“You’re so beautiful, Mira. So fucking beautiful and delicious,” he said in a throaty voice that sent me reeling.
Words suspended in my throat, I wanted to tell him he was sexy and that I loved the sight of him. Instead, I poked his chest, poking the bear until he rolled off me and onto his back. I straddled him once again, took him inside me, and started to ride him as I braced my hands on his chest. He tried to hold me, but I shoved his hands away and kissed him on the lips. I felt my orgasm building up from the first stroke, and as it came to its peak, I rubbed my fingers on my clit to bring the ultimate pleasure. God, it felt so good. My eyes were closed, my lips slightly parted, and I was panting. He put his hand under my dress and touched my nipples, and I opened my eyes. I removed his hands and started to tweak my nipples with my other hand. He grabbed my waist and gently set me on the bed.
"What happened?" I asked startled by our disconnection. "You came already? Okay, I will take care of my own needs." Sure, I was a little disappointed, but I was used to it with men.
I pulled the covers over my body and pulled my dress up until it was bunched around my middle. I slipped two fingers into my dripping pussy and then caught Ward looking at me with a bewildered look on his face. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a sitting position.
"Mira… what are you doing?" he asked. "Lord! Is this how selfish your previous lovers have been? Is that what you call sex?"
"Hey, don't insult me," I said. "Didn't you enjoy it?"
"Yeah, I mean, it was really good, but the best part is always satisfying the one I’m with. I didn't get that satisfaction because you kept taking over as if you’re making love to yourself," he said.
"I’m satisfied, Ward," I replied, humping my shoulders.
"No, you aren’t, and it doesn't have to be that way, baby," he said. "This isn't a competition. No one has to be the champion here. But we do have to give each other all we have."
“Ward, I know it isn't a competition.” I pushed him onto his back and straddled him. I reached for his shaft. “Can we start over?"
He put his hand on mine. "No, not this way," he said, trying to put me on my back, but I grabbed his shoulders.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Trust me, Mira."
I relaxed, and he placed me on my back. He slowly took off my dress and bra, placing soft kisses on my skin. He kissed my stomach, my nipples, the insides of my thighs down to the sole of my feet and back up again. He placed his forehead against mine and stared into my eyes.
"You are beautiful, Mira," he whispered. "Your body is perfect. Don't try to hide it."
"Ward, you are doing it again. Don’t make me feel..."
"Accept the compliment," he whispered softly.
“Ward, I…”
He kissed me on the lips, stifling my words.
“Accept it, Mira.”
"Thank you," I relented, and I didn’t really have a choice because the words came out on their own. Ward said it wasn’t a competition, but at the moment he was winning me over.
"Where did I stop?" he asked. "I think I have to start all over again."
I shivered, and he grinned at me.
He kissed the inside of my neck, trailing sweet kisses down to my cleavage. He rolled my nipples between his fingers and circled his tongue on the tip. A tremor went through me when his wet tongue made contact with my nipples. He took his time to suckle, nibble, and pleasure each sensitive bud.
"I want to do the same to you. Let me get on top," I said.
"That's not how it works, baby," Ward said. "You have to learn to receive pleasure. You can return the favor another time."
He pinched my nipples, and I felt my clit twitch with desire. I covered my mouth with my hand so I wouldn't make any noise. He gently removed my hand and kissed the inside of my palm.
"It's okay to scream, holler, say my name, baby. Enjoy this," he said. He twirled his tongue on my nipples and kissed his way down to my stomach.
I arched my back and moaned as a wave of pleasure went through me. He kissed my stomach and tongued my bellybutton, making my abdomen clench with desire. He pressed his mouth on the inside of my thighs and kissed my clit. His tongue was warm and wet, and it teased my clit out of its hood, filling my body with pleasure.
“Oh!” I yelped.
He slipped a finger into me and massaged my g-spot. It felt so good, and the sensation was so much that I started to choke on tears.
"Ward… stop..." I cried out into the darkness of the room, which was only lit by the moon. I didn’t like feeling owned, and this was him owning me.
Ignoring my cries, he thrust another finger into me, fucking me with slow, teasing strokes. My body jerked forward as a powerful orgasm exploded from within. He pressed his mouth to my feminine core and slurped my juices onto his tongue, tenderly licking and sucking every crevice. I moaned out again, my hands digging into the sheets when he swirled his moist, hot tongue on my sensitive clit.
He moved up to lay on top of me. I felt the tip of his shaft poking the inside of my thighs, and I touched it. His engorged shaft was glistening with precum. I circled my hands around it, and he groaned as I rubbed my fingers on the tip. I moved my hands up and down on his hard cock, eliciting sensual groans.
"Tonight is for you, Mira," he whispered into my ear. “Let me give you that.” He spread my legs apart and drove into me.
“Oh, Ward!” I screamed out his name. His cock filled and stretched me full, and I felt like he was poking my abdomen. I hadn't been with a man in years, so I was tight, and it made it uncomfortable for me. He noticed my discomfort and slipped out of me. He pulled me into his arms and suckled my breasts as he fingered me. I came on his fingers.
Then, he spread my legs again and entered me so slowly that I became breathless and tears spilled down my cheeks. Ward kissed my tears away as he started to move in and out of me. His phone began to ring, and then the doorbell chimed. Ward looked confused and frustrated.
“Are you expecting someone?” I asked.
“No,” he groaned. “Whoever it is will go away when I don’t answer the door.”
I wrapped my legs around him possessively, and he started to thrust in and out of me. My legs were starting to shake with pleasure when the phone began to ring again.
“Damn it!” Ward swore under his breath. He leaned down and kissed my lips while making slow, passionate strokes inside of me.
The doorbell chimed, and the moment was lost.
He looked into my eyes, and I nodded, letting him know it was okay.
“Stay here,” he said and rolled off me.
He put on a shirt and shorts and walked out of the room. Moments later, I heard him arguing with someone. The voice was feminine, and it sounded familiar. I felt a rush of adrenaline when I heard Rebecca Rice’s voice clearly. I checked the last number that called Ward, and it was registered under Rebecca’s name.
Is Ward seeing Rebecca, of all people? I should have expected this. Ward is a dog. Why do I keep falling for dogs? Even though I knew he was a womanizer, a part of me hoped he had changed.
I pulled on my clothes and made my way into the living room wanting to know what Rebecca wanted, and why she was at Ward’s house.
“Oh, hello, Mira. I guess you’re the new flavor of the month,” Rebecca said when our eyes met.
“You know what, Rebecca?” I said as I walked toward her prepared to walk up one side of her and come down the other.
“No, Mira don’t let her provoke you. That’s what she’s here for,” Ward said to me then turned to Rebecca. “You’re out of line for coming to my house with this drama, Rebecca,” he said as he guarded the door, pushing back against her attempt to enter his house.
“Let me in, Ward!” she screamed.
“You’re not coming in here, Rebecca, so stop acting imbecilic and get in your car and leave.”
“We still need to talk,” Rebecca pleaded.
“We have nothing else to say to each other.�
�� He pushed the door closed and turned to me.
I stormed back to his bedroom to get my bag. Ward came into the bedroom as I was about to walk out.
“Don’t leave, Mira.”
“Get out of my way,” I said, and he stepped aside with a confused look on his face.
“Mira, why are you leaving?”
“Don’t pretend as if you don’t know why I’m leaving, Ward. Rebecca is the reason I’m leaving!”
“Mira, this is what she wants. She’s full of it.”
“Ward, I just have to go.”
I brushed past him and walked out the bedroom door.
“Mira, sweethea—”
“Is that what you think I am? Sweet! Well, you and I both know better than that,” I spat.
“Mira?”
“Just leave me alone, Ward!”
I stormed out of his house to my car. I was glad I’d driven over to his house before we went to visit his uncle. I skidded out of his driveway, leaving him standing there looking confused, but he knew why I’d left. If he didn’t, then he was a bigger fool than I had been for giving him a chance.
Chapter Twelve
Ward
“Why are you avoiding me, Mira?”
“Because I’m busy,” Mira replied and turned to give directions to one of her workers.
It’d been five days since she stormed out of my house. She didn’t take my calls or respond to them. She had her secretary call me to tell me to email any information I wanted to pass across to her. I had been to her house twice, and she didn’t let me in. She didn’t answer the door, but I knew she was inside the house.
“I know you are upset with me,” I said.
She folded her arms across her chest, and I swallowed hard. Her hair was twisted in braids, which fell down to her back, and she was wearing a black skirt with a yellow floral blouse.
“Ward, I don’t have time for this.”
“We all have a past, Mira,” I said. “Rebecca was part of my past.”
“So why was she at your house? What was she doing there? And why didn’t you tell me about her before now?” Mira asked, then her expression hardened. "Look, I don't have time for games. If you want to be with that old witch, it's your choice."
“I don’t want her. It’s you I want,” I replied. “She came uninvited because she wants to change that.”
“You don’t owe me an explanation, Ward. We are not in a relationship, right?”
I paused and stared at her without a reply.
“Exactly! You have nothing to explain to me,” Mira said, waving me away.
“But we have feelings for each other. And I owe you an explanation because you cared about me enough to be jealous when Rebecca showed up,” I said.
She scoffed. “I wasn’t jealous. I was upset. There’s a difference,” she said through clenched teeth. Her phone started buzzing. "Excuse me. I have to take this. You can see yourself out, Ward.”
She turned her back to me and took the call, but I didn’t move. I knew something was wrong when her shoulders quivered, and her hands trembled as the call ended. She turned to face me, and my heart dropped down to my stomach. She looked so broken.
"Mira, what is the problem?"
"There's been a fire at one of my building sites," she said in a shaky voice. "The firemen were able to put out the fire, but Joe was trapped in one of the rooms, and he jumped through a window to save his life.”
“Jesus! Is he okay?"
“I…I have to go to the hospital now,” she said. “Joe needs me.”
She ran toward her car, but I stopped her and took the car key from her.
“I’ll drive you there,” I said.
We didn’t exchange any words on our way to the hospital, but our silence said a lot. Mira was trying to be strong. It tugged at my heart to see her struggling so hard to remain unfazed. She jumped out of the car, sprinting toward the hospital building when we got to the hospital. I ran after her. I could hear her voice from the entrance, issuing commands to the healthcare workers who were sitting around leisurely talking before we walked in. I couldn’t help smiling at Mira as she lit a fire under them.
“Where is Joe Scotland?” she asked.
“Ma’am, he is in triage. May I ask who you are to him?” a short and stocky nurse approached Mira with a worried expression on her face.
“In triage? Are you kidding me? Why isn’t he in the back being treated already? Are you guys doing your job or are you here to gossip?” Mira paused a beat as one nurse attempted to calm her down.
“Ma’am, we’re working on him as fast as we can,” the nurse said.
“Take me to Joe now! If something happens to him, I’ll hold you all responsible!” Mira warned with a cursory glance at every healthcare worker in the room. When I tried to take her into my arms, she glared at me.
“Calm down, Mira,” I said.
“Don’t tell me to calm down. Tell them to get to work!” she retorted.
“Please come with me, ma’am,” a nurse, who I assumed was the charge nurse, said in a firm voice.
Mira and I followed her into the emergency unit. Some nurses wheeled Joe past us, and Mira grabbed the gurney, stopping them.
“Joe!” Mira cried.
Joe was in bad shape, and he was unconscious. One of his legs was broken. There were fire burns on his arms and face.
“We have to get him into the crash room now,” one nurse said.
I pried Mira’s hand from the gurney, and the nurses pushed it into the room. Mira began to pace up and down, and she suddenly stopped and punched the wall.
"This shouldn't have happened," she cried, her knuckles bruised and bleeding slightly.
“Mira, calm down,” I said, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to look into my eyes. “If you hurt yourself, I’ll haul you out of here, take you home, and have my doctor come treat you. I know you want to be here for Joe, but if you do that again, I’m taking you with me.”
“Okay, I’m fine,” she said, taking her head into her bruised hands.
“Miss McBride,” someone said, getting our attention.
We turned around and saw two cops standing behind us.
“Hi, I’m Detective Lance Jones, and this is my partner, Nate Murray,” Detective Jones said. “We are from the New York Police Department,”
"Yes, how may I help you, officers?" Mira asked.
The officers glanced at me and hesitated.
“He’s my friend. It’s fine,” she assured them.
“We are just coming from your building site where the fire incident occurred,” Detective Murray said.
“And?” Mira asked in an intimidating voice. “What did you find out?”
I could have sworn the officers flinched when she questioned them.
“We believe it was arson,” Detective Murray said.
“It could have been an electrical fault,” she said. “It’s not like I doubt my electrical technicians, but accidents do occur on building sites. What is the reason to believe it’s arson?” Her shoulders quivered again, and I rubbed my hand on her arm.
“We are treating the fire as arson, but we can’t disclose any details to you now,” Detective Jones said. “I’d like you to come to the station to answer a few questions.”
“I can’t come now, but I’ll come in later today. My foreman was hurt, and he’s in the crash room now. I’d like to be here when he wakes up, so he has someone with him. He doesn’t have any family nearby,” she said sadly.
“Our station is open twenty-four hours,” Detective Murray said with understanding in his tone. “Here’s my card. Call me as soon as you leave here.”
Both officers handed their cards to her. Mira sat down on one of the chairs in the hospital corridor while I stood beside her.
A few minutes later, I received a call from my secretary, reminding me about a meeting I was supposed to have with some investors, but I told her to reschedule it. Being by Mira’s side was the most important thing to
me, and I was too caught up in the moment to realize the significance of that thought.
Chapter Thirteen
Mira
I have never been one to look for a shoulder to lean on, but I was grateful Ward was with me. It felt like someone was poking at my heart with the sharp end of a knife, and it hurt. Joe was out of surgery, but he was still in a coma because he hit his head on the pavement when he jumped down from the building. Joe didn't have any family, and he wasn't in a relationship. He was a loner. Right now, I was the only family he had. It hurt me to see him lying so helplessly on his hospital bed. I was exhausted and hurting, but I needed to see the building myself to determine if it was arson or not.
“I’m going back to the building site,” I told Ward. “Then, from there, I will go to the police station and go home to change, so I can come back here and be with Joe.”
“You will wear yourself out doing all of that, Mira. Let me drive you to the site, and then I’ll take you to the police station. After that, you’ll come back to my place, or yours, to crash for a few hours of sleep.” I started to protest, but Ward continued, “You won’t be able to help Joe if you’re sick. Let me help you."
I looked at Joe one more time before walking out of the room. "Okay, fine," I agreed.
Ward took me to the site where the fire occurred, and the local media crew was already there. “You can’t go in there. The media are sharks, and they’ll swallow you whole,” Ward said.
“No, I have to do this,” I told him. “Stay right here, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Mira—” He squeezed my hand and leaned over to kiss my lips.
“I’ll be fine,” I assured him.
The reporters rushed toward me when they saw me get out of the car. Each one fired questions at me, one after the next.
“No comment,” I said and made my way into the building, which still smelled of smoke.
The building had been barricaded with the yellow ‘do not cross the crime scene’ line. The fire had only ravaged a single room, the room Joe had been in. Apart from that, there was no other damage. The situation was strange. It seemed like the fire was indeed arson.
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