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  I turned her by her hips, put my hand on her shoulder, and pushed her down, pulling her ass toward me. She spread her legs wide, showing me all of her ass and pussy from behind. As she looked back at me over her shoulder, I was sure the little wiggle of her ass against my cock was no accident, and it took the last ounce of self-control I had.

  I put the head of my cock at her opening, grabbed her hips, and buried myself deep inside her, one hard thrust that made us both cry out. I started to move, her tight, wet pussy just the right fit for my cock. I reached down and squeezed her nipple while I pounded her, deep, long, hard thrusts. I could feel her reach down to fondle her clit, and I could tell that her climax was going to come as quickly as my own.

  “Tatum, I can’t last long. You feel so good.”

  She was a little out of breath. “Reed, your cock is so hard, and you’re gonna make me come all over it.” I could feel her fingers moving faster on her clit, and I used both hands to hold her hips, as I pushed even harder, feeling the head of my cock ramming deep inside her.

  “Come for me, Tatum. Come for me now.”

  I could hear her start to moan, and her hips started to shake as her orgasm started.

  “I’m coming. I’m coming right now.”

  The intensity of her orgasm sent me over the edge. She arched her back and her hips bucked, as I held on to blow my load, head thrown back in complete abandon.

  “Oh my God,” she said as she collapsed onto the bed. She stretched out without bothering to cover herself.

  “Tatum, do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?” I asked, glad she wasn’t one of those timid women who hid their bodies and were self-conscious about how they looked naked.

  “Oh, don’t even think about starting a conversation, Reed. I’m not finished with you yet. You need to get your ass in bed right away.”

  Her smile was magnetic, and I did just that.

  ***

  I waited until I heard the woman with the New York accent call for first-class passengers to board the flight for London, and then I texted Tatum.

  In La Guardia. About to board. I’ll miss you. Can’t wait to see you when I get back.

  I knew I was putting my cards on the table pretty early in the game, but—to use a Vegas term—I was all in. I stood up, grabbed my backpack, and got in the roped off line designated for first class. The upgrade had nearly doubled the price of the ticket, but the flight was going to be the most sleep I’d gotten since Tatum and I’d had dinner. My cock stiffened just thinking about her, even though I was pretty sure there was no way I could actually have sex again—at least not for a few hours. We had completely worn one another out.

  Handing my ticket to the attendant to scan, I had what was probably a ridiculous grin on my face. Tatum and I were the perfect fit. I’d never been with someone whose appetites and preferences in the bedroom were so ideally suited to mine. Neither of us had slept much or had regular meals since Monday night, and when I’d left her naked in her bed, I’d promised to stay in touch by text and to get home as quickly as I could.

  Things with Tatum were better than I’d ever imagined they could be. Not only was she hot, sexy, and smart, but I genuinely liked her. She was a good person, and when she talked about the legal work she wanted to do, it was like a light turned on inside her, and she somehow made me believe that the world could someday be a better place. For a guy who grew up in shitty circumstances, that’s a big deal.

  I put my backpack under the seat in front of me and looked back into the steerage compartment, having trouble imagining how uncomfortable a transatlantic flight would be for a tall guy in the cheap seats. I’d come a long way from eating ramen noodles—when Mom remembered to shop, of course—to sitting in first class on my way to meet my rich and famous father.

  Things were good. Really good. With one exception. I hadn’t told Tatum who my father was. We’d talked a lot since Monday night, having pretty much spent the day in bed on Tuesday, and while I’d discussed my thoughts about meeting my father in general, I hadn’t given her any details. I was afraid she’d freak out if she knew my father was famous, imagining that it would somehow impact her life. Her publicity paranoia was a little out of control.

  I buckled up, accepted a pre-takeoff cocktail, and settled in, hoping the Xanax I’d taken an hour before would kick in shortly after takeoff, and I’d wake up in England. Resolving to worry about Tatum and telling her the truth later, I focused on my game plan for getting in touch with my father.

  I knew he was in London, at his in-laws’ estate, but what I hadn’t exactly figured out was how I’d approach him. The paparazzi in the UK was at least as bad as in the US, so I’d scoured ridiculous tabloids and pop culture websites to find out information about his habits and routines. I’d seen pictures of him taking his son to preschool, going for a run next to a river, and having dinner with his wife—who, incidentally, didn’t look that much older than me—at fancy restaurants. So he was out and about a lot. I just had to find out where.

  I figured my best bet was to wait until he dropped his kid off at school, and just knock on the door. I had his address, and though it was an estate, it was within the city limits, and it wasn’t like it was walled off from the common folk. The plan was to just march up to the door, unless security guys came out of the woodwork and turned me away. In that event, my plan B was to email his agent and ask him to arrange a meeting. I knew there were plenty of ways my plans could fail, but I was a pretty determined guy, and in my experience, there wasn’t much I couldn’t do if I set my mind to it.

  As soon as we got up to cruising altitude, I reclined my seat, and I didn’t wake up until the flight attendant was serving us breakfast, roughly an hour and a half out of London. A cup of coffee helped me wake up, and it occurred to me that the trip would be much more fun if Tatum were with me.

  I really had it bad for her.

  In the cab headed for the hotel, I realized I hadn’t bothered to tell my mom I was leaving the country. She hadn’t asked me if I’d tried to get hold of my father, and I’d decided not to bring it up. If Tatum was right, Mom might be concerned about what effect her affair from more than two decades before might have on Donald’s campaign, and I just didn’t want to get into it with her. This was my deal, and I was going to handle it on my own.

  At the hotel, I had to ask the guy at the front desk to repeat himself three times before I finally figured out that he was telling me where the “lift” was. I knew he was speaking English, but it really was like trying to learn a foreign language. In my room, I tossed my overnight bag onto a chair near the TV and checked my phone to see if Tatum had answered the text I’d sent when I arrived.

  Send me a pic of Big Ben. XO.

  I didn’t have such a grand view from my room, of course, having spent more than I should have on the first-class upgrade, but I decided I should probably at least take a bus or cab ride around town. No sense in missing all of the sights.

  I’ll see what I can do.

  I took a much needed shower, put on clean clothes, and checked the time. “No time like the present,” I said, slipping on my worn leather jacket and heading out. I was going to meet my father.

  11 -- Tatum

  God, I missed Reed. It was probably a good idea to take a little break, given that it was a bit painful to walk after our day and two nights in bed. He’d been sweet at some moments, and almost frighteningly powerful and intense in others. He was absolutely the sexiest man I’d ever been with, and I wanted more. Much more. It was a little scary how much I cared about him.

  And he was in London without me, which would have seriously bummed me out if I weren’t starting my new job in—I checked my phone—two hours. The meeting the day before had gone great, and they’d offered me exactly what I wanted in terms of starting salary, vacation, and benefits, and—bonus—taking off to go to Tahoe was approved! I was going to get to spend an entire week with Reed, and even the fact that my dad and Tina were going to be there couldn�
�t dim my excitement about roaring fires, snow-covered mountains, and sneaking into my stepbrother’s room at night.

  “Ready for the big day?” Garrett asked as I came back out to the kitchen to refill my coffee.

  “Yup. I’m surprised they had me start so quickly, but I’m not going to complain.”

  “No making excuses about being too busy or tired to work out later, okay? You’ve really changed your body, and you don’t want to lose that.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it. I think Reed likes the way I look naked, and I want to keep it that way.”

  “Over. Share. I don’t want to hear about you and Inkboy getting it on.”

  “I know. I’m just so excited. I was really starting to question whether moving back to Vegas was a good idea, but things are looking up. I have a great new job, and I’m seeing Reed Randolph. My dad’s even been less of a dick, although I doubt that’ll last very long.”

  Garrett hugged me as he headed out the door. “With all the shit you’ve been through, you deserve it, honey. See you in class tonight.”

  “Don’t I even get one night off for my first day?”

  “Absolutely not. Fat doesn’t take the day off, and neither do you.”

  I got ready for work, putting on a suit for the first time since I’d moved back—except for my interviews, of course. I looked put together, professional, and poised. I was getting back into my alliteration habit, I noticed, as I looked in the mirror, pleased with what I saw.

  I sent Reed a text before I drove to the office.

  Starting my first day. Can’t wait to see you and hear all about your dad.

  He hadn’t given me much in the way of details, but from the sounds of it, his first meeting with his father had gone great. He was supposed to have dinner with him and his wife this evening—which, doing the math in my head, would be in just a few hours. We hadn’t actually talked by phone, but I hoped he had cheap text messaging rates from England. It had been wonderful to look at my phone when a text arrived and know that Reed was thinking of me, all the way across an ocean.

  But I needed to focus. I expected my job to be challenging, and I knew that my immediate supervisor was not only one of the smartest people I’d ever met, but extremely demanding. He was going to be tough, but I was looking forward to soaking up everything he had to teach me.

  I parked my Jetta in the lot outside the office, making a mental note to go car shopping right away. Based on what I saw, even the secretaries drove nicer cars than I did. I slung my briefcase over my shoulder, stood up straight, and headed inside. I’d been hoping that starting work on a Friday meant the atmosphere would be a little less formal—more relaxed—but I was wrong. Between sitting in on a last-minute deposition of the human resources manager for one of the largest casinos in town, the absence of an administrative assistant, which resulted in my having spent four hours collating copies of discovery questions for a trial scheduled to begin in January, and having had no time to eat lunch, by the time five o’clock rolled around, I was absolutely exhausted, starving, and exhilarated.

  It wasn’t until I finally climbed back into my car, having turned down an invitation to join a couple of guys in our division for drinks, that I finally looked at my phone. Surprised that I didn’t have any texts from Reed, I turned it off and back on again, but still nothing. I’d expected at the very least to get a good night text and a quick recap of the evening with his father.

  “He must’ve been tired,” I said, turning the car key and heading in the direction of Garrett’s gym.

  A protein shake at the gym ended up being my dinner for the next couple of weeks, as I got adjusted at work and tried to keep myself busy in the evenings—too busy to worry about why Reed had decided to spend so long visiting his father. The visit that should have lasted just a few days had turned into quite the holiday for the man I was becoming increasingly irritated with, even though I knew I didn’t really have reason to be. But while I was slaving away, trying to make the world a better place, he was currently frolicking on an island off the coast of Spain with his dad. And every time I thought about it, I pictured elegant, cosmopolitan, and topless European women.

  That contributed to my foul mood.

  Reed had dutifully texted me every day, but the details he sent were nearly nonexistent. Apparently, his father had money, and he and Reed were getting along famously. Reed was enchanted with his little brother, and it was like he’d just settled into his new little family without a hitch. Reed kept promising that he’d meet me in Tahoe as planned, but I was starting to have visions of me stuck in a snowstorm with only my father and Tina for company. I hoped the liquor cabinet was well stocked, at the very least.

  Hardly able to believe the weeks had passed so quickly, I packed my suitcase for Tahoe. I’d blown way more money than I should have on the most gorgeous lingerie I’d ever owned, and the thought of Reed’s face when he saw me in it made it all worthwhile. Dad and Tina had decided to drive, taking some extra time to enjoy their vacation, and they’d left a few days before. Glad they’d taken the skis, I zipped my suitcase, full to bursting with Christmas presents, snow gear, and trashy underwear.

  “So you know you can call me if you need someone to talk you off a ledge, right?” I said to Garrett as he drove me to the airport.

  “Yes, honey. You’ve told me that three times already.”

  “And you are not going to let your brother or your parents get under your skin, right?”

  “Nope. I’m going to be the perfect heterosexual son and brother.”

  “You know, Garrett, you act like that’s something that’s out of your control. It’s your choice to lie to your family, you know.”

  He dropped his joking tone. “I know. I feel guilty about it, but if I lost the business, I’d never forgive myself. I think I’ll have the note paid off in a couple of years, quicker if I really work at it. As soon as my debt’s paid, I’ll tell them, and if they never want to see me again, that’s their loss.”

  “I still think you’re not giving them enough credit. At the end of the day, your parents love you.”

  “They love who they think I am, Tatum.” He waved his hand. “We’ve been through all this before. Change of subject. So Reed’s meeting you at the airport in Tahoe?”

  “That’s what he says. I’m half afraid he’s not going to make it for some reason.”

  “How could he just up and leave his business for so long? Isn’t he gonna have a bunch of people pissed at him for canceling their appointments?”

  “You’d think, but apparently Marla can run that place in her sleep, and Reed’s work is so popular that people will still wait for him, even if they’re pissed about the cancellation.”

  “Goddamn, it must be nice to have people knocking down your door, begging you to sell them something.”

  “Yeah, it’s hard to wrap your head around it, but he’s really talented.”

  “So I hear, so I hear. And by the way, when you get back, you’re going to have to sleep at his house, rather than him crashing with you. I need my beauty sleep, and the two of you made way too much noise for that.”

  “Oh, shut up, Garrett, you’re full of shit.”

  Garrett’s voice was a high-pitched imitation of me. “Oh, Reed, oh, Reed. You’re so big. Do it to me, baby.”

  “Shut up. I do not sound like that, not even a little.”

  “Whatever. You know I’m just kidding. Reed’s welcome anytime.”

  “I’m hoping, after I get my car sorted out, that I’ll be looking for a house in the spring.”

  “I’m so proud of you, girl. You landed that job out of a hundred other lawyers.”

  “I’m proud of myself. Feels good, too.”

  “Well, here we are,” he said, pulling up to the curb. “You have everything?” he asked as he pulled my suitcase out of the trunk.

  “Think so. Thanks for the ride.”

  “Anytime, honey. Have a merry Christmas, and say hi to your dad and Reed for me.” />
  “Will do.”

  I kissed him on the cheek, checked my bag, and settled in the waiting area as far from the noisy slot machines as I could manage. I checked my phone again, even though I knew Reed would be in the air—if he really was going to make it, that is. His flight was scheduled to land about half an hour before mine, and the plan was for us to share a ride to the house. All I could think about was seeing him, touching him. But I was so worried that he wasn’t going to show.

  The flight was uneventful, and as soon as the wheels touched down, I had my phone in hand, waiting for it to find a signal and catch up to the messages I hoped would be waiting.

  The first message was from Tina. House is gorgeous. Can’t wait to see you both.

  And the second was from Reed. Are you wearing underwear?

  My heart was racing as I walked down the jetway to the terminal, and as soon as I saw him, I picked up the pace. In no time, I was in his arms, and it occurred to me that it was probably a good thing my dad and Tina weren’t there to witness our reunion. I’d have some explaining to do if they had been.

  “Oh my God, it’s so good to see you,” I said, arms around his neck. “It feels like it’s been forever.”

  “You’re even more gorgeous than I remembered,” Reed said, bending to kiss me. “So do you?”

  “Do I what?”

  “Have underwear on?”

  I laughed and took his hand as we headed toward baggage claim. “I guess you’re going to have to find out.”

  “You can bet your perfect ass I will.”

  He’d already gotten his bag, so we waited for mine.

  “So, I’ve been dying to hear about your father. It was torture to know you had so much going on and not to be able to talk to you.”

  “I’ve been dying to tell you, and I can’t wait to hear about your new job. Is it going well?”

  “It is, but you go first. Tell me about your father.”

  There was something funny about his expression as he thought about how to begin. “He’s a really cool guy. We hung out a lot—his wife’s estate is amazing. It used to be more of a country house, but the city’s grown so much, it’s a surprise to step outside the building and see people and cars everywhere. It feels like you should be walking out into a desolate moor.”