DISCOVERY (Esquire Black Duet Book 1)

by Hayley Faiman

  Once I set her down on her feet, I begin to undress, keeping my eyes on hers. Brooklyn licks her lips as her body shivers, and my cock goes from half-mast to fully hard in seconds.

  When I’m completely naked, my clothes in a pile on the floor, I reach out and tug off her towel.

  She’s exposed to me, and absolutely delicious looking. I trace her nipples with my fingertips, careful not to touch the actual hardened buds.

  Moving down her body, I graze the backs of my fingers against her stomach, her sides, and then the mound of her pussy.

  She whimpers but doesn’t make a move or another sound.

  My good girl—for now.

  “What do you want, kitten?” I ask.

  Her eyes slowly open and she tips her lips in a small smile. “You, Lucas, just you,” she whispers.

  It hits me like a goddamn freight train. If I could give her me, I would. She would be the person I would want to have all of me. Her softness, her humor, her drive for her career.

  Everything about her calls to me.

  It’s not just one thing that makes me desire her, it’s everything. Then, there’s the simple fact that she’s the best fuck I’ve ever had.

  I’ve never fucked a woman, and then craved more of her, not the way I do with Brooklyn. I was right, one time with her couldn’t possibly ever be enough.

  Even without the sex, when it’s just the two of us talking or eating, they’ve been the happiest moments I’ve had with a woman in years.

  She makes me smile, and as fucking corny as it sounds, she does so from the inside out.

  I want to know more of her—not just more. No, I want to know all of her. When I do, I still don’t think that it will be enough.

  I have a feeling that I will continue to desire more. It’s fucking dangerous, not only to her but to me as well.

  I give her my signature smirk before I speak, hiding the truth behind my eyes.

  “You got it, beautiful. Sit on the edge of the bed and spread for me. We’re going to see how limber your yoga classes have made you tonight.”

  She laughs. It’s a low, sexy sound. No longer is she the terrified woman from just hours ago. She’s back to my woman.

  My Brooklyn.

  She lowers her ass to the edge of her bed and does exactly what I’ve asked of her. Spreading her thighs wide, her inhibitions slowly fading away, she shows me her pretty pink pussy.

  Yeah, this I’ll take.

  I’ll give her my protection and my cock—nothing more.

  I can’t afford to fuck us up, which is what I’ll do, inevitably.

  Chapter Thirteen

  BROOKLYN

  Lucas drops me off at work with a lingering kiss. I feel off balance as I step out of his fancy car. He makes me feel completely off kilter.

  He grins knowing exactly what he does to me before informing me that he’ll be by around six this evening to take me home.

  I give him a wooden nod, then turn and hurry into my office building. Kay greets me at the door, her eyes round as I hurry past her.

  She’s going to say something, and I’m not really ready to hear it from her, or anyone else.

  “Brooklyn,” she calls out just when I think I’m free of her.

  I stop and turn around, my spine stiffening as I wait for her to speak. Her eyes roam over my face before she speaks again.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, sweet girl,” she whispers.

  I feel her words fill me up. They are more than just words. She means them from the depth of her being.

  It’s too bad that I’m so lost in Lucas that those words, and that worry, don’t even touch me.

  I give her a jerky nod, my heart slamming against my ribcage. I don’t want to get hurt either, but know that it’s inevitable at this point.

  “I don’t want to, either,” I admit with a murmur.

  “That man,” she hisses, shaking her head. “I’ve never heard of him dating anybody. No girlfriends, just his reputation with his recently ex-clients. I don’t know what this means for you, but I don’t see good things.” She frowns.

  It takes everything inside of me not to cry. I feel an overwhelming sense of anxiousness. I blame Lucas. I want him, and the more he’s around me and inside of me, the more I want him. The more I want to keep him.

  Kay’s concerns bring everything back to reality though. The bubble that I’m in when it’s just me and Lucas, it isn’t real.

  He isn’t real, not in a way that will last, anyway. Waking up next to his warm body surrounding mine, making breakfast for him, and having him in my daily life, it’s starting to fuck with me.

  I want it all with him, and I know to want that, to hope and dream for that, is futile.

  I’ve always been the kind of girl who goes for what she wants, consequences be damned.

  I wanted to get into law school, I fucking made that shit happen.

  I wanted to work in child advocacy, I made that happen, too. I badgered, and annoyed, and drove people crazy getting the internship I desired, same with the job I have now.

  I’m not a quitter.

  Nothing has been out of my grasp because I won’t let it be—nothing but Lucas fucking Black.

  Getting behind his thick walls, that is out of my grasp. I don’t even have to try, to know that.

  The man is locked up tighter than any person I’ve ever met. I’m not someone who backs down from a challenge, but I also don’t want to push him when he so obviously has his guard up for a reason.

  He’s untouchable, unreachable, and in the end, I will be the one left broken—not him.

  Closing my eyes for a moment, I sigh, maybe I’m a masochist, because I’m willing to take him any way I can get him.

  I know no matter what, a relationship with Lucas Black will be nothing more than physical. No matter how badly I want it to be more. I will never know the man within.

  Perhaps being with him is just a learning experience, something I need to wake me up from my currently mundane life.

  Although, my heart doesn’t feel that way. My heart craves him just as badly as my body does, and I know that I’m going to end up completely destroyed.

  “Are you okay?” Kay asks, slowly approaching me.

  It wasn’t nice, the way I completely ignored her and walked to my desk, but I don’t want to talk about Lucas.

  I don’t want to admit aloud that I’m allowing him to fuck me, with no promise of more, even if we’re fucking exclusively.

  In reality, that’s all we’re doing, too—fucking. In the light of day, when I truly think about it, it doesn’t really feel that great.

  In fact, it makes me ache. In the moment, it’s exactly what I want, but as soon as we leave our bubble, I’m hit with nothing but harsh truths—with reality.

  “I’m okay.” I smile, but it’s fake as hell. “Lucas and I are just casual. Nothing major,” I shrug.

  The words taste bitter as they leave my mouth, and I want to shove them back inside, because they’re nothing but lies.

  Nothing about Lucas is casual, especially the sex and the way that he makes me feel.

  Yet, that’s exactly what it is—surface level.

  Shit.

  I hate it.

  Lillie would slap me if she knew what I was doing with him, if she knew that I was slowly falling for him.

  If she knew that he was just more than Esquire Asshole, that I felt more for him than I was letting on.

  I’m sure, based off of my emails, she thinks I’m just having some fun; but if she knew the truth…

  “Brooklyn. Fisher Dunning is here to see you,” calls out the receptionist.

  All thoughts of Lucas and Lillie leave as a little boy, followed by his grandmother, hurry toward my desk.

  My eyes lock in on Fisher’s face, and I frown. He doesn’t look the same as he did last time he was in here. He looks scared to death. He’s pale and trembling with each step he takes toward me.

  “Fisher, what’s happened?” I ask.
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  He shakes his head, his eyes wide and frantic.

  “It’s okay, honey, you need to tell her,” his grandmother encourages as she wraps her hands around his shoulders.

  “Someone was watching me at my school. They were standing at the fence and taking pictures,” he whispers.

  I press my lips together, trying to hide my concern. “Do you know for sure they were there for you?”

  He nods his head, moving so fast I wonder how he doesn’t have whiplash.

  “I went from one side of the playground to the other, and he followed me the whole time. He looked like one of the men my dad has had meetings with before. He was wearing a suit.”

  “Go sit over with Kay for a minute. Can you do that for me while I talk to your grandmother, please?” I ask, motioning to Kay, who is very focused on our conversation.

  I watch as she gives him a kind smile and urges him over to her desk. I know she’ll keep him occupied while I talk with his grandmother, maybe even find him a treat from the breakroom.

  “Mrs. Dunning,” I start, reaching out for her hand.

  She shakes her head and turns her gaze to mine. “The men my son associates with are not just worthless, but they’re also dangerous,” she whispers. “I’m worried that they’ll try to take him from me, either at Curtis’ request or for ransom.” She inhales deeply looking at the floor, then back up to me and shrugs slightly. “I’m probably overreacting.”

  My eyes widen at her words and accusations. “Are you in serious danger, Mrs. Dunning?”

  She must register my fright when she starts to shake her head. “No, we’re okay. I just…I want all of this to be over and done with,” she puffs.

  I nod in agreement, feeling the exact same way. I have no doubt that the men Curtis deals with are dangerous. The more I find out, the more frightened I am for poor Fisher.

  I know that she’s brushed the incident off, but I also know that both she and Fisher were rattled enough to come to me with their concerns.

  I can’t just ignore her words, there is more than a simple overreaction happening here.

  “If Fisher sees him again, at school or anywhere else, can you please encourage him to call the police? The more of a record they have of anything, and everything, the stronger his case will be to be able to continue to reside with you,” I explain.

  “Yes, we’ll make sure to do that. C’mon Fisher, let’s get going,” she calls out.

  I watch as Fisher stands up and immediately hurries to his grandmother’s side. He still looks terrified, and I want to pull him into my arms and comfort him.

  I don’t feel right about letting them walk out of my office. They need to be protected.

  “Any time at all that you feel uneasy, either one of you, please do not hesitate to call the police. Actually,” I say, holding up my hand.

  I open my desk drawer and pull out Detective Anderson’s card. I’ve got his number programmed into my phone, so I don’t need it anymore.

  Extending my hand, I hold the card out for Mrs. Dunning to take.

  “Call Detective Anderson. I’ll talk to him, and let him know that you may be in contact with him. If anybody can help, it will be him,” I promise.

  Mrs. Dunning looks relieved as she takes the card from my hand, and little Fisher looks hopeful.

  I don’t know if what I just did is the right thing or not, but I couldn’t let them leave without giving them something.

  My heart begins to ache, for a completely different reason as they both watch me for a moment before turning around. I hope that they’ll be alright.

  Mrs. Dunning seems capable, but she’s a woman living alone, and I know how scary that can be when someone is seemingly after you.

  As I watch them walk out of the office, my gut screams at me to do something else, something more.

  I cannot just sit back and watch them be terrorized. I grab my cellphone and quickly find Detective Anderson’s name.

  Anderson answers on the second ring, and I let out a sigh of relief. For the next fifteen minutes, I explain to him the situation.

  Just as I’d anticipated, he’s more than willing to help Mrs. Dunning and Fisher out anytime they need him. I thank him, and he grumbles which causes me to smile.

  After I hang up, I lean back in my chair and glance at my clock, surprised to see that it’s already three in the afternoon. I haven’t had lunch, and yet, I have no desire to even eat.

  I’m tired, and a ball of nerves, especially after the conversation with Fisher.

  His fears, and the fact that he said he was being watched, brings everything that I’ve been going through to the surface.

  My hands shake and I find myself staring into nothingness, trying to keep calm, trying not to cry.

  Curtis Dunning is bad news, and it’s not lost on me that all of this shit with the flowers, the calls, and now the note on my mirror started happening at the exact time this case began.

  I know it’s linked. I just have to figure out how it all goes together.

  I need to find out exactly what Curtis is into, and how deep it goes. I need to do all of this and keep my cool. I do not need to freak out at each and every bump in the road.

  LUCAS

  “You’ve been quite the topic of conversation, lately,” a voice announces.

  I look up to see Vivian Jones, one of the partners of this firm, walk through my door, closing it behind her.

  It’s not often that Vivian visits me, let alone unannounced.

  Tilting my head to the side, I lean back in my chair as I wait for her to continue. She gracefully floats over to the chair in front of my desk and sits down.

  Vivian is lovely. She’s in her late forties, not married, and from what I’ve gathered, has no desire to be. I see a lot of myself when I look at her.

  She’s smart, driven, and focused, which translates into being a workaholic, much like myself.

  “Have I?” I ask when she doesn’t immediately continue.

  She tips her lips in a coy smile. “Mr. Lucas Black, the un-gettable get, has been gotten,” she says.

  I furrow my brow, completely confused by her words. “Un-gettable get?” I ask.

  She laughs, her voice musical as her red lips part. “Yes, the man every woman in this office under the age of fifty swoons over. The successful bachelor. The George Clooney of this law firm.”

  I snort at her words. “Clooney got married,” I remind her, which causes her to laugh a little harder.

  “Oh, he did, didn’t he? Well, are you right on his heels, then?”

  I sigh, not understanding her words, or the reason for her visit. “Vivian, what are you saying, exactly?”

  She’s not a woman to fuck around, so I don’t understand what her deal is right now, I don’t have the patience to talk in circles. I keep my eyes level with hers and wait.

  I’m not going to ask again. I never ask a question more than once—this she knows. I’m commanding.

  In a standoff between two alphas, I’ll always come out on top. She’s an alpha-female, but there is no way in fuck she’ll top me in anything.

  She rolls her eyes, then cuts the shit, finally. “Okay, Black. Word is out. You’ve met a pretty little brunette that you can’t keep your hands off of. You’ve even gone back for seconds, something you never do, but dipping in there for thirds and fourths and so on? What’s the deal? Are you settling down?”

  I’m taken aback by her knowledge of my sex life with Brooklyn. I haven’t told anybody about my relationship with her.

  Hell, I don’t even quite know what it is myself. Vivian’s watching me. Assessing me. It’s then that I realize fucking Noah Kelly told her.

  Goddammit.

  “You shouldn’t listen to Noah. He’s like a talking asshole,” I bark, shifting in my seat.

  Her eyes sparkle as her lips curve up into a smile. “Oh, yes, I should listen to him, Lucas. Though I don’t have to because it’s written all over your face. You’re into the little girl. I hear
she’s only just passed the bar, how old is she, exactly?”

  I bristle at her question and the implication. It’s none of her fucking business.

  If I say that, she’ll just give me more shit. If I defend my relationship with her, or her in general, Vivian will think that there’s something more than what there is with Brooklyn, then I’ll never hear the end of it.

  Fuck that.

  My private life is just that, private. The last thing I need are a bunch of barracuda attorneys fucking with me or my woman.

  Right now, whether I verbally admit it or not, Brooklyn is just that—my woman.

  “Younger than I typically prefer. They get starry-eyed when they’re young like her. I’m making an exception because her body is tight and she has curves in all the right places, so I think I’ll hang on for a while,” I chuckle.

  I sound exactly like the fucking asshole that I am. However, I don’t want her thinking Brooklyn is as important as she is to me.

  I need Vivian, and Noah for that matter, to stay the fuck away.

  They’ll chew her up and spit her out, leaving her wondering what the fuck just happened. I won’t allow it, either.

  Vivian stands with a smirk. “Maybe daddy Black can guide her, after all, you’re good for more than just a few orgasms, Lucas. Help the little gazelle out in this cruel world,” she states before she turns and starts to walk away.

  “Gazelle?” I ask.

  Vivian turns and smiles widely. “You’re the lion, Lucas. Don’t pretend that you aren’t. You’ve caught your sweet little twenty-six-year-old gazelle. When you’re finished playing with her, you’ll eat her for lunch and toss out the bones. It’s what people like us do. We can’t resist the sweet ones, but they can’t handle us for the long term, and we’re not the kind of people to get tied down.”

  Vivian walks out of my office, her tight skirt hugging her small ass and long, lean legs.

  She knew exactly how old Brooklyn was, she just wanted to hear me say it.

  Shaking my head, I continue watching her as she walks away. She’s a beautiful woman, but a goddamn shark.