Off the Record

Chapter 8 NO ONE ELSE KNOWS

Liz was leaving the gala. She was actually leaving.

She took a deep breath and kept her feet moving toward the valet station. She had to force herself not to look over her shoulder at the party she was leaving behind. The evening was just beginning and she was walking out on the festivities.

It was deserted outside, and Liz briefly wondered if anyone would notice her absence. No one had known she would be in attendance, and she wasn’t a name in journalism. Hayden was the only one who knew she was going to be here, and she didn’t want to think about him right now. Liz tucked her gold clutch under her arm higher and strode to the valet.

“Can I help you, miss?” he asked with a smile.

Liz handed him the slip of paper Brady had given her and waited as he called for the limo. She tried not to think about her decision. If she thought about it too much, she wouldn’t go through with it; she wouldn’t get into that limo. And she knew that if she didn’t, she would regret it forever.

She wasn’t prone to rash actions, but something about Brady made her insides flop. Her body heated despite the weather being balmy, comfortable, and beautifully breezy. She felt more as if she were sitting in the heat of her Tampa home than the cool North Carolina weather.

A long black stretch limo pulled up to the valet and he motioned her over.

“Here you are, miss,” the valet said, pulling the door open for her.

“Thank you,” Liz said, sliding onto the black leather seat. The door closed behind her and cast her into dim lighting.

She looked around, taken with the beautiful sleek interior. An uncorked bottle of champagne chilled in a bucket filled with ice. A flat-screen TV hung against the back wall, and a fully stocked minibar with an assortment of glasses took up a seat on the left.

Liz had never been in a limo before. Her high school boyfriend had wanted to get one for prom, but she had thought it was a waste of money. They had taken his dad’s BMW instead. And Brady had a limo just for a gala event. What a different world. Liz found it ironic that this would be her first experience. Victoria would die to know the details, but there was no way she could tell her.

She knew that this was a bad idea…a really bad idea. If anyone found out that she had slept with Brady, then she could lose all credibility as a journalist. It would be career suicide for her. The paper had been the only thing she had wanted and worked this hard for. Maybe she shouldn’t even be here. Maybe she should get out the other side and walk back to her car.

But she couldn’t. She wanted to be with Brady. He had this pull on her, and their connection was like nothing she had ever experienced before. It might be wrong, but she wanted this to happen.

After a few minutes, the limo door opened and her heart rate accelerated.

For a brief second, a part of her thought that it was all going to be some ill-conceived practical joke. Hayden was going to be on the other side of the door with Calleigh Hollingsworth and the other reporters. They would be laughing at her for committing so thoroughly to their prank on the new girl. Because why else would Brady Maxwell ask her to get into his limo?

But then Brady’s handsome face came into view. He looked at her, smiled that gorgeous, charming, incomparable smile, and she was lost once more.

“You stayed,” he said, sitting down next to her.

“Are you surprised?” Liz asked, déjà vu washing over her. How often did this man get turned down that he would seem so surprised that she was near him? Didn’t seem likely that it would be very often.

“This time, no,” Brady told her confidently. The door slammed shut, casting them back into darkness.

“Do you often take limos out?” She broke his intense gaze and focused on her surroundings.

“Sometimes. I was an honored guest tonight, so the gala provided one.”

“My lucky night, I guess,” she said with a smile in his direction.

He chuckled. “I actually think it’s mine. How else could I have impressed you?”

Liz tried not to gawk as she considered the question. She was pretty sure everything about him was impressive.

Watching his mouth quirk up at the side, she realized he was teasing her. That look of pure confidence did inappropriate things to her. She had the sudden urge to jump him right there in the limo. Normally that much cocky self-importance would have been a turnoff, but Brady was breaking every rule in her book.

The limo started moving then, taking them to their unknown destination. Liz didn’t even want to know or else she might chicken out. She would rather step out of the limo with him at some unfamiliar place and simply follow his lead.

“You didn’t have any champagne,” Brady said, pulling the bottle from the ice and pouring them each a flute. The dim light fell across the label. Dom Pérignon. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was.

“I wasn’t sure I could,” she admitted. Also, she was nervous as hell.

“Well, here you go.” He handed her a drink. They clinked their glasses together, and she drank the champagne faster than she anticipated. It tasted like pure, bubbly bliss, way smoother than anything she had ever tasted before. He took a sip from his own glass and placed it by the ice bucket while she finished hers off.

“Want another?” he asked with a soft chuckle.

“Yes, please,” Liz said, handing the glass back. Brady refilled it, and she took her time sipping the champagne. His eyes were watching her, and she wondered what he was thinking. Was he going to make a move? Was he waiting for her to make a move? What did he want from her? She had too many thoughts coursing through her head, and she was wishing she’d had more to drink at the party to calm herself down.

Liz finished her second glass and handed it back to Brady. Instead of refilling it, he placed the empty glass next to his own and pulled her close to him. He draped an arm around the back of the seat and he laced their fingers together.

Her heart was pitter-pattering in her chest at his nearness. He was so warm and comfortable, and God, did she love the way his hands felt connected with hers. He sent chills up her spine as the pads of his fingertips traced soft lines into her skin. Their hips touched on the leather seat, and she could feel his muscular leg pressing against her own thigh. She crossed her legs at the knee as warm tingling sensations swept through her body.

He wasn’t doing anything more than holding her hand, and her body was already molten lava. His breath was hot on her neck as he stared down at her. He seemed to be waiting for her to look at him, but she wasn’t sure she could control her body at the moment.

“Liz?” he whispered into her ear. His forehead rested on her head as he breathed softly, waiting for her reply. She didn’t think she trusted her voice to answer.

When she didn’t respond, his mouth moved to her ear, nipping at it softly. He trailed his tongue down the side, causing her entire body to shiver in response. Nothing in her entire life had ever been so seductive, and she pressed her legs together in response. He must have known exactly what he was doing to her, because his grip on her hand tightened, and his other arm slid down to grasp her shoulder and pull her in closer.

“Liz?” he repeated, his voice a soft growl of desperation. Liz was sure that she would never want to hear her name uttered another way.

His tongue swirled around her earlobe, and her eyes fluttered closed, her head dropping back onto his arm in response. He tugged softly on the delicate skin, and she released a soft moan.

“Don’t make me ask again,” he groaned, his hand moving down her arm to circle her waist, grasping her tightly.

“Ye-yes,” Liz finally muttered breathily. She was surprised she was coherent at all.

“Look at me.”

She did what she was told without a second thought. Her head moved to the side and she stared up into his brown eyes. All she saw there was desire. He wanted her. Brady Maxwell, a sitting State Senator, wanted her.

Her world felt completely and totally upside down. Here was this incredibly handsome, unbelievably sexy man all but throwing himself at her. Yet, she had called him out in front of a roomful of people and written a negative article about him. Her mind was conflicted, but her body certainly wasn’t. Her body was telling her mind to shut the fuck up and just enjoy herself, because she knew that she definitely would.

But what about her career? Could this damage her career? Liz tried not to think about it. She didn’t want to think about it. She just wanted Brady.

As if he could tell that she was finished arguing with herself, his head lowered and his lips captured hers. His lips were soft and tender, but eager and demanding…just like him. As soon as he touched her, she wanted more.

Her hands ran up his suit and into his thick, dark hair, pulling on the strands. Brady groaned into her mouth, and Liz smiled, knowing she had found a weak spot. His arms reached all the way around her, yanking her against him and into his lap. Her dress fell askew as she pressed her warm body against him. Their tongues volleyed while Liz kissed him back with a ferocity that rivaled his own heightened desire.

How she had ever lived without his kisses in her life prior to this moment was an utter mystery. The raw intensity of their longing for each other surprised her. She had never felt so wanton before.

Yet, at the same time, she couldn’t seem to control or stop it. Not that she wanted to.

They kissed feverishly for the remainder of the ride, coming up for air sparingly. Her lips were swollen and her breath was coming in spurts. She could feel every single place where her body was touching his like flames scorching through her skin.

The limo came to a stop all too soon. They slowly disentangled their limbs and separated. Brady refused to let go of her hand even as she attempted to straighten out her dress.

“I could stay like this with you…” he murmured softly, trailing off as he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her there.

Liz wondered if he had meant to say forever at the end of that sentence.

The door clicked open behind her, and Brady broke away, cutting off whatever he had meant to say afterward. Liz reached for her purse and exited the limo with Brady close behind.

She realized that, unsurprisingly, they were at an upscale hotel in downtown Charlotte. It had an all-glass front and an imposing exterior, and Brady walked right into the hotel as if he owned the place. Liz tried to give off half the amount of confidence he had. She was sure that she failed, but it didn’t matter. No one would spare two seconds to glance at her compared to him.

They walked right through the black-and-gray marble-tiled lobby with its dark mahogany walls, glass tables topped with strange, expensive-looking, ornamental glass decorations, and dark slate countertops. Brady didn’t check in, and Liz wondered how long he had been in Charlotte or if he had checked in to the hotel earlier today. He punched the elevator for the top floor and it lifted them up immediately.

Brady smiled at her reassuringly as the elevator took its time taking them up. All she could think about was having his lips on her once more. Those beautiful lips smiling down at her and only her.

Liz had liked plenty of guys before, but it had never felt like this. Maybe it was because he was completely unattainable. Maybe it was because there was no way this could go anywhere at all. Maybe it was just because she wanted him. Simple lust that she was giving in to. She didn’t even like him…not really. How could she like him if she didn’t even know him and the only things that she did know about him, she disagreed with?

For some reason that didn’t bother her as she thought it might.

Brady took her hand again when they stepped out of the elevator and showed her the way down the hallway. He chuckled softly to himself as he slid the keycard into the door.

“What’s so funny?” Liz asked. He had such a great laugh.

“This is the presidential suite,” he told her with a shrug.

“You’re not the president,” she said, arching an eyebrow.

“Not yet,” he stated confidently, pulling her through the open doorway.

She rolled her eyes dramatically. “A little ahead of yourself, aren’t you? Not even sitting in Congress and you’re putting yourself in the White House.”

“I didn’t come here to talk politics with you, baby,” Brady said, pushing the door closed behind them. “Lecture me after I’m done with you.”

Before she had a chance to retort, Brady slammed her backward into the doorframe, her body colliding with the hard wooden door. She heard a dull thud echo around the room and wondered if the sound was as loud on the outside. Would people know what they were doing in the dark hotel room? Did she care?

She stared from under thick, black lashes at the man before her, seized with her growing desire. His hands came down hard and fast on either side of her head, rapping against the wood. She felt the vibrations ring in her ears, and her heart sped up double time. She stared up at him, trapped in his deep chocolaty eyes, lost to the world she lived in. His eyes consumed her, devoured her, absorbed her—and she was fully clothed.

Fuck! She wanted him. She wanted him badly enough that she all but begged him to continue. She could feel the heat radiating off of their bodies, the electrifying atmosphere, and the ever-present tension from the minimal space between them. He was so close, so damn close. His lips were hovering only inches above her, tempting her, teasing her. She swallowed hard, her chest heaving with the exertion it took to not throw herself at him.

“Brady,” she groaned as his hand moved from the doorframe to trail gingerly across her cheek, flutter down the curve of her neck, brush against her exposed collarbone, and continue to her breast and waist. She thought she might combust.

“No talking,” he growled, circling his arm around her waist and pulling her hips away from the wall. Her feet slid forward against the carpeted floor as he pushed himself against her, his lower half covering her body. Her breath caught at the feel of him through his suit pants. Damn!

Liz tried to hold her focus, but she was having trouble thinking about anything but what he was pressing up against her. She was burning with desire, and any thought of stopping had flown out the window when she had been thrown up against the door. Not that she had ever given any real thought to it to begin with.

Brady leaned forward, pressing against her harder, and kissed the same trail he had made with his hand. She whimpered, trying to keep from squirming at his slow progression. His grip on her waist tightened as he kissed across her breast and down her stomach. She could hardly keep her eyes open, but she had to watch him as he knelt before her.

She would never forget the day she brought a Senator to his knees. She couldn’t keep the smirk off her face at the thought.

“What’s that look for?” he asked, his eyes meeting hers. She tried not to look too devious. He immediately stood, and she bit down on her lip, looking up at him, refusing to break his rule. “You can answer,” he told her.

“I was thinking about bringing a Senator to his knees,” she said, her voice throaty and hoarse, trying to keep her desire in check long enough to speak.

“You think I’m the only one who will be on their knees?” he asked pointedly. She knew she would do just about anything for him if he continued. Brady moved forward and kissed her lips. She sighed into him, and he pushed her hands over her head. Breaking away from her, leaving her wanting more, he asked, “If I asked you to get on your knees right now, would you?”

Liz nodded without hesitation. She would do anything he asked in that moment.

“Good,” he said, pleased. His hands found her waist again, gripping her securely and possessively. She never wanted him to let go.

Sliding his grip down across her butt and grabbing her thighs, Brady hoisted her legs up and around his waist. She immediately circled her arms around his neck and brought herself closer to him. He nipped at her bottom lip, causing her to writhe against him. What a tease!

He chuckled at her enthusiasm and managed to still her hips from their enticing motion as he carried her across the room. She could feel him digging his hands into the soft flesh on the backs of her thighs, holding her in place. She didn’t know why, but that was making her even hotter than his teasing antics.

She hadn’t gotten a glimpse of the room, as Brady had never flicked on the lights, but she could grasp that it was massive. He kicked open a partially closed double door that led to a master suite, and tossed her backward onto the king-sized bed. She lay sprawled across the comforter, her dress hiked up and one sleeve falling off her shoulder, but she didn’t readjust. She could tell he was enjoying the view.

Her eyes followed him as he slid out of his jacket, then slowly unbuttoned each button on his stark white dress shirt. He shrugged the thing off of his shoulders and tossed it on the empty desk. His white undershirt came off next, and she marveled at him as he revealed the incredibly toned six-pack lying beneath. Why he would ever cover that up was beyond Liz’s comprehension. She wanted to run her hands across it and lick her way down. He even had those gorgeous sexy lines that led right to where he was popping the button on his pants.

The zipper fell to the bottom, and her intake of breath was more than evident as his pants fell off his hips to pool at his feet. The erection beneath his boxer briefs was bulging, and she wanted nothing more than to take him right then and there.

He crawled across the bed toward her, and she suddenly realized how clothed she was in comparison. “Don’t,” he said immediately as she tried to shimmy out of her dress. She stilled her hands and waited impatiently. “I want to do it.”

He reached out and grabbed her foot, yanking her flat against the bed and bunching her dress up around her waist in the process. She felt exposed in her cream thong, but the way he was looking at her made her forget all her worries. He was clearly enjoying her athletic build.

Brady’s hands deftly found the side zipper and pulled it down to her hip. Sliding his hands up her sides, he pulled the dress over her head. As he tossed the dress to the ground, his eyes roamed her body. Liz met his eyes when they found hers, not breaking away despite the intensity of his stare. Her mind was lost in the depths of those dark eyes.

He didn’t make a move for a while and she was growing antsy for his touch once more. How had she already gotten so desperate for him? Only a week ago, she had been standing in a sea of reporters while he announced his bid to run. Now she was lying under his heated gaze, nearly naked. She wasn’t embarrassed or mortified by her actions. She would leave that for another day. Right now, all she wanted was Brady, however she could have him.

Liz licked her lips teasingly when his eyes shifted down to her mouth. “Are you going to kiss me?” she murmured.

“Senseless.”

She smiled as he leaned down and brushed his lips against each cheek, her nose, her chin. She tried to angle her face so she could touch his lips, but he was totally in control. Moving farther down, his mouth traveled along her throat, leaving light kisses on her collarbone. His hands moved underneath her body, flicking the clasp of her bra and easing her out of it.

“Mmm,” he groaned when her breasts were in full view. She knew she had a nice rack, and she couldn’t deny it gave her satisfaction to see how much he appreciated them.

Brady’s hands were on her breasts in a moment, massaging them until her nipples were hard. He pulled one into his mouth, circling his tongue around it until she writhed, then moved to the next one, showing it the same attention. She wound her fingers into his dark hair and tugged, never wanting him to stop.

His thumb replaced his mouth, stroking the peak to keep her heated as he traveled farther south down her flat stomach to the edge of her thong. He released her aching breast so he could hook his thumbs under the material and yank it off in one swift motion, leaving her completely nude beneath him.

Normally she would have felt self-conscious. No one usually assessed her body quite so thoroughly, but he seemed to be drinking in every single inch of her, admiring every curve, letting his tongue touch every ounce of flesh he could. And something about the way he looked at her dissolved all nervousness she might have had.

Brady was admiring her as if she were an angel fit for the heavens, and the way he was touching her made her feel like she had tasted ambrosia itself.

His hand came up and ran along her inner thigh and down between her legs. Liz groaned as he slipped one finger in and out of her.

“God, you’re wet,” he growled. He was clearly restraining himself.

“Brady,” she moaned, her grip tightening in his hair. He looked up at her and landed another kiss on her stomach. “All I can think about is you fucking my brains out.”

“Fuck,” he said, gripping her inner thigh. His breath came out ragged for a second before he moved off the bed, dropped his boxers to the floor, slid on a condom, and moved over her.

Liz had less than a second of forethought before he entered her. She cried out at the hardness of his dick pushing farther into her, filling her completely.

“You feel so fucking amazing,” he said into her ear when he was all the way in. Liz couldn’t even manage a coherent sentence. Nothing had ever felt this good, and she was sure nothing else ever would. Her body throbbed all over, and she was aching for a climax.

She didn’t even want to think about how long it had been since she’d last had sex. It wouldn’t have changed how right it felt to be with him. She had always thought that the first time with someone new was awkward, but apparently Brady wasn’t awkward with anything.

He began moving inside of her at an uneven pace—pulling out slowly and then slamming fast into her, causing her to whimper in pleasure each time. He kept up the pace until she felt her body tightening so hard she was close to convulsions. His breathing was rough as he pushed into her faster, reaching for an even deeper position.

Heat took over her body, starting at her toes curling against the mattress and rushing up all the way to her head. She felt the waves of energy pass through her, building up inside, and then rocketing from her core out. Her orgasm hit her like a punch to the gut. All the wind rushed out of her, her back arched off the bed, and she tightened around him until she was spent. Brady stilled within her, letting her ride out the pleasure.

When she was finished, lying with her eyes closed and a giant smile on her face, he pulled out. She groaned at the loss of him, already wanting more.

“Flip over,” he commanded, grabbing her hips and turning her over. “I want you to come for me again.”

Liz did what she was told as her body continued to hum. She felt a bit strange automatically moving onto her hands and knees at his request. She couldn’t count the number of times she had refused the same position before, because she felt degraded. But after that orgasm and the promise of another, she wouldn’t be turning him down. Absolutely not.

Brady entered her from behind, reaching even deeper than before, and she felt her body tense all around him. He was so big!

He didn’t hold anything back this time. He reared back and then slammed into her over and over again, sometimes sending her entire body forward with the force of his movements. She could feel her body rejecting the pain as he forced into her harder and harder each time.

But at the same time, she found that she liked it. She liked how rough he was being, and each time he collided forward into her body, she wanted him to do it harder. His hands dug into her hips, and at times he would pull back on them, roughly smacking their bodies together. The pain mingled so perfectly with the pleasure that the lines blurred and she didn’t know which she was enjoying more.

All she knew was that she was getting really close again, and he was getting even closer.

“Liz,” he groaned her name, pushing into her again.

“Yeah,” she moaned, her elbows dropping onto the mattress.

“I want you to come for me.”

No arguments here.

“Fuck!” he cried out. “I’ll keep talkin’ dirty if you clench around me like that again.”

Liz was too flushed to color at the comment. She liked everything he did at this point.

Her body didn’t give her any warning this time. She saw spots with the intensity of it all, and buried her head into the pillow. She heard Brady grunt and then come, doubling over on top of her.

They both lay there, breathing heavily, unable to think, let alone move.

After a while, Brady moved out of her and padded to the bathroom to clean up. Liz collapsed forward onto the bed, curling up around herself. Exhaustion hit her with the strength of a bulldozer, and she felt herself drifting off.

Brady returned a minute later, replacing his boxer briefs and curling up into bed next to her. “Hey, your turn,” he whispered, kissing her shoulder.

Liz grumbled but stood shakily and cleaned up. The overpowering smell of sex hit her when she walked back into the room, and she smiled lazily as she crawled under the covers. Brady pulled her close to him, cradling her in his arms.

“You’re amazing,” he told her, running his hand up and down her arm.

“You’re pretty amazing yourself,” she murmured drowsily.

They lay there together in the silence, absorbed in the ecstasy of their actions. Liz was nearly asleep when Brady spoke again. “Are you asleep?”

She yawned and rolled over to face him. “Not anymore.”

He smiled sweetly at her and threaded his hand through her blond hair. She closed her eyes and let her mind drift again. He bent down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “There’s your kiss.”

“You were right,” she whispered.

“About what?”

“I’m pretty senseless,” she told him.

He chuckled softly, giving her another kiss. “I like you like this. Not quite so snippy, are you?”

“You don’t like me snippy?” she asked between yawns.

“Wouldn’t change it for the world.”

She smiled brightly at that comment and leaned into his shoulder. She was really enjoying the way he was playing with her hair. If he kept it up, she would be asleep soon enough.

“Tell me something no one else knows about you,” he said, kissing down her jawline.

“Something no one else knows about me?” Liz opened her eyes and gazed up at him.

“Yes. I want something that no one else has.”

“I slept with a Senator,” she murmured, leaning her forehead into him to hide her face.

He chuckled softly and raised her chin with his fingers. “Are you embarrassed?”

“No,” she said, blushing furiously.

“Oh really?”

“I’m not!” she told him.

“Fine.” He planted a kiss on her red cheeks. “But you didn’t answer my question. I already knew that. I want to know something no one else knows.”

“That’s all. That’s the only thing no one else knows about me,” she told him, biting her lip.

“You don’t have any secrets?”

“You’re my only secret.”

“I’ll keep that one,” he told her.