Best Man with Benefits Read online

  “But I can see it on your face.”

  “Then you need to have your eyes checked,” she said stiffly. “I told you I’m focused on my career. I’m not going to be that weak woman who throws it all away for some guy who won’t treat her right. Not again.”

  “You’re going to fall in love with me if this continues.”

  “Nothing is continuing. And do you hear yourself? You’re so arrogant. You haven’t changed.” The words were easy for her. At least she could say what she felt.

  “I’ll fall in love with you too,” I said, and it was a shock to my system. It wasn’t an admission, almost like a pre-admission. You sound like…you’re whipped already.

  Chloe was quiet. She’d gone stiff the minute I’d said it.

  I smoothed my hands over her shoulders. “That’s not what you want, is it? You know if we fall for each other, we’ll only wind up hurt. We’ll be screwed.”

  A few breaths from her, nearly pants. Her hand fell to the door handle, and she opened it, stepped out, and walked to the railing. “I need air.”

  I waited a second, annoyed at how hard I was for her. We’d done nothing but talk, yet arousal was a perfume that clogged my nose, and I couldn’t rid myself of it when she was around. She had an aura about her, one that meshed with mine perfectly.

  “Me too.” The difference being that she was the air I needed.

  I followed her out onto the balcony and stood behind her again. I placed my hands over hers on the railing and squeezed lightly. “I think if I fuck you one more time we can rid ourselves of this. Do you agree?”

  “No, I don’t agree,” Chloe replied but pressed her ass backward, into my crotch. “We’ll always want to do this.”

  The city sounds, the cars rushing by in the darkening light, the distant chatter of laughter from somewhere below, and the sights combined. I couldn’t smell anything other than her—floral, sweet, but with a hint of her skin beneath it.

  Intoxicated.

  “You know, this is public indecency,” I said, as she ground her ass against my cock. “If we get caught out here, they’ll throw us both in prison.”

  “I don’t care.” The words were barely audible above a car horn below. “I want it. I want you.”

  “I don’t have a condom.”

  “I’m on the pill,” she replied.

  “Clean?”

  “I’ve never done it without a condom before.”

  My dick throbbed like fucking crazy. “Jesus.”

  “Have you?”

  “No. And I’ve been tested.”

  “This is the sexiest talk ever,” she whispered over her shoulder, catching my gaze with the corner of her eye.

  Damn, she was gorgeous. Her hair falling out of its bun, her cheeks flush. She tightened her grip on the railing and worked her ass against me, brushed the parting of her cheeks over the outline of my thick cock.

  “Let’s go inside.”

  “No,” she said. “I want it out here. I want it fast and hard. I want it with the view of Paris below me. I want the fucking universe to witness how crazy I am. Maybe the thought will stop me next time.”

  “I’m serious about that being illegal.” But my breath caught in my throat. She was good at this. My dick was so hard it pained. “Fuggit.” I lifted the back of her dress a little and growled at the sight of her panties, already soaked through for me. “Fuck. Fuck.”

  “Now,” she panted.

  I pulled them down, then unzipped my pants and brought my dick out. We were wet for each other.

  “Please. I can’t wait any longer.”

  The night air was cold against my cock. Perfect excuse to bury it inside her.

  I pressed it to her lips then removed my hands off hers and placed one on her hip, the other at the base of my dick.

  “Jacob. I wanna come.”

  I pounded into her, buried myself to the hilt and grunted at the sheer force of it. Her pussy was warm and silken, the pleasure a million fucking times better without a condom. “Oh fuck,” I growled. “This is going to be quick.”

  “Good. Do it. Fuck me. Fuck me raw.”

  I did as she needed, pressing one finger to her clit and working it at the same time. Each thrust brought a dizzying wave of pleasure, a gasp from her, a view of her neck, the soft dip of her back, her ass cheeks pressing against the linen of my pants.

  I watched her pussy slide up and down my cock, the wetness making those irresistible noises.

  “Gonna come,” I said.

  “Me too. Jacob. Oh god, Jacob, you’re—” She tensed around me, and her pussy tightened and released, tightened and released, massaging me to climax. “Fill me up,” she whined.

  I pulsed inside her, emptying myself in four powerful thrusts.

  It took a minute to come down from the high of what had happened between us. I pulled out of her slowly then lifted her panties back into place and straightened her dress. I tucked my dick away and zipped up.

  Slowly, I slipped my arms around her waist and held her tight.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  I opened my mouth, but a knock from the door shattered the pleasant thought that had been my reply.

  Fifteen

  Chloe

  “Shit!” I slipped out of Jacob’s grip. “Oh shit, shit. What if that’s Charlie?”

  “Fuck,” Jacob said, not even trying to play it off as cool. “Come on.” He held out a hand, as the knock sounded again.

  “Are you insane?”

  “You can hide in the bathroom.”

  “Most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.” But I had to agree with him here. The last thing either of us needed was to be found together by Charlie. Or Addison for that matter. What the hell would they think? The worst.

  We hurried into the room as the knock came again, and I slipped into the en suite bathroom and shut the door behind me. I stood in front of the mirror trying to feel shame, even though my pussy was thoroughly sore and satisfied.

  It was a struggle to hate on what had happened, even though it was clear we’d made the mistake, again.

  The rumble of voices brought a wave of fear. I tiptoed to the bathroom door and pressed my ear against it.

  “—haven’t seen her.”

  “Are you sure? Because she missed the girls’ chat this morning. That was super important to me. Jacob, I really want everyone to get along for the wedding, and Chloe, well, you know how she is.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “She’s different from the other women. In a good way. It’s part of the reason I like having her around so much.” It was Addison’s voice.

  Not Charlie’s, but nearly as bad.

  “I can’t help you, Addy, sorry,” Jacob said, and he sounded awkward to me.

  Dude, you better not out us. But of course, he wouldn’t. He didn’t want Charlie knowing as much as I didn’t.

  “Fine,” Addison said, her sigh barely audible through the bathroom door. “Fine, but if you do see her, tell her to come see me? We’re having dinner at Le Cinq, just the girls, in a half hour.”

  “Doubt I’ll see her, but sure. If I do, I’ll tell her. Take care, Addy.”

  “Yeah, you too. Oh, and Charlie asked if you could come talk to him? Something about cuff links. He was mumbling.”

  “Sure.” The door shut with a click.

  I waited. Not a chance was I about to burst out there on the off chance that Addy hadn’t left.

  A knock rat-tatted against the bathroom door. I opened it and peeked out at Jacob.

  “Good call on hiding in the bathroom,” I whispered.

  “You heard?” Jacob asked.

  “Hell yeah, I heard.”

  “Dinner at Le Cinq with the girls. You’ve got half an hour to clean up and get out there.”

  “Clean up,” I said. “I don’t think I’ll ever be clean again. I’d have to scrub myself in one of those decontamination rooms.” The fact that Addy had been out there was … It was the perfect reminder
of the fact that what we’d done was an abomination. Strong words, but still.

  “Come on out,” Jacob said.

  I walked out, and he grinned at me. “Oh no.” I put up a finger. “Don’t you look at me like that. It’s your looks and your smooth words that got us into this position.”

  “You’re overreacting.”

  “Dude, I hid out in your bathroom because of this. We’re—I—I can’t even deal with how dumb we are right now.” I walked past him, but he caught my arm and spun me back into his. Into a hug, for god’s sake.

  “You’re not leaving yet.” Jacob lowered his lips to mine and claimed me with another of those sweet, warm kisses.

  I melted into him, trying to tense against the pressure but failing miserably.

  By the time he pulled away, I was breathless. “What the hell?”

  “Now you can leave. Don’t forget tonight.” He grabbed my ass and squeezed. “I won’t. And I want this again.”

  “That’s not the best idea.”

  “No, it’s not, but goddamn, I need more of you now, Chloe. Now that we’ve started, I don’t think I’m going to be able to stop.”

  “Well, we’re going to have to find a way.” But I kissed him again, taken by how forbidden this was. By how good he felt and how he made me feel.

  Finally, we parted, and I swept up my handbag, hurried for the door. I let myself out into the hall, then walked to the end of it and hit the button for the elevator. I needed to get upstairs and take a shower, or check that I had a brain up in my stupid, stupid head.

  He’s so amazing. And so toxic. And unknown.

  The trip to my room was a blur, but I made it to the bed and collapsed, pressing both hands to my forehead.

  “Think,” I whispered. “Think.”

  Thoughts meshed together along with images. There was nothing cohesive, no guidance from within. Just a chasm to drop into without solutions.

  My phone buzzed in my bag on the bed next to me. I lifted it out and answered. “Hello?”

  Heavy breaths rushed down the line.

  “Uh? Hello?”

  Nothing. And then the caller disconnected.

  “What the hell?” I lifted the phone and glared at the screen. It was a number I didn’t recognize. Probably French. The SIM card I’d picked up at the airport was mainly to call my best friend back home. Or for her to call me. No one else had the number.

  I opened the contacts on the phone, dialed Kathy’s number then placed the cell to my ear.

  “Hello,” Kathy trilled. “There you are.”

  “Here I am,” I said.

  “Uh oh, what’s wrong?”

  “You know me too well.”

  The words tumbled from me, and I dumped them on Kathy. It was a selfish thing to do, but I needed someone to hear what I had to say and to understand how badly I’d messed up.

  Kathy was silent after I’d finished my tale.

  “Wow,” she said, at last. “Wow. OK. Holy shit. That’s intense.”

  “What do I do?”

  “Since when do you ask for advice?” Kathy countered. “You’re the one who kicks my ass when I make dumb man mistakes.”

  “Yeah, and I’m also the one who had my song stolen by a guy named Ned. Ned, for fuck’s sake. What kind of person lets a Ned take advantage of them?”

  “You’re being too hard on yourself,” Kathy said. “As per usual.”

  “No, I think it’s warranted this time. I’ve messed up.”

  “You clearly like this guy. It’s the same dude who was your first time, and you’re…”

  “I’m insane. That’s all there is to it. He’s invaded my mind.”

  “Sounds like he’s invaded other parts of you too.”

  “That’s helpful,” I replied and face-palmed, shaking my head. “And now I’ve got to go to dinner with Addison and pretend that everything’s fine. That I’m not silently hating myself.”

  Another moment of quiet passed, and I listened to the tick of the clock on my bedside table.

  “You there?” I asked.

  Kathy laughed. “Yeah, I’m here. I’m wondering…”

  “What?”

  “You guys have talked about how this can’t happen, but you’re still going for it,” Kathy said. “And I know you, Chloe. You’re stubborn as all hell. When you put your mind to something, you do it.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “Meaning that if you really wanted to avoid this guy and not be with him, you would be. It seems to me that you’re already in too deep and you know that. All that’s left for you to decide is if you’re willing to take the knock when this guy ultimately breaks your heart.”

  It was a hard truth.

  Kathy continued, “Because he’s going to break your heart. If what you said is true, he’s made it amply clear that he does not want to be in a relationship. In my experience, nothing will change a man’s mind. If he’s not willing to commit, then he’s not that into you.”

  “You sure know how to kick my ass.”

  “Well, you need it. You might be willing to hurt yourself with this guy, but I’m not going to sit by and let it happen again. You deserve better than that, Chloe.” Kathy paused. “I know it’s rough for you to hear, but you need to come back down to Earth. You couldn’t trust this guy to start with, so how do you know you can trust him now?”

  “It’s not about trust. It’s about…me being in too deep.”

  “Extract yourself. Don’t let him get into your mind. Don’t let him take your heart again. You said that you want to focus on your career, do that. Do that, Chloe.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  She was right. I was way too into Jacob. I was too excited, and the truth was, it was another lie. It was a lie I’d told myself about him. He didn’t want to be with me, and we both knew that it could never work, but the minute we touched, kissed, had sex, I lost track of that, and a tiny part of me believed that it could happen for us.

  It was a kernel of hope I’d sheltered in my chest for years. And I had to squash it.

  “You’re right,” I said. “You’re right, Kath.”

  “That’s what I’m here for. You know how much I love being right.” She chuckled.

  “All right. Enough about me.” I sat up, shaking my head to clear the crap. “Tell me about your play before I go to this dinner. Give me something to laugh about.”

  “OK, well, you remember that understudy Georgie?”

  “Oh yeah, sure. For Romeo?”

  “Right,” she said. “Well, he wet his pants on stage today.”

  “What?!”

  Kathy burst out laughing and launched into her tale, and slowly, ever so friggin’ slowly, thoughts of Jacob dissipated, and the fog cleared.

  Sixteen

  Jacob

  “I feel like you’ve been missing the past few days,” Charlie said. “I see you at meals, but shit, we hardly spend any bro time together.”

  “Bro time, huh?” I handed him the black velvet box that contained the cufflinks. The thieves hadn’t touched them, though they’d been in plain sight on my dresser at the time of the robbery.

  “Yeah, bro time. We didn’t even hang out properly at the bachelor party,” Charlie said and opened the box. He checked the cuffs out, plucking one of them from the velvet cushion and scrutinizing it. “It’s like you’re avoiding me.”

  “I think you need to get laid,” I said. “You’re sounding more and more like Addison. It’s like you need her to balance you out.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “There was hardly time to spend with you the other night, Charlie. The minute we arrived, the tequilas were already lined up on the bar. Fantastic rendition of ‘Gangster’s Paradise,’ by the way.” I gave that shit-eating grin. “So, what are your plans for the night?”

  Charlie snapped the box shut and waved it at me. “Thanks for this,” he said and walked it over to the dresser. “I don’t know. The girls are having dinner on their own. The guys want to
go out and get toasted again.”

  “But you don’t.”

  “No, I don’t. I’m done with drinking for now. I want to get to the wedding portion of this vacation and move on to the honeymoon.” Charlie flopped down on the bed. “Being apart from Addy is driving me crazy.”

  “I can imagine.”

  Charlie dragged his fingers through his hair. “Fuck, I don’t even know what to do with myself. She seems so happy, though, doesn’t she? She’s got her friends, and she’s enjoying Paris.”

  “But you’re not?”

  “I am. I guess, shit, I’m not exactly the vacation type. You know I’m all about work. You and I are the same,” Charlie said.

  “You want to grab a bite? We can bro down over pommes frites.”

  “Kill me now.”

  “They’re French fries,” I said and laughed at the expression on his face. “I can tell you don’t come here for business often.”

  “That sounds good, actually.” Charlie hesitated, though, looked around his hotel room. It was one of the bigger suites, as fancy as the others, but styled in golds and whites. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”

  “Shoot,” I said and sat down on the sofa. I leaned back, propped my feet up on the ottoman. “I’m all ears.”

  “It’s about Chloe.”

  I barely kept a twitch at bay at the mention of her name. “And you think I can help you because…”

  “Because you’re my buddy. And because if it comes from you, she might not freak out about it.”

  “If what comes from me?” I asked, steeling myself. Jesus, I couldn’t talk to Chloe about shit—my mind would be twisted.

  Charlie pushed up from the bed and paced across the room, then back again, hands behind his back. “She’s set on doing this.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Following this ridiculous singing career of hers. She’s nowhere near succeeding in it, and she insists on continuing the dream. I can’t condone it.”

  “Charlie,” I said, “it’s her life, not yours. You don’t get to decide that for her.”

  “But I should get to decide that. She’s my sister. She’s—we’ve been close since we were little. I looked after her then, and I’ve got to look after her now.”