His fingers slowly played with the buttons on her blouse as he waited for Mariah to stop him. Luckily, she did not have any objection to the unbuttoning of her blouse, and he moved quickly down the tiny clear buttons. Soon, he had the whole blouse off and moved to remove her jeans as well. In between the clothing removal, River took the time to kiss Mariah and remind her just how beautiful she was.
It was amazing to River that a woman like Mariah didn’t believe she was beautiful. She was by far one of the most amazing looking women he had ever seen. Her long blonde hair and blue eyes sparkled from any light that she was in. And it wasn’t like she was just beautiful on the outside; Mariah was a kind-hearted woman that looked out for the well-being of others. She was beautiful on the inside as well.
“I’m going to take you to my bedroom now,” River whispered softly as he lifted Mariah off the ground and wrapped his hands around her ass.
“You sure do like carrying your women around, don’t you?” Mariah laughed.
“It’s the caveman in me.”
River did like carrying Mariah around. It was fun to just lift her up and bring her where he wanted her, and far quicker than waiting for her to decide what she wanted. Mariah had appeared very wary of River when she first came to pick him up. Perhaps it was just Mariah trying to be professional, but at first, River wasn’t sure if she was going to yell at him or kiss him.
It wasn’t until he noticed her face flush and she was biting her lip that River realized that Mariah had missed him. Her whole body looked like it had missed him, and he finally felt better about having her pick him up from jail.
As River laid Mariah on the bed, he quickly started to kiss up her inner thigh and landed his tongue on her center. He couldn’t be patient; River couldn’t wait another moment to hear the sweet screams of pleasure that Mariah could yell out.
Normally, River would have teased Mariah more. He would have moved slowly and built up the anticipation, but he just couldn’t move slowly at all. River needed Mariah like he needed to breathe at that moment. There was a deep emptiness going on inside of him, and he was either going to run out and find a one-night stand, or he was going to make love to Mariah. And River’s first choice was Mariah.
Throughout his two months in jail, River had fantasized about Mariah every single day he was in there. One of the main reasons he didn’t want her coming to see him was because he knew that the other guys would see her and then have fantasies about her as well. And there was no way he wanted to share Mariah with anyone; even if it was just in their fantasies.
Two months certainly wasn’t all that long when you thought about all the troubles in the world. But to River, the previous two months had changed a lot in his life. He realized that not everything is fair. Obviously, his mind knew that nothing in life was easy when it came to his work, but River had never imagined that a made up story could have affected him the way the governor’s statements had. River certainly hadn’t known that he would have so much anger toward the governor or be totally out of control around him.
Never in all his life had River forced himself on a woman, and he didn’t do it with Kimberly. Only hours before Kimberly had been in the same room with River and Mariah and the whole team of Public Waves. So when they heard that the governor was making a statement that River had sexually assaulted Kimberly over ten years before, something in River had flipped. He had just gone to the rally to talk with the governor. To explain that he had it all wrong, and they could simply talk to Kimberly to straighten things out. But upon arriving to talk to the governor, it was clear that the governor actually believed the statement he had made or at least he was going to stick to those statements publicly.
“You’re scum of the earth,” the governor had said to River.
There was no thinking at that moment, and River just punched the governor right in the face. It was a clean punch, and the governor hadn’t even seemed all that hurt by it. But the television cameras had caught it all, and the governor wasn’t about to be embarrassed by his wife’s affair. River knew that he had forced the governor’s hand in prosecuting him because the event had taken place so publicly. It certainly couldn’t have helped his campaign at all.
For the past two months, what had haunted River most was why Kimberly hadn’t come out and denied what her husband had accused River of doing. It hadn’t been some horrible act like the governor was trying to make it out to be. River cared about Kimberly, and she cared about him. They had even talked about being together and Kimberly leaving her husband, but soon Kimberly decided she did not want to leave her husband, and instead was going to raise her child with him. River was young; he should have fought for his parental rights more, but he didn’t want to upset Kimberly’s life. It had all happened so quickly; in retrospect, River would have handled things differently. But he couldn’t change things from the past; he could only move forward.
“Come here,” Mariah said as she pulled River up to her.
He loved the feeling of her naked body below him. It calmed all the racing thoughts about his past almost instantly as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. Mariah was a gentle and kind soul that River needed as his beacon. He would settle for whatever it was that was going on between them, and he hoped that he could keep things going longer than he normally did. But River knew that he had a problem with relationships. Mainly, the problem was that he couldn’t maintain one.
“I missed you,” River said softly in a moment of vulnerability.
His eyes searched Mariah’s for an understanding of just how much he missed her. It was hard for River to show emotions, to tell a woman how he felt; it was something unusual to him. River spent his adult life running from every emotion that involved women. It was easier to have a quick fun relationship than it was to ever talk about real emotions.
“I missed you too. I really wish you would have let me visit you.”
“Jail is no place for a woman to visit. I couldn’t imagine you coming in there and seeing me like that. It would have changed how you thought of me,” River said softly but firmly.
He had been adamant that Mariah not come to the jail. Not only would his cellmates find her extremely attractive and start fantasizing about her, but River was weak while in jail. Even though he put up a hard exterior and none of the men in jail would have seen him as weak, River felt weak and vulnerable, and he didn’t like that feeling at all. He certainly didn’t want to let Mariah around him while he felt that way.
“I’m a grown up, and I think I can decide where is the best place for me,” Mariah said firmly.
River detected a hint of agitation in her voice, and he knew he needed to do something quickly to calm the situation. He hadn’t wanted to upset Mariah by having her see him in jail, but maybe it wasn’t the best decision. Maybe it was a selfish decision on his part, but it was done now, and he couldn’t change it. They needed to move on.
“I’m sorry,” River said as he kissed her lips gently. “Next time I go to jail, I’ll let you visit me.”
River smiled down at Mariah, and there was no way she could stay mad at him as she also flashed a huge smile. River knew the way to Mariah’s heart was with humor, and he was perfectly fine with being a little funny if it would help her feel more at ease.
“Actually, I think I’ll wait to visit you until you’re in prison. That way, I’ll at least get some good catcalls as I walk in to see you,” Mariah teased.
She let her hand slip down to his throbbing body and slowly guided him into her as they continued their unusual conversation. River certainly could say that he had never had a conversation about prison as he was sleeping with a woman before. It was something unique, and he was sure he wouldn’t forget the moment anytime soon. But then again, Mariah was something unique. Everything about her was unique, and River missed her terribly while he had been away.
“Hmmm, do you think they allow conjugal visits in prison?” River laughed.
“Why don’t you wait until the gov
ernor gets elected as president and then go punch him again. I’m sure you’ll get a much stiffer sentence.”
“Something else is stiff right now.” River laughed.
Mariah couldn’t help pulling River even closer to her as their thrusts quickened. He loved it. Mariah’s hands on his body were amazing, and every time she touched him, it made his pulse quicken and his member throb as it became, even more, engorged.
River had been with plenty of women in his life. But very few of them encouraged a passion so raw that he felt like he couldn’t control himself. Mariah was one of those women that drew out a feeling of uncontrollable desire in River. It was a mix of chemistry and lust that you just couldn’t pretend. The mix for him was perfection. It was a sweet spot that he hardly ever found with a woman, and he certainly wasn’t going to let it go now that he had found it with Mariah.
“I … think … you … should … stop … talking,” Mariah said breathlessly as River thrust inside of her.
He took her cue and stopped talking so he could concentrate on the delicious feeling of having her body wrapped around him. Thrust after thrust he delivered to her, and as he felt his body tightening and preparing to deliver the final thrust of delight, Mariah pushed him off of her.
At first, he had no idea what was going on, but Mariah was smiling, and he assumed she had a fantasy of her own that she was trying to get accomplished. He moaned in disappointment as he was so close to feeling his pleasure filled ending. But River certainly wasn’t complaining, he loved every second of naked time with Mariah.
She used all her force to push him back onto the bed and then quickly slid her body on top of him. River let out a salacious moan as she tightened around him and her hips thrust hard against his body. Mariah wanted to be in control, and that turned him on more than he could have imagined. She seemed a little angry as she moved on top of him. But a little angry sex was always the perfect way to make up with a lover.
Her body was tightened around him as he felt her lean over and shiver with pleasure. It was the sign he had waited for before finally delivering a few final thrusts of his own and receiving the pleasure of an explosion he had waited over two months to have.
It was the middle of the day, but both Mariah and River fell asleep from exhaustion. River was emotionally and physically much more tired than he had expected to be. After spending two months in jail, he had made so many plans to conquer everything and get his life back on track. But his body and mind were exhausted, and he had to listen to them. It didn’t hurt that he had the release of adrenaline from his lovemaking with Mariah. River slept better than he had in a very long time.
As he started to wake up, River made a mental note to try and call Kimberly as soon as he decided to actually get out of bed. Nothing was going to get better until he had a conversation with her. Could she really continue to let people believe that River had assaulted her? River knew Kimberly better than that, and there had to be more to the story. She wasn’t the kind of woman who would do something like that to anyone, especially River. They had always been able to communicate, and it was unusual that Kimberly had decided to stop talking with him.
Although Kimberly and River had decided not to continue a relationship together, they had always gotten along very well. River considered Kimberly to be a friend of his. Well, up until the day he went to jail, and she never mentioned to anyone that the whole story was untrue. It had hurt him most that Kimberly wouldn’t come forward. He could deal with the governor, and he could deal with the bad press, but the feeling that Kimberly would purposely hurt him like she was—it was horrible.
River had expected he would get out of jail rather quickly. Sure, even hitting the governor was something River could get out of; he just knew it. But the governor was pissed off and had pulled out all the stops to ensure that River was labeled as a flight risk. The judge even took some comments River had made out of context to say that River made statements that he was going to flee the country. When the judge asked River if he knew how to leave the country, River didn’t lie. River admitted that he knew plenty of ways to leave the country. But River also made the statement that he wouldn’t leave, but of course, no one listened to that part of the statement.
That part was over, though, and River had to move forward. He paid the penalty for punching the governor, and he learned a hard lesson. It was something he certainly wasn’t going to do again. But he still needed to clear his name, and it was going to be harder than ever to convince people that River was actually a good guy and a stable man to be running a family friendly company. River needed Mariah more than he ever had.
River held Mariah close to him. She was quickly becoming someone that he didn’t want to let out of his sight. They didn’t have any official relationship, but whatever it was that they had, it was the perfect thing for him at that moment in his life.
Now if only he could hold onto Mariah, save his company and maintain his relationship with his son. All without the public destroying him for being a horrible sexual assault perpetrator, or his company losing faith in him, or his son hating him for keeping the truth from him for the last ten years. If he could do all those things, then River would be a happy man. If he couldn’t do all those things; then River was going to be miserable.
Chapter 17
MARIAH
She couldn’t be angry at herself for giving in to her desire for River. It was like there was a driving force deep in her soul that pulled her toward him that day. Certainly, there was nothing wrong with her wanting River. Well, besides that he was a client, had assaulted the governor and was likely going to lose all his money; besides that, River was a really good guy.
Mariah was young, at 22 years old she hadn’t fully decided what it was she wanted out of her life. She certainly hadn’t decided the kind of guy that she wanted in her life either. But she liked being around River. There was an energy between the two of them that she just didn’t have with other people. Sure, there was a big age difference. River was 38 years old, and Mariah obviously much younger. But Mariah had never dated men her own age. She didn’t like to go out partying, and she certainly didn’t like the games that young guys played.
With River, Mariah felt the most like herself. Except, he made her so nervous. It was a good nervousness, though. The kind that sent tingling to every part of the body upon seeing someone. River did that to Mariah, and she had never felt that strongly around a man before. It was unique to her. A fresh new emotion that she just couldn’t be without.
Mariah couldn’t help laughing to herself as she thought about everything that was going on for River. He was actually handling things miraculously well for a man on the brink of losing everything.
“Are you laughing to yourself?” River said as he pulled Mariah toward him.
It was getting dark outside, and they had spent most of their day in bed together. Mariah was perfectly fine with spending the rest of the night there as well. There was something about being in bed with River that made it really hard for her to leave. Pretty much everything about River made it hard for her to leave.
“Yes, I was thinking about what a catch you are,” she said with a giggle.
“I am the most eligible bachelor in Portland,” River said as he puffed up his chest.
“Um, I think you lost that title when you punched the governor on national television.”
“Well, the guys in jail still teased me about it.”
“Are you going to tell me what it was like in there? Why wouldn’t you let me come see you? I mean really. I’m a grown up; I could have handled it.”
“Mariah, I got my ass kicked the first night I was there. See this,” River said as he pointed to a scar near his left eye. “I couldn’t invite you to come see me like that.”
“You got beaten up? River! Why didn’t you tell someone?”
“Mariah, people get beaten up in jail. It’s not like it’s a college dorm room. You don’t go telling on people. I made up with the guys, and things
calmed down. But I just needed to have that time to myself and think of what to do next. I didn’t let Edward or April come see me either. I just talked to them on the phone.”
Mariah felt herself pulling away from River a little. She had hardly gotten to talk to him on the phone either. Most of her communications were with Edward and April as to what would be best for River’s image as they moved forward. The few times she had talked to him, Mariah did all the talking and River just listened.
She felt the conversation tension building up, though, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. They’d had such a great evening together, and she didn’t want to ruin it by talking about things that made River uncomfortable.
“It doesn’t matter now. We are moving forward from here,” Mariah said as she tried to forget about her hurt feelings.
Maybe River was right not to invite her to the jail. She obviously was more emotional about the situation than she had expected. She and River weren’t anything more than a fun fling; she needed to get her head straight and start thinking about work and less about River.
“I’m going to call Kimberly. Do you think she will answer?” River said as he tried to change the subject.
“I don’t know. A lot of people have reached out to her, and she hasn’t answered anyone’s calls. On a positive note, she also hasn’t given any interviews or anything like that.”
Mariah had really expected that Kimberly would have stepped up and defended River at least a little bit. She had met Kimberly, and Mariah thought she seemed very level headed. But Kimberly and River had gotten along just fine, and Kimberly was originally very interested in helping River preserve their secret together. It just seemed odd that Kimberly wouldn’t have tried to set the record straight on what had really happened between her and River. Surely, it would have been better to admit to an affair than it was to live a lie about the father of her child. But then again, Mariah didn’t know everything that was going on for Kimberly, and she certainly hadn’t gotten to talk to her to set the record straight.
Breaking the Rules: A Billionaire Romance Page 14
