Published by Evernight Publishing ® at Smashwords
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2014 Jessica Jayne
ISBN: 978-1-77233-129-5
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Brieanna Robertson
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To Stacie, Natalie & Chris - my beta readers and truth-tellers. Thank you! Without your insight and suggestions, this story wouldn't be nearly as complete.
To my husband - thank you for all the encouragement to carry on with this story despite the multiple obstacles.
To the guys at LC Technology - THANK YOU! Thank you for saving me and recovering this story (and others)!
BOARD INDISCRETION
Taking Advantage, 3
Jessica Jayne
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
“Whiskey. Neat,” Mark Olson said to the bartender. The dark-haired twenty-something guy behind the bar nodded at Mark as he bellied up to the Beach Club bar for the second night this weekend. Friday night, his visit had been a last minute decision after finishing his work at his car dealership in Tampa. On most normal days, he worked out of his St. Petersburg location because it was closer to where he lived on St. Pete Beach, but with a new manager at his Tampa dealership, Mark needed to supervise the transition. After all, this was his livelihood. Lord knew with the monthly alimony to his ex-wife and child support payments for his two daughters, Angela and Laura, he couldn’t afford to have an issue with one of his three locations. His girls were ten and twelve years old respectively. College wasn’t that far off anymore.
“Running a tab?” the bartender asked. Mark nodded. The bartender slid the tumbler with the amber liquid across the bar. Wrapping his fingers around the glass, Mark brought it to his lips. The whiskey fumes infiltrated his nose, bringing with it the familiar burn that would soon be gliding down his throat and into his belly. He nodded at the bartender to let him know the pour was right before taking his first sip of his favorite vice.
Mark was a familiar face at the Beach Club on St. Pete Beach. Almost every Saturday night, he stopped in for a few drinks and often found himself leaving with a hot female to cure his other vice…getting laid. He’d been divorced for almost three years now and he’d added more notches to his belt since those papers were signed than he cared to count. Spending almost fifteen years with a woman that looked at sex like it was a chore, he couldn’t seem to get enough of sticking his dick in any warm-blooded woman that appeared interested.
He took another sip of his whiskey and sighed. That was, he used to have a new woman every weekend to remedy his cravings. Lately, however, one woman and one woman alone had permeated his thoughts and his desires. And it seemed only she could feed his hunger. Suzannah McCormick.
Since his divorce, he’d convinced himself that remaining single was what he wanted. It made things less complicated for his two pre-teen daughters. Shit! It made things less complicated for himself. But that lifestyle could also be quite lonely.
That’s where Suzie came in and complicated the hell out of his life. She was the executive assistant to the CEO of Advantage Insurance Company, Michael Herron, and well… Mark was a member of Advantage’s board of directors, had been for several years. He loved his position on the board. Aside from the small amount of prestige it carried, he’d made great friends with the other members, particularly the two younger board members—John Dorsey and Greg Snow. A relationship with Suzie could compromise his position on the board and with the members, but truth be told, he also loved his most recent position between her legs.
If only the situation was different.
A familiar giggle wafted in from the direction of the dance floor. The delicate sound stirred his cock to life. It stiffened against his black trousers instantly. After several weeks of clandestine meetings involving dirty talk and hard fucks, he’d know that giggle anywhere. He’d heard it many times afterwards when they lay tangled in each other’s limbs. Turning his head in the direction of the dance floor, anger heated his face and his hands clenched into fists on the bar top at the sight he witnessed.
Sandwiched between two guys that he’d now refer to as dickheads, danced the woman that wreaked havoc on his single life status. Her little black dress clung to her trim frame, emphasizing her small, but very perky breasts and showing off her figure that could easily grace the cover of any fashion magazine. Her legs stretched for miles and her creamy white skin contrasted nicely against the jet black of her dress. Flinging her silky blonde hair over her shoulder and down her back, her pink Pursecase carrying her iPhone dangled from her wrist as her hips gyrated against her two dance partners. The taller man dancing behind her slipped his hand over her hip and rested it over her low belly as he rubbed what Mark was sure to be a rock hard erection against Suzie’s ass.
What the fuck is she doing?
First, she never came to the Beach Club. Never. In all his regular visits to this club over the last couple of years, he had yet to see her in here once. Not once! Second, she was practically dry-humping two guys in the middle of the dance floor. That wasn’t her typical style.
Suzie was one of those beautiful women that appeared to have the girl-next-door innocence. She didn’t dress too provocatively. She was sexy, but in that way that was just natural. Her bubbly Southern charm won over all the men on the board of directors and Mark speculated it would win over anyone. He flirted with her, teasing her on board days to get a rise out of her. There’d always been a twinkle of mischief in her eyes when he flirted with her that would leave him questioning whether he knew her at all.
At last quarter’s board meeting, she left him dumbfounded when she responded to his flirtation with a proposition. After mulling it over for a bit, which actually had turned out to be a couple weeks, he called her bluff. He asked her over to his place for cocktails and she showed up. What he learned was that there was a lot more to Suzannah McCormick than met the eye. The rest was history.
Throwing back the last remnants of his whiskey, he stood from his stool, tossed some cash on the bar, and turned toward the dance floor. He wrestled with what his next move should be.
He refused to let her talk about a relationship with him because of his position on the board of directors at Advantage, but watching her dancing with those two assholes pissed him off.
Fuck if he was going to let some other guy touch her while he was standing right here.
His long stride made short distance of the space where he stood and she danced. Her head rolled back and to the side, her blue eyes stopping when she noticed he stood mere inches from her writhing body.
“Mark!” Her body stilled despite the fact the two guys continued to undulate against her.
“Excuse me, fellas.” Mark grabbed her by the wrist. “I’m cutting in.” He pulled her free from the two men, who protested over the loud music of the cover band.
“Dude, get your own girl,” the shorter guy said, clearly inebriated and puffing up like a rooster ready for a cock fight. His taller buddy wrapped an arm around his friend and dragged him off toward the bar, recognizing this wasn’t a battle either of them wanted to fight.
“Fuck off,” Mark said before they got too far. The short guy turned around and flipped him the middle finger
, but his friend seemed to maintain control of him, so Mark let it go. His hands gripped Suzie’s hips harshly, his fingers digging into her flesh. His narrowed eyes met hers, issuing her a warning that his temper was flared.
“Funny running into you here,” she said. Her breath warmed the side of his face as it fanned across his cheek. God damn if his cock didn’t twitch against his zipper at the sound of her breathy voice.
“What brings you here, baby?” The harshness in his voice didn’t go unnoticed as her eyes widened. He pulled her body hard against his, causing a small gasp to escape her lips when she felt his arousal against her pelvis. The fact that she was surprised by her effect on him astounded him. He’d been unable to keep his hands off her since their first secret meeting at his place.
“I’m just looking for a little fun,” she said. Her beautiful blue eyes glistened with mischief and her mouth curved up on one side into a devilish grin that made him impossibly harder. Damn, she is beautiful. “I missed you.”
“You missed me? Or my cock?” he whispered close to her ear. Her face flushed at the mention of the part of him that had brought her numerous orgasms over the last several weeks. Color always looked good on her. Her naturally creamy skin blushed beautifully, especially her ass.
“Would it be wrong of me to say both?” She looked at him through her eyelashes.
“There is little you could say that would be wrong, baby.” He ran a finger along her jaw line. She shuddered at his touch and he couldn’t help but feel pride over the effect he had on her. “This isn’t your usual hangout.” His words weren’t a question, but she responded anyway.
“I’ve never been here,” she said. “I was hoping you might be.”
Because of their situation, up to this point, their rendezvous had been planned. They met at his place after hours when he didn’t have his girls.
He didn’t want to resign from the board. Even more so, he hadn’t wanted to risk her job. Suzie was good at her job. Her boss, Michael, raved about her, and the other board members loved her too. The agendas were always ready to go. iPads were set up with the Power Point presentations loaded. Coffee and water was readily available. Her pleasant demeanor and great sense of humor made for enjoyable board days every quarter. Not to mention all of the work she did keeping Michael in line and at the right meetings every day. Advantage and its CEO would be at a loss without her.
Apparently, she made the decision on her own to up the stakes of their situation.
“You were hoping I might be here?” He weaved a hand into her long hair and pulled it slightly to get her full attention. “And yet, you didn’t approach me at the bar. Rather, you dry fucked two assholes on the dance floor.” He paused. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d guess you’re trying to make me jealous.” His voice was stern.
He had feelings for Suzie, of that he couldn’t deny. She’d turned him on, always had, from the moment he walked through the doors of Advantage’s executive suite and saw her sitting at her desk outside the CEO’s office. But he didn’t enjoy games. That was one of the main reasons he decided to stay away from any sort of relationship since the failure of his marriage. Women were full of games in an effort to land a man, especially a man who had done well for himself. Mark fell into that category with three dealerships between Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
Was he being fair to her? That question crossed his mind on more than one occasion. He couldn’t really give her anything more than their secret meetings and yet, he didn’t want her with anyone else. He’d thought a few times of ending their relationship, but the idea always caused his chest to tighten and he just couldn’t bring himself to tell her they had to stop seeing each other. Even now, thinking that she was toying with him in an effort to get a rise out of him, he’d normally walk away, but he couldn’t. And yet, he couldn’t commit to her either.
Yep! He was a certified asshole.
Chapter Two
“Are you jealous?” Suzie asked. Her gaze searched Mark’s face, looking for a hint of emotion, as they swayed on the dance floor at the Beach Club. His lips drew in a thin line and his brow furrowed. Then she saw it. A little flicker of something—was it jealousy?—swept through his eyes.
“If you’re asking me if I like to see another man’s hands on you, then the answer is no,” His voice was hard and unforgiving. That he was bothered by her being with another man encouraged her. Their relationship—and she used that word loosely—consisted of surreptitious meetings at his place to fuck. Sure, they talked and laughed and shared intimate moments together that didn’t involve the exchange of bodily fluids. He’d even let her spend the night once, but she wanted more.
She’d had a thing for Mark the minute she laid eyes on him. He was gorgeous. Dark blond hair, often unruly on his head. Deep green eyes that made her sigh every single time he looked her direction. Standing at five feet, nine inches barefoot, Suzie struggled to find a guy that made her feel feminine. Mark did. He was tall, over six feet by several inches, and his clothes did nothing to disguise his muscular physique underneath.
But it had been more than his looks. He’d always treated her with respect, even through his own relentless flirting. She didn’t make her feelings known right away because he had been married and she wasn’t that kind of girl. After his divorce, he didn’t seem interested in anything more than a one-night-stand and she couldn’t risk her heart on that despite her attraction to him. Yet, now here she was, risking her heart for just a little piece of his time, a piece of him.
She pressed herself against his hard body. Her hands sculpted the muscular planes of his back through his light grey dress shirt.
“I don’t want another man’s hands on me,” she said. She glided her hands up over his shoulders and around his neck, interlocking her fingers together. “Just yours.”
“Really?” His gaze bore into her. “Is that why I just pulled you out from between two men who were groping you?” Though his gaze was unyielding, she noticed the softness behind his eyes. Underneath the tough “I-don’t-want-a-relationship” exterior was a man that wanted a relationship.
“I’m sorry,” she said. Her hands caressed the back of his neck as her hips swayed back and forth, brushing against his pelvis. His erection bulged against her belly and excitement coursed through her. She loved his body’s reaction to her.
They’d been fooling around for several weeks now and every time she showed up at his place, he took her immediately. Against the front door. Bent over the couch. On the kitchen counter. She’d barely set her purse down and he was on her like white on rice. She loved it. None of her past relationships had even a quarter of the passion.
“We shouldn’t be seen together like this,” he said. Her heart sunk just a bit at his words. She knew his position on the board was an issue for him, but it still didn’t ease the pang in her chest when he made it seem like it was impossible for them to even have a chance. John Dorsey, one of his buddies on the board, had an open relationship with one of Advantage’s corporate in-house counsel, Elizabeth Wright. So, why couldn’t the two of them have a shot?
Suzie turned around in his arms, placing her back to his chest and bringing his hands to her hips. Rotating her pelvis, her behind worked against his straining erection.
His fingers tangled in her hair and pulled it off her neck. His breath hit just behind her ear, heating her skin. Her body shuddered at his hard pants.
“You trying to make me come in my pants?” he asked. His voice was rough. The fingers on his other hand dug into her hip, pulling her back even harder against him.
“Do you want to come?” Tilting her head to the side, the feral look in his eyes was all the answer she needed.
“I don’t want to come in my pants,” he said sharply. “But if you keep rubbing your sweet little ass all over me, I may not have a choice.” His head fell to her neck and his breath tickled her skin. When his lips brushed just behind her ear, a moan escaped her. His tongue flicked out at that spot jus
t below her ear, causing her body to tremble. What he could do with that tongue!
“You have choices,” she said, almost breathless, rotating her hips slowly against him. “You can come in me.”
“Fuck,” he growled at her words. His hands gripped her hips and pushed her away. Turning to look at him, the turmoil on his face pained her. She wanted to ease his discomfort.
“Mark.” Her hand reached for his shirt, but he grabbed her wrist and held it.
Taking a step toward her, he whispered, “You’re killing me, baby.” His grip on her wrist tightened. “I’m seconds away from lifting your skirt and taking you right here on the dance floor. I’m hard as a rock.” Releasing her wrist, he spun on his heels and headed for the small, dark hallway she imagined held the restrooms. She rubbed her wrist that tingled from his grip just seconds before. She wanted this man more than she wanted anything else in her life. She’d do just about anything to make him happy—to make him hers.
“Fuck it.” She stalked after him. He slipped behind the black door marked “Men,” and she followed suit before it closed all the way, locking the door behind her. The bathroom was dark, lit by a dim recessed light above the sink. The brown stone tiled walls gave the room an elegant sort of feel, much like the rest of the club.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, turning to see her standing with her back pressed against the door. The hunger in his eyes almost took her breath away.
“What are you doing?” Her gaze raked over him, taking in the contours of his fully clothed frame. His broad chest stretched his grey shirt, making her fingers twitch to unbutton it and expose that wall of muscle that he worked so hard for. He stood with his backside against the sink, gripping the edge of the counter with his hands.
Board Indiscretion Page 1