Losing Control (The Control Duet Book 1)

by Lindsey Powell

  running through me.

  As I was stripped of my clothes, butterflies went crazy inside of me. Nerves built up, but they were soon put at ease by the feel of Michael’s lips, soft as a feather, teasing the inside of my leg. A low groan escaped past my lips as he found my clit with his tongue. It had been a while since I had had any sort of sexual contact with a man, so it didn’t take me long to reach my orgasm.

  Michael expertly worked me through my release before beginning a slow, gentle rhythm, with himself buried inside of me. I gripped onto his shoulders, my fingers digging into his skin. Our frantic breathing was the only sound in the room. The slow thrusts of his cock making me build to another release.

  My body started to tremble, my cries getting louder from the overwhelming pleasure.

  When Michael came a few strokes later, I felt like my world had shifted. Shifted in a good way. It was the perfect way for me to be introduced back into the world of ‘boy meets girl.’ Although dubious at first, I realised that Michael had been the perfect choice of partner for me.

  Attentive, sensitive to my needs, and oh-so-ready to make me start forgetting about Tom.

  The warm, fuzzy feeling surged through me upon reflection. I am so glad that Michael asked me out, and I am so glad that Kim urged me to follow through and go for that first drink with him. I haven’t felt this content in a long time.

  Michael stirs, and his arms tighten around me. I smile against his chest, loving the closeness between us.

  “Good morning,” he says, his voice sounding a little groggy from only just waking up, but no less sexy.

  “Morning.”

  I place a light kiss on his chest and I allow my lips to travel up to his neck. A deep growl comes from him as I am released from his arms and turned so that I am flat on my back, pinned to the bed by his fine form. He grinds his hips into me and I open my legs as my sex cries out for him to be closer.

  He brings his head down and starts to gently bite on my bottom lip, and a giggle bubbles out of me. I try to move but he still has me pinned to the bed, not that I am going to complain of course, but I would like to be able to touch him.

  His tongue delves into my mouth and I arch my back, trying to gain more contact with him.

  “Someone’s eager this morning,” he says, his voice deep and laced with innuendo.

  I feel the blush creep across my cheeks from his words. I don’t want him to think that I am going to become needy now that we have slept together. I don’t want him to be worried about me turning into some kind of bunny-boiler.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry? Why are you apologising?” He pulls his head back to look at me, and I can see slight concern in his eyes.

  “I… Um…” Oh God, he’s going to think I’m such an idiot. I don’t know what to say. I can’t tell him that I am worried that he might think that I am too keen, that would just make me look even worse than I probably look right now.

  I have been out of the dating loop for so long that I have no idea how to act. I don’t want him to think badly of me.

  “Lucy…” He whispers my name before placing a light kiss on my lips. “You don’t need to be nervous around me, and for the record, I’m eager too.” His soft smile eases my racing mind. “I like you, and I’m not going anywhere.” His gaze turns serious, making my heart pump wildly. “We may not have been going out together for long, but I want this to work. I can see myself falling for you, Lucy, and I really hope that you feel the same way. I don’t ever want you to feel like you have to behave a different way around me. Just be yourself, because that is the person that I have grown fond of.”

  His words stun me, but instead of worrying about how to answer him, I lift my head up and connect my lips with his.

  I think that I may have just died and gone to heaven.

  His words were what I needed to hear, striking a cord deep within me.

  Michael is going to be the one to bring me back to life.

  And as our kiss becomes hungrier, I literally do feel like the luckiest woman in the world.

  Chapter Seven

  Love is blind

  It has been three months since I first went on a date with Michael, and I can honestly say that it has been the best three months of my life. Even better than when I first started dating Tom.

  Michael has been a perfect gentleman in every way. He makes me feel wanted, and I truly hadn’t realised how much I had missed that feeling. I have stayed at his every weekend for the last two months. I look forward to Friday nights, knowing that I get to be wrapped up in a bubble with him until Monday morning.

  “So, I guess that you will be staying with Michael again tonight?” Kim asks me as we both get our travel coffee mugs ready to take with us to work.

  “You guess right.” Nothing can wipe the smile off of my face or dampen the fire in my belly.

  “Luce, are you sure that you’re not rushing things?” Kim asks tentatively. I turn to face her and can see that her brows are knitted together in concern.

  “What do you mean? You’re the one that pushed for me to go out with him in the first place.”

  “I know, I just… I don’t want you getting hurt again,” she says as she bites her bottom lip.

  I know that she is genuinely looking out for me, but this is a bit of a turnaround to her previous behaviour as far as my love life is concerned.

  “Kim, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m having a great time, and I haven’t felt this good in forever.”

  “That’s great, but maybe you need to tread carefully where Michael is concerned?”

  “What?” I say, turning my head to look at her, my happy feeling suddenly fading. It turns out that the smile can be wiped off of my face, and Kim is the one to achieve it.

  “I’ve heard some things,” she tells me.

  I can tell that she really doesn’t want to be having this conversation with me, but out of respect for our friendship, I decide to hear her out. I won’t let myself jump to conclusions until I have heard what she has to say.

  “Go on,” I urge.

  “Oh God, I don’t even know if what I have heard is just office gossip or if it’s the truth.”

  “Spit it out, Kim.” I can see that she is conflicted. “Just tell me,” I say as my heart starts to pump a million miles a minute.

  “Well, Nancy on floor five used to go out with him, and she said that he was… That he became––”

  “Oh for goodness sake, just say it,” I interrupt, losing some patience at her inability to form the words that she needs to.

  “Possessive. He was a bit full on.”

  “Right, by doing what exactly?”

  “She didn’t go into detail, she just thought that I should try and warn you.”

  I already know what Kim is referring to. Nancy and Michael dated for two months, but it fizzled out quickly. They were out one evening and Nancy had gone to the toilet. When a few minutes had passed, Michael wondered where she had got to. He headed for the toilets and found Nancy outside with her tongue down someone else’s throat.

  “I’m really not that worried about what Nancy has to say.” I feel a little relief filter through me at Kim’s revelation. I already knew, and that shows that I can trust Michael. He’s been open and honest with me, giving me no reason to disbelieve him.

  “Are you serious? Do you not want to know what happened?” Kim asks, gobsmacked by my reaction.

  “I don’t need to know because Michael already told me what went on between them.”

  “Oh.” Kim was not expecting that answer. “And what was his explanation?”

  I give Kim a quick recount of what Michael told me, and I can see that she is shocked by Nancy’s behaviour.

  “But she seems so… Vanilla,” Kim exclaims.

  “Yeah, well, she’s clearly not as vanilla as we thought.”

  “So, it’s just a case of a bitter ex then?”

  “Exactly.”

  Chapter Eight

&n
bsp; Moving forward

  I don’t mention Nancy to Michael when I get to his later on that evening. I don’t need to, and I certainly don’t want to ruin the mood by bringing her name up.

  We’re currently laying together on the sofa, Michael with his arms wrapped around me as I snuggle into his chest. Michael let me choose a film to put on, so I decided on a film showcasing female empowerment. It’s one of my favourites and Michael has never seen it. The story is brilliant, showing how a woman can have her world rocked in the cruellest way, only for her to come through her heartache and fight to the bitter end.

  We’re halfway through the film when I feel Michael’s lips brush against my ear. I feign ignorance as I continue to watch the film, but my body responds instantly. My nipples pucker and my skin tingles. His tongue traces along my jawline and his arms squeeze me closer to him.

  “Do you mind? I’m trying to watch the film,” I say teasingly.

  Michael chuckles and the sound makes my insides melt. The fact that I can make him laugh brings me so much pleasure.

  He doesn’t respond with an answer, instead he plants his lips on mine. I let out a muffled squeal of delight as our tongues dance together, and I forget about the film as we make-out like a couple of horny teenagers.

  I don’t know how much time passes before Michael breaks our kiss and places his forehead against mine. At some point we manoeuvred our bodies so that I am laying on my back with Michael laying on top of me. My eyes are closed as I enjoy the feel of him encasing me.

  “Open your eyes,” he whispers, his voice carrying an urgency even though he speaks quietly. I do as he asks and am met with his penetrating gaze.

  “Everything okay?” I ask, not being able to decipher the way in which he is looking at me.

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. More than fine.” He takes a deep breath and his next words literally blow my mind. “I love you.”

  What?

  Did I hear him correctly?

  Did he just say that he loves me?

  “Sorry, what did you say?” I ask, needing to hear him say it again before I say anything else.

  “I said, I love you.”

  I clamp my mouth shut and blink rapidly. Never in a million years would I have thought that Michael would say those words to me tonight.

  “I’m sorry if I have said that to you too soon, but I can’t hide how I feel anymore. I don’t want to scare you off but––”

  I cut him off by placing my fingers over his lips. He abruptly stops speaking and his eyes widen slightly.

  This wonderful man has just declared his love for me, and now he is apologising because he is worried about scaring me.

  He has done nothing but think about my needs in the last three months, and he has taken everything at a pace that I am comfortable with.

  I already know how I feel about him, and I don’t want to waste any more time in keeping it to myself.

  “I love you too.”

  Chapter Nine

  A bright beginning

  “Miss Fields, we have been reviewing the work that you have done since starting as a temp for us,” my boss, Mr Collinson, says as I sit there wondering why I have been called into his office. I can’t recall doing anything wrong.

  “Your work has been excellent, and you have acquired several new customers for us in a short amount of time. I would like to take this opportunity to offer you a permanent position within the company,” he tells me with a smile on his face.

  “Oh, wow!” Now that, I was not expecting.

  “Of course, if you choose to accept the position then it would mean a salary increase for you, and we would like to promote you to marketing manager.”

  Holy shit! A promotion? Manager?

  “You would remain on the floor that you have been working on, and essentially you will be in charge of four other staff members within the marketing team. That team will consist of Beverly Watson, Tony Smith, Henry Walker, and Tyler Morris.”

  I already know who is on the marketing team, but I am not about to interrupt him. I listen as he discusses my rate of pay and what would be expected of me by taking a management position. With every word that he speaks, I feel my confidence rise.

  Mr Collinson doesn’t seem to have a bad word to say about my work, and that makes me feel fantastic. I have worked my butt off whilst I have been here, but I never did it to gain a promotion. I did it to keep myself busy. I did it to occupy my mind when Tom and I broke up, and for it to result in this seems like some kind of reward for all of the shit that I have been through.

  “That being said,” Mr Collinson continues, and I realise that I zoned out for a few minutes there. “You have forty eight hours in which to make your decision.”

  “Oh, I don’t need to think about it. I accept,” I reply, not wanting to waste any time.

  “Are you sure, Miss Fields?”

  “Absolutely.”

  This is my fresh start.

  New job, loving boyfriend, and a whole new me.

  Chapter Ten

  Subtle differences

  “Wow! That’s fantastic,” Kim says as I fill her in on my conversation with Mr Collinson.

  “I can’t believe it. I mean, I never expected a promotion.” I’m still in a state of shock.

  “You deserve it.” Kim embraces me in a hug.

  “What’s going on over here?” I hear Michael say as I break away from Kim and turn to face him with a great big grin plastered on my face.

  “Lucy has just been offered a promotion,” Kim says excitedly before I can tell him.

  “Kim,” I scold her gently.

  “Sorry, I’m just so excited for you.”

  I can’t be mad at her. She’s my closest friend and only wants the best for me.

  “Seriously? A promotion?” Michael says, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

  “Yeah. Mr Collinson said that he was pleased with my work and that he wanted me to become the marketing manager of this department.” My voice is high-pitched with excitement as I speak. “I get to run my own team and I get a pay increase.”

  “Isn’t it great?” Kim says to Michael.

  “Uh, yeah,” he says, no excitement to his tone whatsoever. Kim’s smile fades, as does mine.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask him, wondering why he appears to be unhappy with this turn of events.

  “Nothing’s wrong. I’m happy for you.”

  “You don’t seem like it,” Kim says, and I whirl around to face her.

  “Kim, that’s enough.”

  “I’m sorry, Luce, but he should be ecstatic for you,” she replies, not bothering to keep her voice down at all. “This is an amazing opportunity and he has no right to make you feel shit about it.”

  “He’s not making me feel shit,” I argue.

  “Oh really? So why have you gone from elated to downcast since he came over here.”

  “Kimberly––”

  “I’m gonna leave you two to it,” Michael says interrupting us.

  “Michael, please don’t listen to her,” I say, needing him to know that I don’t agree with what Kim is saying.

  “I’ll speak to you later,” he says before turning his back and walking to his desk.

  I feel a sense of dread fill me as I watch his retreating form. Instead of focussing on his reaction, I turn to Kim, my blood boiling at how she behaved.

  “What the fuck was that?” I say, not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice.

  “What? He was behaving like an ass,” she says as she rolls her eyes and folds her arms across her chest, becoming defensive.

  “You didn’t even give him a chance to speak.” I keep my voice as low as I possibly can seeing as I don’t want the whole office to hear us.

  “He didn’t seem like he wanted to say anything to congratulate you.”

  “What the hell is the matter with you?” I ask her, outraged that she could have upset Michael for no good reason. “For all you know, he might have had a shitty day or ma
ybe he didn’t want to cause a fuss in the office, or maybe, just maybe, he might have wanted me to be the one to tell him about my promotion but instead he heard it from you, because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.”

  I take a second, my breathing a little heavy as I pause my rant at Kim. She has the decency to look a little sheepish in response.

  “I don’t know what your issue with Michael is,” I continue. “And to be quite honest, Kim, I don’t really care right now. You were fine about him until you spoke to fucking Nancy, and now all of a sudden my word isn’t good enough.” I’m mad. Fucking raging in fact.

  “Luce, I didn’t mean to––”

  “Save it,” I say as I hold my hands up in response to her. “I’m going for a walk. The least you can do is cover for me if Mr Collinson comes in here and asks where I am.”

  I take my jacket off of the back of the chair and turn on my heel, marching for the exit, keeping my head down as I do.

  Chapter Eleven

  The start of the breakdown

  I’m sat in the park, which is a five-minute walk from the office. I have been gone for half an hour, trying to calm myself down, but I don’t feel any better.

  I watch as kids run around, screaming and laughing without a care in the world. Parents are sat on the benches, chatting amongst themselves, enjoying the adult conversation. I close my eyes and wish that I could rewind the last hour. Kim had no right to act the way she did. I know that she is just looking out for me, but she hasn’t even taken the time to get to know Michael. If she did, then maybe she would see that he is a sweet, caring guy. I’m still not bothered by what Nancy has said, what bothers me is that it is affecting Kim’s view of things.

  “Hey,” I hear Michael’s voice say.

  I open my eyes and turn my head to look at him. He has a soft smile on his face and his hands are in his trouser pockets. He looks so handsome, but even that can’t distract me from the anger that I am feeling.

  “Mind if I sit?” he asks, nodding to the empty bench beside me.