“You must be proud,” I say, heading toward the other end of the room. “This apartment is amazing. It’s a beautiful hotel, Beck.”
“Thank you. A lot of people worked hard on it.”
“I’m sure they did. But this place is your baby, isn’t it?”
He smiles.
And I just wait.
“This place…a lot of people thought it was worthless. Thought we should basically gut it and start over. More cost effective that way. Modern and flashy brings the people in, gets them spending. The board wasn’t interested in the history of the place or its story.”
“But you were.”
He shrugs. And it’s such a careless gesture, but his smile still lingers.
“You proved them wrong.”
“We’re making money; that’s what matters.”
“Don’t dismiss what you did here. I think there’s more than a little of the creative in your soul.”
He snorts. “Elliots don’t bother themselves with souls. Or consciences. Too inconvenient. We’re built and raised to be money-making machines.”
“You’re more than that.” I raise my chin. “And you know it.”
“Do I?”
“Yes. You wanted more. You went looking for more, remember?”
“And yet here I am, right back where I started.” He licks his lips, turning away. “Eventually, my plan is to build myself an empire by turning this into a chain of boutique hotels. Along with some other investments I’ve been nurturing.”
“That’s incredible.”
“The things you can do with money, huh? And yet you still won’t let me buy your love,” he jokes.
“Would you even want it if it was for sale?”
For a moment, he just stares at me. “Good point, dearest.”
He follows me into the bedroom where a massive bed takes pride of place, made up with white linens. There’s also some very cool charcoal-colored vintage style wallpaper and a pale blue chaise longue just perfect for reading. But back to the bed. It’s orgy size. And there’s only one.
“Wherever will I sleep?” I ask, testing the mattress with a hand for softness. Just the right amount of firm and bounce, thank you very much.
“Wherever you want.”
“And where will you sleep?”
“Wherever you want me to. With my jammies on, of course. We wouldn’t want to rush things.”
“Wouldn’t we? Remind me why not again.”
“My naughty Alice. What a delight you are.”
“The problem here is, you think I’m joking.”
“Oh, trust me. I take you very seriously indeed.” It might just be me, but Beck’s voice seems to have dropped about an octave. And it is sexy times music to my ears. He leans his back against a door jamb. Yes, there is definite heat in the man’s eyes. “Bathroom and closet are through here.”
“No need to move. I’m sure I can squeeze past you.”
“If you insist.”
And I take my time easing past him too, using tiny sidesteps into the short hallway. I also may or may not be pretending the doorway is half the size it actually is. Who cares about a pretty apartment when I have this pretty man so close? I notice Beck doesn’t move an inch, letting my breasts brush against his hard chest. Though there’s like at least four layers of cloth between us, my pussy tingles and nipples harden. And we maintain eye contact the entire time. I couldn’t look away if I tried. Getting up this close and this personal with him more than makes my day. Given a little time and a lot of privacy, the things we could do in that big bed. I’ve never had the opportunity to mess around with a man in a suit before. It’s a positive life experience.
“Feel free to go back and forth a few times,” he says in the sexy low voice. “You could even turn around if you like.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve always had the utmost respect for your gorgeous ass.”
“You say the sweetest things.”
“‘I do sometimes amuse myself with arranging such little compliments.’”
“You were so hot right up until you quoted Mr. Collins,” I say, referencing Pride and Prejudice. “I was totally going to rub my butt against you.”
“It’ll never happen again, I promise.” He leans forward, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. The firm warm pressure of his mouth is divine. “You are so fucking beautiful.”
“I think Mr. Collins should have just led with that. Who knows where it might have gotten him.”
His hands clench at his sides. Like he wants to reach for me but is holding back for some reason. So I reach for him instead, smoothing my hands over his suit jacket, straightening his tie.