Page 4

My mouth parted easily, and my head tilted instinctively to let him kiss me deeper. My entire body was on fire. Every strand of muscle popped and sizzled in a way I never experienced before.

It was the best kiss of my life.

Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome ran one hand down my neck. The pads of his fingers grazed the outside of my breast. My nipple hardened, perking for attention. He circled his thumb around the stiff bead. I moaned into our kiss and arched my back.

My body was moving and reacting to that man with the same power as the strings on a marionette. His hand rode the curve ofmy hip, causing my back to arch and my eyes to close. His other hand massaged the curve of my jaw and the tender skin of my throat.

The man drew another coo out of me as he began to play my body. His touch was mesmerizing, putting me in a trance. He kissed me harder, crushing his lips against mine as his hand moved over my belly and around to my ass. I could feel his cock as our bodies ground together.

I had never been so turned on in my life. I was willing to do anything right at that moment. My stomach was warm and fuzzy, my sex was wet and throbbing, and all I wanted was more. More of his lips. More of his scent and the feel of him against me. More of his touch and power.

He squeezed my ass, pulling my hips forward. The tip of his cock rubbed my thigh. Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome traced my jaw with his thumb as his tongue swirled around mine. His fingers dug into the muscle of my ass and gripped firmly. But I wanted something more. I needed something more.

There was something exciting and dangerous about what we were doing. Hidden in our little oasis of leaves, anyone could come around the corner and spot us. It only made me want him more. I grabbed his hand and pulled it around to the front, where the slit of my dress was. I broke the kiss and lay my head back against the wall. His eyes flicked between mine, a curiosity lingering in the air.

I parted my thighs and slipped his hand under the silk fabric. Thank God I decided to shave. He groaned as his fingers brushed my wet center. The man didn't say a word. He kissed me with such force as he slid a finger between the folds of my lips and smeared the juice of my desire.

Our mouths were tangled together, our breathing heavy as need and lust consumed us both. The man watched me carefully as he pushed a single finger inside my heat. I bit his lip,containing my urge to moan loudly. He didn't wince in pain. If anything, that only drove him deeper.

I felt one knuckle and then a second as he thrust his fingers inside my pussy. The mysterious man fingered me with vigor. My hips rocked and rolled forcing my clit against his palm. He used his thumb to massage my tender bud. My belly clenched, and tingles exploded through my body as he pressed hard and drew small circles.

“Maybe we shouldn't—” he said as he attempted to pull his fingers free, but I clamped my thighs shut around his hand, refusing to let him stop. The orgasm was so fucking close there was no way he could stop now.

“Shut up and finish what you started,” I demanded.

The man smirked as he drove his fingers back inside and teased my clit again. My body began to tremble as the orgasm built in my lower belly. I was trying so hard not to scream with pleasure, and he could see that. So, he drove his lips onto mine and silenced me with a kiss as the orgasm swept in like a hurricane.

Sweat beaded up on my forehead. My toes curled. My knees tried to buckle. But Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome wrapped his arm around my waist and held me up. His eyes set on mine, and he smiled as he put his two fingers in his mouth and sucked them clean with a moan.

“I wasn't expecting to have dessert so early,” he whispered into my ear.

“That makes two of us,” I said. In a flash, I suddenly felt this wave of shame. What if he thought I was a slut? I didn't mean to give him the wrong impression. I don't do stuff like that. Not ever. That wasn't me. That was something primal.

“Look,” I said as I touched his chest. “I don't usually do this kind of thing.”

“Don't worry, I know that,” he answered. There was conviction in his tone. He was serious. He said it as if he knew me.

I grinned and asked with a side eye, “How could you know that already? We just met.”

As the song came to an end, the man pulled away and released me. I instantly felt cold and empty. I wanted him back around me.

“I know a lot of things,” Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome said. “But now I have to go.”

“Go? Already?” I asked. “Why?”

“I've got some work to take care of. Try to at least enjoy the rest of your night.” He leaned in, kissed my cheek, and started to walk away.

“Wait,” I called out to him. “I didn't get your name.”

He looked back over his shoulder and smiled. “That's because I didn't give it.” Then he was gone. He disappeared into the crowd of people as if he was an apparition.

I spent a few minutes looking for him but couldn't find him anywhere. He was a face I didn't recognize. I had never seen him at any other event. I suspected he was someone sent by an investor, or maybe he was hired by a competitor from overseas. Either way, I'd never know. He was just a fraction of a second in my life, yet he remained as steady as a memory worthy of holding.

The night went on as usual. Glasses of wine were poured, expensive hors d'oeuvres floated by on platters, and dinners that cost three hundred dollars a plate were poked at with shiny silver forks and left hardly eaten. People threw around their weight with donation envelopes in the hope that they'd get recognition for how heavy it was.

Dylan glared at me from across the room as I walked around, chatting with lobbyist and big-name donors. I could feel his eyestrace my steps like a cat meticulously plotting its next move. He cut across the dance floor, his eyes burning a hole into my chest. The weight of his gaze was heavy enough to make me feel like I was trudging through thick snow.

He was drunk; I could tell by his wavering, sloppy steps. He bumped into the corner of a table and then stumbled into Mrs. Delfino. She let out a scoff and rolled her eyes as she adjusted the corner of her sleeve. But Dylan's eyes didn't move. He didn't acknowledge his bumbled footwork or even give her the courtesy of a subtle bow in apology. His eyes were just fastened on me like a treble hook in the mouth of a fish.