A Week in New York (The Empire State Series Book 1) (7 page)

Leah was right. It was impossible to think about anything else, and Ben in
particular, while I was with Ethan. Maybe I could fly to New York every time I
got heartbroken. Ethan was almost worth getting heartbroken for.

***

“Are you mad?” I asked Leah as we sat down at a table at a coffee shop on
Prince Street.

“What about?”

“Me spending time with Ethan.”

“Yes, I’m super-mad that you are happy and having fun and being
distracted from Ben the Bastard while I get to have super-hot and very loud sex
with my super-hot and very loud boyfriend.”

“Well, when you put it like that.”

“Are you seeing him again tonight?”

“Err.” How had we left it? He had dropped me at Daniel’s on his way to
work, but he’d left some of his stuff in the suite; he was in a fresh suit this
morning, not wearing the same clothes from last night like I was. But he’d just
kissed me and told me he’d see me later. “We didn’t make any plans,” I said,
trying to sound breezy but I felt a pit in my stomach. I hoped that wasn’t it.
I hoped I would see him again. I reached into my bag and to find my phone.
Nothing.

“Daniel has this reception thing at the hotel tonight and I said I would
go with him. You should come.”

“Sounds fun.” I was trying to seem enthusiastic.

“But if Ethan calls, then go do your thing.”

I smiled tightly. I shouldn’t want to see him this badly. “You are the
most awesome friend in the world.”

“Uh uh.” Leah shook her head. “No, that title belongs to you.”

My phone rattled against the table.

SG: What are you wearing?

A warm spread across my chest at his text and I laughed.

“Ethan?” Leah asked and I nodded as I typed a response.

Me: My oldest jeans, and a T-shirt with a hole under the arm. Super sexy.

SG: You’d make a garbage bag look super sexy.

Me: Shut up.

SG: No bullshit.

SG: I can leave work by 6 p.m. tonight. Meet me at the hotel?

I laughed. He was all for getting down to business. No dinner and drinks
tonight. Well, it was fun, not romance that I signed up for.

Me: Only if you promise to be naked when I arrive.

SG: You drive a hard bargain. See you then.

I looked up to find Leah looking at me and my wide grin. She wiggled her
eyebrows. “We need to go underwear shopping.”

“We do?”

“We need to get something to seduce our sexy men with.”

“Well, A, he’s not my man, and B, I think he’s a sure thing. But ok,
let’s go.”

Leah took me to an amazing lingerie boutique. She’d been there before
when shopping alone in New York, thinking of ways to distract Daniel. She
warned me it could be expensive, but assured me it was worth every penny. When
we walked in and were handed a glass of champagne, I knew there was some
serious money going to be spent.

Going through the racks I realized I hated shops like this. There was not
a single item in the boutique that I didn’t want to try on. As I started to
select items, an assistant took them to a changing room. Dangerous. I couldn’t
remember how many I’d selected.

“Hey,” Leah loud-whispered at me. “Come look.” She held up a bra that I
could sue the owner of the boutique for misrepresentation over. It was no more
than a few strips of material, none of which would cover an actual breast.

“Kinky,” I said.

“I have this one. It always goes down well … or ensures Daniel does.”

“Leah Thompson. I’m shocked. I thought you were going to be a virgin
until your wedding night.”

We both giggled.

My eyes darted to the rack next to her. This was clearly the kinky
section. I picked up even more things to try on and finally made it to the
changing rooms.

I could imagine Ethan ripping off everything I tried on. That was a good
thing, but an expensive thing. The beautifully soft lighting that made me feel
like Heidi Klum didn’t help. I tried a very simple black bra and panties, which
were entirely sheer. I loved them and decided I had to have them. I was sure
Ethan would love them, too. I grabbed my bag to find my phone so I could text
him and tell him what I was doing, and then the champagne suggested that
showing him might be even more fun. I arranged myself so I was leaning on my
side in front of the mirror, one hand reaching up against the wall. I then
snapped a photo. Was I really going to do this? I typed out a message.

Me: I’m doing a little retail therapy. What are you up to?

I hadn’t even changed into the next set when my phone buzzed.

SG: Charge it to my card and don’t take it off. Wear them tonight. I’m in
an all-day meeting and now I’m hard and want to be inside you.

Shivers rippled across my body and my nipples tightened under the sheer
fabric. I wanted him inside me, too.

I chose three sets. One had a bra and bustier, so maybe that might count
as four. Oh, and then there was the corselette and the teddy. Shit. I wasn’t going
to let him pay and I wasn’t sure my credit card could handle it, but it would
be worth it to see his face when I wore them.
Would I get to wear them all
by the end of the week?

Ethan

The meeting I was in was a total waste of time. Clients moaned about
lawyers’ fees but loved wasting our time. I considered announcing that I would
double our rates if this meeting went for more than another 30 minutes. I
wanted to get out of here. It was coming up to 5 p.m. and I had much better
things to be doing with my time than listening to this old guy complain that he
was going to make $5 million less than he was expecting on the deal we were all
killing ourselves to make happen. I headed to the counter with the coffee and
poured myself a cup. I glanced around to make sure nobody was nearby and found
Anna’s text. She looked incredible. Her eyes were naughty, but her pose a
little coy. She managed to do sexy and sweet at the same time. How was that
even possible? I couldn’t wait to see her in that underwear and then peel it
off her.

Finally our meeting wrapped up and I headed back to my office.

“I have 19 messages from Mr. Dillon and then about 200 from BoNY,” Susie
said as I walked past her into my office.

“Fuck, what does Dillon want?”

“Something about an article in the FT. I had a look but couldn’t find
anything.”

“Shit. I’ll call him from the car.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving for the day. Unless there’s a fucking apocalypse, I’m not answering
my phone.”

“Is everything ok?” Susie asked. She looked concerned, like I was unwell
or something.

“Fine. I’m just taking the night off.”

“Is your sister ok?”

Susie had worked for me for nearly ten years. And over the course of that
decade, the only time I dropped things at work was for my sister. And then
there was tonight, with Anna.

“Yeah, she’s fine. I just have a friend in town who I really want to
catch up with. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I headed out the door and down the elevators to flag a cab. No need for
my driver tonight. We weren’t going out. I could feel the blood in my veins and
I could hear my heartbeat. Just the thought of her on her way to meet me had my
body reacting. I checked my watch. I wanted to make sure I arrived before she
did. I had a promise to keep.

***

I’d left a key at reception for her so she didn’t have to knock.

I still had my watch on and it was telling me it was 6:10. Where was she?
I heard a rustling in the lock and grinned and shifted on my seat. Was she
going to think I was a total dick? I was sitting at the dining room table,
naked apart from my tie, my legs on the chair beside me, one knee bent.

She saw me as soon as she walked into the room and just stood still. The
sight of her almost made me forget my line.

“How was your day, dear?” I asked, looking at her and adjusting my tie.

She looked beautiful in some kind of long t-shirt that was too short for
other men to see her in. She didn’t take her eyes off me. Shit, was she going
to respond? Her face broke out into a wide grin.

“I like your tie.” She walked toward me, dropping her bag on the floor.

“I wore it for you,” I said as she sat on my lap.

“You are my favorite person in the whole world right now. For this week.”

I swallowed. Fuck. I felt winded and full of … something—light, warmth. I
wasn’t sure. I grabbed her ass and brought her closer to me and she buried her
face in my neck.

“You’re my favorite person in the whole world right now too.”

“How do you know
Pretty Woman
so well?” she asked, pulling away
from my neck so she could look at me.

“I have an older sister. I know every fucking line from that movie.”

“Sounds like I’d like your sister.” She blushed and put her head back in
my neck. I stroked her back.

“Yes, I think you would. She’d like you, too. She lives in London,
actually.”

“She does? Have you visited?”

“Yes, last year when their daughter was born.”

“Oh,” she said quietly. I wanted to see inside her head, see the question
she didn’t ask me. She could ask me anything. I wanted her to ask me
everything.

“I have a present for you.” Her mood shifted from quiet to excited and I
found myself grinning at her as she leapt off my lap. She turned so her back
was facing me and reached for the hem of her t-shirt and stripped it off in one
swift movement.

Fuck me. I was faced with her perfect ass wrapped in a black silk bow. I
was speechless. Maybe it was my lack of reaction that caused her to spin around
to see if I was watching. I watched the bow disappear as she revealed what
looked like a normal pair of panties. My eyes met another black silk bow
wrapping up her perfect tits.

Fuck.

Best. Gift. Ever.

“Your gift to me is your body?”

She nodded and blushed again as I stood in front of her.

“And I can do what I like with it?”

She nodded.

“You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. All my Christmases just came
at once.”

“Ethan,” she scolded.

“No fucking bullshit.” I bent down and threw her over my shoulder and
carried her into the bedroom. “Let’s get you unwrapped.”

I put her down on the bed and watched her watching me. Something shifted.
I wanted her, but it wasn’t just lust I felt. I reached to her chest and pulled
the ends of the bow to reveal my gift, keeping my eyes on her. As I felt the
material loosen, my eyes went to her chest just as her beautiful skin was
revealed. Her nipples were puckered and waiting, as if they were being offered
up to me. I couldn’t resist.

“Jesus, beautiful. You look amazing.” I dipped my head and grazed her
nipple between my teeth. “You taste amazing.” She arched her back and I slipped
what was left of her bra off her shoulders, running my hands down her back. “You
feel amazing.”

Anna

I lay half-exhausted on my stomach. Ethan was in the bathroom, disposing
of the second condom of the evening. Jesus. I’d never wanted a man physically
in the way I wanted him. Of course I’d desired men before, but not like this. I
wanted to give him everything.

“You are wearing a very sexy look, Miss Anna,” he said as he came from the
bathroom. I opened my eyes.

“I’m sure I look thoroughly disheveled.”

“You do. You wear it well. I like that I caused it.”

I grinned.

“Let’s get you some dinner.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You have to eat. Do you want to stay in and order room service?”

“You want to go out?” I turned and sat up on my elbows.

“
You
wanna go out?” he asked.

“I asked you first.”

He sighed.

“I don’t mind. You choose,” I said.

“I don’t want to share you with anyone tonight.”

My stomach flipped over once, then twice, and I grinned. “Well, my body
is yours, so I guess we’re staying in.”

After finally negotiating with Ethan that I was allowed to wear a robe
while we ate, room service knocked at the door and I quickly went to the
bathroom to try and stem the tide of mascara that was trying to escape from my
eyelashes down my face. He was right, I did look disheveled. I took a hairbrush
from my bag and tried to improve the situation.

“Anna,” he called.

I splashed some water on my face and then wandered into the living space.
Wow. He’d turned the lights down and there were just a few candles flickering
on the dining table. The lights of the city illuminated our feast. There was
music playing. I bet he’d wooed a few women in this suite like this. I sighed,
but couldn’t help but grin at him as I took my place kitty corner to him so we
were both facing the view of the park.