“Are you wet for me, beautiful?”
“Yes.”
He kisses along my bikini line before spreading my legs and licking me from back to front. I buck off the bed from the sensation. Never has anyone taken his time to work me up so much. His tongue darts inside me and I fight the desire to close my thighs around his head. He licks, nips, sucks, and kisses me with such tenderness and the familiar urge starts low. I try to fight it, as I grip the sheets wanting this to last forever.
He lavishes me with both tenderness and possessiveness, moaning slightly when I whimper. His need to control me takes over and he holds my squirming body tighter.
“Let go, baby,” he demands and pinches my clit.
I throw my head back and arch into him as the orgasm rips through my body, causing me to scream his name over and over. He doesn’t relent, sucking me into his mouth, taking everything I’m giving. Then he’s gone, moving up, kissing a trail again until he reaches my mouth.
I try to sway my head, never wanting to taste myself, but he cups my chin. “You are delicious, sweetest fucking taste I’ve ever had except for your fucking vanilla kisses.” Then without letting me pull back, he kisses me. The taste of me on his lips and tongue is sensual; I don’t have the chance to get grossed out. Instead, it turns me on more.
The sound of ripping fills the room and I pull back to see him sliding a condom on. He braces himself above me on his elbows and pins me with his stare.
“Look at me, beautiful Stella. I want to watch you as I slide into your body for the first time. Don’t look away.”
When his hipbones hit mine, I wrap my legs around his waist, welcoming him. His face goes soft as he rubs the tip of his head against my wetness. Slowly, so slowly, he eases himself into me. He stops to allow me to adjust to his size, but then pushes forward. I squeeze my muscles to try to pull him in faster, which elicits a hiss.
“I need you to take me gently, so you get used to me. I plan on spending most of the day and night right here inside your body.”
I nod slightly and relax as he pushes all the way in. As soon as our bodies are connected, his face changes. A look of contentment washes over him and he begins pumping in and out slowly, still bracing himself above me. I link my arms around his shoulders and kiss him softly, enjoying the feeling of him filling me completely. His hips swivel a couple of times hitting me in exactly the right spot which causes me to pull away from his mouth. I push my hips against his, silently begging for more. The release is coiling inside. Meeting him thrust for thrust our breathing fills the room. Never in my life have I wanted something so bad. He has me primed and almost begging when he stops and rolls us over.
“Ride me, baby, and let go, I need to see you.”
With the new position, he is so deep that I only move twice before my body unravels and I scream his name. He jackknifes up, gripping my hips and pumps twice more, prolonging my orgasm and then yells with me. His dick pulses inside me, which sets off another release and my vision gets blurry. I drop my head to his shoulder as he holds me close, still pulsating inside me.
Our sweaty bodies stick together as we work to regain our breaths. He looks down at me and everything in my world changes. There is absolutely no doubt. I am his.
I’ve lost count how many times Max and I have had sex in the last twenty-four hours. He wasn’t kidding. When he took me to bed, we didn’t leave. He finally insisted on eating last night after my stomach growled, embarrassingly loud. I requested grilled cheese sandwiches, which I had to help with. Apparently my uber-rich, multi-talented boyfriend never learned how to make a grilled cheese. We ate curled up in each other arms, feeding each other until every bite was gone. Then we took a long bath where he washed every inch of my body with care before taking me back to bed.
We napped throughout the day, which made it hard to sleep, but when I got restless in the middle of the night, he made love to me slowly and tenderly until I came twice and passed out on top of him.
Now, I look at the clock and know there’s three hours until we meet our dinner party. For the first time in my life, I wish I could cancel my birthday celebration with all the people I love and stay locked away with Max. He’s uncovered a side of me I never knew existed. It’s not just the amazing sex, it’s the feeling of contentment lying in his arms, talking to each other. He’s shown me a side of him, a deep, compassionate side, I want to get to know better. His vitality for life, his love for family and friends, his excitement about creating good in the world, is a part of him he keeps hidden. With each word he spoke, I fell deeper into him.
Nothing could have taken me away from the time we had together. Honestly, if I didn’t know Laci would blow my cover, I would call my parents and say I had food poisoning.
“Sweetheart, I’ve thought of every lie possible, and nothing would work to get out of dinner tonight. We need to start getting ready.” I kiss his chest where the tattoo covers.
“Why would you want to get out of it?” he questions.
“I want to stay in bed with you.”
His face softens and he pecks my forehead quickly. “Nope. Tonight everyone gets to celebrate you. It’s important I meet your family, Bella. For a lot of reasons.”
“Okay, but if my sister grills you about stupid shit, it’s because I’ve dated a lot of losers. Don’t pay much attention.”
“I look forward to it.”
“You want to shower with me?” I ask rolling out of bed, looking for my robe.
“Yeah, I’ll meet you in there. I need to make a call really quick.” He stands with me not caring about his nakedness and scoops me up into his arms. He kisses the tip of my nose and walks me to the bathroom then disappears to make his call.
When he joins me in the shower, we take our time exploring each other more until the water runs cold. He dries us off and leaves me to finish getting ready. After I dry my hair and apply my make-up I walk into my room to find a beautiful black bandeau dress laying on the bed. There’s a note beside it that says, ‘Meet me on the porch when you’re ready.’ I throw it on quickly and choose a pair of sparkly sandals. When I get to the porch to find Max and stop in surprise. He’s holding out a glass of champagne, waiting on me, dressed in a full black suit.
“Sweetie, I think you may be a little overdressed for the steakhouse.”
“We’ll see,” is all he says before sitting down and pulling me into his lap.
We clink champagne glasses and sip silently looking at one another. I want to speak, but the moment is too tender, too special, so instead, I lean into him.
“Thank you.”
“It’s me who should be thanking you, Stella Sullivan.”
“Me? What for?”
“For bringing beautiful into my life.”
I kiss him gently. Little does he know, he brought beautiful into mine too.
I’m beginning to learn with Max, he doesn’t do things halfway. When the limo pulled up to my house, I questioned him, but he blew me off again. I should have been suspicious with him wearing a full suit, the new dress, and the upscale transportation, but my head is in the clouds.
We made a wrong turn out of my neighborhood, which is when I finally started to clue in.
“Max, where are we going?”
“To dinner.”
“Where?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“What about my parents? They think we’re meeting at—”
“Your parents have been informed, Stella. Come here, relax.” He pulls me onto his lap and hands me another glass of champagne.
“You trying to get me drunk before the big family dinner?”
“No, trying to relax you.”
“I’ll relax more if you tell me where we’re going.”
“I’ll give you a hint—you’ll love the steak.”
“That’s not much of a hint!”
“I have something for you.” He reaches in his pocket and pulls out the square box that was on my pillow yesterday morning.
“Is it working?” He nuzzles against my neck making me squirm in his lap.
I open the gift and tears fill my eyes. The most stunning pair of Amber teardrop earrings and dinner ring lay on the black felt. “These are beautiful.”
“Do you know why I chose Amber Topaz?”
I have a feeling I do, but want to hear him say it.
“Your eyes, they’ll be my undoing. Every time I stare into them, feelings of serenity wash over me. I love the fact I can almost tell your feelings by the color. Amber, caramel, honey, all of those shades tell me a different story. All you have to do is look at me and anything you want is yours.”
“I have all I want right here,” I say softly, running my hands down his chest.
He kisses me sweetly until the phone in the back seat rings.
“Looks like we’re here, baby. Let’s go.”
I slip the jewelry on and grab for my purse. When the driver opens the door and Max helps me out, I shriek. “You brought me to Bacchanalia?”
The driver nor Max cover their smirks.
“I’ve always dreamed of coming here. How did you do this?”
“Come on, I think the rest of the party is inside.” He ushers me through a back entrance where the maître’ d’s waiting and leads us to a private dining area.
Shock causes me to stop at the entrance. Flowers cover every surface, in true Max fashion, and the room is crowded with all our family and friends. My parents and my sister are talking to Laci and the whole Barnes family. What’s so surprising is Sara, Mason, and Matt are also in the mix laughing. Dana and Dave are talking to Landon and Max’s best friend, Chris. All conversation stops and a loud cheer erupts when they see us.
My mom gets to me first and squeezes me tight, “Happy birthday, sweetie. Apparently you’ve been hiding a very big, handsome secret.”
“Can I get to my birthday girl?” my dad bellows behind us and I turn to him.
“Stella?” The familiar touch of Max’s hand on the small of my back pulls me away.
“Mom, Dad, this is Maxwell McCoy. Max these are my parents, Jenny and Sam Sullivan.”
He shakes my dad’s hand but my mom is much less formal, instead hugging him. The next few minutes are chaos as everyone greets us and drinks are passed around. My sister, Amy, sticks close and raises her eyebrows more than once, darting her eyes to the McCoy brothers. I really can’t blame her.
My parents sit across from us at dinner and try their best to grill Max, but there are too many side conversations happening. Amy questions me a little about my new relationship, but I’m careful about what I say with so many ears around. Laci watches me with a knowing grin throughout the meal.
“Max, I’m going to the ladies room.”
His eyes flash between Laci and me and he smirks, getting up to pull my chair back. “Don’t be long.”
My sister gets up as well and follows. The three of us aren’t fully through the door when Laci screeches.
“You’ve been laid, fully and thoroughly fucked.”
I drop down and check under the stalls for other occupants, praying we are the only ones in here.
“Laci, lower your voice.”
“Is this why you haven’t answered your phone since Friday night? The last thing I remember is you dancing with a stranger and then disappearing. Max had a driver take us home when the club closed and sent a message we would see you tonight. Dana called with all the plan changes and had me tell your parents.
“Then you show up tonight, glowing like you’ve been sprinkled in gold. Literally! You’re shoes are shining, the bling in your ears is blinding and I almost can’t look into your eyes because of the shimmer. Jesus Christ, what did that man do to you?”
“Exactly what she said.” Amy points to Laci but looks at me.
“I’m not sure what he’s done to me, but I wouldn’t change one thing. I’m crazy about him.”
“That’s it? That’s all the details? The first night you rode on his bike, I get the whole ‘I almost had an orgasm’ story. Now that you actually have something to share, you have tight lips?”
“Laci!”
“I agree, Stella. I was completely blindsided when Mom told me your birthday dinner was being held at one of Atlanta’s most exclusive restaurants, hosted by your boyfriend. Not to mention the boyfriend is also Atlanta’s most eligible bachelor. What the fuck?”
“Amy, I’m sorry I haven’t told you about him. Nothing about this relationship has been easy or even public. I asked him to keep things quiet until I was sure it wouldn’t impact my business. Truth is, until Friday night, we were still hiding things. Now we’re not. I don’t care who knows. There were some hurdles we both had to jump but those are out of the way.”
“Erica?” Laci questions.
“Gone.”
She nods in approval and links her arm though Amy’s. “Alright, next weekend, my place. Stella and I can fill you in on everything.”
When we get back to the table all eyes are on us. My mom is beaming and my dad looking smug.
“What did I miss?”
“Max just told us about the wonderful birthday present he got you.”
My mind races trying to figure out if he really had the guts to tell my dad and a table full of people he gave me thousand dollar lingerie and paperwork that his ex-lover is moving out.
“Relax,” he whispers in my ear then addresses my mom. “Jenny, she actually hasn’t seen it yet.”
“Oh no! Did I ruin the surprise?”
“Nope, I would have told her but just got word it was completed.”
Mason, Matt, Dana, and Sara are all looking at me in amusement. It’s obvious they saw my panic.
“Babe, when you get to the office tomorrow, there’s a new security system as well as cameras on all angles of the parking lot. I wasn’t comfortable with the security and safety.”
“What?”
“Maxwell, I think that’s an excellent idea. I’ve never been comfortable when Laci works late at night. Even though I helped scout the area and it’s safe. I’ve been thinking about getting them an alarm as well,” Mr. Barnes says.
I giggle because he thinks Laci works late at night. She gives me a dirty look then chuckles a little too.
The rest of dinner is a dining experience. The meals are delicious and conversations light. We briefly fill everyone in on the JOS plan and Mason and Matt ask if they can volunteer when the time comes. Sara beams at her sons.
There are a few cards in the middle of the table and another small box. Sara pushes it towards me and motions for me to open it. As soon as I do, tears sting my eyes. It’s a beautiful necklace with three charms, a volleyball, and two letters—an S and an M.
“The volleyball was a stretch, but it reminded me of the first, normal, family birthday party we had in a long time. The others are for Stella and Maxwell.”
“I love it, thank you.” The lump in my throat catches my words.
“No waterworks tonight, Stella Bella! We’ve got some drinking to do!” Laci breaks the moment and raises her glass in a toast.
I silently mouth, “Thank you,” because my emotions were about to overflow.
Max kisses me lightly on the temple and squeezes my shoulder. I catch the gleam in my mom and sister’s eyes and smile widely. Best birthday ever!
Just a few more hours and this week will be over. My plans are to keep Stella locked in the house until Monday morning. I need her. After this week with investors breathing down my neck and Edward on my ass, I’m going to relax.
It’s been two weeks since Stella’s birthday celebration and we’ve both been swamped. I hate that my attention has been diverted to other areas of business, but the JOS project was off and running with Stella’s direction.
We have a team ready to leave Monday morning for South America. My COO, Henry, and I are meeting with a local design and construction company to start the renovations. Stella will be working with philant
hropic groups and the HR Officer, Vicki, to meet with local schools to put together a graduation-to-work program. While I’ve been in meetings all week, Stella, Laci, and Landon have worked their asses off to get the trip organized.
We released a detailed statement to the press regarding the allegations and our steps to rectify the dire situation with our factory. Against my better judgment, I also agreed to a national interview when we get back from South America. Stella was able to secure me a seat with an international journalist, specializing in foreign business affairs.
It was hard to keep Edward away from anything dealing with the spotlight, but I was able to push him towards some prospective new business.
“Max?” Dana asks from the doorway of my office.
When I look up, her face is masked with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Erica’s here. She’s in with her dad, but she stormed through the office with a scowl on her face. Thought I should warn you.”
It takes me less than two minutes to close down, pack up my laptop, and clean my desk. I reach for my jacket and rush past Dana, dropping a quick kiss to her cheek.
“I’ll call you during the week with updates. Thanks for the head’s up but I’m outta here.”
She nods and wishes me luck. I’m almost inside the elevator when I hear her.
“Maxwell!” Erica screams, causing heads to turn.
The sound of her voice alone causes my head to pound. “Erica.” I greet her coolly.
She storms over to me and before I can step back, she slaps me.
“How dare you! You moved me out like some piece of trash and put me in a shithole condo? After everything I’ve done for you? After everything we’ve been through?” Her voice trembles and tears pool in her eyes. From experience, I know she’s going for sympathy and an audience.
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