The Banker (Banker 1)

“Leave—”

I pressed my mouth to hers and kissed her against the door. It was quiet being so far away from the city, so I could hear her breaths as they entered my mouth. Every time our lips moved together, they made the sweetest sound. Her breath of arousal was the best noise of all, so subtle and sexy. My hand moved into her hair, and I kissed her deeper, wishing she was naked with her legs spread. I didn’t want to leave knowing she would be fucked by some other guy. I wanted to be the one to do the fucking. “You know you want me to fuck you tonight. Not him.” I kissed the corner of her mouth then her neck. “Get rid of him. Or I will.” I was the kind of man who shouldn’t have to ask more than once. People didn’t dare defy me, not if they wanted to live a long and happy life.

She tilted her chin up to look at me, her eyes a deep green like the Tuscan hillside in the height of summer. Her gaze shifted back and forth slightly as she debated her next move. Even though she wanted me, she might continue to be stubborn out of principle. Or she might drop this charade altogether and ditch the loser who would never please her the way I could. “Give me a minute.” She walked back inside and shut the door.

Minutes later, her date walked out. Tall and handsome like the last date, he seemed worthy of a beautiful woman like Siena. She certainly didn’t struggle to replace the men she used. Just like me, she could be entertained by a new man every night because she was magnetic. He got in his car and drove away.

Siena opened the door again but didn’t invite me inside. She walked back into her home and headed into the kitchen. “All I’ve got is wine. Red okay?”

I walked down the hallway and examined her cozy home. With wooden floors and historic architecture, it was clear the house could easily be a hundred years old. The windows were blurry from age, and the hallways were smaller than homes built in the modern age. “Yes.” I rounded the corner and arrived in her small kitchen. There was a dining table that could seat four people, so I took a seat. Paintings of flowers were on the walls, along with family portraits on the mantel. One that stuck out to me the most was a picture of her and her mother. At least, I assumed it was her mother—because they looked like sisters.

Siena placed the glass in front of me before she took a seat, the bottle in hand. She swirled the contents before she brought it to her lips. Lipstick was already smeared across the glass because she’d been drinking out of it with her other date.

“When did you meet him?”

“You really want to talk about the guy I just got rid of?” With her elbow resting on the table, she held the glass near her lips. She licked her lips slightly, collecting the last hint of taste before she took another drink. Her actions were so smooth it didn’t seem like she was making them on purpose. It was natural.

She was naturally sexy. “Just curious. You seem to have a new guy every time I see you.”

“I could say the same about you,” she countered. “Except, in your case, you always seemed to have several new women every time I spotted you.”

I was a magnet for beautiful women. They could feel the pull from my wallet and crotch. “When did you meet him?”

“He came by the gallery the other day. We made small talk before he asked me to dinner.”

“And how did you end up here?”

“I invited him.” She didn’t possess a hint of shame whatsoever. This woman wasn’t afraid to be herself at all. She couldn’t care less about my opinion. She lived a life similar to mine, and she enjoyed every second of it.

If I didn’t want her all to myself, I would actually respect it. “I’m just a phone call away.”

She set her glass down before a ghost of a smile stretched across her lips. “I never pinned you for the jealous type.”

“I’m not jealous.”

“Really?” She swirled her glass again. “You usually sabotage dates? Show up on a woman’s doorstep without an invitation? Demand for her to get rid of her date? If you aren’t jealous, then what are you?”

I didn’t have an answer. None whatsoever.

She set her glass down then shifted her gaze out her back door. The sun was setting, and the heat was slowly dissipating. A gentle glow from the sunset still filled the room and blanketed her skin in the most beautiful color. “I’m not looking for anything serious right now. I told you I’m just interested in good sex and my career. And even if I were looking to settle down, you aren’t my type.”