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Lynn Farthing pulled at the boning in the tight corset underneath her dress as she entered the Radisson West Hotel.

The upscale resort was a far cry from the tiny one-bedroom apartment she barely afforded.

Rent was disgustingly high in this part of California, and her job as a high school guidance counselor didn’t pay all the bills.

The divorce settlement she got from her ex-husband helped, but it was still hard for her to make ends meet.

At age fifty, she was essentially starting over.

Her best friend at the school had turned her onto this dating app. More like a hookup app, as most of the people there were looking for a temporary sex partner. Lynn figured if her ex used the app, she had that option as well.

The bar was tasteful and high-class. Lynn felt frumpy and way too old to be there, but she’d taken the train into the city and was determined to follow through with this… meeting? Assignation? Fucking?

She raised a hand to her freshly colored blonde hair and glanced at the picture on her phone.

Gilbert was the only name he gave. His profile said he was a marketing consultant for the travel business and somewhat younger than her.

For what reason he swiped on her profile, she did not know.

What were the chances that he liked older women?

Older. Fatter. Overworked. She shook her head. This was not about any future plans. This was just about getting laid, and somehow she needed to let her ex find out about it. He got himself a pretty little fuck toy, so she could, too, right?

One last look at the picture, and she slipped the phone in her purse. She scanned the room.

“CatLady50?” A deep male voice vibrated near her left ear.

Shit-oh-shit-oh-shit! Lynn swallowed and steeled herself before she turned to face the man. “Yes, it’s nice to meet yoooo… oh my .”

Stunning dark eyes peered down at her from the handsomest face she’d seen in a long time—high cheekbones, strong jawline with a close sculpted beard, long nose.

The only mar was a small scar in front of his left ear and a light smattering of gray at his temples.

He dressed in a tailored business suit and gave off an aristocratic vibe.

The aura he exuded was as powerful and wide as his shoulders, and she had no doubts that the rest of him would be as equally appealing naked as it was clothed.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into? “I’m sorry. This was a mistake. Have a nice night.”

She slipped off the stool, but his hand on her forearm stopped her. “Did I upset you? Whatever I did, please accept my apology.”

His tone was like velvet, and she wanted to hear more. “No, no, nothing like that. I’m just… I got divorced recently, and I thought I was ready for”—she gestured between them—“for this, but it’s too much too soon.”

If he had gotten mad at her, yelled or cursed at her, that would have been easy. She would have flipped him off and left. Instead, he gave a sigh that sounded defeated and nodded. “I understand. I lost my wife a year ago, and I’m still not over it yet. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

He sounded so genuine, sympathy hit her heart. “I’m so sorry for your loss. It must be hard.”

He gave her a sad smile that made him even more handsome. “It is sometimes. I’m on the road so much for work, and it gets lonely. I thought this app would help me to meet people and start healing, but….” He shrugged with his unfinished sentence.

Lynn swallowed her previous intentions. “Well, since you’re here, why don’t we have a drink? Just talk for a little while.”

He smiled, showing incredibly white teeth. “Would you mind if we move to a booth? It’s a little more private that way.”

One drink turned into several. She told him about her husband—ex-husband now—cheating on her with a younger woman in his law firm.

Gilbert asked about her work at the school.

She mentioned her cats taking over her apartment, but she wouldn’t give them up no matter what.

“I have four, and they’ve been with me through the whole ordeal. ”

He talked about his job in hotel marketing, extensive travel, and how he wished he could be at home with his children.

“My parents take care of them now. I want to be there for them, as they’re still grieving for their mother, but it’s impossible with my job, and I can’t do anything about it.

I’ve looked for something else, but I can’t find one that pays like this one. ”

Lynn couldn’t help but stare at his full lips as he spoke. He was such a nice man and sounded like a good father and was a good husband. Loving, faithful, kind, sexy as hell.

“I’m sorry this didn’t work out. You really are a beautiful woman, and I’m very glad to have met you. May I walk you to your car?”

“I took the metro tonight, but we can go walk around the square outside for a bit before I leave.”

“That would be lovely.”

The Southern California night was clear and warm.

Gilbert took her hand as they left the restaurant and walked outside the tall building.

The sounds of the city surrounded them as they strolled.

Lynn marveled at Gilbert’s easy manner. He didn’t let go of her hand, keeping it in a firm grip as they walked.

Each time she glanced at him, he returned her gaze with a gentle smile.

It had been such a long time since a man paid this kind of attention to her.

What would it be like to be with him? As in be with him? That was why she was here, right?

As they circled back to the hotel, he lifted their joined fingers and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand. “I realize you have to go, but is there any possibility that you’d like to come up for a little while? Perhaps look at the stars from my balcony?”

Lynn hesitated. Going up to the man’s room to see stars wasn’t the only invitation she heard. “Are you sure?”

His eyes darkened, and Lynn’s breath caught with the burn she saw in them. “Absolutely.”

He started kissing her in the elevator. Gentle at first, then with increased hunger.

By the time they got into his room, she was breathless.

He started pulling her clothes off as they stumbled through the suite and had her stripped to her panties by the time he got them to the bedroom.

Lynn gasped as he pushed her flat to the mattress with her legs draped over the edge and yanked the last barrier down her thighs.

“I’ve never done this before. A one-night stand that is. ”

He grinned as he knelt between her legs. “Then let’s make it memorable.” His mouth descended.

Lynn cried out as he drove her to orgasm without mercy.

Even after she came the first time, he kept eating her until she climaxed again.

Only after she came a third time did he relent.

He stood up and shed his own clothes, revealing a tight masculine body.

Sleek muscles, lines across his flat stomach, broad chest, and even a nipple ring.

Magnificent was her only thought as he rolled on a condom. She glanced at her stomach and made to put her hands over the loose skin.

Gilbert stopped her by drawing them away. He pushed his hips between her generous thighs and placed her arms above her head as he came down on her body. “No, beautiful. Don’t hide this from me.”

“I’m a little self-conscious about my age, and—oh!”

He’d found his mark and slid inside her wet pussy in one firm stroke. “Does that feel like I care about our age difference?”

“No,” she gasped as he moved in and out of her.

She didn’t think she could climax again, but it was definitely going to happen.

He drove her to it with long, steady, precise strokes that showed no mercy as they brought her to another orgasm.

His words washed over her as he moved. “Come with me, baby. Mere priya . My beautiful Lynn. Show me. Come. Come now.”

She bowed up as she came screaming his name.

He slammed into her harder and harder until he joined her, voicing his own release, and then collapsed on top of her.

Lynn took his weight and ran her palms over his slick back.

Her body hummed with a satisfaction she hadn’t felt in a long time.

It was unexpected and really, really nice.

“I haven’t made love to a woman since my wife died,” he confessed. “Thank you, my love. You have no idea how much this means to me.” He kissed her sweetly and nuzzled her cheek. “Would it be too much to ask if we can take a bath together?”

She smiled and nodded at him. He smiled back and winked at her as he left the bed to go prepare in the bathroom.

He didn’t bother to get dressed or cover himself, and she watched his smooth buttocks flex as he walked away.

It took everything in her not to squeal like one of the teenage girls she counseled.

Never had sex been so fulfilling. So thorough.

She felt like she was floating above the clouds.

Gilbert was everything she’d ever wanted in a man.

The snarky part of her wished her ex’s fuck toy good luck in getting the same thing.

After twenty-five years of being with Gerald, she knew his standard-operational-procedure sex was completed in five to ten minutes, and once he was done, he was done.

That was also after taking a little blue pill.

Lynn smirked at the idea of her ex seeing her now, naked and being fucked deliciously by a man fifteen years or so her junior.

The water was just hot enough for a long soak. He helped her step into the tub and then pulled her to rest against him, her back to his front.

“Push the button, priya .”

A moment later, a low hum started as the jets came awake, bubbling into the tub.

Lynn relaxed and let herself fall into an afterglow languor.

His hands roamed over her body, cupping her breasts and teasing her nipples into peaks.

She saw his movements in the mirror directly across from them, and the sight was mesmerizing.

She felt wanton and wanted, something she’d been craving since before her divorce.

“This has been a wonderful night,” he murmured against her neck. “The best one I’ve had in a very long time.”

“Do you think we can see each other again while you’re in the city?”

He sighed as he gathered her hands together in one of his, crossing them over her chest and holding her in a tight hug. “I wish I could, beautiful, but unfortunately, I leave tomorrow morning. I have a job to finish first, and I promised my boss I would make it quick.”

“What job is that?” she asked lazily, still watching him in the mirror.

His reflected eyes turned sad. “This.”

He pushed her under the water and held her there until she stopped moving.