Lola had been drinking, it was clear. She was loose. And it didn’t help that the silver fox from last night was there. He came in an hour late, dressed impeccably in a tuxedo and black tie. He walked in as if he owned the place, catching the eye of several women.
“Who is that man?” I asked Olivia as we stood by the bar with our drinks.
She looked where I was looking, watching the silver fox carry himself across the room. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a chiseled jaw and a thin nose. “Oh! That’s Eddie Witherspoon. He used to be a professional basketball player, but he retired and started up his own real estate agency. He only invests his time in selling mansions and high-dollar condos, and because he used to be a big-shot athlete and is known as this delicious bachelor and all that, he gets the best clientele. Closes easily on most of the mansions and condos he sells. Lola says he’s really good at what he does.”
Yeah, I bet he was.
I couldn’t help watching Eddie make his way to the bar. He ordered a drink, and when it was handed to him, he turned and gave the room a scan. I knew who he was looking for.
He went straight for Lola and pressed a hand to the small of her back. She turned to him and smiled, laced one of her arms around the back of his neck to hug him—because the other was occupied with a drink—and then placed a not-so-friendly kiss on his cheek. I glanced at Corey. He’d watched the whole encounter.
His jaw ticked, and as Lola continued speaking to Eddie— or should I say flirting with him—Corey carried his drink with him out of the ballroom.
This was my chance.
“Text me if you need anything,” I told Olivia, and I walked away, steering my way through the crowd to get to the exit. I entered the hallway, where fairy lights were strewn between white drapes and vine garlands, giving the gala elegant vibes. I moved past the candles in lanterns, my heels clicking on the marble floors, and rounded a corner.
Corey was standing in the hallway to the restrooms, his head bowed and his back against the wall. “Corey?” I called, and he picked up his head instantly. “Are you okay?”
He blinked. Once. Twice. “I’m fine.”
“I saw what happened. Eddie talking to Lola. I saw her with him last night too, by the bar in the hotel. It was after you left my room.”
Corey sighed. Shook his head. “That explains why she wasn’t back in the room when I got there.”
I stepped closer to him and grabbed one of his hands. “I’m sorry you’re going through this.” I felt bad for him, Marriott. I loved him, cared about his feelings, and he was hurting. I needed to make him feel better.
I lifted a hand and cupped his cheek, turning his head so he could look at me. His eyes flickered down to my lips. My breasts. Then my lips again.
I leaned in and kissed him on the lips, and I was pleased when he lowered his guard and deepened the kiss.
I pulled back and looked down the hall. No one was around. Everyone was in the ballroom, drunk and oblivious. I took his hand and went past the restrooms to get to one of the closets. It was one of the bigger closets, with folded tables inside, and table covers and leftover decorations.
Corey closed the door behind us and had me wrapped up in his arms in a matter of seconds. I moaned when he bundled my dress up to my waist just to pick me up in his strong arms and attack my throat with kisses. My back slammed into the edge of a shelf. It hurt a little, but I didn’t care. I had Corey in my arms, right in front of me, and it was what I’d wanted since he had to leave the night before.
He placed me back on my feet and turned me around. I let out a wet gasp as he pushed up my dress again, breathing raggedly and entering me from behind. My fingers gripped the edge of the wooden shelf, a loud moan escaping me.
“Yes, Corey,” I breathed. “Fuck me. Forget about her and take me.”
And he did. He fucked me, slammed into me, and my moans grew louder while his grunts and groans mixed with my sounds of pleasure. The wood of the shelf felt raw against my palm as I held on to it to keep my balance, but he was raw inside me, cupping one of my breasts in his hand.
For a split second I wondered if I would end up pregnant with Corey’s baby. He didn’t use protection and I wasn’t on birth control of any kind. He wasn’t being careful, and I wondered if maybe he didn’t care if I ended up with his child. That would certainly be good enough reason to leave Lola and be with me. She couldn’t carry a child in her womb for him, but I could. He’d have an obligation to leave.