Chapter Four

“Easy there, tiger,” she laughed against his lips. “No need to rush, darling. We’ve got all night.”

“Are you sure?” He asked uncertainly. “What about your friends?”

“What about them? I’m not their babysitter. They’re all probably at home already by now, sleeping off all that margarita. I’ll give them a call later.”

“Good. I don’t want the cops beating down my door on allegations of a possible kidnapping.”

Rachel laughed. “Stop being dramatic. They know I’m out here having a great time.”

“Are you?”

“I guess I’m about to find out, aren’t I?”

It was a challenge, and Derek loved challenges. He carried her off the ottoman and took her to the bed where he laid her on the soft surface like a delicate flower. First, he took off her figure-hugging T-shirt before taking off her ripped cut-off denim pants. He took a moment to admire her voluptuous body and wondered what the hell made him prefer skinny women all these years? This woman on his bed was a masterpiece with her sexy curves and rounded figure.

“Do you like what you see?” She asked teasingly.

“I love it,” he breathed thickly. “You are the sexiest woman I have ever had the pleasure to undress, Rachel.”

“What a compliment,” she giggled. “Now, it’s your turn. Show me what you’ve got.”

With a confident grin, Derek removed his shirt then his pants, and finally, his underwear. Rachel’s gasp of admiration was the only compliment he needed before joining her on the bed.

“I didn’t see any gym equipment here, so how do you manage to stay in shape?” She asked.

“There’s a gym downstairs on the second floor of the building. I work out there three times a week with my trainer.”

“More power to you,” she laughed. “Wanna see something cool?”

He nodded and watched with delight as she undid the clasp of her bra and her full boobs tumbled out in all their rounded glory. She took his palm and laid it on her bosom, and Derek took it up from there, kneading the soft mass gently. When he lowered his lips on her boob, Rachel thought she would explode with pleasure. She hadn’t been intimate with anyone since her last relationship ended, so this feels like a new experience for her.

Derek took his time caressing her soft body and showering her with feathery kisses that made her sigh. He loved how she ran her hands over his body as he continued to feel her up. This was a give and take moment; not a competition as it always happened between him and Carrie or any of his other lovers, he didn’t feel the need to rush this tender experience he was having with this gloriously beautiful woman he’d only met a few hours ago. He wanted to savor this encounter and imprint it in his memory forever.

For Rachel, it seemed as if she was making love with the love of her life. It didn’t matter that she barely knew this guy, but being here with him like this felt so right. Their movements were so synchronous, so harmonious, so familiar yet so new. He whispered beautiful nothings in her ear and she murmured incoherently in response as he joined himself to her and their bodies began to move in unison. When they reached that glorious moment of release, they clung to each other tightly and no words were said afterward because none were needed.

When he’d finally caught his breath after a couple of minutes, Derek asked, “Wanna try that again?”

Rachel giggled delightedly. “I don’t see why not,” she said.

“Awesome!”

**********

Morning came with Rachel’s senses and for the first time in the past ten hours, she finally asked herself what had come over her to make her go home with a stranger and have sex with him. And the worst part of it all was that they hadn’t used protection!

“Shit,” she cursed and threw back the covers, but before she could get out of the bed, a strong arm encircled her midriff, drawing her back into a cocoon of warmth.

“Where are you rushing off to?” Derek murmured sleepily.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t. What’s up?”

“I have to get back home,” she said seriously without looking at him. She had become shy for some reason. The wanton Rachel has finally given way to sensible Rachel, and right now, all she wanted to do was to get the hell out of this place.

“It’s just 6 a.m. Rachel, what’s the hurry?” He asked as sleep began to clear from his eyes. Something about the set of her shoulders and how she avoided looking at him told him something was off with her. He tried to quickly rewind his memory to see if there was something he must have done or said last night that might have offended her, but he drew a blank.

“Are you ok?” He asked her softly.

“Yeah, sure,” she said lightheartedly. She didn’t want him to think that something was wrong when the only problem here was that she was having a sober reflection and didn’t quite concern him. She firmly disengaged his arm from her middle and she got off the bed, then picked up her clothing and went into the bathroom to get dressed.

Derek was confused by Rachel’s change in demeanor and he didn’t know whether to ask her about it when she returned from the bathroom or let it slide. To the best of his knowledge, everything that had happened between them had been consensual and she had been the one who initiated the first kiss. Why was she now acting strangely?

When Rachel returned to the room, she was fully dressed and she looked like her old self again with that cheerful smile and perfectly tousled auburn hair that framed her beautiful face.

“Thank you for last night, Derek,” she said sincerely. “I had such a great time. So… this is the part where I say goodbye and skedaddle.”

He sighed. “You’re welcome, Rachel. Although I kinda feel like you are running away from me and I don’t know why.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I run away from you?” She laughed, trying to lighten the mood in the room. She could tell that Derek wasn’t buying her carefree act.

“Will I see you again?” He asked softly.

Rachel knew that it was time for her to be honest with herself – having a one-night stand with a handsome billionaire was the stuff of epic romance stories, but this was real life here. Was she ready for the attention and pressure that came with dating a famous wealthy man? Was she ready to have her life scrutinized by strangers and analyzed by gossip magazines? She loved her simple life as it was and she didn’t think she was ready to rock the boat by getting seriously involved with Derek. Besides, dating a billionaire may not be as fun as having a one-off tryst with him.

“I’m not sure that’s such a great idea, Derek,” she said finally after ruminating for a few minutes. “Let’s just carry on with our lives, separately.”

Derek couldn’t hide his shock. No woman had ever turned him down before. Her rejection stung his ego, making his countenance rigid as a rock.

“Fine,” he said flatly, then reached for the drawer of his nightstand where he pulled out wads of hundred dollar bills. “Here, this is for you.”

Rachel was stunned. Why was he offering her money? Was he trying to pay her for sleeping with him or what?

“What’s that for?” She asked with a grimace.

He shrugged. “For a taxi or whatever.”

“How much do you think a taxi ride costs? What exactly are you offering me money for?”

“Look, all you had to say was, ‘No, thank you.’ There’s no need to insinuate nonsense. Do you want the money or not?”

“No, I don’t want your money!”

“Fine,” he said and flung the cash back into the drawer. “You know your way out, don’t you?”

Rachel couldn’t believe his attitude. Why was he being so rude? Wasn’t this the same Derek that had been so sweet to her all night and even this morning? Was this how he handled rejection, by being disrespectful?

She ignored his question and walked out of the room as calmly as she could manage. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her much as his words and bad manners had hurt her. He didn’t deserve her energy and she wasn’t going to waste it on him. He was a sore loser and she was better off without him.

“Don’t be sad, Rachel,” she whispered to herself as she got into the elevator. “You’ve just dodged a bullet.”