Chapter 3
Monica
A s I held this practical stranger’s hand—a very handsome stranger at that—I felt a rush of excitement and nerves run through my body as he pulled me through the bar. This was so not like me to make out with a man I had just met at the bar. At least not thirty-five-year-old me. The Monica in her twenties was a different story. Yet, here I was, following him out the doors to the sidewalks of Manhattan with his taste still in my mouth.
Troy. It was a good name. And fitting for him. He was like a Greek god with thick, dark hair that parted to the side effortlessly. I would give anything to run my fingers through it, and I fully planned to tonight. His eyes were a kaleidoscope of green and amber and their intensity sank through me like a hot coal.
I knew nothing about him other than he was sexy as hell. He knew next to nothing about me. Something about that fact made me that much more turned on by him. The fitted charcoal suit he wore and the size of his strong hand around mine also increased his appeal.
He held onto my hand as he hailed a cab with an assertiveness that caused three yellow cars to pull up to the curb. He chose the first and opened the door, helping me inside. After the door closed behind him and he told the driver his address, I expected some sort of awkward silence where we both questioned if this was a crazy idea. Instead, his hands were suddenly in my hair and his forehead was pressed against mine as he looked at me with that same intensity. There was no awkwardness. Just tension. A lot of it.
I tilted my chin up as an invitation and he took it with a slow eagerness that made my insides burn with desire. His lips grazed against mine lightly and his eyes never left me. I felt my breath hitch as my eyes closed, waiting for what came next. He kissed me more firmly, his fingers getting tangled in my hair. I felt his tongue against my lips, parting them and meeting mine in a slow dance.
I didn’t know how long we were kissing before I felt the cab pull slowly to a stop as the driver put it into park. I reluctantly pulled away and looked out the window to see a large glass building that lurched into the sky so far that I couldn’t see where it ended in the haze of the late-night sky. I looked at Troy, who gave me a smile that said this was home. I swallowed hard as I wondered who the hell this guy was.
He paid the driver and opened the back door, sliding out and coming around to my door. He opened it and offered me his hand. My heart felt like it was skipping several beats. I somehow knew tonight was going to be good, which was why the anticipation was getting to me. I hadn’t had good sex in years. You know the kind where your toes curl up as the wave washes over you? That was something I had been missing in my last relationship.
Troy leaned in and gave me a quick kiss before leading me into the building.
“Good evening, Mr. Gunner,” greeted the doorman.
Troy. Troy Gunner.
His name was even sexy.
“Good evening, Manny,” said Troy.
He led me to the elevators and pressed the button, waiting for the doors to open and never letting go of my hand. Once inside, he pulled a keycard out of his wallet and held it up to the sensor before pressing the button marked PH. Penthouse . He had a penthouse. Who was this guy? I tried not to let my curiosity show on my face as we rode up several dozen floors.
The elevator came to a slow stop and the doors opened to a large, dark room with windows for walls. The city lights against the inky sky was our only light. It was breathtaking.
Troy stepped out of the elevator and gently pulled me to follow behind him. We walked across the room toward what felt like the edge of a cliff. My heart started racing. I didn’t know if it was because we were so high up or the way he was looking at me as I took in the view below.
“Wow,” I whispered.
“I could say the same thing,” he whispered, but he wasn’t looking at the city.
I swallowed hard, a warmth rushing through me as his words landed like music on my ears. He stepped behind me and put his hands on my hips as we looked out the large expanse of windows. I felt his breath against the back of my neck and I allowed myself to get lost in the calm steadiness of it.
His lips brushed against the side of my neck, and with soft kisses, he moved up past my jawline to my ear. I felt his teeth graze against my earlobe before his tongue ran against it slowly. Torturously. I let out a soft sigh as I reached my arms up and wrapped my hands around the back of his neck, giving his hands the freedom to roam as they pleased. And they did.
His strong hands grazed up my sides until they found my breasts through the soft material of my sweater dress. He cupped his palms and massaged them as he began kissing my neck. I pressed my body firmly against his and felt his erection against me. I sucked in a breath at the size.
I turned my head slightly toward him and our eyes met. I tilted my face up to meet his and his mouth found mine. He kissed me deeply as I pressed further against him. I felt him groan into my open mouth and suddenly his hands reached up and pulled the top of my dress down, revealing my bare breasts. His hands grabbed them eagerly and I moaned with pleasure as his fingertips grazed against my nipples.
After a moment, he pulled away from our kiss breathlessly and his hands quickly moved to my hips as he turned me to face him. I pressed my bare back against the window, its coolness biting into me. He tugged at my dress and shimmied it down my body until it fell in a heap at my ankles. I kicked it gently to the side as I watched his green eyes wander up my body as I stood there in nothing but a black lace thong.
“Jesus,” he whispered. “You’re beautiful.”
I reached for him and gripped his hips, pulling him toward me. I shrugged his jacket off his shoulders and tossed it aside. My fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, until they found a desperate rhythm and freed him from it, revealing his tanned, toned torso. My eyes grazed across his muscles hungrily. He undid his pants and let them fall to the floor.
He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I bit my lip as my eyes fell to the waistband of his briefs, begging to see more. He reached up and trailed his thumb against my bottom lip, freeing it from my teeth that dug into it with desire.
“That right there will drive me straight insane,” he said.
His fingers wrapped around the hemline of my lace thong and pulled it down gruffly. I sucked in a breath at the desperateness of it. His fingertips trailed up my inner thigh until they met against me. I could already feel myself wet against his touch. He ran his thumb over my clit in circular motions, his eyes watching mine as they filled with pleasure. A small smile crossed over his perfect lips as he dipped a finger into me, while his thumb continued moving against my clit. I sucked in a sharp breath as the sensation washed over me.
He began moving rhythmically. In and out. Circling me. I squirmed around the strength of his fingers. I reached my hands up and grabbed his dark hair, pulling at it desperately as he moved faster. A tremor began to grow from deep within me. It grew stronger until I closed my eyes and cried out in ecstasy. He slowly removed his fingers from my wetness.
I took a few gasping breaths before opening my eyes and finding him looking at me with the sexiest look on his face. Pride. Cockiness. Arousal. I needed him right then.
I grabbed the waistband of his briefs and pulled them down, revealing his large erection. My eyes hungrily took in the size of him as he kicked his briefs aside, before meeting his eyes again. Knowing it would drive him crazy, I dug my top teeth into the flesh of my bottom lip. It was an invitation.
He accepted it in one swift movement as he gripped my hips and lifted me up, so my back was against the window and my legs were wrapped around him. I gasped at his strength and the ease of him picking me up. I felt the tip of his erection against me as I looked down at him, my arms around his neck. His breath was heavy, matching mine.
“I need you right now,” I whispered, my eyes on his.
Without hesitation, he adjusted my hips and lowered me slowly onto his cock. I felt every inch of him against my walls, filling me up gloriously. I clenched around his cock as he pushed every inch of it into me. He let out a low moan as his fingers dug into the flesh of my upper thighs.
He pulled out just as slowly as he had entered, and with a new intensity in his eyes, he plunged into me quickly, making me cry out. He pumped in and out with strong thrusts. My legs quivered around him as he began moving faster. I heard the rhythmic slaps of our bodies meeting each other over and over.
I cried out again as pleasure pulsed through me. I struggled to hold myself together as his fingers dug even deeper into me. His eyes closed as he unleashed into me, moaning loudly. My walls convulsed against his length. Waves of pleasure rolled through me before we collapsed into a heap on the floor.
The next morning, I woke up in Troy’s bed, where we had stumbled in a desperate state with our hands all over each other ready for round two. Which was just as good as round one. His arm was draped over me and he was breathing steadily. I watched him sleep for just a moment, admiring how one man could be this freaking perfect, even when he slept.
Then I remembered the job. I started today. I glanced over at the clock on his nightstand and felt a slight panic. I had to be there in just over an hour. Carefully, I scooched out from under Troy’s arm and placed my feet on the hardwood floor. I scanned the dark room for my clothes, but came up with nothing.
I tiptoed out of the bedroom and walked toward a stream of light coming from down the hallway. I reached the living room where we had been last night. Now I could see the massiveness of this place in the morning light. I shook my head at the size of the room before spotting my clothes in a pile by the window. I slid on my thong, followed by my dress, and found my purse nearby.
I debated waking Troy up and saying goodbye. But all of this seemed too good to be true. Amazing guy. Amazing lay. Amazing money. There was no way that it could work out. I made the decision to leave it as a mind-blowing one-night stand, and pressed the button for the elevators.