Ripple Effect (Effect 1)

Just when I thought I would cry if I didn’t get the friction I needed, he began to move. Lips migrated to the side of my right nipple, and he began sucking the flesh of my breast deep into his mouth. There would be a bruise left on me. I wrapped my legs around his back as he began increasing the pace to a raw, carnal speed.

I took my hands and ran them down his back as we both began to scream out, toppling off into a black abyss. As I began to surface, stars danced across my eyes. Adam collapsed on me, kissing me possessively, as he held me and continued to move inside me. I loved having him inside me, knowing part of him was moving within me.

He pulled back. “I hope to hell you love car sex as much as I do now.”

The way he would act when we had sex was as if everything we did was new and exciting to him. Whether he was making love to me or fucking me, sex seemed like it was more special because it was with me.

“I’m thinking that you’ll need to take me on all available surfaces in this vehicle.”

“I like that idea—a lot.”

He laid his forehead on mine, and we both closed our eyes.

“Can you feel our connection growing, Ainsley?”

Softly, I murmured, “Yes. Are you okay with it?”

He brushed his lips over mine. “Yes, I am. I want this with you.”

We stayed wrapped in each other for a few more minutes.

He pulled away. “We need to get going. It’s almost time for dinner to start. I don’t want you to be late.”

“Okay, hop out and let me get dressed real quick.”

He gave me one more kiss and then got out of the vehicle. I found my underwear and then worked on righting my bra. There was a huge hickey where he had been sucking. That mark would be there for days. I touched it and smiled. After finding my dress and putting it on, I got out of the car where Adam was waiting for me expectantly. Car sounds echoed through the parking garage.

We intertwined our hands and began walking to the elevators that would take us to the floor where the club was.

As the elevator doors closed, I announced, “I love my mark.”

Adam’s brown eyes shot down to the place on my breast where the hickey lay underneath my dress. “Good. I like my mark on you, and I like knowing the fact that my cum is in you right now.”

“I like knowing it’s there, too.”

He gave me a heated look. A shiver ran through my body. Adam was right. Our relationship had grown to something more.

The elevator doors opened. I stopped and looked around as a thought occurred to me making sure no one was around. We were about to see my mom. “Do I look normal? I don’t look like I just had an intense orgasm in a car in the parking garage, do I?”

He chuckled. “No, baby. You look beautiful.”

That was the affirmation I’d needed as we continued to the entrance of the Buckhead Club.

A waiter dressed in a black suit greeted us. “May I have your name?”

“Ainsley Pearson.”

He looked through his list. “Oh, yes, here you are. You and your guest are going to be at table fourteen.”

“Thank you.”

We continued through the doors and entered into a lavishly decorated room. White flowers filled the room with purple accents. A fruity smell drifted through the air.

I spotted my mom. “I see my mom. Are you ready?”

“Let’s do this.”

Adam was watching everything closely as his brows scrunched together. He looked a little nervous.

“Adam, you know there’s nothing to be worried about, right?”

He nodded as we continued to make our way to my mom. We were almost there when my mom turned. She was in a suit skirt with a long-sleeved, button-down silk shirt. Her hair was put up in a French twist. She was an exact replica of me with her pale blue eyes and brown hair, but she was older. Her figure was still slender.

I gave her a hug. Seeing mom outside of her home was easy. I always tried to talk her into meeting me someplace in town, but rarely would she agree to leave her home.

“Hey, Mom. This is Adam. Adam, this is my mom, Christine.”

Adam extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

My mom extended both her hands and took him into a quick hug. Pulling back, her kind smile showed. “Nice to meet you, Adam. Please call me Christine. I’m so glad you were able to come.”

Adam seemed to relax as he pulled me back to his side. “Me, too, Christine. You did an incredible job of raising such an exquisite daughter.”

With those words, I knew I wanted to be the one he would want to keep…forever.

Hopefully, in time, he would feel the same way.

Dinner had gone well, even with all these pretentious people. They were so far removed from reality. This is why Brandt and I wouldn’t do shit like this even though we were bringing in a significant amount of money each month. Some people were surprised we dressed in jeans and T-shirts at the club, but it was who we were. The group of people here were a bunch of fake people, all gathered to congratulate themselves on a job well done. Currently, it was mingle time before the presentation part of the dinner began—at least, according to the schedule of events I had been presented with.

Ainsley, Christine, and I were standing and talking.

Ainsley excused herself, “I’ll be right back. Would you get me some water if you have a chance?”

“Sure thing, baby.”

Ainsley smiled and walked off, her brown hair swaying behind her.

Hell, she rocks my world.

I wasn’t sure how to classify what we had, but it was more than anything I had shared with anyone else, including Selena. My self-protection was telling me to pull back, but I fought it. I knew what it felt like when I was without Ainsley. Putting myself out there was worth the risk.

Christine started speaking to me, “It’s quite heartwarming to see you so taken with Ainsley. The two of you are good together. I’d love to have you over for dinner. I’ll check with Ainsley and see if this Wednesday works. Does that sound good?”

“I’d like that, Christine. Thank you.”

She smiled and then someone tapped her on the shoulder. Christine turned and started speaking to the person. She was kind and soft-spoken. She was the epitome of manners and niceties.

My phone rang, and I excused myself to the corner of the room. “This is Adam.”

“Adam. Hampton here. We’ve confirmed that it’s Roach in Alpharetta. He’s gotten a job at a strip club that has a no-camera policy. I assume they have the same gig going on there, too. He gets his sidekick in past security, and they take pictures. How do you want to handle it?”

Roach was turning into a huge pain in my ass. “I don’t want to get mixed up with this unless I have to be. I want to find out who it is, get the pictures gone, and forget about this whole deal.”

“Sounds good. You’ve always gotten involved in the past. I’m glad you’re letting me take care of it. I’ll get it handled and get back with you and Brandt. I sent you a couple of resumes for the security system. There’s a guy named Matt that I think would be especially good.”

My mind went to Ainsley. She was the reason I didn’t want to be so involved in the drama. I scrubbed a hand down my face as the fear of commitment tried to surface. I beat it back with the biggest stick I could find. Ainsley wasn’t asking for me to stop being so involved. I wanted to step back. There was no reason to fill my time with stupid shit like this anymore when we had someone more than capable to handle it.

“Thanks, Hampton. We’ll be waiting.”

“Will do. Give me a few days. Talk to you then. Bye, Adam.”

“Bye, Hampton.”

I need a drink.

I walked over to the bar and got Ainsley a water and myself whatever beer they had on tap.

“Adam Ryker?”

I turned and saw a man with black but slightly graying slicked-back hair. He looked familiar.

“Gerald Pearson with S&P

Associates. You normally work with my partner, Henry Smith. This is my wife, Lydia.”

She was a petite woman who had a kind smile. Lydia was significantly younger than Gerald. She had blonde hair with brown eyes. She looked sad, the kind of sadness that had penetrated her so deeply that it had no place to go but to the surface.

Aw, hell, he’s from my law firm. What a place to run into these money bloodsuckers.

I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Lydia. Good to see you, Gerald. Brandt and I have an appointment to talk with you guys this week about a few things.”

He had dark coal eyes that were almost eerie. He reminded me of a greasy car salesman.

“I saw that. I’m going to be sitting in on the meeting with Henry. Club Envy has become one of our top accounts.”

I didn’t care about all this bullshit schmoozing.