Page 7 of Yours to Conquer

“Don’t I know it? My heart doesn’t beat unless she’s near me. That’s why I want her to move in. Is it selfish that I want to live?” Anthony says as he looks at me with pouty lips and puppy dog eyes.

“Oh…my…God. You guys are relentless. Okay, I’ll move in with you, but I’m not selling my house.” I let out an exasperated breath of air.

Before I know it, I’m no longer sitting in my seat. Anthony has catapulted me into his arms and is swinging me around. I’ve never seen him so happy. “I love you,” he whispers in my ear. “We’re picking up your things on our way home.”

We leave the get-together and drive straight to my house. It doesn’t take us long to throw a bunch of my clothes and shoes in his car. Once his little car is full, we race home.

I lie in bed and wait for Anthony to lock up the house and come downstairs.

The layout of his house is interesting. The main floor contains an amazing gourmet kitchen with all the bells and whistles, a living room, and a dining room. There are also three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and an office on that floor. A wall of windows opens to a deck that overlooks the water. The panels slide into the wall and disappear. When we have them open, the house is completely exposed to the elements. There is a recreation room and spectacular master suite that opens to the beach on the lower level.

“What are you thinking about?” Anthony asks, sneaking up and startling me.

“I was thinking about my new house. I’m so glad it comes with a cook and a housekeeper.” The wink of my left eye puts a smile on his face.

“Well, your cook and housekeeper require compensation. I think that a naked redhead in my bed every night might be worth the extra laundry. I think if she strips down the minute she walks into the house every day, I’d vacuum and dust as well.”

“I didn’t know you were so cheap and easy.” I toss off the sheet, exposing my upper body. “If I knew that showing you these,” I grab my breasts and lift them, “or this,” I toss the sheet and cup my sex, “would get me so much attention, I might have negotiated earlier.”

“You have always had my attention. I remember the first day I saw you. You were at the food and wine festival with that food critic, Blake Havers. I watched you that afternoon and thought you were his girlfriend. I couldn’t figure out how you would be attracted to him. He’s such a slimy little worm. I hadn’t even met you, but I wanted you then.” Taking off his tie, he places it on the chair in the corner of the room and sits down to remove his shoes. “I asked around and found out you were an escort. My first thought was a prostitute because honestly, you’re the only girl I know of who runs an actual legitimate escort service.” He sets his shoes and discarded socks next to the chair.

“Do you know many girls who run an escort service?” My eyes narrow at him.Just how many escorts does he know?

“I know a few. Remember, I’ve been hanging out with Damon for years.” His shoulders shake as he laughs. “Damon is the one who cleared everything up for me. I was asking him to give me the number for the pretty redheaded escort I’d seen him with. I wanted to get laid. He said he didn’t know a pretty redheaded escort that offered those services. I described you, and then he figured it out. That’s when I got your number, and I called you for the fundraiser.”

“So, he knew you were going to call me for that fundraiser. No wonder he folded so easily when I asked him to take Kat. Thatshit, he was matchmaking. Just wait until I see him again.” I roll onto my side so I can see Anthony.

“What are you going to do? Thank him? If he hadn’t graciously bowed out, I’d still be wondering who that redheaded girl was, and you never would’ve heard my voice over the phone.”

“True. The minute I heard your voice, I knew I had to make it work out. I’ve never had my body quiver from a man’s voice, but I drenched my panties the day you called. I googled you the minute we got off the phone. One look at your picture, and I was hooked.”

“I picked that dress out specifically for you. I wanted to make sure you remembered who I was.” I’d never worn that blue dress before. It was cut in a V down the front and the back to my navel and my bottom. It was very provocative.

“That dress was criminal; I don’t know how you kept your girls from falling out. I was mesmerized. I’m still mesmerized by them.” He walks over to me and places a soft kiss on each of my nipples, making them perk up as if reaching for his mouth. He unbuttons his shirt as I watch with rapt attention. “You teased me all night and then told me you didn’t mix business with pleasure.” He makes atsk tsksound as he peels off his shirt.

“You fired me, marched me out the front door, and tossed me into a cab,” I say with some indignation.

“I fired you and told you I’d pick you up the next night for a date. I kissed you before I gently placed you into the cab. It seems as if we have a different recollection of the events leading up to us.”

“I believe you have the more accurate recollection,” I confess. Hearing his version of our story makes me laugh. It’s not that we haven’t talked about it before, but each time we revisit our beginning, he always paints a prettier story for himself.

“I went home with the most painful hard on that night. I hardly slept, thinking of all the ways I could pleasure you. When I arrived to pick you up, you were beautiful in your sundress and sandals. I knew I wasn’t bringing you home that night. However, I never thought we would be here, in this place right now. I never thought I could want a woman as much as I want you. Sometimes it scares the hell out of me, Emma. I let you into my heart, and now you own it. You have the power to crush my soul.”

Oh, my goodness, did my heart leap?“I love you, Anthony. You’re an amazing man. Do you realize you’re my actual first boyfriend?”

The look of surprise flashed in his expressive eyes. “Surely, that’s not true. You have dated people before.” He unbuttons and unzips his slacks and lets them fall to the floor. Picking them up, he folds them as he walks back to the chair.

“I never had a boyfriend. In high school, I used a lot of boys to fill the gaps in my life. Kat’s mom had a long talk with me about respecting my body and myself. She put me in counseling, and I changed my ways. By the time I graduated, I had to support myself. I started doing the companion thing and had little time to date. I saw someone regularly a few years ago, but he couldn’t handle my job. There was an altercation. I got in the middle of it and ended up with a black eye. As you might imagine, I don’t have any tolerance for aggression or physical violence.”

“Someone hit you?” he yells. He races to the bed and clasps my arms in his hands. “I’ll kill him. Who the hell hit you?” His face is red, and the little vein on his forehead is pulsing.

“Calm down. He didn’t try to hit me; I stepped in between him and my client. When Mark threw the punch, I was in the way. It was an accident, but I never saw him again. He let jealousy get the best of him. The funny thing is nothing had happened. My client was walking me up the stairs to my house, and he put his hand on my back to guide me. Mark didn’t like seeing another man’s hands on me. It was stupid.”

“Not to defend a man who hit you, but I wouldn’t want to see another man touch you. It irks me when I catch someone looking at you.”

“You are so funny. No one is looking at me except for you. Come here and make love to me.” I lean across the bed and take his hand in mine. I pull his body down to lie beside me. His dark-chocolate brown curls frame his face perfectly. Even though his hair has a mind of its own, it seems to fall effortlessly in place.

We are silent as we explore each other’s bodies. The anticipation is building as our hands become bolder, and our need becomes stronger. He rolls my nipples between his fingertips. The sensation stirs the warmth between my legs. I have been waiting all night to feel him sink himself into my body. His fingers make their way slowly down my stomach and find their way to my hot center. He gently slides his fingers down my moist folds, peeling back the layers to get to my center. I swell from the passion that’s building; my body opens like a flower. Each time he crosses my opening, he dips his fingers inside of me to grab the moisture that’s building. I writhe under his touch and grind myself against him. My free hands go to work, trying to bring him to the point where I am—a place that no matter what we do, everything feels fantastic. I want him to feel as good as I do.

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