Read Touch me if you dare: Alpha Billionaire Romance (The Secret Matchmaker Book 2) Online
Authors: L.N. Pearl,S.K. Lee
"Unbelievable," I mumbled, realizing quickly that my new favorite descriptor for the girl who had swept into my life was spot on. She was incredibly hot, intelligent, cocky and yet beckoned to my needs as I pushed them on her. I would have to turn things up a little when I got her in the bedroom, but I had no doubt that she would be up to the challenge and pass my tests with flying colors.
I groaned as I tucked myself back into my slacks and worked to get my tie back on. Our compatibility from a personality standpoint was looking good, but the way we fucked... magical. I would miss her like hell when she found me the perfect match. The thought caused my chest to ache in a way that put me a little on edge, but I quickly swallowed it down.
I was no one's lap dog, nor would I ever be. Falling for a woman like Lila was a one way ticket to losing myself.
"Not happening." I mumbled and turned as she walked back in the room.
"What's not happening?" she asked, her voice a little thick with a hint of the lust I saw on her pretty face moments before.
"You matchmaking me with a woman that can't keep up in the bedroom." I smirked and moved to shuffle through a few papers on my desk.
"Of course that isn't happening. I know how you like it and most women wouldn't be at all compatible with you." She walked toward the window and I glanced over at her, visualizing her naked and pressed to the long pane of glass.
"Do you guys question the women and men you bring in on their sexual preference?"
"Yeah." She looked over her shoulder. "You sound surprised."
"I guess I am." I slipped my hands into my pockets and tried to pull my mind from the gutter. I enjoyed sex and fantasizing, but it had been a long time since my cock had taken control of my every thought. This chick had sent me into a whirlwind that I wasn't sure I could get out of.
At least not while she's around me.
"Why? I would think you, of all people, would understand how important it would be for us to gather information on sexual preferences." She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the glass. A ray of sunlight moved through the room and covered her in its brilliance, leaving her to look ethereal.
"True. My sexuality is quite important to me, and honestly it’s the way I show my emotions to the woman I'm with." I shrugged. "But really, I'm more concerned with how you go about gathering the information."
She laughed and shook her head. "We don't gather anything. We ask questions."
I let out a quick puff of air. "Good. I thought maybe our quickie was going to become the subject of a form you filled out somewhere along the line."
"Um, no. I don't sleep with my clients, Asher. You're a special situation that won't happen again." She walked over, stopping beside me, and reaching up to wipe the side of my mouth. "And I wouldn't be sleeping with you either, if you hadn't made such a compelling offer."
"You did the other night." I smirk, wanting to egg her on a little.
"True, but that was supposed to be a one night stand." She shrugged and looked me dead in the eye.
"And you didn't want to hook up again? Not at all? Not in the slightest?" I couldn't help but prod her a little. She wanted me as much as I wanted her, but I wasn't sure if that would remain the case after a little bit of time. I was looking for someone, and she would fit the bill perfectly, but she wasn't... or so she said.
"Nope. Not in the slightest. One night was plenty and I was beyond satisfied with your performance." She turned and walked toward the small table where her purse sat.
A knock at the door took my attention off responding with something snarky. I walked past her without a word and opened it angrily.
Cindy lifted her hands as if offering a surrender of sorts. "Sorry, Mr. Harrington. There’s no fire in the building, but you do need to get going to make your tee time this afternoon. I know how you hate to be late."
"Is that today? Shit." I glanced over my shoulder and up to the clock on the wall. "Call them and tell them I'll be there shortly."
"Of course, Sir." Cindy left and I walked quickly to my desk and pulled out my keys and country club ID.
"Do you golf, Lila?"
"Not really, but I’ll just head back to the office. I don't want to be a bother." She smiled and picked up her things.
"No. Come with me. You wanted to see me in my element. This will be a perfect place for you to observe me. I'll get an extra golf cart and you can ask all the questions you want as we ride from hole to hole." I slipped the card in my pocket and held up the keys. "I have my Ferrari today. It drives like sex on wheels. You'll love it."
"Can I touch the gear shift?" she asked and narrowed her eyes a little.
There's the kitten from the club.
"Baby, give me that look and use that voice, and you can touch anything you want." I smiled as she laughed, enjoying the sound of it far more than I should.
***
We made up time on the way to the country club, seeing that the traffic wasn't too terribly bad. She didn't say much. I figured she was either analyzing what she had seen during the day with me, or thinking about the good fucking I’d given her on my desk. It was rushed and fast, much like the session in the car.
I wanted something slow and more exploratory, but it wasn't going to happen anytime soon, and perhaps it shouldn't. I was already planning out bits of the future with her involved, which was dangerous. Really making love to her would only drag me in farther. She was wicked and hot. I needed to keep seeing her simply as a good time and quit considering any other possibilities.
That's the way she sees you. It's only fair.
The valet met us at the car and I walked quickly toward the ornate glass doors, holding them open for Lila and watching her closely as she glanced around the foyer.
"Have you been here before?" I asked and waved at the group of guys that were waiting for me by the cart entrance.
"Actually, yes." She smiled and moved up beside me. "I find a lot of potential clients here. Seems that wealthy single men play a lot of golf."
I couldn't help but laugh as I held my black card out to the younger man at the cash register. "You have me pegged, hm?"
"You came to my firm, remember?" She turned and smiled at the boy.
The blush on his cheeks annoyed me a little, but I couldn't exactly figure out why. A pretty girl smiled at him. No big deal.
"I did, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made thus far in my life." I winked at her and nodded toward the group of guys my age. "These are some of my business associates that like to pretend we’re friends. Watch the onslaught of bullshit that heads our way."
She chuckled and lifted her chin a little. "I'm used to it. Should be fun."
"Business is never fun."
"Is this about business?" She glanced at me. "I thought you were playing for pleasure."
"I never mix the two. These old boys are colleagues, and one of them a client. You come here to find horny old men a wife, and I come here to find them a new piece of property."
She laughed again and shook her head. "It's not the old ones you have to watch out for. It's you young bucks."
Jerry, a guy I went to college with let out a loud laugh as we approached. "Asher, you old bastard. Who is this pretty thing? Certainly she's not calling you a young buck?"
I smirked and turned to Lila. "I do believe she is. Lila, this is Jerry, Mark and Carl. Guys, this is Lila. She's working with me on a project and will be enjoying this lovely round of golf with us this afternoon. Behave yourselves."
"I'm going to enjoy whooping your ass in front of your new associate." Mark winked at Lila and she simply smiled.
"Right. Let's get moving. The day’s not getting any younger and from the looks of things... you guys aren't either." I opened the door and held it as Lila walked through, followed by my make-shift friends.
Carl brought up the rear and made sure to glance over at me with a look of lust on his face. "Please tell me she's not
with
you."
"Why?" I glanced up to watch my other two friends strike up a conversation with the pretty girl who was quickly stealing my thoughts.
"Because I want a shot at her. She's gorgeous and fuck me if her eyes don't speak of nasty thoughts..."
I popped him in the chest and narrowed my eyes at him. "She's a lady. Treat her like one."
"Sorry dude. Shit." He growled at me and I popped him again.
Anger burned inside of me and I pushed it away, not needing to analyze my emotions too much. The afternoon was beautiful and the smell of my girl was still on my fingers, her lust on my tongue. I had nothing to be concerned with or jealous about. It was me who had laid her across my desk and made her come twice not more than an hour ago.
She glanced back at me as the others moved up to get the carts. "I can just stay here if you want, Asher. The carts only hold two people."
Carl moved up closer to us. "Actually they can hold up to four. I'll just share one with you and Asher. You can ride shotgun."
"I wanna drive." Lila smiled at Carl and he nodded, his eyes a little too wide for my liking.
"You can drive if you like." I reached out and took her hand before walking us outside. "Carl can get the cart for us. You sure you don't want to play a little?"
"I'm absolutely positive." She reached up and pushed her hair behind her shoulders before tugging her hand from mine. "No making the other boys jealous. You and I aren't together, remember?"
I smirked and lifted my fingers to my nose, breathing in deeply. "Sure feels like it when I let myself forget the truth of our reality."
"So naughty, Asher." She leaned in closely and pressed her breasts against my chest. "I wanted more, but you were in a hurry."
I started to respond, but the catcalls from the others left me having to deal with them.
"I'll respond to that later," I grumbled and walked to the cart, waiting for her and Carl to get on before taking off. My cock swelled with the anticipation of her need for more, but there was no way anything else was happening for a bit, at least not until I finished my golf game.
***
We worked through the first two holes without too much competition, all of us guys having played together for years and being rather equally yoked. By the fourth hole, Carl had pulled ahead a little and I was up next.
Lila wasn't around, and I couldn't help but pause to find her after dropping my ball on the green. Not that I was worried about her safety, but she hadn't mentioned sneaking off, and my three friends were standing near me.
"Where's Lila?" I turned to them.
Carl jerked his thumb over his shoulder and I followed his motion.
Lila was laughing with a beautiful smile on her face that reached all the way to her eyes. The tall guy in front of her looked a little too old to be so close to her, but it was somewhat hard to tell his age. She reached out and touched the man's chest as he clamped his hand over her fingers and leaned down, whispering something into her ear.
Her cheeks colored and she laughed again, but damn if I couldn't tell what was going on. He leaned down and pulled her into a tight hug and she wrapped her arms around him, patting his back and accepting the hug that happened to last a little too long.
What the fuck is that?
"Dude. Stop staring at the chick and hit the fucking ball," Jerry barked at me.
"Shut the fuck up." I glared at him and tried to focus on the task at hand, which did me no good. I swung and missed the ball entirely, which was something I hadn't done since high school. I let out a growl and swung again, this time connecting with the ball, but sending it way off into the trees.
"Wow. We just found our pot of gold," Mark said, and laughed. "Bring a pretty girl that Asher's interested in, and it fucks his game up real good. We might actually win today, girls."
I grabbed my cock and shook my head at them. "Suck me."
"I don't think it's us you want on our knees, pretty boy," Carl added his two cents and popped my butt as I walked by, glancing back over to see Lila still talking to the guy.
I didn't like it in the slightest. Aggravation rolled over me and it took everything inside me to keep from marching over there, punching the guy in the mouth and throwing her over my shoulder.
Yeah, like the caveman I am. What the hell is the matter with me?
Possession. She was mine and watching her flirt with some other fucker she was probably boning was driving a stake deep into my pride.
A group of men moved down the path beside us and one of them glanced over at me and stopped.
"Lila?"
"Craig? Hi." I laughed and got out of the cart, walking quickly to him.
He reached out and touched my shoulders, the large older man hovering over me by a foot and a half. He had been a basketball player in college and still carried himself really well.
"What are you doing here, girl?" He laughed again and I couldn't help but smile. He was an old client of mine and his positive persona was contagious.
"I'm here with a client of mine. Just learning more about him before starting to work his file, much like I did yours." I glanced back at Asher and noticed him moving toward the green. I had a few minutes to kill, and a friendly face was comforting in the midst of so many strangers. "How's your game today?"
He leaned over and pressed his lips to my ear, surprising me a little. "Not so great, but I told the boys I'm having problems with my knees."
He moved back and I smiled up at him, chuckling softly. "And are you having problems with your knees?"
"Hell no. I'm as right as rain."
"Well, I'd not go that far." I lifted an eyebrow and yelped softly as he moved in for a big bear hug. I returned the gesture and patted him on the back like I would a stranger to tell them thanks for the affection, but no thanks.
I stepped back and tilted my head to the side. "Tell me about Meredith. You guys still doing okay? Any plans for a family on the way?"
"Oh hell no. You know how us guys are. We think we know what we want and then we get it and realize that it’s not at all what we were after."
"Really? I thought you guys were great together. How long did it last?" Disappointment rushed through me, but I pushed it back down. I had done my job properly. Wealthy men never really found what they were looking for, at least that's the way it had worked out in my career thus far. They thought they could pinpoint their desires, but most of them went through women like they did underwear and simply ended up sad and alone as they grew older.
"Six months. That long distance shit was too much to deal with."
Someone called to Craig and he turned for a moment before pulling a small white business card from his back pocket. "I'd love to try again. Call me and we'll set something up."
"Sounds like a plan."
He leaned over and kissed my cheek before walking toward his friends. Glancing back, he yelled his parting remarks. "Good seeing you, girl. You look beautiful as ever. Call me."
"I will." I turned and walked back toward Asher as he dropped the ball to the green.
Carl moved up beside me and let out a soft snort.
"What?" I glanced over at him. "Is it not going well for the boss man?"
Asher turned his head toward me and narrowed his eyes. "I'm fine."
The pinched sound of his voice said very clearly that he was not at all, in any way, fine.
"What happened?" I whispered to Carl.
"He missed the first swing, hit the next one in the woods and is going to fuck this one up too." Carl chuckled as Asher stood back up and turned a hard stare our way.
"I'm right fucking here. I can hear you two."
"Good. Stop bitching and hit the damn ball." Mark threw his hands in the air.
The drama had escalated quite a bit since I left, which was odd. The guys seemed like the kind of men who could have a little bit of fun without turning it into a pissing contest, but maybe not.
"Fuck it. I'm done." Asher walked back to the golf cart and poked Carl in the chest with his club. "Ride back with them. I'm taking Lila back to the office and you guys can sit on a dick and rotate."
"Damn, man... who pissed in your cereal this morning?" Jerry called after Asher, but he didn't turn around.
"Your mother," he muttered and glanced toward me. "Get in the cart. Now."
I waved at the other guys and shrugged my shoulders apologetically. I hadn't seen Asher have any emotions other than lust and calmness.
This should be interesting.
I took my seat next to him, leaned back and crossed my legs, remaining quiet until we reached the clubhouse.
He parked the golf cart at the back of the line of other carts and glanced over at me, a terse look on his handsome face.
"What's wrong? Tell me what triggered you being upset so that I can make a note of it and not do it again if it was my fault." I felt at a loss for what to do. Something kicked him over the edge and fast. Maybe it was something one of his friends did, or maybe he was one of those ridiculously competitive men that started acting like a baby if things didn’t go his way.
"I'm fine and I don't need you taking notes on my mood swings. I'm a goddamn human like everyone else," he barked at me and got off the cart, jerking his club bag off the back and stomping toward the clubhouse.
His words stung a little, but I refused to let them affect me. I didn't have a heart anymore, so he couldn't really hurt me. No one could. I got off the cart and walked behind him, keeping to myself until he whipped around and took a step toward me.
"Who was that guy? The one you were making out with while I was trying to play?" Anger sat on his features and his eyes blazed with intensity that had me wanting to take a step back.
"What? What guy? I didn't make out with anyone." I lowered my voice, but took the last step between us, not willing to back down.
"Let's see... he whispered something into your ear. He hugged you for entirely too long and he kissed your cheek. Let's throw in the fact that he's expecting you to call him and he thinks you're hot." He growled and released the bag from his grip. The sound of it hitting the floor drew attention to us.
"He's a friend, and it's none of your business," I bit back at him.
"Right. A friend. A client. Like me? I'm sure you have lots of friends or clients or fuck buddies like me? Right?" He leaned down, staring at me menacingly.
"He was a client and I helped him find a wife, Asher. I already told you that I don't have relationships with other men simply because I'm not interested in anything long-term."
"Friends with benefits isn't long-term, Lila. Just how many
friends
do you have?"
"It's my job to be nice to people, Asher. My personal life is my own and honestly I've answered that question several times today. You're not listening." I turned and walked toward the club house as he called after me.
"How many men have you fucked, Lila? How many have fallen to your skills?"
I glanced over my shoulder as horror rolled over me. Several of the older people around me turned and pinned me with a stare that made my skin crawl. They thought I was a whore, a woman who would give myself away for... for gain.
Crap. I am.
"Fuck you." I turned and walked into the club house, moving to the front door and not stopping though he called my name several times. Tears burned my eyes and I jogged toward the exit, taking a sharp turn and finding a cab near the end of the street. I wiped my eyes quickly. I didn't need help finding a place to build my business and I certainly wasn't going to turn into a whore to do it.
The agreement with Asher was mutual, something I wanted because I was free to make my own fucking choices and do what I wanted with my body. Not anymore.
"Lila. Wait. I just don't know anything about you." He was closer than I thought.
I whipped around and pushed at his chest. "It's none of your concern. I'm nothing more than a means to finding you a wife, remember? Your personal slut until this deal is over."
"Lila."
"I'm going back to the office, Mr. Harrington. I'll let you know if I'm still interested in anything you have to offer by tomorrow. I'll also work on a file for your best match profile."
"Don't go." His voice held a hint of hurt, but there was far more angst than kindness. He was demanding me to stay.
"I have all I need for the day. Enjoy your evening." I turned and walked to the cab, letting a few of the tears fall now that I was away from the prying eyes of this man who was nothing more than a user.
Fine. I could play that game with the best of them.