Chapter 15
15
J AMES
New York
“Are you sure you want to do it?” I ask.
She flicks her eyes to me, annoyed.
I barely stifle a grin.
“James?”
“What, babe?”
“You should consider yourself lucky that I took you with me. I knew you were gonna be a big pain in the butt.”
“I only bring pleasure to your butt, and you fucking know it,” I say as we go past the receptionist’s desk and veer onto a hallway, entering the firm.
She shushes me, exasperated, as two women clad in business suits cross paths with us.
Their eyes fly to me, and judging by their flirting smiles, they have probably heard me.
“James,” she hisses at me under her breath. “If you’re planning to misbehave, I swear I’m gonna make you wait outside,” she says half-seriously.
Quirking my lips, I crush a smile.
“I’m part of the deal.”
“And yet your presence is not necessary. I can work it out with your accountant and your lawyers, and you can sign the papers later if... he agrees to it.”
“He better.”
She clasps a hand on her waist, giving me a pointed look.
My eyes slide down her body.
Her fitted skirt suit sets off her silhouette, doing her justice.
“Why would he?” she asks, gently gripping my chin and making me lift my gaze and look at her face.
We’re standing in the middle of the corridor, people rushing by.
“He gets way more money than the value of your company, and I’ll drive that up if I need to. He’s a businessman. He’ll take it,” I say.
She splays her fingers over the lapel of my jacket and leans closer to me, a smile beaming in her eyes.
“Why are you so keen to buy him out?”
“I want in,” I say.
She laughs softly.
“You are in,” she says. “You can’t be more in than that,” she adds, smiling.
“Are you talking dirty to me, now?” I murmur, my eyes dropping to her lips.
“I may do something dirty to you later,” she murmurs against my mouth, instantly getting me hard. “But now,” she says in a different voice, breaking away from me, “you need to shut up. It’s my business, and I want to talk to him first. You,” she says, fingering my chest, “need to butt out.”
“All right, but if he dares to as much as touch you...”
“James?”
“Or he makes you a proposal...” I say, nagging her.
Messing with her.
“Stop it,” she says, laughing.
I shoot my hands up and follow her in the boardroom.
David Moore, his lawyers, and his accountant, along with my people, wait for us in the room.
Rain invites me to take a seat next to her while she sits across from David.
He and I shake hands before I sink into my chair.
Soon after, she starts talking.
I silently observe her.
She sounds nervous in the beginning, but the more she talks, the better she gets at running the meeting.
Guarded and reserved, David keeps his eyes on her, but even so, I see his affection for her.
It was sheer luck she didn’t fall for him.
Perhaps the timing was wrong for them. Maybe she was so hurt by me that she didn’t want to let him get close to her.
Or maybe he missed the opportunity and never got a second chance.
As I said. Dumb luck.
He catches sight of my gaze, making me peel my eyes away from him and look out the window.
The summer draws to an end.
The sky is clear, and the skyscrapers are visible all the way to the stretch of water in the distance.
I keep my mouth shut until David says yes to my offer, and we cut a deal.
We shake hands, sealing our understanding before our people start working on the paperwork.
Later, we walk out of the room.
Rain lingers behind, so David and I spend a moment alone.
“Thank you,” I say, patting him on his back. “For everything.”
A warm smile threads through his gaze.
“You’re a lucky man,” he says.
“I was thinking the same thing about you while you were sitting across from her.”
He slides his hands into his pockets, his gray suit and white shirt setting off his blue eyes.
He looks down, a nostalgic smile glued to his lips, and ponders before raising his gaze to me.
“I’ll be honest with you. She’s the one regret I’ll always have,” he says sincerely. “Especially since I know that we were never meant to be together.”
I wish there were something I could say.
“Are we good?” Rain asks, walking toward us, her cheeks flushed, her eyes burning.
She swiftly takes us in.
“Yes, we are,” I say, smiling. “What about we go out and celebrate?” I say.
We both look at David.
He nods softly in agreement.
* * *
JAMES
“Are you hungry or... Are you hungry?”
“Shut up, Sexton.”
She pushes the door to her apartment open and drags me in. The soft light coming from the kitchen spreads across the walls.
“I thought we just had dinner...” I tease, my focus shattered as she cups my balls. “You’re looking for trouble...” I say, all stirred up, my hand in her hair while my fingers slink into her cleavage.
I bring her mouth to mine.
We lock lips and tongues, sucking on each other as if it’s going out of fashion. She moans and arches her tight body, the flesh between her legs burning for me.
Multitasking, I run my hand down to her wrap skirt, flick the button open, let it drop to the floor, and work on her jacket, still kissing her.
I pull the jacket off as she hungrily sucks on my tongue.
Without waiting, I spin her around and bend her over the kitchen island.
Her little ass pushes up, a strap of fabric flossing her butt cheeks. My eyes stay on her rear as I tug at her panties, slide them down, pull my hard cock out, and enter her.
She’s wet and slippery and clenches around me.
I ram into her. She growls with pleasure.
I pull her hair back and pound her passionately, every thrust making her legs shake, her center clamping on me.
“Get ready, sweetheart. I have something for your mouth,” I say, my eyes glued to her butt as I keep thrusting.
Her nails scratch the table, her moans making me push even harder.
My name falls from her lips several times as I drive her pleasure to the climax, making her come.
She still shudders when I pull my hand out of her hair.
“Now, get on your knees.”
Panting, she tosses a glance over her shoulder, her lips curled into a smile, her eyes heavy with lust.
Smoothly, she pushes off the kitchen island, turns to me, and slides down.
One hand lands on my hip while the other wraps around my girth.
She licks my hard length from the root to the crown.
Lips parted, she gives me a sultry smile while pulling me into her mouth. Her tongue sweeps my hard meat, sending tingles up my spine.
She bobs her head, sliding me into her mouth, while I stare at her, intoxicated with pleasure.
My hips roll, pushing harder and faster as I begin to shudder.
She doesn’t stop or break her rhythm, her passion heightening my pleasure.
She closes her eyes, completely out. Just like me.
I rest a hand on her hair as she takes me to the breaking point, and I cum all over her mouth as if I own her.
Moments later, she flicks her gaze up and takes me in with lustful eyes.
“Good thing.. you do love it,” I murmur.
She smiles as I help her up before she loops her arms around me. I crush her in my embrace, her skin still burning, smelling like sex.
Reluctantly, we break apart, and I start fixing my pants.
“You go first,” I say, motioning to the bathroom. “I need to make some phone calls.”
She picks up her clothes, walks into the bathroom, and shuts the door while I scoop out my phone from my pocket and almost dial a number when someone knocks on the door.
I check my fly and shirt and run my hand through my hair before striding to the entrance.
I swing the door open. The woman in front of me has her back turned to me.
She glances over her shoulder, and shock floods her eyes when she spots me.
Her mouth drops.
“James Sexton??”
“Daria Morgan. What a surprise,” I say dryly, wondering if her mouth will ever close.
“What are you doing here?” she asks.
“I can ask you the same question,” I throw at her.
Her expression shifts, a wicked smile lining her lips.
How are these two women related again?
“As you very well know, I’m Rain’s sister.”
“Estranged... sister.”
She quirks her lips, displeased.
“That’s not for you to say. Besides, it’s not your business,” she says.
Defiance seemingly runs in the family.
I push my hands into my pockets and give her an amused smile.
“Just so you know… Rain is my business. And nobody sticks their damn nose in my business. So, I’m saying this with all my brotherly love, stay out of it. And next time you send me anonymous pictures, I’ll track your little ass down and put you away.”
The blood drains from her face.
I close the space between us, clasp her chin, and point her gaze to the stairs.
“That’s where you hid, pumpkin, and that’s how you got Lex Harrington’s pictures.”
A smirk curls her lips.
“I thought the information would interest you.”
I grin.
“It did, and look where it’s gotten me. I wouldn’t be here tonight if it weren’t for that piece of information.”
Her eyes darken.
“Now, get in,” I bark.
She squares her shoulders and walks past me, clad in an evening gown.
A moment later, she takes a seat at the table while I lean against the windowsill, my hands still in my pockets.
Her gaze swings around.
She registers the running water in the bathroom and shifts her eyes to me.
“So how come you––?
“What can I do for you, Daria?”
She presses her lips together, crushing a retort.
“I’m not here to see you.”
“As if I care. Are you going to tell me or not?”
“I’ll wait for her.”
“Suit yourself, but she might throw you out faster than you can say something to her. Besides, I think I know why you’re here, and I’m in a better position to help you.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. I know the history between the two of you. You don’t keep in touch with her or your mother. There’s only one reason you’re here, and since blackmail no longer works, I imagine you’re here to beg for some money.”
She barely pushes back a curse.
I wag my finger at her and click my tongue.
“Beggars can’t be choosers. I’m not so sure she’ll help you anyway. Not after fucking with her all those years. I, on the other hand...” I say, stretching a slow smile. “I may be willing to give you what you want.”
“If...?”
“If you stay away from her.”
“She’s my sister,” she says, searing me with her eyes.
“And you can be part of her life if you behave like one.”
She huffs.
I talk.
“Spill it out, pumpkin. Before she walks out of the bathroom, and your opportunity to get some money goes out the window. What do you need the cash for?”
Thoughts clash in her mind, flickering across her face.
“School. I want to go back to Boston.”
“Business is tough in New York, huh?” I toss at her. “How much?”
“I need money for two more years of school.”
“I asked how much.”
“At least 40K. I may be able to come up with the rest,” she says, squirming in her seat.
I fish my phone out of my pocket.
“This will only happen once. And you better be smart enough and spend it on school. Do you have an account number?”
She freezes.
“Daria?”
“Yes. Yes... I do.”
She reaches inside her bag, pulls out her pocketbook, and gives me the number.
I punch the information in.
Moments later, I tap my phone screen and get a confirmation.
“You’ve got 100K. Don’t make me fucking regret it.”
A message lights up her phone.
Her eyes fall to the screen. Pale, she rises to her feet and snatches her purse from the table.
“Thank you,” she says in a strangled voice. “I, um... I’ll go now.”
She takes a step toward the door, changes her mind, and spins around.
“Please don’t tell her I was here and needed money... I mean, you do as you wish, but if it makes no difference to you, I’d rather have her not know.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you again,” she says. She slides her hand to my arm before squeezing it gently. “I’m going now. You never saw me.”
She tears away and rushes out just before Rain walks in.