I Love My Chance (Nicole's Erotic Romance 3) Read online

  I rest my elbows on the table, one hand holding my glass. “So?”

  Mark looks younger as he searches for the right words, less sure of himself. It’s charming. “You said something last night.”

  “Did I? What’d I say?”

  He takes a deep breath and laughs, shaking his head and looking away. “Well, you said you don’t want to be in a relationship. You actually warned me.”

  It’s my turn to look away. I laugh nervously, taking another sip, quickly. Playing with my napkin, I say, “I warned you? How rude of me.”

  His eyes dance as they meet mine. “It was very rude.” A mischievous smile tugs at his sexy mouth.

  My eyes go innocent, and I shrug. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I said that?”

  He nods very slowly, biting his lip and his look is enough to make me wish we were alone. “You know you did.”

  I stare at his mouth, my mood changing. “Did I?”

  He leans forward. In a deep, sexy voice, he says, “Yeah,” drawing out the single syllable until it seems to lick my earlobes.

  Oh my. I lean forward, pausing for drama. “I lied.”

  His eyebrows shoot up. His face changes several times as surprise has its way with it. “All of a sudden lying seems hot.” He watches me laugh, as his eyes smolder. He reaches for my hand again. “I don’t want to see anyone else.”

  I turn his hand over and trace the lines on his palm. “Neither do I. When is your flight?” Dammit. Why’d I have to go and say that? Saying it out loud hurts.

  He frowns. “Tomorrow morning.”

  My whole body sinks. We weave our fingers, lightly caressing them together. “That soon. For some reason I thought I thought it was at night.”

  He looks down, releasing my hand. “I hate it, too.”

  We stay silently as the server comes back. I shoot him a look and shake my head. He turns and goes away again. I look back to Mark, who’s waiting for what I have to say.

  “I have an idea,” I say quietly.

  He gets hopeful. “Yeah? I’m listening.”

  “Why don’t I tell my girls I’ll see them another time… just you and me tonight.”

  His shoulders shift, relieved. He doesn’t ask me if I’m sure. He doesn’t act like he’s putting me out and is that okay, like some weenie. He just takes the oppourtunity as it’s presented and says, “That sounds incredible.”

  This feels right. I really want them to meet him...I do. What a weird feeling for me, for me to want to introduce them to a man I’ve met. Three years is a long time to not have done that. Too long. But it can wait. I don’t want to share him.

  “Let me just tell them.”

  He nods, and sits back in his chair, watching me pull out my phone.

  I text Jess: Hi love. Can’t tonight after all. He’s leaving in the morning. I want to spend as much time with him as I can. How’s tomorrow night?

  Looking up at him, we share a happy look, excited to be on the same page, excited to be spending a whole evening alone. My phone vibrates in my hand and I look down.

  Jess: Oooooooo. Sexy sexy! Have fun! And yes, tomorrow works! Love you!

  I meet his eyes long enough to say, “She’s fine with it.”

  “I like her already,” Mark smiles.

  I look down and text back: Love you, too!

  Two Hours Later

  Walking into the lobby of Thompson Gild Hall where Mark is staying, we stroll holding hands to the elevator. I look around. From the cool mix of wood and stone, to the modern furniture rocking a 1960’s retro vibe. to the packed bookshelves, to the silver antler-shaped chandeliers, I can tell this hotel caters to the men who work on Wall Street. It’s nestled in the financial district, after all. But the masculine décor strikes me as another sign that women still haven’t balanced out the gender ratio in some of the more powerful professions. This place is designed to appeal to men, not women. But I keep this annoyance to myself. I do like the vibe. It’s a very nice hotel and my artist’s eye can’t help but picture men with pipes sitting in the lobby oozing smoke and ego, with women on their arms in beehive hairdos, dying for the sexual revolution to start, panties pulling at the seams at the urgent need for freedom.

  Mark pushes the elevator button just as an older man in a suit walks up. The three of us wait, facing the doors.

  Mark throws me a sideways glance. “What’s got you smiling?”

  I look up at him. “Just happy.”

  The businessman looks over at me, then looks back to the closed elevator. He appears to be nearing fifty; graying hair, very distinguished and upper class. What was he thinking just then? The doors open and the three of us step in. Mark and I stand near the door, our sides touching. He puts his arm around me and I lean my head on him.

  “Excuse me,” the businessman says, as the door opens on floor two.

  “Oh, sorry.” I scoot closer to Mark to give the man room.

  After he steps out, he turns around and looks right at me. “It’s nice to see someone happy.”

  A smiling flush flashes across my face as the doors slowly close. He tips his hat just as he disappears.

  Mark laughs. I look sideways up at him. “That was nice of him.”

  “True though. It’s always nice to see someone happy.”

  I don’t tell him I don’t agree with him. There’ve been times when I’ve felt very lonely and happy people just made me more depressed. Like some of those nights I was a fifth wheel. That’s why I didn’t go out with everyone the night before Amber and Josh moved in together. I was in a dark place and seeing my girls paired off was something that would make it darker somehow. Have I wanted a relationship this whole time? I shiver at the thought. Who knows how to even do that anymore? One person – all the time? Letting them really see me, hold space for me… love me?

  The doors open and Mark lifts me off my feet to carry me out. I yelp in surprise, so lost in my thoughts, I didn’t expect this!

  “I’m glad you cancelled plans for me. I’m feeling very selfish right now.”

  I kiss him. “I can see them anytime.”

  “Mmhmm…” he says, and kisses me harder, escalating in an exciting steady build of burning desire. He carries me down the red-painted hallway, kissing me passionately. We bump into a wall by accident, and start laughing. “I should probably watch where I’m going.”

  “Pffth. Walking straight is overrated,” I say with a funny shake of my head, my eyes narrowing.

  He sets me down just long enough to find his room key, kissing me even as he slides it in the door. He picks me up again, tongue playing with mine, his hands exploring my body over my dress as we walk in, pulling it up and sneaking his hands in as the door closes and locks on its own behind us. We don’t make it to the bed. My hands fumble and pull at the buttons of his shirt. With my back to the wall, I pull his shirt off, undo his belt and pull out his engorged cock to stroke its crimson shaft, bending and kissing his chest. I reach and press my fingers to the small space underneath his sack, the little stretch of skin that’s so rarely touched. He groans with pleasure, head falling back, the muscles of his chest stretching tight, caught in the light of a single lamp set way on the other side of the room. I kneel down, lit by the warm, subtle glow of it, and take the tip of his cock in between my lips, alternating licking and sucking it. I wrap one hand around the mesmerizing fullness of him, and stroke him once. I take all of him into my mouth, aroused by the way his hips press toward me, gyrating and aching, begging me to keep going. I suck on him until his moans grow so loud that he reaches down and stops me, not wanting to cum without being inside of me. In a final French kiss, I run my tongue from the base of his cock all the way to the top, and look up with a devilish smile. He shakes his head and says, “Wow.” Then he crooks a finger in my direction, inviting me to rise. I face him, my pussy tight and tingling under the look he gives me as he slides my dress off over my head, throwing the dress so that it flies far, falling in a lovely crumpled ball. I hook
my legs around his hips. He moves my panties over as he pushes his fingers up into me, my liquids sliding down his fingers. I’m beyond wet. I moan long and low against his delicious mouth as he envelops me. He grabs my thighs, mashes his chest into mine, my lacy black bra still on. He’s moaning at the sweet slippery wet invitation my body has given him as he grabs his cock and slides it into me, pushing through my tightness. Our mouths crush each other as we push our tongues out. He hammers me deeply, holding onto both of my thighs, using them to pull me harder onto his stone-hard perfect cock, my back pressed into the wall. I grip onto his neck, his shoulders, his head, his chest – any part of him that interests me as I ride him. He whispers my name, “Nicole. Oh, God, Nicole,” hoarsely into my ear, bites and growls into my neck, slides in and out of me until my moans twist into panting screams, crying out as his fingers press into the underside of my thighs, into the tender skin of my ass. His chest becomes slippery with tiny beads of sweat. It heaves against mine. The strength of him, the feeling of being overpowered by sex, by him, by surrender – it unleashes the volcano inside me. I tell him over and over that I’m close – I’m about to cum. He nods and grunts, reaches under and tickles the hole of my ass as his mouth blends with mine, our bodies undulating in perfect harmony like we were made for this. It sends me into a whimpering mess as his cock keeps thrusting, overwhelming my senses. I wilt.

  “Too much for you?” he growls, still thrusting.

  “So good…so, so good,” I answer, barely above a whisper. “But you have to hold me up! I can’t move my arms!”

  His head swings back and his face contorts with pleasure, his neck exposed, strong and gorgeous. “Oh God. Yes!” I stare at it, rocked by sensations that stream out of my spirit as much my body as he explodes with abandon, yelling out, the veins in his neck throbbing in time as he pushes in deeper and holds there, wrapping his arms around me and burying his face in my neck. I kiss his cheek, as best I can, because my whole body is numb and throbbing with savage satisfaction.

  A tear falls down my cheek. He pulls back, having heard my breath catch. He looks at it, leans in and kisses it into my skin. I feel so happy that I can’t even believe it. Completely and totally…happy.

  The Next Morning

  Standing out on the curb in front of the hotel by his luggage, Mark kisses me goodbye. I’m smiling on the outside… dying on the inside. He looks into my eyes and of course, sees everything.

  “I’m going to be back very soon,” he says, touching my chin.

  I nod.

  “Hey. The show is only a little over a month away.” Hearing it, he shakes his head, looking away. “That feels like a long time away when I say it.”

  I reach up on my toes and kiss him, nod against his lips.

  “Your taxi’s here,” a valet calls to Mark.

  We pull apart and he picks up his luggage, walking with me to the waiting cab.

  “I’m nervous about the investors, Mark.”

  He looks sideways to me as he hands the cabbie his bags to put in the trunk. “Don’t be. I’ve seen your work – I want your work. Hell, I even dreamed of it!” He laughs. His smile falls as he sees my sadness. “It’s you and them, or just you. It’ll work out how it’s supposed to. Don’t worry.”

  Because I want to be strong, I force a smile. “So I guess everything’s going to be easy? Happy endings all around?”

  He kisses me. “Yep. That’s how it’s going to be.” He looks over at the cabbie who climbs slowly into the front seat, staring at us like a Peeping Tom. Mark looks back at me and makes a funny look. “I have to go.”

  I sigh. “Yep. That’s how it’s going to be.”

  Mark takes me in his arms. “You’re somethin’ else, Nicole. I’ll call you. All the time.” He kisses me.

  I smile, say nothing, and watch him get into the car. I bend down and wave at him. He pulls out his phone and points at it, indicating he’ll be calling. I nod and step back as they pull away and drive off. He turns in his seat and waves out the rear window, his tall body filling up the space. I stuff my hands in my coat pockets and watch until they turn a corner, until I can’t see them anymore, thinking, maybe everything will be easy this time. Maybe the universe wants to give me a chance at happiness… for once.

  Now how am I going to get back? I look around me. I could take a cab, but the subway’s far cheaper. The C train is by here. I’ll go take that and maybe call the girls and grab brunch. Or I could go home and take a nap.

  Who am I kidding? Here I am, pretending to be thinking normal things, like my heart isn’t falling apart from missing him two seconds in. Walking just a few yards up, I reach into my pocket to give a dollar to a homeless woman who sits on the sidewalk with her back against a cement wall. Her hand shakes as she takes it, and instantly I want to give her everything I have. I reach in and give her the few bills I’ve got on me.

  She smiles. “Bless you.”

  “Bless you, too,” I smile back.

  A horn honks behind me and my head jerks up. The cab Mark’s in drives up and stops on the other side of the street, having turned around. Shocked, I stare at Mark’s elated face as he waves and points to his phone. What? Is he still trying to convince me he’ll call?

  He jumps out of the cab and the cabbie gets out and unlocks the trunk.

  “What’s happening?” I yell across the street.

  “I’m staying another night!” he yells back, grabbing his luggage.

  I feel like I might burst into tears. “Seriously?”

  He looks for traffic and waits for cars to pass, his feet walking in place, aching to get to me. He shakes his head and yells out, “Yep! The investors want to meet with me again today! They caught me just in time!” He’s so happy, his hair blowing gently with the breeze, his grin shining brightly.

  I wait for him to dodge traffic, wringing my hands with excitement. He finally sets his luggage down in front of me and pulls me in for a reunited-kiss. I laugh against his lips. We look into each other’s eyes and I cup his face in my hands. “I can’t believe it!”

  “I know! They’re paying for the extra night in the hotel and the flight change fee!” He looks just as shocked as I feel.

  I whisper into his hair as I hug him, “Wow. And here I thought I was just giving her a couple dollars. I didn’t know she was magic.”

  He laughs, “What?”

  I hold him tight, breathing in his smell. “Nothing.”

  Late That Afternoon

  Struggling to catch my breath, I roll off him and stare at the ceiling of his hotel room. “Three times!”

  He laughs through gasps, reaches over and gropes for my hand. “I wish I didn’t have to leave.”

  I blink a few times, feeling like my little girl downstairs needs a break anyway. Wowza.

  “Well, if it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t be there. So let’s not mess with karma. Go.”

  “True,” he breathes, closing his eyes.

  “You want me to set the alarm for you?”

  He blinks, struggling against sleep. “No. I have to get up!” He groans, throws his feet off the bed and gets up. Heading for the bathroom, he looks back and asks, “You want to shower with me? I only have a minute, but we can rinse off.”

  I turn on my side, facing him with my hand on my hip. “Hell yes!”

  He gives me a sexy smirk and takes a picture of me with an invisible camera. “You’re gorgeous.” He shakes his head and exits into the bathroom. I stare after him, feeling warm all over, happier than a woman on her wedding day.

  I hear the water running, and slide off the bed. As I pass by a mirror, I see my hair all mussed up, my dark skin shining with a sex-glow and my face flushed from fulfillment. I have to stop and look because the reflection is projecting an image I’m unfamiliar with. I look like a better version of me.

  “Coming, Nicole?” he calls.

  “Yeah! Coming.” I touch my face and lean in to look at my eyes. They’re filled with light. Glowing. Wow. Pulling myself
away from the miracle shift, I walk in and find him already in. The clear shower door showcases his wet, shimmering naked skin, the lines of his muscles providing perfect waterfalls for the steaming stream. His eyes are closed as he faces the water, his face in it. His hands run through his hair, his ass flexing as his legs move to twist his body, making sure the water hits every surface. It’s a striking memory I will never forget.

  I climb in with him after pulling my hair up in a tight bun again. We bathe quickly, sharing kisses. His eyes dance wickedly when I wash and flinch from the soreness. “Pretty proud of yourself aren’t you?” I laugh.

  He rubs shampoo into his hair, then into his armpits, and grins. “Yeah.”

  I stand up straight, remembering something! How could I have forgotten?

  Mark’s face falls. “What?”

  “I forgot I’m supposed to see my girlfriends tonight. We’re going out for drinks.”

  He sticks his head under the stream to wash the suds out of his hair, squinting at me though the splashing water. I lay my hands on his stretching stomach.

  “Don’t cancel again. I’ll meet you there after the dinner.”

  “Really? You want to?”

  He smiles, and leans forward. He slides his arms around me. “I’m brave. I can meet the girlfriends.”

  I give him a sideways smile, teasing him. “It’s a big step, Mark.”

  He shrugs, gives his head a little shake. “How bad can it be? I already met Amber.”

  “True.” I watch him bend and turn off the water. He reaches for a towel and hands it to me, taking a second one for himself. I grin at the idea. I have another chance to show him off! Not that he’s a prize or anything. Just that… oh, I know what I mean. “Okay. Sounds good.” I let out a squeal. “Oooooo I’m so excited!”

  He smacks me on the ass as he steps out to get dressed.

  Twelve Minutes Later

  Mark and I kiss goodbye as he gets into yet another cab to leave me for the second time today. The mood is night-and-day-different this time, knowing we’ll see each other in only a few hours.