by Amy Brent
I pulled away and stared at him for a long moment as his gaze locked with mine. We took some time with the relationship, not talking about living together or anything too soon. We still spent the night together almost every night, but his words changed everything. “I am, too. Will you move here or do you want to get another place?” We had a lot of memories here now, and he kissed me softly as I closed my eyes.
“This will do until we can get a house after graduation. I just need to know I’m waking up with you every morning and go to sleep with you every night,” Cole said against my mouth before he kissed me again.
Six months later, Cole was taking me from behind before we had to leave for school in just a few minutes. I held on to the sheets and pressed back against him as I cried out his name. Cole held onto my hips as he thrust deep and hard and moaned my name before I exploded and screamed with my release. I dropped to the bed and took a ragged breath and closed my eyes. “I don’t want to go to class,” I murmured as he rolled onto his side next to me and pulled me close.
“Let’s stay in bed,” Cole suggested as I opened one eye and looked at him. He moved and reached over to his side of the bed and looked back at me with a smile. “We can celebrate with dinner later.”
“Celebrate what?” I asked as I crawled up to the pillows and curled up.
He held up a dark velvet box, and my mouth dropped open. “I’ve been friends with you for so long now, Lis. We’ve been through a lot as friends and lovers now, and I want you to be my wife. I want you in my life forever. Will you marry me?”
I moved quickly and pounced on him with renewed energy as I kissed him. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, baby. I should’ve planned a bigger event to ask you and I was going to, but I had the ring, and we were here. It struck me to ask you now.” He gave me a rueful grin as I smiled and wiped at the tear sliding down my cheek. “Can you forgive me?”
“Yes, Cole. I can’t believe this,” I sobbed as he opened the box and pulled out the ring. “I can’t wait to marry you.” He took my shaking hand and slipped the ring on my finger before he rolled me over and stared into my eyes.
“You’re mine, baby. I love every part of you, and I know that I can’t live without you. I am aware that you need to be in my future, now and forever.” I looked from his face to the ring, a band of smaller diamonds that surrounded a bigger stone, though nothing that was gaudy or too big for my smaller hand. It was simple and beautiful and almost more than I felt that I was worthy of in my darker moments.
“It’s beautiful, Cole,” I kept staring at it as the tears slid down my cheeks and wonder filled my heart. “So beautiful.” That was the only day that I skipped school, to stay in bed with him making love before we went out to dinner to celebrate over candlelight with wine.
We got married at a small, quaint church a year later after we graduated, ready to start our new lives. Our families were there; both of our parents with their latest significant others of a few months and seemingly happy. I’d like to think that it was a typical family situation, but deep down I understood that it was far from that. I was happy, though, and my new husband loved me completely and without end, and that I loved him just as much.
Thanks to a bad batch of birth control pills, I surprised Cole with a pregnancy two months after the wedding, and we had something else to adjust to. He took it with stride and hurried in finding us a starter house and working on it daily so it was ready for our new arrival. I was sick through most of the nine months and ended up staying home instead of finding a job, but Cole took that responsibility on and did that for me as well.
We made love every night before we fell asleep together, me with raging hormones thanks to the baby and him with the last hint of energy sometimes. It was sweet and slow sometimes and at other hard and fast. I was insatiable. I needed everything that he could give me.
Our daughter Elena Rose was born in the Fall, and after a long birth, I snuggled her in my arms and looked down at her tiny, beautiful face wrapped in her pink blanket while Cole sat with me on the bed to stare at her with me. We were alone after a long day, and I felt the tears in my eyes as I turned my head to look at him. “She’s so pretty. Isn’t she pretty, Cole?”
“Beautiful, just like you, baby,” Cole told me as he slipped an arm around me and kissed my hair before he pressed his lips gently to her soft forehead.
“She was worth it, all of it,” I declared, finally at peace with everything. I’d heard that before from people and never quite got it, but I wouldn’t trade anything for this moment; for my daughter. Life was going to change drastically, and we’d have a lot to adjust to, but I was confident that I could handle all of that with Cole by my side.
I knew that we could take on the world. We’d already been through so much, all for this. All for her.
Stay with me
PROLOGUE
Brett
I stood up and glanced down at the blonde spread out on the bed as I ran my hand through my hair. She was one of many as I nursed my way through a crazy point in my life and I dressed quietly so I could make my way out of her hotel room without waking her up.
It was another night at another bar, with a different woman. I ordered a cab to the bar that was a few blocks away, too tired to walk to my car now of night. Once I was in the parking lot, I got into my brand-new Range Rover and pushed the button as I took a deep breath.
I had the craziest story of anyone that I knew.
I drove home to my apartment on the water and dropped into bed as I pictured Larisa in my mind. She was a one-night-stand that turned into a stepdaughter briefly after I married her mother after a whirlwind relationship. Rayna, her mom, was gorgeous but once I realized who her daughter was, I regretted my choice. Of course, I ended up sleeping with Larisa again for a short time, who was also sleeping with my son and ultimately ended up with him once the dust settled. They were happily married with a son now, and I divorced Rayna soon after Larisa ended things between us. My ex-wife didn’t seem to have a hard time meeting a new man that had a large bank account before I even moved out of her house, so she was doing fine. They were both doing fine, and I was sleeping with various women to get over the memories of Larisa that I still had. I blamed myself for clinging so tightly to them.
I never told her and wouldn’t, but she felt incredible under me, on her knees in front of me and sucking my cock. Larisa was beautiful and one of the women that I wanted more with, but we had too much of an age range between us and we were in different parts of our lives.
That and I knew how much Cole loved her. I saw that when we had our threesome, just once. It was hot, but things changed rapidly after that night, breaking my heart more than I’d ever admit. I’d deal with it for her happiness as well as my son’s.
I just might leave a trail of women behind me as I fucked my way through the pain.
CHAPTER 1
Brett
I showered in the morning, rinsing my hair with the hot water as I closed my eyes. I didn’t drink too much last night knowing that I had to work today but the small amount hit me a lot harder at thirty-nine than it had at the age of twenty-nine.
I had a new assistant starting at work today, replacing one of five years that had a baby and decided to stay home with her new daughter during her maternity leave. This woman was named Amy Norden, and I’d admired her curves from the moment I interviewed her with a few colleagues. She had a stellar resume, and there was no reason not to hire her since the mortgage business was picking up on a weekly basis.
There was also no reason not to hit on her, even though it was inappropriate. I was a good-looking man, and I knew that she’d likely want it as well. Why not spice things up at work? I seemed to lose all my ethics fucking my wife and stepdaughter at the same time, so where was my line? It was only coming up on two years since everything ended and I had a window to keep screwing up.
Besides, I was the CEO. I controlled the company.
I dressed in a crisp whit
e shirt and a pair of my fitted slacks, leaving my green tie around my neck as I ran some product through my hair to keep it controlled to the tousled look that women seemed to enjoy. I always brought a jacket with me in case I met with any clients, but I didn’t wear it in the office. I knotted the tie before I went out to my car and made the short drive to my office. I lived in Colorado when I was still married, which was where Rayna and Larisa lived, working from home or the local office and traveling when needed. Once all of that ended, I made the move back to California and started working in that local office daily again. LA was fast and exciting, keeping me busy and amid dating a lot of women.
I thought back to Colorado as I parked my car in the garage under the building, a place where I cooked dinners and spent time with the family that I had for a fleeting moment. Now I grabbed take-out on the way home or just drank my dinner at a bar, making me shake my head as I got out of the car and draped my jacket over my arm before I headed across the lot to the elevator. I was one of the first ones in the office, and I greeted the few that were already there, getting their computers warmed up and gulping down hot coffee from the Keurig machines in the large break room. I felt the way that the women looked at me with that familiar flush in their cheeks, but I was only interested in my new assistant at this moment. I’d certainly slept with a few of them here since returning, but now I was only focused on one woman.
I turned the corner and saw the curvy brunette standing by the desk that was going to be hers, wearing a pencil skirt and white silk buttoned shirt that many women wore to the office, but she filled it out perfectly. I let my eyes slide down her body to see her black heels with the red bottoms that were so popular and my cock hardened in my pants. Just then, I saw her turn her head and met her deep blue gaze as she raised an eyebrow at me. “Good morning, Miss Norden,” I greeted her as she watched me approach her.
“Call me Amy, since I will be assisting you,” she suggested as her full red lips curved into a scornful smile. I liked her already, and I shifted on my feet to try and hide the evidence of that.
“Call me Brett,” I replied as I opened my office door to set my things down. “I’ll show you around since I need some coffee.” I took her to the break room and showed her everything that we offered employees, making a strong cup of black coffee for myself while she chose to fix a Chai tea latte. I showed her where the restrooms were as well and then we went back to my office, where she sat across from me at my large cherry wood desk. “You have a top-of-the-line Mac at your desk loaded with all of the software that you’ll need. I am also providing you with an iPad for taking any notes as well as other mobile tasks, a cell phone strictly for business as well as access to my business email in case you have to handle any of my communications.” I leaned back before I sipped my coffee, taking in her pale skin and big eyes as I shifted again in my seat. I listed some of the software that we used, and she nodded a few times to indicate that she was familiar with it.
“So, are you the kind of man that wants a beck and call girl as well as an assistant?” Amy asked in a gentle drawl as I tilted my head. I didn’t notice that during the interview.
“Depends on what you’re offering,” I joked lightly as she surveyed me with a keen gaze. “Where are you from?” I asked as she sipped her coffee.
“Born in Tennessee and lived there until I was fifteen. Mom moved here when my parents split, and I kept the accent since I was homesick for quite some time,” Amy responded as I nodded. “I suppose it’s grown on me now.” She shrugged easily.” Mom was in real estate for years, sparking my interest. I skipped the selling part and got into mortgage end of things. The idea of driving people around to see houses doesn’t appeal to me at all.”
“You’ll see clients here as well,” I reminded her as I dropped my eyes to her lips for a long moment.
“That I can handle,” she told me as she frowned. “Do you look at all of your assistants like they’re a piece of steak?”
“You’re beautiful,” I told her, leaning forward as I cleared my throat.
“Thanks, but you’re my superior, and I want this job. I don’t want to lose it because of a tryst with you,” Amy assured me as I stared at her in surprise. “You’re not that charming, so stop trying.”
Even my former assistant flirted with me before announcing her pregnancy, and she was married for five years. I glanced at Amy’s hands and saw no ring as she shook her head. “Somehow I think that wouldn’t stop you.”
“You’re probably right,” I replied as she rolled her shoulders back and sighed. I wanted this woman, and I knew that I’d stop at little to prove it to her. “Can we have dinner tonight?”
“Stop this now. I am here for a job,” Amy reminded me even though I could see the want in her eyes. “Is there anything else we need to go over?”
I took her to her desk and showed her everything on her computer as people passed us with various greetings. Amy was friendly but stuck to business as we went over the few things that she was interested in, nodding as she watched me. I made a point to lean a little closer to her to get a hint of the sweet scent that I noticed, something spicy that reminded me of the Fall. Damn, she smelled good, and she tensed as she sensed my closeness. “Let me know if you need anything. This is a direct line to my office,” I showed her a button, and she nodded as I walked through my door and cracked it, just in case.
I was losing my touch. Amy didn’t seem to be affected by me in the least, even with the small amount of heat that I saw in her eyes. I laughed as I realized that it was just her first day. I had plenty of time to wear her down, and I turned on my computer to check some emails as I finished my first cup of coffee. There were plenty after the weekend, and I sent some responses back as well as making some phone calls to some of the top clients. There were always things to discuss, and I tested Amy out by sending her a message on the computer to make a reservation at one of the best restaurants in the city for Wednesday at noon.
She messaged back telling me that it was done and I nodded in approval. She knew her way around an office based on her resume and seemed to be efficient with her tasks. Maybe I’d make a dinner reservation for Friday night since I was confident that she’d be my willing companion by that time.
For this week, I had Aria to satisfy me. She was a local escort that I visited on the regular since she gave one of the best blowjobs I’d had and she was better with each visit. I sent her a text telling her to expect me later and set my phone on the desk as I rubbed my hand over my groin for a moment, listening to Amy chat with one of the girls out in the main room. I’d have her soon enough, bent over my desk or bed as I slapped that juicy ass of hers.
The day went smoothly with Amy picking up well and making my job easier. I noticed that she had lunch with a few of the other assistants and watched them leave as she turned her head to look at me while the others giggled. They’d line up for me, and this one was acting untouchable.
That would change. I took in her body for another moment before I turned to head back into my office.
CHAPTER 2
Brett
I told Amy to have a good evening before I left for Aria’s apartment, catching her gaze as she looked up at me. She looked as beautiful as she had this morning, not flustered in the least. Not that I could see anyway. I took a cab across town and knocked on Aria’s door with some Thai food from the corner in my hand, starving since I’d sexted my way through lunch instead of eating. She opened it with a sultry smile on her pink lips, and her silky blonde hair loose around her shoulders. Aria was dressed in a skimpy black dress and heels, and she let me in as I pecked her cheek. We weren’t close by any means, but I was here enough to know her better than some people in my life. “Smells good. You’re going to spoil me,” Aria told me in her light, flirty voice as I set the bag on her glass coffee table.
“How about you spoil me first?” I asked as my cock strained against my pants. I turned and unzipped my pants as her green eyes shimmered and she licked her
lips. “Get on your knees.”
She walked over to me and dropped before me as I watched her tongue glide over my head. I grabbed her head and forced myself into her mouth as she moaned around my cock, my image of her blurring with the one in my head of Amy taking me, making me harder. The idea made me grab her harder as I forced myself in and out of her mouth, making it all Amy in my mind. How would she look like this, taking me hard and fast?
I heard a moan and someone shift as Aria tried to control the situation and slow down the pace. I stared down at her, disappointed with the blonde hair and lack of enthusiasm. “Fuck this. Get on the bed and take that dress off,” I told her as Aria looked up at me, knowing how much I enjoyed a good blow job. She stood and did as I asked, revealing her bare breasts and tight waist before I told her I wanted her from behind. I didn’t want to see her, ruining my fantasy and she nodded and climbed on her mattress as I climbed up behind her, kicking off my pants and shoes on the way. I grabbed at one of the condoms and slipped it on before I grasped her hips and thrust inside of her.
I closed my eyes and imagined Amy in front of me, tight and wet. It was a relief to have Larisa drifting from my mind, and I held onto my fantasy as I took her hard and fast, releasing early as she cried out for her own. It took all I had not to call Amy’s name as I shot inside of the latex, feeling her tighten weakly around me to gain her own release. Jesus, I spoiled Aria. She was an escort and here to please me, not the other way around. I pulled out of her as she turned and gave me a dark look before sitting down to face me. “You used to care about my pleasure too.”
