by Parker, Ali
Jannie reached for my beer and puckered her lips around it in what I assumed was supposed to be a seductive move. It was fucking gross if you asked me. “Come on baby, one drink. For old time’s sake.”
“What old times, Jannie? We fucked. Once. Over three years ago.” I snapped, reaching into my pocket to pull out some bills. Of all the places I could be, and all the people I could be there with, here with Jannie wouldn’t even have been my last choice. It wouldn’t have made the list as a choice.
She eyed the bills as I slapped them down on the counter. I had half a mind to offer her some, seeing as she was so interested in them. But I was trying to be a better guy. God knows when it happened, but telling her to take the bills and go fuck herself to earn them wasn’t as appealing as it might’ve been before.
Her gaze traveled back to mine. There was a glint of something in her eyes I never noticed before. Desperation? Determination? Whatever it was, I didn’t like it. “I know it was only once, but I’ve never stopped thinking about it.”
She dropped the volume of her voice, letting it fall to something just above a breathy whisper. Leaning forward until her lips were basically glued to my ear, that pesky hand released its grip on my arm and started moving down my side. “It was so good baby. So, so good. It doesn’t have to end with that one time.”
As she spoke, her hand traveled from my side to my thigh and stroked me there. Never one to be shy, she ran her hand all the way up the length of my thigh when she finished speaking and punctuated her words by squeezing my crotch.
My body rebelled against her touch. There wasn’t a single part of me that wanted her. She pushed me well past my last nerve, and I was done with it. Careful not to hurt her, I circled her wrist with my thumb and pointer finger and dropped it back where it belonged—in her own lap.
“I need to get going,” I said, putting on my jacket and standing up as I spoke. “There’s enough money there to buy you a drink and leave a tip for the bartender. Good luck, okay?”
Jannie lifted her firm ass out of her seat, bringing a hand up to rest on my bicep. “Take me home with you, baby. Please. We can work it all out at your place. You’ll see. I’ll blow your mind until the sun rises, then we can talk.”
A switch tripped inside my brain. I was still there, but it was like I was seeing this conversation play out from an outsider’s point of view. What more could I do to let her know I didn’t want her?
“Can’t you take a fucking hint, Jan?” I seethed quietly, still trying to avoid making too much of a scene. The very last thing I needed was to give my father more ammunition against me by having a picture or video of this encounter viral by first thing in the morning.
“I’m just—” she started, but I kept going.
I had to make this perfectly clear. “I’m not interested. I never was. I fucked you because you were there, and you were as forward as you were being until thirty seconds ago. You offered yourself to me on a silver platter, and I took you up on it. I never lied, never made promises to you I didn’t keep.”
Her nostrils flared, rage brewing behind her eyes and in the firm set of her jaw. “But I—”
“No.” She’d said enough. With her words earlier and in my office the day she was fired, the note and rose petals she left outside my apartment. By showing up here. “I’m just plain not interested. We’re over. Done. It was only once, and once is all it was ever going to be. Get the fuck over it, move on. It’s been three years, for fuck’s sake.”
I turned on my heel and marched away from her, really fucking hoping she got the damn message. I could feel her glaring daggers into my back. Exactly like the one she buried in my front door a couple of days after being fired. Jesus. Jannie really was a bit unhinged.
Ignoring the pinpricks of awareness of her glare stabbing me in the back, I was almost at the door when I heard her yell all the way across the bar. “You just don’t know how good we could be together, baby! I rocked your fucking world, and I would keep doing it!”
Her words didn’t slow me down. I just kept right on walking, sick of listening to her spewing her psycho-babble shit. I was disgusted, embarrassed and ashamed that I ever went there. Ever fell for her little seduction game on that retreat. I’d fucked up badly in my time, and I’d undoubtedly keep fucking up, but sleeping with Jannie was a step too far.
When I stepped onto the sidewalk, a fat raindrop landed on my shoulder. I looked up to see it was just starting to rain. Great, just what I needed.
I turned up my collar and scanned the street. Thankfully, my driver was parked just a few spaces away. Having planned to have a couple of drinks, I had him drive me over instead of taking my own car.
Louis, my faithful driver of the last decade, spotted me and rounded the Jaguar to open the door. I slid into its warm, dry interior and shook the rain out of my hair.
Louis looked at me in the rearview mirror, the crow’s-feet around his eyes more pronounced in the faint red lights blinking up at him from the dashboard. “Where to next, sir?”
“Home, Louis. Thanks.” I considered asking him to take me to the next bar, but I wasn’t in the mood anymore.
Louis nodded and pulled away from the curb. “Certainly, sir.”
The drive to my apartment building went by fast. Lost in thought about Jannie and Stephanie and still wondering about that broken picture frame, I was only vaguely aware of the city rolling by and only snapped out of it when Louis stopped outside the elevator doors in the residents’ parking garage.
“Thanks, Louis,” I said, climbing out of the Jag. I stuck my head back in before I closed the door. “I’m in for the evening. Have a good one.”
“You too, sir.” He nodded politely and waited for the elevator doors to close behind me before pulling away. I jabbed the button for the penthouse and leaned with my hip against the railing as I watched the floor number climb.
The elevator went straight to the top and deposited me right outside my door. I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a scotch from the crystal decanter sitting on a side table, shedding my tie, jacket, and shoes as I went.
I undid the buttons on my shirt and picked up my tumbler, walking to the bank of windows that looked out over the park in the daytime. At night, the city’s lights stretched on below for what seemed like miles.
Standing there in my socks and half-dressed, I ran my free hand through my hair and sipped my drink. Rain pelted my windows. It splattered on my balcony and splashed against the uncovered outdoor furniture.
Frustration simmered in my veins. The alcohol couldn’t burn it away fast enough. What a shitty day. I sighed heavily and wondered what the hell I was going to do with the rest of my night. Nothing that came to mind appealed to me.
Eventually, I decided to start with a shower. Maybe washing the crappy day away was a good place to start. I padded down the darkened hallway past guest bedrooms I only ever used for the guys and a home office that was a relic from the days I wasn’t chained to a desk in Williams Tower.
My bedroom was at the end of the hall. Way too big for one person, but I loved it all the same. The penthouse was the first thing I bought with my own money, and I was damn proud of it.
Decked out with an emperor-sized bed, dark wooden furniture, a sitting area with a giant flat screen and three different gaming consoles hidden in the modern wall unit, my bedroom was all me. Pre-corporate asshole Jeremiah.
The shower in my en suite bathroom was made of stone and glass, had a steam setting, and was big enough for three people. It was ostentatious and unnecessary—but fucking awesome.
I flipped on the water and shed the rest of my clothes before stepping underneath the satisfyingly strong stream of hot water. Tipping my head back, I closed my eyes and let the water work its magic.
The unfortunate side effect of closing my eyes was Steph’s face drifting back into the forefront of my mind. Seconds later, I was back to replaying what happened between us in my office. It didn’t take long before I was as hard and horny as I had been
in that moment.
I debated the idea of jerking off to thoughts of my secretary, a woman I’d promised myself I could have a totally professional relationship with despite how attracted I was to her. Finally, I decided to throw caution to the wind. Fuck it all.
I was wound up, frustrated, naked, and my balls were already heavy. This was happening. I would deal with whatever moral dilemma it presented when I saw her tomorrow.
Reaching down, I wrapped my fingers around my shaft. I groaned at the pressure, the knowledge that relief was imminent. I started slow, imagining that was what Steph would’ve done yesterday if Neil hadn’t knocked.
I ran my fingers along the veins, exploring my cock like it was the first time I was holding it. My breathing became heavier, shallower. Increasing my pace, I made a fist with my free hand and rested it against the wall leaning my forehead against it.
I stroked harder, wondering how long it would’ve taken her to speed up. An image of her plump lips popped into my mind. They kissed like a dream. I could only imagine what they would feel like wrapped around my cock. And so I did.
In my mind’s eye, Stephanie fed my length into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around my tip, and her eyes fluttered closed as she released one of those little moans she made when we kissed. She took me as far back as she could go, her small hand wrapped around my base and worked in unison with her mouth.
My fist clenched against the wall. My breaths were coming out in pants. I shifted my hips, pumping faster. I pictured Stephanie working my dick into her mouth, pulling back. Rinse, repeat. Her tongue would trace my slit, swirl around my crown.
Fucking my fist, I moaned and jerked harder. Faster. My balls tightened. My spine ignited as shudders wracked through me. “Fuck yeah.”
My voice reverberated through the shower, jumping off the wall back to me. But I hardly heard it. I was close, so damn close.
One more stroke. Two. On the third, I came. Hard. An orgasm that sucked me dry and left me shaking in the shower.
“Holy shit.” That was good. I think I’ve found a new favorite fantasy.
Chapter 28
STEPHANIE
The subway doors slid closed a fraction of an inch behind my back as I hopped on just in the nick of time. Whew, that was close.
I flashed an apologetic smile at the beanie-wearing man I nearly crashed into. He scowled and grunted but shifted slightly so I wouldn’t have to stand at a weird angle half-bent over the wheelie bag belonging to the woman next to me.
Threading my fist through the black handle, I managed to get my balance a second before we started moving. I only had four stops to the station where I needed to get off to go to work at Williams Tower.
Despite the plan I formulated with Tiana, I was still nervous this morning. Frazzled, even. First, I got out of the shower after shaving only one leg, then I put the kettle on but forgot to fill it with water.
My mind was definitely not in the game. I even left the apartment wearing my slippers instead of shoes, then had to rush back once I noticed—which was why I almost missed my train.
Stomach grumbling because I was too anxious to have so much as a single bite of food before leaving for work, I swayed with the movements of the train and tried to get my imagination in check. The absurd what if’s started last night.
What if I got to work and the crazy woman was sitting at my desk? What if she was Jeremiah’s secret wife and fired me on the spot? Okay, so that one was a little more absurd than some of the others, but I hadn’t been able to stop it.
What if she was waiting for me at work? With a more fatal weapon than a photo frame this time? I barely slept a wink, and I knew my exhaustion was contributing to my dazed state of mind. I doubted I would be worth much at work today, but I also knew I couldn’t call in sick again.
It was time to put on my big girl panties and face whatever music was playing when I got there. The longer I took before I did, the worse I would make it in my head.
I made the short walk to the office in record time, keeping a brisk pace and a keen eye on my surroundings. Any other day, I would’ve laughed at myself. I was acting like a paranoid person, but I wasn’t laughing today.
Today, I searched for flowing red hair moving toward me in the crowds. I looked out for eyes that glared daggers and a woman apparently bent on getting me out of Jeremiah’s life—or doing something even worse to me.
For the tenth time in as many hours, I considered calling the bookstore and asking for my old job back. I made it work on that salary for a long time, what was another year or so? Just until I found something better.
You already have found something better. That was what kept me from putting in the call to Tim, my former manager. I found a job where I had real prospects of growth in one of the biggest companies in the city. People applied for years to get into Williams Inc., and now, I had both my feet firmly inside the door.
I wasn’t about to throw that away because of one psycho-witch. Plus, I enjoyed working for Jeremiah. Yes, I made a mistake by kissing him and wished I wasn’t as attracted to him as I was, but the work was good. I was finally putting my hard-earned degree to good use, sort of, and what I did felt like it mattered. Like it fit in as part of a whole that someday would change the face of the city, even if only just a little bit.
Squaring my shoulders, I marched up to the doors of my office building and joined the crowd to swipe my key card and get to work. Determined to do what had to be done and get on with it.
If this woman wanted my job, or just wanted me out of it, I wasn’t going to make it any easier for her by getting fired for being a wuss. What happened was scary and unexpected, but it wasn’t going to hold me back.
Would you look at that? The big girl panties are working. In reality, they were bottle green cotton ones, but from now on they would be known as the power panties.
Giggling internally as I thought of how disgusted Tiana would be that a pair as ordinary as these would be worthy of the title, I felt myself relax on my way to the security office.
A man whose physique resembled a bookshelf stood behind a counter in the corner of the lobby, his eyes on a bank of screens in front of him. He was decked out in all black, had a walkie-talkie strapped to his shoulder, and a belt with lots of loops and pockets.
“Good morning,” I said as I approached him, swallowing down the nerves making a reappearance. Bookshelf looked up at me, narrowing his eyes until they fell to the employee badge I carried.
“Good morning ma’am. Can I help you?”
I wound my hands together behind my back, fidgeting with my fingers under his intense scrutiny. “Uh, yes. I would like to speak to someone about reporting an incident that happened two days ago.”
His impassive expression grew alert. “An incident that occurred here in the building?”
I frowned. What did he think I was going to say? No, sir. An incident that happened at my apartment I could use your help with?
“Yes, an incident that happened here in the building.”
Sweeping his gaze up and down the length of my body in a decidedly non-sexual way, he seemed to be satisfied that I wasn’t hurt and spoke into his walkie-talkie. A second later, he unlatched the gate that led behind his counter and stepped through it.
A younger, similarly dressed man appeared from a doorway just to the left of the counter and took in the bookshelf’s post. I followed at a clipped pace as I was led through the same door and down a stark, white corridor that made me feel like I’d been transported into a spy movie.
Mental note: Tell Tiana it’s time to cut back on the bad action movies.
Bookshelf and I stopped briefly in front of another door while he punched in a code, motioning for me with a beefy arm to precede him inside. Another man, the size of household furniture, sat behind a desk in the office, standing when he saw me.
“Ms. Donavan.” I had no idea how he knew my name. Presumably, bookshelf had seen it on my employee badge and Jedi mind-tricked it into this
guy’s head, or maybe it was just surveillance of their hallway. “You said you have an incident to report?”
I cleared my throat, taking a surreptitious look around his office. There was absolutely nothing personal in sight. I didn’t even know if the office belonged to him or if it was a general security office. There were more screens showing various parts of the building, a black glass desk, and three leather chairs.
“Yes, I do.” I took a deep breath, wondering if they were about to think I was the crazy one. “I was attacked in Mr. Williams’s office the day before yesterday.”
Both men’s eyes snapped to mine. Bookshelf spoke up first. “Attacked?”
“Yes, by a redheaded woman who claimed to be Mr. Williams’s secretary,” I said. “I’m his secretary though.”
They nodded. “Tell us what happened.”
After offering me a seat, which I declined, they listened carefully to every word I said describing what happened. When I was done, they exchanged a glance. “We’ll keep an eye out. We’ve had complaints about a pretty redhead that fit your description before, and all have come from the Williams company.”
At least they didn’t think I was lying, or crazy. It felt like a hundred-pound weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Some of my stress melted away as I listened to them assuring me they would look into the incident and take it up with the powers that be, but my confusion was melting. If the same woman was here before, causing trouble, how had she gotten in? And why hadn’t they stopped her when she came back?
“Rest assured, Ms. Donavan. Your safety is our first priority,” Bookshelf said when our meeting was over, and he walked me to the elevators. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”
“No problem.” I jabbed the call button and waited for the car to arrive, waving at Bookshelf who was dutifully waiting for the elevator doors to close before leaving. “See you around.”
My fears from earlier pricked at me with their tiny little evil pitchforks, making my footsteps feel heavy as I approached my office. I held my breath and opened my door, terrified I was going to find Psycho Jannie waiting in my office. Poking the door open before stepping inside, I nearly fainted when I saw there was a person behind my desk.