MATCHMAKER (A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) (5 page)

She felt his hardness pressing against the slick heat of her pussy, still trembling with aftershocks from her orgasm. He eased inside her, and she let out a quavering, trembling breath. He filled her gloriously, sliding in and out, covering her neck with kisses as he did. She worked her hips in time with his, wrapping her legs around his waist, pulling him to her, wanting him as deep inside her as he could possibly manage.

The frantic coupling didn’t last long. They came together, clutching one another, Cherise crying
yes
at the top of her lungs. They collapsed in a heap, panting and feeling the warmth of one another’s skin. Sterling brushed her hair away from her sweaty temple and kissed her there. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest.

Now what? She told herself not to think of it.

She’d just had sex with one of the richest men in America. In the world. She’d seen his name on a Forbes list. She had sex with her boss. She wondered what he was thinking. She needed to shut her brain up and enjoy the feel of his body next to hers. It wouldn’t last. It couldn’t. A one-time thing, that was all.

The silence stretched on and on. She started thinking about the fact that they hadn’t used a condom. She had an IUD, so she was covered. But what about sketchy diseases? With all his money, she hoped he saw a doctor regularly and got checked out. No point worrying about it now; done was done. Finally, she extricated herself from underneath him and went in to the bathroom, picking her clothes up on the way.

When she came out, he was dressed, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Let me know if you need anything tonight,” he said. “I’m right next door.”

You
, she thought.
You are what I need tonight.
She willed him to stay, but he stood up, ran a hand through his hair, and went down the stairs. She heard the door click downstairs as he saw himself out. Cherise stood alone in the empty room next to the tousled bed. What had she done?

The enormity crashed down on her… Ricky had left her. She’d always assumed she’d leave him. She’d thought about it sometimes when he messed the house up after she’d just cleaned it or when he spent an entire weekend staring at his computer monitor, playing online games. He left her because he was jealous. Of the billionaire she’d just fucked.

There really wasn’t a more genteel way to put it. They hadn’t made love, that was for sure. Sterling Waters was a cad, and she’d just played into his game. Whatever. It was her game too, tonight. She wasn’t looking for anything more than a distraction. She didn’t want a guy like him, no matter how good he looked or how perfectly his body fit with hers.

Nope. Instead, she was going to do her damnedest to find the man a wife.

STERLING

Back in his side of the penthouse, Sterling spent a few minutes pacing in front of his floor to ceiling windows before he forced himself to settle. He made a drink. Ambrosia, the dog—a ninety-pound, black German shepherd—sat by his foot, leaning against his knee. He stroked her head, noticing the grey around her muzzle. At twelve, she didn’t move as fast as she once had. Her brown eyes were cloudy with age. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he saw a text from Jenna. He’d given her his real number, the first of the women he’d allowed to know a little piece of the real him.

I had a nice time tonight. Thank you for the drinks and excellent conversation.

Jesus, what should he type back? Usually, Cherise did all the messaging. He thought about texting her, but it would be cruel. He actually waffled a bit, reminding himself he was paying her to do a job. She’d looked so sad, though.

Then his mind showed him what she’d looked like on the bed beneath him, her eyes rolled back in her head as she writhed in ecstasy. Sterling ran his hands over his face. He couldn’t ask Cherise for help. Not tonight, anyway.

So he texted Jenna back.
Me too. Really nice to meet you.

Now, he waited. The three little dots on the iPhone screen popped up; she was typing back. They disappeared. Re-appeared.

While he waited for her message, his mind insisted on looping back to Cherise. He hoped she was all right. He could go check on her, but he didn’t want to upset her.

She’d started it. He was just being friendly when she kissed him. But damn, he was glad she had. She wasn’t in love with him. She needed to blow off some steam, wanted to have some fun, knew he’d be game for it. And that would be it.

I’d love to go out again sometime.

Sterling waited a few minutes so it didn’t seem like he was glued to his phone. Cherise told him he shouldn’t appear too anxious, even though everyone knew both parties were sitting and staring at their phones—some weird modern dating ritual of trying to appear busier and more aloof than the other person. He could play the game. He checked his stocks on the phone. Everything doing fine. No new emails.

He’d waited long enough.
How about next week?
He started to type ‘Wednesday,’ but that was too far away.
How does Monday sound? Dinner?

Again, he saw the little dots pop up, fade away, and come back. She answered more quickly this time.
Monday sounds great.
She sent a smiley face with her text.

Sterling’s pleasure at seeing her enthusiastic acceptance was tempered by the thought of Cherise in the room next door, sleeping alone for the first time in how long? He tried to remember how long she said she’d lived with Ricky. A year? But they’d been together a lot longer than that. He didn’t understand why. It didn’t make sense to him. This was the kind of crap people in love had to put up with.

Luckily, he was immune.

He thought about his parents. What his father went through after his mother died. Her death had broken him and left him a shell of a man.

Ambrosia limped over to him and put her head on his knee. Loving a dog was bad enough. He wasn’t ready for her to go, and as he stroked her head between the ears where she liked it, he longed for more time with her.

Jenna suggested going to a sushi restaurant on the Upper West Side, one he’d never been to but had heard of. At a place like that he might run into people he knew, but it didn’t matter, he supposed. There was a strong chance this was the woman he’d marry. He’d be charming and friendly, then would let her in on his financial and living situation. She’d never be able to pass it up. Who in their right mind would?

He got ready for bed, taking Ambrosia up to the grassy rooftop garden to do her nightly business. Despite the city lights, he could still make out some stars. At this time of night, the stream of cars passing reduced to a trickle, and he spent a few moments at the railing, watching the little white headlights and red taillights below. A few cabs passed, with lit-up dome lights. From up here, he didn’t feel like part of the city.

Sterling made his way around the edge of the roof and paused, knowing he stood roughly above the king-sized bed in the guest apartment. He could call her. Could stop by. He had a key, after all.

It wasn’t right, though. Let sleeping dogs lie. Besides, he told himself, it was presumptuous to think she wanted anything more than a quick roll in the hay. It was all economics. Just like everything in life. Emotions only managed to complicate things.

His future held bright things. A second date with Jenna. Ben would like her, Sterling told himself again. And Ben was what mattered. When Sterling got ahold of Bachmann Entertainment Group, he’d truly be unstoppable. He wouldn’t even have to work anymore, as long as he hired people who could make sure the companies ran smoothly.

Scratching Ambrosia’s ears helped, but he felt like the only person in the whole city.

CHERISE

Cherise slept like the dead the first night in Sterling’s guest apartment, which was uncommon for her. She was usually a much lighter sleeper, especially in a new place.

The stress of the day, combined with the unexpected exertions of her frantic, passionate encounter with Sterling, must have put her out.

Still, she woke up before dawn, a little groggy and unsure where she was. She hadn’t pulled the blinds on the huge windows overlooking the city before bed. They were up so high, she had no need to worry about someone looking in, but the grey light outside made all the white in the bedroom glow. She felt like she was floating in a foggy sky. She stood and went to the window; all she could see outside were grey clouds. The room felt cold and impersonal. The sooner she left it the better.

Her body ached gloriously after Sterling had stretched and used her. Unbidden, her mind fantasized about a slower encounter where their two bodies got to know one another better.

She shut that line of thinking down fast.

The glass shower stall was about as big as the bathroom in her apartment, and although it had six shower heads, she only used one. Her toiletries looked small and temporary in the bathroom, reminding her she was a transient. She’d start looking for something for herself right away.

She found several breakfast options in the fridge. Eggs, bacon, and milk for cereal. And there was the fruit bowl Sterling left her. She spent a moment admiring the orchids. On a little table by the door, she found the latest iPhone, still in the box.

It was too much. He was being too good to her.

She had a nine o’clock meeting with Sterling to discuss his plan of attack with Jenna. She ate, watched some TV on the giant screen in the living room, and watched the fog roll back from the city, replaced by bright sun and blue skies.

She rode the elevator down to the 98th floor, where Sterling kept his office suite. After the night in the guest apartment, it didn’t seem quite so ostentatious. She wondered what his penthouse was like.

His receptionist, Jayne Butler, buzzed her through with a smile. Cherise couldn’t help looking at Jayne in a new light. Had Sterling bedded her as well? Probably. She was in her late twenties and extremely attractive.

He waited for her on the leather sofa by the window. Cherise noticed how quickly she had gotten used to some of these luxuries. After the view from upstairs, this one seemed only pretty good, whereas before, she’d thought it amazing.

“Cherise! Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“Good. Thanks.”

He sounded warm and genial, perfectly normal, not at all like he’d spent a fair amount of time the night before with his face between her legs. The memory made color rise to her cheeks, and her skin felt hot and too tight. A tingling between her legs reminded her she’d enjoyed his time there.

“Did you find everything all right? Can my staff get you anything?”

“No, I’m good. It’s great.”

“I’m glad.”

The contradictions in his warm smile made her remember this was a man who didn’t feel love. She wasn’t sure she believed that, actually. She chided herself for the thought. It was dangerous to assign other meanings to his affection.

“I have great news.”

“Hit me,” she said.

“Jenna texted back last night. She was into it. I made a date with her for next Monday.”

Great. Jenna. Yay. The one he was most interested in. And if he gave her his number, what would he need Cherise for?

“She texted you? You gave her your number?”

“Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?”

“It is. Good job.” She tried very hard to sound happy that the man she’d made love to—no, she reminded herself, the man she’d fucked—the night before was getting along well with the woman he’d kind of creepily decided was going to be his wife.

“So now what?”

“You’ve got a second date?”

“Yeah, in a couple of days.”

“Who’s up tonight?”

Sterling had to check his phone. “Helena.”

“You must be really excited about that one if you can’t even remember her name.”

“My memory just needed to be jogged.” He paused for a moment, looking at her. “How are you?”

“Fine.” It came out a little more defensively than she’d meant it to.

“You sure?”

What, did she look like she wanted to claw Jenna’s eyes out? Because she totally didn’t. Nope, not at all. “I’m sure.”

“It’s okay if you’re not. And it’s okay if you need to take a couple of days to sort things out.”

It dawned on Cherise all at once that Sterling was talking about Ricky and not about the sex last night. She felt like an asshole. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about Ricky, or that she wasn’t upset. It was just that she’d kind of given up on him quite a while ago, and he’d been so distant for so long that now that she was out, the breakup felt like more of a relief. Should she take a few days? What would she do with herself? No, she needed school and this job to keep her busy.

“Honestly, it was a long time coming. I’m kinda sad, but I’m okay.”

“I’m here for you, whatever you need. And please don’t worry about getting out of the apartment. I like having you over there. Makes it easy to get work done.”

Cherise forced a smile. “Great. So now you can pester me day and night with your inane dating questions?”

Sterling’s smile didn’t look forced at all, and Cherise hated how it made her feel. Not many people got to see the real Sterling smile. “Exactly. I’ll be bugging you about stupid stuff at four a.m.”