by Amy Brent
Michael seemed to accept the explanation. He didn’t press it any further and didn’t get the chance too. The door to Cole’s office opened. He strode out to stop and look at the both of us. The chill in Cole’s eyes was enough to freeze hell over, but I couldn’t back down just yet. If Cheryl was right, he was testing me to see how well I could handle pressure.
“Back to your department, Foster,” Cole snapped out and stalked off in the direction of the meeting room. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure his message was received.
“Fuck,” Michael said, visibly paling. “I feel sorry for you dealing with that all day. Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I replied, feeling my stomach sink. “I’m going to need it.”
Luck was not on my side, though. Not in that damned meeting room with Cole and three other men in suits glaring at me when I said the wrong names and numbers.
“You’re dismissed from this meeting,” Cole told me, turning his back to me. “Get out of the room.”
I ducked out, barely holding my tears in. I could feel their eyes burning holes through my back as I hurried away to the safety of the bathroom again. Huddling in the stall, I sobbed into my hands while I tried desperately to regain control of myself. What was wrong with me? My internship was on the chopping block, but all I could do was feel wounded and cry that my other plans were ruined.
It wasn’t until 5:00 pm that Cheryl came to the bathroom to inform me that Cole wanted to talk to me privately in his office.
“Be careful,” Cheryl warned me, handing me a tissue. “Cole hates it when females cry. That’s just how it is with him.”
My stomach churned as I stepped into Cole’s dim office. The shades were drawn down over the windows as Cole glanced up from a few documents he was looking over. The stern expression on his face glued my feet to the floor as I let the door fall shut behind me.
“Lock it,” he said.
I reached behind me to lock the door. Before I could even try to explain anything, it was Cole who rose from his desk to walk up to me. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants as he looked down at me with an aloof expression.
“Those clients I lost today were big money for Crayton, Inc.,” he said, voice low. “You realize that, Violet? I thought you would be able to handle this position. You promised me that much.”
“I’m sorry,” I choked out, hands curling up into fists. “I can’t take you acting like a jerk to me every second of the past few days.”
“This is your job. I am your boss. That’s all it is, and if you can’t handle this, then maybe it’s a good idea for us to reconsider your internship here with me.”
“That’s not what I want! I just wanted to explain to you for the past three days what happened over the weekend. I wanted to apologize, but you never gave me the chance to explain anything. You shut me out before I could even explain that it wasn’t what you thought it was.”
Cole’s face darkened as he twisted away to walk over to the windows. It was his favorite spot, I realized over the past two weeks. He liked to stand there when he was brooding.
“You don’t owe me an explanation,” he said. “It’s none of my business. Michael is a fine young man. I wish the both of you luck in your relationship. I can let this relationship slide because I know the family Michael comes from. Your mother would like them. Your dad would too if I told him about the Fosters. Just promise me to keep your romance out of sight of my other employees. I don’t want to deal with the questions.”
Fury rose in me then. For days, he’d acted like a jealous ex-boyfriend, and he had the nerve to wish me the best. It was as though he thought he was doing me a favor by permitting me to be with someone else.
“I don’t need luck,” I said, fueled by the anger now brewing in me. “I need YOU! I need your cock. And no one else. Yes, that’s what I need.”
Cole’s spine stiffened visibly at those words. He turned sharply around to look me point blank in the eye.
“It’s not going to happen,” he snapped. “Forget it, Violet. I already told you that it wouldn’t happen, and I have a lot of reasons why we can’t be together.”
“I know that you want me,” I said. He turned away at that, proving my observations even more. “I know that you want me. All I need is one night. That’s all I need. That’s what I’ll take. No one will find out either if you’re so worried about it.”
“I can’t do that,” Cole said, gruffly. “You know that I can’t do it, Violet. It’ll ruin us both. I’m not a good man to be involved with.”
Boldened by the cracks I could see in his defense, I slowly slid my arms around his tight waist. He smelt heavenly, of fresh soap and cologne. I could feel those muscles in his back clench through the fabric of his shirt. His hands went to where mine were joined at the top of his stomach.
“I don’t think so,” I whispered, ignoring the way his fingers tried to pull my hands away. “I think you’re a good man who is punishing himself by resisting something that will make him feel good for once.”
“Violet--”
I didn’t heed the warning in Cole’s voice. Standing on tip toes, I pressed my lips against the back of his neck. Goosebumps erupted there. A stab of satisfaction went through me. The blood in my veins surged as a hazy and heart-pounding desire crashed over me.
Cole whirled around in my arms, breaking my hold on him. His hands were clenching my wrists to the point that it was almost painful, but I didn’t care. It was now or never time. I was going to kiss him, damn the consequences.
I leaned forward to press my lips against his own. Sparks went up my spine at the sensation of his mouth pressed up against my own, firm and warm. I could feel the resistance crumbling beneath my fingers as Cole’s hold lessened. I kissed him again with a breathy moan.
That’s when a groan escaped Cole’s lips. A groan of pleasure and defeat. I found myself whirled around to be pressed up against the glass windows with Cole’s mouth hard and hungry on mine.
Yes! I screamed inwardly in elation as Cole’s hands ran down the sides of my body, feeling every single curve. My stomach fluttered wildly. I couldn’t believe that this was happening after so long, after the past few days of shit. I never thought the day would end up the way it did, but there was a least one thing I was glad that I had done now, ever since I started working at Crayton, Inc.
At least, I thought with a pleased smile as Cole kissed me hard again, that I had continued to take the time to wax my legs and private area for his pleasure and enjoyment.
Chapter 9
Cole
I knew how Eve felt when she took a bite of that damn red apple. That apple tasted sweet with sin and pleasure. That was how Violet tasted when I swept a tongue in through her eager lips to taste her, to finally give myself what I wanted most.
Gone was that rational voice telling me to keep my distance. To push her away as far as she would go.
Fuck it all.
Her hands were running through my hair, kissing me back with just as much wild passion as I felt building up in me. If this was going to be what sent me to hell, at least it would finally feel good to let go of all control.
Soft pants were escaping Violet’s mouth as her body pushed up against mine. I could feel every single inch of her. She tasted sweet on the tip of my tongue as she battled for dominance, but not for long. I knew what she wanted. She wanted me to take charge, and that was exactly what I fucking planned to do.
Tearing my lips from hers, I took in her flushed face and bruised lips. Her lipstick was smudged against my mouth. Her eyes were already dark and intense with desire as she stared at me.
“I hope you know what the fuck you’re doing,” I growled out, cradling her slender hips in my hands. “I’m not going to be gentle here.”
Her hands gripped the fabric of my shirt. “I don’t want you to be. Fuck me. The door is locked, like you asked.”
We were utterly alone too. Everyone had gone for the weekend. We had at least twenty min
utes before the cleaning maids would come through for their usual weekend rounds of cleaning the building. I didn’t need twenty minutes though. I only needed a few to get us both undressed.
Violet tugged me forward for a kiss that I gladly accepted and then took charge of. Her tongue twisted up against mine, tracing my lips lightly, leaving my body tingling with sensation. I could feel my cock hard and press up against the fabric of my boxers and pants. I ground it against her upper thigh to let her feel what she’d wanted to feel for so long.
She broke the kiss with a surprised gasp. I took advantage of the break to trail my lips down the curve of her neck while my hands ripped at the buttons of her blouse. They popped through the air, landing on the floor in various places. She gladly shrugged out of the fabric while I made quick work of the lacy bra she wore.
“Shit,” I groaned, looking at those perfectly mounded breasts with pink and delicate nipples. I let my fingers squeeze the liquid flesh there which earned a throaty response in return. “I’ve wanted this for so long, Violet. You’re fucking gorgeous.”
“I’ve wanted you too,” Violet whispered, hands moving to the buttons of my own shirt. “Since I was fifteen I imagined you inside of me. That’s all I want to feel right now.”
I dipped down to capture a nipple between my lips. Violet nearly collapsed against the window as she let out a cry of pleasure. I sucked there gently while her fingers worked on the buttons of my shirt. I let the fabric fall to the ground carelessly before bending down to scoop her up into my arms. Our bare chests touched, and it sent electric currents through me as Violet wrapped her legs around my waist at my prompting. I grabbed her ass cheeks, letting out a groan when the heat of her core settled over my throbbing erection.
Our lips attacked one another in a deep kiss of dominance. I sank down to the leather couch and settled between Violet’s legs. I smoothed a hand around to the back or her skirt to pull the zipper down. My dick throbbed so hard it hurt as I pulled the fabric of her skirt and panties down her legs. I pulled off her shoes to leave her bare ass naked in front of me—the exact image of my fantasies.
She was toned and curved in all the right places. I smoothed my hands down the front of her breasts as she looked up at me with darkened eyes before I let my hands and eyes go to the one place I truly wanted to be. The wetness of her lips there surprised me, and her hips jerked up in pleasure.
She didn’t need foreplay. We’ve had weeks of it. She’d had years of it. I didn’t think I could hold myself back for very long.
“You’re already wet,” I whispered huskily. “In this case, we can skip pretenses and get right down to the main event.”
Violet sat up to reach for my belt. Her fingers trembled as she then undid the clasp and unzipped my pants. I let my eyes fall shut as her hand swept along my erection, coaxing it out into the open. The sensation of her hand on my dick was exquisite. I nearly lost myself, but it was her whisper, “Good lord,” that brought me back to reality.
Her eyes were wide as she looked up at me. “You’re so big. I don’t know if we will fit right.”
“We’ll fit,” I assured her while I kicked away my pants and boxers. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course,” she said immediately. “Come to me. I’ve been going crazy waiting for you to fuck me.”
I braced myself over her. The first touch of her moist and hot flesh against the tip of my cock nearly undid me. It was through a blind haze that I remembered my condoms were back at my apartment.
“I don’t have a condom,” I ground out, resting my head against her shoulder in frustration. “Do you have one? Please tell me that you do.”
Her hands smoothed along my back. “I’m covered. Please, just do it.”
“Violet, we can’t--”
Her fingers dug themselves into my ass cheeks. She nudged me forward, and the tip of my cock slid into the sweet heat I’d been thinking about for so long. All reason and logic escaped me. I buried myself into that delicious tightness without a second thought.
The pressure. The agony of her muscles clenching around me. I couldn’t think past it as I cupped Violet’s ass cheeks in my hand to hold her in the perfect position, her thighs tight against my hips. It felt so good. Violet was impossibly tight against me.
I reached down blindly as bright spots flashed in front of my eyes to rub at the bundle of nerves between her legs. I was met with an enthused cry followed by her inner muscles twitching with a pending release. Our sweat-slicked skin slapped against each other.
“So close,” I panted into her ear, rubbing harder at the bundle. “Are you close, baby?”
I was met with a throaty scream that echoed through the office. I lost the sense of reality when those muscles squeezed down upon me in the most intense way, milking every inch of my release.
We laid there for a long time in a tangle of limbs before it hit me. I’d just fucked my best friend’s daughter. In my office. The one rule I had told myself I would always adhere to, I broke.
I pulled back before Violet could say anything. I could feel her heart racing wildly against me, but I forced myself to pull out and away. I couldn’t bear to look over at her face as I quickly gathered my clothes from the ground.
“The cleaning crew is coming soon,” I said. “We need to get out of here before they show up. I don’t want this going around the office.”
Violet didn’t reply, but I felt her move to gather her clothes as well. I dressed with my back to her while I tried to gain control of the panic I could feel surging in me. I had given into temptation so willingly. Violet was just a young woman. She’d been a little girl not too long ago.
Shame poured through my body, replacing the satisfied glow of great sex. I had violated her in a way she would never understand.
“Cole--”
I shook my head at her quiet inquiry. I could hear the emotion in her voice, but I couldn’t turn around. I didn’t want the attachment.
“You better go first,” I said. “That way no one sees us leaving here together.”
The silence stretched on for a few minutes before I heard the office door open. I looked over my shoulder then, still catching my breath to see the tears trailing down Violet’s face. She gathered her things from her desk before disappearing out of sight. I waited to gather my own things until I heard the elevator doors open and close.
The cleaning crew entered the office right as I pushed the elevator button. I nodded to them as they greeted me with cheerful smiles before I stepped into the elevator. My hands were shaking when I pushed the button for the lobby. There was no doubt that Violet had heeded my words and took off before anyone could see us.
Guilt chewed on my heart. I shouldn’t have sent her away the way that I did, but I couldn’t bear being the subject of office gossip. Not after the bullshit with Stephanie. I couldn’t risk word getting back to Alan either.
My face burned, thinking of my last friend on the planet. I had completely betrayed his trust and disrespected a family that had for so long treated me as one of their own. They were my family. My parents were buried in the hard ground. I had no siblings. They were all I had.
I stopped by the gym on my way home. I needed to burn off my anger before I thought of getting a hold of Violet to make sure she was okay. I spent the next hour running hard on the treadmill before stepping into the hot shower.
That was when I realized with a sinking jolt the reason why Violet had been so quiet at the beginning. There was blood on my thighs.
“Fuck,” I cried out, slamming a hand into the shower stall. I heard someone jump a few stalls down.
Not one word. She’d never mentioned a word of pain, never hesitated. Her confidence would have never seemed like a nervous virgin’s first time.
I let the scalding water burn my face. I had to make this up to her somehow. I had to do something to make it right since I had taken advantage of her in my office. Not exactly the romantic first-time girls dreamed about.
I fou
nd clean clothes in my locker and dressed quickly before leaving the dirty ones in the hamper for the gym to get rid of. I couldn’t look at them ever again because I’d think of the guilt, and at the same time, I’d remember how it had felt to finally have Violet. Which made it all feel even more fucked up and shameful.
I picked out some roses from the flower shop before driving twenty minutes to the apartment Violet was renting. It wasn’t a high-class apartment building like those found in Manhattan, but it wasn’t as bad as Alan had led me to believe. I found the button that said Summers before pressing it. If I had any luck, Violet would be back here already, and not out somewhere in the city.
“Who is it?”
My heart beat in relief. “It’s me. It’s Cole. I was wondering if I could come up to talk to you about a few things.”
“Sure. It’s 4A.”
The door buzzed open. I stepped inside to follow the stairs up to the fourth floor, then found the apartment door on the west side of the building. I took a step back after knocking on the door, bracing myself for what was about to come.
Chapter 10
Violet
It was a strange feeling. I couldn’t quite place it when I came back from Crayton, Inc. with the smell of Cole’s cologne still clinging to me. Tears were burning my eyes, but I didn’t feel upset. Shell-shocked. That was the appropriate way to describe it.