by Tia Siren
As I sauntered over, the boyfriend eyed me. I stared back, not threatened by the dirty look he shot me. After a brief stare down, he clearly decided I wasn’t worth it and looked away.
“Anna,” I said.
She looked at me with defiance. “What?”
I bit back a laugh. Surliness seemed to be a family trait with the Park girls.
“I was wondering if you were interested in working part time in the office for me. My secretary is going to be out for a while on a medical emergency, and I could really use the help,” I said. “It would only be about four hours a day.”
She looked at me, disbelief on her face. “You want me to work for you?”
I knew it was a strange request. I was trying to take her family farm, and by working for me, she would ultimately be aiding me in doing just that. I immediately regretted offering her the job. It had been a stupid idea.
She glanced at her boyfriend, who seemed to be eager for her to take the job, and then back at me. “Sure. I’m already the black sheep of the family anyway. I may as well cement my position by working for the enemy.”
I laughed. “I’m not the enemy; I promise. But if you think it’ll be a problem, I’d understand if you can’t do it.”
“I can. I will. When do I start?” she said, nodding her head vigorously, clearly happy about the opportunity.
“How about you come by tomorrow? I’ll give you the grand tour and show you what you will be doing. We’ll also need to fill out the paperwork. Does that work for you?”
She looked at the boyfriend and then back at me. “Yep. I’ll be there. I don’t have to dress all fancy, do I? I don’t do fancy very well.”
I laughed. “Well, not fancy, but I prefer no shorts. A nice pair of jeans works. Just keep it casual, but not too casual.”
What she was wearing now wouldn’t do. She wasn’t showing yet, which was obvious in the tiny tank top and itty-bitty shorts she was wearing. The woman was beautiful and liked to flaunt her figure. I didn’t need clients questioning what kind of business I was really running.
“So, not this?” she said with a wink.
“Um,” I said, feeling suddenly uncomfortable, “probably not.”
Her boyfriend looked at her. “You look gorgeous, baby. I like what you have on.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course he liked it. If Ashley or any other single woman was wearing that same outfit, I would like it as well.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, waving before heading up the path that led to the trail. One of the great things about where we lived was the many trails into the mountains. You could never get bored. I did a few stretches and took off up the hill. The exercise would hopefully give me some clarity.
All I could think about was Helen. If this deal went through, I could afford to pay her some of her wages even while she was off and I was paying someone else. I had to take care of her. She had worked hard for me and I owed her. I would pay her insurance premium so she didn’t have to worry about that, too.
Now that I had an idea of how to help her, my mind shifted back to Ashley. It was always on Ashley. I wanted her all the time. Just when I’d thought I had finally rid myself of my addiction to her, she came blowing back into my life and, just like that, I was hooked again.
Chapter 15
Ashley
I already knew Brock wasn’t at work, so I didn’t bother going there first. Anna had called me to gloat. Why the stupid girl was so dead set on making my life a living hell, I would never understand. I had pretended I didn’t care that she was going to work for the enemy, but I was livid. How dare she? I could be self-righteous because no one knew I had slept with the very same enemy.
Anna told me she thought Brock was going for a run. She made sure to point out how sexy he looked without a shirt. She couldn’t make me jealous. Brock wasn’t mine, and I knew even if Anna threw herself at him, Brock would shoot her down. I thought. I hoped.
Oh God. What if they had hooked up while I was gone? I wouldn’t put it past Anna to go after my ex. She always wanted everything I had. I shuddered at the thought of the two of them together. It hadn’t taken me long to find out where Brock lived. The town was growing in size and numbers, but there was still a small-town feel and people liked to talk. Brock had made a big deal about where he lived. It was a status symbol for him. He had made it out of that horrible trailer he grew up in and now owned a nice home in a nice neighborhood.
Good for him.
I sat on his front step, taking refuge from the sun under the small roof over the front porch. I planned on waiting there until he showed up, and then I was going to let him know his little plan to get inside information from my sister wouldn’t work. Anna didn’t care about the farm, and I would not share any details about what I planned to do with her anyway.
When he pulled into the driveway next to my rental car, my stomach flip-flopped. I hated that he looked so damn good.
He eyed me as he came up the walk. I stood, waiting for him to say something. He said nothing as he unlocked the door and walked on through. I followed him inside and slammed it shut behind me.
“Brock!”
He looked over his shoulder at me. “I’m going to take a shower. You can bitch at me when I’m done.”
I stared at him. “No!”
He grinned and kept walking down the hall.
I followed him. “You going to follow me in there too?” he asked, slightly perturbed.
“Brock, I need to talk to you,” I said, ignoring his suggestion.
“I told you, I’ll be in the shower. If you need to talk to me, I guess you better be prepared to get wet.”
He walked into the bathroom, shutting the door in my face. I stood there, staring at the door. I didn’t hear the lock. That was significant. An image of him stripping naked popped into my head. No. I couldn’t.
I walked back to the living room, taking in the high-quality furnishings. It was sparsely decorated and clearly the house was that of a bachelor, but it was nice. I was secretly happy for him. He deserved to be successful, but not at the expense of my father. That irritated me, which had me walking back down the hall to the closed bathroom door.
I stared at the door and quickly settled on what I knew was a horrible decision. I turned the handle and stepped inside. I could see the outline of his body through the fogged glass shower door. I stripped out of my shorts and T-shirt and quickly got naked.
I looked at myself in the mirror for a brief second and then walked to the door, opened it, and stepped inside.
He turned around to look at me, water sluicing over his naked body. I took my time staring at his tanned skin and defined chest muscles. He had definitely grown up. There was a smattering of chest hair and a lovely trail from his naval to his cock. I looked back up to meet his eyes. He didn’t make a move, just stared at me as I drank in the sight of him. I was aroused just looking at his naked body.
I knew he was waiting for me to make the first move. His body was beautiful. Heat pooled between my legs as I reached out and ran my hand over his chest. My fingers trailed a line up to his shoulder before I traced the tattoo on his arm that had captivated Jasper.
“Me?” I whispered, my fingers gently touching it.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
I felt a twinge of guilt but promised to assuage my guilt and his pain with one act.
I stepped forward, my bare breasts pressing against his chest as I turned my face up to his.
“Kiss me,” I murmured.
The water ran down his face as he leaned forward, then hesitated a split second before he slammed his mouth over mine. He wrapped his arms around me, squeezing my butt before running then up my back. His fingers trailed a line up my spine, causing me to shudder. I pressed my hips against his groin and relished in the feel of his hard thighs pressed against my own.
He backed me up until the cold tile pressed against my back. His hands roamed over my waist before moving up to cup my breasts. His mouth lef
t mine and ran over my collarbone before he closed his mouth over my nipple. I arched my back, pressing my breast into his mouth. He kneaded and suckled, making me crazy with need.
I could feel his own need increasing. His gentle touch soon became one of desperation. He moved one hand between my legs, tickling my clit until I felt an orgasm brewing. I squirmed, pushing against him. My hands were running up and down his back, my fingers digging in the closer I got to my climax.
“Brock,” I moaned, wanting to alert him I was close to coming.
He didn’t stop his ministrations to my pussy. He kept fingering me.
“Brock!”
“Come, Ashley. Come on my fingers,” he whispered close to my ear.
I couldn’t stop the climax from breaking over me. I rocked against his fingers, pushing them deeper inside. He kissed me and then moved to my neck to that overly sensitive area, leaving his fingers inside me. Within minutes, I could feel the familiar stirrings of another climax. I moved my head to one side and then the other, wanting it but wanting to hold out a little longer.
The hot water and the steam were making me hypersensitive. It was an erotic setting that heightened every touch. Just when I thought he would make me come again with his fingers, he spun me around. My breasts pressed against the once-cold tile wall. He stepped behind me and pressed his dick against my butt. I shimmied my butt back, rubbing his hard cock as I did.
One of his arms went around my waist, and he pulled me back before using his other hand to press on my back, bending me over. He stepped close and pushed one finger inside me before pulling it out and replacing it with his dick. I groaned low in my throat as he pushed inside me. Both his hands were on my hips. I braced myself as he pulled out and pushed back in. The pace was slow and hard before it quickly increased, each thrust pushing my body forward only to be yanked back in place by his firm grasp.
I wasn’t prepared for the powerful orgasm. It crashed through my body, making me moan in supreme pleasure as he kept pounding into me. He stiffened, grunted in pleasure, and jerked my body against his while he spurted into me.
He stepped away from me and back into the shower stream. I righted myself, turned to face him, and then quickly stepped out of the shower, needing to get away from him. I grabbed the towel off the rack and began to quickly dry off. I had to make my escape before he got out of the shower. I had made a colossal mistake—again!
After a minute, he stepped out of the shower and walked naked to the linen closet to grab another towel. I was pulling on my clothes when he wrapped the towel around his body and walked out of the bathroom. I quickly followed him into the kitchen, buttoning my shorts as I went.
“Why did you ask Anna to work for you?” I shot out.
He handed me one of the glasses of orange juice he had just poured. “Why do you keep having sex with me?”
My mouth dropped open. “It was a mistake. It won’t happen again.”
He grinned. “That’s what you said last time. Don’t get me wrong, I am perfectly happy to make these mistakes. Use me all you want, Ash. I’m here for you.”
I stomped my foot. “Brock.”
He shrugged. “I’ll let you use me for now, but you do need to make up your mind. I’m not going to let you walk in here and fuck me whenever you want for the rest of my life.”
“I wouldn’t! I’m not!” I protested. “Why did you hire Anna? That’s all I came over here to ask.”
He looked down at the glass he was holding. “Helen has breast cancer. She has to take some time off. I know Anna’s pregnant and could use a job that doesn’t require her to be on her feet all day. It just seemed like a good idea. Why do you care? It isn’t like you’ll be sticking around for long.”
“Oh,” I said, instantly feeling bad about his secretary. I remembered Helen. She was a nice woman. God, I really hated cancer.
“Yeah, oh. I didn’t ask Anna to work for me because I had an ulterior motive. It was an opportunity for her and me. Not everything is about you, Ashley.”
I rolled my eyes. “I have to go.”
I headed to the front door, making sure my clothes were situated, and pulled it open. Brock grabbed my arm firmly and pulled me back. His mouth was on mine in a sweet kiss. I fought the urge to wrap my arms around him and squeeze him close. I pulled away before I found myself flat on my back with him buried inside me once again.
“Just like old times, huh, babe?”
“No. It is definitely not like old times,” I said before walking out and not looking back.
I got in my car and quickly backed out of the driveway. Once again, I was running away from a sexual encounter with my ex, the father of my child, the man I left standing at the altar six years ago. I couldn’t keep doing this. I was not a young woman who could sleep with whoever she chose when the desire arose. I had a son to think about.
Brock had been wrong when he had said it was like old times. It was a hundred times better. Maybe it was because we were older and more mature, or maybe it was better because there was an element of danger when I had sex with him. I knew it was wrong and I shouldn’t, but I was so drawn to him. It had been a moment of weakness, and I vowed to never let it happen again.
I wouldn’t put it past Brock to use this as evidence against me. He would tell a judge I was a floozy and unable to care for my child because I was a sex maniac. I couldn’t have sex with him again. It was fantastic sex, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t risk it. I would make sure all further talks were through his attorney.
Chapter 16
Brock
I felt like whistling. I knew it was cheesy, but having Ashley back in my life was making me a little giddy. She wasn’t “back in my life” in that sense exactly, but there was something there. She would deny it, but there was an undeniable chemistry between us. We were drawn to each other—moths to a flame, magnetic attraction, or whatever a person wanted to call it. We were made for each other. There was no arguing with chemistry. When she was near, I could feel the pull, and I had learned by now that she could feel it too. She couldn’t get enough of me, even if she did hate me.
I didn’t whistle because I knew that would result in Anna asking questions. One thing Ashley and I agreed on was the fact that we didn’t want to advertise our little trysts. As of now, that was all they were. Two healthy people who were fiercely attracted to each other were having consensual sex. If anyone knew, there would be drama, and clearly, we both wanted to keep it drama free.
Anna had arrived about five minutes after I had. I’d been pleasantly surprised.
Now she stood in my doorway. “So, is Helen coming back?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, but there was no way I could know that for sure. Helen had already picked up and gone to Morgantown for treatment. It was the best care she could get.
“Fine,” Anna said, pouting. “What am I supposed to say when I answer the phone?”
I looked at her. “Brock Trenton’s Realty.”
She nodded. “Very clever.”
Anna had been doing this strange mood-swing thing that I chose to attribute to her pregnancy. She could be very nice or very sarcastic, and I never knew what I was going to get. I just hoped the potential clients always got the nice, amenable Anna.
“Thanks. Keep it simple,” I told her, leaving off the last part of that statement. I wasn’t sure how she would react to it.
Anna was actually a smart woman and a real computer whiz. I had assumed I would need to explain all the little details, but she’d picked right up on it.
“I’m going to run out and get some lunch,” I told her. “I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes. Anything in particular you like?”
She looked at me strangely. “Turkey. And bacon.”
I nodded. “Got it.”
After grabbing my keys, I headed to one of the nearby sandwich shops and ordered our lunches. When I got back, she was surprised that I’d actually brought her lunch.
“This is weird,” she commented a secon
d before digging into the sandwich.
I sat down in the chair clients typically sat in. “What’s weird?”
“You. You’re not an ogre—that I’ve seen yet anyway. I think I half expected you to chain me to the desk and deny me food, water, and bathroom privileges.”
I laughed. “I do have an ogre side, but I rarely let it come out. I know I have a bit of a reputation, but I promise, I am really a nice guy.”
“Ha! The way you’ve been talked about in recent months, you would think I signed up to work with the devil himself.”
I cringed. I hated that certain people had such a negative opinion of me. I really didn’t deserve it. I had done nothing wrong or illegal. A lot of the reputation came from my younger years and a whole lot of gossip.
“I’m sure your family thinks I’m a real dick, right?”
She smiled. “Kind of. I think they mostly pity you.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Why would they pity me?”
“Because of Ashley.”
“What about her?”
“The way she ran off and left you. It was really stupid. None of us really knew why she did it. But now that you are trying to buy the family farm, I guess you could say they don’t trust you. They assume you want revenge for what she did,” she said nonchalantly. “I don’t. I understand it’s just business, but they are somehow convinced you gave my dad cancer and then made him lose a bunch of money so you could steal the farm.”
I rolled my eyes. “It has nothing to do with Ashley. Not everything I do revolves around her. And while I’d like to think I’m some kind of super powerful person, I don’t think I am quite that powerful. I offered to buy a small piece of the farm to help out your dad, but he turned me down.”
She smirked. “Well, clearly you didn’t know that Ashley hung the moon. The world revolves around her, and everything that happens is somehow related to her.”
In my eyes back then, that statement had been true. She was the first thing I thought about when I woke up and the last thing I thought about when I closed my eyes. She had been the center of my world, and I’d loved her right down to my core. If she had walked back into my life a couple years ago, I would have taken her back with open arms. It would have been foolish, perhaps, but she had my heart. I was still struggling to keep hold of it now that she was back in town.