Buttons and Grace

by Penelope Sky

  I was floored when she acted like nothing had happened between us. If she’d spotted me first, she probably wouldn’t have stopped by to say hello. I shouldn’t be surprised, and I certainly shouldn’t care, but that wasn’t going to happen. “I heard you and Thorn are a bit of an item.” I didn’t directly ask her the question, seeing how she would react to the speculation.

  She met my gaze fearlessly, saying nothing.

  I kept my silence, not backing down.

  She didn’t back down either.

  Jesus, she was stubborn. “You don’t have a comment to that?”

  “I don’t kiss and tell.”

  I cocked my head, annoyed by her feistiness.

  “My personal life is none of your concern, Hunt.”

  “It’s not?” I asked. “Because you just fucked me last week.”

  “Your point?” she asked coldly. “So a man can sleep around, but a woman can’t?”

  “Are you sleeping around?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “What is this about, Hunt? Did you really come over here to interrogate me? You strike me as a man who doesn’t care if a woman he slept with one time is sleeping with someone else.”

  When she put it that way, it seemed like I was overreacting. “I’m not a big fan of cheating.”

  “Me neither.”

  If that was her response, I suppose I had nothing to worry about. It explained why he didn’t care if she pressed up against some guy on the dance floor. It explained why he was more invested in his phone than her whereabouts.

  Titan held my gaze a little longer before she glanced over her shoulder. “I should be getting back. It was nice seeing you, Hunt.” She turned away.

  I grabbed her and pulled her back toward me. Just when she opened her mouth to tell me off, I guided her against the wall and kissed her. My hand fisted her soft hair, and I enveloped her in the shadows. Once my mouth was on hers, she kissed me back immediately. There was no hesitation on her part.

  She wanted me.

  I ground against her, the music playing over the speakers and loud conversations surrounding us. My cock was hard, and I pressed that against her stomach, wanting her to know I wanted her as much now as I did the other night. Our mouths devoured each other, and our tongues swirled together, dancing erotically.

  My hand snaked under her dress, and my fingers dug inside her underwear. The second I touched her folds, I noticed her wetness.

  She was soaked.

  She definitely wanted me.

  I kept my mouth against hers but ended the kiss. “Come to my place.”

  Her eyes left my lips and met my gaze. “That was a one-time thing, Hunt.”

  “Your wet panties say otherwise.”

  She narrowed her eyes in anger, but the rest of her body came alive with an electric current. Her pulse increased, and her breathing went haywire. Her normally pale cheeks were flushed with redness. “No.”

  “Yes.”

  Her cheeks flushed more when I refused to accept her answer.

  I ground my cock right against her clit, rubbing against that nub the way all women loved.

  She released an involuntary moan.

  My mouth found her ear. “No man can make you come the way I do.”

  Her arms reluctantly circled my neck, and she breathed directly into my ear.

  “Now come home with me.”

  * * *

  I was on my knees and positioned behind her, pounding my enormous cock inside her unbelievably tight pussy. Even through a condom, I could feel how wet she was. White globs of cream sheathed the condom because she kept coming all over my dick.

  Her screams were muffled when she pressed her face into the sheets. Her panties were around her ankles, and her dress hiked up so I could fuck her. I didn’t even get my shirt off before we got down to business.

  My hands were on her hips, and she gripped my wrists as she held on, our bodies moving together in slick unison. Her ass was in the air, that beautiful asshole looking back at me. Her body was beautiful, flawless and sexy. I loved to drag my tongue across her skin, tasting her and marking her at the same time.

  She came again, her pussy full of my cock. “Hunt…”

  I closed my eyes for a heartbeat, savoring the sound of my name. I’d never enjoyed making a woman come so much in my life. Making her come was enough for me to let go, but I made her come three times before I allowed myself to release.

  I fucked her like I had something to prove.

  I fucked her like I didn’t want her to forget me.

  I fucked her so she would be there in the morning.

  When I was ready to explode, I pulled out of her, ripped the condom off, and came all over her ass. I wanted my heavy come to touch her directly, to claim her in a way other men couldn’t. I jerked myself hard until every single drop landed on her luscious skin. A final moan escaped my lips when I finished.

  She remained on the bed with her face in the sheets, just as exhausted as I was.

  I cleaned myself off in the bathroom and disposed of the condom. The nice thing to do would be to get her toilet paper to clean herself off, but I wanted her to do it herself. I wanted her to feel how much come I’d sprayed all over her.

  When she walked into the bathroom, she checked her reflection in the mirror.

  And she saw it.

  Her eyes contracted in arousal. The reaction was short, but I caught it.

  And I grinned.

  She came back into the bedroom and found her panties on the ground.

  I tapped the area next to me on the bed, silently commanding her to lay beside me.

  She eyed the spot before she pulled on her panties and adjusted her dress.

  Did she ever follow directions? “Titan.” I patted the spot beside me again, making the sheets puff under my touch.

  She dismissed my invitation. “I should get going…” She turned away to grab her shoes.

  That’s when I hooked my arm around her waist and yanked her onto the bed. She crashed against my chest when we were both in the center of the mattress. “Does everything need to be straight business with you?”

  “When it’s a business matter, yes.” She propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at me. When her hair was messy like that and her mascara was smeared, she looked even sexier. She looked like a very handsome man had just fucked her good and hard. Her lips were swollen, and her lipstick had disappeared—because it was somewhere on my body.

  I rested my head back on the pillow and watched her with a perfect view. Her long body stretched out across the bed, and I saw the way her torso led to a narrow waist. I preferred her naked, but she was still sexy in that skintight fabric.

  Her hand moved to my stomach, and she slowly slid her hand over my six-pack, her fingers gliding over the tough grooves of my muscles. Her soft fingers were a direct contrast to my hardness. It was like rubbing a feather against sandpaper. Her eyes darkened imperceptibly, but the reaction was enough to tell me she enjoyed the touch.

  I was glad she liked touching me as much as I liked touching her.

  She turned her head until her eyes landed on mine. She examined my messy hair before she stared my lips. “You’re a very handsome man.” Her hand slid to my chest, feeling the hard muscles of my pectorals.

  Titan wasn’t the kind of person who handed out compliments, and if she did, it was because you earned them. “Thank you.”

  Her hand snaked down again, her fingertips drawing lines across my skin until she reached my happy trail. She felt the scruff before she circled back up again. “And your place is nice too.”

  “Maybe I can see yours sometime.” The words popped into my brain just a millisecond before I spoke them out loud. As a successful man, I always considered everything I said in detail before I let another human being listen to my words. But with Titan, there wasn’t much thinking going on.

  Just doing.

  Her hand continued to explore my body, her eyes not giving the slightest r
eaction to what I said.

  What was she thinking?

  “I hope your girlfriends aren’t worried about you.”

  “They know I can handle myself.” She had an answer for everything, like she’d already witnessed this conversation and rehearsed what to say. Not once had I seen her flustered. Even when faced with difficult questions, she cruised through them without fumbling. She was the world’s most graceful woman—not just the richest. “And they can handle themselves.”

  “Do they know about me?”

  “What is there to tell?”

  I propped myself up on my elbow so we were eye-to-eye. Even when I turned my body, her palm remained glued to my muscular torso. She could act indifferent to me all she wanted, but her affection was unmistakable. “That I don’t just make you come hard—but good.”

  When she smiled, she didn’t project that diplomatic grin that she reserved for her adversaries. Now there was a gentle smile on her mouth, a soft affection in her eyes. Her hand moved up my chest and neck until her fingers were right against my jaw. She felt the scruff that had grown in since that morning. The hair was dark and rough where she explored my short beard. “I haven’t told them about you—but I will.”

  “Sounds like you trust your friends.”

  “Of course I do. They’re my family.”

  I didn’t know anything about her family. All I knew was she was insanely rich, classy, and smart. But now I’d have to do some digging—especially into Thorn Cutler. “Will you tell Thorn about me?”

  Her smile didn’t fade away. “For a man who’s just interested in getting laid, you ask a lot of questions.”

  “Who said I was only interested in getting laid?”

  She sized me up with those watchful eyes. “Well, that’s all I’m interested in. I hope the same from you.”

  Every woman I’d been with wanted more. If I asked them to stay, they would. If I asked them to quit their job and run off with me to Greece, they would. I’d never met a woman so detached, so indifferent. It was definitely a new experience. “I have an open mind.”

  “I don’t.” She sat up and fixed her hair before she moved to the edge of the bed. “Thank you for the fun evening.”

  I didn’t want her to leave, but I’d already asked her to stay once. I couldn’t do it again. “You know where to find me if you have an itch you just can’t scratch.”

  She slipped on her heels then stood up. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  I wasn’t sure why I expected tonight to be different from the last one. She only saw me as a fuck machine, a man to make her come on cue. And that was perfect for me, more than perfect. I fucked her once to my satisfaction. Now I’d fucked her again, and I was ready to move on.

  Or was I?

  I got dressed and walked her to the door. “Can I take you home?”

  “No, thank you.” She grabbed her clutch from where she left it in the entryway. Her hair was fixed, and it didn’t seem like she’d just gotten fucked—minus the missing lipstick. “Goodbye, Hunt.” Her hand glided up my bare chest, and she kissed me on the mouth, soft and lovely.

  That mouth was perfect. I kissed her back and nibbled on her bottom lip slightly, pulling out a quiet sigh from her slender throat. I took her breath away, and we both knew it. Her bones ached for my touch, for my kiss. I proved it tonight at that club. Once I pressed my body against hers, she was mine.

  And she would be mine again. “Good night, Titan.”

  Her hand slid down my chest as she walked away, her long nails gently scratching me during their departure. Her ass shook as she walked, her perky behind just as sexy in the dress as it was bare. Her heels tapped against the hardwood floor as she walked off, the graceful sound announcing her departure.

  I stared at her as she got into the elevator and turned around. I was just in my slacks with bare feet. My hard body was still flexed with the adrenaline that she generated with her touch. I examined her intimately, watching every feature of her face. When I stared too long at a woman, she eventually looked down. The heat became too much.

  But Titan wasn’t a woman who looked away.

  She held my gaze, refusing to be intimidated by any man—not even me.

  Our gazes locked, the elevator beeped, and the doors slowly began to close.

  As they slid together toward the center, her profile became less visible. Her body faded away until I could only see an inch of her.

  Then the doors closed.

  Neither one of us won the standoff.

  But neither one of us lost either.

  Tatum

  No man could fuck like Hunt.

  Jesus Christ, he was a machine.

  I hadn’t had sex that exquisite in a while, not that my sex life was ever boring. His cock was big, and he certainly knew how to use it. His kisses were scorching, his touch was tantalizing, and he knew exactly how to work a clitoris.

  I was actually sore, but I liked it.

  I didn’t sleep over at a man’s house—not when it was casual. I always got out of there before things could get complicated. I didn’t have time for complicated.

  Or anything else.

  Hunt seemed like the kind of man who didn’t want anything serious either. From what I’d researched about him, he was the kind of man who usually traveled with two women, one on each arm. He was never photographed with the same woman more than once, and he was hailed as a sex symbol other men looked up to. He definitely wasn’t a man who would have a wife and kids someday.

  Perfect for me.

  But our arrangement had to end now. I already broke my one-time rule because he ruthlessly seduced me. But it couldn’t happen again—not ever. We had a great time, but now we needed to forget about each other and move on.

  No matter how hot he was.

  A few days passed, and I didn’t hear from Hunt. I assumed that meant he’d moved on just the way I did, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about that toned physique and those powerful arms. His shoulders were sexy, so broad and strong. Everything about him was innately man, the finest male specimen on the planet. When he was plowing his hard cock inside me, I felt like a woman—and only a woman. I wasn’t a CEO, a role model, or a ruthless businesswoman.

  I was just a woman.

  It was nice.

  I even played with my vibrator while thinking about him a few times that week.

  But that memory would fade in time. My attraction would die when I found my next partner. He would go back to being a business associate I seldom interacted with. That was perfect for me.

  I was in my office when my cell phone rang, and Isa’s name appeared on the screen. No one else could reach me directly besides my closest friends and business associates. Everyone else had to go through my four assistants—and even then, it was tough to get through to me. “Hey.”

  “Hey, how’s it going over there?”

  “Good. Just got out of a meeting five minutes ago.”

  “Ugh, I hate meetings. I feel like we sit around and talk but don’t get anything done.”

  I put her on speakerphone so I could sort through my emails at the same time. “I know what you mean.”

  After a pregnant pause, she addressed the real reason why she was calling me. “So…you disappeared the other night. Where’d you run off to?”

  I hadn’t told her about Hunt. I was going to, but I assumed I would do it while Pilar was around. “Snuck off with a guy.”

  “Ooh…what guy?”

  “A very hot guy.”

  “Tell me everything.”

  “Well…you remember Diesel Hunt, right?”

  After a long pause, she nearly let out a scream. “You did not.”

  “I did…”

  “How was he?”

  A shiver went up my spine just thinking about it. “Unbelievable.”

  “I’m so jealous right now.”

  “Every woman should be jealous, honestly. Three times.”

  “He fucked you three times? Or mad
e you come three times?”

  I grinned. “Both.”

  “Ooh…that sounds amazing.”

  “And it wasn’t my first time. We hooked up two weeks ago too.”

  Now the pause she gave me was full of a million other feelings. “You slept with him twice?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Tatum Titan?”

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  “What does that mean?” she asked. “Do you actually like him?”

  I respected him, which was saying something coming from me. I enjoyed those kisses and caresses. But my feelings toward him didn’t exist out of the physical spectrum. “Not romantically. I told him it wouldn’t happen again.”

  “And he was fine with that?”

  “He’s such a manwhore. Yes, he was fine with it.”

  “What did Thorn have to say about it?”

  “Haven’t talked to him yet.”

  “You guys are stuck together like glue. I’m surprised.”

  “We’re having dinner tonight. I’ll give him the rundown then. Anything happen with you that night?”

  “Well…”

  I ignored my emails and focused all my attention on our conversation. “Well, what? Who did you take home?”

  “Pine Rosenthal.”

  I didn’t recognize the name. “Not sure who that is.”

  “His family owns a lot of banks. He’s wealthy by birth.”

  Most wealthy people were. “You like him?”

  “He’s great in bed. Yes, I like him.”

  “Are you gonna see him again?”

  “I hope so,” she said. “But I’m playing it cool right now.”

  “Good. Always make them work for it.”

  Isa pulled the phone away so she could speak to her assistant. They shared a few words before she came back to me. “Girl, I gotta go.”

  “Talk to you later.” I hung up then noticed a new email in my inbox.