He pressed me to himself, his hands clamping around my waist as his lips danced together with mine, leading me into a haven of forbidden ecstasy. He planted his lips on my neck, sucking the sensitive flesh to the point I groaned out and dug my hand into his hair, throwing my head back.
Taking the entrance, Tom took his mouth even lower, as both our hands tugged at each other’s clothes. Then, with an impatient grunt, he took his mouth off me and reached for the buttons of my coat.
But then, as he slid the coat off my body and saw what I wore underneath, his body suddenly seized and he sucked in a sharp breath, giving me a slow, heated once-over.
“You are… sinful.” He breathed in a low, guttural voice.
I probably was. After all, under my coat, I wore nothing but a lace bra, and a matching thong. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision but the way he was looking at me told me I couldn’t have made a better choice.
He slowly slid his hand behind my back, bringing it to rest on my naked skin, “Oh you make me go crazy.”
And then he brought his head down to give me a slow, sensual kiss, different from any other we’ve shared. The sensation in my belly grew hotter, together with the tempo of the kiss. Soon enough, we were grasping at each other, desperate for touch of bare skin to bare skin, of his hardness to my softness, his lips on my body and mine on his, touching, sucking, caressing while caring little about what happened afterward.
And unlike the stolen moments at the wedding hallway, this was uninterrupted. With Tom, I went all the way, finding a release so replete that I screamed like never before.
Chapter Five
Tom
More than anyone else, I knew the dangers of falling in love.
Love put simply, was like an iceberg; harmless, and even enticing at first, but in reality, deep, destructive and powerful enough to cost a man his soul. I’d been in that position once, some years ago, when I gave my heart to a woman. I’d been so in love that I gave her everything she asked but when I hit rock-bottom due to some scuffles in my business, she turned ice cold. And that was how I got to see beyond the tip of the iceberg.
Sure, I was grateful that she gave me a daughter who I love more than anything else in the world. But her betrayal didn’t just make me swear off love, it helped me see that this world needed a haven for men like me, men who had been scammed into believing that something like true love existed. And so, with my childhood friend, Frank King, I’d formed the Merry Men Club.
It was everything I needed – a place to discuss with fellow bachelors and see the rationality in keeping one’s brain intact from love.
That’s why I was here with Frank, hoping that a good discussion with him will knock some sense into me.
“So you have no idea why it happened?” Frank said in his usual good-natured voice before taking a long swig of beer.
“No. That’s more like asking why fishes swim. Yeah, we know they have no legs but still, we can never really know. I sure hope he gets back on track soon. Wouldn’t want to fire him so early.”
Frank laughed, turning to cock an eyebrow at me, “Whoa. Did I just hear right or are you becoming soft-hearted? You had no problems firing people before. He stole from your company, remember?”
“Not all wars are worth fighting, my friend.” I raised my glass to him, “Sometimes, you just have to lay back and watch the culprits catch themselves.”
“But he’s reckless.”
“Exactly. He’s reckless. And soon, he’ll embezzle so much that it would be fun to watch how he explains the sudden boost in his profits.”
Frank scoffed and I smiled in response, casting a glance at my watch.
“Going somewhere?”
“No.” I said, a tighter smile gracing my lips. Truth was, I wasn’t sure how to bring up the real issue nagging me.
I met her just last week, at my daughter’s wedding. To say that this was love would be ridiculous, but as I said before, I’d been in this position once before so I knew the signs. Ever since we met at that hotel, I hadn’t been able to take my mind off her. I saw her every time I closed my eyes and I even found myself wishing that she’d stayed the night.
Even now, I could see feel her as if she was right here with me.
She was growing on me. And that was not good. At all.
But how would Frank take all of this? After all, I was the one who usually preached against love.
Sighing, I took another swig and checked my watch. Maybe I should postpone this discussion?
Suddenly, my phone buzzed and I picked it up.
Immediately my eyes landed on the caller I.D. and I recognized Kylie’s number, I quickly shot up from my seat, mumbled an excuse to Frank and tried my best to walk as calmly as possible… towards the bathroom.
When all was safe, I picked up the call, pressing the phone to my ear. “Tom speaking.”
“Oh…” She breathed and I swallowed, my chest clenching at the sound of her voice, “…it’s Kylie.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Oh, that’s great. Uh…are you busy or something? I can just call some other time.”
“No, no. Please continue.”
She paused and I could hear her breathing, even, deep and somewhat loaded with unspoken words. It made me reach for the tie around my neck, suddenly feeling too hot.
“Okay. I just called to ask… Do you uh… Do you have some time this evening?”
At once, my eyes snapped up and I gripped the phone so hard I
