Between Desire and Denial: A Fake Dating Romance (Hardy Billionaires)

He consumed me on that elevator as his hand slid up my thigh and his tongue dragged around my mouth.

He was right.

I wasn’t thinking of anyone else while he did it. His hands were masterful, his tongue skillful, and his body perfection. He brushed his thumb along the seam of my thong, and I pulled my mouth from his to whimper on his shoulder as he dragged his tongue along the column of my neck. I’d never really had a doubt the man would be good in bed.

I’d tried not to imagine it since I’d been with Rufford, but Rufford had accused me of hanging out with Dimitri too much, and well, I couldn’t control where my mind wandered in my dreams.

Dreams weren’t reality here, though. Reality was much better. His hand massaged my thigh before hiking it up over his hip so he could get closer, but our height difference didn’t grant me the leverage I craved. I wanted to rub against him, feel how hard he was for me against how wet I was for him.

He growled and leaned down a bit to grab the backs of my thighs, lifting me up to encircle my legs around his waist, setting my ass on the railing. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, and that’s when my world turned upside down.

Dimitri’s cock against my pussy, even with fabric between us, felt life-changingly huge. Tears actually pricked my eyes from desire. My hips rocked hard into him. “I want you here. Right now, Dimitri.”

“We’re on a public elevator.”

I dropped a hand down between us and tried to unbuckle his slacks. “So what?”

He grabbed my wrist. “So you’ve got to wait.”

“I don’t want to,” I whined. Alcohol made me bold, and I wasn’t about to hide my feelings. This night was for me, not anyone else. I started hiking up my dress, but it was then that the elevator came to a halt with a ding and the door slid open.

“Fuck,” he swore as he moved fast to block the view of me from the couple who boarded. He rearranged my dress and wiped at the red lipstick that must have been all around my face. “I should have swiped my HEAT watch,” he said quietly, like an apology. I knew those watches were a part of the patented technology he and his brothers had built that was a signature of their empire—exclusive hotels and restaurants for the rich and famous around the world with impeccable security.

Then, he grabbed my hand, threaded his fingers through mine, and moved to my side. When the man who’d boarded the elevator glanced over his shoulder and saw Dimitri, his eyes brightened. “Oh my God, Dimitri Hardy?”

Dimitri nodded but didn’t respond.

The man kept blabbering on. “My wife and I absolutely love these resorts. I just have to tell you, what you and your brothers are doing is phenomenal. Businesses are flourishing because of your investments and expertise. I’ve been a member of the HEAT organization since Carl Milton owned it, and there’s been such a shift. Don’t you agree, Ms. …?” He waited for me to answer.

That’s when Dimitri’s jaw clenched, and he positioned all of his body in front of me immediately. “Discretion within the HEAT empire is always advised, Mr. Kudrow.” The elevator dinged and the doors opened on the floor that held a restaurant. “Looks like this is your floor. Have a good night.”

The couple didn’t say anything else as they hurried off the elevator, and this time, as the doors closed, Dimitri swiped his watch.

It reminded me how influential Dimitri Hardy and the whole empire was.

When the elevator finally delivered us to Dimitri’s floor, I found myself stewing about it.

“Why are you glaring at the door, Olive?” Dimitri asked as he swiped that watch again and held the door open for me. “Change your mind?”

It was a good question. Did I want to spend one night with a billionaire that was probably an entitled asshole? He’d kissed me like he was devouring my soul on the elevator, but I knew he wouldn’t provide much more than good sex. “It’s not you.” I shook my head and walked in. “Just what your company reminds me of.”

“Which is?”

“That I was privileged, and my parents—especially my father—always wanted to stay in resorts like this.”

“Ah. Yes, you’ve talked to me before about that community you grew up in too.” He nodded and undid his cuff links. Then he unbuttoned his suit jacket, slipped it off, and hung it on the table’s chair. “The exclusivity and luxury that community was built on is—’

“Ridiculous.” I cut him off. The community was almost as well-known as living in the zip code 90210 in Beverly Hills. “Paradise Grove is as exclusive as any HEAT property.” I rolled my eyes. “Big houses, big celebrities, and big egos. Little, itty, bitty hearts. And that’s why I left.”

Normally Dimitri didn’t ask personal questions, but he seemed a bit more interested in this part of my life. “Your father a member of HEAT?”

“I wouldn’t know.” I shrugged. “I don’t talk to him much since …” I took a breath. “After my mom passed away, he remarried quickly. I’m sure you’ve heard the story of the big actor turned movie director, Bill Monroe, and Georgette Fenti marrying only—’

“Only two months after Mariah Monroe passed? Yeah.” He nodded solemnly but kept watching me intently, like he was trying to see every expression I had. “You have a brother too?”

“Yep. Knox is younger. He’s close with them since he’s still living at home and all.” I bit my bottom lip and glanced around the penthouse. The luxurious leather sofa and the floor-to-ceiling windows with a big chandelier hanging over the coffee table was a classic HEAT statement. “I don’t go home to Paradise Grove much now.”

I heard the hum of sympathy vibrate through him. I turned around to see him slide his hands into his pockets. He frowned at me before he asked, “Were you close with your mother?”

I turned to stare out at the city below. The night lights twinkled in the distance, and I found myself sighing at the beauty of it all. The world could look like such a peaceful place in the blanket of the night sky and stars. Yet, there was pain and darkness swirling all around down there. “She was my best friend.”

“I’m sorry, Olive.” His voice was closer and softer now, and I could almost trick myself into believing he cared about me, like we were really good friends.

My heart twisted, and I shook off the pain, my curls dancing back and forth before I looked over my shoulder to face him. “Don’t be. I’m not here for your sympathy anyway. So … are you going to offer me a drink?”

“You need one?” He stood there, all impeccably styled, not one of his dark locks out of place in that penthouse suite he likely owned. He was tall and always commanded attention when he walked into a room, but he never asked for it or sought it out. That quiet confidence ignited the attraction and chemistry I’d had with him in the elevator again.

“No.” I licked my lips as I appreciated how his shirt hugged his muscular frame and broad shoulders. His tie had been loosened but the deep forest green of it brought out how striking his eyes were as they raked over my body. “I think I just might need you, Dimitri Hardy.”

“Should I tell you again that you don’t really want to sleep with me?”

If he backed out of this now, I’d die of embarrassment tomorrow. I probably already would, but I followed through as best I could now. “You could, but that’s only if you want me to sleep with someone else tonight.”

His eyes darkened then, and his brow dropped as he commanded, “Take your dress off, but the heels stay on.”

I glanced behind me at the window. Could people see into this suite?

“Don’t want anyone to see?” His voice sounded as if it was taunting me almost. “If you’re nervous, we can turn all the lights off.”

I whipped back around to unzip the dress and then I let it fall to pool at my feet. I would manage to exude as much confidence as he did even if I had to fake it. “Do I seem nervous?”

“Undo your bra and get rid of your panties. Show me all of you. I’ll judge how nervous you are then.”

I undid my bra and let that fall too, holding his stare the whole time. When his gaze finally drifted to the rest of my body, I pushed down my panties and let out a breath. My knees were practically shaking, along with my whole body, but I wasn’t going to admit to it. I’d never had sex in front of a window before or done anything remotely like this. Rufford had been vanilla, but I knew as Dimitri’s eyes glowed with hunger, he was anything but.

“Fuck me. You’re as pretty as an angel, Olive, and I normally fuck like I’m in hell. Maybe I’m the one who needs a drink,” he murmured before turning to the minibar and grabbing a bottle of champagne. “Want a little champagne?”

I shrugged. “It’s your bottle to open.” I saw the brand name and tried not to wince. I knew luxury, and I knew there was a $100,000 price tag on something like that. “And pay for. We probably won’t finish it. It would be a waste.”

“I own the hotel, Olive.” He popped the cork and walked forward. “It’s mine to waste, right?”

I was so mesmerized with how close he was to me, how exposed I felt standing there completely naked in just my heels, that I didn’t answer.

He chuckled and then murmured in my ear, “Open your mouth. Let me give you a taste.”

This I could do. I could listen even if I couldn’t talk. I closed my eyes, my heart beating fast, and opened my mouth slightly.

I felt Dimitri’s hand go to my neck before his thumb moved over my pulse point. “Open wider, and eyes on me, Olive.” I snapped them open and frowned at him in question. Why did he care if I was looking at him? Like he could read my mind, he said, “I want to see that pretty color in your eyes all night when I’m bringing you to the brink.”

Staring into his emerald eyes, completely naked, as he tipped the bottle felt much too intimate for the one-night stand I wanted. And then he took it to the next level when he squeezed my neck hard enough that the liquid couldn’t flow down nor could I breathe. It was just a few seconds of him filling my mouth with champagne, of the bubbles fizzling on my tongue, of him holding my gaze but my whole body shivered, my nipples tightened, and I was instantly wet.

He eased off his grip and watched as I drank it. “You swallow like you want my cock in your throat, pretty girl. Do you?” he asked before he used his thumb to tip my chin up and expose my neck. Then, he did the most ridiculous thing. He poured that hundred thousand dollars’ worth of champagne on my throat, my breasts, and down my stomach. The fizzy liquid ran over my clit and my thighs. He set the bottle on the counter and wasted no time sucking the alcohol from my neck. His hands skirted down my body to squeeze my breasts and then moved the cool liquid back and forth over my nipples.

“Dimitri, this feels so good.” I squirmed against his touch.

He dropped his head as his arm wrapped around my waist and then he pushed me back to gain access to my chest. He took his time sucking one of my breasts into his mouth, his tongue swirling over me. Round and round. It was like he was lapping the champagne from me, taking me in, enjoying my taste.

My nails dug into his shoulders, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he hummed so loud that the vibration had me jerking my hips against him. He nudged his thigh between my legs and dropped his hand to my ass to rock me into him, over and over.

And I whimpered, “I want you, please.”

Dragging his teeth slowly against my nipple, he took his time, licking it after biting. Then he looked down at me grinding against his thigh. “That’s it,” he murmured. Yet, he kept a firm hold on my ass, controlling my rhythm. The friction of the fabric over his thigh had me climbing closer to the orgasm I so desperately wanted. “Look at you, getting what you want. So greedy like you can’t wait. It makes me hard, Olive, seeing you want it so much.” I bit my lip as I rode his thigh harder, the shame falling away because he wanted me too. He felt this pull also. And then he let go of my ass and smacked it, telling me, “Go faster. The way you want it. Take what you want. All of that orgasm is yours.”

And I did. I rode his thigh hard and fast and uninhibited. I cried out as an explosion shot through me just as fast, but much more powerful than I ever experienced. I couldn’t think about anything other than how good it felt and how my body needed more as I clutched him close.

It was an awakening or a revelation of sorts. This was better than I’d ever had, and it was something I could have more of now. My heart raced and my breath came fast as I crumbled against him, the high subsiding.

“You look flawless when you come. Like a damn goddess,” he murmured against my curls. “I don’t know if I want to keep seeing that or ravage you until I’ve broken you enough to see a flaw.”

I nodded at the idea. I wanted all of him then. I wanted more of this, needed more of this, and wouldn’t stop until I got more. I dropped to my knees, ready to unbuckle his trousers and see how I could make him feel as good. Yet, he scooped me up like a baby and laid me on the bed instead, shaking his head.

“I’m not done, Olive. I still want more of that champagne.”

I nodded glancing over at the bottle. “I can pour some down your—”

“No.” He gently grabbed my thigh, pulled me to the edge of the bed, and spread my legs apart. “I want to taste my champagne on your pussy.”

He took the bottle from the counter, and I could only watch as he poured more on my bundle of nerves, so swollen and sensitive now from the last orgasm that I arched and hissed when it hit.

He kneeled on the floor to suck my clit.

I was writhing now, my legs spread as he licked my pussy with champagne on it over and over. The bubbles popped on my clit, and the cool liquid rolled over my sex before his warm tongue sucked it away.

I couldn’t stop from crying out again and arching. “Please, Dimitri. This is too much.”

“Not enough,” he said against me and kept going, faster and faster. But he was right, it wasn’t enough.

“Please. I want more,” I cried because my pussy was convulsing around nothing. I wanted his cock, but instead, he sat back and brushed his fingers over my arousal.

“Look how wet you get for me even when I lick it away. I love how greedy this pretty pussy is for me.”

I couldn’t believe how filthy his mouth was behind closed doors, but my nipples puckered, and I moaned as I heard him saying it.

“Maybe we shouldn’t waste a single part of this champagne, Olive. Maybe you should show me how you like to ride a cock, huh?” That’s when I realized he still held that bottle and now he was tracing the cool rim of it round and round the edge of my entrance.

I whimpered and clawed at his wrists, trying to get more of something, anything to bring myself over the edge I was teetering on again. “Yes,” I whispered, not even knowing right then what I was agreeing to.

Dimitri slid the cool glass in slow as he moved over my body and planted one arm above me as he moved his whole body to the rhythm of the champagne bottle fucking me. He tipped it up and it immediately hit my G-spot. His thumb rolled over my clit to pinch it into the hard glass, moving it back and forth on top of it.

It was a feeling I’d never experienced, a vulnerability I would crave for the rest of my life. I surrendered again to the pull of him, to how he took control of me. I cried out as blood roared through my veins, ablaze with desire and ecstasy.

He watched me the whole time, mesmerized. Then, he pulled the bottle from me slowly. “The bottle’s glistening with your come and my champagne,” he said. He brought it to his lips and held my gaze as he put it in his mouth and sucked on it before licking the rim. I gasped at seeing him do it. “Champagne and honey might be my two favorite flavors mixed together now,” he murmured as he sat back and stared at me naked on his bed.

I sat up to crawl to him, ready now to have all of him. My hand went into his trousers just as his phone started to ring. He glanced at his watch. I saw a woman’s name and immediately wondered if he’d want me to continue.

“Answer it,” I told him, my hand moving over him now. He frowned at me. “Is it your date, Dimitri? Want to go meet up with her instead of having me?” It was a bold thing to say while my hand was wrapped around his cock.

He stopped my hand, pulling me from his trousers and crawled over me to say, “I’ve got you here all night. Why would I meet up with anyone else?”

“Get real.” I shoved at his broad shoulder and then chuckled when he yanked my hips closer against him. “I probably can’t do much more anyway. I’m freaking spent.”

“Do you truly believe that?” He searched my face to see if I was serious. Then, he rearranged me so that I was in the middle of the bed under him. “Is that all your professor would give you? He didn’t teach you that the best way for your pussy to feel good is to keep going?”

“You tasted me about a billion times just minutes ago,” I reminded him.

He hummed. “I tasted you with champagne. What about without it?”

His hand touched my hips and then between my legs, his middle finger pushing against my already swollen clit. His finger was able to move over it smoothly because of how wet I still was, of how wet I was getting again.

His words had me tightening my thighs though. I swallowed, and the gulp was audible. “That’s not … We’ve done enough.”

“You not into me eating you out?” he whispered against my ear.

How would I know? What we’d just done was the only time someone had gone down on me. It was fantastic, but I couldn’t be sure that without champagne … “I … Rufford and I didn’t normally get to that part.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean it’s obvious I enjoy sex. Probably to my detriment. Rufford always told me I was too impatient. I wanted it too much. So, we never …” I shrugged not sure what to say.

“What about with others?” Dimitri kept his finger moving over me the whole time.

It was probably a tactic to get me to tell the truth or something. I fell for it though. I was rolling my hips and writhing against his hand as I moaned out, “It’s only been Rufford, Dimitri. I … He’s the only one.”

“Fuck.” Dimitri dragged out the swear. “Fuck. I’m going to be up all night, aren’t I? Proving to you what a disservice that dumbass did.”

“I said you could— Actually, you should leave,” I whimpered out as I rolled my naked ass against his hard cock. It was growing by the second against me, and I loved the feeling. “You had a date tonight. I know you did.”

“Yep. Two actually. But I’m not leaving you for anyone. I sent them home. This ass is mine for the night.” He squeezed the side of my hip and then commanded, “On your back, baby, and spread your legs. I’m going to show you what it’s like to have the best sex of your life tonight.”

“I think you’ve already accomplished that,” I mumbled as I laid onto my back and spread my legs a bit.

“Wider,” he murmured as he undid his shirt and pulled it from his shoulders. I didn’t move as I watched him strip completely down. His body was pure muscle, toned to perfection. “Olive, are you listening? Spread your legs wider. Show me my pretty pussy.”

I did as I was told. I’d already gone this far. I’d already lost what I thought was the love of my life, and now I was going to be without sex for a good amount of time after this.

“Now, thinking and knowing are two very different things. You need to know I’m the best you ever had, Olive.” He hovered over me, completely naked, with his gaze locked on mine. Normally, his green eyes were a light misty color, so light, so laid-back and relaxed.

I wasn’t sure who Dimitri was as a person. I knew he was exceptionally smart by how far he’d come professionally, but he didn’t really associate with those he didn’t need to. He avoided confrontation, and he enjoyed himself to the extremes. He didn’t seem to worry about much, but here, his gaze was darker, determined, and full of a desire to prove his point.

He moved down my body slowly and lapped at my chest, taking his time to swirl his tongue around each of my nipples.

“Please hurry,” I whined. I’d told him I didn’t have a handle on my sex drive.

“Patience, Olive.”

“I don’t have patience. I just told you that.” I clawed at his shoulders now.

“Should I teach you what it feels like?”

“Let’s just have sex, please.”

He chuckled and let me ride his fingers faster. He kept with the pace of my hips as I gyrated on him, but I wanted more. “If you need to get off, go ahead, Olive. We have all night.”

“All night for what?” I was panting as his thumb pressed against the bundle of nerves that probably didn’t need any more attention but still loved to get it all the same. “I just want to come. You said you wanted me to come again, so let’s just do it.”

“No.” He shook his head against my stomach, and I gasped at the sensation of his five-o’clock shadow there. He kissed down further, and I felt my legs trying to close, unsure of how close I wanted him to get to my pussy. “I didn’t say that. I said I wanted to taste your pussy.”

Having him fuck me was one thing, eating me out was another. Rufford wanted nothing to do with that. “I just think it’s easier if—”

“Do I look like a man who wants an easy fuck, Olive?” he said, now right above my clit. I practically felt his breath there and stopped rolling against his fingers to look down at him. Vivid green eyes held mine, and I wanted to believe there was hunger in them.

“You look like someone who could have one,” I whispered out. “I think any woman would sleep with you, seeing you like this.”

“And yet I’m about to eat out my best friend’s bridesmaid, knowing the repercussions are going to be pretty damn bad.”

“We’re not telling her.” I hurried to make that clear. “We’re not telling a single soul.”

“Oh really?” He worked my sex, and I whimpered at his large, calloused fingers gliding over me, the motion was slow, excruciatingly so. Then he brought those two fingers to his mouth and slid his tongue between them, not looking away from me for a single second. “You taste like you have goddamn honey inside you, Olive. I get you all night. Why would I hide it when I’m enjoying it? When it’s nothing to be ashamed of?”

“Because … this is just one night. And it would only complicate our friendships with Kee.”

He growled against me. “But it’s the best night, right?”

“I think so,” I whimpered because his mouth feathered over my clit as I said it.

I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, could barely even form a sentence. He nipped me then, and I convulsed against him, my thighs clamping down on his ears.

“You know so. Tell me.” And then he sucked on my clit hard before his tongue slid down to my pussy. He pulled back to swear and say, “You drip this sweet honey all for me, Olive. So fucking sweet that I’m going to lick up every last drop of it. Make sure when you come, you say what I want to hear.”

“What do you want to hear?” I didn’t care. I’d tell him anything. I’d lost my mind. I was clawing at his dark hair now, trying to get him to finish what he’d started.

“Say I’m the best sex you’ve ever had. That you know it. Me and no one else.”

“Jesus, you’re egotistical.”

“You think so?” He chuckled, then his tongue slid into the most sensitive part of me. He moved it fast, like he knew it’s what I needed, and his fingers worked my clit, my ass, my body in a way I wasn’t used to.

Dimitri had perfected whatever this was. If there was a class for pleasuring women, he could have had a doctorate in it. I should have been embarrassed with the mewling I did, the arching, the clawing, but he egged me on.

Every time he’d pull away from my pussy to work his fingers in me some other way, he’d tell me, “That’s it. Take what you want. This orgasm is yours. Look at the work you’re putting in fucking my hand. You deserve to feel good. Feel fucking perfect. Take what you want.”

I screamed out right as he curled his fingers in me, and the blinding euphoria shot through me.

He didn’t hesitate or let up. He pushed me further, sucking on my clit and pumping his fingers up and down so fast and hard that suddenly my body felt like it was going to implode.

“Dimitri, I can’t … You have to stop. I’m … I think … I’ve never felt this good, and I can’t control—”

He sucked harder, and something unraveled inside me. My orgasm gushed onto his face, and he hummed as it happened, like he wanted every drop still.

I heard how he lapped at it, how he practically drank my come into his mouth. And he didn’t shy away from licking every single part around my folds to get all of it. He slid that expert tongue over my inner thighs, and I felt his five-o’clock shadow scrape against the sensitive skin. My legs tightened around him, and I could’ve held him there all night because suddenly I wanted to.

When I rocked against him one last time, he moaned out, “Look at you. Fucking incredible. Your body wants even more, I can feel it.” He crawled up me and turned my face to his. I knew I was blushing, but he grabbed my jaw and chin so that I had to look him in the eyes. “Ashamed of how much you like it, Olive?” I bit my lip because I didn’t want to answer, but he used his thumb to pull it from my teeth immediately. “Answer me.”

“I just broke up with my boyfriend. I really shouldn’t like it this much …”

“He was cheating on you. You should do whatever the fuck you want,” he corrected me before he leaned closer—so close that our lips touched—and murmured, “Now, tell me how good you taste when you’re doing exactly what you want.”

And then he kissed me hard, stuck his tongue so far in my mouth I had no choice but to suck my juices from it. I tasted sweet and salty and mixed with him. I tasted of desire and sex, so addictive that I moaned like I couldn’t get enough.

As I arched into him, I moved my hand down to grab his cock and centered his hard tip right against me. “I won’t be able to stand it if you don’t fuck me, Dimitri.”

“I probably shouldn’t. You’re right about complications.”

Now he was trying to deny me? “You should. Just one time. I’m on birth control, you can have me bare if you’ve been…” I drifted off, not knowing how to ask.

“I get tested regularly, Olive. But don’t trust any guy who says that. Fuck.’ He swore under his breath and I watched how the cords in his neck tightened. “Do you know what saying that to a guy does?”

“Yeah, it gets him to screw me, which is what I want. It’s only going to be tonight anyway. Might as well make the most of it.”

“God damn it, Olive. We’re going to regret this.” But I felt the tip of him at my entrance. There was no way I’d regret feeling all of him in me. There’s no way he’d regret it either. He was throbbing in my grip, thick and solid and bigger than I’d ever experienced.

“Fuck me like you mean it, Dimitri. Don’t let me down.”