Highest Bidder (A Bad Boy Romance)

by Mia Carson

  “I honestly still can’t believe I did this,” she said and waved her hands over her dressed-up body.

  “It’s good to be adventurous sometimes. You do look amazing, by the way. I’m not sure if I told you that, but you are an incredible woman.”

  Shyly, she tugged the corset up in the front, still uncomfortable in the getup, and pushing her boobs up with the fabric. “Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself, though I could do without the thong. It’s been riding up my ass all night—and you did not need to hear that,” she added quickly, her cheeks burning.

  Sam leaned in closer and murmured, “I never was much for thongs, myself. They tend to get stuck.”

  Harley waited a beat as she stared at his serious face before she burst out laughing and he joined her. “Funny guy, huh?”

  “When I’m in the mood, I guess.” His eyes never left her face, but Harley wasn’t bothered by it. Before, all she saw was loss, but now, as she talked to him, a light appeared in those hazel irises, a light she wanted to see more of. “I guess I’ve been a downer lately—at least, that’s what my friend told me. And my employees, and my board.”

  “It sounds like you have a lot of people who care about you,” she pointed out. “Wait, your employees? What exactly do you do for a living?”

  He hesitated and she watched the light dim for a second in his eyes. “I own an accounting and marketing firm in the city. I started it from scratch, and here I am today.”

  “Yes, here you are, able to spend half a million for a night with a cocktail waitress.”

  “Good company is hard to find these days, for me,” he told her and lifted his fingers to brush across her cheek again. “Especially finding someone I feel comfortable enough around to talk to like this.”

  She leaned into his hand and, on impulse, kissed his open palm. “I’m sure me being half naked doesn’t hurt matters.”

  “Your eyes were the first thing I noticed about you.”

  Harley rested her hand easily on his leg as if she’d done it a hundred times before. “The same with you—well, and your hair. Not many men can pull off long hair and leather pants. I must say, I’m impressed.”

  He gave her a charmingly crooked grin. “It’s a look I’ve had for a long time. They’re surprisingly comfortable,” he confided with a wink. “So, a cocktail waitress.”

  She drew her hand back, picking at her nails, and lowered her face. “It pays the bills.”

  “Hey, I didn’t mean it to sound bad. I worked at a few bars when I started out. I was a bouncer, too, and a janitor at a few casinos.” He lifted her chin. “Don’t sell yourself short.”

  His words touched her, and as she rested her gaze on his, she saw how much more to Sam there was behind those words. Her life was rough and she knew, simply by looking at another person, if they came from the same shitty lot in life. Sam had seen loss and pain, and buried beneath that was an anger she understood all too well. Someone close to him had cut him deep, so deep he would never forgive them. Harley carried around the same anger for her mom. Funny she’d found a kindred spirit in a place like this.

  “I want to get back to school eventually, but things have been rough,” she explained.

  “Hopefully, my contribution helps you out a bit.” His grin widened.

  “You have no idea how much you saved my ass tonight, really.”

  “It’s an ass worth saving, if you don’t mind me saying so,” he mentioned as he took a gander at her exposed thigh and ass cheek, thanks to the slant of her body exposing so much skin. He moved his hand to follow the path his eyes took, running gently up her thigh to cup her rear again, and she sucked in a breath, his touch setting every nerve on fire.

  She closed her eyes, and the images of the woman being filled from both ends made her bite her lip as she imagined closing her lips around the bulging erection in Sam’s leather pants, or having him plunge deep inside her as he fondled her breasts. His grip tightened on her ass, and he whispered her name, scooting closer on the couch. As if the rubber band holding their emotions in check snapped at the same time, Harley lifted her body to straddle his lap as he brought her face down to kiss her fiercely. His cock pressed between her legs, teasing the soft flesh, and she moved her hips, not thinking anymore and not really caring either. Her body knew what it wanted, and Harley was helpless to fight against it.

  His tongue explored her cleavage, and he pressed himself up between her thighs. “This is insanity,” he growled in her ear before he sucked hard on the lobe.

  “That’s a good word for it,” she gasped as her hands fisted in his shirt. “Sam…”

  He tugged at the pins holding her hair up, and lock by lock, it cascaded over her shoulders. When he ran his fingers through it, she shook out her hair with a laugh and rested her forehead against his.

  “How come I didn’t find you outside of this damn club?” he asked on a breath.

  “I have no idea.” She bit her lower lip and picked playfully at his shirt buttons. “Sam…I…uh, I am a virgin for real, though, so when this does go further…be gentle with me.”

  He breathed out loudly through his nose and held her face in his hands, sweetly kissing the tip of her nose, her cheeks, and lastly, her lips. “How about we don’t let it go that far? I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone else, but not in this place.”

  “So you still want to date me?” she asked with an arched brow.

  “How about this? I’ll leave you my number, and if you decide you want to see where this goes—where it could go—then you give me a call.” He reached into his back pocket and removed a wallet. “The second number is my cell.”

  Harley took the card and stared at the number and his full name and title printed in glossy black letters. “Samuel Benson, nice to meet you. Harley Smith.”

  He shook the hand she held out to him for the second time that night. “At your service, Ms. Smith,” he said with another charming smile that made her wish they were anywhere else. “But I think I’m going to call it a night before I ruin whatever real chance I have with an enticing woman such as yourself.”

  She slid off his lap and watched him smooth back his hair. He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say there’s a romantic lurking beneath all that leather and black cloth.”

  He shrugged as he reached for his jacket. “I guess you’ll have to call to find out.”

  He was at the door with his hand on the handle when she remembered the conditions of how she was supposed to end this night. “Wait!” she whispered harshly and leapt off the couch. “This is going to sound terrible, but I’m supposed to show some sort of proof of what happened in here. You know—”

  “Is that a requirement? Really?” he asked as anger flickered across his face, but she sensed it was not directed at her. “What bastard came up with that rule?”

  “The bastard who runs this club, but I think I’m a special circumstance,” she said and shook her head. “Never mind. I’ll convince him somehow.”

  “No, I will,” he said and stalked towards her. He reached up and gently mussed her hair more and loosened her corset at the back, each tug awakening feelings of longing to fall into bed with this man and let him hold her all night long. He ran his hands down her body and snapped each garter loose, shoved her nylons down, and helped her slip out of her heels. Then he messed up his hair, unbuttoned his shirt halfway, and as a final touch, lifted her off her feet so they were eye level. She wrapped her legs around his waist. “Kiss me. Make it look good.”

  His smile fell as she ran her fingers along his cheekbones then down to his clenched jaw. There was enough lipstick left on her mouth to leave a mark if she really wanted to. And damn, did she want to. She didn’t want any other woman touching Sam. He was hers—maybe not yet, but she doubted she would last a week before she called him with a need to feel this connection again. Her eyes closed as she leaned in and kissed him. It started slow, but when his hands closed tighter around he
r, their tongues warred for control of the kiss that had him backing up against the nearest wall. For good measure, she trailed her lips to his neck and left a few marks there as well.

  “Do you think it’s enough?” she asked trying to catch her breath.

  “I’ll give it a final touch when I leave.” He didn’t move to let her go and she didn’t point it out. Being in Sam’s arms was too right. She swore they had to have met at some point for her to feel so comfortable around him. He sighed and let her slide down the length of his body. “Until we meet again, Harley.” He kissed the top of her head, and she tucked his business card between her cleavage. Sam’s eyes darkened, and he swept her up in his arms for one final kiss. “You’re going to drive me crazy.”

  “Maybe that’s my plan.” She played with his shirt, roughing it up a bit more. “Sam? Thanks for tonight…I mean, for not pushing. This wasn’t exactly my choice, but you definitely made it better.”

  He smiled and removed his arm from her waist. “It’ll be thanks enough if you call me.”

  Before she could say anything else, he unlocked the door and stepped out into the hall, closing it behind him. She heard a few voices out in the hall and pressed her ear to the crack. The second she heard Ricky, her heart pounded in her chest and she glanced around the room behind her.

  “Shit!” She rushed to mess up the bed and the couch cushions and splayed herself on the edge of the bed, looking like she was putting the corset back on when a knock sounded at the door. “Who is it?”

  “Ricky. We need to talk.”

  “You can come in,” she called out and hoped she looked like she just had her very first roll in the hay.

  Someone called Ricky’s name as the door cracked open and he paused. Worried she wouldn’t convince him, Harley slipped the thong off and tossed it onto the floor, and when Ricky still didn’t turn around, she plucked one final pin from her hair, stabbed the tip of her finger, and smeared it on the sheet behind her.

  “Now then,” Ricky said loudly as he entered the room.

  She quickly grabbed the edge of the sheet to cover her naked bottom half and glowered at him. “You couldn’t wait until I had a chance to leave the room before you came to check on me?”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” His eyes assessed her as he closed the door and stalked closer. She gripped the sheet tightly as he licked his lips. “Well, now, how was your first time, dearie?”

  “Why don’t you ask the guy?”

  “Oh, I did, and he spouted your worth from one end of the hall to the other.” Ricky stopped a foot from her and smirked when his eyes landed on her thong at his feet. To her disgust, he bent down, picked it up, and sniffed it. “You sure you won’t consider my offer to work in my club full time? You would be well compensated for it. Look at how much you made in one night. Two-hundred-thousand, ready and waiting for you to take.”

  “So it’ll be transferred in the morning?” she asked, considering running away the second it appeared in the account.

  “Why would I do that? No, you will see your money when you complete the other end of our little arrangement, or your sister will disappear one day,” Ricky warned as he leaned in closer. “Ah, and there’s my proof.”

  She didn’t bother to turn and look at the blood smear. “Satisfied?”

  “I’d be more satisfied if you were up for a second round, but from the furious look in your eyes, I’d say no.”

  “That would be correct. Do you mind?” she asked and held out her hand for the thong.

  Ricky swung it around his finger before dropping it in her hand. “I’ll pass this information on to Mr. Devois and be in touch. If he agrees to see you, then all will be well in the world.”

  “And if he doesn’t?’

  “Let’s just say your sister will work off her debt much faster if you join her.” Ricky picked up a lock of her hair and let it slip through his fingers. “Such a waste as a cocktail waitress. I hoped tonight would awaken the inner seductress, but alas, I was wrong. See you soon, Harley.”

  He stepped to the side but didn’t leave the room. Glaring at him, she managed to slip on the thong without him seeing her nakedness, remembering at the last second that she should probably be sore and walked with a funny gait out the door. Once she found her way back to the dressing room behind the stage, she changed out of the corset quickly and praised the comfort of her jeans and t-shirt, tucking Sam’s business card safely away in her purse.

  A cab was easy enough to find at the late hour, and she reached her apartment not long after.

  “How was it?” Brianna asked the second she stepped inside.

  Harley hugged her sister close and kissed the top of her head. “You know, not so bad. I actually think I met a really nice guy who, after he bought a night with me, did not want to have sex with me.”

  “Well, that’s rude,” Karen said from the kitchen table. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah. Really, I’m good.”

  Harley had told Karen about everything that happened with her sister, and her friend threatened to take them both out of the city even though none of them had any real money to leave. And the money she made tonight from a billionaire—who she was pretty sure bordered on insanity to drop so much so easily—wouldn’t be available until after she took care of this Mr. Devois.

  “Are you sure you’re okay? You look funny,” Brianna said as she handed Harley a hot cup of tea.

  “I know that look,” Karen exclaimed. “Holy shit, Harley, only you would meet an actually decent guy at a place like that.”

  “I said the same thing.” She couldn’t stop smiling as she joined them at the small kitchen table. “Do you guys want to hear about Samuel Benson?”

  Karen choked on her tea. “Samuel Benson the billionaire? He bid on you?”

  “Oh, yeah, and if all goes well, the three of us will be sitting pretty for a long while.” She sipped her tea, the warmth from the liquid not even close to measuring up to the fire Sam ignited in her. She glanced at her purse and the business card that resided inside it. “Who wants to hear about my night?”

  Chapter 5

  Friday night, Sam was sleepless, but not because he wasn’t tired. He couldn’t stop seeing Harley or feeling her body fitting so perfectly against his. He paced around his penthouse and tried not to act like a smitten teenager glancing at his cell every hour to see if she called.

  Saturday morning, he sipped his coffee, watching the sun rise over the city, wondering what Harley was doing. Too bad he didn’t have her number or he would’ve called her last night to be sure she got out of the club all right. When he left her in the room, he’d walked to the end of the hall, boasting about the woman and the best night of his life. As he glanced back, hoping to catch a glimpse of her one more time, he watched a man in a fancy silk suit talking to a few other men who did not appear to be lusty men there for a night out. They looked ready to cause trouble, and Sam stayed at the end of the hall. The man in the silk suit stopped at the door where Harley was and walked in. Sam knew he was the bastard who had required proof. He was glad he’d made the decision not to have sex with her.

  Later that morning after he dressed and showered, a knock sounded at his front door as it opened. “Hey, Sam? You ready?”

  “Just about.” He finished buttoning his shirt and smoothed back his hair.

  “So, still mum on the details of your night?” Marcus asked as he and Sam left the apartment. “You dropped half a million bucks on one woman! You have to tell me play-by-play what happened. Was it good?”

  “You’re going to think I’ve lost it,” Sam said as he pushed the down button on the elevator. “We didn’t have sex.”

  Marcus chuckled. “Right, you bid five-hundred-thousand on some hot piece of ass and you don’t have sex. Sure. If you don’t want to tell me, fine. Keep all the juicy details to yourself.”

  “I’m serious, man. We didn’t have sex. We talked the whole time and it was great.”

  “You�
��re not joking,” Marcus stated, his eyes wide. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  “Why would you do that? You paid for that—to be the first man to spread her legs, to fill her—and you didn’t do her!”

  Sam ground his teeth as they exited the elevator. “Can you stop talking about her like she’s a damn piece of meat? Harley is one of the most incredible women I’ve met in a long time, and I had a fantastic evening without it ending in sex. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Are you feeling okay? Did she freak you out or something, because I’m sure I could get you a refund since she’s still untouched.”

  Sam stopped and grabbed his friend’s arm. “No, I don’t want a refund. I have more money than I know what to do with. I helped her with whatever issues she’s dealing with in her life, and she helped me realize something very important. If you want to save yourself from a black eye, stop talking about her. Got it?”

  Marcus held up his hands in surrender. “Sure thing, boss.”

  Sam let him go and stalked to the car. “Good. I’m assuming you enjoyed your evening. Where did you end up, anyway?”

  They slid into the car and Sam revved the engine as Marcus cackled. “Oh, man, I found a very interesting show. I watched a few women and a guy go through what they call public humiliation. From the way they moaned and groaned, I’d say it was far from that. I found another woman in the audience as hot and bothered as I was and we had a quickie in one of those convenient booths.”

  “Do you remember her name?”

  “I’m not even sure I asked her name,” he mused. “Huh, she was hot though, and her body! She must’ve been a gymnast at some point.”

  Sam’s lips thinned as he pulled out onto the main drag and drove towards his offices. “Don’t you think this is a problem at all?”

  “What’s a problem?”

  “The way we’ve been living lately. Doesn’t it bother you at all, on some level? You’re only a few years from thirty, too, you know.”

  Marcus shifted against the leather seats. “You’re too damn young to have a mid-life crisis.”