by Wolf, Alex
“Lots of reasons, I mean the romance is great. I really like the scene where she goes back into the dress store with Richard Gere, and all the women who judged her, start falling all over themselves to help her. I like when villains get their comeuppance.”
“Very nice use of the word comeuppance.”
“Why, thank you.” I smile. I love how easy our conversations flow when I’m not tripping over my words or my brain shorts out on me.
He walks over with the bagel, sets it down in front of me, then takes a seat on the chair opposite mine. “So, what’d you think?”
I stare down at the bagel. “I haven’t tried it yet, but experience tells me they’re good,” I say, halfway asking a question and making a statement at the same time.
He smirks. “I meant about my face between your legs last night.”
He says it just as I take another sip, and I almost burn my tongue. “What?” My cheeks have to have just turned ten shades brighter. He did that on purpose.
Rick looks amused. “You heard me.”
I suck in a sharp breath, shake my head, and grin. “You’re so direct.”
“I want to know what you like.” He reaches for one of my hands and rubs my knuckle with the pad of his thumb, before turning his gaze back up to me. “I want to make you happy. And I don’t want you to ever hold back.” He pulls my hand up to his mouth and kisses it tenderly. “I want to know everything.”
I hem and haw for a second, because the moment his lips met my hand, I felt that spark of electricity shoot up my arm. I contemplate what he says for a second. He’s right. I should be able to tell him these things if we’re going to have a relationship. I think there’s something about the church culture that sees sex as a taboo thing to speak about, despite that everyone is a product of sex. Clearly, some of that has rubbed off on me, because despite what I think, I do feel a little uncomfortable.
“So, you’ve had sex before?”
I glance back at him and nod.
He stares, as if he wants more information, but his hand tightens around mine a little.
“A few times.”
His face tenses, and he grips the edge of the table with his free hand. He then sees that I notice, and does his best to relax.
“I don’t have to…”
“Yes, you do. Thinking of you with another man is painful, but I want to know.”
I shrug. “It was a long time ago, and I didn’t enjoy it very much. It was always over pretty fast. I just did it because he wanted to, and it’s like, that’s what you do when you’re in your early twenties.”
Rick nods. “Okay, well, tell me what you like, or what you think you’d like.”
I shake my head. “I have no idea, to be honest.”
Rick grins, a devilish little smirk. “You never watch porn, fantasize about things?”
I must blush again because this time he laughs, and I think he enjoys making me uncomfortable, but truth be told, I don’t mind it so much. I love how open he wants to be. I think it’s healthy.
His voice goes into a playful, mocking tone. “I’m not that innocent, remember, Britney Spears? That was a direct quote.” He points at me.
I laugh this time.
“There she is. What, pull your hair? Like being spanked?” He waggles his eyebrows at me.
“You’re the worst.” My shoulders bounce as I laugh.
His hand squeezes mine, and he looks me straight in the eyes. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out together.”
I nod. “Okay. I’d like that.”
He leans back and let’s go of my hand so I can eat and drink my coffee. His chair must swivel, because he starts circling back and forth, and he sings. “Mary shaved for me.”
“I’m going to kill you!” I can’t stop chuckling. “If something happened, I wanted to at least surprise you as much as you always surprise me.”
He dies laughing, then stands up, takes my bagel and coffee out of my hand, and bends down and kisses me the only way Rick Lawrence can kiss me. The kind of kiss that speeds my heart up and makes me dizzy. Immediately, I feel that ache between my legs, that need for his touch.
He smiles against my lips. “It made me happy. More than you know. That you wanted to do it for me. Thank you.”
I smile back against him. We stare into each other’s eyes for a long moment, then my phone pings with a text. I start to reach for it, but Rick blocks my hand.
“I have to warn you, I’m selfish.” He glares back at my phone. “I want all your attention for myself.” He kneels in front of me. His eyes stay locked on mine as he lifts my skirt, asking for permission with his stare.
I don’t stop him, because there’s no earthly way I will turn him down after what he did last night, ever. Breakfast is an afterthought now.
His hands make their way up my legs, then rest on my inner thighs. I have to fight the urge to shove my hips at him, because I want him more than ever, again.
He just teases me, though, brushing his hand along the edges of my panties, then in a sudden, forceful movement, he cups me in his palm.
My eyes roll up to the ceiling, then land back on him. He’s staring up at me as if he could devour me any second, like he’s in total control.
“Mary.”
I nod and barely let out a gasp when one of his fingers brushes against me. “Yeah?”
“Look at me.”
I do.
I’ve never seen him look so serious. “I want you to know something.”
I want to just say yes, whatever he wants in the moment to make him keep going. It’s so intense, but he’s staring at me like he wants a coherent, truthful answer.
I nod again. “What is it?”
“This is mine. Only mine. Understood?”
The nerve endings in my brain go haywire. Wow, he’s so possessive, and it should be repulsive, but it’s not. It’s the exact opposite. My body comes alive when he says it. I’ve never had anyone show me this much attention, act like they couldn’t breathe without me in their life, always want to be next to me and ache when I’m away.
I nod.
He shakes his head. “No, say it. I want to hear you.”
His thumb brushes the tiny bundle of nerves, and my legs quake a little and there’s no way I can stop them. He already has me on the edge of another orgasm, and he hasn’t even made direct contact yet.
I gasp at his touch. “It’s yours.”
His jaw tightens. “Good.” He stands up and smirks again, totally leaving me hanging.
I pant a couple times as he walks around and takes his seat.
I stare at him like are you going to finish what you just started?
As if he can read my mind, he says, “Finish your breakfast and check your phone. You’re going to need the energy for what I’m about to do to you, and I don’t want any distractions after I start.”
It takes my brain a few seconds to catch up, after he just had his hands all over me, kissing me like that, touching me like that. Slowly, I slide my hand to my phone and pull it over to me. I wince the second I see who it’s from.
Decker: Sorry for bothering you on a Saturday, need to see you this afternoon at 2:30. Been out of town.
All the memories flood back, the meeting with Wells, the things he said about Rick. I’m sure that’s what Decker wants to discuss. Why did all this have to happen now? Especially now that I’ve gotten to know the real Rick, and how much I like the real Rick. Why do I have to be in the middle of all this?
“Who is it?”
I jolt a little in my seat. “Decker.”
His tone changes a little. There’s irritation in his voice. “On a Saturday? What’s he want?”
“He’s been out of town. Wants to meet up for something. Didn’t say.” I cringe on the inside, but it’s not lying. It could be something else entirely. He really didn’t say. I don’t know for sure, and I don’t want to ruin—this.
Rick’s jaw sets a little, but he nods. “Okay.” He reaches across t
he table and holds my hand again. “I want you the rest of the day, though. When you’re done.”
My heart comes alive at that. I can’t think of anything more perfect. “Okay, I have to meet him at two thirty, should be done by four. Where do you want to meet?”
Rick smirks. “Don’t worry, I’ll find you.”
My eyebrows quirk up. “How will you know where I am?”
He shakes his head in derision. “Oh, Mary.” He pauses for dramatic effect, then smiles. “Haven’t you figured it out by now?” He leans in and exhales warm breath in my ear. “I always know.”
Before I can protest, he drops to his knees in front of me. A second later, his hands grip my thighs again, and he spreads my legs apart in the chair.
“You’ve had enough time to eat. Tired of waiting.” The words come up at me from below, but all I can see is the top of his head.
I start to say something, but he slides my panties to the side, and his mouth lands on me, right in the center. It’s so intense I can barely breathe. I suck in a giant breath, nod, and mumble, “Sure, okay, you’ll find me.”
I’ve never felt so reckless in my life, and at the same time so alive.
Mary Patrick
I walk into the office, on a Saturday, frustrated but determined to remain professional. I have to be. This is my career. I don’t know what I’m going to say if he asks about the meeting with Wells, and I need a plan. I know that’s why he wants to meet, and I need to be prepared.
The elevator ride takes forever, at least it seems like forever. I still can’t believe I’m caught up in this. Why is it so hard for me to just do my job? It’s not that I mind coming in on a Saturday. I mind being part of all these clandestine meetings and stuff. I’m not comfortable with it at all.
When I get off on our floor, the door to Decker’s office is open. I walk up and knock lightly on it.
He looks up and smiles, then says, “Come on in. Sorry to bother you on the weekend.”
This would be so much easier if he had just called me. I know he prefers face-to-face meetings, but still. I wouldn’t have had to be here, and could still be with Rick, but maybe it’s for the better. Then Rick would have a million questions. He’d probably eavesdrop on the conversation. Who am I kidding? He’s probably going to ask questions regardless. My life is awesome and sucks at the same time.
I take a seat and Decker doesn’t waste any time.
“What happened at the meeting?”
My stomach ties itself in a knot. “Well, he, umm…”
“Gonna need more than that.” Decker smiles, but he’s frustrated.
I just let it all out. Well, most of it. “He knows you have people looking into him. Knows the specific people, in fact. He didn’t say how. He mentioned me and Abigail by name.” Why did I just omit Rick? What am I doing?
Decker’s eyes pop open. “He knows?”
I nod.
“Shit fuck, what exactly did he say?” He leans forward as he asks the question. He almost looks apologetic when he realizes he just cursed in front of me.
I start to stutter and compose myself. I’m so terrible at this. “I think he was just blowing off steam, but it’s hard to know. I’m not great at reading people. He just said he knows we’re investigating him, and he wants it to stop.”
“That’s all he said? Did he mention Rick?”
No! Please don’t make me lie.
I should tell him. He’s my boss, but I just can’t. I have this unbelievable urge to protect Rick, even though Wells said he knew some secret about him. But if Decker knows that, he may investigate Rick even more, and I need to—I don’t know, warn Rick or something. What if I cost him his job? He’ll hate me.
Am I insane? If Decker finds out I misled him, I’ll probably lose my job. In fact, I know I will, but I don’t tell him a thing. I just sit there and shake my head. “No.”
Decker’s eyebrows go up and it seems like he’s thinking out loud. “Odd. It might narrow things down some, though. Whoever is feeding him information only knows about the paralegals. That fucker has someone inside the office.” He glances to me like he forgot I was there. “Sorry.” He holds up a hand. “You haven’t said anything to Dexter about this, right?”
I shake my head, thankful I don’t have to lie about that one. “No.”
“Okay, good.”
“Is that all, sir?” I want to be anywhere but here. I think I might vomit.
“Yeah, that’s all I wanted. Just get me everything you have so far on Monday, and I’ll pass it all to Rick. I’m sure it’s coming from Abigail. I should’ve known better.” He glances up and looks as though he shouldn’t have said that out loud.
I don’t blame Abigail, but I’d never tell Decker that. It’s not my place. I wouldn’t hide anything from my fiancé either. Family should always come before work. Decker should know that, but I’m not sure he does.
Hold it together, Mary.
“Okay, well, I’m gonna go, then…”
Decker nods, and I stand up and try to walk from the office at a normal pace. How am I going to look Rick in the eye and not tell him any of this stuff? How am I supposed to have a good time tonight with all this hanging over my head?
Ugh!
* * *
It’s almost 5 pm and I haven’t heard a word out of Rick. It’s only making things worse. Seconds tick by like minutes with all this on my conscience.
You lied to your boss.
I feel nauseous. What am I going to do?
Usually, I go to the church to help Jeremiah with things on Saturdays, but I’d planned on calling and telling him I couldn’t make it as soon as I heard from Rick. Now, I’m not so sure what to do.
Should I just sit here and wait? Should I cancel with Jeremiah? He never counts on me on Saturdays, I just sort of show up. What if Rick found out everything about my meeting? I wouldn’t put it past him. What if Decker called him, and now he’s mad at me?
Finally, at five after five, I decide I’m going to the church. I need some time to get my mind off this anyway, and I don’t know a better place to do it. I need to pray too, because I don’t know how much more of this I can take.
I get dressed and step out of my building and into the Chicago sun. It’s a beautiful day and all I want to do is enjoy it, but I can’t, because my mind is running through a million scenarios. Truth be told, I know what’s really upsetting me.
It was never said, but I know what it is. I was going to have sex tonight. I shouldn’t have been so excited about that, but I was. I could barely think of anything else before the meeting, after Rick said he wanted all day with me. Even with everything that happened at the office, it’s still right up there in the front of my mind.
It would’ve been phenomenal. Rick’s nothing like the man I was with back at college. He’s an expert with his mouth, so I can only imagine what he’s like with the rest of his body. The man went down on me under the table at breakfast and made me moan his name repeatedly, just with his tongue.
I shiver in the best way thinking about it.
Best bagel and coffee I’ve ever had in my life, that’s for sure.
I start down the street and get about half a block when a long stretch limo pulls up in front of me and parks on the curb.
A man in a suit jumps out and hollers right at me. “Mary Patrick?”
I freeze in my tracks. I don’t know this man. Should I just ignore him and keep going? What is happening here?
“Umm…yes.” I sort of shrug, a little unsure.
He smiles and opens the back door of the limousine. “You’re supposed to come with me.”
I stand there, frozen in place. “Umm, what is this?” I hold my palm out to the limo. “What’s going on here?”
He stares at me like I’m crazy and should know why all this is happening. “I was hired earlier, rush job. Didn’t think I’d find you, but the man on the phone was very specific about exactly where you’d be and what time you’d be walking down the road.�
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That gets a huge smile out of me. I stare right at the driver. “Did his name start with an ‘R?’”
He smiles. “Yes, ma’am.”
I walk over and get in the back of the limo, and the door shuts behind me. The car is gorgeous, plush leather seats that are so comfortable I sink right down into them. There’s a bar and a television.
Immediately, I think I know what’s happening, but I tell myself to stop guessing and just go along with it and be surprised.
The driver gets in and lowers the little window thing separating us. “About a ten-minute drive and we’ll be there.”
I want to ask where, but I don’t. I just say, “Okay. Thank you.”
Sure enough, ten minutes later we pull up to a curb. I look out the window and the modern, bright red building stares right back at me. It’s Ikram, one of the highest end dress shops in Chicago. I shake my head and stare right at it.
The driver walks around and opens the door for me. He escorts me up to the front entrance where a gorgeous, smiling woman welcomes me by name. “Ms. Patrick, welcome to Ikram, please follow me.”
“I’ll be right out here, just let me know when you’re finished.”
I nod, awestruck, unable to speak, and I immediately feel rude as he walks away. But geez, the building is gorgeous, with all kinds of dresses lining the walls.
I glance around the interior. “Where is everyone?”
“This is a private fitting. We were instructed to close down, specifically for you.”
My heart comes alive. How in the heck can Rick afford this? I mean, I don’t know how much they pay him at the firm. I’m sure it’s way more than me. Still, this must be a fortune. I immediately feel bad for thinking about money.
Just enjoy yourself.
How did he put all this together in a matter of hours, though? I just told him at breakfast.
“Do you have any preferences?”
I turn to the lady. “Huh?” I’m so out of place in here. I wouldn’t even know where to start.
She smiles and I feel so stupid for responding the way I did. I don’t have a clue about fashion, though. Not on this level anyway. To her credit, she’s incredibly kind and doesn’t act condescending at all.