by CJ Laurence
Clapping his hands together as he shut the door, he rounded our attention. “Good morning. I hope everyone is settled and ready?”
There was a concurrent murmur from around the table and nods of heads.
“Good. Then let’s begin.”
I took a deep breath as I poised my pen, trying to force myself not to think about Paul beside me. The next thing I knew, a hand slid across my knee and he whispered, “Yes, let’s.”
I jumped, inhaling at such a rate that I ended up having a coughing fit.
Mr. Collins glared at me, one eyebrow raised. After a few seconds, his impatience won through. “Are you done, Kyra? We have a lot to get through today.”
I nodded, taking a sip of my water as I swore at Paul under my breath.
Paul’s hand remained on my knee, making me grateful and regretful at the same time for wearing a skirt today. After several minutes, his fingertips began moving on my thigh with a feather light touch. I pursed my lips, trying my best to calm my already raging body. I peeked up at him from under my lashes and gave him my best I’m going to kill you look.
He ignored me, continuing his slow tease of my skin. Goosebumps appeared all over me, chasing a violent shudder down my spine that caught the attention of Mr. Harris, who sat on the other side of me.
He turned to me, his beady eyes scanning my face. “Are you cold, dear?”
I was feeling anything but cold right now. “A little.”
“Would you like me to turn the air con off?”
I smiled. “Just turned up a degree or two will be fine.”
He nodded and smiled as he pressed the temperature button on the remote control.
Mr. Collins’s demanding voice cut through the air. “Kyra, are you paying attention?”
“Yes, sir. Mr. Harris was just…”
“I don’t want your excuses. Did you get what I just said? About broadening our horizons in Europe? Namely Germany and Switzerland to start with?”
I nodded, not daring to meet his burning gaze as I carried on with my notes.
Paul gave my knee a gentle squeeze. His fingers crept up my leg a few inches as he decided to speak to Mr. Collins about his plans for a German division. When he finished talking, his fingers danced farther up my inner thigh, brushing rather too close to that area.
My breath hitched in my throat and I bit down on my tongue. Heat rushed to my cheeks before flooding through the rest of my body, settling between my legs with a dull throb.
His touch became more meaningful as he applied a little more pressure. I closed my eyes for a brief second and swallowed the lump in my throat. I stole a glance at Paul, his mouth tweaking up at the edges with a victory smile.
His fingers moved again, searching out the edge of my silk underwear. A gasp escaped me before I could stop it. I reached for my glass of water, trying my hardest to ignore the couple of enquiring looks I acquired. I resisted the urge to squirm in my seat and cross my legs. There was something about his touch that drove electric surges around my body, jolting my muscles with sensations I never knew were possible.
As Mr. Collins droned on, I stifled a whimper as Paul’s finger slipped underneath my thong, his fingers gliding their way over my sensitive folds. He teased me like this for several minutes before he delved inside me, my entire face burning new shades of red. I allowed my hair to fall forwards, blocking my reddening features from the other directors. He played out a delightful rhythm inside me, my excitement more than obvious as I tried to calm my breathing into a steady pace. My insides began to coil and I closed my eyes, unsure of how long I could keep up this pretence before I begged him to take me right there.
Mr. Collins clapped his hands together, making me jump. “Right. Time for a fifteen-minute break before we get back at it.”
I looked at the time, surprised to see it was gone ten a.m. already. No wonder I was so wound up after being fiddled with for over an hour. I rushed to the ladies’ room, leaning back against the smooth tiled surface as I took deep breaths, trying to calm my aching body. I dared to look in the mirror after a few seconds, glad to see that aside from my bright red lips and a slight shine on my skin, I didn’t look any different from normal.
Just as I composed myself, the door swung open and Paul strode through. He flicked the lock on the dark wooden door and flashed me a devilish grin. My heart fluttered as I knew what was coming next. He grabbed my face, meeting our lips in a rough kiss. His tongue searched out mine with hungry desire. In nothing but sheer frenzy, we yanked at each other’s clothes in a desperate bid for bare skin.
With his trousers around his ankles and my skirt hitched up to my waist, he grappled with my thong as I found my way inside his boxers. Groans of relief left us both as he finally thrust himself inside me. Our lips parted and I stole a glance at his handsome face. The radiating stare coming from his startling sapphire eyes captured me in an instant. I lifted my legs up, wrapping them around his waist, needing to feel more of him within my depths.
Taking my hint, he drove himself further inside, a whisper of a hiss escaping through his gritted teeth. My entire body ached, pulsing twinges shocking every fibre of me. I needed my sweet release and I wanted him to give me it—now.
His hips began moving with his blissful pace, pushing himself deeper and deeper with each purposeful stroke. Both needing to find our joyful edge, he picked up the pace even more, my nails digging into his taut skin as I fought the urge to cry out. Within a matter of seconds, my tight coil sprung free, my muscles quivering from the manic assault he’d swept over me.
His eyes lit up as he leaned his head on my shoulder. He bit into my shoulder as he stilled, emptying his own frustration with a sigh of relief. Both breathless, he brushed his lips over mine before serving me a wicked smile.
“Lesson number one,” he said, “I can tease too.”
Chapter Nine
After being the last one to re-join the meeting, earning myself a disgruntled stare from Mr. Collins, I managed to work through the rest of the morning without a hiccup.
Lunchtime arrived so off I trundled to the kitchen for another round of drinks whilst they all indulged in the catered food and discussing the joys of golf.
As I reached for the milk from the fridge, a pair of hands snaked around my waist before delicious lips gifted kisses over my skin.
I turned round, grinning. “I think you’ve done enough for the time being.”
Cobalt eyes twinkled back at me, full of mischief. “Really? I could have continued.”
“Oh, really?”
Taking the milk from my hands, he grabbed my wrists, spun me round, and pinned me up against the wall. He pressed his lips to mine and I could do nothing but melt into a liquid pool. I couldn’t care less about anything or anyone at that moment. After a soul-shaking kiss, he loosened his grip and ran his hands up and down my body.
“I like you in a skirt.”
“I guess there’s no need to see you tonight now, is there?”
He pulled back, pretending to look offended. “Are you insinuating I only want you for sex, Miss Wilson?”
I giggled, reaching for his pale blue shirt and pulling him closer to me. “I’m not insinuating anything, Mr. Connors. I am merely pointing out a fact.”
He gave me a curious look, something I couldn’t quite grasp swimming through his gorgeous eyes. He graced me with a quick kiss before helping me sort the drinks.
After the meeting finished, a little after three, I stayed behind in the meeting room, checking through my notes. Mr. Collins always demanded his notes within forty-eight hours, which meant I had over ten pages of notes to do before Thursday morning. I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair, wondering where best to start.
Paul came back into the room, a big grin on his face as he sat next to me, running his fingers across my thigh with a cheeky wink.
I laughed and brushed his hand away. “I think you’ve had your play time today.”
He kissed me, his lips lingering with
a touch of tenderness. “I’m really sorry but I’m going to have to cancel tonight.”
“I know.”
“What do you mean you know?”
“Well, you’ve satisfied yourself for today. You’ve no need to see me tonight now.”
He chuckled and took my hand, brushing his thumb across the back of it. “That’s not it at all. It’s family stuff. I’m sorry.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s fine, no worries.”
He smiled as he stood up. “I need to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Pecking me on the cheek, he strode out of the room without so much as a second glance.
***
I went into work the next morning, dressed in trousers, meeting Paul’s grinning face with my own triumphant smirk.
Before I even had a chance to sit down, Mr. Harris barked at me, demanding me in his office. I threw a surprised look Paul’s way, only for him to shrug his shoulders with a frown. I followed Mr. Harris into his office, emerging several minutes later with a list as long as my arm of things he wanted done.
With a sigh, I sat down, wondering how on earth I was going to do all of this plus Mr. Collins’s notes. I decided tea was the answer to my problems. Grumbling my way around the kitchen, I paid no attention to Paul, who stood in the doorway, until his silky voice slid through the air.
“Enjoy your alone time with Harris?”
I narrowed my eyes at him as I spilled some milk. “Why? Jealous?”
He grinned as he shook his head but said nothing.
“Oh, come on. You’re a big boy. You know how to share.”
He reached his arm out, catching my hand. “Very true, Miss Wilson.”
“If you must know, all he’s done is peed me off. I won’t be getting a lunch break or be going home on time.”
He swung me into his arms, amusement dancing through his eyes as he placed a kiss on the tip of my nose. “Alone in the office after hours? That could be interesting.”
I scowled at him before he gave me a final parting kiss, sauntering his way back to his office with a cheeky wink.
***
I worked all day, not even stopping for lunch. Paul was kind enough to fetch me a sandwich, which kept me going. After finishing all of Mr. Harris’ tasks, it was gone four p.m., which meant it would be a very late night for me with those notes still to do.
I plonked myself in my chair just as Molly came in, asking if I was ready to go home.
I shook my head. “Too much to do.”
“Oh. I wanted us to have tea together.” She pulled a full-on pout. “I’ve got some news.”
I raised an eyebrow, full well knowing she would tell me anyway.
“We’ve set the date.” She clapped her hands together and squealed. “August thirtieth—make sure you book it off. And I want us to go dress shopping so book July seventh off too.”
I sighed and nodded my agreement.
She perched herself on the end of my desk, whispering as she asked me about Paul.
Right on cue, he strode out of his office, flashing me a winning smile. His eyes fell on Molly and in an instant, his smile vanished and his twinkling blue eyes clouded over with a prickly darkness.
Molly straightened her posture and twiddled her blonde hair round her finger. “Hi, Mr. Connors.”
Paul said nothing to acknowledge her and sauntered out of the office in silence.
I rolled my eyes at her typical flirt with me behaviour. “Molly, you’re getting married in a few weeks.”
“Nothing wrong with window shopping.”
With nothing left worthy of browsing, she left me in peace with my mountain of notes. I continued to plough my way through my work. It was only my growling stomach that made me glance up at the clock to see it was nearly seven. Muttering a curse as I surrendered to the fact I’d have to come in early, Paul strolled through the door with a mischievous grin.
“Working late?”
“I’m not going to even dignify that with an answer.”
A smile curved his delightful mouth before he thrust his hand out towards me. “Come on.”
I frowned. “What? I’m not in the mood for games, Paul.”
“Stop worrying about it. He’s not going to sack you for handing him his minutes in late, and if he does, then he’ll have questions to answer. Come on, you need food.”
“Paul…”
“Shut up and get your cute little ass out that door.”
Chapter Ten
Paul manhandled me into his sleek car, ignoring my futile attempts to tell him work needed to be done.
He sat in the driver’s seat, smiling. “Just shush. I know you need food so just indulge yourself.”
I sighed as I tried to calm my mind from stressing too much. Whilst more than glad he was taking me away from work, I was panicking about facing Mr. Collins with an unmet deadline.
I stared out the window as we trundled down the road. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a little pub I often come to when I’m not busy. They serve good food and it’s private.”
I grinned, watching the scenery fade from the hustle and bustle of town into winding back roads. After twenty minutes, he pulled into a gravel park sat round the back of a light green-coloured pub. A black wooden frame hung off the side of the building—‘The Dog and The Bone.’
We walked in through a side door, its creaking hinges informing me of the aged setting I was about to step into. A roaring open fire warmed me from one side, old oil paintings hanging over its brick red breast. Red and gold wallpaper covered the walls, contrasting the aged floral carpet we stood on. A dark wooden bar to the right housed a stout, grey-haired man with a broad grin.
“Paul, how lovely to see you. We missed you last week.”
Paul smiled as he ambled over. “Hi, Phil. How are you doing? I was busy last week, sorry.”
“No worries. Usual?”
Paul nodded. “And a Tia Maria and Coke for my friend here, please.”
“Do I not even get a choice in what I want to drink?”
He grinned as he led us over to a table. “Stop being awkward.”
We browsed through the menu in silence, placing our orders with Phil before he left us alone with our drinks.
“Do you come here every week?” I asked.
He hesitated before answering. “Yes. If I can.”
“What do you mean if you can?”
He pursed his lips. “I have a family business to take care of after I finish at Collins’s.”
I raised my eyebrows, a mixture of surprise and intrigue pricking at me. “Oh. What kind of business?”
He scratched the back of his head, licking his lips before he answered. “Um, it’s a little difficult to explain.”
“I’m all ears.”
He attempted a smile but his eyes held a blank stare. “It belongs to my parents but as they insist on handing the business down to me at some point, they kind of insist I’m as much a part of it as they are.”
“That’s understandable. They’ve obviously spent a long time building it up for you.”
He nodded.
“So what is it exactly?”
He chewed his lip for a second. “They’re in the leisure and entertainment industry.”
Thinking of cabarets on cruise ships, my eyes lit up. “That sounds fun. Like holidays and stuff?”
“Yes, that kind of thing.”
“Oh, I see. So you come here for a night off or something?”
He nodded. “Wednesdays are the only nights when I’m not really needed so I tend to make the most of my free time and come here for decent food and peace and quiet.”
I nodded, understanding his situation.
Taking a sip of my drink, I began to think of my ideal holiday. It used to be between the Maldives and going to a horse ranch to learn to rope cows. My ideal spot had been Texas whilst dad had always wanted to visit Colorado. I would go one day, in honour of him. For now, my dream was ruined as my mother
had shacked up with a young rancher in Texas. It was a sore spot and we hadn’t spoken for months.
Before I could pry further on his business, our food turned up on two huge oval plates. There was so much of it that it spilled over the edges.
My mouth dropped open. “I’m never going to eat all of this.”
He grinned. “Get your fill.”
I laughed before tucking into the delicious meal before me. It was nothing fancy, just a home cooked lasagna, but it was delightful.
Paul smiled as I groaned in pleasure. “Good?”
I nodded. “Almost as good as you.”
***
After a quiet ending to our evening last night with nothing more than a simple kiss before we parted ways, I arrived at work a little before seven in the morning feeling rather rested and relaxed. Being the only one in the building, the eerie silence sent chills down my spine. My solitary footsteps echoed up the empty staircase, making me check behind me every few seconds as paranoia began to creep in.
I walked into my office and dumped my bag on my desk with a defeated sigh. I glanced at the stack of paperwork on top of my keyboard; a bright yellow post-it note sported a heart stopping message:
Thought I’d give you a helping hand. XXX
I picked the papers up and scanned through them. My jaw fell open in shock. They were the minutes from the directors’ meeting—complete. My scrawled notes were stacked in my filing tray. Had he really done this? I was gobsmacked to say the least—and now annoyed that I’d gotten up early for no reason.
I frowned, deciding I’d just bag the time up and use it on another day when I was a bit quieter. I made a cup of tea before settling at my desk, looking through the minutes for errors and typos. It was all perfect. I actually couldn’t have done a better job myself. How on earth he’d read my terrible notes I had no idea.
Just after eight, in strode my Greek god. “Hello, you,” he said.