S*x and Secrets: Alpha Billionaire Forbidden Romance (2 page)

I kept my eyes on her the entire time, watching as pleasure flitted across her expressive features. Eventually, her gaze settled back on mine.

“See? Everything is perfect already,” she breathed, as if in a trance.

She’s right.
I owned everything a man could ever want in a lifetime, yet a small part of me still felt empty, as if it needed filling. I was aware that more stuff wasn’t the answer. A small corner of my heart and soul remained unsatisfied, no matter how many new toys I added to my sizeable collection. 

Twelve months ago I would have told you that all I needed was sex on a regular basis to complete my busy life. Because of my hectic schedule, it had been difficult to achieve if I didn’t want a random woman in my bed every night. My cousin Tyler had suggested I find a fuck buddy, someone I enjoyed sex with, and made it a regular no-strings-attached arrangement.

“Hey, I’m still here,” she teased, bringing me back to the moment by placing a soft kiss on my arm as I hovered over her. “Where did you drift off to?”

“Oh, I was just thinking back to when we started this.” I let go of my thoughts and lightened my voice. “Little did I know how much fun it would be to tie you up to a huge four poster bed back then.”

I was about to give up on the whole fuck buddy thing just before I met her. She wasn’t aware that I’d spent a good part of the prior six months trying to find the right woman who wanted the same thing as I did . . . and failed. In the end, most of the affairs I’d tried had gone sour after a few weeks. It turned out that women used the promise of fuck buddies as bait to get a man to screw her until she had her claws well and truly into him. Then the demands came and they became needy and clingy.

What didn’t women understand about NO strings attached?

It was self-explanatory. Mostly women just wanted to complicate a great sexual relationship and try to keep me on a short leash.

Wasn’t happening. Not ever.

I’d seen how marriage had fucked up the lives of most of my college buddies. With the exception of one, the rest were at some stage of breaking up, either fighting custody battles or being sued for spousal support until they were broke.

It just wasn’t for me. I didn’t have time for shit like that.

That was why Tyler’s idea seemed brilliant at the time. It was the perfect solution for me.

And then I’d met Montana, my alter-ego.

We were a perfect match.

Montana was different. She wanted nothing more from me than my cock. She’d made that abundantly clear from the start.

“Neither did I,” she breathed. Her nipples had formed hard peaks and goosebumps covered her skin.

I’d found it refreshing that she was so honest and open about it.

Montana fucked like she did everything else—living in the moment and giving it her complete attention. That was what made it so fucking amazing. She gave as good as she got.

I’m a lucky bastard.

I had the best lover in town and not a worry in the world. My life was like a well-oiled machine, with only an occasional hiccup when I had to be out of town for business. I tried to schedule trips around our arrangement because I simply enjoyed our time in the loft too much to give it up for anything else.

Yet, aware that she held back a part of herself—the part we’d agreed to keep out of our arrangement—I couldn’t help wondering what it would be like if she were one hundred percent invested. But since we’d agreed to keep messy emotions out of the game, I’d never experience that side of her.

Some day if Montana changed her mind and decided to let her heart get involved, she’d be a spectacular wife. For now at least I had her all to myself, and I wasn’t letting go anytime soon. I had to be content with that.

For reasons I didn’t completely understand myself, I’d lately started fantasizing about waking in the mornings with her in my arms. At first it was just a fleeting thought and I’d pushed it aside, yet the desire grew stronger every time she said goodbye. Increasingly not only the bed and the physical space but something deep inside me felt empty when she walked out the door. 

Montana appeared to be happy with our arrangement, so I wasn’t going to jinx it by pushing too hard on sleepovers. But there was no harm in trying my luck and maybe if I planted the seed enough times, she’d relent on occasion and stay with me all night long.

With a little help from my beautiful lover, we’d created the perfect love nest. A year ago I’d purchased an inner-city loft apartment as an investment property and converted it into the perfect environment for hard-core fucking with Montana.

And fucked we had.

On every conceivable surface, in every possible position. Three nights a week.

But my favorite place was undoubtedly the exquisite four-poster bed I’d specially had carved from dark Australian Jarrah wood that took center stage in the middle of the vast open plan room. It had taken seven skilled craftsmen a full three months to create the masterpiece, but it was worth the wait and every penny I’d invested in it.

There was nothing else on the planet like it. Instead of the usual elaborate swirls or fat-cheeked cherubs, this bed had naked forms of men and women engraved on the headboard and pillars. It was as decadent as it was a work of art.

And Montana was right. I loved being there on that bed with my forbidden fuck buddy.

It was our dirty little secret.

L
ife couldn’t get any better. Sated and out of breath, I let Levi hold me close while we both came back to earth. Being thoroughly fucked by a man with the stamina of a marathon runner was as close to an out-of-body experience as I’d ever get.

He rubbed small circles up and down my spine, his slow movements so relaxing that I found myself sinking deeper and deeper into his body until I surrendered and gave in to that small pleasure, allowing my heavy eyelids to close. A deep sigh reverberated through my whole body as his fingers worked their magic.

This.

This is surely what heaven is like.

I loved sex. And sex had never been better than it was with Levi. But this part—the part after a mind-blowing orgasm or two—had become my favorite. Worn out, sore, and a little breathless, I could just soak up the raw energy that emitted from Levi’s strong body. I loved how safe and protected I felt in his arms, as if nothing and nobody else mattered. And for a few hours it was true. When we were together, we left our ‘normal’ lives outside the door. We were simply two people who appreciated and enjoyed one another’s bodies. We didn’t have to pretend or think of anything cute or sweet to say.

His lips moved against my skin. “Big day tomorrow?”

“Mmmm,” I hummed, too exhausted to speak.

“The interview?”

I slung a leg over his and nuzzled closer to his neck. I loved the smell of his skin after sex. I inhaled deeply to get a hit of testosterone, pheromones and sweat. “No shop talk. It’s against the rules,” I reminded him.

“I’m just interested in what you do, babe. I’m not trying to fish for intel on your company.” His voice was calm and level. Convincing.

I grinned against his skin. “Good. Because as fucking sexy as you are, my lips are sealed, and you’re not getting anything from me.”

A low chuckle rumbled from his chest. “I have my spies for that.”

“And we have ours. So we’re even,” I said, with a small satisfied smile twisting my lips.

It was our fierce competitive natures that caused the sparks to fly whenever we faced off in the boardroom, causing quite a few eyebrows to lift. If only they knew that we were drawn to one another like magnets, that it was all a farce and that we couldn’t fight the chemistry that buzzed between us even if we tried.

If anything, it was a huge turn-on. If we’d opposed one another in the boardroom during the day, we’d fuck even harder that night when we got together behind closed doors.

His hand spread wide at the back of my neck so that his thumb and index finger could massage the tender knots in my neck and shoulders. I purred like a kitten, loving every moment of the sweet torture under his strong fingers.

“Even? I’m glad you think so but I’m not too sure about that. Do you know that of all the challenges I’ve faced in my life, getting you into my bed was one of the biggest?”

I cracked an eyelid open to stare up at him. His face was solemn and his jaw set squarely.

“Hmmm . . . I’m not sure I can believe that. I’ve seen you in action. You thrive on challenges, Mr. Barrington. They’re what you have for breakfast.”

He chuckled. “Everything is different with you. Usually I can walk away if something doesn’t go my way. But with you . . . I wanted you in my life, and I wasn’t giving up.”

I pulled my head away slightly so I could get a glimpse of his steel grey eyes. I’d always been one for reading people through eye contact, so I needed to make sure he wasn’t just saying shit to make me feel good.

I swallowed hard. “Really?”

“Yeah.” He pressed his forehead against mine. “My billions are useless. Unlike most women, cold hard cash and everything I can buy for you didn’t make you fall into my bed. For the first time in my life I had to use more than money to get what I wanted with a woman.” His lips brushed against my cheek. “You really made me work for it.”

I traced the back of my hand along his jawline. “And so it should be. Anything worth having is worth fighting for.” I let my words sink in before I continued. “I learned that at a very tender age. Growing up in poverty isn’t much fun, and it sure teaches hard lessons.”

“That’s pretty tough for a kid. I’m sorry you had a hard childhood.”

“Hey, I’m not looking for pity. It made me tough and resilient. Like iron being forged in an oven to harden the steel. The toughest steel makes the sharpest swords, you know.”

“Did you have anybody to help you through those times? Other family?” It was the first time Levi had ever questioned me about my childhood. I’d told him questions of a personal nature were off-limits when we first got together and so far he’d stuck to it.

Yet there was something different in the air between us that night. A shift of sorts I didn’t quite understand. First the invite to stay and now delving deeper into my private life. Normally I’d cut him off, but I was in an introspective mood, something that always happened around the time of my birthday, so I was being lenient in ways I’d not been before.

I closed my eyes and for a brief moment let the memories flood through me. “No. It was just me and my mother. On days she couldn’t cope with life, she’d watch old movies on repeat and cry her eyes out.” A jolt of pain shot through my heart. Nothing had changed; recalling the past still undid me. “But strangely I found comfort in watching those old movies with Mom. One particular character stood out above the rest and I identified with her. Guess who?”

“Tell me. I’m no good at guessing.” Levi’s voice was low and soothing as he continued rubbing my back.

“Scarlett O’Hara. The part where she vows to never go hungry became my inspiration. I swore to myself I’d have a successful career and never live in poverty again.”

He sucked in a breath. “No wonder you’re so darn tough at meetings. I’ve never seen a woman so fiercely determined and tenacious as you. My old man made the mistake of his life when he didn’t snap you up immediately and let the opposition get their paws on you.”

I gave him a wry smile. “I know. But it turned out better.”

“If you mean that I had to chase you down for weeks before you even gave me the time of day outside work—”

“Now that you mention that, I never understood exactly why you were so determined to bed me. Surely you had . . .
have
women falling over themselves to be with you?”

His fingers moved lazily down my body, rolling a nipple between his thumb and index finger in a way that made me squirm.

“
Why
, you ask? Um, let me see . . . maybe it had something to do with no woman ever saying
no
to me before, and my ego was fucking crushed.” He leaned toward my breast and bit the hard nub with just enough force to make me jerk. His tongue swirled around the tender flesh, lavishing it with care. When he was finally done, he looked up at me and smiled. “But
more
than that . . . there’s just something about you that I find totally irresistible. I thought if you have that much fire in the boardroom, if you know with so much certainty what you want, then you’re the perfect woman for me. The ideal fuck buddy.”

I hated that term. It sounded so damn sordid. I wrinkled my nose at him, showing my disdain with his word choice.

“What? It is what it is, babe. And it’s perfect for our situation, regardless of what we call it. We could call it ‘friends with benefits’, ‘the arrangement’, or something equally fancy, but at the end of the day for all practical purposes, we’re no-strings-attached fuck buddies, and it works for us. Who cares about semantics when the sex is so fucking awesome?”

My logical side kicked in. “You’re right. Neither of us have time for relationships or dating or any of that ridiculous romance stuff. There’s no point in wasting time on bullshit, is there?”

“See? That’s what I love so much about you. You think like a man but you’re in a heavenly female body. Jesus, do you have any idea how hard it is to find a woman like you? Most girls want to tie a man down as soon as possible. They strangle the relationship with fairy-tale expectations of romance, which ultimately leads to a wedding and babies and finally divorce.
Our
way is far better.”

“I’m not sure that was entirely a compliment but I’ll take it. Yeah, who has time for that kind of life when there are more exciting things to do? I can’t think of anything worse than to be tied down to one man for the rest of my life. I’m glad you came up with our arrangement. So far, it’s been amazing.”

“It has. We want the same things. What can be better than unlimited exclusive sex with someone we trust and enjoy? Works for us.”

I kissed the bridge of his nose. “Sure does. But I need to go now. I have a humungous day tomorrow and I need a few uninterrupted hours of beauty sleep or else I’ll be a grumpy bitch in the morning.”