Indiscretion: Volume One (9 page)

I shrugged. “No, it’s fine. The decision to end things was mine.”

“Even still, it must’ve been difficult.” A sad smile crossed her face, and her voice took on a soothing tone.

I rubbed a hand along my jaw, the coarse hair of my five o’clock shadow scraping against the palm of my hand. “It was a long time coming. If it weren’t for my parents, we probably wouldn’t have stayed together as long as we did.”

“Why is that?”

“My parents insisted I take her out in the first place. They thought we were perfect for each other, and maybe the
idea
of us was, but the reality of it didn’t live up to expectations.” I remembered my mother’s disappointment, and my father’s disapproval when I’d told them I’d ended things with Sarah.

A memory of Sarah complaining about a painter’s work at an emerging artists show we were at came to mind. When he’d approached us later she’d gushed on and on about how impressed she’d been with his use of color in his work, and how she was trying to talk me into purchasing a piece. Later when I’d asked her about it, she’d commented that she couldn’t afford to insult him in case he turned out to be a big deal someday. It was one of many things we didn’t see eye-to-eye on. I turned my attention from the woman who occupied my past memories, back to the woman standing in front of me.

She frowned. “You couldn’t have been together just because your family wanted it.”

“No. At first everything was great. Looking back, I can see that I probably loved her, but I wasn’t
in
love with her. Does that make any sense?”

She twisted her lips as she thought about it. “I think so. Why did you decide to end things?”

I glanced to the ocean’s inky depths, pondering what exactly to say. “She began to turn into someone else,” I told her honestly. “I suppose it was there all along, and I probably just didn’t want to see it. I realized we could never be long term. It wasn’t fair to lead her on. She began to represent everything I hated about the world I grew up in.”

“No offense, but it’s pretty hard to believe that being born with a silver spoon in your mouth was that difficult a world to grow up in,” she said, her voice flat.

“I’m not saying I was hard-done-by, but with the silver spoon comes a lot of expectations and pressure to conform to a certain ideal. If you don’t fit that mold it can be…difficult.”

Chloe pursed her lips. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not my place to judge. It’s just…I guess when you’ve live hand-to-mouth your entire life, it’s hard to believe that never having to worry about money could be a hardship,” she said and had the decency to look embarrassed by her earlier presumption.

“Apology accepted.” I’d been judged by my last name my entire life, and all the implications that went along with it. I steered the conversation on to safer topics by asking her about her life in Bar Harbor and how she spent her free time. We ended up picking away at the rest of our dinner and talking for several more hours about anything and everything.

When it was past midnight, Chloe yawned and announced that it was time to go.

“Did you drive? Let me walk you to your car.” I stood to walk out with her.

She waved me off. “I only live a few minutes away. I walked over.”

“Then I’ll walk you home,” I offered warmly.

Panic flashed briefly across Chloe’s features, but she recovered quickly and plastered a smile on her face. “No need. Thank you for a lovely evening.”

She stood to leave and reached across the table to grab her purse when I put my hand on her wrist. “It’s non-negotiable…I’m walking you home. Especially looking like that.” My tone brooked no argument.

She gave me a puzzled look.

“No drunk tourist is gonna let you walk by, looking sexy as sin, without being tempted to try and cast a line your way and see if you take the bait.”

Color crept into Chloe’s face. God, I loved how she looked when she blushed. It reminded me of how she looked after she came.
Mind out of the gutter.
If I was going to walk her home comfortably, I needed to not have a hard-on, and this line of thinking wasn’t helping.

“Okay, but I’m warning you that my place is nothing like what you’re staying in here.” She bit her lip and motioned to our surroundings.

I stepped toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I realize we don’t know each other that well, but have you not realized that shit doesn’t matter to me?” It was a little irritating that she hadn’t already figured that out about me. Ushering us back into the room, I said, “Let’s go.”

Chloe led the way, and we walked in silence for several blocks before we came upon a cute but older-looking, two-story home with wood siding and peeling yellow paint. The large front porch and dark shutters on either side of the windows made it look homey and comfortable. Nothing like the enormous brownstone I’d grown up in. There, you could sometimes wander for an entire afternoon and never come across another person. I liked this better.

“Home sweet home.” she said, smiling warmly. “Thanks again for dinner. I had a nice time.”

She turned to make her way up the front steps, but I grabbed her waist and pulled her into my chest, looking down into the depths of her dark eyes that seemed to sparkle even more in the moonlight. Chloe was breathing heavily, and I felt her breasts push into my chest with each inhalation.

“I want to see you again. When?” I asked.

“I have some free time on Thursday.” Her voice was breathy.

“Thursday it is. You can show me around Acadia. Until then.” I bent my head to kiss her.

She didn’t resist. Instead, she threaded her arms around my neck and played with the hair on the back of my head as I deepened the kiss. It was all I could do to pull myself away.

Damn, I needed to bail before I threw her over my shoulder, bolted up the porch steps, and laid her down on the first flat surface I could find in the place. I cleared my throat. “I’ve got to get out of here before we end up with you on my lap again.” I laughed.

Chloe let out a small laugh, too and started up the steps. “Good night, Max.”

“Sweet dreams, Chloe.”

Thank God the walk back to the hotel was a short one. I needed a cold fucking shower. Visions of Chloe coming on top of my lap at dinner invaded my mind, regardless of how hard I tried to push them back. Her head thrown back in ecstasy, the lazy look in her normally sharp eyes, the scent of her perfume mixed with the slight aroma of her perspiration. Damn. I adjusted myself as I made my way through the lobby to the elevator.

As soon as I entered the suite, I headed for the stereo, found what I was looking for on my iPhone, and hit play. Nine Inch Nails came blaring through the speaker as I bee-lined for the bathroom, shedding the layers of clothing on the way. I turned the water on in the shower, hot not cold. The only way I was going to get any relief tonight was if I rubbed one out myself. I turned the speakers up in the bathroom so I could hear them over the spray and stepped into the shower as Trent Resnor sang about fucking like animals.

I palmed my stiff dick and stroked up and down, bringing visions of Chloe into my head. I’d made her come twice now, and I still hadn’t seen that perfect body of hers fully naked. I needed to remedy that. I’d seen bits and pieces here and there, but I wanted to see her in all her glory, bucking up off the mattress underneath me while I showed her exactly how much she turned me on. I wanted to watch her tits bounce while I slammed into her. For now, my imagination would have to do.

As I stroked myself faster, I pictured her perfect lips around my cock—me holding the back of her head while she took all of me inside her warm, wet mouth. When I envisioned her doe eyes looking up to me while she sucked me off, that did it.

I felt the familiar tingling at the base of my spine move into my balls and moaned as my release jetted out into the hot spray of the shower, washing away all evidence of my inability to control myself where this woman was concerned.

I leaned my shoulder against the shower wall, my breathing still heavy and ragged. A fling with Chloe while I was in town was going to be just what I needed. But I had to remember that’s all this was. She’d made it clear that work was at the top of her agenda and so should it be for me.

I’d just been too focused on work lately, and all work and no play made for a horny guy. That’s what I told myself anyway, ignoring the niggling at the back of my head that told me it was something much more than that.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Chloe

I was glad I had decided on my khaki shorts and cream tank top. The day was turning out to be a warm one, with very little breeze as we made our way through Acadia National Park. We’d spent the majority of the morning making various stops around the park loop, taking in Sand Beach and Thunder Hole. When we reached Jordan House Pond and Restaurant it was as good as any time to stop for lunch.

Max had suggested eating outdoors, so we ordered some food from the restaurant. When it was ready, we packed it up carefully in my back pack and began to make our way toward the pond.

“Where exactly are we headed?” Max asked.

I nodded toward the trail on our left. “If we follow this trail a bit and then veer off of it, there’s a really amazing place near the edge of the water where the forest opens up a bit. It’s a beautiful view of the North and South Bubble and pond. Most people don’t take the time to see it from this angle.”

“How did you find it?”

I smiled, remembering fondly all the other times I’d been here. “I used to spend a lot of time in the park. My mom took us here when I was younger. It was cheap entertainment, I suppose. I continued bringing my sister here after my mom died. I wanted her to love it as much as I did growing up.”

“What’s not to love?” he said, giving our surroundings an appreciative glance. “From what I’ve seen so far today, I understand now why you’re so fond of it.”

“I always come out here when I need to clear my head. There’s so much majesty in this park…it’s peaceful. When I’m here I feel like everything will be okay and will work out just how it’s supposed to.”

Still walking, I turned to glance at Max on the path behind me. He was looking at me in a way that I didn’t understand. Had I opened up too much? Slightly embarrassed, I said, “Sorry, I’m rambling, I guess.”

He shook his head and smiled warmly. “Not at all. I was just thinking how nice it is to listen to a woman speak who enjoys more than just country clubs and picking the perfect dress for the next social engagement. The way you talk about Acadia…it’s just…it makes me happy that you have somewhere that you can go when you need to.”

I tried to rein in my feelings, but I couldn’t help the happiness that swelled inside and the smile that was threatening to split my face in two. He liked listening to me, and he cared that I had some place special to me. I didn’t respond. I couldn’t, what would I say?

I led us off the path and in through the forest. I’d been here so many times, I probably could’ve gotten us here with my eyes closed. Fifteen minutes passed, and we finally reached the clearing. It was on the edge of the pond, an oval field of grass seemingly cut from the trees. The surface of the water was as smooth as glass and twin mounds of land rose up on the other side, far in the distance.

Max circled around, taking it all in, then turned to look at me. “I can see why you like to come here. It’s beautiful.”

A small shiver raced up my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I averted my eyes, cleared my throat, and set the blanket I’d packed on the ground. Max came over to help and began unpacking our sandwiches, leaving the turnovers and fresh blueberries in the bag.

We ate in a companionable silence for a little while before I finally spoke. “So how long have you known Paul?”

Max popped a piece of sandwich in his mouth and finished chewing before answering. “Since college. We were in the same fraternity. When we graduated, I got his foot in the door at Richfield Developments, and he’s worked his ass off since to make something of himself there. I’m sure my dad wishes we could switch places and that Paul was his son.”

I frowned. “Why would you say that? I’m sure your dad is proud of you.” I’d definitely felt the undercurrent before that there were issues between Max and his dad, but I didn’t understand what would make Max think that his dad wasn’t happy to have him as a son. He wasn’t exactly a slouch.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Let’s just say that as far as the Richfield standards go, I’ve been pretty disappointing.”

I gave Max a sceptical look.

He held up a hand and ticked off his fingers as he spoke. “I called off my engagement with what my parents thought was the ideal woman for me. I’ve bounced around the company for years, trying to find my place. I was a good student but I didn’t get straight A’s, I wanted to play guitar instead of piano as a child. I could go on…”

Max tried to play it off, grinning at the piano comment, but behind those crystal blue eyes was a lot of hurt. “Maybe, but you also seem like an intelligent, genuine, respectful man, with a good heart, and they should be proud of that.” I almost sounded angry, even to my own ears. Anyone could see he was a good person, and the fact that his life’s mission wasn’t to crack the Fortune 500 list of wealthiest people shouldn’t matter one iota.