The Governor

by Suzanne Steele

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Talia

  I exited the shower and began getting ready for a lunch date that I had with my best friend. Regardless of how good of a friend that she was, I had no intentions of sharing my secret with her. I knew all too well how dangerous powerful men could become when discretion isn’t adhered to.

  I definitely didn’t want to cross a man like Anthony and even the small detail of receiving an email from him would have to remain private. His secrets were safe with me. I had learned the importance of discretion many years ago and it had served me quite well.

  Governor Anthony Johnson

  Anthony stretched his long legs out interlocked his fingers together behind his neck as he let his mind relive the night he had first seen Talia.

  Talia had stirred a hunger in Anthony and he knew that regardless of the fact that she had turned him down, he would continue to pursue her.

  Anthony had not gained the success he had by taking no for an answer. It only served to pique his interest more that she had turned him down—hell he could have offered one of the uptight women in his social circle that amount of money and some of them would have agreed to fuck him.

  Anthony wanted more than just her body responding to him, he wanted to know what made her tick. He wanted to take her apart piece by piece and dissect her every thought and intent. It would be a long and sometimes painful process that he would thoroughly enjoy. He felt something that he hadn’t felt in a long time—alive.

  Her defiance had not gone unnoticed. It would only serve to bring out his primal side, the side that had been lain dormant for so long.

  It was as if the moment he had laid his eyes on her his inner predator had been shaken from lethargy. The beast was awakening, stretching and yawning as it prepared for the feast of taking Talia over and over. Part of him couldn’t wait for her to continue to turn him down. All that Talia had done was solidify the one thing that Anthony had already suspected—he had to have her.

  Talia

  Talia eyed her friend Kathy from across the table as they sat discussing books. The two of them were polar opposites and the love of books was the one commonality that brought them together. They had met online in a chat room book club and their friendship had been instantaneous.

  “I can’t wait until you have a real job Talia. You could be anything that you wanted to be. You’re smart, beautiful, and funny, I just hate to see you sell yourself short.”

  “Well I’m actually working on things that will hopefully help get me out of this lifestyle.”

  Kathy giggled. “Did you meet your prince charming?”

  “There is no prince charming for me. I’m not that girl.”

  Kathy decided to move on to a lighter subject, there was no need in ruining a perfectly good lunch by getting too deep about things.

  The girls finished lunch and made their way to their favorite place in the city—the library.

  I loved this library, from the large columned entrance to the shelves that held the bound books that I adored. It had been my favorite place to go even as a child.

  I had been voted most likely to succeed and graduated with honors at the top of my class and yet I still ended up falling into the age old profession of prostitution.

  I guess that it all started with the death of my parents eight years ago. They had died in a car accident and left me a substantial inheritance. My mother’s brother had effectively swindled me out of every dime though.

  I was attending the University of Kentucky for journalism and could no longer pay my tuition. A fellow student arranged a date with an older gentleman and I quickly found out that I could make an obscene amount of money, in a very short amount of time by dating wealthy men.

  Late nights and low grades due to my lifestyle led me to putting off school. Now eight years later, I was twenty-eight with no degree.

  My phone rang and I made my way around the corner to answer it in relative privacy when I saw that it was a private line.

  “I need to see you, Talia.”

  “You need to see me? Hmm, looks like someone has already developed a nasty little addiction and we haven’t even formally met. What would become of you if you couldn’t get the drug of your choice?”

  “Don’t fuck with me, Talia! And don’t say my name on the phone either.”

  “Oh calm down, don’t start getting all territorial. I think we both know that you want nothing more than a sordid affair. The only reason that you crave me is because I’ve denied your advance. But let’s clarify one thing here and now Anthony, you don’t own me and you most certainly don’t tell me what to do.”

  Talia’s voice literally purred as she basked in the enjoyment of being in control of such a powerful man. She had a bit of a sadistic streak in her towards men. She could only assume that it was her way of making them pay for the fact that they used her for her body.

  “Don’t push me, Talia. You’ll regret it if you do.”

  “Why Governor, if I didn’t know any better I might take that as a threat.”

  “I don’t threaten Talia. Men with my kind of power don’t need to. Now, have your fine little ass ready by eight tonight and wear something that I like.”

  “I already have plans.”

  “Then break them!”

  With that, the phone went dead.

  Yes, it was true Talia already knew how to push the Governor’s buttons. Talia knew how to push any man’s buttons, but even she knew not to push this man too far. He was powerful and she knew that most powerful men had a nasty streak and she most certainly did not want to be on the receiving end of it. It was still fun to push him to the brink though.

  “There you are.” Kathy’s voice cut through the air. “Have you found anything to check out?”

  “No,” I replied. “I just love coming in here. I like the smell of books.”

  “Alright Ms. Bookworm let’s get going. Some of us have to work for a living. We can’t all be beautiful with men standing in line to pay our bills.”

  “Kathy, it isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.”

  “I know sweetie but we’ll get you out of that line of work and you always have me when you need a shoulder. Just be careful Talia.”

  I could only hope that her words weren’t some prophetic warning. Surely a guy this high profile couldn’t be dangerous—could he?

  We made our way to the elevator continuing to talk. Nothing could have prepared me for who I saw when the door opened.

  “Carl, please ride down with Talia’s friend and I will join you momentarily.”

  I watched in horror as he did what the Governor requested.

  Anthony reached over pulling the emergency stop button and in two long strides, he had me pinned in with his hands on each side of the railing I leaning against.

  “Hmm, you don’t seem to be quite as bold as you were on the phone Miss Dickenson. Have dinner with me to make up for your rude behavior?”

  “I’m sure that you can find a dinner date for the evening, Governor. In fact, I would be willing to bet that blonde headed fiancé of yours would love nothing more than a photo op with you this evening.”

  “Touché. Your insight is impressive Talia, have dinner with me.”

  “I’m not going to fuck you Governor.”

  He moved in so closely that his lips all but brushed against mine. I could feel my heart hammering against my chest as moisture began to pool between my thighs.

  “When I take you Talia, it will be much more than a mere fuck. I plan on taking my time and getting to know every detail of you inside and out. Tell me you will have dinner with me.”

  “Will it make you go away and stop this obsession that you have with rescuing me?”

  His mouth engulfed mine as his hand slid up and encircled my throat. His tongue darted into my mouth slowly taking the time to explore. He tasted like spearmint and he smelled divine with a mixture of citrus and earthy tones. A mewl escaped my lips before I could stop it. I knew instinctive
ly that he knew that he was breaking through my defenses.

  He looked at me through hooded eyes as he ran his thumb over my lips purposely smearing my lipstick.

  “My car will pick you up at eight.” He turned on his heel precisely and with purpose as he pulled out a handkerchief and clean my lipstick off his mouth then buttoned his suit coat and exited the elevator.

  He must have pushed the emergency button release as he kissed me, because the elevator door immediately opened to reveal Carl and Kathy standing there waiting.

  Kathy waited until they were out of earshot and on our way to her car before she spoke. “Oh. My. Gosh. You look like you just got fucked.” Her hand shot up to undo the damage that had been done to my lipstick and it suddenly hit me—he had purposely smeared it so that Carl and Kathy would know that he had kissed me.

  I knew in that moment that the Governor was going to be a handful. Getting rid of prince charming was not going to be an easy feat.

  “When were you going to tell me about him Talia?”

  “To be perfectly honest with you I had no intentions of telling anyone.”

  “I knew there was a prince charming out there for you.”

  “There is no prince charming for a girl like me. High powered career men have toys and when they tire of them, they throw them away and get a new one. I’m not subjecting myself to the .”

  “Are you so tainted that you don’t believe in love, Talia?”

  “He is looking for someone he can fuck with no emotional attachments, Kathy.”

  “So, have a fling, write a book about it and get rich.”

  “You of all people should know that is not my motive.”

  “Whatever. There are women who would die to be in the position that you are in, Talia.”

  “Drop it Kathy, enough already.”

  “What are you wearing?” Kathy asked ignoring my request.

  “A simple black dress—nothing sexy.”

  “Um hmm, I hear you,” she stated, keeping her eyes on the road as she pulled up to my high rise apartment.

  “Let me know how it goes!” she yelled as I exited the car.

  I went in ignoring her. I wasn’t excited about this dinner at all.

  I took my time getting ready and didn’t allow myself to overthink tonight’s dinner. I was pleased with the look that I had achieved when I viewed the finished product. I wore a simple black dress with pearls and my hair was softly curled and left down. I looked conservative, yet still sexy in a feminine way. I had purposely dressed as if I were going to a business dinner. To be honest that is exactly what it was and exactly how I planned on treating it.

  As promised the driver was there promptly at eight. I went out the door before he had the opportunity to retrieve me. I was shocked when he opened the car door and the Governor was seated there. I’m not sure why but I expected to meet him at the restaurant. He waited until the driver pulled out before he pushed a button raising the partition and began to speak.

  “I’m not a high school date Talia, I expect you to wait until my driver or I comes to retrieve you from your home when I pick you up.”

  When I said nothing, he placed one finger under my chin forcing me to look at him. The raising of an eyebrow informed me that he was awaiting an answer.

  “Fine,” I answered defensively.

  “Very well.”

  Already this date was not going as I had planned. Anthony had already taken control. I should have known that Alpha Anthony never relinquished the thing that he loved—control.

  The hostess led us back to a private room to dine and I could already feel the trepidation coursing through me. What was it about this man that scared me, yet excited me? Maybe that was it, maybe the anxiety that he caused me turned me on.

  He ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon and leaned back eyeing me as if he were scrutinizing every minuscule detail about me.

  “What?” I asked more defensively than I had meant to.

  Just then the waitress returned and poured the champagne for us. The Governor ordered for us and at this point I wasn’t going to argue. We were going to have this meeting and I was going to leave and never see him again unless it was on a TV screen.

  He lifted his glass in a toast. “To getting to know one another.” I gently touched touched his glass in agreement.

  His eyes raked over me as he spoke, “Finish that off and start another one, you’re going to need it.”

  Once again I could feel myself responding to this man who stayed in control. From his facial features to the words that he spoke his demeanor oozed control.

  I had been subject to men who wanted to be controlled in the bedroom. Their lives were full of decision making and responsibilities and it was a time that they could let go and just be.

  I had never been subjected to a man that was a dominant who demanded control in and out of the bedroom and I found myself wondering what it would be like. It was evident that Anthony’s demeanor turned me on. I could feel my nipples harden at just the sound of his voice. The smooth mixture of baritone and balm that felt like silk over my skin was a definite turn on.

  Anthony’s undivided attention on me as his eyes raked over whatever part of me that he happened to be studying at the time was unnerving and beyond sexy. I could not let my guard down with this man for just those reasons. He was everything that I found to be sexy in a man and I had no intentions of anyone hurting me.

  I knew firsthand how cutthroat the social elite could be—after all my own uncle had exhibited the trait of greed when it came to money. I would never again allow myself to be caught off guard. Ever.

  “A penny for your thoughts.”

  “Why are we here, Anthony?”

  Anthony looked up at me through hooded eyes. “We have been over this Talia. I’m your knight in shining armor, let me rescue you. I want you to sign a contract that binds you to an agreement that you solely belong to me sexually. In turn I will pay you fifty grand monthly.”

  I almost spit the champagne that I was drinking out but instead I choked on it. Even I hadn’t been prepared for that amount of money.

  “Anthony you can’t spend your money on a hooker. That money belongs to the people who put you in office.”

  His eyes cut through me as he he spoke, “I was rich long before I was Governor. Being Governor is about power to me, not money.”

  “I am a trust fund baby, my lady. My grandfather left me a very sizable amount of money. He went so far as to not give my mother a dime, it’s one of the reasons that she watches me like a hawk. My mother and I have more of a business relationship than anything. I was raised by a nanny and she now resides at my home as the head of my household. She was more of a mother to me than my own mother.”

  I could feel my heart strings tug at the thought of being raised by a nanny. Suddenly this silver spooned devil was a three dimensional character. Maybe there was more to Anthony than what I had previously perceived.

  I, of all people knew what it was like to be seen as what I did and not who I was. I was a woman with feelings, opinions, preferences, and a soul—not just a hooker. Hooking was what I did, not who I was. Why would Anthony be any different? Governing was what he did, not who he was.

  His smooth voice wooed me back into the present as his fingers gently toyed with the strand of pearls that I wore. “I want you, Talia.”

  His fingers wrapped around the pearls pulling me to him as he simultaneously engulfed my mouth with an urgency that he hadn’t shown earlier in the elevator. I could his feel energy pulsate through me as every hair on my body felt as if it stood on end in anticipation.

  “Give me what I want Talia,” he growled as his hand slid past my thigh highs and lightly ran back and forth over the wet spot on the silky g-string I was wearing. Another finger flicked over the nipple that stood at attention and now protruded out against the material of my dress.

  My whole body felt as if it was on overload as my nerve endings screamed out for more contact.

/>   “You want me too Talia, go home with me and let me show you what I can do for you. I promise you that I will have you screaming my name out before the night is over.”

  My breath hitched as I stuttered answering him, “N... no, no.”

  I sounded weak and undecided, two things that I never was before, until now.

  I groaned as he slipped a finger past my g-string and into me as his thumb circled my clit. He was in my face watching me intently as if he were studying every minute detail of my facial features as he thrust into me.

  “That’s it, there it is.”

  He trapped the sound of my climax with his kiss as I cried out in pleasure. Heat exploding outward from my core as if I was consumed by the fire he had created. I couldn’t remember ever cumming that intensely and the fact that I had done it in the darkened room of a restaurant with the Governor only made it that much more of a turn on.

  This man wasn’t bringing out the woman who used prostitution as a means of survival, he was bringing out his own personal courtesan. He had made a decision to make me his and it was getting more difficult by the moment to say no.

  I managed to keep my thoughts to myself for the rest of the evening. I had no intentions of letting any man get into my head. It was bad enough that my body was reacting to him in the manner that it was.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Talia

  That night’s sleep would prove to be anything but restful…

  “No, no, no, no, they can’t both be dead.”

  “I’m so sorry Mrs. Dickenson. We did everything we could.”

  As quickly as he had appeared to rip my world apart, the doctor turned and left. I rocked in the small chair in the middle of the hospital waiting room with my arms around my knees sobbing. When my parents died, a part of me died.

  “Now Talia, I’ll take care of everything. It’s what your mother would want.” My Uncle’s words drifted through the air.

  The next week was spent in a haze of numb incoherence. I robotically went through each day in a fog. Even if I had known that my uncle would steal my inheritance, I honestly don’t know that I could have functioned any differently.