by Karen Deen
Driving out of the carpark, Bent starts to give me the directions to the Ellen family home. It’s not far from the gym and again, it shows me the kind of wealth Paige’s family has. I come from a family that lives comfortably and money was never an issue. But this is next-level wealthy.
When we pull up to the house, Bent explains that his room is around the back. Making an excuse that I’m just replying to a message, I sit in my car while he disappears down the side of the house.
Turning off the car, I jump out before I change my mind and walk briskly up the front stairs. Push the doorbell with force and then wait.
Waiting for surprise, anger, rejection, or if I’m lucky maybe a little happiness to see me.
The door opening has me realizing I hadn’t thought this through. Paige won’t be the one answering the door.
“May I help you, young man?” An elderly woman with the kindest face stands waiting for my answer.
“Good evening, madam. Sorry to interrupt your evening, but I was hoping to come in and see Paige to say hello. My name is Mason White. I’m her friend and also her pilot.” A smile starts rising on her face.
“Captain White, please come in. I’ll let her know you’re here. I have heard her speak of you before.” She gestures for me to follow her into a sitting room.
“All good, I hope,” I say, trying to lighten the situation.
“So far, yes. I’m Beth, Mr. Ellen’s housekeeper, pleased to meet you.” She extends out her hand. “Please take a seat and I will fetch Paige for you.” With that, she turns and shuffles out of the room quickly.
I hear her in the next room with Paige.
“Mason? What the hell is he doing here? Why’d you let him in?” She sounds tired and stressed. I guess I have my answer of how she’ll feel about me turning up.
“I know who he is. I thought it might be nice for you to have someone to talk to rather than be stuck in this house with old people, one of which is sleeping constantly. Now hurry along, dear, and don’t keep your friend waiting.” Looks like I have an ally in Beth. I need to stay smiling at her, keep her on my side.
“I’m not even dressed properly. Shit, this man’s such a pain. Obviously not good at taking instructions,” I hear Paige mumble as she’s coming down the hallway followed by Beth, who then closes the doors behind Paige as she enters the room and comes to a standstill.
“That’s right, I only listen to instructions that make sense. At the moment, yours are making no sense at all.”
Standing there glaring at me with her hands on her hips, she has never looked sexier. Her black yoga pants hugging every curve on her with a loose shirt hanging over the top. Her hair out and falling loosely down her back, a wave through it. No makeup on her face. They say makeup is to make a woman beautiful, yet Paige with none is the most enchanting look I’ve ever seen.
This is Paige. The real Paige. The one I want to get to know.
“Mason, how did you find me? What are you doing here?” There’s fire in her eyes.
“Lovely to see you too, Paige. I’ve missed our little friendly chats. Yes, remember, friends? I thought I would check in on you to make sure you’re okay and see how your father’s doing.” I can see my extra sweetness is driving her crazy.
“I’m so confused. How did you find out where my father lives?”
“It’s a funny story of me running into Bent at the gym and thinking he may need a lift home. Especially after him mentioning he’s staying here with you.” My grin is spread across my face.
“You’re very good at this, aren’t you, Captain White. Being resourceful. I need to be careful with you.” Her body language is relaxing slightly, as she’s walking into the room towards me.
“Where it comes to you, Paige, I’ll do whatever it takes.” This time I’m not giving her any room to think. I grab hold of her face and kiss her like I’ve been starved without her. Her body stiffens for a moment. I’m not stopping, my tongue pushes for her to let me in. That is the last straw, and her body succumbs to her feelings. Her arms are around my neck in an instant and she’s kissing me back.
I can’t stop. I need air, but there is no way I want to let her go. Last time as soon as she pulled away, I lost her. This time I’m keeping hold of her. We need to talk, and I’m not leaving until she listens.
“Mason,” she gasps. “We can’t do this.”
“Oh, we can, and we are. You can’t tell me you want to walk away from the chance of what this is. The electricity in that kiss is something that’s bigger than us.” My hands roam over her back and drop lower towards her ass.
“It looks so bad. I’m your boss. I don’t want it to be some seedy affair.” Her eyes are begging me to help her make sense of every feeling running through her body right now.
“You can do whatever you want, Paige. That’s the beauty of being the boss. I came here to talk to you, but I’ll be honest. You in my arms, kissing me like I’m your lifeline. You have me wanting to lay you out on this couch and fuck you until you see how good we are together.” My cock is rock hard, and the blush on her face tells me she’s feeling it too.
“Fuck, Mason.”
“Yeah, Tiger, that’s what I want too.”
Skimming my thumb across her cheek, I lean down, and taking it nice and slow, I show her through another kiss how much I mean everything I’ve just said.
8
Mason
“HOW LONG SINCE YOU stepped away from your work and took five minutes for yourself, Paige?” Whispering, I pull her closer to my body, my hands on her ass. Making her feel what she’s doing to me. Her body arches, pressing against my cock, a soft moan slipping from her lips.
“That’s right. Imagine what this will feel like. You will be more than moaning.” Running my tongue up her neck, I go back to kissing her, but this time I take it slow. Starting along her jawline until I find her lips open, taking in the sensations.
“Embrace what you’re feeling. Let me in.” With that, I’m kissing her relentlessly, deeply and full of everything I want her to understand, and finally acknowledge. It’s like I’ve got one chance to get her to listen. She doesn’t seem to listen to my words, but she can’t ignore the feelings.
Slowly, I pull away from her lips, sensing her finally melting into my arms. Her head drops and rests on my shoulder, giving me her body weight. Such a relief. Maybe I’m getting through to her.
“Mason, we can’t do this. You have my body aching for you, but my head keeps saying stop.” Her voice is low and not the normal confident woman I’m used to.
“That’s because your head is a stubborn pain in the ass. Ignore it, just listen to your body for once. You can’t tell me this doesn’t feel right.” I slide my hand around her body and up her chest. Slowly, so she knows what I’m doing and giving her time to say no, I palm her breast. Lightly wrapping my hand around it, squeezing with slight pressure, just enough to have her breath racing.
“This is what your body wants. To feel, to be touched. Tell me you want this, Paige, and I promise you won’t regret one second of it.” She doesn’t need to speak, her wandering hand on my body’s the answer.
“I might want it, but it doesn’t mean I can have it.” Her hand glides over my cock, and I grit my teeth to stop from thrusting my hips into her hand.
“You keep touching me like that, baby, and you are going to have it all. Stop denying yourself what feels so good.”
“There is so much here to feel.” Looking down at her cheeky smile, I can see lust invading the sensible brain. Thank fuck.
“That’s it, baby, stroke my ego.” My hand moves down her body.
“I’m stroking more than your ego, Mason.” The words on her lips have me humming while her hand’s squeezing my aching cock just that little bit tighter.
“Call it what you want as long as you keep stroking.”
My hand cups between her legs. Her body jumps a little with the touch, mouth dropping open and her head falling back. Oh yeah, baby, you’re getting
all the feels now. Deliberately, I start to rock her body so she’s grinding on my hand.
“Take what you want. Tell me what you need.” My head’s spinning with anticipation of where this is heading.
“To forget it all.” Her eyes are now closing as she slips into that land of just pure sensations.
“Now that I can do. The only thing you won’t forget is that it’s me making you feel this way.”
She gasps as I quickly move my hands to under her ass and lift her into my arms. Her legs wrap around my waist perfectly. Backing her up against the wall, I lean into her and start grinding my cock into her. Hearing the little moans from each movement is pure bliss. Light as a feather in my hands, I release one and slide it down the front of her pants, so happy to feel her softness and the wet pussy waiting for me. I take over the stroking with my hand rather than my grinding.
“Mmm, you’re so wet. All for me. Just thinking about it has you dripping, wanting more. Tell me you want more, Paige.”
“More! Don’t you fucking stop now. Finish what you started.” Desperation from a woman on the edge of orgasming is music to my ears.
“You really are a tiger, aren’t you? Just what I like, feisty and sexy as fuck.” As she tries to open her mouth to argue with me, I slip my finger deep inside her. Instead of words, a low groan comes out of her mouth. My thumb pushes down on her clit and she starts riding my fingers as I’m slipping the second one in.
“So perfect, ride me, take all the pleasure you need.” With a pink flush creeping up her face, I feel her muscles starting to contract around my fingers. She’s so close to coming undone.
“Come for me, Paige. Show me how you let go.” Her head falling against the wall, eyes closed as her breathing stops for that second before my name cries from her lips in ecstasy, her orgasm rips through her. Quickly taking her mouth in mine to swallow my name, she quivers through the tail end of her pleasure. Slowly, I slip my hand from her and allow her to just sag into my body. I’m throbbing hard all over but just want to stay right here, with her in my arms. Totally satiated.
“Oh my god,” she whispers. Smiling, I don’t comment and just let her have the moment to herself. Her legs unwrapping from around my waist leave me feeling a little cold. She tries to pull herself away from me, yet she can’t even stand properly with her shaking body.
“What was that?” Her face raises to look at me with eyes that tell me that head of hers is taking control again.
“Pure bliss, I would say.” Her hands are on my chest, pushing me off her. I want to hold my ground but know I need to give her space.
“We are in the sitting room of my father’s house, and you think it’s acceptable to be screwing me against the wall. Real classy, Mason.” My body is now on alert to her.
“I didn’t see you complaining as my name was leaving your lips.” Trying to take her face in my hands again to kiss her, she ducks under my arms and scoots out behind me. Putting a couple of yards’ distance between us.
“No, you can’t confuse me with those lips. They have too much power.” Holding her hand up at me, she signals to stay where I am.
“Still stroking my ego, I see.” Yet her eyes are telling me she doesn’t find me funny anymore. “Paige, stop freaking out. Talk to me. What is that persistently annoying head of yours saying on the inside?”
“To make sure you don’t touch me, to start with. It tells me I don’t listen when you have your hands on me.” Before I can reply there’s a small knock on the door and then it opens, Beth comes through holding a tray of wine with a platter of cheese and fruits.
We both freeze, and I can see the same thought going through Paige’s head as mine. If Beth had been a few minutes earlier… What was I thinking? I just came here to talk to her and try to help. The next minute I’m trying to fuck her against the wall. I suppose my only saving grace is that I didn’t get that far.
“Sorry to interrupt. I won’t be a second. I just wanted to bring you some nibbles while you chatted. Are you staying for dinner, Mason?”
“No, he’s getting ready to leave. He has somewhere to be. Thank you, Beth.” Her demeanor changes completely. She maintains the control well in her role as the boss.
“That’s very kind of you, Beth, apparently I have somewhere to be. Perhaps next time I visit.” She smiles at me, knowing exactly what’s going on here.
“I’ll look forward to it.” I wink at her while she’s leaving the tray and disappears back out the doors, closing them behind her.
“Mason, stop flirting with my housekeeper,” Paige snaps at me.
“Are you freaking serious? I just had you coming all over my hand with my lips all over you, and you think I’m flirting with your elderly housekeeper? Are you for real, woman?”
“You’re doing it deliberately so she’ll let you in again. You can’t be here. You need to leave. I’m telling her not to let you in next time.” Her stance has become more defensive and in control. Completely ignoring her, I close the distance between us.
“You can try to be all bossy here, but just remember. When you are on my plane, you are the boss. When you are coming, screaming my name, I’m the boss. The moment you leave my plane, I’m no longer your employee. So, stick that overbearing attitude wherever you like because I’m not listening. You can control your life, and sometimes you control mine too, but you can’t control what I feel. What I feel is real and exhilarating and you feel it too. When you’re prepared to admit that, then we’ll talk. Until then, yeah, I’m going home to jerk myself off in a shower, because you don’t get to control that. What you do get to do is picture that image as you lie in bed and realize what you’re missing out on.” Just to push her further, I lean in and kiss her mouth, running my tongue around her lips, then dragging one of my fingers coated in her juices over them.
“That’s how you really feel, Paige. Just remember that taste.”
Walking out the door, I know I’ve just been the biggest asshole, but I can’t take the push and pull. If she can’t work out what she wants, then how the fuck am I supposed to know?
Paige
What the hell just happened?
Sagging into the couch, curling my knees up under my chin, I try to process it. One minute I’m putting away a book in the library. The next I’m against the wall feeling sparks through my body that I haven’t felt in so long I’ve forgotten what they’re like.
No matter how hard I try to stop Mason from getting close to me, he manages to put me under his spell every time. How do I stop my body from giving in? I’m totally smitten by him, and my body is screaming for his touch. Yet I can’t fuck my employee. It even sounds wrong and seedy. I’m not just his superior, but the CEO of a multibillion-dollar company. My lawyers will have a field day with this one. Imagine the possibilities of lawsuits if it goes wrong.
He thinks it’s easy to just draw a line between work and life.
This can’t be any further from reality if we tried. Every minute of every day, I’m still the boss and he’s still my private pilot.
I need to be strong and keep pushing him away. I don’t want to hurt him, but it’s better this way. Stop it before it starts.
Who am I kidding?
It started the first day he stood at the bottom of the stairs welcoming me onto the plane. His touch as he shook my hand and his genuine smile. There was a buzz that awoke something in my body that day. One I keep ignoring. It’s like a swarm of bees that keeps getting louder in my head. It scatters my rational thought. Today, Mason sent them swarming, and there’s no stopping them now.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been sitting here when the doors slowly open, alerting me to Beth poking her head in.
“Are you okay, Paige? Can I get you anything? Your dinner’s been in the warmer for a while.” She looks concerned at me.
“Sorry, Beth. I didn’t realize the time. I’m not hungry. I think I’ll just head up to my room. Is Daddy okay?” I stand gently on my numb legs that have been curled up.
“He’s fine, sleeping peacefully. Head upstairs. The nurses will alert you if there’s any need.” She puts her hand on my forearm as I pass. I pause momentarily. “Not everything has to happen the way your father planned, Paige. You need to live, not just exist.” Smiling a fake smile, I just keep moving towards the staircase. Turning back to her, I say, “I wish it was that easy, Beth.” I really do.
“It can be. Only you get to make that choice,” I hear her say as I keep walking.
Choice.
That word continues to spin in my head. Choice is what I don’t feel I have.
I’ve never had.
Not even bothering to shower, I crawl into bed, and wrap the blankets around me. I don’t want to wash his touch from my body. For those minutes, I just got to feel. The intensity of the touch and his words whispering on my neck. I can still hear them. His breath, hot and tingling, still has the hairs there burning.
Distance is what we need. No flights this week will help. His anger will build, and he’ll see I’m not worth the bother. That’s what I need. For him to see it’s just not right. It won’t be so hard for me if he’s fighting against me instead of being drawn to me.
At the moment, he’s like the tide that’s washing over me. Convincing me to go with the flow. Soon he’ll see I’m just like sand. The constant thing that when you come back day after day, it’s still there doing the same thing. It might be in a different location for the day, but its role is still the same. The safe space away from the dangers of the tide. The solid foundation to stand on. The place you can watch from the sideline without getting wet in the craziness of the messy parts of life.
Dragging my phone in front of me, I want it to light up with a message, but I know it won’t. Mason was angry and frustrated when he left. I’d done that, letting it get that far. Now I need to suck it up and move on.
I have too many other things to be worrying about. My father and the company drama. As Daddy always says, the company first before yourself. I need to keep reminding myself that as Mason tests my limits.