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  “I wanted everything to be perfect for you,” Leo says, pressing his body behind mine, the breath from his words tickling my neck.

  “Thank you,” I say, my voice meek.

  “Don’t be nervous,” he says in a low voice.

  He sets his hands on my hips and turns me to face him. With our faces almost touching, we gaze into each other’s eyes. My chest heaves, the butterflies making it difficult for me to breathe.

  Leo tugs at my hair, releasing it from its ties and it falls around my shoulders. The corners of his mouth curl into a smile as he runs his fingers through my loose hair.

  “You’re so beautiful that it’s unreal,” he says.

  The word unreal hits me in the chest. It’s the same word that other man at the charity ball said. Right when he asked Leo what agency I’m from. Because I’m clearly an escort.

  He pulls me close, brushing his lips against my cheek before kissing down my neck. The electric sparks it causes are fizzled out by the overpowering nervous butterflies that now flood my entire body.

  I try to channel Anna. I try not to care that I’m about to trade my virginity for someone else’s benefit. It’s all about having fun. About having an amazing experience that I’ll remember forever.

  And Leo’s definitely making this memorable, with all the candles and the rose petals, and the music, it’s magical. It really is.

  But I’m going to remember this for all the wrong reasons.

  The more I try to fight it, the stronger Shawna’s voice becomes. The image of her giving me the big thumbs up is all I can see. I should be seeing Leo. Not her.

  My mind is spinning and spinning, faster and faster. It flicks between Shawna and the man at the ball. Both staring at me for what I am, a prostitute. Nauseousness forms in my stomach.

  I can’t do this.

  Leo brings his lips to mine, but I pull my head away.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, my voice breaking.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, stroking my arms.

  “I can’t do this,” I say, my shoulders dropping.

  I feel like I’m completely folding in on myself. But I know I will never forgive myself if this is my first time. I haven’t waited this long, and pushed away so many boyfriends to end up losing my virginity like this.

  Leo steps back, his eyes wide. Candlelight flickers across them, changing his appearance from shocked to anger to sadness in a single second.

  “Why?” he asks.

  I close my eyes, and say, “I’m just not ready. I’m sorry.”

  I don’t know why I am apologizing so much. He’s bought me this nice dress and given me a diamond necklace, flew me across the country. And this is how I repay him.

  But I can’t do it. I can’t knowingly prostitute myself like this.

  Opening my eyes, I stare at him with renewed confidence. “I should go to that hotel.”

  Leo watches, motionless, as I grab hold of my unopened suitcase and wheel it out of the room.

  Chapter 17

  Leo

  Watching Grace walk out on me was one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced. I had visions of pinning her against the wall and fucking her senseless. But I could never do that.

  I need her to want me as much as I want her.

  She has some crazy effect on me that I don’t fully understand. I never felt anything like this about my ex-wife.

  Everything about Grace is new to me. The way she makes me feel when I look at her. The way the crease forms in the corner of her eye when she smiles. The way she can make me laugh without even saying anything.

  And the way she makes me hard without doing a damn thing.

  After she left, I spent a long time in an ice-cold shower, trying to clear my head. After four fingers of scotch, I managed to get a bit of sleep. At least for a few hours.

  I’ve been up since five, playing the night over and over. What went wrong?

  I wonder if Colt’s comments had anything to do with it. Because I can’t come up with another reason.

  Her body clearly reacts to mine the same way my body reacts to hers.

  It’s eight-thirty, I’ve waited long enough.

  Last night, I had my housekeeper escort Grace to a suite at The Plaza. Now I’m going to make the same journey.

  After tugging on a pair of black jeans, I pull a plain black T-shirt on over my head. I pick up one of the extra bunches of roses from last night, look at them and then set them down again.

  I’m not about to do anything to upset Grace again.

  I make my way through the grand lobby of The Plaza, up the elevators to Grace’s suite.

  “Room service,” I say, knocking on the door.

  She doesn’t answer, so I knock again, louder this time.

  “I didn’t order breakfast,” she says.

  “I don’t care.”

  The door cracks open, and Grace appears. Her eyes are red and puffy. She’s clearly spent a lot of the night crying.

  Pushing the door the rest of the way open, I walk past her. The suite is ornate duck-egg blue trimmed in gold. It’s the polar opposite of my apartment. Yet it’s somehow fitting for Grace’s beauty.

  “We need to talk,” I say, not looking back at her.

  “What is there to talk about? I decided I didn’t want to be your whore.”

  Her words hit me like a punch to the stomach, hard enough to knock the wind out of me. I struggle to stop from buckling in half.

  After taking a moment to refill my lungs with air, I say, “That’s what you think?”

  I still haven’t turned to look at her. And I still haven’t heard the door click shut.

  “I may be a virgin but I’m not stupid.”

  “Why would you be stupid? You’re incredibly intelligent,” I say, spinning to face her.

  My eyes move over her. She’s wearing a loose T-shirt and panties, but her hair still holds its glamour from last night. I momentarily lose my breath again at the sight of her.

  She pinches her lips together as she examines me. Tilting her head to the side, she steps away from the door and pushes it shut.

  “Trust me, the very last thing you are to me is a prostitute. I’ve never gone to such lengths to take someone on a date in my life. Yet somehow I managed to screw it up.”

  Grace scrunches her swollen eyes shut and shakes her head. “But what about Shawna?”

  “Shawna? What about her?”

  “She’s telling everyone at the office that you’re going to license us your brands and save the company because of me coming to New York with you.”

  Rage shoots through me from head to toe and it’s all I can do to keep from grabbing the nearest lamp and smashing it to pieces.

  Breathing hard, I take Grace’s hand and pull her to the sofa. I sit and pull her down beside me.

  “Shawna’s a fucking idiot. I’d never invest in her company. Ever. Especially because of the way she sent you to my hotel lobby. If I wasn’t so grateful for meeting you, I would’ve given her a piece of my mind yesterday.”

  “Well, she’s going around telling everyone it’s a sealed deal.”

  “She’s delusional.”

  “You’re our only hope to save the company.”

  As if that company can be saved. I purse my lips and shake my head, not knowing where or how to start explaining the situation to Grace.

  “I’m sorry, Grace. I really am, but I cannot invest in Shawna’s company,” I say, stroking her arm.

  Grace is silent, her eyes far away in contemplation. She’s probably wondering what will happen with her company and her job. My chest is heavy knowing she’ll lose her job, but I’ll make sure she’s taken care of. If all goes to plan, she won’t have to worry about a job at all.

  “But why—” Grace starts, before her voice trails off.

  “Why what?”

  She sighs, and asks, “Why do you use escorts? I don’t understand.”

  Her eyes bore into my face, examining me. And I realize right
now exactly how much she means to me. That all the ways she’s making me feel mean how truly special she is.

  Leaning back into the sofa, I inhale deeply, and say, “All I ever wanted when I was young was a happy marriage and kids. I’m a toymaker. I love children.” My throat tightens, and I pause. Grace doesn’t say anything. After a moment, I continue. “I met someone who I thought was the love of my life. Tina. We got married.” I pause again.

  This time Grace shuffles closer to me, and takes my hand. The gentleness of her touch relaxes me.

  “What happened?” she asks.

  I raise my eyes to hers, and say, “On our wedding night she told me she had no feelings for me, and that she was never having kids. All she expected was for me to provide a lavish lifestyle for her.”

  Grace gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. “That’s terrible.”

  “In the months it took to go through the divorce, I decided that I wasn’t going to let that happen to me again. And the safest way to do that was to use escorts. Women only want me for my money, I may as well go out with someone up front about it.”

  “I wasn’t interested in your money, only you,” she says, her voice soft.

  “I wasn’t only interested in you. I am only interested in you. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, not even Tina when I thought I was in love with her.”

  She shuffles closer to me again so that our legs are pressed against each other’s.

  “I’ve never felt this way about anyone either. My friends always thought I was weird or stupid for waiting for the right guy.” Grace pauses, her lips parted.

  I draw her into me, and close my mouth over hers. My hand runs over the bare skin of her thigh. Fuck. It makes me instantly hard. Though somehow it’s a different quality of hardness than last night.

  It’s more than want. It’s more than need. It’s something that has no name.

  Moving my body to the side, I lay her down on the sofa. Positioning my body over hers, I kiss her neck as I lift her top. I palm both of her tits with my hands, their softness making my dick pop the button of my jeans.

  I move up her T-shirt so that I can access her breasts. My tongue travels down her front, swirling around both of her nipples until they stand as hard as my cock. I could spend all day with my face buried in her big tits. But for some reason, all I want to do is make Grace feel good.

  I move lower. My tongue slides down her front all the way to the edge of her panties. I tug them down, and toss them onto the floor.

  Kissing around the edge of her mound, Grace moans. I lick through her folds, and she tastes better than I’d ever imagined. With my fingers, I spread her lips, exposing her clit to the air.

  Chapter 18

  Grace

  Leo’s mouth clamps over my clit and I dissolve into a puddle.

  I couldn’t believe it when he showed up at my door this morning. After the way I left, I thought everything between us had been ruined — by me.

  It took me until three this morning to stop hating myself. And then it took until four for me to stop hating Shawna.

  Although I still hate her. I don’t care if her stupid company does go bankrupt or if I lose my job. I never want to feel the way she made me feel again.

  But all I could think of was wanting to feel the way Leo made me feel. No one had ever made me feel that good.

  Leo’s treatment grows more frantic. He sucks my clit deep into his mouth, and prods it with his tongue. My walls drench with want, and I’m desperate for him to enter me.

  To claim me as his.

  He pulses his tongue against my clit, setting my body on edge. A high-pitched squeal involuntarily erupts from my throat. In need of something to grip, I fist my fingers through his hair.

  His fingers drag up the inside of my thigh. The tip of his index finger circles my entrance, stretching it.

  I tilt my hips, urging him into me. He presses one finger into my entrance, my slick walls immediately clamping around it. He moves his finger around, against my walls, pressing on my most sensitive spot.

  In seconds, all the tension in my body morphs into driving waves of pleasure. I scream, and scream. I never scream, but now I can’t stop.

  Leo doesn’t stop either. His finger and his mouth keep moving until my body flops like a rag doll against the couch.

  He kisses back up my tummy and over my breasts, and my insides stir with heat once more.

  His mouth reaches mine, and without hesitating, he covers my mouth in a deep kiss. The taste of myself on his lips draws a moan from deep within me.

  I arch my back, pressing my body as close to his as I can. His hard shaft grinds against my mound, and molten heat pools between my legs.

  The earth-shattering orgasm I just had is quickly forgotten as my body demands more from him.

  Breaking the kiss, I say, “Don’t stop.”

  “I don’t want to,” he says and nibbles my neck, causing me to thrust myself into him.

  “Then don’t. I want to feel you inside of me.”

  Leo grunts, and says, “I didn’t come here thinking this was going to happen.”

  Grinding his cock against my pussy, I say, “Right now, I don’t care why you came here. I’m only glad that you did.”

  “I mean, we can’t go any further. I didn’t bring any protection.”

  My body sinks with disappointment. It grows light again as I remember the condoms from Anna’s room. I shoved them in my suitcase, which is now sitting in the bedroom of the hotel suite.

  “I have some,” I say, trying to sit up.

  Leo’s eyes widen in surprise. “You do?”

  “They’re in my suitcase in the bedroom.”

  He springs off the couch, and I quickly stand beside him. He takes my hand, and draws me against his body.

  “Are you sure?” he asks, holding my gaze and stroking his fingers down my back.

  “Very.”

  With my hand in his, we hurry into the bedroom. The bed is still half made as I only barely slept on one side. The lavish bedding is covered in pillows and throw cushions, most of which are piled up on the side I didn’t sleep on.

  I let go of Leo’s hand to dig the condoms out of my suitcase. Leo strips off his clothes, and I fumble blindly for them since I can’t take my eyes off his body.

  He stands before me fully naked, erect.

  Fuck.

  I could stand here looking at him forever. His body is as perfect as a marble statue. Every line of his muscles begs me to run my finger over it. His dick is huge, and I wonder how it will fit.

  It’s barely believable that he’s real. And here with me.

  Leo closes the distance between us. He pulls my T-shirt over my head and drops it on the floor. He steps back again, and drags his eyes up and down my body.

  “You’re even more beautiful without that red dress.”

  “I could say the same about you and your tux.”

  He reaches his hands to me and skims them over my curves. I raise my eyes to his, and when our gazes connect, a fresh burst of tingles fills me.

  Leaning in, he closes his mouth over mine in a deep kiss. His tongue enters me, and my walls drip in anticipation of his cock penetrating me.

  Leo backs me to the bed, and we stand beside it, kissing. He draws me closer, pressing our naked bodies together. My breasts squish between us, my hard nipples poking into his chest.

  My pussy aches with want.

  His hand skims down my back over the curve of my ass. He leans more, finding my entrance with his fingers. He pushes two fingertips into me and stretches my slick opening.

  I arch my back, giving him easier access to my pussy. His fingertips continue to stretch me.

  Breaking the kiss, he says, “You should go on top. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t.”

  “You are going on top, that way you can lower yourself as slowly as you need. Trust me, I will not be able to control myself once I get my tip anywhere near you,” he says in
a firm voice.

  Before I can respond he lies on the bed, his body propped up in a half-seated position by all the pillows. I watch as he rolls the condom on. Surprisingly I don’t feel nervous at all, only feeling I’m doing the right thing.

  “Climb on,” he orders, tugging my hand.

  I do as he says and climb onto the bed. I straddle him, his hard cock between our bodies.

  Leo pulls my lips to his in a quick kiss. He pulls the rest of my body forward and lifts my hips.

  Holding my eyes in his, he moves his dick through my folds, and positions his tip at my wet entrance.

  The heat between my legs demands to feel him in me. I swallow and shift my weight onto him.

  “Easy, go slow. Don’t hurt yourself,” he says, holding my hips in place.

  I shake my head and put as much weight into my hips as I can. There’s a painful twinge, but I ignore it.

  My chest heaves with my breath, and I feel like I’m being stretched open. It’s nothing like any vibrator I’ve used. He’s so big and filling.

  And warm, and gorgeous. And his hands prickle my skin with electric shocks wherever he touches me.

  All I want is him.

  I push myself up and down along his cock, gradually getting accustomed to the size until my clit connects with his pelvic bone. He’s fully inside of me now and it’s amazing.

  “Are you okay?” Leo asks.

  “Never better,” I say, my voice a breathy mess.

  The corner of his mouth turns up, and he starts to push his hips into me. The sensation forces a gasp from my throat.

  I smile, and start bouncing on him as much as I can. There’s a fine line between the pain and the pleasure, and I do my best to find it.

  As I move, my nub connects over and over with his pelvic bone, and it isn’t long before my body is on the edge of another orgasm.

  Chapter 19

  Leo

  I’m entranced by the bounce of Grace’s tits as she moves on top of me. The diamond necklace I gave her sways between them. It’s a relief that she’s still wearing it, a sign that she’s mine.

  I can’t believe how quickly she lowered herself onto me, forcing my dick into her.