Manhattan Sugar (From Manhattan Book 1)

by V. Theia

  He wasn’t fazed though his brow raised at that last one. Yeah, mister, I remember your salty secretary. I’d put Sena on watch since she worked in his building.

  “A meeting.”

  “The light blue. Wear it with a crisp white shirt, silver cufflinks and those dark slate pants that cup that sweet ass like my hands do. God, I love those pants. Mmm. So tight.”

  Gray could be heard chuckling in the closet. “I’m not sure how I feel about you sexually objectifying me.”

  “Liar. You love it.”

  I liked this. I thought. These easy mornings with Gray with us chatting over coffee about the day ahead. I hadn’t realized this was missing in my life, the normality of a relationship and something more, the clearness of feeling normal.

  With my life predicament yet to rectify I wouldn’t live on his dollar forever. I needed my career back soon.

  But the personal aspect of my life now? It felt good. Real and honest.

  Gray knew everything. Good and bad days.

  I was halfway through my cereal when he emerged dressed like a dapper model.

  Look, I was a woman who could appreciate a handsome verging on ridiculously gorgeous man. When I lived with said handsome man then it felt like my birthday every day.

  “Damn, you are so appealing, rock star. You’re gonna have wet panties in the audience tomorrow night.” He had a gig. I was going. I’d have my nails extra sharp for both groupies and his shithead lead singer friend.

  “And you’re beautiful. Even with a milk moustache,” he said with a grin as his thumb ran over my mouth then he captured it. Sucking on my top lip, biting the bottom. Basically, sending my body into a spin cycle of fire in a matter of seconds.

  “Wow,” I breathed as he abandoned my mouth to trace my cheek with his soft lips. He hummed in response to my gasp as I tipped my head back for more and Gray took hold of both my hips, squeezed a little to elicit more sounds to drop from me, and pushed me back against the kitchen island, using his hips and delicious cock in those tight pants I’d suggested to hold me.

  I didn’t even mind that the marble island bit into my back.

  I just wanted more.

  He gave it to me.

  We clung, feeding off each other’s seemingly infinite need.

  “Are you scared because I said I love you?”

  One second. Heartbeat. Two second. “No. I’m loveable.” I tried to joke, with my heart on fire. He grinned and pecked my lips, wiped the wetness away with his thumb. Kissed me again. “Yes, you are. I’ll say it often, so get used to it.”

  He knew me so well did the sweet man. I leaned into his chest.

  He wasn’t rushing me, didn’t pout because I hadn’t said it back, though I was feeling it, all the words I wanted to say to him were essentially screaming inside.

  “It’s there, Gray. In here.” I took his hand and placed it on my heart.

  I heard his inhale before his forehead rested on mine. “Just be patient with me a while longer.”

  “Tell me what it is you want, India. I’ll give you anything. What’s mine is yours. That includes my heart, my soul, my ass you love squeezing.”

  He ran a finger over the crease in my forehead, though I was smiling. It would be so easy to pacify him with lies. The same untruths I’ve spoken for years, but that’s not what I did with Gray. It was always my truth.

  “Be brave, my tiny mean-girl.” He urged.

  “I want someone who kisses back. And pulls me closer. When they walk into a room I want their eyes to find me first and smile because I’m the only thing they want to see. I want to not worry that I’m not enough. That on my bad days I am still enough even if I’m a colossal bitch.”

  Cupping my face, Gray brought me up on my toes and then he smiled. The kind that lit me up, turned me on, and made me want to call him sugar daddy while I crawled on his lap.

  Hmm, maybe we could role play that tonight after we got home from his wine tasting thing.

  “I can be the kind of man you crave. One you can rely on, lean on, expect him to blow your fucking mind open without having to work for it. I’m him, India. You’re all I’ll ever want. Take a chance on an old man. Love me. Feel how I love you. Because I do, India. I love you until my insides boil with it.”

  His bad-boy smirk was my undoing. I knew it. He knew it.

  Because he rushed his fingers into my hair, walked me backwards into the wall and devoured the ever-loving shit out of my mouth. When we parted I was panting and he looked delectable as usual. Calm and cool and just about the best thing in my life.

  I was scared. Pissing my pants scared if I were honest. Taking a chance on love was not even going to be on the table of considerations six month ago.

  It was the one thing I avoided and did it successfully.

  How quickly my heart changed its mind.

  Loving Gray fell into place as easy as taking my next breath.

  “You’re already who I crave.” I told him. I loved feeling small and fragile with Gray. Because I knew he was there to catch any fall I might have.

  He’d never hurt me. Not deliberately.

  How did I know this? I just did. It was a gut instinct and I was trusting him.

  “Then we’re halfway there, baby-girl, because my addiction to you won’t quit.” That smile did funny things to my insides only a woman could understand the wordless description. That feeling of being thrown off a tall building and flying in mid-air, weightless and free, slightly terrified, euphoric beyond belief but knowing you’d land on a cushion at the very bottom.

  He exhilarated every part of my life.

  He was calm and peace.

  He was joy and fun.

  And yeah, Gray was love.

  This feeling was brand new to me.

  I was so terrified of falling. Of failing.

  But I was in. I was so in I shook from my toes to my lungs with the sincerity of his words. He wasn’t feeding me a line to get into my pants. Hell, I’d help him climb in for free.

  I smiled up at him, encouraged him to come down to my level by tugging on the tie I’d chosen for him until we were a whisper away from each other’s mouths.

  Up close his eyes darkened sultry and moody. A sexy invite.

  “You are more than I’ve ever wanted, Gray. You turn me inside out and upside down and you don’t mind I eat cereal for dinner. Or that I’ve added 300 pillows to your bed.”

  “Our bed.”

  My cheeks warmed. “Our bed.” I said and made it official. Put out the banners!

  I wanted to suspend time. It was a perfect moment of being on the same page at the same time and one I’d remember for a long while.

  Gray kissed me, and I kissed him back, winding my fingers into his charcoal hair. If not for an important meeting he had to get to I would have talked him into staying home in our bed. I scraped my hands up his chest.

  I whimpered a little when I set his mouth free, but I nuzzled the fresh bristles.

  His hands skimmed down to my butt, squeezed and held me close to his chest while he rasped in my ear. “Do you want me to get you off before I leave, baby-girl?”

  Though certain my vagina couldn’t take anymore from him right now, I still moaned. Greedy.

  “You’ll be late, Joe should be downstairs waiting for you already. You can bang my brains out tonight.”

  “Count on it,” he growled, crushing a kiss to my mouth. “I’ll be home to pick you up around four. Don’t be late,” he instructed, and I rose a brow. When was I ever late? “And call Joe if you need taking anywhere. Did you buy a dress, or will you finally use the credit card for things other than shit for this place?”

  Hmph. Bossy bastard with his world winning smile and designer stubble.

  I put down my coffee cup, let my knees fall open to cup a hand on my vagina. Leaving it there until Gray rose a superior eyebrow in that way that made me want to ride the fuck out of his face until he couldn’t breathe for swallowing my sex.

  He undid
me like nothing else ever had before until I was in danger of becoming his full-time pet and loving every second of it.

  I loved him. Was in love with him.

  I respected Gray like no other person and he filled me with joy.

  But being bossy?

  That only worked for me in the bedroom, so I had to show him, didn’t I?

  And I did it smiling at him—teasing him into inhaling hard like he was ready to drop to his knees in front of me.

  “Are we about to play? I can cancel my meeting.” He rasped.

  Some of my frost thawed. That was sweet. If not a little self-serving since he loved the orgasms.

  “No. I just wanted to remind myself of how much power I hold in my hand.”

  He threw back his dark head and laughed.

  He came for me.

  Kissed me.

  Gripped me behind the neck.

  And whispered. “I can love you enough for the both of us until you’re ready. I already hear your heart.”

  Heart. Motherfucking. Explode.

  “How many have I had now?”

  “Four, baby.”

  “A ton, you lush.”

  Gray and Sena answered at the same time.

  I found out wine tasting was as fun as it sounded. Gorgeous venue in a fancy pants hotel. And as much wine as I could want.

  Gray brought me short tasting glasses, I sipped, swished and swallowed. I was no quitter like the posh snobs who spat out their wine into silver buckets.

  With my hair clipped on either side of my head, a flowing strapless dress hugging my boobs, in a shade of pale lemon, my nails painted vivid yellow with my ring fingers in taupe to match my shoes gifted from my gorgeous sugar daddy lover and I was an ambassador for how to enjoy this stuffy event.

  On arrival, we’d happily discovered Noah and my best friend were at the same event. With Noah owning most of Manhattan’s nightclubs he was always invited to a lot of these things hoping to get his custom.

  Sena was being friendly-salty because she couldn’t drink, what with her belly sticking out, ripe and ready to give birth.

  “I’m taking it for the team, you, moody nerd.” I hip checked her gently in her lavender dress to match the tips of her poker straight dark bob. “Didn’t your hubby sort you out before you got here?”

  Her blushed face told me yes.

  My guy was busy talking to her guy.

  Look at us, I thought. On a grown-up double date.

  I had to pinch myself that this was my life now and I was … happy. Content and enjoying every second of that man in his fitted suit.

  Jesus, he was hot. Had his butt always looked that good? My hands itched.

  “I never would have believed it had I not seen with my own two eyes how you’re sappy looking at him.” Giggled a whispering Sena.

  Gray accepted a new glass of Merlot from a passing waiter and handed it to me without interrupting his conversation. I grinned at his wink.

  “Shut up,” Jesus, my cheeks flamed with embarrassment. “I had something in my eye.” My very supportive friend just laughed again.

  “Yeah, yeah, sure. I’ve had a very good time in a room in this hotel, if you must drag it out of me.” She went on to share, a dreamy smile on her face that could only mean it was some hot sex with her straight-for-her hubby. “Hey, lion, you remember this hotel?” Her husband only smirked and eyed his wife like she was about to have round two.

  My belly heated, and I caught Gray watching me.

  I wanted to say so much as our eyes held. You’re my soul. You mean the world to me. Thank you for finding me. I love you. I think he understood because Gray’s eyes smoldered.

  A couple of more tastes later and like women do, Sena and I trekked off to the bathroom together. Just as I was coming outside to wait for her, she was pregnant and peed like a horse, apparently, I heard my name.

  It was a blast from my not so distance past. I smiled at Seth. “I thought that was you. How you doing, babe? You here for Kain’s party upstairs? His folks paid for the whole fucking floor, man. It’s gonna be lit. I just picked up some party pieces,” he smirked.

  He meant drugs. Probably weed, maybe coke.

  “I’m good. And no, I’m here for an event.”

  At that Sena exited, I handed over her purse.

  “If you change your mind, babe, I’m on the eighth floor,” Seth slaked his bottom lip and looked at me like he thought I was the party. Six month ago, I would have taken him up on that offer without even thinking about it. “Hope you come,” the guy sauntered off toward the elevators.

  “Who was that?” She asked.

  “Someone I knew from the clubs. Did you really bang in this hotel?” I said changing the subject.

  “Yes, and I’m thinking of dragging Noah off again. My damn pregnancy hormones are driving me crazy, he looks sexy in his jacket, right? God, I want to drag him off somewhere.”

  My best friend. The southern over-sharer of her carnal needs. I laughed and threaded my arm through hers.

  I was about to tease her some more.

  When.

  “Indy?”

  It was a voice I hadn’t heard in seven years and one I instantly recognized as every bad feeling I’ve ever had descending on me like a thunderstorm.

  Behind me, with a look of surprise etched on his older yet otherwise same face was my father.

  I’ve always assumed he moved out of New York altogether, seeing how it’s next to impossible not to bump into someone you know.

  Seeing him in the Drake hotel of all places was surreal.

  I stared. My tongue lost.

  “Indy…” the man who raised me cleared his throat and smiled like he was seeing me for the first time that week. “It’s so good to see you. I’ve been meaning to get—” if he dared to say get in touch with me I’d bust his fucking nose.

  It was only as I took a breath that I realized he was holding the hand of a small boy and beside him stood a slim woman dressed to the nines. I whipped my gaze over her with a blank stare.

  Boom. Boom. It was like being hit in the face with a boulder of truth as I put pieces of a puzzle together.

  My heart thudded.

  Oh, god. The fucking shocked pain.

  The boy, around five years old with a crop of fair hair just like my father.

  Just like Jacky.

  The jackass had procreated again.

  “This is my wife, D—”

  “I don’t care who it is. I don’t care why you’re here.”

  At my side I felt Sena touch my arm and lean in to me. “I’m going to get Gray.” I think I nodded, only my eyes were burning, my belly churning acid until I wanted to vomit.

  All this fucking time, he’d left us to go make a brand-new family.

  “Indy. Please listen. I know I should have called you sooner. I wanted to, believe me. I’ve missed you. I missed my daughter.”

  What are you doing here?

  Where the fuck have you been?

  Why are you feeding me lies?

  The questions buzzed through my skull as he continued to look at me like there hadn’t been a huge chasm of space between the last time we spoke.

  And the more questions to pop into my head the angrier I became.

  Especially with miss fire-crotch and her dyed-red barbie fucking hair watching on. And I couldn’t even look at the boy. My heart would shred to pieces.

  “How’ve you been, Indy?” Why did he keep saying my name like that? Like he thought he had the right.

  This man was a stranger to me. Whatever fatherly feelings I’d held onto in hopes of seeing him again one day shot down in disaster. He hadn’t tried to contact me. This bullshit right now was pure coincidence and he was acting like a long lost relative. Well, screw him.

  If he thought righting his seven-year wrongs started by lying to me he was sadly misguided how understanding and forgiving I was not.

  And not by throwing his new family in my face like ours had meant nothing.
<
br />   How easily he could move on from Jack.

  I only became aware of the red-head once again when she appeared to snap out of her skin looking behind me, her eyes growing wide and then I felt Gray.

  Relief flooded through me and I leaned into the hand he placed on my spine, before he dipped down to my ear. “Everything okay, baby?”

  I nodded. Emotion clinging to the inside of my throat.

  But Gray was here. I wasn’t alone.

  “Gray…” the fucking fire-crotch step mommy exclaimed. My eyes staring a hole in her forehead as my father rounded his free arm around her waist, gathering the younger woman in.

  Gray took my hand in his and squeezed.

  He was looking at dad’s wife in a way that hurt my stomach before his eyes flattened and he stared at my father.

  “Dahlia.”

  Dahlia? Where did I know that—

  “Oh, Jesus Christ! Are you fucking kidding me? This is her? Your ex is married to my father?” My own shock mirrored on Gray’s features.

  See what I mean? The universe had a serious hard-on to screw me over with whatever it could and with the deepest thrust.

  Indecision held me in place.

  Otherwise, I would have been out of there.

  This was just one big fucking joke.

  But I didn’t care about the red-head. Gray’s past was just that.

  What I didn’t care for was how she was fucking looking at him.

  With wonder and regret.

  Bitch fight me now, I was just in the mood.

  “India. Do you think we could maybe go and talk somewhere privately?” My father pulled my attention.

  “Why? You haven’t been interested in seven years since you walked out on us without a backward glance. Does new wifey know that about you? That the moment shit gets tough you’re a runner.”

  He sighed and looked at the woman and then pulled the boy closer to his leg who was looking at me curiously.

  I couldn’t focus on him. Couldn’t look at that cute face and know I had another brother.

  “Lia knows everything. I’d love to see you sometime, Indy. Let Justin know his big sister.”

  My head exploded then. How people weren’t coated in my brain juices I didn’t know, because I felt the explosion happen as my vision blinked into red and my fists squeezed together.