Chapter Three
CHAPTER THREE
Stevie
M y entire body buzzed as Caleb and I separated to say our goodbyes to everyone so it wasn’t blatantly obvious that we were leaving together. Raven might be my best friend, but I decided there was no need for her to know that I was hooking up with her brother, considering I was pretty sure this was just a one-night thing. If it turned into something more, well, then I’d have that conversation with her.
But for now, sneaking off with Caleb felt so sexy and illicit, and I had to admit I liked the feeling of being whisked away by the one man who’d starred in my fantasies the past year. I couldn’t wait to see how the evening played out, but I was already filled with the anticipation of finally scratching this itch between us.
As we’d agreed, I met Caleb in the lobby of the hotel after we both bid our farewells. I’d given him his jacket back once we’d made the decision to leave the party individually, but he hadn’t put it back on. It was still draped over his arm, and as soon as I reached him he put it back around my shoulders to keep me warm.
There was something about the sweet, almost romantic gesture that gave me all the feels, even as I cautioned myself to not let foolish notions play out in my head. This wasn’t a relationship. Hell, this wasn’t even a date. It was just pleasure for the sake of pleasure, two consenting adults enjoying an intense sexual attraction for a night, and I told myself I was okay with that.
A luxury SUV was waiting at the curb as we walked outside—not an Uber but what appeared to be Caleb’s own private car with a driver named Dylan. Once we were settled in the back seat and Caleb directed the driver to his place, The Cortland in West Chelsea, I withdrew my phone from my purse and typed out a text to Valerie.
Okay, you win. I’m spending a little extra time with Caleb tonight, if you know what I mean. I added a grinning emoji and sent off the message.
You lucky girl! Enjoy the night, Caleb, and hopefully multiple orgasms. She followed that up with five fireworks emojis.
I groaned and shook my head to myself.
“Everything okay?” Caleb asked.
He’d insisted I sit beside him in the back seat, and I turned my head to look up at his handsome face, backlit by the city lights outside the tinted windows. “Just letting my sister know I won’t be home for a few more hours.”
He flashed a wicked grin that made my panties immediately damp. “A few more hours?” he murmured as he placed a hand right above my bare knee, his fingers hot on my cool skin as they curved possessively around my lower thigh. “Tell her you won’t be home until mid-morning.”
The fact that he wanted me to spend the night at his place surprised me. “Are you sure about that?”
“Absolutely.” His hand stroked a little higher, stopping at the hem of my dress and making me all too aware of his touch…and wishing it would traverse all the way up my thigh. “I plan to make the most of our night together, and our morning, which includes breakfast.” He winked at me.
It was an offer I found impossible to resist, not to mention this charming side to Caleb’s personality. I shot off a quick text to let Valerie know this newest change of plans, then put my phone in my purse so I didn’t have to see her reply to that . Then, I glanced out the window, taking in the scenery as we made our way to the west side of Manhattan.
“This area is…well, very nice,” I said, making conversation. “I’ve never really ventured to this part of the city.” For a reason. Because everything, from housing to restaurants to shopping, were out of my budget and a girl like me didn’t belong here. Hell, just breathing the air in this neighborhood probably cost a premium.
“How long have you lived in New York?” he asked, his tone curious as we slowly made our way through Saturday evening traffic.
I shifted my gaze back to his. “Almost three years now.”
He considered that for a moment. “Where did you move from?”
Again, his tone was casual and inquisitive. I would have chalked up his questions to small talk to fill the time until we reached his place, but he looked genuinely interested in my answers, which made it easy to share that part of myself with him. “A very small town in Connecticut, where I grew up.”
He tipped his head, his thumb rubbing absently along my inner thigh. “And what made you move here, of all places?”
I shrugged and replied honestly. “Both Valerie and I needed a change.” An understatement considering what we’d left behind. A mother who’d been murdered at the hands of our father, and our father in prison serving a life sentence for the crime. Not the kind of sordid background I wanted to share with a man like Caleb. And there was no reason to, considering this was just one night together.
I gave him a smile. “New York City seemed exciting and filled with possibilities.”
He chuckled. “So people say. And your parents? They still live there?”
I paused, then decided to reframe the truth. “Unfortunately, they’re both gone,” I said, which was honestly my reality. My father, to me, was as good as dead.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he replied, compassion in his tone.
“Thank you,” I murmured, not sure what else to say, but was saved by making further conversation about my parents as the SUV turned, then circled into a valet area under a building.
“Here you are, sir,” his driver announced.
“Thank you, Dylan,” Caleb said as he unbuckled his seat belt, then reached over to my far hip and unclasped mine, bringing our faces close together. “Are you good?” he asked me.
I appreciated his concern, and I knew his question left the door open for me to change my mind about spending the night, but an evening of mindless pleasure was exactly what I wanted, and needed.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I said, and smiled. “So long as you promise to make me feel good.”
He grinned. “No worries about that, sweetheart,” he said in deep, husky tones that made me shiver in anticipation. “I’m going to redefine the words ‘feel good’ for you all night long.”
I laughed flirtatiously, ready to enjoy whatever this man wanted to do with and to me. “Then what are we waiting for?”
We got out of the car, and Caleb slipped his hand in mine as we walked into the lobby of the upscale complex. I immediately felt out of my element surrounded by such opulence, and there was no missing the speculative glances of a few women we passed that eyed me like they knew I was an imposter. My face flushed, because I was well aware that I was no match for their sophistication, or the flashy, designer handbags and clothes they wore compared to my polyester dress and worn heels—and they knew it, too. Hell, they probably thought I was a call girl because it was clear I did not belong in this part of the city.
Caleb either didn’t notice the stares, or didn’t care as he greeted the man at the front desk we passed on our way to the elevator. Once we stepped into the lift and he swiped a key card, the door shut and the smooth ride upward began.
He turned toward me, his perceptive gaze taking in my features and clearly seeing my unease. “Are you okay?”
“I’m just a little overwhelmed by…everything,” I said, sweeping a hand around us to indicate the interior of the elevator, which was just as posh as the rest of the building with a marbled floor, the walls in a rich, polished wood, and gold accents that gleamed. “And a little intimidated, if I’m being honest.”
“You have no reason to be either.” He stepped closer and framed my face in his hands, a sinful smile tipping up the corners of his mouth. “But clearly, you need a distraction because I want your mind thinking about only one thing. Tonight is about me and you and nothing else.”
His mouth descended on mine, and seconds later I was lost in his quick and dirty kiss that erased everything from my head but the taste and feel of his body against mine, and the effortless way he made me forget everything but him. His tongue delved deep, his teeth grazed along my lower lip, then gently bit, drawing a moan from deep in my throat. By the time the doors slid open and he lifted his mouth from mine, I was dizzy, thoroughly aroused, and clinging to him.
Satisfaction etched his features. “Perfect,” he murmured, then grabbed my hand once more and led me out of the elevator.
I expected a hallway that would lead to his apartment door, but we walked directly into his luxurious penthouse. The place was like a damn palace. A foyer led to an open-concept area with high ceilings, a spacious living room, and a kitchen off to the side. As we entered, a lamp automatically flicked on, a soft glow of light revealing an interior that was decorated in navy blue and cream colors and accented in gold. For a man who had a six-year-old son, the place was immaculate.
Drawn to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, I slipped out of my heels and draped the jacket I was still wearing over the back of a leather chair, then walked in that direction, impressed and awed because this was a level of wealthy I was unfamiliar with. The glittering nighttime cityscape was jaw-dropping and breathtaking, along with a waterfront view of the Hudson River.
“Care for something to drink?” Caleb asked.
I glanced back at him, watching as he tugged his tie off, then unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves, making himself comfortable. “No, I’m good. Thank you.”
I returned my stare out the windows. “This view is spectacular.”
I heard him walk up behind me and my heart rate accelerated when he pushed all my hair over one shoulder, leaving the other side of my neck bare. I shivered as he placed a warm, damp kiss just below my ear, his breath fanning across my skin. “I’m far more interested in a whole different kind of view, but you go ahead and enjoy the city while I enjoy you .”
I tried to focus on the glittering city lights as he slowly unzipped my dress, his fingers trailing along my spine as the material parted, all the way down to my hips. He pushed the fabric off my shoulders, and I watched my reflection in the window as the dress slithered down my body to pool around my feet, leaving me in a cream-colored lace bra and panties, while he was still fully clothed.
He unfastened the hooks on my bra, and even though my first instinct was to hold it in place to keep myself covered, I allowed him to push the lingerie off my arms and expose my breasts.
“Can anyone see in?” I asked, not sure how I felt with my body on display.
His big hands came around, cupping my breasts and fondling them. “Would it bother you if they could?”
I gasped as he plucked my stiff, aching nipples, jolting my entire body with that shock of pleasure. “Yes…no,” I whispered, momentarily confused.
“You have a gorgeous body any man would love to watch,” he said in a husky voice as one of his hands left my breast and skimmed down along my stomach. “But if it makes you feel better, there is a privacy film on the windows. At night you can see out, but no one can see in, so relax and enjoy what I’m about to do to you.”
He didn’t make me wait long to show me what he intended. My breathing escalated in anticipation as his hand dipped into the waistband of my panties and down between my legs where I was slick and needy. I whimpered as he grazed my sensitive clit, and he groaned in my ear as his fingers sank into my pussy.
“Jesus, you’re so fucking wet for me,” he growled, sliding deeper.
His fingers continued to expertly stroke me—too light to make me come, much to my frustration.
“The other nice thing about those windows at night, I can also see your reflection while I’m playing with your tits, and my other hand is pleasuring your pussy, and that’s so fucking hot.”
He tugged on a nipple, and I moaned, my head falling back on his shoulder as my hips bucked against his hand.
“Do you know what would be even hotter?” he murmured.
“What?” I whispered, wanting to know.
“Pushing you up against that window and fucking you from behind.”
My sex clenched at the image that flashed through my mind, and he chuckled in my ear. “Oh, yeah, you like that idea, don’t you?”
I did. Too much. Who knew beneath those power suits that Caleb wore that he was absolutely filthy and depraved when it came to sex?
I rolled my hips, trying to increase the pressure and friction of his fingers against my clit. “Caleb…please,” I begged, desperate for the orgasm he was holding just out of my reach.
“Please what?” he teased.
I didn’t censor my words. “Let me come.”
He continued those slow, lazy, too gentle strokes across my needy flesh. “Show me how badly you want it.”
Shedding every last inhibition, I slid a hand into my panties to join his, pressing his fingers harder against my clit, forcing him to increase the rhythm and friction just the way I needed. He lowered his other arm, wrapping it tight around my waist and hauling me right up against the front of his body, as if he was getting ready to completely unravel every part of me and I’d need the extra support of him holding me upright.
So many wild, intense sensations crashed through me, and I closed my eyes to savor them all and enjoy Caleb’s expertise. My arm reached up so that I could slide my hand through his soft, thick hair, gripping the strands as I shamelessly fucked his fingers.
My hips rolled and bucked, thrusting against the hand in my panties then rocking back to rub against the solid length of his erection, a hard pillar of flesh that made my core clench at the thought of him burying all those inches deep inside of me.
He growled against the side of my neck, the sound making me shiver. “Look at you,” he ordered, and I pried my eyes open to obey. “So fucking beautiful. Grinding against my hand, your ass pushing so eagerly against my cock. Come for me, Stevie.”
My reflection in the window showed me everything. Had I ever acted so wanton before? Never, but then I’d never been with a confident, sexually assured man like Caleb.
That elusive feeling of being desired completely consumed me, pushing me over the edge and into a powerful orgasm that seemed to spiral me into a whole other dimension. I cried out, vaguely hearing Caleb murmuring words of encouragement and praise as my body quivered and my climax left me breathless and boneless.
I slumped back against him, grateful for the arm he’d anchored around my waist that kept me from collapsing to the floor. My head was still tilted back and resting on his shoulder as I tried to regain my equilibrium, and in the window’s reflection I watched as he withdrew his hand from my panties and brought it up to his mouth, sucking the taste of me off of his fingers.
He groaned, as if he’d just enjoyed a rare delicacy. “Jesus, I knew you’d taste so fucking good.”
The fact that he’d imagined tasting me made me lightheaded.
He dropped his hand down to my hip and nuzzled my neck. “You ready to take this to the bedroom so I can fuck you properly, on a bed?”
“Oh, now you’re being all formal,” I teased, and he chuckled. “I don’t think my shaking legs are capable of getting me there.”
“Then allow me,” he said, and swept me up into his arms.