Prologue
Damn, he was sexy.
Lying on the bed naked, the luxurious black satin sheet drawn up to my chest, I watched him.
Bradley William Blackwell was a magnificent man with an even more impressive bank account. Forty-five years old, he was six-foot three, handsome with charcoal grey eyes, a head full of black hair that was greying at the temples, broad shoulders and long, muscular legs. He also happened to be one of the best orthopedic spine surgeons in the country.
And he was all mine. Well, for the moment at least.
He turned back from the wardrobe with a light blue button up shirt in hand, shrugging into it as he walked back over to the bed. Leaning over, he kissed me on the lips.
“Morning,” he murmured before straightening up. “I have to get going to the hospital in a few minutes. When is your flight?”
“Mmmm, noon,” I replied, looking at the clock on the side table to discover it was only six thirty. “I’ll leave for the airport at nine.”
He nodded as he buttoned up his shirt, already distracted by the work filled weeks ahead where we would be separated. We only saw each other once a month, for forty-eight hours. Sometimes, even that time ended up being interrupted by his work.
Opening the drawer of the nightstand, he pulled out his checkbook and filled one out. Handing the check to me with a smile and another kiss, he went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Placing the check on the nightstand, I reached for the comforter and brought it up to cover me, burrowing under them for warmth. I wasn’t in a rush to get up as all my stuff was already packed and ready to go.
At the sound of the bathroom door opening, I turned over and found him standing next to the bed, grinning. Sliding out from under the blanket and off the bed, my body fit flush against his thanks to his close proximity. Noticing his tie was undone, I smiled at him softly as I grabbed both ends of it in my hands.
I didn’t do it for him because he couldn’t tie it himself, because he could. But when I told him it was one of my favorite things to do for a man, he made it my thing when we were together. He stood motionless as I performed my duties. Breathing him in, the spicy scent of his cologne made me wish we had time for a quickie; his thoughts must have bordered on mine as he slid one hand down to cup my ass.
The other hand clasped the back of my neck when I finished, his grey eyes burning into my green ones as he brushed his lips across mine once more.
“Will you miss me?”
I knew the answer. “Of course.”
I also knew not to ask the question in return.
A ghost of a smile against my mouth before he let me go. “Have a good trip, Lucy.”
“I will.”
He nodded, picked up his wallet and keys off the dresser, and left the room. Moments later, the main door closed and I knew he was gone. I had a key but only used it to let myself in and out if he was not home when I arrived.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I sighed and ran a hand through my shoulder-length curly brown hair, wincing as I ran into a snag with a bit too much force. Letting out a breath, I picked up the check and stared at it.
‘To: Lucille McPherson’ he’d written in an elegant handwriting I was frankly quite jealous of.
For an amount most people had to work really hard for all month long.
In the memo area, he’d written “personal assistant pay” and I laughed out loud.
Even after two years, I chuckled when I saw those words.
I wasn’t a personal assistant.
I was a sugar baby.
And he had no idea that I’d broken rule number one.
That I’d fallen in love with him.