The Spark by Vi Keeland
CHAPTER 30
Donovan
“When do you find out if you make partner at your firm?” Autumn slipped off her shoes and lifted her folded legs up on the seat. “It should be soon, right?”
I looked over my shoulder before changing lanes. “The Tuesday after Labor Day, so a little more than a week.”
We were on our way up to Connecticut for the weekend for her father’s wedding.
“Do you think you’ll get it?”
“Your buddy Dickson has been pretty friendly lately. The client he schlubbed off on me to take to dinner was really happy with the advice I gave him. He even referred a friend of his, which Dickson gave me a half pat on the back for. Although the guy is a dirtbag, and I’m not looking forward to working with him.”
“Not to be a jerk, but aren’t all your clients dirtbags? I mean, they come to see you because they got caught doing something underhanded and illegal.”
She had a point. But I didn’t think they all were. I shrugged. “Some really aren’t bad people. They just get lost along the way in their climb to the top. Believe it or not, a lot of times these people don’t even see what they’re doing as wrong at the time they’re doing it. I had a new client charged with insider trading last week. He’s a trader and found out some non-public information about a company a friend works for. The company was on the verge of getting a new drug approved by the FDA that would make their stock go nuts. His wife told her sister, and her sister mentioned it to her new boyfriend who hedged and bought a shit ton of stock. He made a fortune, but also caught the attention of the regulators who traced it back to my client. Guy shouldn’t have told his wife, but he did. Doesn’t necessarily make him a bad person.”
“Yeah, definitely not in that case. But it’s got to be hard to represent some of them.”
“It’s not always easy. But some people can learn from lessons, especially hard ones. I try to think about it that way. Look at me—I did some pretty dumb shit and was on a path to a bad place. I’d been arrested three times before I was sixteen—mostly minor stuff, but that’s how most people in prison started, too. If someone wouldn’t have helped me out, I have no doubt that I’d be where a few of my friends are today: serving time.”
“You’re talking about Bud?”
“He risked a lot for me. The last time I got in any real trouble, the judge wanted to teach me a lesson. Bud put his house up for bail and took out a loan for a lawyer. The one the court appointed was about twenty-three, and I was going to be his first real case.”
“Oh wow.”
“Bud gambled. We got a lawyer who wore custom-made shirts, and he got me off on a technicality, even though I didn’t deserve it. I learned three things from that last arrest: One, I’d gotten lucky, and chances were that wouldn’t happen again. Two, Bud believed in me, and it was time I started believing in myself. And three…” I grinned. “I really wanted to wear custom-made shirts.”
Autumn laughed. “So that’s why you became a lawyer? So you could afford custom shirts?”
I glanced over to her and back to the road. “I should probably say it’s because I wanted to help others or fight for justice or some other noble shit. But knowing I’d never have to hit up a soup kitchen or a guy like Bud for a meal? That had a lot to do with it. Plus, like I told you, I’m good at reading people and arguing, and that’s half the battle in my job.”
“Oh, that’s right,” she teased. “I forgot you think you’re so good at knowing what people are thinking.”
“I don’t think I’m good at it; I know I am.”
Autumn grinned and shut her eyes. “What am I thinking right now?”
I chuckled. “We’ve had this discussion. There’s a difference between reading people and being a mind reader. I can’t study your face while I’m driving.”
Autumn bit down on her bottom lip. “You could pull over…”
Now that tone I could read. We were only about a half hour from the hotel we were staying at, but who the hell cared?
I caught her eye for a second and put my blinker on to get off at the upcoming exit. After pulling into the empty parking lot of a construction site, I made sure to park away from the streetlights before cutting the engine and turning to face Autumn.
She hadn’t said a word, and it made me wonder if she’d been teasing, and I’d taken it too far by getting off the road. Though the wicked smile on her face when she’d spoken had me hopeful.
Autumn lifted to her knees on the seat and turned her entire body to face me. “Is this better?” She tilted her head. “Are you able to read what I’m thinking now?”
I glanced down. Her nipples were practically piercing through her shirt. “You’re thinking about sitting on my lap and riding me…”
She scanned the quiet parking lot and reached for the button of my pants. With a quick flick, she popped it open. “Wrong, counselor. I was actually not thinking about riding you.”
Well, that was a damn shame, because my cock was already pretty hard. But I played along. “Your nipples have my mouth salivating, and the dirty look on your face says you’re gearing up for something.”
She pulled the zipper of my pants down slowly. The sound of the teeth separating was better foreplay than any porn I’d ever watched.
Autumn looked up at me from under her thick lashes, her eyes glinting devilishly. “Oh I’m gearing up for something alright.” She ran her tongue along her top lip. “I want to suck your cock.”
“Jesus Christ, Red.” My head fell back, hitting against the headrest. “Say that again…”
She leaned over to my side, her nose touching my ear, and whispered in the sexiest damn voice. “I want to suck your cock.”
I groaned. “That is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.”
She bit down on my earlobe. “I want you to show me how you like it. Wrap your fingers in my hair and show me.”
I was panting like a dog, and she hadn’t even touched me yet. “This is going to be embarrassing. I’m so fucking turned on already.”
“Slide your pants down for me?” she whispered.
I shimmied those fuckers to the floor in two seconds flat.
Autumn bent her head and licked the moisture that had already formed at the tip of my dick. I’d thought she was going to torture me for a little while with more teasing, but she surprised the shit out of me when she opened her jaw wide and took almost my entire cock down her throat.
“Jesus Christ.” I bucked, and my ass lifted from the seat as she sucked the length of me back almost to the tip. My cock basically had a mind of its own and followed her. She stilled at the tip, so I dug my hands into her hair and pushed her back down. Autumn moaned. Fuck, yeah. So I pulled her back up and pushed her down a second time. Again she moaned.
Fuck me. I wasn’t going to make it more than another minute. I shut my eyes and rested my head against the seat as I pulled her hair again, guiding her head back up. My cock was soaked with her saliva, and the slurping sound she made as she bobbed up and down drove me wild. I couldn’t get enough, and suddenly I couldn’t get it fast enough. My grip on her hair tightened to a fist, and I sped up the motion—pushing her down and then tugging her back, pushing her down and…oh, the gurgling sound she made when I pushed her a little farther.
Best. Damn. Sound. In. The. World.
That was it. I was done. My orgasm was barreling like a runaway freight train, so I loosened my grip on her hair. “Autumn…babe…I’m gonna come.”
She kept going, keeping the pace I’d set even though I wasn’t guiding her anymore.
“Autumn…you got five seconds…” I groaned, trying to hold back so she could move before I shot my load. But she did just the opposite. She sucked me even deeper, until I felt myself hit the back of her throat. There was no holding back then.
“Fuck…” My body convulsed as I let out a long stream of cum. “Fuck…fuck…fuuuuuuuck,” I groaned.
I panted like I’d been sprinting, trying to catch my breath. Autumn just kept gliding up and down as I sat there with my skull lolling against the headrest. Eventually, after a minute or two, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sat up.
“That was…” I shook my head. “I think you might have to drive the rest of the way. I can’t see straight.”
She giggled.
“And here I thought this was going to be a tense weekend going to your dad’s wedding.”
“Oh, trust me. It will be. I’m going to be uptight and ruin your weekend. That was just my way of saying thank you for coming.” She smiled. “I guess that sort of has two meanings right now.”
“I’m happy to come…anytime, anywhere, with you. And I definitely mean that in two ways.” I took her hand, threaded it with mine, and brought her knuckles to my lips for a kiss. “I’ll do my best to make sure you have a good weekend.”
We smiled at each other, and I meant what I’d said. I wanted to help her stay relaxed and enjoy the time in Connecticut. Of course, I had no idea it wouldn’t be her ruining the weekend…it would be me.
***
“Shit. I forgot to pack dress socks.”
The next morning, I’d gone into my bag to grab my running gear and realized I’d only packed white socks to wear with my sneakers. Autumn and I had woken up early, had sex, and ordered room service. After, I’d asked her if she wanted to come out for a run, but she seemed content to stay in bed for the few hours we had before we needed to get ready for her father’s wedding.
“We’re only about a block off the main shopping strip. I can walk over while you go for your run and pick some up.” She sat up in bed, and the sheet slipped down, giving me a beautiful view of her perfect tits. I guess my eyes lingered a little longer than I thought.
“We just had sex an hour or two ago, and yet you’re looking at me like I’m your lunch.” She smiled and lifted the sheet to cover herself.
I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. Tugging the sheet back down, I said, “I absolutely would like to eat you for lunch.”
She blushed.
“My heart’s not really into a run, anyway. Why don’t we walk over to get the socks together when you feel like getting up, and we’ll get another coffee, too. When we get back, I’ll do some pushups for exercise...with you beneath me.”
She grinned. “That sounds good. Although you sweaty from a run also sounds pretty yummy.”
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll run around the hotel when we get back, just enough to get sweaty before I hit the pushups.”
She laughed, though I wasn’t really kidding. If she liked me sweaty, sweaty I’d be.
A little while later, we were walking down Greenwich Avenue. A woman turned the corner and walked straight into Autumn. She stumbled, but I had her hand so I was able to stop her from falling.
“I’m so sorry!” The woman held her hands up. “I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
The woman squinted. “Autumn? Autumn Wilde?”
Autumn’s brows dipped. “I’m sorry. Do we know each other?”
“I’m Cara Fritz. We used to be good friends when we were kids. We were in Mr. Fleming’s fourth-grade class together.”
Autumn cocked her head, and then a look of recognition washed over her face. “Oh my gosh. Of course! How could I not recognize you…Cara Fritz. God, it’s been a long time.”
Cara looked over at me. “My parents got divorced in sixth grade. I moved to the next town over, and that meant a new school, so Autumn and I eventually lost touch. Four miles might as well be four hundred when you’re that age.”
Autumn nodded. “That’s very true. It’s really nice to see you, though.” She put her hand on my forearm. “I’m sorry. I’m being rude. This is my…boyfriend, Donovan.”
Cara nodded. “Nice to meet you, Donovan.” She smiled at Autumn. “So do you still live here in Greenwich?”
“No, actually, I’m just in town for a wedding. I live in Manhattan now.”
“Oh, a wedding!” Her face lit up, and she held out her hand and wiggled her fingers, displaying a sparkly ring. “That’s why I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I just got engaged last night, and I can’t stop staring at my hand.”
“Oh, wow. Congratulations.”
“You know, I still live over in Rock Ridge, but my boyfriend…” She smiled. “I mean my fiancé, lives here in Greenwich. He’s somewhere parking the car because it’s so impossible to find a spot here on the Avenue. But he was born and raised here. You two might know each other. You went to the same high school, though he was a few years older than us.”
“Maybe,” Autumn said. “What’s his name?”
Just then a guy who looked like he definitely belonged in Greenwich walked across the street and headed toward us. He wore khaki shorts, a long-sleeve button up, and had a pink sweater tied around his shoulders.
“Oh, here he is now,” Cara said. She gazed at the douchey-looking guy like he was some sort of celebrity and snuggled onto his arm. “Honey, do you know Autumn Wilde? You guys went to the same high school.”
Mr. Pink Sweater smiled. If I wasn’t mistaken, that glowing white mouth definitely had a few extra teeth.
“I do. Hello, Autumn. It’s great to see you.”
I waited a few seconds, but Autumn didn’t respond. So I turned to check on her, and it looked like she was about to pass out. All the color was gone from her face. I grabbed her. “Autumn? Are you okay?”
Her entire body was shaking. Was she having a seizure?
“Oh my gosh.” Cara’s face fell. “I’m a nurse. Does she have low blood sugar or something?”
I had no idea what the hell was happening. “I don’t think so.” I squeezed her arm, but Autumn just stared forward. “Autumn, are you okay?”
When she didn’t answer, but also didn’t pass out or anything, a sickening feeling washed over me. I followed her line of sight to Mr. Pink Sweater. Unlike his fiancée, he didn’t look concerned at all. In fact, he still had that big, toothy smile on his face. What the fuck? He actually looked pretty fucking pleased about Autumn not feeling well.
Then it hit me, like driving a motorcycle a hundred miles an hour straight into a brick wall. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I knew. I just fucking knew.
“Your name?” I lifted my chin, still holding Autumn. “What the hell is your name?”
The guy’s face finally fell. I’m guessing it might’ve been because he saw the murderous look on mine. He also didn’t answer my question.
Cara looked back and forth between her fiancé and me a few times. She looked as confused as I’d been a minute ago. “What’s going on?”
The standoff between us continued while he ignored her. It felt like smoke was billowing from my nose and ears.
Cara grew louder. “Braden, what’s going on?”
