They barely made it inside his apartment. Before the door even closed, he’d hiked up her skirt. Were they on the fourth floor? Or the fifth floor? Hell if she knew. Hell if she cared.

She grappled with the zipper on his pants, tugging and pulling as he caged her in against the wall with his strong arms. She pushed his pants down, then his briefs, and she wrapped an eager hand around his cock, hot and throbbing in her palm. He drew a sharp breath at the first touch, and she loved this; the moment when a man was helpless to her touch. When the control all swung back to her. They were so simple, men. When it came down to it, they were ruled by their erections. Even when she gave in to a man, she still knew who was always in charge. She was, the woman was. Especially as she watched the expression on his gorgeous face, his eyes rolling back in his head as she stroked him. He rocked into her fist, fucking her hand once, twice, three times.

She dipped her free hand into her sweater, then inside the cup of her bra, hunting out the condom she’d stowed there earlier. Never could be too safe or too ready, she reasoned.

She ripped open the foil, and the sound make his eyes snap open.

“You come prepared,” he said.

“I prepare for coming,” she replied, then rolled the condom on him, loving the way he watched her hands on him.

“Now, fuck me against the wall, Clay. Fuck me hard and fast, and if you think I can’t take it, fuck harder then,” she said.

“You think you give the orders here? I’m going to make you pay for that later,” he said, as he grabbed her ass, hitched her legs around his waist and sank into her.

Her mouth fell open into an O as he filled her, his long, thick cock buried deep inside her. He didn’t move for a few seconds, giving her time to adjust to his size, even though she didn’t need to. She loved how he stretched her, how she could feel him deep and far inside.

He began thrusting, his strong hands gripping her flesh, his fingers digging into her cheeks. She was the helpless one now, immobile, pinned by the wall and his big, sturdy body, but she reveled in it. Her mind was blank, free of nothing but this moment, this pure, physical, hungry moment with this man. “How are you going to make me pay for it?” she asked, her words coming out choppy with each hard thrust inside her.

“By teasing you later. By tying you up and bringing you close to the edge, and then stopping right before you come,” he said, his voice a low dirty growl, his breath hot against her neck.

“No,” she moaned. “That’s not fair. I don’t like teasing.”

“I know you don’t. And I don’t like being told to fuck you hard,” he said, slowing his moves to drive as deep as he possibly could in her, making her breath catch in her throat. “You think I’d do anything but fuck you hard when I have been waiting all week for this?”

“All week? You’ve been waiting all week?”

He dipped his head to the crook of her neck, planting a bruising kiss on her skin as he slammed into her once more, his cock rubbing her clit and filling her at the same delirious time. She moaned loudly, so loud she was sure the next street over heard her, and she didn’t care one bit. He was fucking her worries away, and the harder he took her, the less she cared about the way she spent her Tuesday nights.

“Yes. All. Week. Long,” he said, punctuating each word with a thrust. “I’ve been picturing your legs wrapped around me, your hot body against mine, and most of all, I’ve been thinking about making you come again. I want you to scream, Julia. I want to feel the way you grip my cock when you come on me,” he said, in that rough, sexy voice that sent sparks tearing through her body.

“Me too, Clay. Me too,” she whispered, letting go of the game, of the banter, of the way they teased each other because right now, she was starting to see stars. Beautiful, silvery stars, as the world slipped away, and he filled her, taking charge of her body, sending her over the edge. Her belly tightened. “Oh god,” she cried out.

“Yeah, just like that. Come for me now, come so fucking hard for me so I can feel you all over,” he said, holding onto her, as she shattered into the beautiful bliss of another orgasm, the pleasure riding through her, stretching and reaching into the far corners of her body and mind.

Then, as she was catching her breath, she felt her spine scrape the wall as he surged into her once more, the look on his face, the growl in his throat, making it clear that he’d joined her, and they’d come undone together.

* * *

She was willing to admit it. She had apartment envy and she had it bad. He had not one, but two sets of stairs. Which meant he had three floors. The loft level up top, then a living room level in between, then the kitchen and dining room floor.

She trailed her fingers along the granite counter in his kitchen, lined with dark oak stools. “And this is where you cook all your gourmet meals?” She eyed the gleaming stovetop in the kitchen that looked as if it had never been used.

“You think I don’t cook?” Clay handed her a glass of Belvedere, then poured another for himself.

“Do you cook?”

“I can cook. I don’t usually though.”

“Why not?”

“Because if I cook I want to cook for someone,” he said. Pots and pans hung on hooks on the exposed brick walls of the kitchen.

“And there’s no one to cook for?”

“Not lately,” he said, then gestured to the stairs. “Let me show you the balcony.”

They left the kitchen area and he led her up six steps to the sliding glass doors in the living room that opened to a balcony.

A gorgeous, drool-worthy balcony.

Her jaw threatened to drop but she knew better than to gawk outwardly. Inside though, she was ogling the spaciousness. This wasn’t one of those New York balconies you had to wedge yourself onto sideways and then lean over to catch a sliver of a view. No, the man had a balcony big enough for hosting a summer barbecue, for throwing a party, for strutting around and doing a dance.

“Yeah, it’s not too shabby at all,” she said dryly, as she peered over the edge of the brick railing, looking down at the cars streaming through the West Village, their taillights streaking six stories below. She drank in the view – all of New York City it seemed was visible from her vantage point, and the city was prettier when you watched it from above, when the noises were muted, and the sidewalk smells weren’t invading your nostrils. The distance was a protective layer from soots and scents and madness. She could see clear across to Broadway as it sliced Manhattan diagonally, then down to Tribeca, and over to the Hudson River, glittering like a sleek ribbon against the night.

She shivered once; the temperature had dipped some and while it wasn’t chilly yet, she was only wearing his white button-down shirt.

“You’re cold,” he said softly, wrapping his strong arms around her, pulling her close, her back to his naked chest. She glanced down at his bicep, and traced the lines of his ink. Passion, he’d told her. That’s what his tribal tattoo stood for, and it suited what she knew of him so far.

“Not anymore.” She smiled, and leaned her head back to look up at him. He brushed his lips against her forehead, and her heart fluttered. Actually fluttered, like a damn bird trying to escape. She was ready to swat it, but she decided to enjoy the moment instead. “I like your arms around me,” she whispered, stripping away her usual sarcasm.

“The feeling is completely mutual,” he said, reaching for her hand and sliding his fingers through hers.

“And I also like this view. It’s amazing.”

“It’s not too bad,” he said.

She elbowed him playfully. “Not too bad? This is magnificent, and I don’t care if that makes me seem all wide-eyed. But it’s true. Your apartment is gorgeous,” she said. She was a sucker for all the exposed red brick, and the warmth it brought to his place. “It’s funny, because I’d have pegged you as having some leather and chrome and steel furniture, all black and white and sleek.”

“You are confusing me for someone who has issues with his masculinity,” he said, holding her tighter, bending his head to her neck to plant a quick kiss.

“You’re saying a man who has black leather and chrome in his apartment is compensating for his small size?”

He laughed, a deep rumbly chuckle. “Don’t you think?”

She nodded. She liked that his home was warm and lived in. Yes, it was a man’s home, but it wasn’t the home of a man who was trying too hard. He even had a few plants on the balcony, and Julia didn’t have a green thumb herself, but still, there was something nice about this New York lawyer taking the time to have plants. “I can’t stand that whole I’m a man, I need my place to scream mannish. It’s sort of like driving a red Corvette.”

“You might notice I don’t have a red Corvette. Nor do I need one.”

“You definitely do not need one,” she said, trailing her fingers down his chest, between his pecs, and across the hard planes of his abs. “And your plants are adorable.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Maybe if you’re behaved all night I’ll tell you their names.”

“You do not name your plants,” she said, giving him a serious look.

“You’re right.” He laced his fingers through hers, guiding her back through the sliding glass doors. “I don’t name my plants.”

They returned to the living room, with its dark brown sofa and a sturdy coffee table that boasted a couple of books, some magazines, and a few framed photos. There was a picture of Clay in a tux, standing next to another man, a handsome one too.

“Where was that taken?”

“Tony awards a few ago. That’s Davis. He’s a friend and a client. That was taken the night he won his first Tony. Bastard has a lot of them. Three now,” he said, shaking his head, but clearly proud of the accomplishment.

“And this?” She pointed to a shot of him next to a man who had similar features – square jaw, deep brown eyes, broad sturdy shoulders.

“Younger brother Brent.”

“Where’s he?” Before he could answer she held up a hand. “Wait. Don’t tell me more.”

He furrowed his brows. “Why?”

“Because I’m famished.”

“And that means you can’t talk?”

“It means I am saving that conversation so we can have it over food,” she said playfully, as she started to unbutton his shirt.

“You’re afraid we’re going to run out of things to talk about so you want to make sure to hoard a topic for food?”

She wagged a finger at him. “No. I simply want to eat. Now are you going to cook for me or take me out?”

“There’s this thing called takeout. Want Chinese?”

She flinched inside at the mention. The last thing in the world she wanted was Chinese food. She hated that Charlie and his games had ruined Chinese food for her. Sometimes, she just wanted a carton of cold sesame noodles, but they’d remind her of all the bullshit she still had to deal with til she was even with Charlie. If she’d ever be even with that fucker. Somedays, freedom felt a lifetime away. Charlie had her in chains, and even though she hadn’t asked for his permission to go away for the weekend, she was keenly aware that this was only a temporary leave from the jail she was in back home.

The jail no one knew about. She refused to tell a soul – it was too shameful what had happened to her made Charlie turn her into his property. But she also kept her mouth shut because she didn’t want those men to sink their claws into people she loved. She protected her sister, her friends, even her hairdresser with her silence. But she didn’t want Charlie infecting her time away. She shoved all thoughts of debts and guns and knives back into a dark corner of her mind.

“Clay,” she said, in a chiding tone. “I can get good Chinese like that –” she snapped her fingers “– in San Francisco. I want something that tastes like New York.” The lie rolled off her tongue seamlessly, but he didn’t need to know why she wasn’t taking him up on his offer for Chinese. “I want to go out. To some place filled with brooding New Yorkers rather than San Francisco hipsters. Something that makes me feel like I’m in the West Village.”

“My mistake. I assumed you getting naked meant you wanted to eat inside,” he said, eyeing her up and down as she unbuttoned the shirt.

“I’m not getting naked,” she said. “I’m changing into my clothes.”

He reached for her, gripping her wrist in his hand. “Don’t.”

“Don’t change?”