by Celia Styles
“Maybe with that amazing fennel salad you made before?” Louis added.
Juliette shook her head. She’d explained this to him so many times. His office was only five minutes away but that still wasn’t close enough to make sure the steak wouldn’t get cold. She turned to face him as the butter melted in the frying pan and with affection in her voice, scolded him. “We are out of fennel. I’ll make you a spinach salad with citrus vinaigrette and sliced steak. You can’t have a perfect steak unless you are sitting here and ready to eat it 5 minutes after I take it off the grill.” She poured the eggs into the hot frying pan.
He stepped closer to her to watch the eggs in the pan. “Juliette,” he began to ask.
“Yes?” She hadn’t realized how close he was and began to put her hand up for space, but quickly withdrew when she realized that she was about to touch his chest. She watched a muscle above his heart begin to pulse. He was only inches away. He smelled clean, like soap, and she felt herself flush with confusion about what she wanted.
She needed this job. He’d hired her after tasting her food at a private dinner party, and now she barely had time to do a catering event. He always had some major event going on, with special dietary restrictions for his clients, and she had managed everything so far. She couldn’t be attracted to him. He was her boss. She had to pay her student loans, and support herself. She turned back to the pan, then reached for a tomato to chop roughly and throw into the mix.
Louis stepped away. She took a deep breath and finished his breakfast. He ate in silence. She began looking through the cupboards, preparing a shopping list. His phone rang, and he jumped up. The day had begun for him, she knew. It was strange to be a part of a man’s private space, in the early part of the day, before all the demands and rules of life set in. She saw a different side of him, she knew that. When she came by the office with lunch, or prepared dinner for his guests, he was loud and aggressive. He worked out as hard as he did to burn off stress, and hearing him yelling through negotiations, it was hard to believe it was the same guy who chatted with her in the morning, who was casual, barely dressed, teasing.
She was cleaning up when he returned, looking impeccable in a tailored suit that seemed molded to his body. His tie, she noticed, matched the green in his eyes. Earlier they had been sparkling and playful, now she noticed they were hard. He was watching her seriously and she shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. She was barefoot and suddenly felt embarrassed, like he might disapprove. She had to deal with this side of him when she cooked, but she far preferred the other man that she saw in the morning before he went to the office. Now, he was already in work mode, the crease in his forehead becoming a deeper furrow as the work of the day started to appear. He looked down at his phone, then back at her, then turned around and called back over his shoulder that he would see her at lunch, one thirty exactly. “Be prompt!” He added, as if she were ever late. He had a call fifteen minutes later, he explained at the door, letting it slam behind him.
Juliette sighed.
She didn’t know why she daydreamed about him the way she did. She was just a short, mousy girl. Her brown hair was shoulder length. She had nice, normal brown eyes. Her skin wasn’t flawless, though it wasn’t a mess either, she reminded herself. She exercised sporadically, always with good intentions but never consistently enough to make a difference. What had she to offer him?
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Chapter 2
When she arrived at the office, the main office receptionist pointed Juliette towards Louis’ closed door. On the other side was a loud, angry man. Juliette knew this voice. Something had gone wrong this morning and now he was burning off the rage across the day. Everyone around the office scurried about with their head down. Louis in a bad mood had a reputation for being unpredictably demanding. A contract that needed to be ready next week could suddenly become necessary right now. A client proposal that was in progress could be ripped to shreds, as he demanded an entirely new platform concept. Juliette had heard these horror stories from the previous receptionist.
As she got closer to the door, she heard a thud as if he had thrown his shoe at the wall. He threw things, but most often his shoes, she’d learned. She bit her lip at the thought that at least it wasn’t an employee’s head. In the brief silence that followed the thud, she slowly opened the door to his office. He was still on the phone and beckoned her to enter. She shut the door behind her and began to lay out the lunch that she had brought on the long table mostly covered in papers by his desk.
“I don’t want to hear any more excuses!” Louis yelled, and Juliette jumped at the sound. “Fix it!” He slammed the office phone down. “What is wrong with these people,” he muttered, resting his head against his fists. In the suddenly silent office, Juliette glanced over. He looked so tired and only five hours had passed since she had last seen him. The sun was shining through the huge windows overlooking the city, but it might have been a cloudy day given the way he looked. He turned to face her and stress was written across his face. She walked over to him and patted his shoulder. She’d seen him angry, and she’d seen him frustrated, but this time he seemed defeated. She didn’t like it. She wished she could make him feel better.
“I added a treat to your lunch,” she said, hoping for a smile.
He stood suddenly and stared at her. Then his hand was behind her head pulling her to him. His lips locked onto hers and he held her tightly. The surprise made her catch her breath, but as he kissed and bit her lip, she found herself melting against him. She felt the buttons of his shirt pressing against her and she shifted her hips to feel him between her legs. His tongue moved into her mouth, and she opened to receive him. Her hands moved up and down his back feeling the muscles she had admired earlier during the day. She let her hands roam down and pulled him tighter to her. Her desire began to overwhelm her and a light moan escaped. He bit her lower lip, and moved to kiss her chin, the length of her jaw line, slowly moving down her neck. She was panting with excitement but she also wanted him to come back and melt his lips against hers. He was here in her arms, and she wanted to take off his shirt and feel what she had seen.
His hands moved under her shirt. Her skin was smooth. She felt her skin warm to his touch and wanted more. He reached behind to unclasp her bra. He leaned in to kiss her again as his each of his hands fondled the weight of each breast.
“My god,” he groaned, squeezing them tighter. “I’ve wanted this for so long.”
Her heart was racing and her eyelids fluttered as he began to play with her nipples. She was gasping. “Yes!” She whispered her voice hoarse. “Please!” Her voice caught as her nipples hardened and she pressed her hips against him. He was hard. She could feel him through her jeans. The memory of him in his towel raced through her head and her hand went down to feel him through his trousers.
Her eyes flew him when she felt how hard he was. He jumped at her touch, and she pulled at his pants.
Suddenly, in a swift gesture, he took off her t-shirt and sweater. She shook herself out her bra, and he leaned down to lick the puckering pink nipple. She was flooded with warmth and could feel herself getting wet. She’d been saving herself for a special occasion and a special man, but her body screamed instead, now, now, now. His lips were circling her nipples, while his leg spread her thighs wide so that she could ride against him. She rubbed herself against his leg, grinding against him, using the desk as leverage to find a place she wanted to reach, if only, if only….She wanted to touch him. She reached out to feel his cock and they both moaned as her hand slip up and down the trouser material.
She unfastened his belt and pants, and reached in to grab his long tense cock in her hand. It was smooth as steel and single drop glistened from the tip. She leaned in to lick it.
His ragged voice called her name, but she pulled his pants down and kneeling on the ground looked up at him as he looked down at her, his cock between them. She sucked on the tip and watched his head roll back. Her mouth t
ook him into her and she wondered what it might be like to feel him inside her, spreading her hips apart with his strong, athletic legs. Now, she was moving up and down on him, but what would it be like to have him pumping her, holding her still as he drove into her up to the hilt.
“I need this,” she thought. “I’ve always wanted this.”
“Juliette,” he said, pulling her up to him. He looked into her eyes. “I want you, right now.” He grabbed her ass and pulled her closer. “I’ve wanted to fuck you since the day I saw you wearing that chef’s apron. Will you let me please you? I can hold on a little bit longer to please you, if you’ll let me. Let me do this,” He was holding her tightly, and she was speechless. He smiled. “Nod if you’ll let me come in you, Juliette.” She nodded.
He pushed her onto the desk and leaned over her. “Are you wet, my dear?” She nodded again. He pulled down her jeans and tickled her over her lacy pink underwear. He fingered her and she moaned again, feeling herself flush with desire. She could see his cock ready to move, leaping at every sound she made.
The phone rang. Her eyes widened. He leaned over and picked it up, and slid his hand along the side of her underwear, along the crease of her thigh so that she sighed with pleasure and shifted as if to make him slip inside her.
“Hello?” He said.
Two of his fingers slipped between the warm, wet folds and she stifled a moan. He flicked the little mound that was hard with desire and she moaned out loud, catching herself too late. He grinned.
“Tell her I’ll need to see that contract change before I can approve it. Send me the language.” A finger moved into her and she squeezed around it. With his thumb he circled her quivering clit, and let his fingers slide slowly in and out of her as she pulled on him to stay inside her, to move deeper in her. He held the phone against his shoulder and clasped a hand over her mouth when she started to moan again. “Yeah, send it over. We can talk about it more later.” He hung up.
Her legs were quivering from his teasing. No longer distracted, he pulled her underwear down and slid into her pulsing warmth, leaning over her, his head dropping with satisfaction. “Yes, Juliette. Squeeze me, honey. You feel so good.”
“Louis, I want this. I want,” she shook her head to the right and left, trying to regain control of her senses as she felt the heat rise inside her. “Please, don’t stop, more, I’ve wanted…”
He groaned and moved in and out of her, riding a building crescendo between them. He watched her carefully, hoping he could last enough to see her beautiful face glow as she released, but as she tightened around him and he felt his cock ache, he slowed down. She wouldn’t let him. “There, there, I need, don’t stop…” She wrapped her legs around him and slammed him deeper into her, building a climax that he couldn’t hold back. As she clenched around him, he realized that her sighs were becoming moans and were getting louder. He leaned in to kiss her and with a sudden jerk she was clenching and climaxing and rubbing against him, as he exploded and drove into her one last time.
A few moments later, her eyes opened and suddenly she was scrambling away from him. He pulled her back towards him and kissed her cheek.
“You’re beautiful, Juliette,” he whispered. “I didn’t think it would happen here, but…”
Juliette looked around his office, horrified. “But, I…”
“You are an amazing woman, and I just had the best lunch break I have ever had,” Louis said, laughing. He kissed her nose, and pulled away. Then got still. “Juliette, I’m so sorry. I forgot to use…”
Now she had two things to worry about. How could she forget? How could he forget?
“Listen…” he started, but she stood up from the table, pulling her clothes to her. He could see how worried she was. “I’m sorry, I am. You are just so beautiful and seeing you even now, I forgot myself. Forgive me?” He was holding her wrist and leaning in to see her face.
What would he think of her now? She was just another floozy. How could she keep working for him?
“Juliette, don’t be so quiet. Talk to me. Was it okay?” He smiled sheepishly. “It seemed like it was okay for you.”
She nodded without thinking about it.
“Me too,” he added softly. “I know we have to get to work, but can I see you tonight?”
“No,” she said. She pulled away to start getting dressed. “I’m having dinner with my mother, remember? That’s why I was getting food ready for you this afternoon.” She watched him as he straightened his clothing. She realized how quickly he was able to look as professional as he had when she entered. She was sure she looked a mess.
“That’s right, I’m having dinner with my father. That’s sort of sweet isn’t it? We’re both having dinner with our parents. You’re glowing,” He smiled goofily, and for a moment she smiled back at him, her heart full of longing and the sincere desire to stay with him, take care of him. He charmed her utterly. She was confused, and she knew it could never happen again, but she had grown to feel a lot of love for him in the months of knowing each other. “Come over later? We should talk. Or not,” he added teasingly, and she blushed to think how difficult he would be to resist from now on.
“Okay,” she replied, before she could stop herself.
“Great! I should be home by ten at the latest. Can you stop by? We can discuss…” He had gotten back into work mode.
“The salad,” she started to remind him, when she saw her work sitting there forgotten on the table. He would have gone back to work and never eaten, she realized.
“That’s right! I forgot! This is going to be one of my favorite dishes from now on. It will always make me think of this moment. You might have to make it all the time now,” he added, walking over to the table to grab a fork and the plate.
She could just imagine he must do this all the time. He’d just taken advantage of her. What was she thinking? She had to leave and quickly.
“I should go.” She said, looking anywhere but at him. “If you leave the dishes in the office kitchen, I will pick them up tomorrow.” She walked stiffly to the chair where she had placed her purse and clutched it to her. She stood there uncertainly for a moment, and with nothing to say, started backing towards the door. She just had to leave. She wasn’t sure what to say or how to explain, and she worried that she might start crying. She couldn’t cry in front of him, because then she would probably definitely lose her job. Oh, everything had gotten confusing.
“See you tonight, right Juliette?” He started to approach her with a big grin on his face, but she had reached the door and flew down the hallway to escape.
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Chapter 3
Juliette stepped out of the building clutching her purse to her chest as if she had just been attacked. She was out of breath, because she had taken the stairs from the fifteenth floor rather than wait for the elevator. Outside, the cool breeze and warm sunshine helped her relax. It was a beautiful day, and part of her had to admit Louis had been an amazing lover. Just thinking about the feelings made her blush. She hurried towards her car. Of course she had gotten a ticket. She hadn’t put enough money in the meter. She’d only expected to drop off his lunch and ask a couple questions about groceries. Instead….
Instead, she’d had the orgasm of her life. Her skin still tingled and her heart started to pound with desire as she remembered the way he had touched her. She knew she couldn’t let him touch her again. He was her boss. But, she also didn’t know how she would be able to resist it. She glanced at the time and realized the afternoon was disappearing faster than she had expected. She wondered if she could call her best friend Mia or whether she would be busy getting her son from pre-school. It was so hard to keep track of that child’s schedule, what with school and music lessons, and swimming and other activities that seemed to come and go. Fortunately, she was seeing her mom this evening and the woman still had a knack for making her daughter feel better. Ever since, Juliette’s father had died of cancer when she was eight, it had been the two o
f them and they were as close as any mother and daughter could be. When her cell phone rang and it was her mother, Juliette wasn’t even surprised. They sort of had a psychic connection.
“Mom!” Juliette cried, “I am so glad that we are getting together tonight. It has been way too long!”
“Honey, I couldn’t agree more. You’ve been working so hard that you haven’t had a second for anything else.”
“So much has been happening…” Juliette started, but her mother interrupted.
“I know! So much has been happening. Martin and I went to Hawaii, you know…Remember that man I am dating?”
“Yes, yes, I remember.” Juliette wondered how her mother could possibly think she might have forgotten the one and only man her mother had ever dated. They’d met a few months ago, and Juliette could tell that he made her mother happy.
“We had such an amazing time and we want to tell you all about it. And it’s all happened so fast, and I want you to finally meet Martin. I can’t believe you haven’t yet. He’s so wonderful. I’ve invited him to join us tonight at 6, okay?”
Her mother was gushing. Juliette had never heard her mother gushing. She sounded so excited that Juliette couldn’t bring herself to say no. She had really been looking forward to this time alone, just the two of them, but this man was clearly important to her mother and Juliette wanted to be supportive.