*****
A few hours later, Kiana stood in Max’s kitchen making a cup of coffee. Taking a sip of the dark brew, she sat down on a chair in front of the breakfast nook. Her body was sore this morning, but it was a good kind of sore, she thought with a smile. Every ache and pain had been worth it. On any given day, Max was insatiable.
He’d taken her repeatedly until she passed out with exhaustion. But last night was different. More desperate. Driven. He’d kept going long after they would have normally stopped. Asking her again and again not to leave him. Turning her head to look at the bedroom where she knew he still slept, her brow creased in concern. Maybe there was something else going on with him.
They’d only been dating for three short months, but in that time, she’d fallen for him like a bag of rocks. Smiling as she thought of that night, she knew meeting him had been a stroke of luck. There was no one else like Maxwell Bishop, and she liked it that way just fine.
Six Months Ago
Kiana sipped her wine, looking around the room at all the suits vying for attention. Everyone here had an agenda. Some were here to grab the attention of that one person who could help them close a major deal. Others grabbed an invitation because they felt this was the place to be seen.
There were also the ones who’d wormed their way into the outside circle of the senator speaking tonight. In Washington, DC, anyone and everyone who was someone, was connected to a high-profile political figure. You may not always see it in the public eye, but that didn’t make it any less true.
She, on the other hand, was here because she had to be. Her law firm was one of many on retainer by the senator, and a few other political figures, so an invitation was a given. Attendance from the attorneys was mandatory. Since she’d been able to rock-paper-scissors her way out of the last two events, this time she was the lamb sent for slaughter.
If she had her druthers, she’d be at home reading a book and watching reruns of her favorite crime drama. Taking a deep breath, Kiana began moving around the room with the intent to look as if she were headed somewhere specific. In reality, she just didn’t want to talk to anyone. Most of these people were stuffy, boring, and too damn uptight. She may be a Georgetown educated attorney, but these kinds of events were not her cup of tea at all. Speaking of tea…
Walking up to the bar, she placed her empty glass down and motioned to the bartender. “May I have a gin and tonic, please?”
Waiting for her drink, her nose caught a whiff of a man’s scent. Unable to stop herself, she lifted her head, looking in the direction of the smell. “Damn,” she said under her breath. Standing no more than six feet away from her was the kind of man who made panties drop in less than ten seconds without even trying. Dark hair slicked back from his forehead. Strong nose, with just a bit of a bend at the top, as if it had been broken once a long time ago.
From what she could tell, he stood at least a couple inches over six feet. Maybe taller. His eyes watched the movement in the room, but he didn’t look to be the standard guest to attend an event like this. That’s not to say he looked out of place. That wasn’t it at all. He just looked like he had better things to do. His face showed boredom. She almost called out to him to “Join the Club” but held back. Not everyone got her humor, and he didn’t look like the type to take kindly to an unsolicited joke.
“Here you go, Miss,” the bartender called out as he placed her drink on the bar. “That’ll be ten dollars.”
“Okay, here you go.” She stretched out her hand with her credit card.
“Hey Shane, put her drink on my tab. This one, and anything else she wants.”
The bartender raised a brow but recovered quickly. “Sure thing, Mr. Bishop.” Turning back to Kiana, he smiled. “Enjoy your drink. Let me know if you need anything else.”
She stood there like a fish out of water. Mr. Bishop? Who the hell is this guy? At the clearing of his throat, she turned to him, plastering a smile on her face that was meant to be welcoming, but not “too” friendly. After all, she didn’t know who the hell this guy was.
“Um…thank you for the drink. Mr. Bishop, is it?”
“You’re welcome. Yes, Maxwell Bishop.” Holding out his hand, he smiled. At the dimple that appeared in his cheek, her legs almost buckled. No man deserved to be this fucking fine. This shit wasn’t fair at all. “Miss? Your name?”
Coming out of her daze, Kiana looked at his face. When his eyes motioned down to his hand, she squeaked, “Oh, I’m sorry. Kiana. Kiana Moore.” Once her hand was clasped in his, she felt a zing go through her body. Pulling away quickly, she wrapped both hands around her drink.
Unbidden, her eyes roamed down his body again. All she needed was one night with a man like him. Although he was wearing the fuck outta that black suit, she could tell he would give her something to remember.
It wasn’t just one thing about him. No, it was everything. The way he looked at you when talking. How he stood in a room full of pompous suits, as if he gave a shit about any of these people. The smirk on his lips, which hinted that he knew things you could only guess at.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Kiana.” He winked at her before taking a sip of his drink.
Shocked at first that he didn’t even pretend that he was going to use her last name, as was the norm at these gatherings, she stared at him for seconds longer than she should have. The man went right to her first name as if they’d known each other before tonight. Laughing, she shook her head. Her first impression of him had been right; he wasn’t the typical guest at these shindigs. When he spoke again, she almost spat out her drink.
“Now that we’ve gotten the niceties out of the way, let’s say we get to know each other a little before we go back to my hotel.”
Laughing to herself as she thought of that first night meeting Max, Kiana squealed when she felt his thick arms wrap around her waist.
“What are you thinking about? I called your name three times.”
Turning to look at the man who held her heart, she smiled. “The night we met. I still can’t believe you propositioned me after less than five minutes of talking.”
“Well, from the way you were looking at me, I figured it was best to just put it out there. Women don’t usually put it on the table, so I did. Plus, it worked out for the best, right?” Grabbing her waist, he turned her around to face him. When he stepped in between her legs, her short robe opened, allowing him to press against her bare mound. They both moaned. Her body shifted to allow him more space. Lifting one long leg, she wrapped it around his hip, pulling him flush against her body.
Tilting her head back to look at him, she knew her eyelids had gone heavy with lust. “Hmmm, from the feel of things, I’m glad it’s Saturday. We seem to have all day to do whatever we want.”
“You just said the magic words.” Leaning down, he captured her lips in a slow, sensual kiss. Pulling back, he tightened his grip on her waist. “I have you to myself all weekend.” Tilting his head, his lips lifted in a slight smile. “Come on, baby. You’ve been out here long enough. Time to come give me what I need.”