"It doesn't matter if it was good. It shouldn't happen again."
"That means they were good though."
"Richard, get out of here. I'm here to buy art, not discuss this with you."
"Right, I should get Jamal on the phone..."
He pulled out his phone and I reached out, smacking it from his hand. He picked it up with a cheeky grin on his face.
"You're ready to answer my question, then?"
"Yes, the kisses were good. It's still not happening again. I will do anything for you to not tell Jamal."
"Kiss me again."
"Fuck off, Richard!"
He chuckled, "only joking."
"It's not funny! We aren't ever going to kiss again because we aren't ever going to speak again. So if you'd like to keep your balls, you'll get out of my way."
"Oh, that will be a headline. Indie Holloway attacks Richard Carmichael in Tribeca. How do you think your mother would feel about you starting trouble?"
"I'm not starting trouble. You are."
"Trouble? This is only a conversation."
"You're insufferable."
"I've been told," he replied, "I've also been told I'm a good kisser."
"Beginning to regret that."
"All I want is the truth, Indie. If I weren't who I am... if you weren't who you were... would you really turn down a date with me?"
I glanced up at him, his brilliant ocean colored eyes fixated on my own, causing heat to rush to my face. What was the point in him chasing after me like this? What was the point of his questioning? We couldn't wish ourselves to be other people. We couldn't pretend we were in different families.
"It doesn't matter what could have been. I'm a Holloway, you're a Carmichael."
"So even if we could be perfect for each other, you won’t give me a chance?"
"Perfect for each other?your family is made up of thieves and criminals. There's no way in hell we'd be perfect for each other."
"The Holloways are always innocent I presume?"
"We might not be perfect, but we don't steal. We don't betray our own. And I won't betray my own, certainly not for you."
"You really hate me then? From the bottom of your heart, you'll deny yourself pleasure because you just hate me that much?"
Feels Wrong
RICH
"Screw you, Richard," she hissed.
"Tell me this feels wrong."
I stepped in, clutching my palm to her cheek and kissed her. She pressed her palms against my chest and shoved me away.
"What are you doing?"
"Kissing you."
I grabbed her waist again and kissed her again. She didn't fight this time. She clutched the lapels of my jacket and kissed me back. This time, she pulled away, her expression aghast.
"No... No, no, no."
"We shouldn't be seen kissing in the street."
"We shouldn't," she replied.
This time, she bit down on her lower lip and offered, "I'm staying at the Ritz."
"Of course you are," I chuckled.
"Shut up."
"We'll take separate cabs."
"The room is under Jamal's name. I'll tell them to expect you."
She turned around and walked away. I watched her step into her car, an expression of admiration plastered over my face. I smirked as I watched her get into the car. I knew she'd felt it. I knew what happened on the beach meant something.
Our identities were an unfortunate coincidence but to me, not a roadblock. I'd heard Indie Holloway was smart and loyal to her family. Our gaze locking for the first time across the yacht and our encounter on the beach cemented our physical attraction, that unattainable spark you only hope for when you go on a blind date or meet someone at a club.
That spark illuminated our hearts beneath the full moon on Two Mile Hollow. Before we had been neither Rich nor Indie, we had been two souls urgently in need of connection. Her being a Holloway and my being a Carmichael could do nothing to mask the primal hunger for each other that surfaced the instant our eyes met.
I waited around the corner from the Ritz, flicking down my shades as I entered and asked for the room.
"Ah yes, you're expected," the doorman said, ushering me to the elevator with a card key for room 406.
I didn't knock before entering. She stood in the middle of the room, waiting for me, her hands clasped anxiously in front of her.
"Rich this is a bad idea. I shouldn't have asked you to come."
"But you asked me."
"I'm confused. I mean... you're Rich Carmichael. I shouldn't have kissed you... I shouldn't be here with you..."
"But you are."
"That's not helping! If this happens -- if -- where can this go? Our families are enemies. I shouldn't even be talking to you."
"We don't have to hate each other."
"We do. We do have to hate each other."
"I had no idea who you were when I saw you."
"I didn't know who you were either," she replied.
"So we can only assume this attraction happened organically, right?"
She folded her arms, still concerned, but she nodded.
"Great," I replied, "then this isn't a betrayal. We could pretend you're still a mysterious hottie in a yellow bikini and I'm still --"
"Mr. Seersucker suit," she chuckled.
"I don't have any ill intentions here, Indie."
"Neither do I," she replied.
"I understand, you'll want us to keep this quiet."
"Yes," she nodded, "Whatever this is..."
I made my move, rushing to grab her by the hips and kissing her. I couldn't hold back a moment longer. Indie grew more flustered, more agitated and closer to talking herself out of the hotel room and out of my grasp. I couldn't allow that to happen. When I'd spotted her on the yacht, the music had faded to a background din, the women around me blended into the shadows on the deck of the boat. No one could have taken my eyes off her.
She didn't protest the kiss but when we came up for air, she gazed up at me distressed.
"This is wrong," she whispered as her fingers tapped on my chest.
"Does it feel wrong?" I asked her.
"Oh God no..."
She kissed me again, then pulled away, reluctantly pressing her forehead to my chest.
"I've been waiting to kiss you again since the beach," I confessed.
"Me too," she replied, "but my family -- what will my family think?"
"You're still worried about that?" I teased.
"Of course!"
"Then I'm not doing a good job of taking your mind off your troubles."
I reached around, grabbing her buttocks and lifting her off the ground in spite of her protests. She squealed and I pressed her against a wall, propping her up with one arm and kissing her. I caressed her cheek as we kissed and my hand wandered along the curve of her bosoms and her hip.
Her body pressed against mine activated a pulsating hot urgency within me. My hardness stiffened in my pants. Indie's legs wrapped around my torso, squeezing me tightly as I held her. I knew she could feel me growing harder and the hot desperation to make love to her had ignited with the haste of lightning.
I reached for the buttons on her shirt.
"Nice shirt," I muttered, my lips sucking on a bit of flesh on her neck.
Through her moans, she replied, "thanks..."
"It's so formal... tells me that you're a good girl at heart."
"Me?" She giggled, "I'm not a good girl."
"You think you're a bad girl huh?" I replied, squeezing her ass cheeks harder.
She moaned and nodded, "yes..."
"You want me to fuck you like a bad girl then?"
"Yes..."
She reached for my belt buckle but I swatted her hands away.
"Careful bad girl. I wouldn't want to have to punish you."
I pinned her arms above her head, holding her against the wall with one hand and her hands with the other. She wrapped her legs around my torso
, her thick thighs pressing into my side. I kissed her, thrusting my tongue into her throat and grinding into her until she bucked her hips against mine.
I scooped her off the wall and tossed her back onto the bed, crawling between her legs before she had a moment to react. Clothing stripped off piece by piece. First her white oxford shirt, then her tights, then the silk pencil skirt that cinched tightly at her delicate waist.
Before long, she was just as naked as she'd been before me on the beach. This time we'd go the distance and follow our desire for each other to its natural conclusions without the bane of interruption or discovery. Indie pawed at my pants and swatted her arm again.
"Patience, Indie."
She responded to my voice as if under hypnosis and inhaled sharply as I pressed my lips to her neck. Good. I reached my hand past the waistband of her underwear and slipped my fingers between her lips.
"You're so wet..."
She giggled and hooked her thumbs through the waistband of her underwear, pulling it off.
"Look at how easily you melt in my hands..." I whispered.
"Shut up..."
"Indie Holloway... spreading her legs for Rich Carmichael... imagine that."
"Shut up!" She hissed.
I chuckled.
"Don't tell me to shut up sweetheart. You wanted to be treated like a bad girl so that's what you get. Turn around."
She flipped onto her stomach and I arched her back. She held the position, her legs trembling in a mixture of fear and anticipation. I slipped my pants and underwear off, no longer capable of restraining my raging hard-on.
I kissed her back and dipped my finger between her lips.
"Perfection..."
I slipped a rubber onto my hardness and positioned myself at her entrance. I pressed down on the middle of her back and thrust my hardness inside her with one swift motion. She cried out -- loudly. I grunted as I pulled out of her and her wetness clamped down on my throbbing member.
I groaned and thrust into her again. She moaned. I'd meant to take it slow but I couldn't. The honey pot between her legs gripped my cock with interminable heat and a sopping softness. I thrust between her legs hard again, gripping onto her hips as I plunged into her. I grunted as I pumped between her legs harder... and harder...
She moaned and I could sense her approaching a climax. I drove between her legs and snaked my hand down the length of her spine until my fingers sank between the strands of her hair. I grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged gently, positioning her at my mercy as I pummeled between her legs.
"YES! Oh, yes!" She cried out.
Her cries bled into an orgasm that shook every inch of her body. She moaned her elbows slid onto the sheets, pressing her breasts into the bed. I gripped her hips and drove into her deeper...
"Take it..." I groaned, "take daddy's big dick..."
"Oh yes! Yes, Rich... I'm cumming," she moaned.
"Cum for daddy," I growled, and she exploded into another climax, this one bigger than the previous one.
I pulled my cock out of her and flipped her onto her back.
"I want to look into your eyes as you cum for me," I growled.
Indie grasped for my buttocks, her nails dragging across my flesh as she urged me to enter her again. I pried her thighs apart further and pressed my hardness against her. She braced herself and moaned as I slid inside her. I grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head, pressing her into the bed.
"You're mine, Indie Holloway," I grunted, the heat of the moaning awakening a primal urge to possess her as my own.
I thrust between her legs, plunging harder and faster as she whimpered and moaned, approaching yet another earth-shattering climax. She wrapped her legs around me and dug her heels into my back. I pinned her arms down tighter and grunted, slamming my hardness into her.
"You want to be a bad girl, Indie? Cum for daddy... Cum for me..." I whispered into her ear.
She exploded again into a flurry of moans and whimpers as she bucked her hips and writhed in the sheer euphoria of her climax. I struggled to hold back after that climax. Her body twisted in perfect vulnerability beneath my grasp and I couldn't hold on a moment longer.
I grunted and erupted inside her. My mind went blank as I came. All my thoughts, all my intentions focused solely on Indie Holloway. I pulled out of her, gasping for breath, my body covered in sweat as we lay next to each other. Holy hell.
If I'd been pining over another woman, that woman had been forgotten. Indie sat up after a few moments, her thick black curls cascading down her umber colored back. She reached for her button down and dressed her top half, slipping into her underwear.
"Kicking me out for the night?" I asked.
She giggled, "No. I'm holding you hostage for round two."
She returned to bed and kissed my cheek.
"Let's order room service. Tomorrow morning, you get out of here and we pretend this entire thing never happened."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Pretend it never happened?"
"That's what's best, isn't it?"
I nodded, "You're right. Shouldn't make this more trouble than it's worth."
"Exactly," she replied, "it's just an itch we need to scratch."
"An act of rebellion."
"A moment in time."
"A necessary experience."
Her lips were dangerously close to mine again.
"What the hell," I muttered, kissing her and rolling her onto her back again. Indie giggled as I fumbled with her buttons a second time.
"Rich!" she giggled, "what are you doing?"
"Screw room service," I muttered, "I must have you again."
I slipped the white shirt off her shoulders and planted a kiss on each one, brushing her long dark coils out of the way. She eased her arms out of the shirt.
"If you insist then..."
"Believe me, I insist."
She giggled as I kissed her again and we fell into the throes of lusty lovemaking again and again until morning.
Gallery
INDIE
Our art gallery party went off without a hitch. No Carmichaels had the misfortune of attending.
Jamal, Donnie and I returned to the city after the party.
The company took precedence and summer partying dwindled into a dull murmur rather than the focus of our lives. My father Kendrick had saddled us with a billion dollar responsibility and we'd have to fight tooth and nail to keep the company above water.
I met with my team, a group of skilled marketers, analytics experts and investors to work on the next Holloway campaign. One thing I shared with my father was my addiction to the rush of leadership. I thrived off of being the boss, making decisions and leading other people towards success. That's just me -- driven.
After a week at work, Rich texted me.
-- I'm in the city.
I didn't respond. He should have known better than to message me at all. After we'd parted ways, I'd been clear. I'll be in touch when I'm ready, I'd whispered as we kissed goodbye. Buying myself time didn't work dealing with an impatient billionaire executive used to getting his way.
-- Answer me, Indie.
I sighed. Rich wasn't the sort of man to take no for an answer.
-- I'm working.
-- I need to see you.
-- I'm. Working.
-- Lunch Break. I'll get a room at the Four Seasons.
-- Haha.
-- Not joking.
-- Too risky.
-- I want you...
-- And you can't have me.
-- I will have you.
"Who are you texting?"
I squeaked and shoved my phone into my desk drawer, slamming it shut.
"Nobody."
"Nobody?" Jamal asked with an eyebrow raised as he leaned against my office door.
"Mind your business."
"I hope you're focusing on what's important here Indie. We have quotas to meet and investors to answer to."
I rolled my ey
es.
"We're already on track to outperforming last quarter and I just hired an analytics expert who will turn every underperforming sector around. I'm sure of it."
"Good."
"I've already emailed you the report."
"Great."
Jamal kept leaning against my door frame, watching me with his penetrating brown eyes. I could always tell when my brother wanted more from me than what he was letting on.
"This isn't about work, is it?"
"Yes and no."
"Spill. Is there some kind of trouble?"
"No," he replied, "no trouble. Not yet."
"Okay..."
He approached my desk and sat across from me, leaning over the desk and giving me a broad grin that indicated what he wanted to ask me was unpleasant. I waited, silent and patient for him to spill what was on his mind.
"Are you seeing anybody, Indie?"
The first time he'd asked the question, I'd thought nothing of it. This time, my heart skipped a beat.
"What's it to you?"
"It's a simple question, Indie."
"No," I lied.
My heart thudded against my rib cage so hard I thought Jamal could see the muscle pulsing through my chest.
"So there's no special guy?"
"No," I replied, "and no special girl either."
He smirked.
"Right. We need to discuss that Indie."
"Why?"
"Because it's no longer acceptable."
"What are you talking about?"
"You and I both know how hard it can be to date as a Holloway."
I snorted, "I've had worse luck than you."
He grinned, "All your bad luck is about to come to an end. I want to set you up with someone."
"Not interested."
Alpha Bait_BWWM Billionaire Romance Novel Page 5