by A. C. Arthur
Chaz agreed. “A very smart idea.”
“And because we were also combining our families, the company names, our brands, it was going to be a huge slam dunk in the industry.”
“I remember.” His uncle had been beside himself with worry over how the Gold/Stone joining was going to affect his distributing.
“And I didn’t want to mess that up. I wanted RGF to not only remain on top, but to be so far ahead of the other fashion houses that they could only dream of catching up.” She sighed and shook her head. “But I messed up.”
Chaz rubbed a hand over her back and ignored the quick jolt of tenseness he felt in her with the touch. “You didn’t mess up. You made a choice. A very good one, I would say.”
She drank the rest of the whiskey, setting the glass down with another loud clunk when she was finished. “He cheated on me. I mean, I suspected all along that he had someone else but I’m not the type to hunt for clues to bust some guy. I was, however, the type to think once the wedding was over, it would stop. But there’s something about having proof slap you in the face. That was a defining moment for me.”
“And for Stone. It defined him as a jackass.”
She nodded and turned so that she was now leaning her back against the bar just like him. “And it made me the Ice Princess. But I’m fine with that as long as RGF stays on top. As long as I continue to do a good job for our company. Next week will be another defining moment for me. The launch of our new lines, the marketing plans, the promotion, the sales, all that success will hopefully erase the whole Ice Princess title and all the negative energy that goes with it. But then this goofy reporter throws it right back into the mix and I begin to shatter like a piece of glass.”
Chaz stepped in front of her. He cupped her face in his hands and tilted her head up slightly to stare into her eyes.
“There’s nothing fragile about you, Riley. You are the strongest, most goal-oriented and beautiful—on the inside and out—woman I know. No matter what that reporter or any other reporter says, I know who and what you are. But more important is that you know who you are and your family—the people who love and care about you—know. Everyone else, all those people who believe what’s printed on those blogs and in the papers, are idiots and don’t warrant a second of your time.”
Her full smile came slowly. The light it ignited in her eyes shone brightly. And the warmth that speared straight through Chaz’s heart spread wildly.
“You’re great for my ego.”
“Oh, really? Well, I’m glad I could be of some use.”
She eased her arms around his waist and pulled him closer. “I know of another way you can be useful.”
Chaz grinned. He let his hands slide away from her face, moving them down to her waist, where he planted them and lifted her up to sit on the bar. “You’re not the only smart one in this room, Ms. Riley Gold. I can think of more useful things I can do, as well.”
“Oh, really?” She reached behind her back and undid the snap at the back of her blouse before lifting it up and over her head. After tossing it to the floor she cupped a hand behind his head and pulled his face close to hers to whisper, “Show me.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
THIS WAS WHAT she needed tonight. Riley let her head loll back as Chaz’s mouth and tongue created a scorching hot path down the line of her neck, over her collarbone and between the valley of her breasts. She moaned and whispered his name when he unhooked her bra and cupped her heavy mounds. Her legs were spread wide and wrapped around his waist, her hands plastered to the back of his head to stop him if he dared try to discontinue the sweet torture.
“Just do it,” she crooned before sucking her bottom lip between her teeth and biting down in an attempt to hold in some of the desire bristling through her at the moment. The battle was lost the second he closed his mouth over one nipple and palmed the other breast.
“Yes. Take it. Take it all.” Riley arched into him, loving the hard suction of his mouth and the quick scrape of teeth over her sensitive skin.
He held the other breast in his palm, squeezing and releasing. Damn, she was on top of the bar in her house, a place she’d never dreamed of having sex.
Chaz pulled back and she groaned until his strong hands found the band of her skirt. In one quick motion he lifted her slightly off the bar, just enough to pull the skirt and her panties down and off her legs. The marble top was cool to her bare ass as Riley watched Chaz remove his jacket. She reached forward and grabbed for his shirt, yanking it so hard the buttons popped free. She pushed it over his massive shoulders and down his arms. He reached back into his wallet to find a condom while her hands moved busily over his belt buckle, button and zipper. She pushed the jeans and his boxers down as far as she could reach and heard him ripping the condom packet open.
“Now,” she whispered when her thighs began to tremble.
Her pussy ached for attention and her chest heaved with anticipation.
He sheathed himself and wrapped one arm around her waist to pull her closer to the edge of the bar top. She locked her legs around him again just as he thrust deep into her. They both yelled out at the quick and forceful meeting. And then he was pounding into her, taking her higher, faster than she’d ever imagined.
“You are everything,” he groaned. “So hot and tight around me, so damn wet, Riley.”
Riley was wet and he was easing in and out of her with a friction that touched every sensitive spot she possessed. At this moment her body was his and he was owning it completely. This was what she needed—to lose herself so completely.
“Harder!” Her hands clamped down on his shoulders, blunt-tipped nails digging into his skin. “Harder, Chaz! Take me harder!”
He obeyed her command, pumping into her so hard and fast their joining made a cupping sound that echoed throughout the room. She was going to fall right over the edge. She could feel her pleasure rising so high it had no choice but to fall gracefully. Or rather ungracefully as she yelled out his name the second her body trembled with the force of her orgasm.
“Yes!” Chaz yelled with her. “Give it to me! All for me, Riley. Give it all to me. Yes!”
She couldn’t have withheld it if she tried. Her legs shook around him, her arms trembled and her teeth almost bit hard into her lip as pleasure ripped through her like a tornado. He’d slowed his thrust only marginally, his arms going around her back, holding her tight against his chest as her essence poured over him.
His quick pace resumed moments later when her body was still filled with the hum of her release. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and pumped wildly into her as if he couldn’t hold back a moment longer.
“Riley.” Her name tore from his lips.
His teeth brushed over her skin.
“Riley. Dammit, Riley!”
His arms grew tighter around her and Riley locked her ankles at his back. She pressed closer to him, enjoying the sound of her name in his husky tone.
“You can come for me now,” she whispered, wanting him to do just that.
To empty himself into her so that they could be even and one. That was a jolting thought and before she could marinate on it any longer a painfully raw sound ripped from Chaz’s throat.
“For you!” he groaned and pounded into her so fast she grew breathless. “All. For. You.”
Riley’s head jerked as he punctuated those last words with deep and powerful thrusts that almost pushed her right over the bar. If he hadn’t been holding on to her so tightly she was sure she would have toppled over, but he was holding her. His arms were wrapped tightly around her as he pushed his dick into her and held completely still for endless seconds. The pounding of his dick as his release pulsed into the condom had her legs trembling.
Her back was arched and Chaz lowered his forehead to her chest. “Just you, Riley.”
The words were spoken slowly as he p
ulled slightly out and pushed back inside her. “Just you.”
* * *
She showered alone and Chaz used her guest bathroom.
After a few minutes, he stood at the sink and splashed water over his face once and then again in an attempt to clear his mind. When that didn’t work, Chaz grabbed one of the soft yellow towels from a rack and pressed it to his face. It smelled just like Riley—fresh, clean and impossibly feminine. He sighed as he pulled it away and looked into the mirror.
“What the hell are you doing?”
His deep brown eyes looked the same. The strong jaw and light dusting of a beard, the scar just above his eyebrow he’d had since he was six and the precisely lined shape-up he’d received earlier today at the barber—all of it looked the same. The man he’d always seen was staring back at him. And yet Chaz knew that was a total lie.
As he stood in Riley Gold’s guest bathroom all he could think about was going into her bedroom, getting into her bed and cuddling with her until they both fell asleep. He wanted to sleep with her again. Not sex. Sleep. Him. And Riley Gold.
That wasn’t something he would have even considered before.
It was insane.
And it was the truth.
He cursed.
This wasn’t the type of affair he’d envisioned when he proposed this idea. He hadn’t anticipated that feelings would go along with the mindless sex. And he knew that hadn’t been Riley’s plan, either. Yet, here they were sharing things about themselves they’d never intended to share with anyone. It was wild.
Talking to Riley the way he had, comforting her, feeling the overwhelming need to find Walt Stone and beat him senseless, none of that was part of an affair. At least, not in his world. Chaz was about his job, his company and living a drama-free life. It was what he’d worked so hard to achieve since he became an adult and it wasn’t negotiable. He had to get back on track.
At least, that was what his mind was saying. Other parts of him—the foreign part that never usually had a say where women were concerned—was leaning in a different direction. And for the first time in his life, Chaz didn’t know what to do.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
TWO DAYS LATER, Riley was still thinking about Chaz. To be honest, she hadn’t stopped thinking about him since returning from Milan. No matter how much she’d tried to deny it, the man was on her mind every day. And even more on the mornings after they’d been together. Luckily for Riley the last two days had been filled with meetings, reports and other Fashion Week festivities that had kept her and Chaz pretty busy. So busy that they’d resorted to communicating mostly via text messaging. That was why Riley’s phone was now on her desk only inches away from her keyboard as she reviewed the yearlong sales projections for the Golden Bride Collection.
Riley noted the time on the bottom of her computer screen and pulled her glasses off to rub her eyes. She’d been reading and taking notes for the last three hours. It was almost four in the afternoon and she toyed with the idea of getting out of the office at a decent hour today. But there was still so much work to get done before that was an option. She eased her glasses back into place just as a brisk knock sounded at her door.
“Come in!” she yelled and reached for the half-empty bottle of water on her desk.
“These are for you.”
Riley stopped drinking abruptly, spilling a few drops of water onto the bold orange, white and blue striped sweater she wore. Her high-waist pants were beige with an orange-and-blue plaid print. Thankfully she was sitting close enough to the desk that water didn’t trickle down to her lap.
“For me? From who?”
Her heart thumped and Riley fought the tendrils of panic steadily trying to creep into her mind.
Korey sat the large bouquet on her desk and snatched the card that had been attached to a long white pitchfork thing in its side.
“Let me see,” he was saying and making a big production out of pulling that card from the white envelope.
Riley had no idea what came over her but she hopped up from her chair and hurried around the desk in time to snap the card from Korey’s hand. She held it without looking at it.
“I’ll read the card later,” she said. “The handcrafted veils were supposed to arrive today. Can you track them down so we’ll be ready for the meeting with the designers in an hour?”
Korey frowned and Riley knew why. He wanted to know what was wrong with her. While her assistant hadn’t dared to ask her that question again, Riley knew he was still wondering. She could tell by the way he looked at her daily when he thought she didn’t notice.
“They’re beautiful.” Korey watched her closely.
“They’re flowers,” she replied but sighed when she looked at them because they were gorgeous.
She wasn’t a romantic by any stretch of the imagination, but this large bouquet filled with exotic-looking flowers and crisp greenery was exactly what she would like to receive if she were inclined to receive such gifts. Only she had no idea who would have sent them or why. She was certain it wasn’t Chaz because they were simply having an affair. There was no romance involved, even though that candlelight dinner with just the two of them had been really close to a real date.
“I need to speak with you, Riley.”
The booming voice had both Riley and Korey looking toward her open office door. Ronald Gold, Sr., blocked the access with his broad frame and piercing gaze.
“I was just leaving,” Korey said, offering Riley an apologetic look before hurrying out of her office.
Riley slipped the card into her pocket. “Hi, Dad.”
Ron closed the door behind Korey and walked the short distance to where Riley was standing in front of the desk. She’d moved in an attempt to block the flowers. Her father came close and first tweaked her nose before pulling her into a tight hug.
Riley melted into the hug, wrapping her arms around her father’s expansive build. If he hadn’t gone into fashion, her father could have definitely been a professional wrestler. In addition to his build, Ron’s imposing stature and voice gave him an air of command. But when it was just the two of them, when his large arms were around her and holding Riley tight, he was just her dad.
“Somebody’s sending my baby girl flowers?”
Riley hurriedly pulled out of his embrace and turned to look at the flowers again.
“I don’t know who they’re from. Korey just brought them in seconds before you arrived. But, anyway, what’s going on? I thought you and Maurice were out making the rounds at all the preshow events this week.” There was nothing, not even sports, her father loved to discuss more than the fashion empire his father had built.
“Probably one of the manufacturers or the boutique owners that want to carry our new collections.”
She hadn’t thought of that and felt a wave of relief now that her father had put that possibility out there.
“You may be right. So what brings you here? I sent the latest projections via email this morning. I’m going over long-term numbers now.”
Ron reached inside his black suit jacket and pulled out a rolled-up newspaper. He slapped it down onto the desk a few inches away from the floral arrangement.
“I called his editor this morning and very strongly suggested an apology be printed first thing tomorrow. We are not here to be used for their amusement.”
Riley refused to let her fingers shake as she picked up the paper and read the first few lines of the article.
Riley Gold wishes her ex and his soon-to-be wife well, but won’t be designing the bride’s dress.
She tried to swallow but it was hard. Instead she focused once again on breathing and surprisingly her breaths came easier, sooner, than she’d anticipated. She shook her head.
“I thought the guy only ran a blog, not that he had a byline at this trashy tabloid, as well. Anyway, I suppose he had to find so
mething to take up space.”
She dropped the paper into the trash can on her way to the other side of her desk. Ron was already pacing in the space that she’d left vacant and Riley sat in her chair.
“Not at our expense! I made it clear they would never get another interview or invitation to any of our private events if they didn’t have an apology on the front page tomorrow morning. The editor is old-school but needs the readers so he was hesitant, said his guy got a direct quote from you.”
“He did.” She leaned forward and rested her arms on the desk. “He stopped me after the style summit and asked about the collection. When I wouldn’t tell him, he brought up Walt and his fiancée. He asked if we were designing her dress. I told him no and that I wished Walt well. Which is the absolute truth.”
Riley had decided a few years ago that wishing him dead wasn’t going to change what had happened.
“Don’t give them ammunition, Riley. How many times have I told you that?”
“If truth is ammunition, then I might as well yell ‘no comment’ every time I see a reporter coming toward me. Look, Dad, I know what they’re doing. They’re trying to bait me, ruffle my feathers, throw me off my game. I’m not going to let that happen.”
Ron stared at her seriously for a moment before chuckling and shaking his head. “Stubborn. Just like your mama.”
Riley sat back in her chair, for the first time in her life truly feeling unbothered by Walter Stone and his childish antics.
“I’ve just got better things to do with my time. We’re about to break records with this upcoming show.”
Her father took a seat in one of the guest chairs across from her desk. “That’s exactly what I want to hear. Tell me more about what you’ve done, baby girl.”
Riley was happy to talk about work with her father. She wasn’t thrilled that at twenty-nine years old he was still calling her his baby girl, but there was nothing she could do about that. Ron Gold wasn’t the type to change until he was good and ready.