Page 54 of A Man of Wealth

“Y-yes,” I stammer.

He looks around us and scratches his head. “What the hell is some uppity lady like you doing out here by yourself. You do know this is not a safe part of the city, right?”

I shrug. “I’m new to the area. I guess I was so busy jogging that I didn’t really pay attention to my surroundings.”

“Lady, this is the city, not some suburb. You need to get the hell out of here. Go that way until you get to a streetlight and then turn left. Don’t stop until you see a gas station. Call a car to pick you up from there. It’s a hell of a lot safer to wait there than here and I don’t have the time to babysit you.”

“Right. Uh, sorry about that. I should be more careful about where I’m going. I head that way, right?” I point toward the nearest intersection.

“Lights. Left. Gas station. Can you remember that?”

I nod. “I think so. Uh, thanks again.”

He shakes his head and walks back onto the property.

I let out a long breath. I look toward the building but don’t see anything inside of it. Did he get it? Did he get out of there?

I tried to fake examining my ankle for as long as possible, but I have no idea if he’s still inside. I begin to realize my plan was stupid. I should call him, but what if he’s somewhere where he can’t talk or his phone vibrates and someone hears it. If we make it out of here, he’s going to kill me.

I start walking in the wrong direction in case the guy is watching me. I see a car turn onto the street and on instinct I step against a nearby building as the car approaches. It’s black with tinted windows and I can’t tell who’s inside. The gate to the Sterling Corporation property opens and the car goes inside.

Something about it seems off. The car is nice, too nice for someone visiting at night. But it definitely does not belong to Theo Sterling, unless he got a new car. I snap a quick photo with my phone, hoping it’s light enough by the building that I can read the license plate later.

I need to get out of here. I turn to start toward the property where we parked, hiding the best I can in the dark shadows of the nearby buildings on this otherwise deserted road. I can see the car now. And standing next to it, barely visible in the shadows is the outline of a man who is most definitely pissed and most definitely going to hand me my ass in a moment.

I look both ways and cross the street as far away from a streetlight as I can.

When I approach him alongside an old burned-out car, I can see that his arms are crossed and he’s glaring at me.

“Where the fuck have you been?” he hisses. “I had Bryce checking the street surveillance for you. Aiden is freaking out. He’s sent me at least six text messages in the last two minutes.” He motions to a camera near the road.

“I got here as fast as I could. A car pulled in,” I explain as I wave my hand toward his father’s property.

“I know, I saw it, too.” He looks over at the property. I can see the concern on his face.

“Did you…” I trail off as I look at him, afraid to speak the words as if that might curse us.

He reaches into his pocket and holds up a vial. “I believe I have.”

I grin. His lips start to twitch into a smile but then he frowns and looks down at me in a way that has my body shivering and my panties melting all at once. He steps forward, and I step back until I’m pinned between him and the car.

“Get in the fucking car now,” he growls. “Don’t think I’m not ready to tan that luscious ass of yours.”

I roll my eyes and push past him. Once we’re inside, he looks over at me. “Don’t ever do that again,” he growls as he reaches for me and pulls my face to his. But he isn’t scaring me, if anything, I’m turned the fuck on right now. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, or maybe I just need this man in an irrational way that I don’t want to make sense of now or ever.

I unbuckle my seat belt and crawl onto his lap as he pushes the chair back. Our hands become frenzied, seeking a release for our emotions and adrenaline. I find his zipper and free his erection. Cursing, I manage to get my yoga pants down around my knees. He pulls my panties to the side, and I slam down onto his cock.

“Fuck,” he groans as I start to ride him. His hand snakes up my shirt, pushing beneath my sports bra to cup my breast, his fingers finding my nipple. I can feel myself growing wetter, our bodies gliding against each other as I quicken the pace. I need this release and I know he does too. We need the connection, the physical connection. I can’t explain it because, mostly, it doesn’t make sense, yet it’s as if we understand each other on a cellular level.

He lifts his pelvis, meeting each of my movements with a thrust of his own. We’re chasing our highs now, sprinting to the finish line. Our lips meet and then trail off to attack more skin. His tongue slides along my jawline and he nips at my earlobe. Dear God! I never want this feeling to end. I’ll never get enough of this man, this enigma of a man. I’m not attracted to him because of his wealth. I never would be. Coming from wealth, it doesn’t have the allure it does for those without it. I see it as a curse. I’d take Conner even if he had not a single penny to his name. As I ride him, our eyes lock, and I feel like I’m flying through a galaxy, seeing stars being born, watching suns with solar flares erupting, and dodging asteroids. There’s so much more to him than I ever expected. He’s damaged, just like I am. And because of that, he sees me. He understands me in a way no one ever has. And right now, I swear he’s looking into my soul. We gaze at each other as our bodies move faster, our needs continuing to spiral. I try to keep my eyes open, not wanting to break this connection, a connection I’ve never once felt before during sex or otherwise. My eyelids droop as I reach my climax. But his thumb on my bottom lip has my eyes opening just a crack as my body tenses.

“That’s it. Watch me while you come on my cock,” he murmurs. He starts thrusting harder and deeper. I grind against him, seeking the last bit of friction I need before my body lets loose and my mouth drops open in a silent cry. I feel myself trembling, my inner muscles clamping around him. He grunts once as he buries himself deep inside of me and holds my hips so that I’m completely impaled by him.

I feel myself start to relax. The tension from what we just did slowly leaves my body as our eyes refocus on each other.

“We need to leave now,” he says after a second.

I nod and climb off him. We both adjust our clothes. For a few moments, the car is filled with silence aside from our breathing as we both look forward past the lot filled with old barrels, pieces of wood, and rotting cars to the river. The water has small waves that catch the light at the crest. I can hear it lapping against the dock.

---