Faking it with #41

by Piper Rayne

  We walk into the party and all eyes turn toward us. Lena tenses next to me. I bend down and whisper in her ear, “Relax.”

  She doesn’t though. I’d thought about reminding her to use the toy I bought her the first time to relax her. Then when I went into her room to zip up her dress, I thought I could do it for her—slip my hand under the slit of her dress, slide the thong over, and watch her come on my hand. But it just didn’t feel right. Then again, I’ve been waiting a fucking lifetime for it to feel right.

  There’s too much at stake. I don’t want to just take her, I want to have her. And more than once.

  We check our coats and I slip the ticket into the pocket of my slacks. Grabbing two champagne flutes off a server’s tray, I hand her one. “This will relax you.”

  She sips it and smiles at me.

  I take the opportunity to kiss her on her cheek because she’s so cute. “Save the blushing for after.”

  “I’m curious, how do you think we’re going to have sex with Annabelle there?” she asks, because I haven’t filled her in on my plans for after we ditch this party.

  “We’re not going back to my parents’ place, we’re going to a hotel. A suite.”

  The flute almost slips out of her hand, but her grip tightens. “No. Don’t waste money like that.”

  “Believe me, it’s gonna be the best money I’ve spent in months, maybe years.”

  “That’s a lot of pressure.”

  “Let me add that we do nothing if you don’t want to. It’s completely up to you.” But I really hope she wants to. I mean, she did kiss the living shit out of me after the game. I see her clench her thighs sometimes and I wonder if it’s to soothe an ache I’ve caused.

  She finishes her champagne, puts the flute on a table, and wraps her arms around my neck, pushing her body into mine. “I want to.”

  And damn, my dick chubs.

  “Then let’s get this party over with.”

  “Ford.” My dad’s voice is like razor blades on my balls, ruining my moment with Lena.

  “Be nice,” Lena whispers, linking her hand in mine as though we’re a united front.

  We both turn and see my father standing with a short-statured balding man. I assume he must be Otis Sandersville. A petite brunette next to him has her hair in a bun and a dress similar to the one Lena wore to my dad’s birthday party, aka hiding every inch of skin.

  “Dad,” I say, holding out my hand to shake his. I see my mom escaped and I wonder how she managed that.

  “Hi, Eli,” Lena says, hugging my dad as though they really are more than employee and boss.

  “Lena, you look stunning.”

  She blushes. “Thank you. Ford surprised me with the dress.” She winds her arm through mine and rests her head on my shoulder.

  “He always does surprise me with the interests he pursues. I’m not sure Gabi would like it if I tried to pick out her dress.” My dad laughs.

  We all carry on as though it’s funny when he really just insulted me. I bite back my reply because Otis is here.

  “May I see?” the woman next to who I’m still assuming is Otis asks, holding out her hand to Lena.

  Lena stares for a moment, clearly not understanding the question.

  “The ring, darling,” the woman says.

  “Oh. Yes. Of course.” Lena holds out her hand, and the woman comes so close to the ring I’m surprised she doesn’t have one of those magnifying glasses like at the jeweler’s.

  “Very pretty. And expensive.” She nods to me as though complimenting my good taste.

  “Let me introduce you.” My dad looks at Otis. “This is Otis Sandersville and his wife, Penny.” Then he gestures to me. “My oldest, Ford, and his fiancée, Lena Boyd.”

  We all shake hands, and Otis sets his gaze on me. “You’ve made the magazines and newspapers a lot of money.”

  I nod. “I think the internet more.”

  We both laugh.

  “You like to be the center of attention?” he asks.

  Lena stands like a statue next to me.

  “I’ll admit I was a bit wild when I was younger, but Lena’s shown me a new way of life.” I look down at her, and she forces a smile.

  “And, Lena, taking care of a child that isn’t yours? Commendable,” Penny says.

  Lena looks at Penny instead of Otis. “No child should be motherless.”

  Penny nods and glances at Otis with a soft smile. “Won’t it be hard knowing she came from Ford being with another woman?”

  “I—” I’m ready to dive in and save her. She’s not supposed to be raked over the coals, I am.

  But Lena places her perfectly manicured hand on my arm, softly implying she has this. “It was before Ford and I truly got together. Sure, there was a kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve.” She glimpses at me with love-filled eyes. “But it was complicated, what with me working with the Jacobses. We had to tread carefully. Like you, I’m familiar with the unknown, of not knowing when my next meal would be, and I couldn’t risk my job.”

  I freeze. Where the hell is she going with this? This man might be richer than my father. Certainly they’re on the same level at least.

  My dad glares at Lena, then at me. Questions in his gaze. Questions I have no answers for.

  “I see you’ve done your research.” Mr. Sandersville smiles at Lena. “I guess I assumed you came from the same mold as the Jacobses.”

  Lena shakes her head. “No, that’s why I keep taking this ring off. I’m afraid to lose it. Too expensive.” She holds it out again and Penny holds out her own hand, where there’s a simple gold band.

  It’s then I take in their clothing. Penny is in a presentable dress, but nothing like I’m used to seeing women in high society wear. Otis is in a suit, but it’s not Armani or perfectly tailored to his body. These are frugal people who don’t show off the amount of money they have.

  “I’d want it locked to my hand.” Penny laughs, and Lena joins in. “We tend to stick to core values. Money is security and nothing more.”

  Lena’s smile could light up the room.

  “I told Otis I thought you must be a saint. Taking on Ford alone is a big feat.” She looks at me. “No offense.”

  I hold up my hand that I take none, even though I do.

  “And then his sweet daughter. We’ve seen a few articles with the three of you, and you make a beautiful family. And you’re right about no child being motherless. We ourselves have adopted two children of dear friends of ours who unexpectedly passed.”

  “That’s so very kind of you,” Lena says.

  “Turns out maybe I was wrong about you.” Otis turns to me while I’m still processing this whole exchange between Lena and Penny. “You know, they say the worth of a man is in the woman he chooses.”

  “Can’t say I’ve ever heard that before, but it’s the truth. This woman has changed me.” I wrap my arm around Lena’s waist. I mean every word. I’m not acting, although Lena probably assumes I am.

  “Do you smoke cigars? Come join me on the balcony,” Otis suggests.

  “This is where we part.” Penny squeezes Otis’s arm.

  “I’ll be back in no time,” he says.

  I bend down and give Lena a kiss on the cheek. “You made me hard,” I whisper in her ear.

  The soft moan my words elicit only makes me think of when we leave here and whether we’ll even make it back to the hotel room.

  “Don’t be too long,” she says. Her touch lingers on my arm as I walk away with my dad and Otis.

  “Never.” I wink and catch her hand falling to her stomach.

  “Oh, he is a charmer and very handsome,” Penny tells Lena, but I’m out of earshot before her answer.

  We file out to the balcony where my dad and Otis say hello to certain people they’re used to doing business with. Standing around a tall table, Otis pulls the cigars out of his pocket, handing us each one. We pass around the cutter and lighter until we’re all situated. I stop a waitress to ask for a w
hiskey.

  “I know we’ve been in talks about me buying a majority stake in Jacobs Enterprises.” Otis is the first to breach the subject as to why we’re all here.

  A topic I don’t want to be a part of. It’s not like I don’t feel any guilt over my dad selling what my ancestors built. I do. But I can’t bring myself to want the life my dad wants for me. I would if I could.

  “We’d remain forty-nine percent stakeholders and hold positions on the board, but you’d have majority ownership, yes.” I can’t tell from my dad’s tone whether he’s upset with me still or if he really is okay with letting part of the company go so he can travel with my mom.

  “Is there something I don’t know?” He sucks in smoke and billows it out into the crisp night air.

  “Not at all. Why do you ask?” my dad says.

  “Because from what I understand, your business isn’t in jeopardy. Quite the contrary. You’ve brought it back better than ever after your father tanked it.”

  My dad’s hands tense on his glass of whiskey, and I worry for a moment that his anger about Otis talking badly about my grandfather will undo this entire situation.

  “I have no one to hand it down to, and I promised Gabi that once our kids were grown, I’d step away. Unfortunately, my son has more love for a puck and a stick than a boardroom and an office and my two daughters aren’t interested. That leaves me no option but to sell.” My dad briefly looks in my direction.

  “You could remain owner. Hire someone you trust to run the day-to-day,” Otis says, and I can’t help the chuckle that escapes me. Otis raises an eyebrow in my direction.

  “If my father still had controlling interest, there’s no way he’d be able to keep his hands off of it. He’s a bit of a control freak.” I glance at my dad. “Sorry, Dad, but it’s true.”

  He gives me a terse nod.

  “I understand. Not sure I could do it either,” Otis says. “The temptation to pop in the office would always be there.”

  “Exactly,” my dad says with a satisfied smile.

  Otis puffs away on his cigar for a moment. “And you both want to sit on the board. That’s part of the deal?”

  We both nod.

  “And you, Ford, you’ve cleaned up your act? I don’t want any bad press. I don’t want to have to be putting out press releases because you’ve had an orgy with fifteen women or something.”

  My eyes widen. I guess my dad was right to assume we needed this fake engagement.

  “You just saw him with Lena. They’re in love. A wedding is in the works for the end of the hockey season.”

  “That so?” Otis poses his question to me.

  I nod. “Yes.”

  “Okay, we’ll sign the papers the day of the marriage.”

  “Seriously?” I ask, and my dad’s hand lands on my shoulder. “I mean—”

  “No.” Otis laughs. “The day after, but I do want to ensure that you are marrying her. You’ve done a one-eighty in a short amount of time, Ford. Some leopards never change their spots.”

  “I assure you, I do… did.”

  He smiles and nods. “Can’t wait to get the invitation in the mail. In the meantime, Eli, let’s put a meeting on the books after the holidays. We can work out some more details, then let the lawyers do their thing.” Otis raises his cigar, puffs another billow of smoke, and leaves the patio.

  My dad turns to me. “I told you the man is inflexible. How the hell did Lena know about them not having any money when they started out?”

  I shrug. “How am I supposed to know?”

  My dad gives me a look and rejoins the party.

  I do the same for a bit, making the rounds and schmoozing with everyone like I’m expected to. I receive the many congratulations on my engagement with a smile and tell them what a lucky man I am.

  Finally, I’ve had enough so I seek out my fiancée. I spot Lena talking to a group of women, including my mom. I come at Lena from behind, surprising her, which makes all the older women smile.

  “You ready?” I whisper, and the fact that she steps back into my embrace I take as a yes. “Can you all excuse me while I have a moment with my fiancée?”

  My mom smiles at us. “Go, Ford. You two never get a night alone. We’ve got Annabelle tonight.”

  I kiss my mom’s cheek and Lena hugs her, saying how nice it was to meet everyone.

  We leave the room with my mom bragging about Annabelle and how in love Lena and I are.

  “Are you sure we should leave?” Lena asks me as the elevator doors shut.

  I backstep her into the elevator wall and my fingers graze the side of her tit. “You’re so fucking amazing.”

  “Well, thank you. And I haven’t even sucked your dick yet.” She grins and laughs. I like this side of her.

  “You’re good at everything else. I’m sure you’ll rock that too.” Our eyes meet and I inch closer.

  “Get me to the hotel and you can find out for yourself.” Her voice is breathy.

  “Fuck.” I take her hand and bring it down between my legs. “Look what you did. I’ve been walking around with a fucking hard-on since you put on that dress. Since I know what little lingerie is on under it, I’m dying.”

  When the elevator doors open, I yank her out of the confined space before I end up taking her up against the wall. Tonight, I’m having Lena Boyd regardless of any repercussions.

  I slide over to the far side in the SUV, but Ford sits right next to me, his thigh pressed to mine.

  “Don’t go running on me,” he whispers in my ear, his hot breath on my neck and his hand sliding around my waist and up my torso. Again, his knuckles graze down the side of my breast and goose bumps cover my body.

  “I was simply leaving you room,” I say.

  He chuckles softly in my ear. “I don’t need that much room.”

  His mouth covers my earlobe, and he sucks it, his tongue toying with it. My eyes close and I relish his undivided attention. I’m finally going to have him.

  His fingers travel down the side of my body, past my waist to my leg, and slide under the slit of my dress. “See why this dress is so much better?” His breath tickles my neck, and he bites my earlobe.

  A long exhale expels from my mouth when his hand brushes along my core, over my damp thong.

  I put my hand on his. “Ford…”

  He draws back and looks into my eyes. The darkness of the interior doesn’t hide the fire raging inside me and he sees it. There’s a cocky smirk on his face, then he’s back to nuzzling my neck. He shifts my panties over, his finger swiping through the wetness at my core. He draws in a deep breath when he finds me soaked.

  The SUV pulls along the curb outside the hotel and I lightly push Ford off me, my cheeks hot. But before we come to a complete stop, Ford brings his finger to his mouth and sucks my essence off of it. I clench my thighs, hoping to stop the impending orgasm he’s brought to the surface.

  I’ve never had a partner who was so comfortable with sex. The guys I’ve been with before have always been more conservative. The same moves over and over—kiss my lips, travel to my neck, hands to my breasts. A man has never been so blatant about how much he wants me. And I can’t say I hate it.

  “Thank you,” he says, his voice groggy.

  He slides out the door to the curb, holding his hand out to me. Of course, the hotel is one of the nicest in Manhattan. The doorman opens the door and Ford tips him as we head to our room. Even in the elevator, we have a man who presses the buttons to our floor, but Ford puts his hand on my ass and squeezes, gripping the thin fabric of my dress as though he wants to rip it off my body.

  After we step off the elevator and walk down the hall to our room, we’re silent, and I wonder if he’s second-guessing his decision.

  He pulls out the key card and unlocks the door, but he looks at me for a moment before he goes inside. “Remember, this is your decision. What do you want?”

  I nod, grab his lapels, and step into the room with my back pushing the door ope
n, pulling him along. “I want you.”

  “Thank God.” He grunts and his mouth slams down on mine. The hotel room door shuts and he quickly turns me around, pushing my back into the door. “All night, I’ve been thinking of all the things I want to do to you, but one thing specifically kept resurfacing in my mind.”

  He kisses me, shoving off his tuxedo jacket and tossing it on the floor. Then he falls to his knees, his hands on each one of my legs, pushing my dress out of his way.

  “Then I tasted you and all my willpower cracked.” He slides over my panties and swings one leg over his shoulder. Without any preamble, he buries his head between my legs.

  One swipe of his tongue and I’m done. He owns me. My head falls back to the door with a thud, and I jut my hips out to meet his mouth. The man is talented beyond belief, starting slow, the tip of his tongue circling my clit. His huge hands are on my ass, squeezing and tugging me closer, but keeping me steady. I let out a breathy whimper when he licks me wide and sucks my clit.

  My fingers dive into his hair, clutching, needing something to anchor me. He stops and my gaze shoots to his, the devilish glint staring right back at me. Never pulling his gaze away, he pushes a finger inside me, and my back arches from the door. Then he adds another one, never tearing his gaze from mine.

  “Tell me,” he murmurs. “Tell me what you want.”

  “I want you to fuck me,” I say, and he shakes his head slowly.

  “Be specific.”

  “Don’t stop,” I say, my eyelids falling from the pure pleasure coursing through my veins. I should’ve known he’d be as talented in the bedroom as he is on the ice.

  “You’re so tight.” He groans as if this knowledge is torturous for him. I clench down on his fingers and a groan falls from his lips. “Goddamn, I’m not going to be able to control myself in a minute.”

  My hands fall to his face. “Don’t. I don’t want you to control yourself. Show me, Ford. Show me how much you want me.”

  He unbuckles his belt, opening his slacks with his free hand. While his fingers manipulate me into ecstasy, he strokes himself. My eyelids flutter from the stretch of him thrusting his fingers in and out.