“Tatum, you’re gonna make me come,” he said, pulling out of my mouth.
“I want to swallow your come. Do it in my mouth.”
He didn’t say another word. He grabbed the back of my head and slid himself back inside me. I just a few more thrusts, he’d filled the back of my throat, and as I swallowed, he looked down at me, a wicked smile on his face.
“Your turn,” he said, pulling me to my feet. He led me to the bed. “You look almost too good to undress, but I want to get my hands and my mouth on what’s beneath these clothes. He reached around behind me and unhooked my bra, throwing it aside as he took in the sight of my naked breasts. He slid the thong down as he bent to suck on my nipple, playing with the other with his hand. “Sit down.”
I sat on the edge of the bed and watched as he knelt between my legs. He reached around my hips and pulled me just to the edge of the bed.
“Lie back and enjoy yourself,” he said, pushing my shoulder back.
I stretched out and spread my knees wide, waiting for the touch of his tongue on my clit. He used his fingers to spread me open, and he put his mouth to my skin. I was lost in a wave of sensations, his fingers inside my pussy, his tongue working my clit. He raised a hand to my breast and squeezed my nipple as he licked harder, bringing me close to a climax. As I arched my back and was about to come, I felt him pull his fingers from my pussy. He found my ass and gently, slowly, pushed a finger inside, and I lost all control, swept away by the waves of my orgasm. I could feel the muscles of my ass tightening and releasing on his finger, and by the time my orgasm ended, I was sure I was incapable of rational speech.
“That’s just the beginning, Tatum,” Reed said, standing up and reaching for a glass of champagne. “We have all night long.”
When I woke up the next morning, before I even opened my eyes, I felt Reed’s arms around me and the warm length of his body pressed against me from behind. I thought about getting up early and making coffee, but I remembered it was Saturday and I didn’t have anywhere to be. I fell back asleep, knowing that waking up next to Reed was something it would be easy to get used to.
The next two weeks were a blur. Reed and I both worked hard, he on catching up on his regular clients and I on the big case we expected to settle in record time. Practically every moment we weren’t working, we spent together. I’d gotten to meet Laura and Henry, and the little boy showed every sign of becoming just as charming as his father and much older brother. He’d stolen my heart—or he would have if my heart didn’t belong to Reed.
Tina had agreed to Dad’s terms with very little argument, and though she still wasn’t speaking to Reed, he figured she’d come around sooner or later. She’d gone full-time with her yoga teaching position, and I thought it was probably good for her to have something positive to do, even if it wasn’t particularly profitable.
The evening we’d all been looking forward to had finally arrived. In just a few hours, Gordon Gentry would take the stage at Mandalay Bay, along with a dozen or so other famous performers—all to benefit Dad’s campaign. The publicity leading up to the show had been even better than we’d hoped, and Stanford’s precious polls showed Dad even with his opponent.
“So you’re picking Stanford up?” I asked Garrett. I didn’t want to make too big a deal out of the fact that the two of them were spending more time together, mostly because both of them seemed kind of shy about the whole thing. “I’m surprised he didn’t book a room there so he could spend the entire day fretting about how it’s going to go.”
“He’s been working really hard on this. Don’t make fun of him, Tatum.” Garrett was standing in front of his bed, holding up his gray vest with different shirts, trying to decide what to wear to the concert.
“I’m not. Seriously, I know how lucky Dad is to have him working on the campaign.”
“Gray shirt or white shirt?” He held both up.
“White, definitely.” I turned to go shower and get ready. “Dad told me I didn’t need to get dressed up. What do you think?”
“Honey, I think you’re going to be photographed six ways to Sunday. You don’t need to be dressy, but you sure need to look good.”
“Don’t I always?”
“As long as you’ve been getting to the gym regularly.” Garrett put his discarded clothes back in the drawer. “I know you’ve been getting another kind of workout, but you’d better show up for class soon, or you won’t recognize that ass.”
“Jesus, you’re persistent.”
“It pays off, honey.”
“I know. I promise I’ll get back in the swing of things.”
“You can always bring that handsome boy toy of yours, you know. He won’t keep those muscled abs forever without a little work.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him you said that.” I paused and decided to just ask the question I’d been wondering about. “So are you and Stanford an item?”
“We’re getting there. He’s finally admitted to me that he thinks he’s gay, and he’s attracted to me.”
“Wow. That’s a start.”
“Yeah. He’s just worried about what people will think.”
“Well, no one should understand that feeling better than you do.”
“I’ve told him that if he’s brave enough to come out, then I will be, too.”
I crossed the room and gave Garrett a hug. “Good for you. You know I love you no matter what, but I think you’d be happier if you were honest with everyone, even your family.”
“I know you’re right. It’s just hard.”
“Having someone special to share the experience with may help.”
“That’s what we’re hoping.”
“Oh my God. You’re a ‘we’ now?”
“Maybe,” he grinned. “Now go get gorgeous. Reed will be here before you know it.”
I took the time to straighten my long, blonde hair, pleased with the shiny look over my tanned shoulders. I’d figured if I was going to be at a rock concert, then I should look the part, so I’d found a black leather halter top and paired it with skinny jeans and strappy black heels. Long gold earrings and my necklace from Reed completed the outfit. I was smudging on my smoky, dark eyeliner when Reed walked into my room.
“Good God, you’re gorgeous.”
“Exactly the response I was looking for,” I said, turning to check him out. He wore frayed jeans and a T-shirt that looked molded onto his muscles, and the visible tattoos made him look dangerously hot. “Very nice, yourself.”
“You’re sure you’re okay with going out on stage at the beginning of the show? There will be cameras on you.”
“I’m fine with it. If I have you by my side, I can handle anything.”
“Well, then let’s get out of here. Garrett was headed out when I came in. Said he’d meet us there.”
Reed opened the door of his Tesla and the ride to the Mandalay Bay was over quicker than I expected. Though I acted like it was no big deal to handle all the publicity of the evening, the truth was that I was scared to death. I knew showing up with Reed would capture a lot of the attention, and I was afraid I’d freeze up if reporters started asking questions. We pulled into the line for the valet, and Reed reached over and squeezed my hand.
“I’ll be right there with you every minute,” he said, clearly reading my discomfort. “We’ll take it on together.”
I smiled at him, just in time for my car door to open to the flashing of cameras. I heard my name being called out from dozens of reporters in the swarm of press. Reed was at my side in seconds, his strong hand holding mine, keeping me rooted in place.
“Smile,” he said through his teeth. “Give ’em a show, and maybe they’ll leave you alone.”
I grinned wide, turning in a circle with Reed, letting everyone get their fill of us, knowing we were an attractive couple. Reed was starting to move toward the door, when I put my hand on his arm.
“Kiss me,” I whispered.
And he did. He bent down and laid one on me as the flashes went crazy. We held the kiss for what felt like an eternity, before we separated and headed inside with a wave.
“That’ll give ’em something to talk about,” I said, hearing Reed chuckle.
Once we made it past the paparazzi, we were whisked backstage to visit with Gordon, Laura, and Henry before the show.
“You’re sure you don’t mind if Henry joins you in your box?” Laura asked Reed and me.
“Of course not,” Reed answered. “He’ll have a better view, and he won’t be underfoot backstage.”
Dad put his hand on my arm. “You’re welcome to join us onstage before the show kicks off—both of you.”
“I think Reed and I did our part for your publicity machine when we came in, Dad. We’ll smile and wave from our seats.”
“Whatever you want, honey. I’m just glad you’re here.”
Gordon stood up. “Let’s get this fuckin’ party started.” He turned to Henry. “That’s showbiz talk, kiddo. Not appropriate for you.”
Henry rolled his eyes. “I know, Dad. You say that all the time.”
Reed, Henry, and I made our way to our seats, where we’d be rubbing elbows with some of the big-hitter donors to the campaign. Once we found our box, I excused myself to use the ladies’ room. When I came out, one of the box attendants approached me.
“Miss Monroe, there’s someone who wants to see you. She said she didn’t want to come inside, and she’ll only take a moment of your time.”
I was apprehensive, but I looked over and saw Reed and Henry head-to-head, poring over the program, and I didn’t want to disturb them. “Okay. Where is she?”
“Right this way.”
He led me out the door of the box, into the hallway, and I could hardly believe my eyes.
“Tina? What are you doing here?” For a second I was a little scared, worried that she was going to freak out and hit me or do something equally crazy.
“Tatum, I’m sorry to interrupt your evening, but I have to talk to you—just for a minute.”
“Okay,” I answered, warily. “How did you get in?”
“I went to school with one of the security guys. He let me in for free.” She stepped closer to me. “Your father won’t answer my calls or emails, and I have to get a message to him.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s blocked every way you can contact him. You really hurt him, Tina.”
She shook her head, and for the first time since I’d met her, she actually seemed sincere. “I’ll stop trying to talk to him, then. I just need you to give him a message for me.”
“Depends on what it is.”
“Will you tell him I’m sorry?”
“That’s it?”
“That’s most of it. I don’t know exactly why I did what I did, but it was wrong—all of it. I think I was just overwhelmed by finally having more money than I knew what to do with, and the pressure of the campaign and feeling like I was an imposter—well, it was all just too much for me, and I just kind of lost it.”
“I’ll tell him.” I turned to leave, but I stopped when she put a hand on my arm.
“The worst part about it is that I really did love him, Tatum. I need Donald to know that. I loved him, and I screwed everything up. I’m sorry.”
My heart thawed just a bit. “I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear that, Tina. It may help him deal with the mess you left behind.”
She gave me a sad little smile. “Thank you. I saw you and Reed going into the box. You both look very happy. Will you tell him I miss him?”
“I will.”
“I understand that he wants some space after the shit I pulled, but I hope he’ll let me back in at some point.”
Tina looked so earnest, so sad, that I actually, for the first time, felt sorry for her.
I reached out and gave her a hug. “I’m sure he will. He just needs a little time.”
She started to cry as she thanked me. “Go on,” she said, turning me around. “Enjoy the show. And tell your dad I’ll pay him back every penny I took. I shouldn’t have done it, and I’ll make it right.”
“I’ll tell him.”
I walked back to the box slowly, unsure if I should tell Reed about my encounter with his mom. I decided to wait until after the show. There was no sense bringing it up in front of Dad’s donors or Henry. I’d let the man I loved enjoy seeing his father finally step up and do something right for his son. I took my seat next to the brothers, and Reed turned to look at me.
“Everything okay? Where’d you go?”
I put a hand on his knee. “Everything’s just fine.”
The emcee of the show took the stage and called my dad out for a huge round of applause. I could see Stanford just off the edge of the stage, keeping a watchful eye on Dad. Dad started in on a long list of people he wanted to thank—Gordon chief among them, and when he finally mentioned all the big money contributors and the musicians who would be performing, he held a hand out to the side.
As the spotlight swept over the stage and illuminated the wing Dad gestured at, Stanford came into view—right in the middle of a kiss with Garrett. The two stumbled apart, and both Garrett and Stanford looked positively terrified … until the applause started, led by my father.
“Thank you to Stanford, my faithful campaign manager, who is certainly deserving of some happiness after the long hours he’s put in for me.”
Stanford gave an embarrassed little wave, reaching out and taking Garrett’s hand as they backed out of the spotlight.
“Well, that resolves one more issue,” I said, leaning over toward Reed. “Garrett’s phone will be ringing right about now, I suspect.”
“Will he be okay?” Reed asked, looking concerned.
“I’m sure he will. Sometimes you have to be stronger than you realize, but the payoff is always worth it,” I said, leaning forward to kiss him.
He put an arm around both me and his little brother, as Gordon took the stage, shaking hands with my dad and playing the first few notes of his best-known song. As the music took off, my dad started to dance at the edge of the stage.
“Jesus, Stanford should yank him off the stage. If people see him dancing like that, they’ll never vote for him,” I laughed quietly to Reed, making sure no one else in the box could hear.
Henry piped up. “I think your dad’s cool.”
“You know what,” I said, leaning over toward him. “You’re right, and your dad’s cool, too.”
The show started, and Reed reached over and took my hand, squeezing it as we watched Gordon perform. In my wildest dreams, I never would have believed I’d be smiling, waving, and even kissing for the camera, and I certainly wouldn’t have believed I’d be falling in love with a man who was—at least for a few more weeks—my stepbrother.