Money Man (King Maker 1)

“You don’t want a fuck buddy and I don’t want a girlfriend. We can meet each other halfway.”

I thought about Lizzy. She’d be laughing her ass off if she caught wind of this conversation.

“How so?” I asked, hoping his answer would piss me off enough I could tell him to leave instead of desperately wanting to screw his brains out. That feeling of desperation he gave to me was still foreign and confused me about how I should feel.

“I can give you exclusivity.”

“How is that not a relationship?” I asked.

“You’ll be the only woman I’ll be with until we can get out of each other’s head.”

Though I didn’t necessarily agree, I nodded, mulling over his offer.

“Basically a fuck buddy,” I said, hating the phrase.

“Not exactly. I won’t be thinking about other women. I have little time to spare in the day. During those times, I can be with you.”

It felt like a set up to disaster, and I thought of one thing that would get him to give up on the idea because I couldn’t find the words to say no. Damn him for making me weak.

“One caveat. I need a date for my company’s holiday party this coming Saturday.”

“A date,” he said, brow arching perfectly.

I shook my head. “Not a date. An escort.”

“Why do you need a date?”

“Not a date. An escort,” I repeated, feeling the heat in my cheeks. “And I don’t need one. But you’d be doing me a favor.”

“A favor how?”

He was going to make me spell it out, so I blurted, “My ex will be there.”

“The one you were going to marry?”

I silently agreed with a curt bob of my head.

“Do you want to make him jealous?”

A bubble of laughter escaped me. “No.” I shook my head. “Not a chance.”

“Then what?”

I blew out a breath. “My hope is that if he sees me with someone else, he’ll have no choice but to accept that I’ve moved on.”

That wasn’t the only reason. Seeing his reaction would be a bonus.

“What time?”

Oh crap, was he agreeing?

“Six, it’s a black-tie event.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, even though I knew I’d gotten my terms from the devil himself if his grin was any indicator.

“It means when I want to fuck, I call you and you do the same. But if neither of us is available, we don’t get jealous or question the whys. And we won’t screw anyone else until our arrangement is over. Agreed?”

He held out a hand.

What was I doing? I reached out mine. “Agreed.”

But he didn’t take my hand. He reached for the sash on my robe and tugged it open. I wore a tank top and underwear as I’d been too lazy to put on anything warmer than the robe.

“And what are you going to do about my blue balls?” All the talk about his rock-hard dick had my eyes wandering downward. “You see something you like?” he asked cockily.

Flushing, I used my free hand to cover my face. There was just nowhere to look. He pulled my hand free from my face, his eyes hot on mine. He didn’t let go, only led me back to my bedroom where all traces of Matt were gone. I didn’t object and found myself sitting on the side of my bed, staring directly at his very large erection.

“Unzip my pants,” he commanded.

Not lifting my head completely, I looked up at him with only my eyes, knowing my face was filled with contempt.

“Do you always order your partners around?” I asked.

His hand took a fist full of my hair and tugged back, firmly but not roughly. A gasp left my parted lips. Then his other hand reached down to cup my breast, kneading my nipple. “Does it turn you on?”

Not wanting to be easy prey, I just stared at him.

“If you don’t want to, I could always leave. No games,” he announced. And like that, his hands left my hair and my breast.

I was both pleased and pissed at the same time. Pleased he’d gotten the message. Pissed because he was right. I wanted this. It was foolish of me to think I could ignore this man.

Our chemistry spoke to each other on a molecular level. So maybe that was all we had. Why shouldn’t I enjoy this part of me? God only knew if another man would ever make me feel this way. At least we were honest about what we wanted. No games, like he said.

My hand made quick work on the fly of his jeans, and I realized he was once again commando underneath. I pushed his pants down to his knees. I’d trapped him in a sense, but with my legs on either side of him, I was also open to him in a way.

“Take me in that saucy mouth of yours.”

His sexy brogue was the cherry on top of the sundae. I tasted him, fully aware that I was submitting to his will. When he groaned and again fisted a hand in my hair, almost to the point of pain, I took him all the way to the back of my throat.