Chapter 5 Worth the penny

Serena’s heart pounded harder. He unbuckled his belt, opened his pants, and let them drop, revealing tight black briefs clinging to his body. She almost forgot to breathe. Every muscle, every line of his body looked sculpted for sin. And he knew it. He swam toward her slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. But his eyes said something else. He was hungry. For her. For a moment, she hesitated. A stranger pretending to be rich by day, now looking at her like she was something special. What was she even doing? But then she remembered Ethan, the way he looked at her at the wedding, the way Amelia smiled with pity, like she was too pathetic to ever find someone like Jake on her own. She needed this. She needed to feel wanted again, even if it was by a man she was paying. When he was close enough, his hands slid around her waist under the water, his fingers tracing a slow path across her tingling skin.

“Shaking already,” he murmured, his mouth dangerously close to hers.

“No.”

He smiled. That damned, seductive smile.

“We’ll see about that.”

His hands drifted lower, gliding along her back, over the curve of her hip, until they stopped between her thighs. And then, he touched her. She let out a sharp breath, clutching at his shoulders. His touch was not impatient. It was torturous. His fingertips moved like he was mapping her, studying her skin, savoring every little reaction. Like he wanted to prolong every second. And she was trembling. He knew it. But he did not give her time to think. He lifted her effortlessly into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist without a thought. And that was when she felt his arousal pressed firmly against her, hard, hot, pulsing. And it was big. Very big. A part of her, the rational part, screamed that he was only doing his job. That every calculated touch, every intense look, every teasing whisper was just part of his act. But right then, she did not care. She needed to feel desired. She needed to drown out those cruel words that still echoed in her head, “You were always so boring.”

“You enjoy the way I draw this out,” he murmured, his mouth trailing along her neck. Her nails dug into his shoulders when she felt his warm tongue trace a slow path across her skin.

“Jake…”

He let out a low laugh, the sound vibrating against her, making her gasp.

“Hang on tight.”

And then, he really kissed her. It was not gentle. It was deep, demanding, hot. His hands slid over her wet body, exploring, gripping, claiming. Every touch felt deliberate, like he knew exactly where to place his fingers, how to press against her skin at just the right angle, how to make her lose control. And she did. She lost control, lost track of time, lost the memory of the pain that had been haunting her. For those moments, there was only him and her, and the electric sensations shooting through her body every time he touched her. Her fingers tangled in his wet hair, pulling, guiding, demanding more. He pressed her tighter against him and moved, swimming with her to the edge of the pool, where he trapped her against the wall, his strong, hot body pressing into hers.

“No escape now,” he whispered against her lips.

She let out a short, breathless laugh.

“Who said I planned to leave?”

He smiled, satisfied. The wet bra vanished before she even realized it, his fingers far too skilled. And then his mouth was there. Heat. Tongue. Teeth grazing. She yanked his hair when his tongue circled her nipple and he sucked hard.

“Jake…”

“The way you say it drives me wild.”

“If that is even your real name,” she thought for a fleeting moment. How many times had he played this role? How many women had moaned a name that was not even his? His fingers slid along the edge of her soaked panties, tugged, and then they were gone. The water rippled around them with every movement, and when he positioned her exactly where he wanted, there was no going back. He held her firmly, keeping her in place with one hand while the other guided himself to her. And then, he thrust into her. She gasped. Her body arched into his.

“God, Serena…” he ground out between his teeth, his voice rough and dripping with desire. Something in his tone felt too real to be an act. Like, just for a moment, he forgot she was just another client. He moved slowly at first, his eyes locked on hers, studying every reaction. She felt everything. The warm water around them seemed icy compared to the heat between them. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, her legs tightening around his waist. She wanted more. She needed more. Needed to forget everything beyond this pool, beyond this moment. And he knew it. His grip on her waist tightened. And then, he took her completely. Every thrust was firm, deep, deliberate. The pleasure built in crashing waves, overwhelming, and her body met his rhythm, clinging, desperate for more. The world disappeared. There was only him. The way he held her, the way he seemed to know exactly what to do to push her to the edge. His rough groans mixing with hers. The sound of water splashing around them. The impact of their bodies meeting, harder, faster, more urgent with every thrust. Her breath caught in her throat as the tension inside her coiled tighter, past the point of no return. She was close. So close.

“Jake…”

“Let go for me, Serena,” he whispered in her ear, his voice thick with pleasure. That request was her undoing. The shock of release ripped through her like lightning, tearing her apart from the inside, shattering every shred of control. She unraveled completely in his arms, every muscle in her body trembling, convulsing with the force of it. And the very next moment, he followed her. With one last, powerful thrust, his body tightened and he groaned her name through clenched teeth, burying his face in her neck as he gave in fully. The silence that followed was broken only by the sound of their ragged breathing. She felt his arms still holding her, steady, almost like he refused to let her go. He kissed her shoulder slowly, his lips warm and soft against her skin. And when he lifted his face, that damned smile was there again.

“Best money I have ever spent,” she muttered before she could stop herself. But the moment the words left her lips, the emptiness crept back in. Deal. That was what this was. A financial arrangement. A transaction. For a moment, she had forgotten none of this was real. That he was only following the script she had paid him for. That tomorrow she would be back in that cramped room at her parents’ house, back to selling wedding dresses to women like Amelia, back to crying alone at night over all the promises Ethan had broken. But that night, for a few hours, she was not the betrayed and abandoned woman. She was not the professionally frustrated one. She was not the pathetic girl who had to move back in with her parents at twenty-six. She was a woman in control. And Jake? Jake was worth every penny. The problem? She was about to find out what that bill would really cost her.