Man Seeking Woman

by Leah Holt

  Opening up the jacket, I ran a single finger over my sensitive nipples, turning them into stiff peaks. Pinching them lightly, I buried my face into his jacket, allowing his scent to transform my anger into hate filled pleasure.

  My hand kept moving, down between my breast, over my stomach, and stopping at the hem of the dress. Pushing the dress out of the way, I ran my fingers up and down the outside of my panties, applying a little more pressure over my clit.

  Moaning, I inhaled a big breath of air, giving in to the moment. With all the stress and worry I had been dealing with, I deserved a little escape, a little fun, a little release.

  Slipping my fingers into my panties, I touched and rubbed my pussy, spreading the wetness around the folds. August was in my head, his image taking over and controlling my touch.

  Faster and faster I worked my clit, dipping a finger into my entrance and using my thumb to work the swelling button. I was picturing his cock, pretending my fingers were his as he stroked himself while he touched me.

  My moans grew louder as my stomach clenched, the orgasm bubbling in my core as my clit pulsed. With one final stroke, a surge of tingles exploded through my body, causing me to groan as my muscles tightened.

  August might be an inconsiderate prick, but he was the best self pleasure I had ever had.

  As my body relaxed and the orgasm faded away, I pushed myself up on the bed, still buzzing from head to toe. I needed that.

  Letting out a delicate puff of air, I took off his jacket and went into the bathroom. Taking a quick shower, I put on a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt. With my hair up, wrapped in the towel, I went into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of wine.

  I felt exhausted and I hadn't actually done a thing. It was the weight of the past few days that was draining me. Grabbing my phone, I stood in the window and watched the light of a boat flicker against the surface of the water as I checked the district website for any openings.

  There was nothing. I need a new plan, something needs to change.

  Sending Kayla a quick text to let her know I was home, she responded immediately, happy to hear from me and wondering what happened at dinner.

  'I'll tell you tomorrow, right now I'm going to bed.' Pushing send, I threw the phone onto the couch and leaned against the windowsill.

  Hearing a knock on my door, I had no clue who would be showing up at my house. Checking my phone, Kayla's last message said we'd talk tomorrow.

  It's not Kay.

  Could it be August? Did he follow me home?

  Unwrapping my hair, I dried it with the towel as I walked to the door and asked, "Who is it?"

  "Ella, it's Frank."

  Fuck, it's my landlord. . .

  Opening the door partially, I smiled. "Hey, Frank, what's up?"

  "I need the rest of the rent. I hate to put you on the spot like this, but it's been long enough. I've been fair, you've had plenty of time."

  Damn it! Can't I just catch a break!

  "I'm sorry, Frank, I don't have it yet. I should have it by the end of the week." I lied. But what else was I supposed to do?

  "I'm sorry to do this, Ella, but I don't have a choice. You're weeks behind, and I'm not running a charity here."

  Handing me an enevolpe, I arched my brow confused. "What is this?" I asked as I took the enevolpe.

  "It's an eviction notice, you have until the end of the month."

  "What? Frank, come on, you know I'm good for it. I'll have it by Friday."

  "It's too late, Ella, I'm sorry." The corner of his lip curled with a weak, apologetic smile as he turned and walked away.

  "But, Frank!" I called out to him. He didn't respond, getting on the elevator and disappearing behind the metal doors.

  Slamming my door shut, I threw the letter across the room, watching it tumble in the air and slide across the floor, coming to a stop against the wall.

  "Damn it!" I yelled to myself, raking my fingers through my hair and pulling it tight against my scalp. "What the hell am I going to do?"

  Glancing at the bottle of wine, I grabbed it by the neck and took a big sip. Allowing my throat to open fully, the liquor spilled down into my belly, giving me the warm and fuzzy bubbles instantly.

  My plan for the night just became clear—forget today ever happened.

  Taking another big gulp of wine, I held the bottle up and cheered the air. "That I can do," I said out loud.

  * * * *

  Bang Bang Bang!

  Picking my head up off the couch, I could barely hold my eyes open. Brushing the tuft of wild hair from my face and wiping the drool off my chin, I stared at the door. Who the hell is that now?

  Bang Bang Bang!

  Pushing myself up, I threw my legs off the edge of the couch and checked the time. Nine in the morning, way too early to be dealing with anymore surprises. Laying back down, I decided to pretend like I wasn't home.

  I had enough, all I wanted was to time jump past this point in my life. Nothing was going how I expected it to, and to add salt to the wound, I was about to be living in a cardboard box in the alley next to my building, directly beside that aromatic blue dumpster.

  "El! Ella! Answer the door, it's me!" Kay yelled loudly, slamming on the door again.

  Pinching my eyes closed, I called out to her. "I'm not in the mood, Kay! Come back later."

  "Open the door, El, I have something I need to show you." Her voice was more level and less frantic, but I could tell she wasn't going to just leave. "It's important."

  Grunting, I dragged myself off the couch and walked to the door. Pulling the chain free, I twisted the lock and cracked the door enough to poke my face through.

  "Kay, really, right now I just want to sleep. I'm not in the mood to hear about Justin or anything he did. I'm not trying to be rude, I just really had a rough night."

  "Yeah, no shit," she said, opening her eyes wide. "And it's not about him." Forcing her way into my apartment, she brushed past me, going straight into my livingroom. "You need to see this."

  "See what?" I asked, closing the door and reluctantly following behind her.

  "Sit."

  "Kayla, seriously, you have no idea the night I had. Can't this wait?"

  "Sit," she said again, pointing at my chair.

  "Alright," I huffed out, dropping down. "I'm sitting, what is it?"

  She had something in her hand that I hadn't noticed when she came in. Her hands nervously rolled and unrolled what looked like a newspaper.

  "Kay, just show me already."

  Sighing loudly, she held out the paper, keeping it folded, and waving it gently for me to take. "It's on the front page."

  Reaching out, I grabbed the end, but Kay didn't let go right away. Lifting my eyes to hers, she had this look on her face that had me worried.

  "What's on the front page?" My lip curled to one side, not sure what the hell was happening.

  "Just open it."

  Unfolding the paper, my heart dropped into my gut as I stared at the black and white picture.

  "Holy shit, you've got to be kidding me. . ."

  The picture was of August chasing me out of the restaurant, his face was contorted in a way that made him look upset. I was a few steps in front of him, and you could see the side of my face. I looked petrified.

  "Who took this?" I asked, my eyes scanning the picture trying to understand why it would be in the paper. Who cared enough to put that there? What was so important about it?

  "Read the article, El."

  The headline above the picture made my stomach twist to the point I felt like I might throw up.

  One night stand gone wrong. . .

  We've all known August Burke as a beer mogul and the CEO of Burke Brewery. What we never saw coming was him losing control at the Red Tavern. Several diners reported that Burke and his date, who still remains unidentified, had a spat before she blew her top like a beer that's been shaken. Sources say the two had an altercation in the restaurant which spilled outside onto the st
reet before Burke's lover got into a cab and sped off.

  Whispers have begun about news of a baby, but nothing has been confirmed or denied at this time. I reached out to August this morning who declined to comment, leaving us to wonder and speculate.

  Does this mean we can expect New York's bachelor of the year is a soon to be daddy?

  It's hard argue that what people saw, wasn't a couple in distress. One onlooker described the incident as crude and inappropriate for public display. "If he didn't want to get her pregnant, then he should have used protection. I mean, who doesn't know that by now?" Linda D asked. Another diner stated, "I heard the young woman calling him names and yelling that he was crazy. I just think that children need to be brought into this world with parents that care. They don't have to like each other, but they at least need to try and get along for the kids sake."

  I guess the question we're all wondering is, was this a one night stand gone wrong?

  We all know how vulnerable the wealthy can be when they cross paths with the wrong person. Maybe this woman has become August's Achilles heel? Only time will tell.

  My hands began to shake, so I threw the paper onto my coffee table and clutched the sides of my head.

  What the hell. . . I don't need this shit!

  "You alright?" Kayla asked, placing her hand on my shoulder and giving me a tender squeeze.

  Looking up at her, I had no words. No I wasn't alright. Nothing about the entire situation was alright.

  He's part of the Burke Empire, no wonder I recognized his name.

  "What happened last night, El?"

  "I really don't want to talk about it right now."

  "Ella Day." Her voice was short and firm. "Talk to me. Why didn't you tell me it was August Burke?"

  "I didn't know, I didn't realize that it was one of the infamous Burke's."

  "You're not pregnant by him right?"

  "What?! God, no, Kay," I said, my eyes turning to slits. She shouldn't even have to ask me that.

  Bouncing her hand in the air, she bobbed her head up and down. "Calm down, I know, I just had to ask. Don't worry, I believe you, I know there's no truth in this story."

  "Kay, as if shit couldn't get any worse, this was the last thing I needed to see."

  "Will you at least tell me how you ended up having dinner with the hottest guy in New York City? I mean, shit, if I had known you were meeting August Burke, I would have given you a way sexier dress to wear."

  "Not funny, that's really not funny." Grunting, I slouched further into the chair, resting my arms at my sides. "I had no idea, I didn't even know New York had a hottest bachelor or that it was that asshole."

  Dropping to her haunches, she grabbed my hand tightly. "You can't just feed me bread crumbs. Spit it out already. What the hell happened?"

  "Fine, I'll tell you." Kay grinned from ear to ear, a little too excited for my horrible night. "But you need to promise me you won't tell anyone else."

  Nodding, Kay said, "I won't."

  "I'm serious, this needs to stay between us. The paper has it all wrong to begin with, but the truth would probably ruin him, and I don't want to do that either. He might be an ass, but I won't be responsible for destroying his life."

  "You have my word, El, you know you can trust me. As your best friend, I am legally obligated to take all your secrets to the grave."

  Spilling my guts to her, I told her every detail of the night. From the start of the date, to his unholy request, to my landlord showing up with an eviction letter. Saying it out loud, all of it sounded even worse than in my head.

  It morphed into this palpable object, something I could actually touch and feel. Like the weight of the world was resting on my shoulders. My life was falling apart, crumbling into dust at my feet, and I wasn't sure how to pick it up and put it back together.

  Kay gave me a hug, pressing her hands into my back as she spoke into my ear. "Let me help, El."

  "No, no, I can't let you do that." Pulling out of the hug, I gave her a small smile. "This is my problem, and while I appreciate the offer, I'll fix this myself."

  "At least let me talk to my father, I'm sure he wouldn't have a problem helping. He knows the family, let me talk to him."

  "Thanks, but no. I just need to talk to August myself. Maybe he can give a statement or something, straighten this whole thing out."

  "I'm sure there's some legal out he can threaten the newspaper with so they can't use your photo again or harrass you. Because once they learn who you are, that's it, they'll be like fucking vultures."

  "If it comes to that, you'll be the first person I'll turn to. But for now, I've got this."

  This wasn't her problem to fix, it was mine. And as much as I knew she wanted to help because that's just how she was, I wasn't going to drag her into this mess.

  Kay's father was a big shot lawyer. And while having her on my side was great, I felt like that would only make things worse. I would end up in the headlines again, and not for the reason I would want.

  I wanted to be on the front page for composing breathtaking music, not scandalous chatter that wasn't true and didn't reflect who I was.

  I need to see him again. That's the only way to clear this up.

  August had to fix this, he owed me that much.

  Chapter Eight

  August

  "I'm telling you the same thing I've told everyone else, I have no comment about last night." Hanging up the phone, I spun in my chair to face the window. Looking out at the city, it was frustrating to love and hate something so much.

  This city had gifted my family everything we had, it made me the man I was, but I hated how the money we had turned us into a circus the masses were interested in. My mother basked in the exposure, doing things on purpose to keep us in the headlines. She always said that there was no bad press.

  I couldn't have disagreed more.

  Since I took the brewery over about a year and a half ago, I did my best to keep us drama free. The cameras flashed for the reasons I wanted; a new flavor beer, donations we made to the community, and not for my mother's new facelift because my father had stepped out into the lime light with a new girlfriend.

  And suddenly, it had come around full circle, back into quick snapshots of moments and misconceptions of the truth. I hated having to explain myself and my life to people who served no purpose in it to begin with.

  I wish I could just tell them to get fucked. . .

  The reporters wanted to know if the baby rumors were true and if marriage was in the future. They questioned how long our relationship had been going on, or if it was a one night stand gone wrong. There was speculation about possible due dates and whether I thought it was a boy or a girl, or if I thought the baby was mine at all.

  Fucking media is always jumping four steps ahead.

  The only thing that really bothered me was the seed hadn't even been planted yet, the date last night was merely just the start of a possible future. A future I desperately needed or I'd lose everything.

  With the rumors swirling, I felt this urgency to knock her up and make it true. Make it real. Make her mine.

  Staring off at the horizon, I felt stuck. I knew what had to happen, but I wasn't sure how I was going to get there. Swooning a woman who thought I was fucking crazy wasn't going to be easy.

  "Mr. Burke?" Diane asked, poking her head inside my office as she lightly knocked at the same time. "There's a woman here to see you, she says you know her—Ella Day?" Quirking an eye, my face must have changed in a way that wasn't pleasant. "I—I can just tell her you're not available."

  Didn't see this coming so soon.

  As she started to shut the door, I spoke up quickly. "No, no, it's okay, you can send her in."

  Giving me a curt smile, she closed the door. I didn't even want to know what was going through her head. Diane had been the secretary at the brewery for years, she had watched women come and go with my father, and saw the way they used him for his money.

  I never
wanted to be like my father, because I never planned on getting used. He had no problem leaving my mother to live like Hugh Hefner, but I wanted no part in it. Woman after woman walked through those doors, all of them acting as if they were entitled to a small piece of his fortune.

  Now my hand was being forced into the life I swore off. Seeing those words on the paper, learning that my fate in this company relied on producing a child, it really pissed me off in the beginning. But that wasn't what I felt anymore, I didn't feel angry, I didn't feel upset and frustrated with my father's voice in death.

  It had become a challenge I wanted to conquer, a middle finger at the sky to prove to him he hadn't won. I could and would do this, nothing was going to stop me.

  Walking around my desk, I checked myself over in the mirror hanging on the wall across the room. Running my fingers through my beard, I took in a deep breath, tugging on my jacket lightly.

  Start over with her, August. This is your chance.

  A soft knock on my door made my head snap up. "Come in," I called out as I took a step into the center of the room. I had the need to stand taller, to be larger than life so she would see me for the powerful man I was.

  The door opened slowly, and Ella took a short step in. Holding a grin on my face, there was this desire screaming deep inside me for her to feel my presence, but also to sense that I wasn't a threat, I was gentle and kind, a man she could trust.

  Because I meant every word I said when I told her I would take care of everything. I wasn't the type of guy to just wash my hands and walk away once I got what I wanted.

  Our eyes connected, hers glistening with a hint of fear. Tilting my head a hair, I deepened my stare, trying to read her. Maybe that wasn't fear I was seeing, maybe it was her just being coy and guarded.

  Staying quiet, we both stared at each other for a long second. I couldn't help but notice how different she looked in the bright light of my office. She wasn't all dressed up, with heavy black makeup thickening her lashes or bright blushed cheeks.

  Ella's natural beauty was more than enough to showcase her features. Her hair had deep strips of strawberry blonde, her skin was glowing like she sun had softly reached out and fanned her face, with her round cheeks highlighted in a subtle pink hue. Her lips were plumped and glistening, her eyes that appeared blue last night were now a shade of green.