by Kendall Ryan
“I still don’t understand why I can’t date you,” I said. “We do everything else together.”
She pursed her lips. “Look, this job, the sex, you—it’s all more than I could have hoped for in my wildest dreams, but I’m not ready for a committed relationship like that, and I know that you are. Don’t mistake this for something it’s not, Cooper. I’m not available the way you want me to be.”
Her words dug into my heart like sharp talons, but I nodded all the same, pretending I didn’t feel the ache of her rejection. At least she wasn’t ending our arrangement. That was the best I could hope for now, and it was something.
“Fine, we’re not dating, but I do need someone to accompany me to the gala this weekend,” I said.
“Cooper—”
“Just hear me out. We don’t have to make it a date. We can go as friends, but I don’t have time to get out there and find someone, and I certainly don’t want to go by myself.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s work related, and it makes me look bad to not have a date. I’m going as a glorified babysitter. The mixer is just for the girls and our clients to meet, so the clients have better context when they browse the online database, and I’ll only be there to make sure nobody gets too drunk and humps in the bathroom. Believe me, I highly doubt there will be time for romance. Think of it as more of a work function.”
She laughed. “Sounds like a fun night. A work function where our job is to keep people from humping in the bathrooms. How could I say no to that?”
“Exactly. So don’t. Date or not, just come with me.”
She frowned, surveying me with those dreamy blue eyes of hers. Finally, she said, “Okay, I’ll go. But I’m telling you, the food better be incredible if I’m going to have to break up drunk people grinding on each other.”
“Only the best for you.” I grinned. “Promise.”
In spite of my smile, there was a chill settling in my bones. She’d told me the darkest of secrets, something that had shaped her entire life from childhood, and I knew in my gut we’d only scratched the surface.
I stared at her beautiful face as she stood, and swallowed the question hammering against my lips.
What are you hiding, Corinne?
Chapter Fifteen
Corinne
By the time three o’clock rolled around on Saturday afternoon, I’d already tried on—and discarded—roughly eight dresses, seven skirts, and one ill-conceived romper that made me look like a plump toddler, only with big boobs.
Panic was setting in when there was a knock on the door. I answered it, my button-down shirt only half tucked into my poodle pajama bottoms while curlers pulled at my roots and made my eyes water.
“Hello?” I said without thinking, only to find the postal worker standing at my door, her nose wrinkled as she looked up at me.
“Package,” she said.
“Who for?” I asked. “I didn’t order anything.”
“Listen, lady, I just drop stuff off.” She thrust four boxes toward me, and I took them all before she unceremoniously bustled away.
Closing the door, I glanced down to find that all the boxes were addressed to me, and I carried them into my bedroom with no small amount of anticipation.
Quickly, I peeled away the tape on the first box and found a steely blue-gray pearl necklace inside with a matching bracelet and earrings.
“Beautiful,” I murmured to myself as I slid on the bracelet, tossing aside the box to open the next. This one contained matching strappy heels. Next came a box with only a black bustier inside, but no matching panties. The last box contained a dress.
But it wasn’t just a dress, not really. It was the dress. I winced, one eye closed, before I glanced at the size, only to find that it was exactly right.
The dress was black and gun-metal gray, perfect to set off my new pearls and shoes, and I hugged it close to me as a rush of emotion washed over me. It was like Cooper had sensed my panic from all the way across the city and had come to my rescue. Again.
If only things could have been different . . . another time, another place.
Nope. Not going there. I had a free pass tonight. A guilt-free “not really a date” with Cooper, and I wasn’t about to ruin it with self-pity.
And judging by the expression on the mail lady’s face, I had a whole lot of work to do before I put that dress on.
Rushing around the apartment, I gave Aaron his medication and fed him an early dinner before shaving my legs and putting on some hasty makeup. My heated curlers were finally beginning to cool, and when I pulled them from my hair, I heard the chime of the doorbell again.
Frantic, I glanced at the clock. It was already almost five thirty. It must be Cooper, and though he was early, it wasn’t by much.
“Shoot,” I muttered, pulling on my thigh-high stockings before running into the hall and sliding as I tried to stop.
“Aaron, will you go in your room for a little while?” I asked, though I didn’t wait for a response as I wheeled him down the hall at top speed wearing nothing but my bustier, slip, and stockings. Half my head was still in curlers, and I winced as the doorbell rang again and I snapped Aaron’s door closed.
What was Cooper thinking? I’d never let him inside before. I’d never even let him get as far as the front door. But the doorbell chimed again, and seeing no other option, I ran to the front of the apartment and flung the door open.
“Hey,” I said, practically panting. “I’m running a little behind.”
Cooper grinned, his gaze trailing over me, leaving a path of heat in its wake. “I can see that. Mind if I come in?”
Yes.
“No, of course not. I’ll just, um, be a minute.” I unrolled curlers as I spoke, and when he nodded, I rushed to my bedroom and yanked the dress over my head, ripping curlers from my hair at a pace that made my eyes well up with tears.
“Fight through the pain,” I told myself, gritting my teeth as I brushed the curls into waves and double-checked my makeup before spraying on perfume. Finally, I slipped on the rest of the jewelry and my heels and clicked toward the door, flinging it open to find Aaron on the other side, smack dab in the middle of the hallway.
My eyes widened and I glanced from him to Cooper, who still looked unconcerned as he waited near the front door.
Anticipating his question, I said to Aaron, “Leftovers in the fridge. I’m going out, but I’ll be back later.”
He nodded and then rolled down the hall to the kitchen, not bothering to look twice at Cooper.
I took a deep breath, turning on my heel and preparing to see the inevitable pity or confusion in Cooper’s eyes. I didn’t want to face that, didn’t want to answer his questions and explain everything that had happened to make Aaron the way he was.
Didn’t want to have to tell him what Aaron meant to me.
But looking at Cooper, I wasn’t sure I would have to. There was interest in his eyes, to be sure, but also grim acceptance.
He simply looked at me and said, “You look incredible. Are you ready to go?”
Swallowing hard, I nodded and allowed him to lead me out and toward the car. When I was safely stowed in the passenger’s seat, I stared out at the evening sky.
“Looks like it’s going to rain,” I said, desperate to find something, anything that I could focus on other than Cooper’s inevitable curiosity.
“It does. I should have sent you a coat too.”
I turned and offered him a trembling smile, the fear of what was to come on hold at the reminder of his sweet gesture. “You did more than enough. Thank you, by the way. You saved my life.”
“I’m not sure it was all that heroic.” Cooper grinned. “But if you’re willing to give me that much credit, I’ll take it.”
He started the car and drove onto the street as I watched him from the corner of my eye. The question was on the tip of his tongue. It had to be. It was such a normal, everyday sort
of thing to ask.
But he didn’t ask it. He didn’t ask anything at all. He only drove, the soft sounds of indie music playing on the radio as we went.
For a moment, I considered bringing it up, clearing the air to save myself from the inevitable questions he would ask. But I wasn’t ready, not yet. And I think Cooper knew it too.
• • •
A few short minutes later, Cooper handed off his keys to a valet in front of a swanky downtown hotel. The foyer was crammed with beautiful women in dresses that were almost as stunning as my own, and middle-aged business types who couldn’t stop staring at them.
When Cooper walked in, he charmed everyone in turn, greeting most of them by name as we sailed through the crowd and made our way toward a gorgeous ballroom complete with marble floors and high, molded ceilings.
“This place is incredible,” I said, feeling a little breathless.
“We like to do things right. Have I mentioned how exquisite you look tonight, by the way?”
“You might have.”
“Allow me to remind you.” He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, then kissed my cheek before guiding me to the nearest group of men and women, then the next and the next.
I met hedge fund managers and lawyers, doctors and venture capitalists. Women who had their degrees in biochemical engineering and physics.
With each of them, Cooper was just as charismatic and genuine as he’d been with the last. When someone was coarse, he was there to be their buffer. If someone was timid, he coaxed them out of their shell. He made them all laugh and open up, smoothing those awkward moments in everyday social interactions that might have gone on forever if it wasn’t for his easy wit.
And I was by his side for all of it, his firm hand warm and reassuring in mine as we moved from one group to the next.
This, I supposed, was what my life could have been like if things had worked out differently. In another world, I could have had a man like this—strong and confident and charming. Someone who might hold me at night when I had a bad dream, or soothe my worries when they threatened to overwhelm me. Someone to share the burden and ease the tension.
Someone to love me. To care for me and take care of me.
A waitress passed by and I grabbed a glass of champagne, taking a steadying sip as Cooper launched into a funny anecdote, though I could barely hear him. I was too focused on my own thoughts, my own selfish regrets.
Like it or not, this wasn’t the course my life had taken. Long ago, I’d made my peace with that. Dredging up all that heartache and desperation now would do neither of us any good. My life was my life . . . it was as simple as that.
One day Cooper would have the full package, a woman who would be there for him emotionally in ways I simply couldn’t. He deserved that much, and I had to let him have it.
But maybe not tonight.
For tonight, in this moment, we were together, and I didn’t want to waste another moment of that. The future would come at us hard and fast, ripping away what little we did have. Before that time came, I was going to grab this precious opportunity and squeeze every drop of pleasure from it that I could.
Cooper laughed as we disconnected from another group and walked toward the bar. I sat my barely touched drink on the counter and smiled at him, my mind spinning with possibilities.
“I think things are going well,” he said. “Doesn’t look like anyone is looking to hump in the bathroom just yet.”
My grin widened. “Maybe not them, but I have a few ideas.”
His crooked smile was lazy and confident all at once, but his eyes went instantly hot. “What are you thinking, you little devil?”
I slid one finger along his silk tie. “I think you know exactly what I’m thinking. Now, come on, does this place have a coat closet or something?”
“What’s gotten into you?” Cooper asked, his voice raspy as he leaned in closer.
“Are you saying you don’t want to go?” I raised an eyebrow and he took my hand.
“Forget I said anything,” he growled, leading me to a hallway in the far corner of the room and slipping into a coat closet halfway down. I giggled as he closed the door behind us.
Silently, we hid behind the longest of the coats. In the darkness, Cooper kissed me firm and sweet, pressing his hard body against me, but I wasn’t interested in that.
Not now.
Suddenly desperate to make him feel like the whole world, as cherished as he made me feel, I dropped to my knees in front of him, fumbling quickly with his buckle before ripping down his pants and boxers in one tug.
“Corinne . . .”
Before he could say another word, I grasped his shaft, working him up and down with steady, sure strokes. Already firm, he grew as hard as steel.
“Let me do this, Cooper. I need to taste you, to touch you.”
He leaned back against the paneled walls, closing his eyes, and I took him into my mouth, sucking gently as I rolled my tongue over his swollen head.
“Damn,” he groaned. “That’s so fucking hot.”
I hummed my approval, then took him deeper into my mouth, so deep that he hit the back of my throat as I did, but I didn’t care. I simply gripped the rest of him, stroking what I couldn’t fit into my mouth as I worked him up and down, loving the way his fingers weaved in my hair and urged me to move faster, to love him harder.
In this moment, I was with him, and I wanted him to know what it was to be with me—needed to show him how much I cared for him and wanted him. Needed him to feel all the things I could never say aloud.
He groaned louder, his hips flexing against me now. “Yes, baby, just like that.”
I pulled him deeper, pushing myself to the limit as I sucked and stroked him. The last of his control seemed to slip away as he thrust frantically into my mouth, his fingers tightening in my hair. I moaned around him, letting the vibration ripple over his thick, hard cock.
“I’m going to come,” he managed through gritted teeth, and I gripped him harder still, sucking firmly until he finally lost himself with a cry.
I held fast as he came, spurting into my mouth in hot, greedy pulses. We stayed that way for long moments, me savoring his salty taste and the sounds of his harsh breaths, him stroking my hair almost lovingly.
It was sensual and sweet, and tears pricked the back of my eyelids.
I pulled away, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand, relishing the sweet heat of my now-swollen lips. I rose unsteadily to my feet, more moved than I should have been, but I managed a shaky smile.
“So, boss man, how do we go back to the party without everyone knowing what we did?”
“We don’t,” he muttered, yanking me close for a hard kiss before releasing me. “You’re coming home with me right now. I’m not going to wait any longer to have you.”
Chapter Sixteen
Cooper
I wasn’t sure if Corinne expected a slow lesson in seduction—the controlled and methodic removal of each piece of clothing before finally making our way to the bed.
But this wasn’t that.
Once we were tucked inside my penthouse, I kicked the door shut, pulling her to my chest as my mouth crashed down onto hers. The way she’d pleasured me in the coat closet wasn’t nearly enough to satiate my want for her.
In a heartbeat, we were kissing deeply, grasping, clawing at each other as we fought to get even closer.
“Tell me to stop. Tell me to be careful with you.”
“No.” Her eyes met mine with a clash of want and need. “Take me how you need me.”
After weeks of careful foreplay, now that this moment was here, I couldn’t seem to make myself stop and go slow with her. Lifting her into my arms, I marched us back toward my bedroom in easy strides. Soon, she was stripped completely bare, and though I wanted to stand there like some love-struck prick and admire her, Corinne was just as wild, grasping at my belt and all but ripping open my pants.
> I was all too happy to oblige her.
“We have all night,” I reminded her, dropping a kiss to her collarbone.
She shook her head. “Need you. Please, Coop.” Her voice was a soft plea, and here in the darkness of my bedroom, I knew it would be impossible to slow down. We’d been building to this moment for too long.
After wrestling my unruly dick into a condom, I joined her on the bed, moving between her thighs. “Tell me if I do something you don’t like . . .”
Corinne shook her head. “I want you.”
Kissing her deeply, I sensed she was ready. And when she lifted her hips, rubbing her wet pussy along the underside of my shaft, I knew she was right. The time for conversation was over.
Lining myself up between her thighs, I began to push in slowly.
She was so tight, so amazingly perfect. It took her body a moment to adjust and accommodate mine, and while that happened, she whimpered and shifted restlessly beneath me. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. All that flushed pink skin and those ample curves. She was so hot and responsive beneath me.
“I’m sorry,” she whimpered.
“Don’t,” I warned. I drew a breath in slowly as I eased myself inside. “It’s been a while, yeah?”
She nodded, and though I wanted to hear her story, wanted to know why she kept herself locked away in some ivory tower like a princess, I didn’t press. I couldn’t have formed the thoughts coherently right now even if I’d wanted to.
“I’ll go slow. Tell me that you’re okay, dove.”
Her gaze latched onto mine as she clung to my biceps.
God, she made me feel so big, so fucking powerful, that I was lost. Lost to everything about this woman—her scent, the sweet pleasure-filled sounds she was making, the grip of her body around mine. It was so, so good. I didn’t think anything, ever, had felt better. Not to mention how hard she’d made me work to get here. We’d been out countless times. I’d wooed her and lusted after her, craving her until I practically couldn’t take it anymore. I’d have given her anything she asked for in that moment.
