by Robin Deeter
Wheels said, “He has to because there’s no way I can come up with that much cash.”
Nora put her arms around him. “It’s going to be ok.”
Wheels held her, accepting the comfort that she offered him. Closing his eyes, he tried to be positive and believe that it would all work out.
Chapter Five
Keeping her hooded cloak wrapped tightly around her, Carly hurried on her way to the Chowhound. She sneaked in the back door. Mary Wilmington had let it slip to her that this was how she got in to see Ray. Quickly, she knocked on the first door to the right.
Ray answered the door shirtless and she sucked in a breath at the sight of his glorious torso.
“Who do we have here?” he asked.
Carly lifted her hood enough so that her eyes met Ray’s. His eyebrows lifted in surprise and he hauled her inside, shutting and locking the door.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded. “If anyone sees you, you’ll be ruined.”
“How sweet. My blackmailer is suddenly concerned about my reputation. You didn’t seem so worried about it the other day.”
Ray’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t say anything.
Carly pulled an envelope out of her cloak pocket and handed it to him. “It’s all there. It took me a couple of days to be able to sneak away to come here. I didn’t want any of my employees to know that I was giving you money. Our business is concluded, Mr. Stratton. Don’t come to me for more money or I won’t be the one who’s ruined.”
The ice in her eyes and voice made his blood run hotter. “Don’t worry, I don’t want anything more to do with you, either. I’m glad we’re done.”
“Good.”
She should have left, but her legs wouldn’t move. The sight of his hard, male flesh froze her in place.
The right side of his sensual mouth lifted in a half smile. “Like what you see, Mayor Branson?”
Her mouth had gone dry and she couldn’t speak. Ray tossed the envelope of money on a chair and closed the distance between them. He snagged one of her wrists and laid her hand against his chest. His skin was warm and smooth under her palm. She tried to snatch it away, but he held it in place. Then he slid it lower, giving her a taste of the contours of his well-defined muscles.
“It’s ok, Carly. It’s all right to touch me. It’s not wrong to want pleasure.”
His hypnotic voice held her motionless except for her hand, which starting roaming over his chest of its own accord. As her fingers skimmed over him, Ray’s pulse throbbed and his blood heated even more. The natural passion that suddenly flared to life within him was far different than the sort that he usually had to manufacture.
Carly knew she shouldn’t touch him, but she couldn’t help it. He was too masculine, too sensual to resist. She lifted her other hand and placed it against his chest. Her fingers grazed his nipple and he inhaled sharply. His gray eyes darkened with desire before he closed them.
It amazed her that she was giving him enjoyment. His chest rose and fell slightly faster and she wanted to taste his skin. Wicked. That’s what she was. Ray was at least seven years her junior and he was a prostitute. She shouldn’t want him, but she did. Never had she dared to touch a man that way. She’d shared some heated kisses with a few men, but she’d never laid hands on a shirtless man before, and she couldn’t stop touching Ray.
Ray didn’t want her to. He had no idea why, but something about her excited him in a way he’d never experienced before. Gently grasping her wrist, he guided her hand lower, encouraging her to dip her hand inside his pants.
Carly hated him, but her hunger for him overpowered that hate. She wanted him and she was curious about a man’s body. All her life, she’d done what was expected of her, been the good little girl, putting everyone’s needs ahead of her own. Just once she wanted to do something for herself. Selfishness rose inside her, too powerful to hold back.
Trying to appear bold, as though this was something she’d done before, she undid his pants, parting the front of them. When she cupped him through his underwear, Ray groaned and dropped his head. He placed his hands on the door behind her and leaned closer.
He was big, muscular, and powerful, yet at that moment, she was in control. He grew harder and she couldn’t believe that she excited him that way. Slipping her hand inside his underwear, she took him in her palm. His breathing became rapid and he pressed his hips forward.
“Yes, Carly. God, yes.”
Ray couldn’t remember the last time someone had affected him so strongly. She was making him come undone and he had to have her right then. Opening his eyes, he met her gaze before he unbuttoned her cloak and opened it.
“I want you, Carly. I hate you, but I want you.”
Carly pulled the cloak off, letting it drop to the floor. “I hate you, too, but I want you.”
Ray’s mouth descended on hers in a crushing kiss. He demanded entry and she gave it, wrapping her arms around his neck, and pulling him close. With deft fingers, he undid the back of her green gown and pulled it down over her shoulders.
The sight of her creamy flesh and the scent of her perfume snapped the last thread of control he possessed. In a frenzy, Ray removed her dress, petticoats, and pantalets, leaving her standing in only her chemise. He shoved his pants down, kicked them away, and lifted her up, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist. Carly eagerly acquiesced, clinging to him as he bore her back against the door and pulled her chemise above her hips.
With a growl that reverberated through her body, Ray claimed her lips and pressed inside her. Carly cried out against his mouth and tensed as pain pierced her. Ray reared his head back, staring wide-eyed at her as he went completely still.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?”
Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I was too embarrassed. I’m thirty-three years old and I’ve never been with a man before. I didn’t want to admit that to someone like you.”
“Hang onto me.”
She did, letting him carry her over to the bed. He laid her down and removed her chemise and brassiere.
“God, you’re beautiful, Carly.”
He filled his hands with her breasts, teasing her nipples, which made her hips move restlessly. He easily lifted her with one arm while moving her up farther in the bed and climbing in with her. Once again, he brought her to a fevered pitch before slowly joining their bodies together.
Ray treated Carly especially tender, feeling terrible about taking her virginity so roughly. He always focused on the woman’s pleasure, but Carly’s was much more important to him than any other’s.
Carly took the bliss he gave her, caught up in sheer sensation. Finally, he followed her, their ecstasy mingling together with sharp intensity. Their ragged breathing filled the room.
Raising up on his hands, Ray met her heavy-lidded gaze, his eyes clouded by concern and passion. “I’m so sorry, Carly. If I’d have known, I would’ve have been much gentler. It would’ve hurt a lot less. Are you ok?”
She ran a hand over his shoulder, still needing to touch him. “I’m all right. It’s my fault. I should’ve told you, but I didn’t want you to know. It didn’t occur to me that you’d be able to tell.”
He chuckled. “A man can almost always tell.”
She smiled because she could tell that he wasn’t making fun of her.
Slowly disentangling himself from her, he stretched out beside her, pulling her to him. He kissed her slightly sweaty forehead and ran a hand over her hip.
“I’ve never felt anything like that, Carly.”
Carly frowned and moved away from him. “Don’t mock me, Ray. You feel that several times a day.”
He hauled her against him again. “Not like that. I don’t know why, but it’s never been so intense, so incredible.”
She turned her face away, but he grabbed it, forcing her to look at him.
“Listen to me, damn it! Please?”
Carly stopped fighting him and his grip loos
ened, changing to a caress.
“I haven’t lost control like that since I was a teenager. I couldn’t think of anything but you. I couldn’t think period. When I’m with a woman, from beginning to end, I’m thinking, but with you I couldn’t.” He kissed her softly and then his eyes widened. “Shit!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t use anything.”
He slapped a hand over his eyes and groaned. Carly watched him get out of bed, admiring his fine physique as he paced back and forth agitatedly. They’d been in such a rush before that she hadn’t had a chance to thoroughly look him over.
“You’re gonna have to watch for signs of pregnancy, Carly. It only takes one time. I’m so stupid! If you get pregnant, we’ll have to get it taken care of.”
Carly gasped. “I will not!”
“Yes, you will. The mayor can’t have a baby out of wedlock. I should’ve sent you away. I should’ve never touched you.”
“Ray, quit panicking. It’s much too soon for that.”
“But what if you do get pregnant? What are you going to do if you don’t have—”
“Do not utter that ugly word! I won’t do it! I’ve wanted a child for far too long and I’m not getting any younger.”
His eyes skimmed over her and his blood ran hot again. She was slim, sleek, and so beautiful that he felt weak with desire. After such powerful lovemaking, it was a wonder that he was ready again only moments later.
Normally, it took him a little while to get ready for the next customer after he’d sent the first one on her way. In order to make it through a whole day, he never had sex more than once with each client. But Carly was a different story. He had a feeling that it would always only take a little before he’d be chomping at the bit to take her again.
“You’re gorgeous, Carly.”
His intense expression told her that he was sincere.
“Ray, please calm down. The chance of me getting pregnant is very slim. I mean, we’ve only just …” She couldn’t bring herself to say that she’d just slept with Ray. She wondered why it had been easier to throw herself at him like a tramp instead of the well-bred woman she was supposed to be than it was to say it out loud. Maybe she was more like her parents than she’d thought.
“Carly, you’re the mayor. You can’t afford to wait very long to find out if you are or not. Other women can get away with having eight month babies, but you can’t. You won’t have it taken care of, so that means that you would have … my child.”
Dizziness engulfed him as that fact hit him, and he sat down in a chair before he fell over.
Even though she understood the seriousness of the situation, Carly couldn’t help being amused at his reaction. Used to handling difficult situations while remaining calm, Carly ran through her options. A cunning smile curved her mouth as she looked at Ray, but she quickly controlled it.
“I have a solution,” she said.
“No, the only solution is the one you won’t do.”
“That’s not the only solution, Ray.”
With an exasperated sigh, he looked at her. “Well, let’s hear it, Miss Branson.”
“Marry me.”
He burst out laughing. “Marry you? Very funny. You actually have a sense of humor. I didn’t realize that.”
“I’m not joking. We’ll get married and I’ll make sure your child is taken care of for the rest of his or her life,” she said.
Ray gave her a confused look. “Wouldn’t you do that whether or not we were married?”
“No. Why would I continue to give you money to support your child if we’re not married?” she asked.
“Continue to give me money?” His confusion cleared. “You think that money is for a kid? I don’t have any kids, Carly. I make sure that I don’t have any. The last time I didn’t use a condom was when I was seventeen.”
“How old are you now?”
“I’ll be twenty-six next month.”
“And you’ve never done that again until tonight?”
“That’s right.”
Carly took great pleasure in knowing that she’d made him lose control. “If the money isn’t for a child, then who?”
Ray saw no reason not to tell her. “I’m putting my cousin, Izzy, through medical school. Her tuition is due next week and I need to deposit the money so that I can wire it to the school. I don’t want her classes to be interrupted because of nonpayment.”
Carly hadn’t expected Ray to be capable of something so noble. “Goodness, Ray, you certainly surprise me.”
“You and a lot of other people.”
“Back to the business at hand. I’ll pay you to marry me, whether or not I’m pregnant. If I am, wonderful. If I’m not, I want you to make sure that I do become pregnant. I’ll continue to pay for your cousin’s schooling and I’ll give you a monthly allowance,” she said.
“Why don’t you just find someone to marry? There are plenty of guys who’d love to.”
“Yes, for my money. That’s all they want. I don’t want anything to do with them. They think they can wheedle their way into my heart and get their hands on my money,” she said.
“You don’t want them to have your money, but you want to pay me to marry you and get you pregnant?” Ray asked. “Are you crazy?”
“Not at all. I’d sooner make an honest business deal where both parties get what they want and do it openly than to have someone try to go behind my back about it. I promise to make it worth your while. I’ll pay Izzy’s tuition, plus pay you five thousand dollars a month,” Carly said.
“Carly, we hate each other. Why the hell would I want to be married to you? Besides, no one is gonna accept me as a suitable suitor. I can’t court you properly and work, too.”
“If you quit your prostitution right now, I’ll start paying you immediately so that we can reform you.”
Ray shook his head. “Reform me?”
“Yes. Make you respectable. You can get a regular job and you’ll need to go to church.”
“To church? You go to church and it hasn’t done you much good. Of course, it did keep you away from me for this long, so maybe it did.”
Carly laughed at his cocky grin. “Could be.”
Ray said, “Carly, there are only a few men who know what I do and none of them will open their mouths. It’s the women you have to worry about. They’ll get catty if you take me off the market. They might spill the beans about my former occupation. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
Ray loved numbers, especially concerning money. In a world of chaos, numbers were orderly and controllable. God knew that his life had never been anything but chaotic. Gazing at Carly’s loveliness, Ray calculated numbers, rapidly figuring out what he needed. Was he crazy for considering her proposal? Of course, he was, but if it made his dream come true, he was willing to do it.
Besides, after the bliss he’d just shared with her, being married to Carly wouldn’t be a hardship. He’d meant it when he’d told her that he’d never felt anything like he had with her. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe that it was love, but their attraction was potent.
“I’ll marry you and give you your dream, but you have to give me my dream, too.”
Carly was intrigued as to what sort of dreams Ray had. “Which is?”
“I’ve always wanted to open my own bakery, but I’ve never had the money to do it. When I started hustling, I planned on saving my money so that I could open one up when I had enough for a down payment on a building and could get a loan. But, when Izzy wanted to go to college so bad, I just had to help her.
“She was always there for me when we were kids and I owed her. So that’s where my money’s been going, which has put me behind in opening up my business, but it’s worth it to me. If I stop hustling, it’ll take me even longer to get the money together. Izzy only has a couple of years to go and then I can save all of the money I make to put toward opening one.”
“A bakery? Pardon me, but I would’ve never ta
ken you for someone who enjoyed domestic pursuits,” Carly said.
Ray’s eyes glittered with anger. “Why? Because I’m a prostitute? Because that’s all you think I am or could ever be? You’re not the first one and you won’t be the last to think that, but this isn’t something I planned on doing for the rest of my life. It’s not like I enjoy it all the time.”
Carly’s eyebrows lifted. “You don’t?”
His expression tightened. “You know, the rest of the world seems to think that prostitutes are just sex-crazed people who love seducing people for money. The truth is that a lot of us don’t have any other choice. The girls here didn’t have rich families to put them through school or see that they’re fed and clothed.
“Some of them were raped by men when they were kids or abused in other ways and ran away so they didn’t wind up dead. Whoring is the only thing that’s kept them from sleeping in the gutter. Do you think there aren’t days when I wake up that I wouldn’t love to do something normal for a living?
“That I wouldn’t like to go fishing or something like that instead of making some woman I don’t like feel as though she’s the most beautiful, desirable woman in the world? That I don’t want to have to pretend that I’m enjoying myself? Don’t you think that sometimes I’d like to just make love to a woman because she cares about me and not because she’s paying me to have sex with her?
“Well, I would, but I have a responsibility to Izzy and I’ll carry out that responsibility. I can’t meet her tuition costs by working at a ranch or some other type of work. Hustling pays a lot better and with careful management, I’m still able to tuck away a little bit of money.”
The ugly truth of what he said shamed her, but not because it was scandalous. As a woman in power, Carly knew how fortunate she was to have been born into a rich, powerful family. That didn’t mean that she hadn’t had to work twice as hard as a man to be taken seriously and to retain her office. She knew what it was like to make personal sacrifices for the good of others. In that way, she and Ray weren’t all that different.
“I’m sorry, Ray. I underestimated you. You’re obviously very intelligent and very loyal. You’re right. I just assumed that you enjoyed sex so much that you were happy in your profession. It never occurred to me that you might view it as a chore as much as it is for the women,” Carly said.