Sleeping With the Boss

by Marissa Clarke

  He grabbed the box and after several failed attempts to open the flap, growled in frustration. His fingers didn’t work with her grinding on him like that.

  She giggled. “Need some help?”

  “God, yes.” He pounded his fists into the mattress on either side of her knees in mock frustration and she laughed. He loved her laugh.

  She easily opened the box, pulled out a package, and tore it open. Will had never considered a condom sexy, but Claire made it the most erotic experience ever, when she studied every nuance of the act as she rolled it on. Once in place, she met his eyes and winked.

  “You make me crazy,” he said, dropping his head back on the pillow.

  “I’m just getting started.” She moved up his body, pausing to run her tongue over his nipples on the way up, and his body bucked beneath her.

  Her lips met his in a hungry kiss and she positioned herself directly over him again. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down so that their bodies touched all the way to where her slick heat met his hardness.

  “Please, Claire.” It took everything in him not to roll her under him and thrust inside her at last. This was her show, though. Her turn. He gritted his teeth and held on as she pushed upright again.

  Then she wrapped her hand around him and positioned her body perfectly to make it happen. She barely pushed down, just enough for the tip of him to enter, then froze. Her voice was breathy and he knew she was close, just like he was. “So, I’m thinking that maybe some renegotiations are in order. Another organizational meeting, maybe?”

  Will took both hands and pushed down on her hips and she laughed, then gasped as he filled her. “Negotiate this, please,” he whispered.

  She put her palms on his shoulders, eyes closed, balancing with him only half in. “Wow.”

  Wow was right. Nothing had ever felt as good as this. He took a shuddering breath as she pressed down, letting him fill her more, moving in small pulses until he thought he might die from pleasure. She repositioned her knees and he ran his thumb over her again. Her body tightened and he couldn’t stand it anymore. He thrust up against her and she moaned. The look on her face alone would drive him to madness. Head thrown back, eyes closed, she smiled as her body adjusted to accommodate more of him. Then, finally, she relaxed her thigh muscles and sank down on him completely with a groan.

  “Holy shit,” he rasped.

  “Mmmm” was her response. Well, that and a tightening deep inside.

  “Claire. If you don’t move, I will have survived two tours of duty only to die in this bed.”

  She opened her eyes and began a slow, rocking rhythm that brought him so close to the edge he got light-headed. Then she leaned forward, hands on his shoulders, changing the angle so her body rubbed against him with each stroke and her pace increased. Never had he seen anything as sexy as Claire riding him and discovering how to bring herself the most pleasure using both of their bodies. He reached up and ran his fingertips over her nipples and she jerked, interrupting her rhythm momentarily, then he placed his palms against her, letting her rub against him at her own pace and pressure.

  “Oh, man. I don’t know if this is doing it for you, Will, but it certainly is doing it for me.” She didn’t open her eyes, but her rhythm increased to the point he had trouble holding back.

  Fuck yeah, it was doing it for him. Nothing could be this good. Nothing. He’d never felt this right in his entire life as she ground her body against him while he filled her completely. There was something about this woman that touched his soul and made him want to be better. “Let go,” he whispered. “Let me see you shatter.” He pinched her nipples and she ground forward and back one last time before she went off, almost taking him right along with her. But he held out, not wanting to miss a single second of her pleasure. On and on it went while her body clenched around his, driving him wild.

  …

  Right as the most fantastic orgasm in her life was fading, Claire found herself flipped on her back with Will on top, smiling down at her. Dang, he was beautiful, all tan skin and muscles. And hard. So hard inside her.

  Then he started to move, slowly at first, gaining speed and power as he went. She closed her eyes and marveled at his strength as he worked over her, pumping harder and harder until she thought she might scream. She dug her heels into the mattress and changed the angle so that he went even deeper. Then pushed up, meeting him thrust for thrust.

  “My, God, Claire,” he grated out, still pounding into her.

  He was hitting just the right spot to drive her over the edge again, and she willed herself there eagerly, raking her nails down his back. “Yes,” she said as her next orgasm hovered just out of reach. This was more than physical. The intensity of their coming together was because it was him. This amazing man who made her feel special and who took her places she’d never been before, and she wanted to take him there with her this time. “Yes,” she said louder, as the stars began behind her eyelids. “Will, now!”

  A strangled groan came from deep within his chest as he drove into her all the way and stayed there, pulsing deep inside her. Wave after wave of pleasure rocked through her as they came together, all sweat, and pressure, and heavy breathing.

  They stayed like that, joined as deeply as possible, until Will lowered on his elbows and kissed her forehead. Breathing hard still, they stared at each other. She could gaze into his clear blue eyes 24-7 and never get tired of it—or him, especially if he agreed to make her feel like this again.

  Everything in her was satisfied and warm. She’d never imagined sex could be like this. Maybe it wasn’t the sex. She was pretty sure it was the man who made the experience so earth-shaking.

  He pulled out, rolled over, and wrapped her in his arms. An emptiness filled her, not only in her body where she keenly felt his absence, but in her heart. She’d never get enough of him in the time they had left together. Egypt was no longer an escape; it was a burden.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Will flipped the omelet over in the pan, turned the heat down, and disconnected his call with Chance. He hadn’t expected the third degree when he called in “sick” today, but when his brother figured out he was actually calling in “well,” all was good. He grinned at how “well” he actually felt. His whole body hummed with satisfaction. She was nothing short of amazing. Claire had woken him for another board meeting as the sun came up.

  Grinning, he popped down some toast, divided the omelet onto two plates, and poured a couple of cups of coffee.

  “Smooth Operator” sounded from his phone. Evidently, he was going to have to tell Michael that he was off the job for a while. But that could wait. He hit the ignore button.

  “Hey.”

  His heart gave a surprising lurch at the sound of her voice. “Hey, yourself. Good morning. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m feeling great.”

  He noticed her hair was wet from her shower as she climbed onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar across from him.

  “You look great.” He dropped a piece of toast on her plate and placed it on the bar along with the cup of coffee. She took a sip as he placed his plate and cup next to hers, then walked around to join her.

  He ran his hands possessively over her ass and kissed her neck. “I’m glad you stayed last night. I can’t believe I even considered taking you home.”

  “Momentary lapse in good judgment and common sense.”

  “No doubt.” He slid onto the stool next to her. “I’m glad you persisted.”

  “I’m nothing if not persistent.” Her phone went off in her back pocket. She yanked it out and glared at the screen. “Ugh. Heather’s driving me nuts. She’s persistent, too.”

  So was he. He wanted as much of this woman as he could have for as long as he could keep her—and he wanted it interruption-free. No phones, brothers, or best friends. He’d been thinking about getting her alone and away from regular life all morning, and he had the perfect plan. “Can you take time off from you
r packing for a few days?”

  She bit a hunk off her toast. “Depends on the incentive package, Mr. Anderson.”

  He almost stooped to the level of making a package joke, but resisted. “I’ll make it worth your time, I promise.”

  “Overtime?”

  “As much as you can stand.”

  She laughed. “Hey, wait. You promised swans.”

  He picked up his plate and coffee mug, then grabbed the entire loaf of bread. “And Miss Maddox, I always deliver. Follow me.”

  They spent the rest of breakfast sitting on a bench tossing bread to the swans that were mucking around in the reeds just off his deck while they talked about the remodel of his home and laughed. They laughed a lot, which is exactly what he needed most. Because of this woman, his broken soul had healed more in the last week than it had over the previous eight months. She was a drug and he was completely hooked. The DT’s when she left would be excruciating.

  He studied her as she scolded one of the cygnets for swiping a crust from another and marveled at his good fortune.

  And she’d agreed to spend time with him. He knew exactly where he wanted to take her and needed to make arrangements. Plate and mug in hand, he stood. “I need to make some calls. You good here?”

  “I’ve never been better,” she said, “subtext intended.”

  “Subtext appreciated.” He leaned down and kissed her. He wanted to just drop the damn plate and go back to the bedroom, but a swan nipped his shorts and gave them a tug, killing the impulse. She giggled and the swan honked. “I know when I’m not wanted,” he joked. He turned to the swan, which had grown to be the size of its parents, but still was tinged with its baby gray. “I see the gratitude I get for letting you camp in my yard.”

  Will watched her continue to feed the swans through the patio door as he made a series of calls he hoped would make for the best weekend of her life yet—of their lives. This was for him as much as her. He’d devote himself to finding the spy when he returned, but first, they both needed some R & R.

  …

  Claire was surprised when Will was in too big a hurry to fool around after breakfast, and even more surprised when Jacob pulled into the driveway in the limo.

  “No bike this time. I don’t want to leave it at the airport until Sunday,” Will said, strolling into the living room and opening the front door. “You ready?”

  Holy crap. They were flying somewhere. And Sunday meant they’d be there three days and two nights. “Um, no. I don’t have a change of clothes or anything.”

  “Already taken care of,” he said, gesturing for her to lead to the limo.

  “Good morning, Mr. Anderson. Great to see you again, Miss Maddox,” Jacob said, opening the car door.

  Claire ducked in and caught her foot on the rim of the door, just like before. Evidently, Will had anticipated the Claire-ism and wrapped his arms around her from the back before she crashed to her hands and knees.

  “It is a good morning,” Will said, still holding her from behind. “Thanks, Jacob.” He released her and she moved to the seat at the back of the limo, heart hammering, not only from her near fall, but from having his big body mashed against her back.

  “I’ll have you at MacArthur in no time. I talked to Dan and they’re ready for you.”

  Will settled next to her and the door closed, making it much darker inside. Before they were even out of the driveway, he pulled her into his lap and kissed her, running his hands all over her body and bringing back awesome memories from last night and this morning. “Sorry we had so little time before we left.” He slid his hand inside her thigh, rubbing just hard enough to make her squirm. “I’ll make it up to you.”

  She pulled back, wanting some answers before he got her too turned on to think straight. “Where are we going?”

  “To paradise.”

  She rolled her eyes. “God, that was cheesy.”

  He grinned. “I wasn’t speaking metaphorically. Where we are going really is paradise. You’ll like it.”

  “It was still cheesy,” she said,

  Before long, Claire found herself hand in hand with Will, traipsing across a parking lot to a plane waiting next to a big metal garage-like structure. She’d only flown on commercial airlines, so the prospect of a private jet was unnerving. “Are you going to fly this?”

  He squeezed her hand. “No. We have a pilot.”

  Well, thank goodness. She hoped her concern didn’t show.

  He shot her a sly smile. “We can work on your fear like we did with the boat thing.”

  They reached the steps to the plane and he gestured for her to lead. Once inside, she sat in a plush leather seat that looked like a living room recliner with a table in front of it. A seat across the table faced hers and that’s where Will plopped down.

  A man in a navy suit boarded and shook Will’s hand. After he introduced him to Claire as Dan Schlosser, the family pilot, the man went to the front of the plane and closed the door dividing the pilot’s area from the passenger space.

  She searched her seat for the other part of her seat belt and snapped it shut.

  “Do you need some positive association right now, or will you make takeoff?”

  “I’m good.” A little nervous and excited, but good. When they left the limo, he’d told her to call those who would worry and tell them she was with him and would be back on Sunday night, late. She’d left a message for Heather. As she thought on it now, it struck her as pathetic. There was only one person in her life who would worry or even notice she was gone.

  Will gave her a reassuring smile across the table.

  Well, now there were two people.

  “The flight is around three hours,” Will said. “Just long enough for lunch and…”

  “A board meeting?”

  “If it fits the agenda.”

  She couldn’t imagine any physical contact with Will Anderson not fitting her agenda.

  Chapter Fourteen

  They landed several hours later, after they’d shared a lunch of turkey sandwiches, swapped childhood stories of their worst teacher experiences, and had a Claire Project board meeting that would have her begging to fly again soon.

  “Sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Anderson,” the pilot said. “Welcome to the Bahamas.”

  “Thanks, Dan. We’ll be out in a moment.”

  The pilot disappeared out the small door into the brilliant light.

  Claire sat bolt upright. She’d expected something down the Eastern Seaboard, not something tropical.

  She met Will’s eyes and he gifted her a full-dimpled grin. “Surprise!”

  She gasped and hopped out of her chair. She’d never been to a tropical beach. She made a failed attempt to finger-comb her hair and make herself presentable, but she was way beyond that.

  He chuckled and rose to stand behind her. “But you don’t like surprises, right?” He pulled her back against him and slid his hands under the front of her shirt, making a yummy sound as he cupped her breasts. “Asking you to dinner that first day was the best decision ever.”

  Taking Heather’s suggestion to work at Anderson Auctions was the best decision ever. He pushed tighter against her back and she squirmed. Thank you, Heather.

  She’d anticipated going to a hotel when they got in the car, but instead, found herself at a harbor, then on a small motorboat alone with Will. They zipped through crystal-clear water, wind whipping through her hair and sea spray on her face, as he drove them who knew where. She felt no fear at all. Maybe it was because it was a small boat and didn’t have that ocean-liner disaster-movie feel, or maybe it was because of Will’s arm around her. And for the first time, Claire felt truly free. No one to take care of. No financial worries. No fears of the future. Hell, she didn’t even know where they were going. She was living right here, right now, and she loved it.

  Will tied the boat off on a small pier jutting from the white sand into the water, then helped her out. She was pleased she made it without falling or somet
hing typically Claire. “Whoa, it’s beautiful!” she said as he joined her on the weathered wooden walkway over the water and across a perfectly white expanse of sand.

  He winked. “Welcome to Anderson Island. Clothing optional.”

  Her jaw must have dropped or her eyes bugged out of her head or something because he chuckled. “There is usually a caretaker, but I called her and gave her the weekend off to hang with her family. She went to the store and stocked up the essentials and left plenty of food. There’s a satellite phone I use to reach her here, at the house.”

  Which explained why he had left their phones in the limo. “This is your island?”

  “Not completely. It belongs to my brothers and me. My mom and dad have gifted the three of us most of the Anderson properties, and the auction business of course.” He led her up the pier past a generator toward the largest in a cluster of brightly colored concrete houses with thatched roofs.

  The main house was classy and comfortable. Three bedrooms and a kitchen opened off of a central living space that was clearly made for entertaining. The ocean breeze blew through, ruffling the gauzy white curtains.

  “It’s incredible.”

  He held his arms out and she walked into his embrace. The Bahamas, New York City, or anywhere in between—there was nowhere else on earth she’d rather be than in his arms…not even Egypt.

  “How about a swim?” he suggested.

  “I don’t have a swimsuit.”

  He laughed. “Neither do I.”

  And then it dawned on her why he said she didn’t need anything. It was his own private nudist beach.

  …

  Will loved the blush that ran up her neck and face as she figured out why she didn’t need changes of clothes. To acknowledge that her two-plus-two did actually add up to four, he pulled off his shirt and shucked his pants right there in the living room. He scooped them up and pitched them into a chair. “Let’s go for a walk on the beach.” He then helped her by pulling off her shirt and removing her bra.

  “Um, are you serious?”

  His body was reacting to her gorgeous half nakedness, making him rethink the walk. He gestured to his rising erection. “Don’t I look serious?”