Fortune's Promise: A Fortune Story

by Karen Erickson

  “I just wanted to say hello, be friendly with you. Is that a crime?”

  He wished.

  She sighed. “Eve broke up with me.”

  “What a shame.” Now it was his turn to hide the smirk.

  “And I’m about to lose a major movie deal, and I don’t know what to do to get it. My agent is no help, my publicist says her hands are tied. Any way you could give the producer a call?”

  “I have no influence over your movies, over any movies and you know that. Besides, why would I want to help you out? We’re divorced. I’ve got other things to worry about now.”

  “Can’t even help out the woman you were once married to? God, you always were a selfish bastard.”

  Nothing like the pot calling the kettle black. “I’m not having this conversation.”

  Tanner left her standing there, striding through the house towards the backyard, desperate for fresh air. He needed to clear his head, get over the immediate anger he always felt when he saw Paula.

  Tonight was no exception.

  Unfortunately, the bitch followed him.

  “Why are you so hostile towards me, Tanner? You knew our relationship wasn’t working out, yet you act like such a victim.” Stopping, he turned to find Paula in front of him, arms crossed under her ample chest, provided by the top plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. Her curly blonde hair tumbled around her shoulders in haphazard waves and her pouty lips were pursed, slick with dark red lipstick the same shade as her dress.

  He’d once found this woman beautiful, had even married her. Now he watched her, and she made him think of the devil. The devil in a red dress.

  Harsh but he couldn’t help his feelings.

  “I refuse to have this conversation with you any longer, Paula. We’re divorced. You need to leave me alone, quit following me. I’m not here to help you out with your career anymore, I don’t care that your girlfriend dumped you, I don’t care about you. We’re done, finished. Get on with your life.”

  “You’re such an asshole, Tanner. You always have been and you always will be. I wish that poor new girlfriend of yours lots of luck. Oh, and thanks for absolutely nothing.” Quick as lightning she grabbed him by the back of the neck, hauled his head towards hers and pressed her mouth hard against his in a punishing kiss.

  He jerked himself away from her, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, saw the smear of red stain the back of it and he rubbed at it. Didn’t want one last trace of her remaining on him.

  He’d spit on the ground if he could, but she’d probably really freak the fuck out. The absolute last thing he wanted to deal with tonight.

  Glaring at him one last moment, Paula didn’t say a word, just turned and walked away, never looking back, her heels clicking loudly on the tiled patio. He stood immobilized in the backyard, listening to the night insects chirp all around him, the sound of cars passing on the road and he realized he actually felt sorry for the woman.

  An emotion he never thought he’d have for his philandering ex-wife.

  With a shake of his head, he went back inside to find Maddie.

  Tanner had been distant the entire evening, and Maddie didn’t know what to make of it. Oh, he’d been fine when they first got to the party, sweet and encouraging, telling her not to be shy. So she’d followed his advice and ended up having a great time. The guests were interesting and easy to talk to, the food delicious and the host and his wife more than accommodating. Though she had a feeling Magdalena looked at her like there was some sort of inside joke and Maddie had no idea what it was.

  So she decided to ignore Magdalena and focus on the others. The ones who were actually friendly and wanted to talk to her. She wondered idly if it bothered Tanner that she’d been surrounded by men all evening. It made her feel good, boosted her confidence. They seemed interested, rapt with attention, listening to her every word.

  Hours ago, days ago really, she couldn’t imagine a life like Tanner’s. Now after tonight, she could see herself sliding into it rather easily. She could change her entire self and become a different person. An interesting person versus the same ol’ Maddie Carpenter who lived and worked under her mother’s thumb.

  She realized she never wanted to be that Maddie Carpenter ever again.

  “There you are.” After searching for him all through the house for a solid five minutes, she finally found Tanner in the kitchen, Rey mixing him another drink. Touching his arm, she felt how tense he was and she smiled tentatively at him, trying to coax him out of his seeming bad mood.

  “Everything okay?” Brushing her hand up and down his arm, she marveled at the restrained strength beneath her fingers, all hard muscle and warm skin.

  She went damp between her thighs immediately, her knees trembling the slightest bit and she realized she wanted to go home. Wanted to slowly strip Tanner of his clothing and explore his beautiful body with her hands, her mouth.

  He nodded, sipping from his drink, his lips tight. “I’m fine. Are you having a good time?”

  “Oh, yes, your friends are nice, they’ve made me feel comfortable.” She looped her arm through his as they wandered back out into the living room. “I’m glad we came.”

  “I’m sure you are.” He drank from his glass with one long swallow finishing it off, and when he set the glass on a nearby table, the ice rattled. “You look gorgeous. I can see why they can’t resist you. I know I can’t resist you.”

  Her cheeks heated under his intense gaze. He watched her, his expression darkening, his eyes with that look they got when he was aroused. She was desperately aroused too. Her nipples hardened beneath the thin lace of her bra.

  “Thank you,” she finally said, lowering her lashes, gazing down at her hand clasped around his arm. “I’m ready to go. Are you?”

  “Are you sure? Looks like you were enjoying the company.” He actually sneered.

  Her heart threatened to burst. The Tanner Robinson was actually jealous? Jealous of a bunch of guys she had no interest in whatsoever. Warmth spread through her body at the absurdity of it all.

  She’d never had any man jealous over attention she’d received from another, ever.

  “Tanner,” Maddie murmured, lifting up on tiptoe she spoke directly in his ear. “Are you jealous?”

  “Hell yes,” he growled, his arm sneaking around her waist and pulling her close. “They couldn’t stop talking to you. I couldn’t even get close, there were too many of them around you.”

  He was exaggerating the slightest bit but still, it felt good. She didn’t want a man who was overly possessive, but there was nothing wrong with the occasional flare of jealousy.

  It meant the man was still interested. Something she hadn’t been able to keep alive in any of her past relationships.

  “I came here with you, and I’m going home with you. Isn’t that all that counts?” She bit his ear lobe, trapping it gently between her teeth, and tugged. A full body shudder rippled through him, and he pulled her even closer.

  “Then let’s get the hell out of here,” he muttered, nearly dragging her towards the door.

  Maddie bit her lip to keep herself from giggling.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Don’t move.”

  Tanner clasped Maddie’s wrists with his fingers and brought them behind her back. The contrast of his dark skin pressed against her pale ass was maddeningly arousing, made him want to drop to his knees and press his face between her legs. Her limbs trembled beneath his touch, and he pulled tighter, making her gasp.

  “Tanner…”

  “Sshh.” He took a step closer, his clothes rasping against her naked body. He’d made her undress when they had arrived home, unable to control himself or the overwhelming urge to possess her. Claim her as his. The argument with Paula, the way the men had surrounded Maddie all night, all of it fueled his fire. “You know you want me to do this.”

  “Why are you acting like this?” Her voice wavered, full of emotion and he closed his eyes, swallowed past the sudden lump that
formed.

  He didn’t quite get it himself, but the moment they’d walked through the door he’d been compelled to take over, conquer her. Show her she belonged to no one else.

  The consequences from his actions tonight were going to be huge. Baring his soul, letting Maddie know how badly he wanted her. But he couldn’t worry about that now. His needs to dominate Maddie were greater.

  Shit, he didn’t even know where all of these feelings, these thoughts came from.

  “All of those men at the party hanging all over you, Maddie. They drove me crazy.”

  Even though her sweet words at the party had reassured him, he still felt like a man possessed the entire drive home. Reliving the moment when his friends were hanging over her, the thought of taking Maddie to any type of party or gathering with the same results worried him.

  Tanner didn’t know if he’d be able to stand Maddie’s subtle way of garnering attention. It might just drive him crazy. Paula had been bad enough when they were together, blatantly looking for attention everywhere they went. Though he had gotten used to it after awhile.

  Her red hair swirled around her shoulders when she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Tanner. I never meant to upset you.”

  “You didn’t upset me, they did.” He released her wrists and decided to go with his fantasy of dropping to his knees. His hands smoothed over her buttocks, slapping one cheek with enough force to jolt her. “While you’re here with me this weekend, you’re mine. You belong to me and no one else.”

  “Yes…”

  He rained kisses on her warmed flesh, the scent of her arousal filling his head, making him hungry. She spread her legs in invitation, her beautiful pink pussy exposed and glistening.

  “You want me, baby?” He already knew the answer. God he was a cocky asshole but her swollen and wet flesh didn’t lie.

  Maddie nudged her ass into his face, begging without saying a word. “Yes, Tanner. Please.”

  “There are so many things I want to do to you tonight. What do you want?” He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to lick her, taste her, plunge his fingers deep inside her and make her come. And once he did that he wanted to fuck her, ram his cock deep inside her and make her come again.

  Her voice hitched with hesitation. “Anything.”

  “Tell me what you want, baby. I need to know.”

  Glancing over her shoulder, their gazes met, held. “I want you to take me to your bedroom and make love to me. Make me yours.”

  Tanner couldn’t have been more shocked if she had told him she wanted to tie him up and ram him with a strap on. Mouth hanging open, he could only stare at her.

  “Really?” His voice croaked and he couldn’t help it. He thought this night would be filled with kinky positions and outrageous orgasms.

  It sounded like Maddie wanted to keep it simple. Real.

  “Yes.” She nodded, her red hair brushing against her pale shoulders. “Stand up.”

  He did as she asked without hesitation, his cock aching in his pants. Her tiny hands went to his chest, fingers quickly undoing the buttons on his shirt, spreading the fabric wide. Bending forward, she pressed her lips to the center of his chest, directly at his heart.

  Breathing deep, he closed his eyes. This woman would be his undoing.

  They rushed to his bedroom and she undressed him hurriedly, pushing at his chest, making him topple onto the bed behind him. Propping himself on the pillows, he lifted his arms, clasping his hands behind his head and waited, watching her.

  He really had no idea why she was self-conscious about her body. Her pale skin and lush curves aroused him like no other woman. Her rounded belly, the swell of her ass, full breasts, all of it he loved to explore with his hands and mouth.

  It was the look in her pretty brown eyes, though, that got his heart pumping. She stood at the foot of the bed, her gaze drifting up and then down his body.

  “I don’t know what you were trying to prove earlier, Tanner, but you don’t need to do that with me.”

  His mouth dropped open. “What are you talking about?”

  She shrugged, walking around to the side of the bed. “So aggressive, doing some sort of power play on me. It was exciting, but unnecessary. I want to be with you, don’t you get that?”

  “I wasn’t trying to pull a power play over you.” Tanner had never had a woman analyze him during sex before. It made him uncomfortable.

  “Oh, yes you were. And that’s okay, it turned me on.” Maddie smiled, knelt onto the bed with one knee, then both knees.

  She crawled closer to him, her hair brushing against his arm. “You don’t need to prove anything to me, Tanner. I’m not going anywhere. Just being with you turns me on.”

  And then her lips captured his in the softest kiss, her hands coming up to clutch his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close, practically on top of him and she murmured in pleasure, her legs straddling his hips.

  “I want you inside of me.” She broke the kiss with a whisper, rubbing herself against him.

  He couldn’t deny her, still startled by her earlier words. Never before had a woman called him out on his supposed bullshit. What he’d tried to pull with her when they first came home had been kinda bullshit. But he’d felt as if he was losing his mind, completely jealous, a little insecure.

  Her words, the way she looked at him, the way she touched him erased all of those insecurities.

  “Tanner.” She ground against him, making the sexiest noises he’d ever heard. Her wet center brushing against the head of his cock, making his other head spin and he opened his eyes, dazed.

  With one sure move, she impaled herself upon him, her wet heat surrounding him, making the air stall in his chest. She held herself above him, hands gripping his shoulders, hair hanging down around her face, around his face.

  Nothing had ever felt so good before.

  “This is all I want.” She lifted, then slid back down and he grunted with the force of it. “You and me, you inside of me, watching me like you are right now. It feels so good.”

  He couldn’t deny that she was right because she was. It did feel good having her slide up and down him, her soft body surrounding him, holding him tight. Their gazes locked together, the sound of their harsh breathing the only noise in the room besides the soft suctioning of their joined bodies.

  Tanner had never felt this connected to another woman before in his life.

  He hissed when she took him even deeper and goose bumps pimpled his skin when the ends of her hair tickled his sensitive flesh. Overwhelmed with sensation he let his head drop back, mouth hanging open, jagged breaths escaping him.

  “Look at me,” she whispered and he did, unable to escape her. Not wanting to either. “I don’t care about any of those guys I was talking to. I care about you.”

  They’d only known each other for a short while, but he believed her. Knew deep in his heart she spoke the truth.

  “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to let you know that.” She moved faster, the expression on her face telling him she was already close to orgasm and he gripped her hips, pulling her against him harder. The tingling at the base of his spine started and he knew he was close as well.

  He kissed her then, their mouths wide open, tongues dueling. With one sure move he thrust even deeper. Arching against him, a soft sigh escaped past her lips.

  “You feel so good, Maddie.” He couldn’t stop watching her, didn’t want to stop watching her.

  Ever.

  She nodded, her hair brushing against his face. “So do you, Tanner.”

  “God, Maddie. I. Can’t. Get. Enough. Of. You.” He punctuated each word with a thrust, his body tightening, preparing itself for release. Closing his eyes, he literally saw stars, his head dizzy, his semen spurting out of him before he even realized he was coming.

  And come he did. She writhed on top of him, a little shout dropping from her lips and it felt as if he couldn’t stop coming, crying out her name too.
Her pussy clenched him in a rhythmic velvet grip, her entire body wracked with the tremors of her climax and he held her close, stroked her hair.

  Realized he was falling in love with her, didn’t want her to ever leave his side.

  He had it bad.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Whatever you do, don’t go on that trashy website TMI.”

  Maddie sat straighter at the worry in Brittney’s tone. It certainly snapped her out of the dreamy state she’d been in since arriving home late last night.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You don’t know?”

  “Know what?” Panic rose within her, and Maddie took a deep breath, telling herself it was no big deal.

  No big deal.

  “Okay, okay I didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news but go to TMI and check it out. You might have to scroll down a bit.”

  Maddie immediately typed in the web address, and the site loaded within seconds. Scrolling down, she stopped when she saw the headline.

  Singer and Ex-wife Caught Kissing!

  Beneath it was a distant, fuzzy photograph of Paula Robinson in a red dress, her hand wrapped around the back of Tanner’s neck. Their mouths fused in what looked to be a passionate kiss, though he held himself away from her. In fact he looked ready to bolt.

  She felt nauseous. It didn’t matter what he looked like. The proof was there.

  He had kissed his ex-wife.

  “Read the article,” Brittney murmured. “It’s short, doesn’t have much information. I don’t know if it’s true or not but, honey, pictures don’t lie.”

  Maddie examined the photo closely, saw that Tanner wore the same clothes he’d worn Saturday night. Realization dawned on her.

  Did this all happen Saturday night when she’d been inside talking to his friends? She didn’t remember Paula being there. She had never even seen her or heard her name mentioned.

  But Tanner had gone missing for a while, she didn’t know how long. And he’d been awfully aggressive that night, sexually. Downright possessive and even a little angry. She’d blamed it on jealousy and at the time she hadn’t minded, had been incredibly aroused by it all, but now it all made sense.