Getting the Goods Read online

  It gave me a taste of what life could actually be like, if I were a different man, and now that she’s gone, I long for that feeling again.

  I know that I just need time to move on from her, and time to forget the way that she made me feel. I know that once I’m able to get her off of my mind, I will again learn to love being alone.

  At least, I think that I will. Right now, I can’t be sure, because that woman has my mind so completely spun out. I can’t seem to stop thinking about her and wondering if she’s carrying my child. Not that I have any claims on the kid, because I most certainly don’t. That was all part of our agreement, after all.

  And even though I know that I need to forget about her, and forget about the possibility of her being pregnant, I simply can’t.

  Fuck.

  I toss the papers onto the glass end table in front of me and grab my glass of whiskey, slamming it.

  Even the taste of whiskey reminds me of her, which every damn thing seems to do lately.

  She’s been avoiding me at work, and has gone back to living her life, far away from me. It’s obvious that spending a week with me meant nothing to her, and I need to accept that and move on.

  Dammit, it’s hard.

  I don’t know how to love a woman, and to be honest, I can’t even be certain that I know what love is. I’ve never been in love with anyone, and I’ve never had the feeling returned to me. I’ve had my fair share of relationships, but none of them ever amounted to anything outside of the bedroom. I never saw a future with any of them, nor did I ever want to. This whole thing with Gabriella took me by complete and utter surprise. Somehow, she managed to get under my skin without even trying. It’s got me so fucked up in the head.

  I glance at the whiskey bottle on my bar, and debate pouring myself another glass or just going to bed for the night when my doorbell rings.

  It actually startles me, because I’ve never heard it go off before.

  Carter and I don’t have any visitors, ever.

  We’ve both come to love our life of solitude, at least, I used to.

  Carter’s in New York, checking on another one of our companies, so I know that its not him having lost his key.

  Puzzled, I step towards the door, and turn my video monitor on.

  My heart stops in my chest when I see who is outside, standing at the foyer of my building.

  I watch her for a moment, watching the way that she shifts from side to side uncomfortably, before finally looking up towards the camera.

  “Gabriella?” I finally manage to say into the intercom, watching as she blinks before nodding at the camera.

  “Conner, hey. I’m really sorry to bother you, but…”

  “It’s no bother, hang on, babes. I’m buzzing you in.”

  I watch her as she moves through the door, and then I step out of my apartment and stand in front of the elevator.

  I wait impatiently for the doors to open, and for my girl to step out.

  My heart races in my chest when she finally steps out of the elevator, and it takes literally every ounce of self control that I have not to wrap my arms around her and drag her inside.

  “Conner, I’m really sorry for just barging in on you, but…”

  “Are you pregnant?” I blurt out, not even able to stop myself from asking the question that has been on my mind all day.

  Her face falls, and she just shakes her head.

  “No. That’s why I’m here.”

  She shifts again, as she continues to stare at the ground. I hate the fact that she won’t look at me. She seems to be doing everything in her power to not meet my eyes.

  I grab ahold of her hand and lead her inside of my apartment. The second that the door shuts, she drops my hand and folds her arms across her stomach.

  “So, can you help me out?”

  “Help you out?”

  I’m pretty sure that I would do just about anything that she asked me to. She squeezes her eyes shut before finally lifting her head.

  “I need you to have sex with me.” Her teeth mash onto her bottom lip, as she inhales sharply.

  “I need to do this one more time with you. Today is the day.”

  My heart thunders in my chest as I move towards her. Her eyes remain shut as my hand cups her chin, and my thumb traces her lips.

  “Yes. Of course, I will, baby. Are you going to keep your eyes shut the entire time, or am I going to get to stare into those beautiful blue eyes while I rock your world?”

  Her teeth dig even harder into her lip, making me smile.

  She has no reason to be so nervous around me, and the way that she’s acting is so out of her normal that it’s puzzling. This is a woman who is usually so full of fire, who challenges me at every turn, and doesn’t seem intimidated by me whatsoever.

  I’m confused by the way that she’s acting, but I chalk it up to her being nervous about being in my place. That is, until I brush my lips across hers, and her eyes fly open and her hands push into my chest, shoving me away.

  “What in the fuck?” I blink, as she takes a step back.

  “Conner, no.” She shakes her head, as her eyes widen. “Listen, I need you to fuck me, ok? But that’s it. Nothing else. No kissing, no extra touching. None of those things. I just need your sperm.”

  A bark of laughter leaves my lips. I can’t even believe that she actually just said that to me. How in the hell are you supposed to fuck someone without kissing them first? It just feels wrong.

  “So, what? You expect me to just pull my pants down and put my dick inside of you?”

  “Yes,” she closes her eyes again and leans against the wall. “I don’t want anything too personal, alright? I just want sex.”

  You have got to be fucking kidding me.

  I already knew that she was only using me for my body, and for what my body could give her. But this is an all new low.

  I thought that we had mutually agreed to at least enjoy sex with each other. Apparently, I was the only one who felt that way.

  I take a step towards her, unsure of even how to react. I’m pissed off, that’s for damn sure. That is the one emotion that I can clearly make out.

  Her breathing increases, the closer that I get to her, until her breaths become ragged as we share the same breath of air.

  “Fine. I’ll fuck you, if that’s what you want. But you’re at least going to open your fucking eyes and watch me do it.”

  My body shakes, as I barely manage to control the anger threatening to roll off of my body.

  This was only ever an agreement for sex and a pretend girlfriend. I shouldn’t be this pissed that she doesn’t want to make this personal, yet I am fucking livid.

  She doesn’t realize how much this is hurting me, and I’m not sure that I can even realize why I’m letting it. But either way, I’m going to give her exactly what she came here for.

  Without warning, my hands fly up, and grab ahold of her denim shirt. I pull hard, ripping the shirt wide open. The sound of the buttons hitting the floor is the only sound filling up this damn apartment right now. That, and the soft gasp that leaves Gabriella’s lips. My dick instantly hardens, as her breasts bounce out of her shirt.

  “No fucking bra, huh?” I growl, before reaching down and yanking up her soft black skirt. My dick about explodes as my hands grip her bare ass.

  “No fucking panties either.”

  “I told you, I came ready to fuck,” her voice is barely above a whisper. My hands grip her thighs hard, as her words circle me.

  They literally fucking enrage me.

  What a chump I’ve been, sitting around and missing her. She didn’t fucking miss me. In fact, she didn’t feel a damn thing for me at all. It was all nothing more than an act. A fucking role that she played, and dammit all, she played it well. If she had any feelings at all for me, her mouth would already be on mine. Her soft lips would be all over my skin, and her hands would be holding me tight.

  Instead, she came without any panties on, expecting me t
o just perform like a God damn stunt pony.

  Well, I’ll perform for her, alright.

  I reach around her waist and spin her away from me. She gasps from the movement, but in the next second, I push her down slightly, until she’s bent over the entry way table. I pull her skirt all of the way up, letting that luscious ass rub against me for just a second, before trailing my finger along her sex one time.

  “You want me to fuck you?” I hiss, and she just nods, as her hands grip the table.

  “Fine,” I sneer, as I hold her ass firmly in front of me. Without any warning, I grab my dick into my hands and slam inside of her. She cries out, making me pause for just a moment.

  “Are you alright?” I don’t want to hurt her, but I also want her to feel just a little bit of the pain that she’s causing me.

  “Yes. Please, don’t stop,” she cries, making me growl again. I pull back and then enter her again. I slam back into her hard enough that the lamp on the table goes flying, crashing onto the ground. I don’t bother stopping to clean up the mess, though. I just keep going, holding her hips hard, not letting her move a muscle as I continue to fuck her, exactly the way that she wants it. A picture frame crashes onto the ground, shattering all around us, just like my fucking heart is shattering in my chest. My hand reaches up and fists into her hair, pulling back ever so slightly. She moans my name and cries out in pleasure as I continue to fuck her, before looking back at me with those eyes of hers. She blinks for just a second, and I force myself to release her hair.

  I can’t look at her face right now. I don’t want to see her.

  “Conner!” she cries out, as I move my hips from side to side. “Oh, god, Conner, I’m so close!”

  I’m lost inside of my head, so lost in fact, that I don’t even realize how rough I’m being with her. She’s steadily breaking my fucking heart here, and I’m not about to let her win.

  I feel her building, and I know that she’s close to losing herself.

  I’m not about to give her that.

  The release that I had been desperately holding on to leaves me, and the second that it does, I stop all of my movements. I empty myself inside of her, and when she tries to move her ass against me, trying to get her own release, I pull out of her and back away.

  “Conner, wait, what are you…”

  Her legs are shaking as ragged gasps leave her. Her eyes are wild as she turns to face me.

  “Sorry, babes. I gave you what you came here for. Guess you’ll have to find some other chump to get you off.”

  Her mouth drops open as she holds herself up against the table. Red imprints from my hands are evident on her hips, and the sight of them almost makes me change my mind.

  Almost.

  “You are such a fucking asshole,” she cries, tugging her skirt back down around her and hastily gripping her ripped shirt together. “What is your problem?”

  “You. You’re the problem.” I glare at her. “I gave you what you came here for, Gabriella. You should go.”

  Before I can change my mind, I turn around and walk away from the foyer.

  24

  Gabriella

  The bruises on my hips ache as I shift in my seat, but they are nothing compared to the ache in my chest as I stare across the table, watching Conner flirt with a client.

  I would have never agreed to come to this business dinner tonight had I known that he would be here. When Carter approached me with it earlier this week, I had specifically asked in Conner would be attending.

  Carter had said no.

  I felt comfortable with that answer, since Conner had taken off the very day after leaving me high and dry, reportedly to handle some affairs in Washington.

  Yet, about fifteen minutes after we sat down at the table, he had waltzed in, looking way too damn good to have just stepped off of an airplane, and has since proceeded to flirt like a mad man with Heidi Morton, the heiress of Morton Trucking.

  “I hope that you realize that Andrews Incorporated can handle all of your needs. We can service all of them.” Conner is smiling widely at her, as Heidi blushes fiercely at him. She coyly stirs the olives on a stick in her martini, while batting her eyelashes at him.

  “I will say that I have heard nothing but good things about you, Mr. Andrews.”

  “Conner,” he corrects, and leans back in his seat. “Please, just call me Conner.”

  “Conner it is, then.”

  I bite my lip to keep from exploding.

  I have no reason to be so angry. None, whatsoever. Conner and I used to fuck, and that is all. Plus, that chapter in my life is closed. Officially over with.

  Even if I find out at my appointment next week that I didn’t get pregnant from our last encounter, I am never going there with Conner again.

  Never, fucking, ever.

  What he did to me was shitty. First, he ruined my favorite denim shirt, and then didn’t even offer me a different one to wear home. I had to walk out of his building like a damn floozy, holding my shirt together so that I didn’t flash the world.

  But that wasn’t even the worst part.

  The worst part was the way that he fucked me. I’m not talking about how rough he was, either, because if I’m being honest, I kind of liked that part.

  Alright, I really liked that part.

  What I didn’t like was being cheated out of what would have been an epic orgasm. It was going to be huge. I had been up in space, spinning around, every nerve ending in my body on fire, every inch of me ready to totally lose myself.

  I had been so damn close. I had told him that I was close, and then, he finished himself off like a damn chump and left me to have to do it for myself.

  That part pissed me off.

  Him immediately dismissing me and kicking me out of his house right after had about broken my heart.

  Well, if it hadn’t already been broken to begin with.

  Frankly, I’ve been a mess since that day. And watching him work his magic on this woman isn’t helping things at all.

  In fact, it’s taking every bit of my self control not to lose it, right here, right now.

  “I’ve been with Bailey Inc. for several years at this point, and J.H. Enterprises had tried to obtain my business a few years ago. I didn’t trust them, even though the price was right. Now, the price is right, and I trust you.” She smiles coyly, and I have to fight myself not to roll my eyes.

  “I just need a teensy-weensy bit more persuasion. Perhaps you and I can continue this conversation at the bar.”

  I am fucking fuming right now.

  She’s all but ignoring the rest of us at the table. I mean, sure, we’ve already eaten dinner, and this meeting should be a wrap. Turns out, Miss Morton needs some dick in her life to sign a damn paper.

  Whore.

  I glance over at Isaac, who looks very uncomfortable. He’s continuing to spin his wine glass around, while staring down at his phone, probably trying to ESP his wife to call him with an emergency.

  Carter isn’t paying them much attention as he scrolls aimlessly through his phone, but me, I can’t seem to turn my eyes away.

  Finally, I turn to Isaac.

  “Are you going to drink that?” I point to his full wine glass, and he shakes his head.

  “No, you can have it.” I barely wait a second before grabbing the glass and downing it. “It’s too full bodied for me.”

  It’s filling my body just right.

  Conner’s eyes snap towards me, and he narrows them.

  “How many glasses have you had?”

  “Not nearly enough to tolerate watching this shit show.”

  Carter’s eye snap from his phone towards me, as he stares between Conner and I with wide eyes.

  I motion for the waiter.

  “If you’re trying to order more wine, don’t bother. I’ve already told them you could only have one glass.”

  “I’m a grown up, which means that I can do whatever the fuck I want. I want more wine, so you can piss off.”
<
br />   “Gabs,” Isaac hisses, before kicking me underneath the table. “Bring it down a notch.”

  Carter doesn’t say a single word. Instead, he continues to glance between Conner and I.

  “Are we done here? Is Miss Morton needs some dick in her life to agree, all set with us little people? Because I have better things to do than sit here and watch you fuck sluts to gain business. It sounds like she only needs your little guy to agree anyhow.”

  “Well, I have never…” Heidi’s eyes widen in shock and her hand clamps across her chest.

  “Oh, honey, please. I’m sure you’ve been called a slut before. In fact, I’m certain of it.”

  I grab my purse and stand. I turn to Isaac and tell him goodnight, but he’s so in shock that he doesn’t even respond.

  Isaac has apparently never seen my crazy side.

  Conner slams his hands down on the table and stands also, leaning forward and staring at me hard.

  “Little? Oh, honey. That’s not what you were saying last week. In fact, you were begging me for my big dick.”

  The entire table falls silent, and Carter pales. Isaac looks like he’s about to pass out, as he continues to stare at his phone, now pleading with God for a phone call.

  Heidi gasps, as she stares at me through her fake eyelashes. I totally ignore her.

  “That’s the only part of this entire thing that’s pissed you off, isn’t it? My comment about the size of your dick. You’re right, Conner. You have a big dick. You are also the biggest dick that I have ever met. So, if a lot of dick wrapped up in one package is what you’re looking for,” I stare at Heidi, “Then he is your guy. Good luck getting off, though. He’s only worried about himself. So, you better make sure that you come really quickly.”

  “Oh, please. That is so damn far from the truth and you know it! Every time we fucked, every single time, you came over and over again. You can’t even stand here and deny that. I was very generous with you, Gabs. Don’t change the story.”

  “Alright.” Carter pushes his chair back. “Let me remind you both that we are in a public restaurant, and you have both now gained the attention of the entire place.”

  I couldn’t fucking care less.