand leaves my throat and splays across my clavicle before sliding down to caress my breast. His fingers find my nipple, pinching and rolling it until a shudder runs through my body.
Then his hand is moving again, sliding lower. Lower. Lower.
“You’re so fucking wet.” He groans against my mouth. His finger teases through my slit, circling my clit, round and round, causing me to buck against it, chasing more pressure.
“Jesus Christ.” His mouth leaves mine and he roughly turns me around and places a hand on my back, pushing me forward.
I’m bent over and my hands find purchase on the glass in front of me as I desperately try to stay on my feet.
He leans down, his body covering my own and it feels overwhelming and too much, but even as I think that, I find my ass pushing back, demanding more.
“Does anyone else have a key to this room?” His harsh voice breaks the silence and his question sobers me momentarily.
“I don’t think so.”
“Good enough.” I feel that smirk, the one I am beginning to love so much, against my back before his lips begin to kiss their way down my spine.
There is a final kiss to my right ass cheek and then he’s gone. All contact broken. I glance up at his reflection in the window and I watch him. The only sound in the room is my labored breathing and the clinking of his belt buckle. I close my eyes and let the anticipation consume me.
The sound of his zipper lowering causes a painful ache to pulse through my pussy. Wetness slips down my thighs, and when I hear the rip of foil, I am ready to beg for his cock. His hand lands on my hip, his grip so tight I’m sure he will leave marks and I find myself enjoying the idea.
“Chicago?” His voice startles me and I look up to meet his gaze in the window. “You ready?” Before I can respond, he thrusts forward, seating himself deep within me, and an unflattering grunt quickly morphs into a long moan of pleasure.
Wrapping an arm across my chest he pulls me upright and presses me against the window. The glass is cold against my heated skin and I look down to see the lights of the traffic. I imagine strangers in the cars below looking up and spotting the lewd image of me, pushed up against the transparent surface getting fucked from behind.
“You’re fucking perfect, Charlie.” Miles pulls out and pushes back in, both hands now locked on my hips.
“So good. So, so, so good. Harder, please.” My voice is barely a whisper, but his strokes pick up speed, and when I slip my fingers to my clit and start rubbing, I feel my orgasm start to build.
He’s rutting into me with what feels like feral desperation, and when his soft grunts start to come faster, my fingers gather speed and I come with a ferocity I have never felt before.
Moments later, Miles pushes himself deep within me, and with my name a strangled whisper on his lips, he comes forcefully and emphatically.
The air in the room is heavy with the scent of sex and I don’t remember ever being so sated. I also don’t remember ever being fucked so thoroughly, so there’s that.
We take a moment, our breathing still coming fast, and his hands are gently caressing my skin. I’m enjoying the intimacy of this moment almost as much as the sex itself.
“That was unexpected.” Miles’ voice is rough, as though he has been yelling. Oh God, I hope we weren’t yelling.
“Really?” I challenge. “I’m not sure that was entirely unexpected on your part.”
“It was definitely unexpected. A guy can dream, Chicago, but they rarely come true.” He kisses my shoulder and chuckles. “You’re one to talk anyway. No bra or panties? I think you were planning on seducing me tonight.”
“Hmm… I may have had some plans,” I tease.
He pulls out of me and the loss hits me immediately.
“Let me get rid of the condom and I’ll be right back.” I turn to see him head for the bathroom. Still fully dressed, I note, while I’m standing here stark naked in stilettos.
I bend down and grab my dress, slipping it back on just as he returns.
“Here, let me help.” He gently turns me and starts pulling the zipper up. “Even if it does hurt my heart to cover up this body. You should be naked all the time. Have you ever considered living in a nudist community? I would highly support that decision.” He’s buttoning his shirt and I can’t help but feel disappointed that I didn’t get to see more of him.
“You would, huh?”
The sound of the hotel room door beeping surprises both of us and I look up to see Dean Ellis, another junior associate of the firm, walk in.
“Charlotte? Kendall sent me up to make sure everything was okay with the contract?” Dean’s eyes are glued to his phone screen and I’m not sure he has even noticed that Miles is in the room.
“Yes, everything is fine. It took me a while to find it, it was buried under a pile of files.” I’m surprised how smooth my voice is, the lie rolling off my tongue easily.
“Okay, good.” He glances up and notices Miles, giving him one of those head tilt things men are so fond of. “Hey, man.” He turns back to me. “Kendall’s on the warpath, apparently Brennan is trying to pull some kind of shady deal, so she wants us all back here at eight tomorrow, not eleven.”
“Great.” I groan, my plan for sleeping in evaporating.
“I know, right. Look, I’m going to take off for the night, I’ll catch you tomorrow.” Another head tilt thingy directed at Miles and Dean is gone.
I collapse into a fit of giggles, the fear of how close we came to being caught sending a burst of adrenaline through me.
“Jesus, that was close.” Miles runs a hand through his unkempt hair.
“Too close.” I snigger. “Fortunately, Dean is notoriously self-centered, so I doubt he noticed anything untoward.”
Miles walks toward me, an evil glint in his eye, and pulls me to him. “In that case, how about another round?”
I laugh, enjoying the ease between us, and push him away. “Nice try, Kent. Let’s go.”
This time it’s my turn to drag him behind me, but he follows dutifully, only grumbling a little.
He has just pressed the button to the lobby when he looks at me quizzically. “I never did ask, why are you guys working in a hotel, instead of your office?”
“Oh, this Brennan guy is a complete asshole.” I shake my head in annoyance. “He insisted on working all weekend to finalize this deal we’re working on, but he refused to come into the office. So here we are.” I shrug.
“He sounds like a peach.”
I sigh sadly. “I wish I could say he’s the exception but, sadly, he’s not.”
Miles pulls me closer and wraps his arms around me. “I’m sorry you have to deal with that.”
The elevator doors open, revealing the lobby, and we step out. We’re about to head back to the ballroom when a voice calling my name stops me. I turn around and see Tiff Klein looking at me impatiently.
I give Miles an apologetic smile. “Can you give me a minute? I’ll meet you at the bar.”
“Sure thing.” Miles looks nonplussed and gives me a quick kiss on my neck.
I take a moment to watch him walk away before I go over and greet Tiff.
“Mrs. Klein, how can I help you?”
“Look, I just thought I would give you a little warning, woman to woman,” she starts, her voice icy. “That man is trouble. He’s a known liar and is completely untrustworthy. I like you, Charlotte. You’re a smart woman and you need to get rid of him before he destroys your life. Just ask Aspen Teller what that feels like.” She raises a perfectly plucked brow at me and then without another word, stalks off in the same direction Miles took.
I play her words over in my mind, stunned, but there is really only one statement that I’m concerned with at the moment.
Who the hell is Aspen Teller?
“You did what?”
“Where?”
Camden’s and Shannon’s incredulous voices overlap each other as they stare at me with very different expr
essions. My best friend wears a look of proud approval, while his wife looks slightly confused.
It’s the day after the night before. The night of mind-blowing hotel sex. The night I realized exactly how far out of my league Charlie actually is.
I glance around their backyard, ensuring there are no little ears close by, but Lulu, Tyson, and Brianna are too busy chasing the dog to be bothered by what we are talking about.
“You heard me. I’m not repeating myself.” I glare at the both of them.
“I would high five you right now if my wife wasn’t sitting right there.” Cam smirks at me.
“Wait, I thought you were serious about this woman?” Shannon’s brows dip and she appraises me thoughtfully. “I mean fucking a girl at her work party doesn’t scream serious to me.” Camden opens his mouth to say something, but Shannon shoots a hard stare at him, and he makes the smart choice to keep quiet.
“No, it’s definitely serious. I just don’t have any self-control when it comes to her,” I admit with an unapologetic shrug. “She has her shit together, you know? She always seems so composed and a little guarded, but when she’s with me, it’s as though she trusts me enough to let loose, and that drives me fucking crazy. I want to push her boundaries and see her let go, knowing that’s a part of her only I get to see.” I take a gulp of coffee and since Cam and Shannon aren’t saying anything I plow on, because talking about Charlie is becoming one of my favorite things to do.
“There’s just, there’s something so authentic about her. She’s kind of awkward and there is something slightly innocent about her, like she doesn’t quite know how to navigate this thing between us. Sometimes she goes completely silent on me, but I know it’s because she’s trying to find the exact perfect thing to say or she’s overthinking something I said and instead of frustrating me, it fucking thrills me because I know it means she cares about what’s happening between us.” I pause, inhaling deeply, and continue. “Then I saw her last night, and she seriously blew my mind. She was confident and so fucking smart. People were hanging on her every word and I had no idea what she was talking about half the time, but I want to. I want to listen to her explain the complexity of acquiring a company, or the intricacies of drafting contracts for multimillion-dollar deals.” I shake my head. “Every boring-as-fuck detail, I want to hear it.”
I look up to find the two of them staring at me, their mouths slightly agape. Shannon’s eyes are bright, and she looks like she wants to jump up and tackle hug me, but Camden’s hand on her thigh holds her still.
“We’re happy for you, man, you deserve this.”
Shannon nods in agreement. “And she knows about the show?”
I ignore the twist of my gut. “I told her about it.”
“You told her everything?” Her voice holds a note of disbelief that intensifies my discomfort.
“There’s something you need to know.”
A shadow of wariness slips across her face and I can see her physically brace herself for bad news.
“Okay.” She tries to give me an encouraging smile, but it comes out as more of a grimace.
I have no idea how to do this, so I decide to just rip off the Band-Aid.
“I was on a reality TV show last year.” My hands grip my empty glass and I watch my knuckles turn white dispassionately.
“Oh.” I drag my gaze across to her and she looks surprised, but relieved. “That must have been fun?” She sounds uncertain. “What kind of show?”
“It was a dating show.” I watch as the relief transforms into hesitation.
“You said you’re single.” Her words are sharp and there’s a subtle undertone of accusation.
“I am.” I rush to reassure her, determined to drive the hurt from her eyes. “I promise you I am one hundred percent single.”
She still looks doubtful and I consider how much I need to tell her and how much I can, in good conscience, keep to myself.
“They pitched the concept to me as a social experiment. They would do all sorts of testing on me and the women to make sure I was matched with people who I was compatible with and who would make a good partner.” I glance at her to make sure she’s still invested and I’m relieved to find her listening intently.
“It was only half true. I went through all kinds of testing. Psychological, personality, even this pheromone test that I really don’t want to re-live.” Her nose wrinkles in distaste. “I found out later that the women they matched me with never did any of the testing. There were a few genuine people on the show, but the majority were models and actresses who were just trying to get their face on television.” I grit my teeth and then force myself to go on. “It was a giant shit show and I’m still dealing with the fallout now. I regret ever agreeing to do it and I would hate for it to change your opinion of me.”
I slump down in my chair and wait.
Charlie’s eyes are bouncing around the shop and I can see that she’s processing everything I’ve just told her. I give her the silence she needs and hope my mistake isn’t going to ruin what we have started to build.
“You’re definitely single?”
“Yes.”
“Then I think that’s all I need to know.” Her voice leaves no room for argument, which is good because I have no interest in fighting her.
“I’ll take that as a no.” Shannon’s voice is droll.
“I told Charlie the basics, the important stuff,” I answer defensively.
“No, you told her what you wanted her to know.”
“The other stuff isn’t true—oomph.” Lulu body-slams onto my lap, her head narrowly missing my junk.
“Daddy.” She peeks up at me and for a moment she looks so much like Renee it shocks me. Then I blink and it’s gone.
“What’s up, Lu?”
“Can she come to the pengwins with us?” Her little hand reaches out to snatch a strawberry from the fruit platter Shannon put out for all of us, and she shoves it in her mouth.
“Chew with your mouth closed, please.” I wait for her to finish. “Can who come with us?”
“Charlie. Jesus.” The contrast between the harsh cuss and her childish voice is jarring and she rolls her eyes at me like she’s a sixteen-year-old trapped in a two-year-old body.
“Language, Tallulah,” I chastise her, doing my best to ignore Camden and Shannon, who are trying to hold in their laughter.
“Can she?” Lulu ignores my reprimand.
“I don’t think so, kid, Charlie has to work today.”
She groans loudly and dramatically and, not for the first time, I pray for future me.
“You like her, huh?”
“I like her bracelet.” She tilts her head to the side. “She has pretty hair.”
I lift her up to sit on my lap properly and agree. “Yeah, she does.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Cam making a gagging gesture and take great satisfaction when Shannon slaps him across the stomach and he doubles over.
“I’ll ask her. If she finishes work in time, she might be able to join us, but no promises, okay?”
“’Kay.” She jumps off my lap and races back to join Tyson and Brianna, who are now inside, engrossed in an episode of Dora the Explorer.
“I can’t believe she already met Lulu. You never let the women you’re dating meet her.” Camden leans down and grabs a chunk of pineapple, while Shannon nods in agreement.
“I mean it wasn’t planned, but I’m glad it happened. I’m pretty sure the kid thing freaked her out a bit, but I really think that night helped ease her mind.”
“Miles, you need to tell her the whole truth about the show,” Shannon presses. “I think it’s great that you’ve met someone you feel so strongly about, but if you want things to keep going well you need to be completely honest.” She leans forward, concern etched on her face. “I know it’s all bullshit, but if she finds out and you’re not the one to tell her, she’s going to want to know why. More likely than not, she’s going to jump to the conclusion
that there’s some truth to it.”
I know she’s right. The idea of reliving that nightmare again is nauseating, but I can’t risk my silence backfiring on me.
“Fine, I’ll tell the next time I see her.”
“Text her now.” Shannon refuses to let it drop. “See if she can go to the aquarium with you guys.”
“You’re impossible, you know that?” I check my watch and see it’s just after midday. We’ll need to leave soon, and I doubt Charlie will be able to get away from work, but it won’t hurt to ask.
Miles: Hey, Chicago. I know your working today but we’re heading to the aquarium and I promised Lulu I’d see if you could come. Consider this your invite ☺
Charlie: Can’t, working until late.
Charlie: *You’re
Her correction makes me chuckle, but it quickly stops when I notice the lack of warmth in her first message. I know she’s at work, but we’ve been texting regularly for weeks now, and she’s never normally that short.
“Everything okay?” Camden asks.
I realize Shannon has gone inside while I was messaging, and I make a note to go and check on Lulu in a minute.
“I don’t know, she sounds a bit off,” I admit, reluctantly.
“I wouldn’t worry about it.” He shrugs. “I mean, it’s only been, what? Twelve hours since you last saw her? And all she’s done since then is sleep and work. She’s probably just busy and doesn’t have time to be sexting her DILF boyfriend.” He waggles his eyebrows at me in a disturbing way.
“Yeah, I guess so.” My mind is already replaying last night. After the exceptional sex, we were headed back to the ballroom when she was stopped by that woman in the lobby who I presume is a client. Charlie joined me a few minutes later and she was a bit distracted, but when I questioned her, she just rolled her eyes and made a joke about demanding clients.
I had hoped we would spend the night together, but when the party came to an end, Charlie apologized, explaining she needed to get some sleep before work today.
I wrack my brain trying to figure out what could have happened, but she seemed fine. Distracted, but fine.
