A Private Affair

“I’d rather twenty-four hours, but we can play that by ear. When the time comes, if you still want me to, I’ll leave when the sun comes up, but it starts right here, right now,” he said before taking her mouth again.

This time it was his tongue pushing her lips apart as he sought the warmth inside. She seemed surprised at first but was clearly ready for their go-round within seconds. Her hands—pressing against the back of his neck as if she thought she was guiding this kiss—felt too good to focus on. There was so much more Chaz wanted to explore with Riley and he only had one night to get it all in.

Her tongue joined his, stroking in a rhythm that seemed practiced and new at the same time. His hands moved down to the dip in her back just before the curve of her ass. Chaz pressed her close to him as he took the kiss deeper. She was tall, probably about five feet seven or eight without the heels she was wearing, so she fit against him perfectly. And with the feel of her body against his, Chaz couldn’t wait to get her naked.

Riley moved her hands, slipping them past his shoulders to press firmly against his chest. Chaz immediately pulled back.

“Not here, not like this,” she said and looked around as if she thought someone might see them.

They were alone on the balcony, the party inside going full swing without a care for the two people who’d slipped out. But Chaz understood. It was no secret that Riley did not like the press. She did the required press releases and interviews, but she tried to stay out of the spotlight. It didn’t matter—her family’s company was one of the most talked about in the industry. There was no way the press would stop doing stories on her; even though Riley and Walter Stone hadn’t married and the phenomenal partnering of RGold Fashions and Stonemill Apparel, a renowned global distributor, was off, they still covered her and they weren’t always kind.

Chaz didn’t answer immediately. He kept his arms around her and walked them back until they were standing on the other side of a decorated and lit Christmas tree at the far end of the balcony.

With her back pressed against the wall of the building, Riley still looked up at him with concern. Chaz touched a finger to her cheek and let it slide slowly down to the line of her jaw.

“I’ll protect you, Riley,” he said softly. “You don’t ever have to worry about that.”

“I don’t need your protection,” she said.

Chaz smiled. “I know,” he told her. “But I’ll do it, anyway.”

He kissed her again, his hands moving down her sides. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly against her. Chaz groaned at the spurt of possession and need. He grabbed the hem of her dress, pushing it up her legs so he could feel more of her skin, get even closer to her. Riley dragged one leg up, wrapping it around his waist until he was delightfully trapped in her grasp.

He couldn’t believe he was here, with Riley Gold, touching her and kissing her. His erection pulsed and pressed eagerly against his zipper. He wanted to be inside her now, but he couldn’t pull himself away from her to get them to the elevators and eventually to her room. He needed something first. He needed to give her something, just this little bit to relax her and to promise himself what was to come.

Chaz moved his hand until he felt the silky skin of her inner thigh. She bucked instantly and tilted her head back to arch into him. He cursed, his mouth sliding over her bared shoulder.

Heat greeted his fingers before he even slipped the thin piece of silk covering her mound to the side. She’d eased her hands inside his jacket and now her nails dug into his chest. He slid two fingers inside her and she gasped. She jerked at the contact, groaning as he pressed deeper and shifted her hips until she could move in rhythm with his thrusts. He gritted his teeth at the delicious feel of her moist heat and the tightness that circled him. Closing his eyes, he clenched his teeth at how good this felt even though it wasn’t his hard dick easing in and out of her.

She gripped his shirt in her fists as her body tensed. The sound of his fingers moving in and out of her echoed in his ears and had his dick jumping. She gasped and stilled, her heated walls gripping him tighter before her release came, her body trembled and she moaned in his arms.

Seconds later, fireworks popped off, and the sound of people cheering and singing filtered out from the ballroom onto the balcony.

It had taken them exactly sixteen minutes to weave through the celebrating crowd in the ballroom and head toward the elevators. When they finally arrived at the door to her suite, Riley unlocked it and led Chaz inside. She dropped her purse and the key card on the sofa table and kept moving through the lavishly decorated space. Chaz stopped at the fully stocked bar tucked in a corner of the living room and asked Riley if she wanted champagne. She opted for wine and Chaz selected water. Now they were sitting on the terrace, finishing their drinks and watching the last of the fireworks show.

It didn’t take a genius to see that her nerves were more than a little frayed. Probably a combination of the crowd they’d encountered in the hallway and the fact that he was actually in her room. So they would slow down a bit until she was certain of herself and what she wanted from him once more.

“Why are you here alone?” she asked after a few minutes of silence.

Chaz sat back on the lounge chair, his legs spread in front of him.

“I always travel alone.”

“Yet you always find someone to spend your time with,” she countered.

Chaz looked over to her.

“What?” she asked as he continued to stare. “You’re in the papers a lot. With this woman and that woman. Between you, Maurice and Major, I don’t know who the true Fashion House Playboy is.”

Considering she’d lumped him into a category with two of her brothers, Chaz figured the comment wasn’t a total insult.

“For a person burned by the lies in tabloids, you should know better than to believe anything they print,” he replied, anyway, but then wondered if he’d gone too far. The last thing he wanted was to irritate her.

“You’re right,” she countered, quicker than he expected.

“But if you want to know if I have a girlfriend, the answer is no.”

Her fingers moved on her thigh, but she didn’t speak. They’d slowed down, Chaz thought. From the time they’d first come up here, until now, her fingers had gone from clenching together, to rubbing along the stem of the wineglass, to resting on her thigh. Chaz had never seen Riley nervous. He doubted she felt that way often and he almost smiled with the realization that she must be relaxing with him.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Chaz was almost positive she was single, but he didn’t want her to think he was presumptuous.

“No,” she replied. “I’m not in the market for a boyfriend, fiancé or husband. I’m fine being single.”

Because the other way hadn’t worked for her. Chaz knew and had no desire to rehash any of that for her.

“So am I,” he said.

“Why? Your uncle definitely believes in the institution of marriage. I’m surprised he’s not pressuring you to settle down.”

“That’s precisely why I’m still single,” Chaz admitted. “Uncle Tobias was on his fourth wife when he took me in after my parents’ deaths. Twenty-four years later and he’s on wife number eight. He averages around three to four years with each one, before he decides to trade for a newer model.”

“Wow, that’s a little harsh. You don’t think he’s really falling in love with them?”

“Only if he can fall out of love with them just as often. It seems like a vicious cycle to me.”

“A cycle indeed,” she added. “My parents may be the exception to the rule. They’ve been married for thirty-eight years this coming June. I think theirs is a real, true love.”

“But you’re not looking for that yourself?”

She shook her head. “Absolutely not. My focus right now is on RGF. That’s all.”

“Yes, it’s about to get busy on the work front for both of us. But you should always have a balance between work and play,” he said and then stood. “Do you want another glass of wine?”

Another drink, more small talk, whatever it took to make Riley feel comfortable with the deal they’d made. He could still smell her sweet and intoxicating scent on his fingers and his erection hadn’t abated, but there was no rush. They had all night.

Then what?

Then nothing. They’d get up in the morning and go home. Done.

When she nodded, Chaz took their glasses inside. He poured them both some wine and returned to the terrace. Riley was standing now, too, leaning a hip against the railing as she watched him walk toward her. Chaz handed her the glass.

“Do you have a New Year’s resolution?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Never make them. My professional goals are the same each year.”

Chaz watched as one of her elegantly arched brows lifted.