by Parker, Ali
“Do you think he knows the engagement is fake?” she asked.
“I don’t know, maybe. Then what am I supposed to say?” I asked, feeling like I was navigating a minefield.
“You can’t admit it. That could ruin everything and then you are right back to losing your job and making a very serious enemy. If he does say something like he suspects Grayson is using you, pretend to be innocent,” she advised me.
“I know.”
In the back of my mind, I thought about my promise to Grayson. I told him there would be no more secrets. I had to tell him Jack called me and asked to meet. I knew it would probably spark a fight between them, but my loyalty had to lie with Grayson. For some reason, it wasn’t hard for me to choose him. I liked having him on my side and I wanted to return the favor.
“Are you going to tell him?” she asked.
She knew me well. “I am. I have to. I can’t face him again and not tell him something might be happening behind his back. I promised him I wouldn’t keep secrets from him.”
“When?”
“I guess tomorrow night,” I said on a sigh, not looking forward to the conversation.
“I don’t envy you.”
I laughed. “Me either.”
“I think you should just go with the flow. Don’t rock the boat and do not get yourself mixed up in some family squabble,” she warned.
“I will do my very best not to do that. Thank you for talking to me. I can always count on you to help set me back to rights.”
She burst into laughter. “I don’t know about that, but I’m here if you need me. I know this hasn’t been easy. While I can’t say I like what he’s making you do, I am glad you get to stay on.”
“Thank you.”
She stood up, looked down at me, and raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay? You look a little flushed.”
I smiled. “I’m fine, thank you.”
I was not going to admit to having an orgasm in the conference room with my fiancé’s hand between my thighs. Some things were better left unsaid.
I stood up, grabbed the paperwork from the meeting, and headed for my office. I needed to tell Jack something, but I wasn’t sure what. If I put him off, I could make him suspicious. If I met with him, I knew it would make Grayson angry.
Chapter 21
Grayson
I wanted to show Hannah off. It would be great publicity while getting the investors off our backs and shutting down the naysayers. Of course, there would still be some people who would print hateful crap, but at least the positive would far outweigh the negative.
When the limo parked in front of her building, she was already in the lobby. I had a feeling she didn’t want me in her place for one reason or another. That was fine. She could keep her little private domain for now.
“Are you ready?” I asked her, leading her with her hand on my arm to the limo.
“I hope so.”
“You look beautiful. That blue dress is going to photograph really well,” I told her, meaning every word.
She laughed. “I never thought I would be dressing for the media, but I guess there is a first time for everything. Where exactly are we going?”
“The Monarch Rooftop. I may have dropped a little hint we would be there enjoying some predinner drinks before a quiet dinner at my place,” I told her.
She grimaced. “I hate that we have to tell them anything.”
“I know and I’m sorry about that. I’m not normally so public about my private life, but I figure we’ll only need to do this a couple more times and it will calm the fears.”
She nodded. “Fine.”
I noticed she sat in the seat opposite mine and smiled. She was afraid I’d give her another orgasm. I had thought about it, but tonight, I would give her the real thing. When the limo stopped, we climbed out and were met by a series of flashing bulbs.
“Smile,” I told her as we made our way inside and up to the bar. The paparazzi wouldn’t be allowed, but anyone with a cell phone would suffice.
I pulled out her chair for her, acting the perfect gentleman before ordering her a glass of white wine and a scotch on the rocks for myself. At first, we were both a little on edge, unable to ignore the very bad sneaky attempts to take our picture.
“Tell me what got you into the makeup business,” I asked her.
She laughed. “It’s actually a story I have told my investors.”
“Really? Tell me.”
“Well, it was during my college days when I didn’t always have a lot of extra cash to spend on things like beauty products. I tried to skimp where I could. Needless to say, I skimped in the wrong department. I bought some weird off-brand mascara. I had a big date that night and wanted to look good, so I splurged on new makeup. An hour after I applied it, my eyes were practically swollen shut, my lips were swollen to the point I looked like a goldfish, and I was convinced I would die,” she said with a smile.
“That sounds awful!” I said, truly aghast.
She laughed. “It was. I ended up having to go to the emergency room. There was something in the mascara that gave me an allergic reaction. I missed the date, had a huge medical bill, and no makeup because there was no way I was touching anything in my makeup bag again. That’s when I started to do some research and discovered all the crap they put in makeup. Fast forward a few years, and my company was born.”
“Wow. That’s really amazing. I love that it was your own personal experience that inspired you. No wonder your customers are so loyal,” I said with real understanding.
She nodded. “I think so. I could understand the need for a good quality makeup that didn’t cost a small fortune, which is why I was so reluctant to raise my prices. I felt like I was betraying my core beliefs.”
“I understand. It makes sense.”
I loved that she gave me that little glimpse into her life. It shed some light on who she was and why she was so willing to lose everything to stay loyal to her customers. That was not something that was easy to come by in this day and age. I appreciated and valued it. We spent the next hour chatting and getting to know each other better. I loved the way she laughed at my jokes and some of the stories I told her about getting into trouble with my brothers when we were younger.
“Are you ready to get out of here?” I asked her.
“Sure.”
“I have a meal already prepared for us,” I promised.
She grinned. “I bet you do.”
She was beginning to know me. It was true. I wanted to get her into bed. Sitting with her was making me crazy. I wanted to have my hands all over her. She was a beautiful creature and I couldn’t seem to get enough of her.
When we arrived back at my place, the table had already been set for two and all I had to do was pull the roasted chicken out of the oven. I served it up, poured more wine, and enjoyed a relaxed evening with her.
“What about this wedding?” I asked her.
“What about it? You actually want to have a wedding?” she asked with surprise.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, we’ve got to be married, my kid has to be born in wedlock. I think,” I murmured, not entirely sure of the details but having a feeling my dad would have wanted it that way.
“I don’t know how to plan a fake wedding. I don’t know how to plan a real wedding for that matter. Am I supposed to wear white?” she said before bursting into laughter.
“I don’t have a clue what the social etiquette is for an arranged marriage. If you want to wear white, you should.”
She nodded. “I don’t think I do, but I’ll mull it over. I can’t imagine dress shopping and telling the person I need a dress for a wedding that I’m already planning my divorce.”
I smiled. “Maybe don’t lead with that. Do you want to keep it small?”
She nodded. “Absolutely. I don’t know that many people I like anyway. I certainly don’t need any additional witnesses to the crime. Is it a crime?”
“I don’t think so. In my
opinion I’m the rightful heir anyway. I’m just securing it.”
“Okay, that works. I don’t know. I have like ten people I would want to invite. I really don’t get out much and I really don’t have any friends. I know that makes me sound lame, but if you’re going to marry me, you need to know all the dirty details.”
I laughed. “Me either. I mean, I have few friends. I have a lot of people that call me their friend, but the feeling is not mutual. I’m afraid my family will be the bulk of the guest list and that’s only because they have to be. It’s like some unwritten rule.”
“Amber has to be my maid of honor. She’ll kill me if I get married without her, even if it isn’t for real,” she said with complete seriousness.
I groaned. “I have a friend, you’ll have to meet him soon before he disowns me, Justin Roth. He’s demanded he be my best man. He has like twenty-eight kids or something that we can use to fill the roles of flower girl and all that,” I told her in a dry voice.
She was truly laughing, expertly wiping her eyes to avoid smearing her makeup. “Twenty-eight kids? Why don’t you just borrow one of his?”
We were kindred spirits. I knew it in that moment. I couldn’t help but grin. “Actually, I did suggest it. He’s expecting twins soon. I asked if I could borrow one for a few months. He shot me down.”
“Bastard,” she hissed, completely serious before she started laughing again.
“That’s what I said. Selfish prick. How many babies does one guy need. I promised to return it unharmed.”
She was shaking her head. “I cannot believe you actually asked him.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “You had the same idea as I did. Don’t pretend you’re better than me.”
She got serious all of a sudden. “We cannot get married in a chapel. We will both be struck by lightning. If there’s holy water, we will be burned. The church will burn to the ground around us.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. I had never laughed so much in my life or at least not since I was in college and carefree. “Okay, no churches. How about a hotel?”
She nodded. “Okay, but nothing too fancy. And we cannot serve shellfish at the reception.”
“Um, I don’t know why that matters, but okay. No shellfish. You’re the bride, it’s your wedding and you can do what you want,” I said, slapping my hand on the tabletop.
“It is. I want to be a bridezilla for a day and order people around and I’m going to find the ugliest dress in the world and tell Amber she has to wear it.”
“That’s mean.”
She shook her head. “No, you have to get a powder blue tux with those ruffles down the front and make your friend wear one too.”
I shook my head. “Nope. I draw the line at powder-blue. I do not wear pastel anything.”
She rolled her eyes. “Now who’s being the diva?”
“When?” I blurted out, anxious to get this thing on the books.
Her eyes went wide. “I don’t know. How soon are you thinking?”
“Yesterday?” I teased.
“Don’t we have to make reservations like a year in advance or something like that?”
I waved a hand through the air. “All I have to do is throw around my name and a little extra money. I’m not waiting a year. I can’t wait a year.”
“You can’t boot another couple from the list. That’s rude,” she protested.
“Would that be bad karma?” I teased.
“Absolutely! We’ll surely be headed for divorce.”
We both burst into laughter, knowing that was exactly what was going to happen. We tossed around a few more ideas, including whether or not we should use black and red as our colors. It seemed fitting, according to her, since it was a match made in hell.
The more we talked and joked, the more I felt my desire growing. I was hard-pressed not to swipe the table clean with one arm and fuck her right there on the table. I had to tell myself a hundred times this was not that kind of relationship. We could be attracted to each other on a purely carnal level. It didn’t go any deeper than that. It couldn’t.
“How about black roses for my bouquet?” she said, her eyes wide and sparkling with tears from the intensity of our laughter.
I snapped. In that moment I snapped. I couldn’t resist the urge another second and jumped out of my seat. Then grabbing her arms and yanking her up in front of me, I slammed my mouth against hers. I tasted the wine and kept plunging deeper. I wanted to consume her. I was being rough and maybe a little too aggressive, but I couldn’t stop myself.
I expected her to shove me away, but she didn’t. Instead, her arms wrapped around me, pulling me close, her body crushing against mine as her tongue pushed back against my own, fighting for entry into my mouth. Oh, the woman was making me crazy, pushing me beyond all reason as I thought about the many different ways I was going to make her come.
I stepped away, reached down, and picked her up, carrying her to my bedroom so I could fulfill all the fantasies that had been running through my mind all night long. The only way I could get over this thing I had for her was to completely gorge myself on her body until I no longer wanted her.
Chapter 22
Hannah
I wanted him more than I had ever wanted another man. I was yanking his shirt off as fast as I could, wanting to get my mouth on all that hot skin. His hands were roaming over my body, before he spun me around.
“Don’t move,” he ordered, and I stopped. I didn’t even draw a breath as he slowly unzipped my dress.
I had picked my lingerie with him in mind. It was a lot of ribbons and very little fabric. It was not my normal style, but when I had seen the little black number hanging in the window of the adult store, I knew I had to have it.
“What the fuck is this?” he growled low in his throat, pushing the dress from my shoulders before slowly turning me back around to face him.
I smiled. “I picked it out for you.”
He reached out and ran a hand over one of the thin strips of fabric that formed an X over each nipple. The strip connected to a few more ribbons that crossed over my ribs to that tiny black bit of fabric between my legs.
“I like it. Walk for me,” he ordered.
I looked down at my feet and moved to kick off my heels.
“No, leave them on.”
I nodded, spinning around and walking to his door before stopping and walking back toward him. He watched me under hooded lids. His desire was fueling my own. I could feel the scrap of material between my legs growing moist.
“Sit on the bed.”
I walked past him, running my hand across his bare chest, then sat on the bed, with perfect posture, my breasts thrust out.
“Like this?” I asked.
He shook his head, looking down at my closed knees.
I slowly opened them. “Like this?”
He nodded, walking toward me, then stood in between my legs, before he dropped to his knees. I gasped at the close proximity of his face to my crotch.
“Put your legs on my shoulders. I want to see this thing up close and personal.”
I felt my heart skipping a beat in my chest as I lifted one leg and then the other, resting them on his bare shoulders.
His hand reached out to trace the length of wide ribbon that was passing for panties. In one hard yank, he tore it away from my center, leaving me completely exposed to him. His fingers pushed inside me, no warning at all.
I cried out, the pleasure slamming into me as he looked up at me, watching my face with such intensity I almost came on his fingers, which were buried deep inside my body. He pulled them out, slowly licking one then the other. I felt liquid pool between my legs at the sight of him licking my juices from his fingers.
“You taste so good,” he murmured, his face diving between my legs, his tongue lashing out and lapping up the juices freely flowing.
“Oh God!” I cried out, unable to stop the immediate orgasm from rolling through my body.
I was
a little embarrassed by my body’s reaction to him. He had an uncanny knack for making me come with very little effort at all. He feasted on my pussy, carrying me right through the orgasm and taking me to the brink of a second one before pulling back, his lips wet as he looked up at me, slowly licking them with his tongue.
My legs dropped from his shoulders as he stood up. I reached out for his pants and quickly unfastened them, pushing them down his legs before going after his briefs with unrestrained lust.
“Take me into your mouth,” he demanded, holding his erect cock in his hands.
I nodded before reaching out to grab it. With his free hand, he slapped my hand away. I immediately understood what he wanted. I used my tongue to lick around the head, slowly covering it with my mouth before I sucked hard. I heard him inhale through his teeth.
“Take me deeper,” he demanded, his hand still wrapped around the base of his cock.
I slid my mouth down, my lips brushing against his knuckles as I tried to take him deeper. I pulled back, only to feel both of his hands on my head, holding me against him. I gulped, sucking him in farther, hearing him moan. It encouraged me to take him in even more before sucking in my cheeks as I slid up the length of him.
“Holy fuck,” he roared, ripping his cock from my mouth, which made a popping sensation, as he pulled me to my feet, lifted me under my ass, and dropped me onto his dick.
“Oh shit!” I cried as he completely filled me in one stroke.
My body cried out at the shock of being penetrated before breaking into a series of spasms, sucking him in deeper, squeezing his dick as I orgasmed against him. Moaning as he buried his face between my tits, sucking and biting as my body convulsed.
He dropped me to my feet, walked me backward to the wingback chair at the end of the bed before turning me around.
“Grab the back of the chair. I’m going to fuck you from behind,” he growled.
I nodded, my pussy muscles quivering in anticipation of his promise. I held on to the back of the chair, bending over. His hand snaked up and pulled at the ribbons crisscrossed over my back, tightening them hard against my nipples, pinching them as he did so.
