: Chapter 16

I sit on the bed, facing the bathroom, as my leg bounces up and down, waiting for her to be done as the sounds of her coming echo through my head.

The first moment I heard her moan, I knew what she was doing. How could she not be? I’ve been dying to get here and take a shower ever since the goddamn etiquette class. But when she started getting louder, I knew exactly what she was trying to do. It was her counterattack. It was her tempting me to join.

And I swore I wouldn’t, but that didn’t stop me from watching.

I had no problem standing there, watching her get lost in pinching her perfect little nipples, seeing her find the right spot to use her vibrator, watching her mouth fall open, her cheeks redden, and seeing her lose all control while her orgasm rocked through her.

Fuck, was it breathtaking.

Addicting.

So fucking bad for me to witness that I’ve had to mentally lock myself to this bed to not try to replicate the same sounds and looks myself.

What I did to her in the dressing room, that was conniving, evil, but I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted her to feel as tormented and tortured as I’d felt. And I know she did, I could see it in her eyes, but she came back with a vengeance, making matters even worse.

The bathroom door slides open, and she walks out in a black lingerie set, clearly trying to piss me off.

“What the fuck is that?” I ask.

“What?” she asks, looking down at herself and then back up.

“I said ice blue.”

She struts up to me, her hair still wet and pushed to the side. She places a hand on my shoulder. “I know, but guess what: until you fuck me, I’ll be wearing whatever lingerie I want.” And then she places a kiss on my nose and struts toward the closet, her beautiful ass swaying away.

Grumbling, I pull my shirt off and leave it on the floor before making my way to the shower, where I flip it on. I don’t bother shutting the door. I don’t even care at this point. My dick is so fucking hard, so goddamn desperate for her, that I just need release. I slip my shorts and briefs off, letting my cock spring forward, and step under the warm water. The water sluices down my body before I grip the base of my cock and start pumping it.

Christ, the first stroke feels phenomenal, like the last stroke right before you come. It’s powerful and claws at me, skyrocketing my body to another dimension where everything around me fades to the back, and it’s just me and this pleasure that has been building at the base of my cock, yearning to come out.

I press my hand to the tile wall for support as my mind races with images of Sloane, the last being of her in the tub, masturbating, taking control of her own pleasure. Jesus, I wish she were doing that right now, giving me a goddamn show as I pump my cock. What I wouldn’t give to be able to do this in front of her, to make her watch me pleasure myself, and then tell her to open her mouth so I could decorate those pretty lips.

“Fuck,” I grumble as my hand moves faster, my legs starting to wobble.

I imagine what it would feel like with her kneeling before me, licking my balls as I stroke myself, watching her tits bounce, seeing those beautiful eyes stare up at me, her body soaking wet.

“Ahh, fuck,” I say as precum falls down the head of my cock.

I bet she’s tight.

I bet she’s warm.

I bet she has the best fucking cunt, made just for me.

I squeeze my cock tighter, continuing to stroke up and down.

Everything about her makes me want to come. From her lips to her sultry mouth, to her perfect tits, to that ass. Jesus, I want to mark her with my mouth, with my cum. I want to see her coated in it.

My balls tighten from the image.

My mind set on what that would look like.

“Jesus,” I say, my stomach hollowing as my cock grows tighter, my body tensing, my orgasm at its precipice. “Fuck…fuuuuck,” I drag out just as my cock swells and I finish all over the shower floor.

I give myself a few more pumps before I push off the tile and take a few deep breaths. When I turn around, I catch Sloane standing in the bathroom, staring at me.

Her eyes drop to my cock, which is still fully hard. Her tongue peeks out, wetting her lips, and I swear to you, in that moment, from that little movement, my cock twitches, wanting more.

When her eyes move up my wet body, to my face, I get the privilege of seeing those cheeks fully red now. So I take that moment to say, “Never see a real man make himself come?”

She clears her throat and slowly steps away, out of view. Looks like we’re even.

“Stay there,” I tell Sloane as I get out of the car and walk around to her side. I button my suit jacket, then hold the door open for her. Her lotioned, glistening leg pokes out first, and then she stands from the car and takes my hand in hers. She looks fucking stunning.

The black sequin dress drapes over her body, molding over her curves, a waterfall of black. The dip in the neckline offers a small view of her cleavage, but not too much, and the back clings around her ass, making her rear end look plentiful, like two handfuls, ready to be grabbed. She paired it with black high heels, her hair parted to the side and slicked back behind her ear with a clip, and a red lipstick that is making me nuts.

But the thing that is really driving me crazy, that is making me lose my goddamn mind, is the perfume she’s wearing. I don’t know what it is, but I find myself getting closer and closer to smell it. To run my nose along her neck, to bury my face in her cleavage. She has always smelled good, but this—this is something else. This is unlike anything I’ve smelled before.

“Ready?” I ask, the tension between us at an all-time high even though we both took care of business.

“Yes,” she says.

I take that moment to bring my head to her ear, where I take a deep whiff, letting my eyes roll to the back of my head. “You smell fucking incredible.”

She turns her head just enough to look at me as she whispers, “Your cock is huge.”

And that…that breaks the tension. Just like that. Four words and she has me smiling and chuckling.

“Thank you.”

Her teeth pull on her lip. “Like…massive.”

“I’ll remember that,” I tell her as she starts to head toward the door, but I stop her and turn her toward me. “First, I just…I want to acknowledge that things got tense earlier, and I didn’t handle it well. I was embarrassed about booking the wrong class and then took it out on you. I’m sorry.”

Her brow lifts. “Wow, uh, wasn’t expecting an apology,” she says in a teasing tone. “That’s really…not like us.”

“Yeah, I know, but I just want to make sure you’re okay. I promised I would treat you well, and teasing you in the dressing room, that wasn’t treating you well.”

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t have minded if you kept sliding your finger across my slit.”

I press my lips together and quietly say, “You were wet.”

“I was.”

I tug on my neck and look away. “Doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t have done it, and I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry for drumming your balls.”

That makes me chuckle. “Apology accepted. Now, I know you don’t need me to say this, because as you’ve reminded me, you’re capable, smart, and know what you’re doing, but this is our first real outing as a married couple with businesspeople. I just want to make sure that you’re comfortable.”

“I am,” she says.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Let’s do this.”

“Okay,” I say, and then I guide her into the restaurant where I hold her hand just a little tighter.

The hostess leads us back to a private Scotch room, where the walls are lined with bottles, a large table situated in the middle of it all. “Your party is waiting for you,” the hostess says as they open the door.

Sheridan and Archie stand from the table and are about to greet us, revealing another person behind them at the table, also moving to stand and sending my good mood right into the fucking shitter as Devin comes into view.

The motherfucker.

Now, not only do I have to convince Archie and Sheridan that Sloane and I are very much in love, but I have to do it in front of a guy who actually has more physical relationship experience with Sloane than I do.

“Hudson, Sloane, it’s so nice to see you,” Sheridan says as she gives us both hugs. “Wow, Sloane, you smell incredible.”

Tell me about it.

“Thank you. I’m so excited to be here.”

Archie gives us a hello as well, and then fucking Devin steps up and offers me a handshake that I reluctantly accept. Then to my horror, he presses a kiss to Sloane’s cheek before telling her how beautiful she looks tonight.

Keep the compliments to yourself. She doesn’t need them from you. She gets them from me, you douche.

“So good to see you,” Sloane says to Devin. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

Yeah, neither did I.

“Oh, I squeezed in at the last minute when I asked these two what they were doing.” We all take our seats, and I make sure to sit between Devin and Sloane, keeping my chair close to hers. “When I heard that they were going out to dinner with you two, I told them how I knew you and that we used to date.”

“That’s so crazy. What are the odds?” Archie asks.

Pretty great, apparently.

“I know, I thought the same thing,” Devin says. God, he’s so annoying. And I hate how his hair bounces.

You know that viral video of the guy arguing with another guy about the Wicked Witch? The guy yelling and losing his shit when he says “the Wicked Witch of the East” and his hair bounces back and forth? That’s Devin.

That’s Devin’s fucking hair.

Use some product, dweeb.

“I had no idea that you two were married,” Archie says, motioning to me and Sloane.

“Yeah, since we work together, we don’t really mention it,” I say as I press my hand to her thigh. To my surprise, she places her hand on top of mine.

“Did you two meet in the office?” Sheridan asks.

Oh fuck.

We didn’t discuss that. I guess I tried to, but we weren’t really talking before we left for London, then I got sick. Shit.

I feel the back of my neck heat up as I turn to Sloane, ready to make something up when she swoops in with a response.

“No,” Sloane says, surprising me. “We actually met in Bora Bora.”

“Oh wow, what an exotic place to meet,” Sheridan says.

“It was. Breathtaking. Too bad when I met him, he was running from a snake, screaming his head off.”

Excuse me?

“Come to find out, it wasn’t a snake. It was just a branch.”

The entire table erupts in laughter besides me.

When I turn to look at her, I can see her wince. Well, at least it seems like she regrets her response.

“Are you afraid of snakes?” Archie asks as his laughter dies down.

No, Brody is. That exact thing happened to him in Bora Bora.

“Uh, I was just startled. I mean, who really likes to come across a snake out in the wild?”

“But it wasn’t a snake, it was a branch,” Devin says.

Trying not to lash out at the prick next to me, I say, “At the time, I thought it was a snake.”

“It was very lifelike,” Sloane says. “So lifelike, that I actually screamed a little too, startled backward, and fell into a pool of water. One of those rapids, you know?” And there she takes a hit to the ego, but she does it with class and an adorable self-deprecating tone.

“Oh wow, seriously?” Sheridan asks.

“Oh yeah, took me right under.”

“Oh no. Did you have to be rescued?” Archie asks.

“Yup, by this big old lump of man,” Sloane says while leaning her head against my shoulder. “Once he realized that the snake was a branch, he leapt into the water, rode the rapids until he was able to snag me, and dragged me up on shore to safety, where he gave me mouth-to-mouth. I always like to say our first kiss was a lifesaving one.”

Sheridan presses her hand to her heart. “Oh my God, that’s so sweet.”

“Because I had to be resuscitated, they took me to the hospital, where I stayed for a few days, just for observation since I took in a lot of water. And this guy sat by my side the entire time.”

“I wasn’t going to leave her,” I say, even though the story is not true—pretty convincing though. “I wanted to be there for her.”

“And you were.” Sloane turns toward me and cups my cheek. “You’re always there for me.”

“Well, you two are the cutest,” Sheridan says. “And I’m so glad you could help us out for the wedding. It works out that you and Devin know each other. He actually suggested that you be partnered up for the dancing.”

Oh, I’m sure he fucking did, that goddamn weasel.

What is with this guy? He can clearly see that Sloane has a ring on her goddamn hand, that she’s happily married, so move the fuck on and stop clinging to someone else’s wife or I will fucking end you.

“Oh, that’s nice,” Sloane answers.

“That’s why I suggested we practice together, so we can get used to each other,” Devin says. “And of course, so Hutton over here doesn’t have to waste his time.”

Oh that motherfucker.

He did that on purpose.

He knows my goddamn name.

“It’s Hudson,” Sloane says.

“Right, my mistake. Sorry, bro.”

He knocks on my shoulder, and it takes everything in me not to plow my fist right through his skull, but I hold my composure. “Honest mistake, but listen, any time spent with my wife is not wasted time. I’m looking forward to dancing with her. We took dancing lessons before our wedding.”

“You did?” Sheridan asks as I lift Sloane’s hand to my mouth and press a kiss against her knuckles.

“We did. It was just for us. We had our own elopement and then danced privately together, but it was nice, to have my wife in my arms and to be able to dip, twist, and turn her around our living room.”

“Remember that time you dipped me and your back gave out?”

Why, Sloane?

Why?

“Happens to the best of us, man,” Archie says while placing his hand on his back in solidarity.

“He said it was because he lifted three hundred pounds in the gym that day.” Umm, okay, can’t lift that much. “But I said it was because he’s thirteen years my senior.”

“Thirteen?” Sheridan asks. “Wow, that’s quite the age gap.”

“It is, but the only time we notice it is apparently when he’s trying to dip me after working out so hard in the gym. But in the bedroom, oh my God, the man is sensational.”

Okay, not the crowd. I squeeze her thigh, letting her know to drop that.

“I mean, he can really rattle a headboard. One neighbor thought there was an earthquake, but nope, just my husband’s hips.”

Jesus, Sloane.

Archie takes a sip of his drink and then smirks at me. “Congrats, man. Always great to know you have good working hips.”

“Ones that might need a replacement if you keep trying to show off,” Devin says, making my nostrils flare.

This guy is on my last fucking nerve.

Pushing me.

Poking me.

“It’s not showing off,” I say. “It’s just the way I fuck.”

The moment the word slips past my mouth, I realize just how unprofessional it is.

“I mean, shit, I’m sorry,” I say to Archie and Sheridan, who both have red cheeks.

“Oh, we’re all adults here.” Sloane waves me off and then whispers to the group, “Some older than the others.” They laugh, thankfully. God, she’s charming. “But he’s correct, that is how he fucks and it’s okay to say that, because I’m sure you’re the same way.” She gestures toward Archie. “I’ve seen you stand, quite the powerful rump you have.”

I squeeze Sloane’s thigh again, trying to get her to stop, because we don’t need to go into detail about others’ sexual encounters. But she doesn’t stop—instead she attempts to overcompensate for my mistake.

“I’m sure you can scoot a California king bed across the bedroom floor with one powerful thrust, Archie, which of course leads me to send my congratulations to you, Sheridan. Always nice to find a man who can tickle the old uterus.” Fuck, she’s losing it. Abort! For the love of God, please stop talking. “And, Archie, you also look quite healthy, like you don’t lose your breath very quickly. Another positive.” Archie smiles but you can tell that it’s forced. “Not to mention it helps to have such a beautiful lady to drive into.” And here I thought things were going well for a moment.

“It does help,” Devin says with a wink, which nearly makes me come out of my goddamn seat.

“I think we’re both lucky,” Sheridan says with a lift of her water glass. “To powerful hip thrusts and tickled uteruses.” Well…thank Jesus for that.

“Here, here,” Sloane says with a raise of her glass.

I raise my glass but keep my eyes on Devin…as he keeps his eyes on Sloane. I’ll tell you right now, over my dead body will he be dancing with her.

“Do you like your meal?” I ask Sloane, leaning in close to her ear.

Her eyes meet mine, our noses nearly touching. “I do. You order so well.”

“Because I know what you like,” I say, even though that’s not really the truth.

She smiles, and I’m so tempted to kiss her, so tempted to continue to lay my claim on this woman in front of Devin, but I know the minute I do, the minute I touch my lips to hers, I’m done.

Cooked.

No way I would be able to stop myself, so I keep my distance in that regard.

She scoops up some of her mashed potatoes and brings them close to my mouth. “Want to try?”

Keeping my eyes on her, I open my mouth, and she slips her fork past my lips, slowly I pull the mashed potatoes off her fork. I swallow and say, “Delicious.”

She smirks and then turns toward the rest of the table. I almost forgot there were other people here. “How is the steak, Devin?”

“Fantastic,” he answers before taking a sip of his red wine, which I wish was staining his teeth, but I’m not that lucky tonight.

“And the beef Wellington?” Sloane asks Sheridan and Archie.

“Unbelievable,” Sheridan says. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anything better in my mouth.”

“I think you have,” Archie says with a wink that has Sheridan’s cheeks blushing again.

She then points her fork at me and Sloane and says, “Look what you did, you corrupted him.”

Sloane and I chuckle. “It was Hudson, not me.”

“He was corrupted way before them,” Devin says.

“Not in business meetings,” Sheridan says.

“Ah, I would hardly say this is a business meeting,” Archie chimes in. “This is a gathering of friends.”

“It has to be, especially if you’re talking about the things that have been in my mouth,” Sheridan shoots back, causing Archie to chuckle.

“Not even sorry. Although, given what we’ve discussed, I doubt we should even talk about the property purchase at this point.”

I smooth my hand over Sloane’s shoulder. “Yeah, probably not the best time.”

“Maybe we can tomorrow…at the Mayfair Club.”

The Mayfair Club.

Why does it feel like I just passed the first test, and all it took was for Sloane to talk about powerful hip thrusts?

“I’m available,” I say.

“I can get you an application and in front of someone who can help with your membership.”

“The Mayfair Club, huh?” Devin says, eyeing me up and down. “Can you afford that?”

The fuck?

This fucking guy.

He’s got to be kidding me right now.

“Devin,” Sloane says, leaning forward. “Hudson is one of the heirs of Hopper Hotels.”

“Ah.” Devin nods. “So Daddy’s money.”

Yup, I’m going to kill him. I’m about to tell him off when Sloane turns toward him.

“Actually, he doesn’t work with his father anymore. He is in a co-op with the Cane brothers. They focus on admirable investment projects that are not only great for the cities they work in, bringing life back to old buildings and neighborhoods, but that assist those who have less with affordable apartments that are often partially self-sustainable. They make smart business choices, which is why they’re working on a merger with Archie.” I can sense the tension as Sheridan and Archie look between us.

“Thank you, baby,” I say and then press a kiss to the side of her head, keeping it very innocent but also showing affection. “You don’t need to prove anything to him, though.”

“He is quite the astute businessman,” Archie says.

“Is that right? Well, good for you,” Devin says, his voice dripping with disdain.

“Thank you, and what exactly do you do?” I ask.

“I’m in medical school, studying to be a cardiac surgeon. Lost my dad at a young age to heart failure, so this is my way of honoring him.”

Well, fuck, can’t make fun of that, so looks like I’m going to have to take the high road on this one.

“That’s very commendable. What year are you in?”

“I’m in my fourth year of medical school.”

I nod. “I’m sure you have a long road ahead of you. I wish you the best of luck.” It pains me to be this nice.

“Thanks,” Devin says awkwardly, which is fun, because without the snark, he’s forced to play nice in front of everyone.

“Devin is really smart,” Archie says. “Top of his class.”

“Which will make him top in his field,” I say, the compliment splitting me in half.

Sloane leans into me and her hand slides along my thigh, I think a reward for playing nicely. Not that she needs to reward me; this is technically my business meeting. But a reward nonetheless.

“Thank you again for dinner,” I say. “We’ll see you tomorrow.” We say our goodbyes to Archie and Sheridan, who found a friend at the bar on our way out.

Devin took off for the bathroom, and I secretly hope it’s food poisoning.

Hand in hand, Sloane and I make our way out to the front of the restaurant, where I text our driver that we are ready.

I would say, despite Devin getting on my nerves, tonight was a success. Sloane was remarkable, even with the rocky start. She was charming, graceful, and poised. It was as if she transformed right in front of my eyes, and I feel a little ashamed for doubting her in the slightest.

“Can I ask you a question?” Sloane says, breaking the silence between us.

“Yes.”

She turns toward me, those beautiful eyes of hers connecting with mine. “When you and Archie were talking about business, you touched on the project housing for a little bit. Would that be the same thing that you’re doing with the Cane brothers in San Francisco? I mean, I know it is, but we haven’t talked about it much nor have I been involved with the project, so I guess I just find it fascinating.”

“It is,” I say, wondering where this is coming from. “It’s part of the philanthropic side of Cane Enterprises that Hardy and I really liked, one of the things we wanted to jump on board with when we formed the co-op. They purchased a few buildings in the city that were not at full capacity of use, or abandoned, and they turned it into low-income housing for those who may struggle more living in the city. It’s a great way to give back to the community, especially when housing can be so expensive.”

“It can be,” she says, looking off to the side.

“Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know, it just had me thinking.”

I lift my hand to her chin and bring her focus back on me. “Thinking about what?”

“About my situation. The house Jude found for us, that Stacey and I are buying. We were lucky in a way that the landlord didn’t keep raising our rent every year. I think he saw that we were a struggling, low-income family and gave us a break. It makes sense why he went to sell it if I think about it. He probably saw it as a loss and didn’t have the heart to increase the cost of living.”

“From a business perspective, yes, to shed the weight of a house like that when you’re not increasing the cost or receiving tax benefits from the government, that’s something you don’t want to hang on to.”

She nods her head, her brain spinning.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?”

She shrugs. “Just thinking. We were lucky someone helped us out. Makes me think I want to do the same thing.”

“There you two are,” Devin says, walking up to us. Fucking great. No food poisoning for him. “I thought you were going to slip out before I could say goodbye.”

That was the intent.

“Such a fun night. I’m so glad I could join in.” That makes one of us. “Hopefully I’ll see you in dance class.”

“Yes, that would be great,” Sloane says, being polite.

“Aw, here’s my ride.” He points to a car pulling up. “I’ll catch you guys later.” He holds his hand out to me, and I reluctantly shake it. “Hudson, great seeing you.”

“Yup, have a good night.” It’s the best I can do. This man has been on my last fucking nerve all night.

The staring.

The ogling.

The memories he tried to share with Sloane.

It’s as if he had zero grasp of the concept that when someone is married, you back the fuck off. At one point, I caught him wetting his lips as he stared at Sloane’s cleavage. Seriously, he’s lucky I didn’t take my knife and stab him in the eye.

He turns to Sloane and slides his hand up her arm before gripping her shoulder. “Sloane, it’s been so long. I’m so glad I got to spend the evening with you.” Move it the fuck along, man.

“Yes, it was a lot of fun catching up.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Then to my goddamn horror, he leans in, cups her cheek, and then presses a kiss to the other one.

When he leans back, he winks, fucking winks, then takes off.

That motherfucker.

He’s dead.

He’s so fucking dead.