I continued to ride out my orgasm until he finally pulled out of me. My pussy was stuffed with his cum, and I wasn’t going to let any go to waste. Before he had to ask, I pulled up my underwear and pants.
But I didn’t want to wait here any longer to talk about what I had just said. The longer we stayed here, the bigger the chance was that we would get caught.
When I opened the restroom door, the attendant glanced over from her station and widened her eyes. Charlie opened the door wider from behind me, still oblivious to the fact that she had caught us.
Or maybe he just didn’t care because of what I had said to him.
She opened her mouth to say something to us, but Charlie gently guided me ahead and back to our seats while slipping her some cash. I didn’t say a word and sat down in my seat, pulling the blanket over my lap.
Charlie sat beside me. “If you’re going to be my wife, then I’ll do whatever I can to protect you. Even if that means paying off some flight attendant to keep this quiet.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
CHARLIE
“You gonna be okay here?” I asked Athena, glancing out the coffee shop windows and into the casino, where people mindlessly spent their money. It was the only coffee shop in the city that hadn’t been absolutely packed this morning and had a place for her to plug in.
Plus, the hotel room was just a block away, so if she needed to head back to the room while I had this meeting, then she should be able to without a problem. I didn’t love the thought of leaving her alone in an unfamiliar city, and she had insisted on working in a café.
“I’ll be fine,” Athena said, plugging her laptop into the wall. “Now, don’t be late!”
I placed her iced green tea on the tabletop, then pulled a warmed chocolate croissant out of a bag and set it in front of her. “Make sure you eat so you don’t get grumpy. When I get back, I’m going to take you out.”
“Good luck!” Athie stood on her toes and pecked me on the lips. “You’ll do great.”
“I hope so,” I murmured against her mouth, then gave her one last kiss.
After peering back at her once more to see her supportive smile, I headed out of the café. One hand around my bag strap that hung off my shoulder and the other stuffed into my pocket, I walked through the casino toward the exit.
It was three in the afternoon, and people were already drunk off their asses while slamming their fingers down on the slot machine or stumbling out of a chapel, hand in hand, snogging each other. I doubted they’d remember this in a few hours.
When I stepped out of the casino, the warm air hit my skin. It was the middle of winter, and California was nothing like Pittsburgh. Though I wasn’t sure I enjoyed it here. Being cold gave me an excuse to bundle up with Athie.
I glanced down at my phone and drew my tongue across my lower lip.
A five-minute walk to the building.
If it didn’t work out with this venture capital investment, it shouldn’t affect me too much. I would still be able to run the company, but it would take a bit longer to get off the ground and really start making money. The investment would help a lot, but it wouldn’t be the death of me if I didn’t get it.
I walked up the steps and into the bustling building and entered, my mind a mess.
“Do you have an appointment?” the lady at the front desk asked.
“Yes, for Charlie Easton.”
The secretary scrolled through her computer, then smiled. “You’re just in time. Mr. Harold is waiting for you. Head around the corner, then take the elevator up to the eighteenth floor. The meeting will be in the third room on the left.”
“Thanks,” I said, clutching my bag strap harder.
The closer I got to this meeting, the more and more I felt like this was the wrong choice.
Chances were that these guys … were just like Derek. And I didn’t want to work with them if they were. I would do anything not to give them a single percent of my company. I didn’t need the investment, and I really didn’t want to make these guys money in the long-term.
While I had been so caught up in making it work, I had forgotten about the network that I did have. I didn’t want to ask any one of my friends for money, but investment and partnerships were different. Everyone benefited from that.
And out of everyone I knew, Michelle—as annoying as she was—would be a great partner.
