His Big Reveal: An Interracial BWWM Billionaire Romance (BWWM Alpha Males) (18 page)

Chapter One

Theresa walked the short distance from her hotel to the packed bar. Bodies were pushed up close together, most of them just happy to be out of the cold, Michigan rain. Theresa shook her umbrella before she made her way to the bar. She shivered. The chilly October air had seeped into her bones. She raised a finger to the bar tender.

“Whiskey, please. Don’t care what.”

The bartender nodded before he disappeared to pour her drink. She was surprised that the bar was so busy, even with the rain. it was a hole in the wall joint that was all familiar faces and the owners still let you smoke if you wanted to. Theresa slipped out a cigarette and placed it between her lips.

A man next to her held out his lighter. A lit cigarette already dangled from his lips. He smiled around it before holding the lighter out a bit farther. Theresa leaned forward, watched the tip of her cigarette grow red before she blew out a cloud of smoke.

“Thanks, I can never find my light,” she said with a soft smile.

“No problem at all,” the man said as his green eyes traveled over her. He extended a hand. “I’m Alex.”

“Theresa,” she said shaking his hand firmly.

The man’s bright smile didn’t fade. Instead, he shifted a little closer as someone sat on the right side of him. Theresa took her drink from the bartender, paid him, then took a deep sip. She could feel Alex’s eyes on her the entire time.

Theresa wanted to talk to him, but she was hesitant. She was twenty-seven years old with a newly ended relationship, she didn’t want to take the chance on anyone new. She crossed her legs, the stockings beneath her skirt sliding against each other. She enjoyed that feeling, loved the smoothness of the stockings gliding over her brown skin.

The work she did wasn’t satisfying. A secretary at a law firm, she worked for a jerk of a boss who liked to blame her for everything. At night, she worked hard at her classes to become a caregiver. It was the first time in a long time that she’d had to herself.

The white blouse she wore had several buttons popped open, hinting at round, chocolate breasts. Black hair, that usually curled down her back, was pulled into a ponytail. She was short, but shapely, her long legs the center of attention more often that not.

However, that didn’t seem to be the case with Alex. His dark, green eyes were staring at hers. She felt a shiver run down her spine, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips. It had been a long time since someone could make her feel that way with a look.

Theresa wasn’t sure how the silence turned into meaningful conversation, but she fell into chatting with Alex easily. He was laid back, charming, with a smile that could wow a woman from a mile away. His brown hair was cropped short to his head. She could tell that he was muscular, the hunter green shirt that he wore was tight against his chest. His arms were muscled too. Theresa briefly wondered what his abs looked like, what it would feel like to drag her hand down his chest…

She mentally scolded herself. They had just met! There was no way that she should be thinking about dragging her hand down his chest. She wondered how long it had been since she’d last been with anyone. A blank popped into her mind. It had been a long time ago.

Theresa tuned back into what Alex was saying. He was talking about a book, a good book if she recalled, but her mind was a million miles away. Perhaps it was the sound of the rain through the open door pounding the pavement, the warmth that had spread into her belly from the booze or the way she kept having to clench her thighs together to relieve the torture that was taking place between her thighs, before he’d even touched her.

“You’re in your own world,” he said with a chuckle, lighting up another cigarette. “What’s on your mind?”

Theresa shook her head. “Long day at work, that’s all,” she said with a quick smile. “Sorry, I was listening.”

“Really? If I’m boring you-.”

“Not at all!,” Theresa said quickly. “I’m enjoying our conversation.”

“Well, in that case,” he said as he leaned closer to her, “maybe I’m just distracting you. I couldn’t help but notice the way your thighs keep squeezing together.”

Theresa felt embarrassment sweep over her instantly. She ducked her head down to hide her embarrassment, but that only brought a bigger grin to his face. It was an odd feeling being so shy, but he seemed to bring that out of her.

“What do you do?” She asked, sipping on her drink.

“I’m in the Army. On leave right now, enjoying my hometown before I have to leave tomorrow.”

Theresa nodded. “That must be hard, always having to leave home.”

Alex grinned. “It’s not easy, but I love what I do. Serving my country is important to me.”

She smiled at him. Theresa had always had a thing for men in uniform, she wondered how he looked in his. It brought another involuntary shiver of delight down her spine. Alex gazed around the bar, before he pulled out his wallet to pay the bartender.

“I don’t know if this is too forward,” he said turning to her, “but would you like to maybe go back to my place? Have some coffee?”

Theresa thought it over. He wasn’t pressuring her, wasn’t rushing her. Theresa liked that. She laughed before she stood up. She slipped into her coat.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Alex took Theresa’s umbrella and held it above them both as they walked out to his car. He popped the door open for her before helping her slip inside. Theresa could feel the alcohol making her warm, sleepy, especially within the warmth of the car. He slipped in after her before they headed off to his place, their soft conversation enough to keep a smile on her face for the duration of the ride.

It wasn’t long before they ended up at a hotel. The building was grand, all marble, gold inlay and soft, neutral colors. The sound of her kitten heels clicked across the marble as she followed behind him.

“This is my room,” he said as he pushed open the door. “It’s not much, but I figured it was my last night so...,” he trailed off as he switched on the light.

It was a single bed hotel room. The carpet was a plush, cream that felt good against her feet when Theresa slipped off her shoes. Alex shifted out of his jacket, hanging it over a chair as he opened a small fridge. He pulled out a bottle of rum. Theresa grinned.

“I thought you said coffee?”

“Do you really want to leave the warmth and comfort of this room for coffee?”

Theresa laughed, shrugged out of her jacket before he walked over to help her with it. “You’re sneaky.”

“No sneakiness here,” he said as his hands ran over her shoulders. “I’m just enjoying your company.”

“I’m sure,” she mumbled as his fingers ran over her skin.

The rest of the night was a whirlwind. Theresa let herself fall into it, let herself enjoy the time they had together, no matter what it would mean tomorrow. She reveled in the way he pulled off her stockings, the way his mouth ran over her neck down to her breasts and the way his fingers found new ways to tease and tantalize her with every new motion.

He wasn’t one track minded either, Theresa learned. One moment he’d be moving into her slowly, the next he was ravishing her. She found herself gasping for breath more than once. Her fingers dug into the blankets until they hurt. By the time they pulled apart, both of them lay on the blankets exhausted.

Theresa gazed over at him. He grinned, producing a fit of laughter in both of them. Alex was the first to move, as he shifted off of the bed and wandered into the bathroom. Theresa sighed. It was too bad that it was a one time thing, she’d really enjoyed herself.

“Hey,” Alex said drawing her eyes toward the bathroom and back to his naked form. He nodded his head toward the bathroom. “Come take a shower with me.”

Theresa hadn’t expected that, but she didn’t complain. The woman slipped from the bed carefully, making sure that she had her footing first before she sauntered into the bathroom. The bathroom was already steaming up from the shower. He held out a hand, helped her inside before he closed the curtain.

They stayed up until the sun came up then passed out together. By the time Theresa woke up once more, her hand grasped a handful of sheets and nothing more. She popped one eye open, groaning at the sun glaring through the window. She gazed over to where Alex had been sleeping. Nothing. There was nothing of his in the room either, she found out.

Sighing, she gathered up her clothes before heading to the bathroom. Her bra was perched on the counter, a little note lying in one of the cups. She couldn’t help the grin that came to her lips as she picked up the small, lined piece of paper.

This was fun, but I don’t want that to be it. I wish I could have stuck around a bit longer, gotten to know you. You can write to me, if you want. We should meet up next time I’m back in town. I paid for one more day in the room. Enjoy it.

Theresa’s grin had grown until her cheeks began to hurt. It was unexpected, especially with her bad luck in relationships, but she couldn’t help the little sense of happiness that flooded her. She slipped the note into her purse before she gazed at the time. Noon flashed across the screen of her phone making her stop cold.

“Shit!”

Theresa took a quick shower before she slipped into her clothes. She had to call a taxi to get to work, but that was nothing new. On the ride to the office, she brushed out her hair and applied a light layer or makeup to cover up the circles that had developed under her eyes.

“You’re late!”

“I’m sorry Mr. Tate, I overslept,” she said quickly as she adjusted her clothing as best she could.

The only thing missing were her stockings which had been destroyed beyond repair. Even the thought of it made little butterflies light in her belly. The man before her, red in the face and slightly balding, snapped his fingers in her face.

“I need you to pay attention. Fax these over to Mark and mail these out. Do you got that?”

“Yes, Mr. Tate,” she said evenly, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

As she walked away, she could already hear him mumbling about her. Theresa ignored him. Nothing was going to take her down, not when she was feeling so good about her night. She finished her work as quickly and quietly as possible, staying out of Mr. Tate’s way as much as possible. By the time the day was done, she was ready to go home and curl up in front of the tv.

“Theresa!”

The woman turned around. Her friend, Sonya, was jogging over to her. The woman worked across the street from the law office in a bakery. Theresa could already see the spots of flower in her raven hair, along with icing on her shirt and chocolate on her forehead. She shook her head.

“Why are you always such a mess?” Theresa asked with a laugh.

“Life’s more fun when it’s messy, don’t you know that?” Sonya teased.

The woman linked arms with Theresa as they walked across the street. Already the sun was sliding down in the sky, an array of brilliant colors splashed across the clouds. The air had already turned chilly, prompting Theresa to draw the coat around herself tighter.

“Where were you last night?” Sonya asked as they approached her car. “We thought you were coming over for drinks.”

“I was a little worn out on human interaction. Nothing personal, I just needed some alone time,” Theresa said as she slipped into the car.

“One problem with that,” Sonya said starting the engine, “you’re wearing the same clothes from yesterday.”

Theresa felt that old embarrassment work its way up. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t try to act all innocent,” Sonya said chuckling as she pulled down the street, “you’re wearing the same outfit from yesterday, minus the stockings. Who’d you meet?”