Kissing Keith: A Billionaire Younger Man Romance (Rose City Romance Book 1) Read online

  Oh, God! The bell turns into a funeral toll. The awards party—the night my life went downhill. The handsome, lanky, cocky young man—Keith.

  My mouth drops as I glance at the man, whose handsome face I vaguely recognize because it used to appear in my nightmares. He is bigger, more muscular now, but still has the same smirk. And the stubble—it was what fooled me twelve years ago because they made him so much more mature than he was.

  Keith looks as equally shocked as I am as recognition clicks. The smile vanishes completely from his face, and his lips press into a thin line.

  “Yes, we’ve met,” he says coldly. Disgust clouds his eyes, and he looks stony as he stares at me. “I just didn’t know her last name, and she wasn’t wearing glasses.”

  “Well, what a small world,” Tiffany says, unaware of the emotional turbulence inside me or Keith’s change of continence. “Now, you’re going to work together again.”

  “Excuse me?” I ask, feeling ominous.

  “Kelly Group has bought Prestige. Haven’t you heard?” Tiffany blinks.

  I nod, still not getting it, or refusing to get it. “Yeah, but what does it have to do with—?”

  “Keith Kelly is the owner of Kelly Group,” Tiffany says, taking Keith’s arm and leaning into him.

  Oh. My. God. I’m so dead.

  I must be shivering because Tiffany puts a hand on my arm and asks, “Are you all right?”

  “No, I’m not. Excuse me,” I say as I run for the bathroom in the house.

  Chapter 3

  Elena

  I stand in front of the Victorian hand-carved vanity set, fighting the urge to throw up into the antique sink etched with prairie flowers design.

  This is it. My career is over. Keith Kelly, who used to be Keith Brook, is my boss now.

  I dread going out to face him, but I hear the voices of more people coming in, and I take a deep breath, calm myself, and step out.

  Keith is nowhere in sight, but Tiffany is still there, handing out flyers to guests and explaining the details to them like she’s the host.

  Seeing me, she says. “I’ve got to go. Keith and I are going to a movie.”

  “Thank you so much for helping,” I say.

  “No problem. Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I am.” I force a smile and lie. “It must be something I ate.”

  “Okay. Take care,” she says before heading to the door. “It’s good to see you again.”

  A quiet moment finally arrives after a group of viewers have left. As soon as I’m the only soul remains in the house, I bury my face in my hands and sigh.

  I’ve forced myself not to dig into my memories of the night for the past twelve years, but now, all of a sudden, they swarm into my head as if a dam has been broken.

  I will never be able to forget that night—the explosive night that I had the best kiss in my life. The night I reached the apex of my career and then plunged to the bottom.

  It was my fifth year working for the Brook’s Estate Group. I was the star of the company, a top producer of the year. The party was an awards ceremony for me and another associate and was held at the company CEO’s house in Pasadena.

  I remember spending a Saturday morning to shop for the right dress to wear and checking my twenty-eight-year-old slim body in Nordstrom’s fitting room with perfect lighting. I finally settled on a Dolce & Gabbana one-shoulder cocktail dress—bright fuchsia, with draped satin gathering at the waist and the hip—the most flattering and expensive dress I’ve ever owned. I remember putting on the newly ordered contact lens, even though they were a bit blurry.

  I remember the attention I got in the room. Women stared at me and men checked me out. Mike Brook, the CEO of the company who had the reputation of being a playboy, didn’t hide his lust as he put his hand on my bare shoulder and assessed me up and down, and then hug me while kissing me on the cheeks. The hug lingered a bit longer than appropriate, and it was at that moment I became aware of a pair of eyes staring at me intensely like beacons. I turned to look. They belonged to a tall, lanky man with a handsome face—at least according to my blurry eyesight.

  He averted his gaze as soon as I caught it, but I knew it returned to me soon after.

  “Who’s that guy?” I asked Tiffany casually as we chatted over dinner.

  “Oh, he’s Keith,” she says with an eye-roll. “Mike and Nancy’s son.”

  I didn’t quite understand the meaning of the eye-roll, but it conveyed an unfavorable impression on me.

  After the awards ceremony, the evening proceeded with food and music. While socializing with other associates, I found myself in the proximity of Nancy Brook and Tiffany’s mom.

  Tiffany’s mom was asking Nancy, “Now that Keith’s done with college, it’s time for him to join his dad’s company.”

  Mrs. Brook chuckled as she patted the back of his son, “He isn’t interested in the business, and I’m not going to pressure him. I would rather him do something he enjoys doing.”

  “Is he going back to school?”

  “No, I don’t think so. He doesn’t really like school, either.”

  I got the idea that Keith was a spoiled kid, but that didn’t diminish the heat rising in my stomach every time I glanced at him. Damn that stubble.

  The hosts hired a band and turned their living room into a dance floor. I wasn’t much of a dancer, so I mostly just sat and watched while having drinks. The wine had been shipped directly from Mike’s friend’s vineyard, and it was the best I’d ever had. It didn’t burn my tongue and it tasted more like juice than alcohol. I emptied one glass after another, even though I wasn’t normally a drinker. I must’ve downed an entire bottle, an unusual amount for me.

  In the middle of the music and laughter, I left the crowd and went to use the restroom. The one right next to the living room was occupied, and so I ventured into the hallway to look for another one as Mrs. Brook kindly instructed. On my way back, I felt lightheaded probably because of the alcohol. I was also carried away by my curiosity for my boss’s grand mansion and started a house tour on my own.

  I found myself inside of a sort of a library with rosewood bookshelves lining the walls and vintage armchairs upholstered in fine fabrics. I was admiring the classical setting, thinking it must’ve been Mrs. Brook’s taste when I heard a woman’s low moan, followed by that of a man. I panicked when I realized what was going on, and I looked for the exit right away, but only went closer to the source of the moans. I tried not to look, but I caught sight of a man’s back, covering a woman’s body on a couch on the other side of the room. I couldn’t see the woman, but I managed to make out the black shirt and the salt and pepper hair of the man.

  My heart pounded in my ears even after I made my way out. In the living room, I saw Mrs. Brook chatting with her friend, and her husband wasn’t around. I had no doubt the man on the couch was Mike. My hand shaking, I took a glass of wine and went out to the garden. I decided to stay there alone for a moment to calm down and to forget the fact that I had caught my boss cheating on his wife, in his own house, with all his family and employees not far away. I was disgusted even though I knew about Mike’s reputation.

  I leaned against the railing and forced myself to think about something else. Sipping from my wine glass, I dreamed about owning a splendid house like this one day, with a garden the size of a community park. I promised myself I would make a million within five years, and after I buy myself a house, I would convince Nonna to move in with me.

  I was counting the eggs when I sensed the presence of a man, and I turned to find Keith standing behind me.

  Even now, twelve years later, I remember vividly the moment I turned to face him. I believe my heart actually skipped several beats because he was just too handsome to be true.

  Besides my blurry contact lenses, the lighting in the garden was dim, which made it all the more surreal, and maybe it was the reason I couldn’t discern how young he was.

  Perhaps his lanky physique was a bit boyis
h, but there wasn’t anything immature about his look—again, it must’ve been his stubble. His blue eyes were so intense and he had a fierce look on him when our eyes met. It felt as if he was ready to pounce at me.

  “Hi,” I said in a shaky voice as I waited warily to see what he was about to do.

  “Hi, I’m Keith,” he said as he put out a hand for me to shake.

  I was taken aback by the formal gesture. “I’m Elena. Nice to meet you,” I said as I held his hand. The electric wave that shot through me from the contact of our skin didn’t help me to calm down.

  For a moment after the introduction, we both stood quietly at the veranda, gazing at the garden in the moonlight. I sensed his eyes looking my way from time to time.

  “So, you’ve recently graduated from college?” I asked in order to break the awkward silence.

  He shrugged.

  “What was your major?”

  “Math.”

  “Wow!” I exclaimed. “You must be very smart.”

  He shrugged again. “I do have an above-average IQ.”

  My mouth fell open. I had never known anyone so arrogant and I gave a small laugh. “So, you’re going to work for your dad soon?”

  He shook his head. “Nah. I’m not interested in sales.”

  “What’re you interested in? Teaching? Working for Google?”

  He shook his head again and said while holding my gaze, “Gambling.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Gambling? Are you good at it?”

  “Yes. I used my math skills when I gamble, and I’ve made enough to pay my college tuition.”

  “Wow,” I said. I was impressed, although I didn’t know much about gambling and I was not interested in math.

  I took a sip from my glass and looked at the moon, which was orange instead of silver. I was really fascinated and I was eager to change the topic of our conversation, so I started to babble. “Wow. It’s so beautiful. It looks almost like the sun, except it isn’t glaring. Why is the moon sometimes yellow or orange? Is it really because of the dust in the atmosphere?”

  I turned to look at Keith, but he wasn’t looking at the moon, he was looking at me.

  I felt nervous, and I took another sip of the wine.

  A moment later, he said quietly, “I want to be your wine glass.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked blinking. “Why?”

  “So I could feel your sexy lips.”

  Under different circumstances and spoken by a different person, the line would probably make me gag. But at the moment, perhaps it was his low and sensual voice, or because we were in a moonlit garden, I felt goosebumps all over me, and my heart raced. I didn’t even know what to say. I put down the wine glass because it seemed wrong to kiss it in front of him.

  I giggled nervously. “You’re funny.”

  “I’m not trying to be,” he said, staring at my lips. “I’m serious. I want to kiss you.”

  My eyes widened. Is he crazy? Is he a rake like his dad? I recalled Tiffany’s eye-roll. Get away from him! A wise voice shouted warning in my head.

  I smiled apologetically to him and said, “Excuse me, it’s getting late. I think I should go.”

  He grabbed my hand. “Just a minute, Elena. I have a question for you.”

  Hearing him murmuring my name caused another shiver down my spine. I paused and waited for his question.

  He moved closer to me and gazed into my eyes, mesmerizing me before speaking.

  “Have you ever orgasmed?”

  My jaw fell. I couldn’t believe my ears. I had never met this guy before. How could he ask me such a personal question? He must be crazy. I trembled, but not out of fear, because he was too gorgeous to be a sexual predator, right?

  “Of course…I have,” I said with flaming cheeks.

  “How? By touching yourself?”

  “What? I’m not going to answer that.” I’m too embarrassed to admit it.

  “That means yes.”

  “Whatever!” I said and turned to leave.

  But he wouldn’t let go of my hand. “Seriously, have you ever gotten it from a guy?”

  “Stop it, Keith. I’m not going to answer it. Let go of me. Otherwise, I’ll scream.”

  “I would love to hear you scream when you come, Elena,” he said while rubbing my wrist with his thumb.

  Jeez. This was insane. My knees wobbled, and I felt weak. But I couldn’t break away from him. I didn’t want to.

  “Kiss me,” he commanded in a gruff voice.

  I stared at his firm, chiseled lips, wondering how good they would taste, but I shook my head. “I’m not going to kiss you.”

  “Not even if I promise you an orgasm from kissing?” He stroked my lips with his thumb.

  Holy shit. I fought the urge to give in. “Are you serious? Just kissing… on the mouth?”

  He smirked. “I could kiss your pussy, too, if you wish. But I don’t have to.”

  I shuddered at the p-word and ventured a glance at his lips again. They looked delicious. He licked them with his tongue. Oh, God.

  I looked away and inhaled deeply, hoping the night air could cool the heat stirring inside me. Orgasmic kiss, huh? I’d heard about it, but I’d never experienced any. In fact, I hadn’t been kissed for at least two years. Come on. I heard a horny voice in my head. The guy’s handsome and cute. A kiss would be worth it, with or without an orgasm!

  I knew I was making a mistake, but I didn’t stop him when he leaned over. The moment those velvety lips touched mine, I was a goner. Oh, God. The way he kissed. I still remember how good it felt, even now, even though I shut off the part of my memory for over ten years. As I recalled the details, my thighs still tingle.

  He brushed his soft, moist lips on mine over and over, slowly, creating sizzling heat. Every nerve ending in my body vibrated and every vein sang to his feathery touch. When he started to suck my lips, my panties were already drenched. I parted my lips so I could taste him. The moment my tongue met his, I could hear fire crackle inside me.

  His slick and warm flesh explored the inside of my mouth, sending spirals of ecstasy through me. I remember how good he tasted, too, a minty flavor that felt refreshing in my alcohol-sodden mouth.

  He wasn’t ravenous, but he kissed me with an earnest as if my mouth was a delicious dessert, and he was taking his time to savor it. He kissed me with such dedication as if kissing was an art to him, and he was an artist perfecting his craft of pleasuring me. I felt like a piece of sculpting clay being kneaded and being shaped. I wouldn’t mind being worked on for the rest of my life.

  Despite his unhurried tongue, I felt his passion from his thunderous heartbeat, his heavy breathing, his hands clutching my shoulders, and his boner pressing against my belly.

  I moaned incessantly and squirmed restlessly in his arms. From time to time, he stopped kissing my mouth to nibble my neck. “You have no idea how good you taste, Elena. I could kiss you all night, and have you come over and over if you allowed me.”

  These words were no less potent than his kiss, and they set my entire body on fire. It didn’t take me long to feel the spasm within, and my legs trembled as the warm stream rushed through my core.

  Wow! I really did it. I smiled at Keith.

  He smirked, but he didn’t speak. His eyes were darker and more intense as he knelt in front of me and spread my legs. Eyes locked on mine, he pushed up my skirt and nuzzled his nose between my thighs. He closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply. “You smell divine,” he said.

  I forgot to breathe as I watched him licking me through my panties. Within seconds, I was all turned on again, as if I hadn’t just come.

  When Keith tugged my panties down to my knees, I didn’t stop him. Neither did I stop him when he unzipped his pants and pulled out a condom in his pocket at the same time.

  I know what we did was sinful, but even now, I can’t help missing the delicious sensations. I hate this man who ruined my life, but I still shudder when I recall what he did to me. I hate him for making it
so good because I never felt it that way again after that night, not with Carlos, or any other guy I slept with.

  He was still inside me when a shriek broke my ecstasy. Mrs. Brook stood at the door behind the patio, her hand covering her mouth. She stepped out and shut the door behind her. Keith disengaged himself from me promptly. Turning away from her, I quickly pulled up my panties and arranged my dress.

  She slapped my face as soon as I turned back to face her. “How could you do this to him? He’s still a child!”

  “What do you mean?” I blinked, unable to register the meaning of her words.

  The man who just made love to me, or fucked me, was not a child. He seduced me with such confidence and audacity. His kiss was seasoned. His touch was expert. And he carried condoms in his pockets, for God’s sake! But I couldn’t cite any of the evidence to Nancy, who looked distraught and abhorred. Instead, I mumbled, “He… uh… graduated from college, didn’t he?”

  “But it doesn’t mean he’s an adult! He’s only seventeen!”

  I later found out that Keith was some sort of child prodigy who started college at thirteen.

  I looked at Keith, hoping he would say something to exonerate me from guilt. After all, he started it! But he just stood there, without a word and without looking remorse.

  A moment later, Mike Brook showed up, and Keith stared at his father with a smirk on his face, looking victorious. It dawned on me then that he might’ve done the whole deed to piss his dad. He was a spoiled, rebellious kid. Why did he pick me? I had no idea. Perhaps I was drunk, or perhaps I was horny. The reasons didn’t matter because nothing could erase what I had done.

  I stood where I was, tears streaking my face, muttering regretful apologies. After that, the details were simply too painful and shameful for me to recall.

  Needless to say, I lost my job. Nancy wanted to report me to the police, but Mike preferred not to advertise the scandal. Keith did mutter a word or two to acquit me, telling her mom he talked me into doing it. And finally, while Mike agreed with regret to fire his top producer, Nancy made it clear she wanted me out of town.