by Jenna Chase
Occasionally, I thought I saw a spark of something in the way that Brie looked at me. Maybe I was being hopeful, or maybe there was a chance that we had feelings for each other. Certainly, she wouldn’t have accompanied me home if she didn’t want to spend time with me. Sure, she’d made an objection, but she’d let me bulldoze her objection far too easily. I worked with this woman. I knew she was made of sterner stuff.
No.
I’d been in business far too long.
Something told me the indifference that Ms Caldwell was displaying wasn’t a true reflection of the way she felt about me at all.
Brie
Bloody hell.
I had no idea of the kind of lavish life that Jarrod was leading. He kept things pretty under wraps. Who’d have thought that a man who sat in the corner of an open office with everyone else lived like this?
“Make yourself comfortable,” Jarrod said, “I’ll arrange for some food to be sent up from the Vietnamese restaurant down the road. Is there anything you don’t eat?”
Truth be told. At this moment the last thing on my mind was food. In fact, I had a disturbing desire to find out what might be hiding in Jarrod’s designer jeans.
“Vietnamese sounds good,” I said, “probably preferable to the Pacific food they were serving back at the house.” Now I was babbling. Jarrod and I didn’t make small talk. We never had done. We’d always been on point. Straight up with each other.
I wasn’t sure what point I should be on at all now I found myself stood in his home, looking out across the dark lake. The lights on the other side from the houses on the edge of the lake and the suburb rolling out behind looked like a tiny cluster of twinkling stars.
Jarrod joined me out on the terrace and handed me a glass of wine.
I’d taken care all day to make sure that I didn’t drink too much. Alcohol did things to my head that the rest of my body regretted the next morning.
Somehow, I hoped that my body wouldn’t regret anything that might happen tonight.
“To the future,” Jarrod said as he touched his glass to mine.
Something about the tone of his voice turned me on. The way he looked at me tonight, with deep blue eyes that he tried to hide behind his glasses made my insides flutter.
“The future,” I replied. Something about the way Jarrod looked at me made me smile. It was a silly, schoolgirl smile. But I couldn’t help myself. I’d always had my guard up with Jarrod. He’d relaxed the battle lines by bringing me here and the gesture had brought me immense pleasure, for reasons I couldn’t explain.
I took a sip of the sharp wine. It was tart on my tongue and caused an explosion in my mouth, the same way the look from Jarrod had caused an explosion in my insides.
I took another sip and all the while Jarrod simply watched me. He looked at me with the same intensity that I’d seen him stare at a computer screen when he was coding.
By the time I’d downed half the glass, Jarrod still hadn’t said a word. He simply stood in front of me, watching me with a ferocity that should have creeped me out. Instead, it was turning me on, being the recipient of such scrutiny.
Jarrod took a step towards me and took the wine glass out of my hand and placed it on the table with his own. Then he removed his glasses and leaned in towards me.
In the half-light that came from the apartment, Jarrod’s deep blue eyes took on an iridescent glow. His features took on a completely different look once they were free from the protective shield of his glasses.
The tension inside my body wound itself into a tight, hot, knot of anticipation.
“I’m going to kiss you now, Brie.” The words were low and soft and send a hum of heat through my body.
I couldn’t take my eyes from Jarrod’s as I nodded my consent.
His lips found mine with an unexpected but appreciated force.
All the disagreements.
All the arguments.
All the professional fencing that we’d done over the months exploded in a deep longing.
Jarrod pulled my body to his. Something about the way that he held me—the way our bodies fitted together—it seemed as if we were made for each other.
As his tongue infiltrated my mouth his hands found their way to the cup of my buttocks. He pulled me against his thick cock with a force that equally terrified and thrilled me.
There was a ringing from inside the house.
Jarrod broke away from me, his blue eyes wide, both of us gulping in the humid evening air. “That’ll be the food,” he said as he picked up his glasses from the table and slipped them back on.
Reluctantly I let him go. I knew I was in deep trouble here.
CHAPTER FOUR
Jarrod
I’d happily have swung for the delivery person. Forget the food. The only thing I wanted to be eating tonight was Brie.
Damn my libido.
Damn my cock and my lack of ability to keep work and pleasure separate.
Something inside of me knew though that it wasn’t just about work and pleasure as far as Brie was concerned.
I’d been watching her for months. If I was really honest with myself, the reason that I’d put the whole party together was so that I could find a way to seduce Brie outside the work environment.
Married to the job was a sensible way to describe the two of us.
I dared to hope that I might be able to find a way to get her to marry something other than the company.
We spent as much time together as a married couple—so why shouldn’t she think about accepting the proposals that I had in mind for the two of us.
The way she’d kissed me.
Those luscious lips.
The press of her breasts against my chest. The feel of the weight of her luscious curves in my hands. It took more self-control than I wanted to muster to walk away from her to open the door.
“Can I help?” Brie arrived in the kitchen, our wine glasses in her hands.
“You still hungry?” I asked.
“For food, or you?” She wasn’t afraid of me. I loved that about Brie. She’d always been a straight shooter.
I pulled another cardboard lid off an aluminium foil tray and the steaming scent of cinnamon and ginger fogged up my glasses.
“We should probably eat first.” As much as I’d happily leave the food to spoil, I still had some sense of decorum. “There’s plates in the cupboard behind me,” I indicated with my head and then tipped the contents of the food into the serving platters that had been warming in the oven.
The sooner we got through this pantomime of a meal, the faster I’d be able to get Brie to my bed.
By the time we were half-way through eating, I was glad that I hadn’t just bolted for the bedroom. Watching Brie eat was a truly entertaining and erotic experience.
The way her full lips wrapped themselves around each morsel made my cock twitch with longing. I hadn’t been around a woman for a long time who thoroughly enjoyed the sensual experience of eating good food.
“You like the food?” I asked as Brie put her fork down on her plate for the last time. She swiped at those luscious lips with a yellow napkin that matched the colour of the flowers on her wrap. I was looking forward to removing that piece of material from her body very soon.
“It’s delicious,” Brie said taking another mouthful of the soft chardonnay that I’d chosen to go with the meal.
“You’re delicious,” I said and I was rewarded watching a blush creep up the sides of Brie’s neck to her cheeks.
I stood up, “Come. Let’s retire to the terrace. It’s more comfortable there at this time of the night.”
Brie
Jarrod took my hand and helped me from the dining table.
The chivalrous gesture seemed so out of character coming from the reclusive technical genius I’d come to know. Maybe there were things about Jarrod that he didn’t share with everyone. What had made me so special that he’d decided to open himself to me?
We settled on a comfor
table outdoor couch. Jarrod was so at home in his sumptuous surroundings. It still seemed so far removed from the warehouse-like working environment where we spent so many hours of every day.
“I like sitting out here at night,” Jarrod said as he handed me my wine. Then he casually draped his arm across the back of the couch and around my shoulders as if it was something that we did every night of the week.
In reality, we sat at either ends of the expanse office space sparring with each other. If the rest of the team could see this, they wouldn’t believe what they were seeing either.
“It’s very peaceful,” I said. “But you wouldn’t get to enjoy it much, the amount of time we spend at work.”
“I love my work.” Jarrod took a sip of his wine and then held the glass aloft, as if he were inspecting the view through the curved surface. “It’s no sacrifice to spend time doing something that I love.”
“I feel that way about my art,” I replied. “This is the second place I’ve been today where I’d like to sketch the view.”
Jarrod put his glass down on the table in front of us and removed his glasses before turning back to me. At the sight of his glasses sitting on the table my insides did a little jump for joy.
“You’re welcome to come here and sketch the view any time you please,” he said as he turned my chin towards him. I knew he was going to kiss me again. I just wished he’d hurry up.
I think Jarrod sensed my longing and he stalled an almost smirk on his face.
“What?” I asked, trying not to sound impatient.
“You’re waiting for me to kiss you.” He couldn’t hide the amusement from his voice.
“Not necessarily.” I tried to shake my chin free from his fingers, but somehow I couldn’t without banging my head against the back of the couch.
“Really?” He raised a well manicured eyebrow. How hadn’t I noticed the way that they moved when we argued. Those glasses had a lot to answer for. “All you have to do is ask, Brie.”
What to do?
I wasn’t accustomed to behaving like a hussy. But I wanted Jarrod in a way that I’d not wanted a man before. Something about the confident way he was looking at me. Touching me. Coaxing my body to surrender to his irresistible charm.
I reached out my hand and stroked it along the soft whiskers that ran the length of his perfect jaw. Ran my fingertips along the soft lips that sat between the dark whiskers.
I could feel the trembling of Jarrod’s body.
I slipped the tip of my finger into his mouth and he began to suckle.
A yearning that I’d been trying to control rose inside of me.
Clawing to get out.
Demanding that it be sated.
Screaming for Jarrod to take me.
“Kiss me, please,” I whispered.
Jarrod
My lips were on hers again before she had a chance to change her mind.
I’d sat watching those luscious lips while we were eating and now, as my tongue found its way into her receptive mouth I could no longer deny my longing or arousal.
Brie surrendered herself to me.
I could feel the weight of her full breast as I slid my hand down to caress the curves of her body. Brie’s hands slipped up under the light cotton of my t-shirt and the touch of her fingers on my flesh filled me with a need that I couldn’t ignore.
I pulled my lips from hers and she groaned in protest, her entire body resting against mine.
“Come,” I said as I stood and gestured for Brie to follow me. “Tell me what you want,” I murmured as I pulled her up from the couch and back into my arms. I nuzzled my face into the soft, sweet skin behind her ear.
I could feel the rapid rise and fall of Brie’s chest as she leaned heavily against me, her body languid with desire.
“I want you,” Brie whispered.
“Do you want me inside of you?” I needed to hear the words before I took her to my bedroom. Brie and I had been on the opposite sides of so many antagonistic arguments, I had to be sure that we both wanted the same thing.
Her body told me that she definitely wanted what I wanted.
My cock strained against my jeans.
All I could think about was those luscious lips locked around me.
But I wasn’t going to make a move until Brie said the word.
“Yes,” she said, “I want to feel you inside of me.”
I didn’t need to hear another sound from that luscious mouth. I picked Brie up and she squealed with delight. I carried her through the lounge and to the bottom of the stairs. My bedroom suite took up the whole of the upstairs floor of the terrace home. From up there I had an unparalleled view of the lake and out to the ocean on the other side of the thin strip of land that ran between the lake and the sea.
“If I take you up these stairs,” I said, “there’s no turning back.” I ran my hand across the globes of Brie’s breasts and her body shuddered under my touch.
“I want you,” she said as she pulled my lips down onto hers.
I didn’t need any further convincing. Taking Brie’s hand, I led her up the narrow stairwell and into the heart of my home.
My bedroom.
CHAPTER FIVE
Brie
I don’t quite know what I was expecting the bedroom of the man who ran the company to look like—but, still the sumptuousness of the space reflected the cave-like experience of our workplace.
There were thick, dark drapes hung at the large picture windows. I imagined that during the day they would be pulled to prevent any glare on the bank of computer screens that sat on the opposite side of the room. It seemed a shame to block out the beautiful view, but I knew that Jarrod’s life—not unlike my own— would be centred in the worlds that we created in our computers.
We helped hundreds of thousands of people leave their everyday lives behind them and escape into an online community of like-minded souls.
“You could stay here and work all day,” I teased Jarrod, as I ran my finger down the centre of his chest. “No need to come into the office and argue with me, you have everything you need here.” I flicked my head towards the bank of computers and screens.
“I enjoy arguing with you,” Jarrod growled, “I think you’re the real reason that I bother coming into the office at all. I couldn’t stand not seeing your beautiful face every day.”
I could feel the heat of my blush climbing up my face. “Why have you never told me before that’s the way you feel?”
Jarrod pulled me to him. I could feel the hardness of his cock against the soft flesh of my stomach. Pushing his hands into my hair, he pulled my head back and pressed his lips hard to mine.
“I didn’t come up here to talk about my feelings,” he rasped. “But I might try and find a way to keep you here and then I’d never have to go back into that bear-pit we call an office ever again.”
In a strange way, the idea appealed to me. Staying here with Jarrod.
Sketching the view.
Sketching him.
This was all happening way too fast. I needed time or a distraction. A chance moment to think.
The beauty of the man stood in front of me appealed to me in so many different ways. I’d never stopped to consider Jarrod as a potential lover before. I’d been too tied up in the creative side of the games we were making. Arguing for a concept, or the way that a character should look.
“I want you to model for me,” I said extracting myself from Jarrod’s grasp and trying to find a way to put a little space between the two of us.
“Model?” He looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
Maybe I had.
“Yes,” I nodded. I began to look around the room for paper and a pen. Jarrod had a blotter sat under his computer keyboard. Next to it sat a fine blue pen. It was all I needed.
“Take your clothes off,” I said trying to sound in control. I was way out of control, but Jarrod didn’t need to know that.
“You’re serious?”
“I am,
” I said as I pulled Jarrod’s computer chair out into the middle of the room and placed it between the two of us. “Take your clothes off and then lie on the bed.” I said the words with an authority that I didn’t feel. Stood behind the safety of Jarrod’s computer chair, a small sense of control began to return.
Jarrod pulled his shirt over his head in one swift movement and then eyed me again with suspicion. “And what do I get out of this if I do as you say?”
Negotiations with Jarrod had never gone smoothly in the office—why should I think that they’d go smoothly now? One of us always had to win. It was one of the things that I liked about Jarrod. He wasn’t afraid to back down when he knew he was wrong.
There was also the fact to take into consideration that now he’d taken off his shirt I was desperate to get my hands on his body. All I could think about was his thick cock pressing against me. I could still see the outline of the bulge in his jeans. I was going to have him take those off soon. The thought of sketching him in that kind of aroused state did something to my insides.
My panties were soaking all ready. My body keenly aware of the energy between us. If I thought that a blotter, a blue pen and a computer chair could keep him from taking me right here and right now, I was probably deluding myself.
Why didn’t I just give up on the idea of sketching him and simply give in to my own desires?
I chewed on the end of the pen while I thought about the question.
While I continued to think, Jarrod dropped his jeans and boxer shorts and took a confident step towards me. “You sure you don’t want to leave the sketching until afterwards?” he asked with more than a hint of desire in his voice.
I put the paper and the pen down on the computer chair. My hands were shaking. My palms slick with moisture—not unlike another part of my anatomy that was having the exact same reaction to seeing Jarrod naked.
He stood in front of me.
The picture of a confident and aroused man.