6

He slumped his shoulders as he sat in the chair. “You deserve better, Cassini. My sister deserves better.”

I knew his anger came from love, because this man loved me very much. He didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, but he did have emotions bubbling underneath the surface. All he wanted was to protect me. But this was something he couldn’t protect me from. “It is what it is, Case. I made this decision—and I’ll live with it.”

Cassini

Lucian went out of town a lot for work, so I was left unattended most of the time. He had security all over the property, so I was always protected, but I was free to come and go whenever I wanted. In the beginning of our marriage, he kept me on a tight leash, but once he realized I would honor my word, he slackened his hold.

My thoughts returned to the beautiful man who gave me the best kiss of my life.

I wanted to finish that kiss, wanted to let the kiss grow into something lustful, passionate, and beautiful. I just wanted one night, amazing sex with a man I would never see again.

I probably wouldn’t get caught.

Lucian didn’t really keep tabs on me. He hardly called me when he was away. He never kept his affairs a secret from me. He didn’t come right out and list all the women he fucked while he was away, but he didn’t make any effort to hide them at all.

I could probably pull it off—one time.

My lustful nature got the best of me, and I put on a backless black dress with matching heels then drove to the bar where I’d first met him. I didn’t expect him to be there; that would be too much of a coincidence. But that would be a great place to meet him if he was available.

If he wasn’t already balls deep in someone else for the night.

A man that gorgeous could get any woman he wanted—and at any time.

Maybe he’d already forgotten me by now.

He must have a lot of other offers. All I had was my asshole husband.

I sat at the bar, pulled out the business card he’d left me, and then asked the bartender to use the phone.

I was really going to do this.

I was going to have an affair.

I typed in the number and listened to the phone ring. I didn’t want to call him from my cell phone just in case Lucian had someone monitoring my texts and phone calls. If I suddenly started calling a random number, late at night, it might raise some red flags.

He answered, his deep voice rough like sandpaper but also smooth like whiskey. “Balto.”

That was his name—Balto. The second I heard it, I thought it suited him perfectly. It was deep, to the point, and unique. Maybe it was the way he said it, but the name was sexy too. “Cassini.” I decided to play a game with him—a dangerous game.

He was quiet for a long time, as if he expected me to say something else. “I knew you would call. But I didn’t think it would take so long.” His surroundings were quiet, like he was somewhere private, and his sexy voice cut through all the random conversations going on around me.

“You know who this is?”

“I recognize your voice—sexy as hell.”

Just listening to him talk turned me on. He wasn’t afraid to say what he wanted, to be brutally honest without shame, and he breathed slightly into the phone with a masculine undertone. Testosterone wasn’t a physical or audible thing, but somehow, I could feel it over the line. “I’m at the bar right now.”

“Can I buy you a drink?”

I smiled as I stared at his business card in front of me. “Actually, I was hoping I could buy you a drink.”

 

  

Minutes later, Balto walked in.

Dressed in a deep blue t-shirt with black jeans that hung low on his hips, he looked even tastier than the night we first met. He crossed the bar with a perfectly straight back, broad shoulders, and a height that towered over anyone else who was standing. His arctic eyes were set on me, as if everyone else in the room was insignificant.

I was on the exact same stool as last time, so he lowered himself into the seat beside me, keeping his hands to himself, unlike the last time we were together. My martini sat in front of me, and he didn’t waste time ordering his scotch.

He faced me with his elbow resting on the bar, his eyes taking in the fit of my dress. Lucian thought I was gaining weight, which he didn’t appreciate, but Balto didn’t seem to notice any imperfections. “Did you get more beautiful since the last time I saw you?”

“I’m wearing different lipstick.”

If I said the right thing, the corner of his mouth would rise in a soft smile, giving him a slightly boyish charm even though he was all man. “Yeah…that must be it.” He took his glass then brought it to his lips for a drink.

I watched his throat shift as he downed the liquid, his Adam’s apple striking because of his overwhelming masculinity. He licked his lips when he finished, then returned it to the surface, the glass making a clink so small, I wasn’t sure if I’d really heard it. All of his movements were precise and deliberate.

His shirt covered his chest and torso, but I imagined he was all muscle, skin, and strength. If his thick arms stretched the sleeves of his shirt that way, I imagined how muscular the rest of his body must have been. He was probably perfect from head to toe, sexier than any man I ever saw when looking at p**n. Being married to Lucian forced me to turn to other means to fulfill my sexual desires, and p**n was my number one resource. If he caught me, I wouldn’t even be embarrassed about it.

But masturbation wasn’t cutting it anymore.

I wanted to be on this man’s dick within the hour.

I ignored my drink and focused on his looks instead. The shadow of facial hair was gone as if he’d shaved right before he met me. I liked the look because I could see the outline of his jaw so well. I wanted to run the backs of my fingers across his skin until I reached his full lips.

He had brown hair that was much lighter than my jet-black locks, but the beautiful brown color complemented his features so well. There wasn’t a single thing I would change about him, not even the arrogant remarks that exploded out of his mouth.

“Did you think about me this week?” He swirled his glass slightly as he stared into my eyes.

“Yes.”

“Often?”

“Yes.” I would never see this man again, so I didn’t play it cool. This was my night to enjoy myself, to live a little and forget about the biggest mistake I’d ever made. I didn’t feel guilty for my infidelity, not when I was forced into his marriage in the first place. And I definitely didn’t feel guilty because Lucian had been sleeping around since the beginning. I was practically livestock to him, just a show animal. He didn’t actually give a damn about me. I was a size two, and he had the audacity to tell me I was gaining weight.

“Did you think about me when you were with him?”

I knew he was asking about the nights when my husband fucked me. “Yes.”

His eyes darkened slightly as he lifted the glass to his lips to take a drink. He let the liquid slide down his throat before he licked his lips. “Did you come?”

“That was the only reason why I came.” Sex with Lucian was an obligation. I got no pleasure out of it, and lube was usually involved. He knew I didn’t find him the least bit attractive, but that didn’t stop him from fucking me.

His eyes darkened another shade.

“Did you think about me when you were with someone?”

“What makes you think I was with anyone?”

“Look at you,” I said bluntly. “You must get pussy handed to you.”

The corner of his mouth rose again. “I do. But that doesn’t mean I take every offer. And this week, I’ve been busy with work and bullshit. At night, I’ve been jerking off to that kiss and your curves.”

The image of him jerking off in his bed turned me on more than I already was. Even if he wasn’t thinking about me, it was still sexy as hell. My thong was getting heavier because my arousal was seeping into it. By the time he pulled my panties off, they would be glistening with all my slickness. “I’m sure this goes without saying, but this is a one-time thing. My husband is out of town, but I can’t sneak around forever. He’s a smart man. He’ll notice eventually.”

“What if I don’t care if he notices?”