I could feel my walls start to shudder and constrict around him as I came hard all over his shaft. And my orgasm seemed to trigger his, sending him howling and spiraling into that abyss of carnal sensation. He pulled out and we collapsed in a heap on the floor, him holding me from behind, his breath hard and heavy in my ear.
Even as I was scattered to the four corners of the wind, trying to collect myself after he made me come apart, another part of me felt more whole than I had since the moment he turned away.
Elliot made me feel whole, and I realized now that love like this was too important to toss aside. This was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I had made a terrible mistake letting him go.
And it was a mistake I was never going to make again.
Chapter Twenty Elliot
After we had finally caught our breath and I had gotten all of that pent-up emotion out of my system, I turned Candy around to face me. It was time for us to talk, for me to get my questions answered.
“What the fuck, Candy?” I asked softly. “You tell me that you don’t want to see me anymore, that you want to spend more time focusing on your business, and then I see that you’re hosting an auction. But, not only that, I see that you’re actually selling yourself in the auction. What gives?”
I looked her in the eyes, waiting for her to answer me. She looked at me and then down at the floor like she was trying to gather her thoughts.
“It’s a long story, actually,” she said, biting her lip and taking a deep breath. “So bear with me. When I was in high school, I was in a very abusive I threw myself into my passion and turned it into my career. And when I opened the shop, it took off right away, so I vowed that I would always focus on my business, making sure that I put it first before everything. I’ve been doing it for years now, and it’s been great. So, I told myself that I was doing something right.”
She takes a breath and goes on, “But, then, there’s Tammy, the girl that you saw at the restaurant that night. We went to high school together, and I found out that she didn’t like me because she had been dating my ex, Jim, before I started dating him. In fact, I found out that he had STILL been dating her when he asked me out, which is why she’s hated me all these years. That night at the restaurant, we ended up clearing the air, and I proposed a partnership. She turned me down, but we at least were cordial to each other.
“A few weeks after that, Tammy came bursting in the bakery to tell me that an investor was going to buy the building that both she and I had had our sights on. So, that’s why we decided to hold the auction, to come up with enough money to buy out the investor and get the building before he bought it out from under us.
“Then, at the auction, we found out at the last minute that some of the girls weren’t going to make it, so Tammy said that we were going to have to auction ourselves off. I really wasn’t planning on going up there like that, Elliot, I swear. But now I have someone else’s dreams depending on me, too, and I couldn’t just let her down. But the thought of a guy other than you winning me in an auction made me sick.”
“And why is that?” I asked.
“Because I’m in love with you,” she blurted out and then clapped her hand over her mouth. “I didn’t meant to just- I mean…fuck, this is all coming out wrong and I’m rambling, and…
She shifted uncomfortably, not looking at me. I smiled at her, taking her face into my hands.
“I love you, too,” I said, kissing her face gently. “I’ve discovered just how little meaning there is in my life in the time that we’ve spent apart. One of the things that I find most attractive about you is your fire and ambition. It’s actually inspired me to do more in my life.
I take a deep breath and admit something I haven’t voice out loud, but an idea that’s been festering in the back of my mind. “I actually want to go back to college and do something more with my life, but I kind of feel silly about it all considering that I’m already wealthy and have a career. I don’t need a new career. Plus, I kind of feel like I’m too old to be starting down a new career path.”
“It’s never too late to follow your heart,” she said softly, caressing my cheek, smiling at me.
Her smiles were like rays of sunshine.
I smiled, feeling more hopeful.
“I’m working on it,” I replied, pulling her into my arms.
I’ll follow you anywhere, I thought.
Chapter Twenty-One Candy
The ringing of my phone woke me up the next morning. I almost forgot where I was. I opened my eyes and remembered that I stayed the night at Elliot’s place.
“Hello?” I said sleepily.
“Hey, Tammy,” an eager voice chirped in my ear. “I know it’s early, I’m sorry, but I just had to call you to tell you the good news. We earned more than enough money to buy the building! We can officially outbid Jim and give a better offer. I already called the real estate guy!”
I perked up, waking up right away at the sound of those words. I scrambled out of bed, telling her that I would meet her at the real estate office
