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Most women would think I was crazy. He provided a great life and didn’t cheat but he didn’t value me. I was no more important in his life than the toys he liked to spend money on. Everything he valued was about getting money and fuck those that got ignored during the process. I wanted to be respected, cherished, valued, and appreciated. All of which his representative had promised he would deliver.
When he felt there was no longer a need to lie about his intentions, I was left with the decision of trying to change a man who clearly didn’t share the same goals. Dre’thon only cared about himself and my naïveté, believing he would wake up one day and value the woman I was, no longer existed. I chose me.
That was what tonight was about. Accepting the offer of one night, in the company of a man I had no business being with, was about me. He promised not to disappoint and I believed him. There was something weighted about his spirit that convinced me he too was in need of something—someone. Tonight I would be that for him.
Even if it was just about sex. I wanted someone to choose me and Ezekiel had, which was why I was pulling up to valet, behind his very expensive car, in my ten-year-old Jetta preparing to enter The Metropolitan.
I didn’t care what he must be thinking about me after seeing my car. My clothes for the evening could be misleading. I have nice things or ratherhad. I was officially on my own now so what you saw was what you got.
Ezekiel didn’t seem to mind. When we left Black Diamonds he walked me to my car and didn’t flinch when he noticed the worn, aged vehicle. Like the gentleman he was groomed to be, he opened the door, waited for me to get in, and requested I follow him to The Metropolitan. I nodded confidently and he delivered a charming smile, closing me in before he walked away with a sexy, confident stride of a man on a mission.
He pulled up beside me moments later and offered a lift of his chin, a signal for me to trail him into traffic. Now here we were. He halted the attendant from opening my door, electing to do so himself. He placed his hand at the small of my back and escorted me inside, asking me to wait while he secured a room. We traveled to the penthouse, stepped off the elevator, and every nerve in my body came alive.
“I hope this is okay.”
I choked on a laugh then another barreled through right after. Mostly due to my nerves but also because we were in the penthouse suite and hehopedit was okay.
“You’ve seen my car. Do you really think I would object to this?” I flicked my wrist to motion toward the interior of the suite. We were still standing just inside, only a few steps from the elevator. I wasn’t one to care about things, but I was nervous as hell and stupidly rambling.
The way his expression hardened and he stalked toward me, leaving only a sliver of space, had me tensing.
“I have seen your car. Things don’t define who we are or determine your value. Your car is not a determination of what your standards are. I wouldn’t dare assume that what I think is acceptable is good enough, so I’m asking. Is this okay?”
“Ye-yes. It’s perfect.”
Shit, this man is intense. And sexy.
He smiled, softened his features, and lifted a hand, allowing a finger to glide from my temple down the side of my face. His thumb moved along the curve of my jaw over my lips before he lifted it to his mouth and brushed his thumb across his own. The intensity in his eyes increased but before I could wonder why, his hand gripped my neck with just the right amount of pressure and his fingers set widely. His eyes lowered to my mouth again then flashed with a dare just before he kissed me.
And that kiss.
I fisted his shirt, hanging on for dear life. There was a give and take, his mouth and mine. Dangerous and delicious.
“I…wow,” I muttered, touching my lips. He looked down at me and smiled. It was barely there at first then expanded into something even more dangerous than his kiss.
“I’ll assume that means the kiss didn’t disappoint.” He relaxed, stepping back a hair. I was grateful for the space because he was overwhelming. The intensity of the moment felt suffocating. I needed to wrap my mind around him and what was about to happen.
“No, you didn’t disappoint,” I all but whispered. He shifted his stance, hands sliding into the pockets of his slacks, expanding his body so he appeared bigger, even more alluring. All I could think about was this large, powerful man, hovering me, wrapped around and in me.
Shit.
“There are no hard feelings if you’ve decided to change your mind.”
“I haven’t,” I rushed out, adding, “This is just a lot and no, it’s not my first one-night stand.” My brows pinched. “Not that I’ve had a lot of them. Technically when I was in college that might classify because well, sex and coffee was a bit of a survival tool…” I froze when his lips curled into a grin. “I’m rambling.”
“You are but it’s kind of sexy. If rambling alleviates some tension about what we're doing then by all means.” He was amused and I was horrified.Did I seriously just use my promiscuous behavior in college as an excuse for one-night stands?
“I’d rather not but my point isthis, at the present stage, in my life is not something I would normally do or even consider. So I’m a bit anxious.”
“How can I help?” He stepped closer, lowering his chin as he towered over me. His presence, scent, hell,himhad my stomach knotting again.
“Definitely not by doing that.”
“What?”
“The whole asserting your dominance thing.”
“Is that what you think I’m doing?”
