Page 25 of Purchase Power
Ah, there it was. What he wasreallythinking, but had convinced himself was the least of his concerns. He had only, oh, spent thousands of dollars to secure a woman for his sexual convenience in his house. The kind of money that would make other men balk. Indeed, one of the reasons Noah hadn’t camped out in Lucy’s guest room was because every time he thought of her, he had to think about the amount of money he fucking dropped onfuckingher.
I should have rescinded my offer after getting that taste of her body. Cut myself off there. Paid the penalty and told them that I wasn’t interested, after all.The fee ensured that only “serious” takers bid on the women presented that night. It also conveniently covered the administration costs for the club to contact the second highest bidder and what amounted to a woman’s single-night’s fee. Noah wasn’t above courting escorts, obviously. What was the difference? Why hadn’t he dumped Lucy as soon as his brain cleared post-coitus?
Because she’s hot, that’s why.
Noah had been steadily thinking about Lucy ever since that first night. Wasn’t that one of the reasons he was so damn distracted, whether he was with Stacey or trying to do his work? Between his everyday responsibilities and minding his ward, Noah was trapped in a vortex of sexual thoughts. All of them about Lucy’s luscious body and the otherworldly sounds she made when he bent her over that couch and fucked her.
Damn. It.
Noah wasn’t going to achieve clarity until he got this out of his system. Under normal circumstances, he would have taken a break in his room anddealtwith the fantasies in a constructive way, like every young man had taught himself from the moment he sprung his first erection. Yet this wasn’t a normal situation for Noah Gabriel, who suddenly found himself with a convenient vessel for his sexual desires.
Ready for him. At any time.
Any. Time.
Damnit.
Whatever. He was about to take a break to clear his head, anyway. So what if he had to come back to finish his work later? That was the upside to mostly working from home.
Noah logged out of his computer and slid back from his desk. Once he decided to leave his office, his entire body readied for a casual encounter. The usual, of course. Tight anticipation. A receptive cock, ready to go. Dirty fantasies in his head that would fuel more of those sadistic sounds Lucy Craig made.
Except that wasn’t very gentlemanly, and Noah had issues with trying to not at least be alittlegentlemanly. He wouldn’t waltz into the guest quarters with a raging hard-on and a caveman approach to lovemaking. Not this time, anyway. Besides, he needed to establish a pattern with Ms. Craig. Starting with text messaging her that he was on his way.
“I’m coming by for a visit.”He didn’t explain the nature of the visit. She seemed like a smart young lady.“Twenty minutes.”That would give her time to get ready for him. And time for Noah to freshen up in the bathroom. A gentleman always groomed himself before seeing a lady, no matter what time of day – or what the nature of their relationship was.
“I’ll be waiting,”Lucy responded a few seconds later.
Would she, really? Noah harbored no daydreams about where this relationship might go. It was strictly business, after all. He didn’t doubt that he could put on the charm and seduce a woman into a long-term relationship, especially if he promised a lavish lifestyle and plenty of money to ingest. Yet he was rarely interested in such things. There was too much for him to focus on in his life. When he wasn’t holed away working, there was the issue of his ward. A person Lucy wasn’t supposed to know about at all.
This was why Noah couldn’t have a proper romance. Stacey was why he talked himself into relationships of convenience and troubled his whole staff with hiding two women away from one another. Stacey may have known Lucy was there, but with any luck, Lucy would be none the wiser about the woman who set the tone in Gabriel Manor.
When Noah was ready to leave, he checked his phone for any further messages from Lucy. There were none. Perhaps she was busy getting ready for him, whatever that entailed.
Instead of thinking about how awkward this situation potentially was, Noah decided to reward her patience with a small token of appreciation. He picked up the silver serving tray and carried the sterling silver tea set down the hall.
For some reason, carrying hot tea and precious metals in his hands didn’t ease the excitement of the tension he was about to release.
