“I’m clean, sweetheart.” I worked the clasps of her dress until it pooled at her feet, leaving her gloriously bare.
“Me too,” she whispered, lips parting. “I’m on the pill.”
My gaze raked over her curves. I traced a slow line down her hip. “No underwear, hmm?” I teased, hand gliding over her supple skin.
“That’s right, no underwear, Scotty. You’re not wearing any either.” Her fingers gently brushed my pubic curls. Her touch felt sensual and arousing yet comforting.
“You know, two can play that game.” I lifted Vera’s buttocks and pushed her against the wall. She took the cue and wrapped her long legs around my hips, embracing them with her tight hold. Her wet folds welcomed my cock, allowing me to slip into her snugly.
“That’s it. That’s my girl,” I coaxed, feeling her sensational core sheathing me.
I couldn’t help but wonder how many hearts she had shot with her arrow of enchantment, making men and women succumb to her in sinful surrender. WasI just another sorry soul lost in her snare of seduction?I squeezed and rubbed Vera’s ass cheeks while holding her steady as my heart pumped faster in exhilaration. Her tight core massaged my swollen shaft, and we started to thrust, gently at first, then vigorously.
“I’ve missed you.” Vera cried, throwing her head back. Beads of perspiration rolled off our hot bodies as every muscle worked in synchronized rhapsody, bringing us both to cry out in an orgasmic frenzy.
Moments later, we collapsed onto the king-sized bed, tangled in sweat and heat, our limbs refusing to let go. I buried my face against Vera’s skin, inhaling her raw scent, tasting the salt that clung to her body. She was addictive. Every inch of her.
“Thank you for helping Julian tonight,” Vera whispered against my chest.
“I didn’t do it for him, sweetheart.” I kissed her lips, letting them linger on hers. “I did it for you.”
The next morning, Vera turned toward me, sunlight spilling across her shoulders on Fifth Avenue. She toyed with a new Tiffany & Co. circle pendant—diamonds catching the light in tiny flashes, the 22-carat gold warm against her skin.
“How do you like my look?” she asked, her lips curving with that mix of mischief and vanity that always undid me.
“It suits you,” I murmured, kissing her soft cheek as we walked out of the store.
She thanked the security guard as he held open a side exit by the revolving doors, tossing him a warm smile and a wish for a good day. I caught myself watching her.Interesting. The women I’d dated before never bothered with gestures like that.
“Where to next?” Vera gazed down the street. “Shall we try Central Park?”
“Your brother would be jealous to miss out on the park,” I replied. Julian had flown back to Lester Harbor yesterday to tell his colleagues about a new benefactor for their research projects. That benefactor was me.
“Now’s not the time to think about Jules,” Vera said, stroking my arm as we walked to the park.
An hour later, after wandering hand in hand through the lush stretch of green, we sank onto a park bench beside a bronze statue of a sled dog. “Hmm, Balto.” Vera studied the statue. “Didn’t he lead a team through a terrible blizzard to bring medicine to heal the sick?”
“He did. There was a diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska, in 1925. Teams of mushers and sled dogs traveled hundreds of miles and battled a blizzard to deliver medicine to the sick.”
“You remind me of Balto.”
“What?” I chuckled, tickling her hand as it rested on my knee. “So, I remind you of a dog?”
“You remind me of a hero who stood strong in times of adversity,” she replied. “It’s what you do for your businesses, be it oil, property, or a brothel. Your employees respect you because you’re empathetic. You connect with them, and you listen to them.”
“Have you been reading up on me?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
Vera offered a lopsided smile and tilted her head, letting the loose curls spill over her shoulder. “I keep up with the news. I watched a recent TV show about a new charity which helps the unemployed get back into the workforce.”
“Sweetheart, there was no mention of me in that program.” I chuckled, tickling her palm.
“There didn’t need to be,” she replied. “The Clemonte Foundation director conveyed all your core values during her interview. She discussed good stewardship, honesty, a healthy work/life balance, and good work toward a sustainable future.”
“Those are my parents ‘core values,” I said.
“They’re also your values, Scotty. I know the foundation is under your mother’s name, and I saw a clip of you helping the volunteers.”
“I’m busted.” I grinned, nudging my knee against Vera’s thigh. She shot back with her own playful tap, the kind of banter that belonged to lovers who couldn’t get enough of each other.
