Filthy Rich, Wild with Lust

Chapter 25

“Our second fake date.” She smiles up at me.

I smirk, and then in slow motion she lifts my hand to her lips and kisses the back of it tenderly.

Uneasiness falls over me.

Don’t do that.

“I’m eating all the dessert tonight.” She smiles casually. “I wonder what the main course will be.” She kisses my hand again, completely distracted. “I’m hoping we can order whatever we want. I’m craving carbs.”

I stare at her as the walls close in around me. This feels very real -date-like.

The way she looks. The way I feel.

“You should stick to protein,” I mutter.

She giggles and nudges me with her shoulder. I nudge her back. She nudges me again.

“Juliet, don’t push your luck, or you will find yourself being f****d in the foyer of this hotel.”

She giggles. “You wish.”

I do, actually.

I clear my throat, annoyed by my body’s reaction to her. “A date is a date, and all date entitlements should be made readily available.”

“What?” She laughs. “So you think because we are on a fake date that we could actually have s*x tonight?”

“Who knows.”

“Hen...” She goes up onto her toes and kisses me softly. My hands instinctively snap around her waist. “I’m looking for something more regular.”

“With him?”

“No, not with him.”

“Then with who?”

“Someone I have chemistry with.”

I stare at her, choosing my next words wisely. The elevator doors open, thankfully cutting me off.

Hand in hand, we walk out through the foyer and head down the street. She chats away while my mind is running a million miles per minute.

This feels off.

I’m not on my game. Something is seriously wrong with this picture.

No.

Abort mission.

There’s to be no s*x with Juliet Drinkwater under any circumstance. Take it off the table, right now.

She’s my next-door neighbor, for f**k’s sake.

The only thing that’s sure to come out of this is a neighborhood disturbance.

We walk past a storefront window display; it’s a tower of fresh flowers, and she stops to look at it. “Hen, look how beautiful.” She slides her arm in under my coat jacket and puts it around me. She pulls me close as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

The disturbing thing is, it feels like it is.

Juliet

I feel Henley straighten beneath my arm and pull away from me. I glance up at him in question. “What?”

“What, what?” he replies curtly.

“Why did you just do that?”

“Do what?” He stares straight ahead at the window display, seemingly annoyed.

“Never mind.”

“Did you still want to grab a drink before we go?” I ask.

“If you want.”

“Where shall we go?”

He looks down the street. “There’s a bar over there.”

“Looks good.”

We make our way over to the bar and take a seat at the bench table by the window. It’s eclectic and moody, with a huge bar in the middle.

“Would you like a drink?” he asks.

“Yes, please.”

He raises an impatient eyebrow. “Such as?”

Gone is the playful and touchy man that was just here. Mr. Mercurial is now in his place.

“A margarita, please.”

Moments later he returns with two drinks, a margarita for me and an amber fluid for him. “Oh, what’s that?” I ask as he sits down at the table.

“Scotch.”

“Hmm, didn’t imagine that you’d be a scotch drinker.”

Amusement flashes across his face. “What did you think I would drink?”

I twist my lips as I think. “The blood of small children.”

He chuckles. “Tempting.”

“Actually, as far as alcohol goes, I would guess Jägerbombs.”

“And why is that?”

“You explode.”

“When have I ever exploded?”

“When my dog barks or makes a mess.”

“Ah yes, Barry the mutt.” He smirks.

I smile and take a sip of my margarita. “Oh, this is good, and don’t say it like that.”

“Say what?”

“Mutt.”

“Why not.”

“It sounds hot.” I smile. “Does things to me. Gives me tingles.”

“Mutt,” he mouths.

I smile goofily. “You should put that on your Tinder profile.”

“What?” he scoffs.

“‘I sound hot when I say the word mutt.’” I widen my eyes, and he chuckles.

I feel a little of our chemistry return.

“Actually, that’s a good idea,” I tell him.

“What’s a good idea?” he asks.

“You can help me write my friends-with-benefits Tinder profile.”

“No.” He screws up his face in disgust.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard of, that’s why. You’ll have every weirdo s*x maniac on the planet applying.”

“One can hope.” I smile into my drink.

He rolls his eyes. “It’s not going to work, you know.”

“What’s not going to work?”

“You won’t be able to do it. You’re going to fall in love.”

Would that be so terrible?

“No, I won’t,” I lie.

“I know how women like you are wired, Juliet.”

“Oh please.” I roll my eyes. “Do you now?” I sip my drink. “For the record, I have had a friends-with-benefits situation before, and it was perfect.”

“When?”

“In college.”

“With whom?”

“My roommate.”

He stares at me as if completely perplexed... or maybe it’s because he can sense that I’m lying through my teeth. Well, I’m not really lying. I did have a booty call with my roommate a few times in college, but then he got creepy and I panicked and moved out... so yeah, kind of friends-with-benefits-turns-into-serial-killer thingy.

“How long did you see him for?” he asks.

“A few months.”

“How did it end?”

“We mutually decided that we didn’t want to do it anymore.”

“I don’t believe that for a second—no man would give up sleeping with you.”

“Maybe I’m shitty in bed.”

Shut up. Aren’t you supposed to be selling the dream to him, you fool?

“Quite the opposite.” His eyes hold mine, and the air swirls between us.

He’s back.

“And what do you want from your man?” he murmurs.

Shit... think of a hot answer, and quick!

“I like to be challenged sexually.”

His eyes darken. “Do you...”

Just come out and say it.

“That’s why I was interested in doing this friends-with-benefits thing with you.”

He steeples his pointer finger up the side of his face as he leans on his hand. “Go on.”

“Well...” I pause as I try to get the wording right in my head. Don’t f**k this up. “You said that you are not looking for a relationship.”

“Correct.”

“You like to dominate in the bedroom.”

He stares at me for a beat before replying, “You’ll get attached.”

I sip my drink. “I think that if anyone is getting attached, it would be you.”

“I can assure you it won’t be me.”

Poor deluded fool.

“Good.” I smile. “That settles it.”

“Settles what?”

“You’re going to be my friend with benefits. There’s no reason we couldn’t have a business arrangement.”

Amusement flashes across his face as he listens. His pointer finger is still up the side of his face as he leans on his hand. “No.”

“Yes.”

“No, Juliet. I’m not negotiating a body fluid business deal with you.”

Time to play hardball.

I lean in close and put my mouth to his ear. “Are you trying to tell me that you wouldn’t like me on my knees sucking your c**k,” I whisper.

His eyes darken. “Not one bit.”

Liar.

“I like to swallow, you know.”

He holds my gaze, and something tells me I’m playing with fire.

“I know you do,” he murmurs.

Every cell in my body is screaming for me to stop, telling me how irresponsible and stupid this is. He wants s*x with no strings attached. He’s telling me this straight to my face.

Yet I know that deep down on some level he likes me, even if it’s just a little bit, even if it’s only for one night. I can’t let it go without seeing what there is between us. I know I can handle this.

“I like the way you make me feel, Henley.”

His eyes drop to my lips.

Fuck, sleeping with him is either going to be a major regret or a major achievement.

Either way, a definite heartbreak.

I slide my hand up his muscular quad.

“You could jump over the fence in the middle of the night and have your wicked way with my body and nobody would ever know.”

Fire lights in his eyes, and I know he’s imagining it. “It’s not happening,” he whispers distractedly.

I try to think on my feet. Offer something that I know he wants.

I lean in close again and run my teeth over his earlobe. “Do you want me to beg?”

The door busts open as we kiss, tongues exploring each other, hands in the hair, and off-the-hook chemistry erupting between us.

Shoes are kicked off, his jacket goes flying, and Henley’s lips are locked on mine as he walks me backward toward the bed. We didn’t even make it to his work thing, and I think I may have found his one weakness.

Dirty talk.

A few depraved things whispered in Henley James’s ear, and his d**k was so hard that it nearly ripped through his suit pants.

“Get it off,” he murmurs against my lips as he fumbles with the ties on my dress.

I undo the buttons on his shirt and tear his shirt over his shoulders.

My eyes drop to his chiseled body, down over his abs to the trail of dark hair that disappears into his pants.