The Gamble

by Alice Ward

  Going slower now, I rocked my hips, moving in and out of her. My fingers were still working on her clit, and she moaned desperately for me. I could have lived in this moment forever. My physical pleasure was matched only by how glad I was to be with her. She was amazing in every way.

  Just when I thought I might need to be gentler, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me to her.

  “Harder,” she demanded in my ear, her breath coming out in hot pants. “Harder, Talen. Harder.”

  I obeyed. My body was on fire. She was so wet, and I slid in and out of her with just the right amount of friction to increase the sensation. My thrusts grew harder, more urgent.

  “God yes,” she moaned against my lips, my cheek, my neck. “Oh god. Please don’t stop.”

  I pushed her hair back from her face and looked into her eyes. “Trust me, baby, I won’t.”

  She came, her internal muscles milking my cock, like she was urging me to release. And fuck it all. I did.

  I came with a roar, my body shaking with the force of it, and it was all I could do to hold myself upright as I unloaded into her. It was so intense, nothing like I’d ever felt before. She held me tighter, sobbing, our bodies slick with sweat as we held each other. I took in a deep gulp of air. Somewhere along the line, I’d forgotten to breathe.

  When I finally slid out of her, she stayed pressed against me, her fingers gripping and ungripping my back. She smiled softly and kissed me. The kiss was gentle, filled with so much meaning. My heart ached when she pulled away from me. Eager, I pulled her back against my chest. I kissed her again, just as soft. In that kiss, I tried to pour every emotion I felt for her. I tried to convey all the things I couldn’t say.

  “That was amazing,” she whispered when we broke the kiss.

  “It really was,” I agreed with a soft laugh. “I definitely did not see that coming.”

  She pushed my hair back from my forehead. “Well, tonight was supposed to be special.”

  “Right.” I cleared my throat. “A goodbye of sorts.”

  Her eyes fell away and she sighed. “Yeah.”

  Then those beautiful eyes lifted again, searched mine, and I knew what she was looking for. She wanted me to say assure her that this wasn’t goodbye. She wanted me to say we would still see each other after the annulment was finalized. She was hoping I would admit to being in love with her and make all her dreams come true. I could feel it. Feel the hope. The desperation.

  Part of me wanted to say all those things. I wanted to give her exactly what she wanted, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t promise her anything when I didn’t know what the future held. Didn’t understand the person I was becoming. Didn’t know if it would last.

  We gazed at each other for what felt like hours. For the first time, I didn’t have the desire to look at her body. My eyes were fixated on hers, and I couldn’t bear the thought of looking away. Everything she felt was hidden behind those eyes, and I was desperate to find out the truth. As much as she wanted me to admit my feelings for her, I wanted her to do the same for me. I would have given anything for her to wrap her arms around me and tell me she loved me.

  I knew that wouldn’t happen. Dani broke our stare and turned to search for her clothes. I watched as she got dressed, not at all driven by sexual desire any longer. Dani still looked gorgeous, and my body would always react to hers, but I didn’t want her that way right then. I didn’t want to have sex with her again. Not then. Not yet. All I wanted to do was watch her closely and memorize her every move. Soon, she would be gone, and I would be left with nothing but my memories of her.

  Once Dani was dressed, I felt awkward being naked. I grabbed my sweats and quickly pulled them back on. We were both dressed now, and there was no longer any reason for us to linger in the kitchen. I cleared my throat and glanced at her nervously. It was late, and we had a big day coming up. The meeting tomorrow morning meant everything. We couldn’t afford to mess it up. I knew we both needed sleep, but I wasn’t ready to be away from her. The thought of her once again disappearing into the guest room made my skin crawl with discomfort. I needed her with me. Just a little longer.

  “Well,” Dani said. Her voice was soft, nervous. “I guess we should get to bed. We have a big day tomorrow.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

  Dani licked her lips, her eyes meeting mine again. It was like she was waiting for me to say something, but I didn’t know what she wanted to hear. I could tell from the way her eyes searched my face that she was trying to read me. There wasn’t anything to read. The only thing I felt was a desperate desire to stay near her and a confusion I could not work through.

  “Okay,” she said, finally looking away from me. “Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning?”

  “Yeah,” I said because no other words would come. “Yeah, sure. See you in the morning.”

  A flash of disappointment crossed her features as she turned to walk away. I watched her cross the living room, her hips swaying side to side. She wasn’t moving quickly, but it felt like she was running. With each step she took, my heart ached that much more. The idea of her leaving my sight was heartbreaking in a torturous way. I couldn’t stand it.

  “Dani,” I said suddenly. She was just about to reach the hallway. At the sound of my voice, she turned around slowly and frowned. It was a minute before I could find my voice again. “Why don’t you sleep with me tonight?”

  She licked her lips again. “What?”

  “It’s just…” I blew out a breath. “Our last night together and all. You should spend the night with me, not in the guest room.”

  Her fingers twisted together. “Are you sure?”

  “If you want to,” I said softly. I watched her closely, scared to tear my eyes away from her face. Part of me was convinced that she would disappear if I couldn’t see her clearly.

  “Sure,” Dani said with a shy smile. “I can do that.”

  I sighed with relief as Dani walked back toward me. I took her hand in mine and led her to my bedroom. Her hand felt soft and comforting, and I never wanted to let it go. I remembered the way it felt on the helicopter, and I smiled to myself.

  We stepped into my bedroom, and I didn’t bother turning on the light. It was late, and we both just wanted to sleep. Dani climbed under the covers, and I followed behind her. We settled against each other, my arm wrapping tightly around Dani’s body. She held my hand and rested her head on the pillow.

  She fit perfectly against me, like a puzzle piece I’d been searching for to complete the picture of my life. For weeks, I hadn’t been able to sleep well. All the stress of my father’s demands and of my situation with Dani was killing me. That night though, I fell asleep quickly and easily.

  As darkness claimed me, I knew I didn’t want her to leave. But she would. I knew that too.

  My mother loved me, and she always left. Why would Dani be any different?

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Dani

  Morning came too soon. I woke up with Talen’s arms wrapped protectively around me. I held his hand in one of mine, our fingers interlaced perfectly. This was the exact position we were in when we fell asleep. I smiled to myself and closed my eyes. I wasn’t ready for the day to begin. It was Monday. The day we were scheduled to meet with the dreaded investors. The second we crawled out of bed, everything would change, and I wasn’t ready for that to happen. After last night, I wanted just a few more minutes with Talen.

  I squeezed his hand tighter in mine and nestled myself against him. He stirred in his sleep, and I immediately regretted my movement. I froze, silently praying that he wouldn’t wake up. The alarm on his phone hadn’t yet gone off, so I knew we had time. He moved again, but I could tell he wasn’t quite awake. His motions were slow and lazy as he gripped me tighter. I felt him bury his face in my hair, and I smiled again. Everything about our embrace felt right. Safe.

  As I laid in his arms, I remembered similar mornings with Perry. Eve
n in the beginning of our relationship, Perry and I never snuggled all night. He would hold me sometimes, right after sex, but as he fell asleep, he always rolled away from me. When I was finally brave enough to ask him why, he just said he slept better unencumbered. At the time, I thought it made sense, but looking back, I realized he was just making an excuse. There was so much wrong with our relationship from day one, and I never realized it. With Talen, things were different. Better. And so much worse.

  The knowledge that we wouldn’t have another moment like this made my heart ache painfully. As much as I went along with the idea that last night was truly our last, I’d been hoping it wouldn’t be. I secretly wished that Talen would admit his feelings for me, and we would stay together for a while longer. I never imagined we would stay married, that would have been crazy, but I hoped we could at least date. Getting to know him had been life-altering, and I wasn’t ready to stop. There was so much we still didn’t know about each other, so many secrets left untold. I wanted to know everything about Talen.

  I pulled his arm tighter around me, and I placed a soft kiss on his skin. He stirred again, and this time, I could tell he was beginning to wake. He groaned and stretched his legs before he released me and rolled onto his back. I felt empty when he was no longer touching me, but I knew we needed to get up. Just as Talen opened his eyes, his phone alarm chimed loudly. I sighed and pushed myself up, reluctantly scooting to the edge of the bed and letting my body wake up.

  “Good morning,” Talen said, kissing my temple.

  “Morning,” I said, turning to smile at him. His eyes were on me, and he smiled back with a rumpled look that went straight to my heart. He looked younger in the morning, more innocent. As he climbed out of bed, I couldn’t help but notice the difference. His expression was more open and inviting than ever before. He seemed vulnerable.

  “Are you ready for today?” he asked me as he disappeared into the bathroom.

  I stayed sitting on his bed to talk to him. It wouldn’t be long before I needed to shower and get ready, but I could sit for a few minutes.

  “We’re both ready,” I said, faking a confidence I didn’t truly feel. “It’ll be great.”

  “I hope so,” he said from the bathroom.

  “Don’t be nervous,” I said. “You’ll be amazing today. I’m sure of it.”

  “Thank you.” He poked his head out, giving me a wink. “I couldn’t do this without you.”

  “Well, of course not,” I teased. “I am your wife, after all.”

  Talen laughed, and I left his room. I walked across the apartment to the guest room bathroom where I took a shower and got ready for the day. By the time I was clean and dressed, Talen was waiting for me in the kitchen. There was a full pot of coffee brewed and a few pieces of toast lying on a plate on the kitchen table.

  “For me?”

  Talen nodded and gestured toward the toast, then scooped the eggs he’d been scrambling onto my plate. We ate breakfast in silence. With each passing second, I could feel Talen grow more and more tense. He was nervous of what might happen at the meeting, and there was nothing I could say or do to calm his nerves. For his sake, I was ready to get this over with.

  When it was time to leave, Talen and I got into his car and raced toward the office. Talen wanted to arrive early, and I didn’t blame him. It was going to be hard enough. The last thing we needed was to be late. Luckily, we weren’t. We arrived a half hour before the meeting was set to start. As we walked quickly toward the elevator, Talen slid his hand in mine and held on tightly, his palm damp with sweat. I wasn’t sure if he held onto me for show or for comfort, but I didn’t care. It felt good to touch him again.

  We rode the elevator up to the top floor and came face to face with a crowd of people. Despite being early for the meeting, it seemed like everyone was already there. My stomach flipped as Talen took a deep breath and stepped off the elevator, pulling me along behind him. He glanced at me nervously, and I smiled, silently reassuring him that everything would be fine. We were going to get through this meeting in one piece, together. No matter what the investors or his father threw at us, we were ready. We’d prepared for this moment for a month now. I was beyond confident as Talen cleared his throat and drew everyone’s attention to us.

  “Talen!” many voices called out. I counted the men in front of me quickly and found that there were twenty in total, but I knew they weren’t all investors. Some were the higher executives in the company.

  “Morning, gentlemen,” Talen said with a wide smile. “I see you’ve all made it on time.”

  “Just waiting for you,” one of the men said with a jovial smile. “It’s wonderful to see you.”

  “You too,” Talen said just as his father appeared from his office.

  “Gentlemen,” he called. “Now that my son has finally arrived, please follow me and Talen into the conference room, we’ll spend some time before the meeting begins.”

  There were nods and murmurs as the investors separated from the higher-ups and made their way down the hall. Talen and I followed close behind while everyone else went back to work. Once we were seated, I saw that there were only ten investors, a much smaller number than I initially thought. Of course, these were just the early ones. I wasn’t sure how many others there would be.

  “So, Talen,” one of the men said. This man had a hard, assessing edge to him. “It’s been years since we’ve sat down with you. Tell us, what have you been up to?”

  “Well,” Talen said with a chuckle. “Other than working nonstop, I recently got married. Gentlemen, this is my wife, Dani. Dani, here are all the important people I’ve been telling you about.”

  Everyone laughed as I smiled my hello around the room. Talen told me each of their names, but it was too many to learn right then.

  “It’s lovely to meet you, Dani,” one man said.

  “You as well,” I said politely.

  The rest of our time in Jacob’s small conference room went quickly. The investors asked me and Talen questions about our life together, and we answered as we’d rehearsed. They were all smiling and laughing with us by the end. Even Jacob seemed to be pleased. I could tell that most of the investors respected Talen. The way they joked with him was so familiar and trusting. Talen was clearly a favorite of theirs. Now, by extension, so was I.

  “Well,” one man said. “Talen will have to keep us informed about your art, Dani. I for one would love to see your work. I’m a connoisseur of oil paintings myself.”

  “I’ll do that, Michael,” Talen said. “Dani’s talent is undeniable.”

  “You’re all too kind,” I said playfully. “I swear I’m mediocre at best.”

  “Modesty is an admirable trait,” one man said with a twinkle in his eye.

  Once the conversation came to a close, Jacob and Talen took the investors to the larger boardroom, and I was instructed to stay behind. But I could see other men milling around in the hallway. I wasn’t sure, but, in total, there looked to be close to fifty or even more.

  “My father doesn’t allow non-employees in the boardroom,” Talen whispered to me apologetically.

  “I figured,” I whispered back. “I’ll be fine.”

  Everyone disappeared into the boardroom, and I went alone to Talen’s office to wait. As I sat there, I thought about how well the introductions went. We planned to take the investors to lunch after the meeting, and I, of course, would be going along. Today, I was Talen’s arm candy, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job so far.

  Just as I was silently praising myself, my phone rang in my pocket. I pulled it out with a frown. I wasn’t expecting anyone to call me so early on a Monday morning. Madison always slept in, and my mother wasn’t much for phone calls anymore.

  The number wasn’t one I recognized.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, is this Dani Brooks?” a calm, professional voice asked.

  “Yes,” I said nervously. “Who’s this?”

  “This is Jackie Cooke fr
om County Hospital. I’m a nurse in the E.R., and I’m calling to let you know that we have your mother here with us. She was brought in just a few—”

  “What happened? How bad?”

  The voice grew even calmer. “She’s unconscious at the moment, but stable, breathing on her own. We’ll be conducting a number of tests. Do we have your permission to—”

  “Yes. Do whatever tests you need.”

  “Very well. Please be safe driving here, Miss Brooks.”

  “Thank you. I’m on my way.”

  I couldn’t think as I ran out of Talen’s office and into the hallway. I knew where the boardroom was, and I hurled myself toward it as fast as I could. When I made it, I took a deep breath and gently pushed open the door and stuck my head inside. I could feel countless eyes on me, but I searched for Talen’s face. The second he saw me, I motioned for him to come outside. He stood up and hurried toward me.

  “What is it?” he asked, stepping into the hallway, and closing the door behind him.

  “It’s my mom,” I said and could hear the panic in my voice. “I just got a call from the hospital that she’s been admitted to the E.R. I have to go now and I’m—”

  I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence because, just then, Jacob stepped into the hallway. His eyes flashed dangerously as he looked from me to Talen. I’d never seen anyone look so angry.

  “Is this a fucking joke?” he hissed. “Talen, what did I tell you about this woman? It is your job to keep her in check. If you can’t do that, then what use are you? I asked you for one thing! Just one thing, and you couldn’t do it! Now, she has humiliated us all in front of the investors because you couldn’t keep her under control.”

  I couldn’t believe Jacob’s words. I stared openmouthed as he spoke, waiting for Talen to defend me or himself, or at least the situation. He didn’t. Instead, he stared in stony silence at his father. Jacob didn’t look at me again. He only had eyes for his son. As I watched them, I realized Talen wasn’t going to say anything. I didn’t have time to stand around and wait. My mother was in the emergency room, and I had to go.