by C Standing
Hooking a leg over his shoulder, he lowers to his knees. “You think I give a fuck about being late when I have this masterpiece spread out for me?”
My spine curves and my head jerks back as he parts my lips and suctions my clit into his mouth.
“Wh-what about my dress?”
Why the fuck am I still talking?
Shut up, woman!
“Wear it for me,” he mumbles, flicking his tongue wildly over my responsive bud. “Hell, I’ll take great pleasure in shredding the material clean off you, and feasting on this sinful fucking body until you fill my mouth with your cum.”
My mouth falls open on a muted moan as his mouth works me harder. “Rick, please.”
Savage eyes peer up at me from between my legs. “You want me to stop, baby?”
Is he crazy?
Hell no, I don’t want him to stop.
But he promised me an evening out, and I want to wear the insanely expensive dress and shoes he bought me earlier. It’s not like I’m going to get a chance to wear something so beautiful again, I want to give it the attention it deserves.
“Of course, I don’t. I never do.”
He takes that as his green light to keep going.
“But I also want to wear the dress you bought for me. I want to feel beautiful and sexy, and I want to spend the evening on your arm.”
“Motherfucker,” Rick mutters, clearly pissed off. Crawling back up my body, he nips at my nipples, making me squeal, and grinds his erection into my pussy. “Two fucking hours.” He takes my mouth in a rigorous kiss. “That’s all you’re getting, and then I’m taking what’s mine.” He loosens the tie and helps me up.
“I’m already yours,” I pant, my body still on fire from his mouth.
“Yeah? Tonight, you’ll be proving it.”
“I feel like a freaking peacock,” I whisper to myself as I stare at my reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror in Rick’s bathroom. Smoothing down my purple Versace dress for the hundredth time, nerves wreak havoc in my stomach as I purse my matte red lips together self-consciously. My long black hair is curled and pinned to the side with a stunning crystal barrette style clip.
In this dress, I look beautiful.
Like I deserve to be on the arm of such a successful and self-assured man. But in truth, I feel like an imposter.
The woman looking back through the mirror… isn’t me.
She’s the person I’ve always wanted to be. The person I never dreamed I could be.
And it’s all because of Rick.
He’s giving me the courage I need to believe in my worth.
“You ready, sweetheart?” he calls from his bedroom.
Am I ready?
No.
Terrified?
I’ve never been so scared in my life.
After spritzing on some perfume, my heels click toward the door.
Sitting on the bed, with a glass of bourbon in hand, looking beyond words, in a classic two-piece twill tuxedo with matching bow tie, is my handsome guy.
The second he looks up at me, I feel like the sexiest and luckiest woman in the world.
“Fuck.” Rick gulps, standing and letting his gaze rake over me. “Jesus, baby, you look…” He takes a step toward me, running a hand over his freshly groomed beard. “I have no words.”
“The dress is beautiful.”
“River.” Rick places a hand on my waist and pulls me close. “It has nothing to do with the dress.” He uses his other hand to cup my cheek. “It’s the beautiful woman wearing it.”
His lips brush gently across mine.
Pulling back, I giggle when I see the red print of my lipstick on his mouth. “As sexy as you look, I don’t think red is your shade.”
“No?” Rick’s eyes twinkle with amusement. “Maybe I just need a little more.” He slants his mouth over mine, slipping his tongue between my lips.
Moaning against his lips, I wrap my arm around his neck, deepening the kiss.
“You’re so fucking beautiful, River.” He drops his lips to my neck. “How the hell did I get so lucky?”
“Honey, you’re going to leave lip marks on my neck,” I complain weakly, craning my neck to give him better access.
“Good.” He sucks hard on the skin there, lowering his hands to my ass, and squeezes me firmly. “I want everyone to know who you belong to.”
“Rick, I can’t go out with hickeys all over me.” I laugh through a gasp.
“Why the fuck not?”
“Because I can’t.”
“Fine,” he mutters, reeling back. “I suppose you’re right. We’d better do something about these marks.” Walking over to the bed, he bends to pick up a medium sized box. “I guess it’s a good thing we have this.” He opens the lid, and I bring a hand to my mouth as I take in the gorgeous Swarovski choker and matching earrings sitting on a bed of velvet.
“Rick,” I breathe, stunned, as I trail my fingers over the exquisite piece of jewelry. “This is beautiful, but I can’t accept it.”
Hell, I’m pretty sure my entire outfit for this evening is worth more than my whole mortgage put together.
“You can.” He takes the necklace and throws the box onto the bed. “And you will. Turn around so I can put in on you.”
I shiver as the cool silver touches my skin, and I wait as he secures the necklace around my neck, before placing a kiss on my shoulder.
Turning us toward the mirror, Rick holds me like I’m the single most precious thing in the world to him. “You look incredible, River McKinley, and it blows my fucking mind that it’s my arm you’ll be on tonight.”
God, why does he have to wreck me with his words?
Leaning on his shoulder, I look up at him wishing I could push him onto the bed and show him exactly how much I cherish and appreciate him.
“Two hours, right?”
His arousal grazes my ass. “Two. Fucking. Hours.”
“You brought me to a fundraiser?” I say, astonished.
Rick had brought me to a charity event that raises money for underprivileged children who don’t have access to food and warmth. Every year, the charity transforms dozens of little lives, making sure each child’s needs are met, and their voices are heard.
He places a territorial hand on the small of my back and leads me through the crowd of people. “It’s a silent auction for a cause I support.”
I stop and stare at this man in complete awe. “You’re amazing, Mr. Blackley.”
Rick smiles down at me. “I’m glad you think so, beautiful.” He guides me toward the bar. “Let’s get you a drink.”
As we approach the bar, I notice several pairs of eyes focused on the man holding me close. “Everyone’s looking at you,” I whisper in his ear.
Completely oblivious to the lecherous piranhas around us, Rick orders a bourbon for him and a white wine for me, and lifts my hand to his lips. “Baby.” He presses a lasting kiss to my wrist. “They aren’t looking at me.”
Before I could respond, a tall, older woman, wearing a flamboyant yellow dress floats over to us.
“Rick!” She pulls him in for a courteous hug, but his arm remains around my waist. “What a pleasure.”
“Eden,” Rick greets, tipping his head.
Her warm gaze switches from my boyfriend to me. “And who is this beautiful young thing?”
Grinning proudly, he presses a kiss to my temple. “This is River, my girlfriend. River, this is Eden, the founder of the Little Lives Foundation.”
“It’s lovely to meet you." I extend a hand.
She takes it. “And you, darling.” Eden flicks her gaze to the man glued to my side. “Isn’t she a peach?”
“She certainly is,” Rick agrees, barely able to contain his glee.
“We have some glorious prizes up for grabs. I hope you’ll be bidding on some of them?”
He tucks a hand in his pocket. “Of course.”
She taps on his shoulder. “That’s what I like to hear. Enjoy the rest
of your evening.”
As she takes off, I turn to my boyfriend and raise a brow. “I’m a peach?”
“Don’t worry, baby.” Rick leans into me. “You taste sweeter.”
The bartender brings us our drinks, and I lift mine to my lips. “What happens now?”
He takes a sip of his whiskey. “Normally, I’d go and mingle.”
My forehead dips in a frown. “You don’t want to?”
Rick draws me closer. “I’m not here to talk business with a bunch of corporate ass-lickers.” He sets his drink on the coaster and pulls me between his thighs. “I’m here to support a charity and show my girl a good time.”
Damn, I like the sound of that.
“Mmm, and how exactly were you planning on doing that?” I loop my arm around his broad shoulders.
“I have my ways.” He tugs my lip into his mouth.
Blushing, I drop my head in the crook of his neck. “We’re in public, City Boy.”
“You think I care?” Discreetly, his fingers tunnel their way under the thigh-high slit in my dress. “Did you pick this with me in mind, baby?”
My body hums with desire as his fingers tease me between my legs.
I fist his lapels as he runs a long finger over the sopping crotch of my panties. “I wanted to be a little dangerous,” I admit, biting the inside of my lip to stifle a moan.
I feel his erection poke my stomach as he lightly caresses my clit. “How dangerous are you willing to get, sweetheart?”
Snaking my hand between us, I cup his straining arousal. “Why don’t we find out?”
I place my hand on the small of River’s back and guide her toward the VIP lounge.
Quirking a confused brow, she looks up at me expectantly. “This isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
Leaning down, I brush my lips over the shell of her ear. “Patience, baby. Let the anticipation build. I’ll have you coming on my cock soon enough.”
River shoots me a glare. “The anticipation has already built, Rick. You just need to do something about it.”
I chuckle at her frustration.
Eager little thing.
Cupping her delectable ass, I give it a little smack. “I will, sweetheart. Make no mistake about that.”
She grumbles something inaudible under her breath.
I take her hand and tug her. “Come on, beautiful. Let’s go spend some money.”
“I have no idea how any of this works,” River reveals as we look over the luxury resort stay in the Maldives on the first table.
Picking up a pen, I jot down my bid. “You see something you like, you bid on it. If the bid is high enough when the time runs out, you win.”
Her silver eyes widen, and she almost chokes on her wine. “$30,000?”
I shrug. “It’s not like I don’t have the money. Besides, it’s going toward a good cause.”
“Christ,” she mutters, “what it must feel like to never worry about money.”
Given the way she’s had to work her fingers to the bone for everything she’s ever had, I don’t blame her for thinking like that.
But I don’t want her thinking that about me.
I’m not a materialistic guy, and I don’t live beyond my means. I may be blessed with the luxury of not having to worry about money, but that doesn’t mean I’ll go around splashing the cash just for the sheer sake of it.
I’ve worked damn fucking hard to be in the position I’m in—both in my career and financially—I don’t intend to squander it by being a flashy bastard.
“I know I’m luckier than most, baby, but despite what you might think, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. My company wasn’t just handed to me; I had to learn every subliminal part of my trade before my father saw fit to make me CEO.”
River’s eyes soften and she squeezes my hand. “I know, I’m sorry. I don’t think that, Rick. I never have. I guess it’s just hard for me to get my head around things like this when I never had so much as a dime to my name.”
I thread my fingers through hers, needing to feel her close. “It doesn’t have to be like that, you know,” I tell her, hoping she figures out what I mean.
I want to be there for her and support her in every way I can. If she needs anything, I want to be the one who gives it to her. Whether it be financially, physically, or emotionally.
I want her to lean on me.
“It’s not like that now,” she explains vaguely as we wander over to the next table. “I make more than enough to keep myself comfortable, but I still find things like this,” she motions to the Cartier Destinee solitaire, set on a platinum band with an emerald-cut emerald centered in the middle, “hard to comprehend.” River waves her worries off dismissively, but I can’t help but notice how her stunning blue eyes are glued to the ring. “But that’s my hang-up, not yours.”
What was I just saying?
Christ. This stubborn woman.
Doesn’t she realize that I want her hang-ups? Fuck, I want her anxieties, her rage, her happiness. I want her everything to be mine.
River pulls me toward the next table.
“Hey.” I stop in my tracks and bring her back into me. “Don’t be like that, sweetheart. Don’t shut me out.”
Her eyes close for a second. “I’m not,” she promises. “I’ve confided in you more than I have in others.” Her hand lifts to my neck and she lowers my forehead to hers. “I think what you’re doing is remarkable. Truly. I guess I’m just… a little on edge.”
“Why are you on edge, baby?”
She glares up at me. “You know why.”
Ahh. Now it makes sense.
My little minx is horny.
Hardly able to contain my mirth, I bury my face in her hair. “You need Daddy to take care of you?”
River folds her arms, like the defiant little thing that she is. “I would’ve thought that was obvious.”
I sink my teeth into her shoulder for good measure. “Keep giving me that mouth and I’ll make you regret it.”
“There isn’t a damn thing you could do to me that I’d regret.”
Oh, really?
“Shall we test that theory?”
“Hey, you had your chance earlier, but you’re the one who wants to let the anticipation build.” She pats my chest. “I’m going to use the bathroom. Enjoy your bidding.”
I’m just about to smack her ass for being a little brat, when I hear a voice that makes my blood go cold.
“Well, if it isn’t Rick Blackley.”
Fucking Sadie.
“Sadie.” I give a curt nod.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
I’m not playing this ridiculous fucking game of cat and mouse with her.
“I attend every year.”
Sadie nods and I can already see the wheels spinning in her mind. Moving her beady gaze over to my retreating girlfriend, she plasters on a saccharine smile. “Is that her?”
“Back off, Sadie,” I warn. “She hasn’t done anything to deserve your wrath.”
“Oh, but she has. She stole you from me.”
This again?
“I wasn’t yours to steal.”
“Does she know about our little rendezvous in your office earlier?”
I glower at her. “Don’t make it out to be something it wasn’t, Sadie.”
“So she knows who I really am to you?”
I detect the threat in her voice a mile off.
“Cut the bull. If you have something to say, just fucking say it.”
I spy River emerge from the bathroom, searching the crowd for me. When ours eyes lock, my heart races in my chest at the breathtaking smile she gives me.
God, I love her.
So fucking much I can’t breathe.
This is what I live for.
Her and that gorgeous smile.
Sadie’s eyes turn lethal. “I want that little homewrecker out of the picture.”
“You’re fucking deluded.” I scoff under my breath as
River reaches my side. “Hey, baby.” I kiss her softly.
“Who’s your friend?” River casts her gaze to my ex.
Sadie holds out her manicured hand for her to take. “I’m Sadie, and you are?”
Out of here.
I step between them, shielding my girlfriend from the evil clutches of my ex. “You don’t need to know who she is.”
A devious smirk twists her lips. “Oh, but I already know who she is, don’t I, Rick?”
Fuck this shit.
“You know nothing.”
Taking River’s hand, I abruptly pull her away.
“Leaving so soon?”
Leaving my crazy ex behind, I steer River through the growing sea of people in search of a table.
Walking into the dimly lit lounge, I spot a table near the stage area and pull her toward it.
“Who was she?” River asks, a bite in her voice.
Great, she’s pissed.
“Bad news.”
“Really? She seemed pretty chummy with you.”
“It’s all an act. Trust me, stay away from her.”
“Fine.”
A tension falls over us as she takes a seat at the table, her eyes looking anywhere but at me.
Dammit.
This is not how I anticipated our night going.
I pull out the chair opposite her and take her hand in mine. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I don’t mean to be terse, but that woman is not a nice person. I don’t want her getting anywhere near you.”
The emcee plays a medley of dance songs for his adoring crowd, but my attention is solely on the goddess across from me who looks like she’d rather be anywhere but here.
“Baby, talk to me,” I plead, scooting my chair closer, hating this sudden distance between us.
Her eyes flash to mine, and for the first time since we met, I hate what I see there: nothing.
Cold. Empty. Emotionless.
My beautiful, feisty, bubbly girl is nowhere in sight.
Not that I blame her.
And it’s all my fucking fault.
Sensing our date night has gone to shit, thanks to my witch of an ex, I stand to get another drink.
“Will you at least let me buy you another drink?” I ask, hoping she’ll talk to me.