by A. C. Rose
I stood there shocked at his line of defense. He was completely defending my honor and my professional standing. He was letting her know he would choose me over the firm. I almost couldn’t believe a man would do that for me, but I wondered what Sheila would say, and especially how she may try to retaliate when he was gone. Maybe I should pack my desk up in case.
She tried to respond, but he shut her down. He wasn’t taking her crap.
“You, Sheila, are under the employ of my company while you are on retainer, and I am calling the shots on my account,” he said, leaning in closer. “Any issues you have with Ms. Monroe’s work should be discussed with me. We both know you are out for her, in general, and pissed at her, especially because I have refuted your multiple sexual advances.”
Whoosh. Bam. I had not expected that. For the first time, Sheila got flustered, as if she’d been smacked. She shifted nervously in her chair, moving her bony butt from one side to the other, holding on to the armrest as if she was afraid she would fall out of the smooth Italian leather and into his wrath. She sputtered out some lame defense, but Nicolai did not relent.
He stood in the same spot and composed himself before he added the final part to his performance. “One other thing,” he said his voice a little lower. “Don’t fuck with her. If you fuck with her, you are fucking with me. I’m in love with her.”
Sheila looked surprised by his declaration. But she couldn’t have been as stunned as I was by his words and actions. He turned, walked to where I stood rooted to the floor, pulled me to him, and kissed me. Deeply, and for a long time—in front of my boss. My heart was beating so fast that the blood must have rushed from my head, making me feel a little drunk.
I must have officially lost my mind. Nicolai, who four days ago had only been a client, defended me, told my boss she’d better stop messing with me, and then kissed me in front of her. With his hand still on my cheek, he looked at me as if something just changed in the universe. I touched my hand to my lips, still stunned at the force of his kiss.
“Come work for me, Allison.” His gaze searched mine for an answer.
My eyes widened. Does he have to do this right now, right here? Jeez.
“Um, can we discuss this later? Please.” I wasn’t ready to have this completely blow up in my face, with her having me escorted out of the building by security.
He looked over at Sheila.
“Is there anything else we need to discuss, Sheila?” He was more composed now, having gotten that kiss out of his system.
“I think we covered everything,” Sheila said, pulling her chair closer to the desk and sitting up straight.
“Good day.” He walked out. Thank God he didn’t try to drag me out with him.
I stood there, shocked. But I still wanted to maintain some semblance of professionalism with this woman; although, she had never given me the same courtesy.
I stepped toward her desk. “Sheila, I will resign.”
“What, and risk the wrath of your boyfriend and cause him to yank his account?” She was fidgeting with her glasses, which were on the desk in front of her. “No way.”
“He’s not my boyfriend … not exactly.” Why was I even explaining this to her?
“Well, you tell him that,” she said, putting her glasses back on and looking up at me. “He’s fighting for your honor like he is.”
I hadn’t really thought of Nicolai as a boyfriend but, wow, she was right about that. He was acting like one. How had he just taken off from work to run over here? Doesn’t he have more important things to do and a big company to run?
No one else in my company was busy, apparently, either.
When I walked out of Sheila’s office there was a trail of people, and a dozen sets of eyes on me. They all seemed to hear this heated exchange.
Aisha was waiting in the hallway and linked her arm in mine as if to show solidarity after what had occurred. She walked me to my office. As I made my way, I sensed a new respect from the staff who’d heard it all. First off, they were gaga about Nicolai. This was the same bunch that openly drooled over him at our launch party and all week there were whispers that he was the hottest thing on two long, lean legs. Most importantly, they thought Sheila was pure evil. It was part of our office culture to dislike her—although she did have two assistants who were like loyal puppies. I didn’t see either of them there.
“Men only do stuff like this when they really care,” Aisha said. “This was epic. You may lose your job, but your street cred is unbelievably high right now.”
She stopped in front of my office, gave me a hug, and shoved me inside.
Nicolai was in the chair next to my desk, apparently a little calmer than he was moments before. He held his hands in an almost prayer-like manner, his thumbs resting against his chest and his beautiful bearded chin rested on his fingertips. He looked at me with those gorgeous eyes, a mixture of taking-care-of-business and concern about me in his gaze.
“I am serious,” he said. “About everything I said. But most importantly right now, I want you to work with me directly.”
“I signed a non-complete agreement,” I explained, closing my door. “They have me tied up for a year. They could sue me.”
“I will sue them back.”
“Nicolai, just let this blow over.” Lawsuits weren’t the answer, and I did not want to leave my father’s company. “I have always believed this was my place, that I should stick it out. I can’t let her scare me off.”
“I will not stand for anyone accusing or insulting you,” he said, getting up from his chair. “And that woman is a manipulative bitch. She has been undermining you to me all week. She e-mailed me this morning to tell me she personally nailed The Today Show segment. This, after I watched you do it with my own eyes.”
Somehow that didn’t surprise me.
“I shouldn’t have called you while I was so upset.”
“No, you did the right thing.” He came closer to where I was standing. “I’m the one you call. I’m the one who is there for you. I can hold your tears and your arousal. I can hold your upsets and your problems, too. Life is not always a pleasant walk in the park. It hurts. I don’t want you to hurt—not if I can help you—and if you do hurt, I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Three and a half days into this and wow, what drama.” I rolled my eyes thinking about this morning and everything that came before it. I also marveled at the concept that Nicolai was here. For me. With me.
“We will get through this, and many more things, together.” He came closer, sliding the edges of his fingers along to the rim of my desk as he walked toward me. He pulled me to him as he turned the lock on my door. His mouth came down on mine. After what had transpired, I owed him at least a thank you kiss, I reasoned.
“Open your pants.” He seemed serious.
“In my office?” He’d just had a fight with my boss about his claim that we were not fooling around. And I probably still had an audience outside my door waiting to hear what we did next.
“I need to feel your arousal.” He bit his lip as his hand went to the top of my jeans and slid over the flat of my stomach. “I need you.”
“Are you kidding?” In my mind, I knew this was ridiculously dangerous, yet his desire for me awakened my desire for him. That, along with his hero act in Sheila’s office, was conspiring to make me want to give him anything he wanted.
“Have I been kidding you, about anything so far?” He was smiling but his eyes were getting that sex-glazed look.
“No. But if what happened in there doesn’t do me in, this is definitely grounds for dismissal.” Yet it was so hard to resist him. My hips were moving to the feel of his hand on my lower belly. He was working his way between my legs. “What if there are cameras.” I didn’t actually think there were.
“I had them dismantled.” He kissed the top of my head as if that was not a weird thing to say.
“There were cameras?” It was chilling to think I was being spied on. “Why? Was
she gathering evidence against me?”
“Yes.” He looked me deep in the eye, as if revealing a secret. “You must trust me. In a very short time, you aren’t going to care much about this episode. But I think you will care very much about me, and about us, and about what we have together. I pray you will.”
“But cameras?” I wasn’t sure I could shake my discomfort. Then my eye caught sight of the hickey I’d left on Nicolai’s neck. Slowly I traced my finger along his collar and caressed the mark. Touching him made me remember how much I’d wanted to mark him and how good if felt. It brought me back to our day together, away from this place. I started to feel things again, all over my body.
“There is a great deal of power in two against the world, instead of one fighting battles alone.” His mouth came down on mine. Our tongues met. He was so familiar. And there were so many emotions stirring between us. Passion grew stronger and my surrounding disappeared. “Help me open your pants, my love. “
I opened the button of my pants and spread my legs slightly. He slipped his hand farther into the front of my jeans and kept his gaze on mine as he found his way to the place that now longed for his touch. He dipped his finger inside me. I bit my lip, as the pleasure of his touch made me tingle and long for him.
“Still so wet, even when upset and angry.” He looked pleased to finally be touching that part of me.
“I am. And as long as we are doing this, I’m not letting it go to waste.”
Desk sex suddenly seemed like a good idea. Barring that, I grabbed hold of his shoulders so I could maintain balance as I moved. My hips found a rhythm with his hand as I lowered myself onto him. He had his finger deep inside, fucking me, and he let me ride it. When his thumb found my clit, I buried my face into his shirt. I was about to lose it, to come all over his hand, in the middle of a workday, in my office. His finger went deeper and his thumb pressed harder. I had to bite his shirt material to keep myself from making noise. I didn’t even care about the lipstick mark I was leaving behind. I moved my body to maximize the pleasure from his fingers. The way they were positioned between my flesh and my jeans made it a sure thing. I claimed my orgasm, with labored breath. I pressed my mouth against his shoulder to muzzle a groan. Then I went limp against him.
The smile on his face made his eyes sparkle.
“You see,” he said, kissing my nose. “That wasn’t so bad.”
He pulled his finger out, glistening with my fluids. He slipped it into his mouth, closing his eyes as he drank in my arousal. He seemed to draw strength from it. “You taste so good,” he said. “And you are so beautiful and strong.”
He found his way to my neck, licking and teasing and tasting me. Uncovering a new spot on the back on my neck, he sucked on it and marked me again. An erotic force ran through me. Something about his hickey rituals made me feel so desired.
“Do you still have doubts that you belong to me?”
“Yes … but I am starting to think I belong with you. Less possessive.” I smiled. “I don’t want you to have keep running over here and saving me all the time. But thanks for what you did today.” I kissed him on the cheek.
“I can’t be less possessive, or less protective,” he said. “But who knows, it may be me who needs to be saved by you some day. I think we should keep our options open.”
“Options,” I sighed, buttoning my pants. “Why does it still feel like some of us have more than others?”
“Because you’re not thinking long term.” He took hold of my hand and gazed into my eyes. “I know you don’t want to hear this because you love this place your father built, but I have money. And resources. And property. If you marry me, you will never have to worry about anything. You’ll have everything you could possibly need.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it, keeping his eyes on mine. “Even if you decide you don’t love me, I’ll take care of you.”
There it was, the M word again. He hadn’t brought it up since the night we met. But this time he made it sound like he may not disappear if I don’t marry him—or did he mean he was more willing to accept the idea of a marriage without love? A nervous flutter went off in my chest at the thought of marriage. I wasn’t sure if it was bad nervous, or good, tickly, exciting nervous. Fear and excitement seemed to ride together in my system when he was around.
“I need to work and have a career, Nicolai,“ I said as firmly as I could to a billionaire offering to lay the world at my feet. “And I would like it to be here.” But feeling his nearness, and his breath against my hand, my resolve was crumbling.
“Okay, well consider this,” he said, a huge grin crossing his face as he let go of my hand. “I know you love your work and I would never think of asking you to give it up. But if you worked directly for me, or with me, we could have sex on your desk every morning to start the day and no one could say a damn thing.”
I laughed out loud. This guy—he was morphing into my perfect man.
“That’s an offer that may be hard to refuse,” I said, placing my hand on my chest. “Especially if I get fired from this job.” My heart felt open. Maybe some of this arousal was moving to other parts of my body.
Stepping closer, he pressed his forehead to mine and closed his eyes. I closed mine too. We stayed that way for a few moments, and it brought me back to the beautiful memory of the experience in the pool. Was it just the day before? I was beginning to see how all our experiences were building upon each other, and every day, we were getting closer and more connected.
“I’ll send a car for you at five p.m.”
Chapter Fifteen
It wasn’t the easiest day at Berke and Monroe, but I laid low and got my work done. And I started to care less about what everyone thought and more about what was happening between Nicolai and me. Were we becoming a couple? Had I passed the point of no return? Like the famous area in Niagara Falls where, once you step into the river, you are sure to be carried away by the powerful current, unable to come back? He said he loved me, to my boss! How can he love me in three and a half days?
Aisha came into my office and surprised me with lunch at around two p.m.
“You gotta eat,” she said, placing a Caesar salad on my desk with a bottle of coconut milk. She was carrying a slice of pizza in a bag for herself. Aisha was a tiny thing, but growing up a vegetarian on Indian food had a huge capacity for things made with dough and cheese. It smelled delicious, but after a morning of coffee, I was happy for the fresh greens and chicken.
“Thanks for the sustenance,” I said, taking off the lid and digging in. I didn’t bother adding in the dressing or croutons.
“So how are you doing?” She closed my door, took the seat in front of my desk and removed her slice from the bag. She folded it, New York-style, and took a big bite.
Maybe it was because she had a mouth full of food, but she had the good grace to not to pry into what happened in Sheila’s office—although I suspected she heard it—and not to ask what Nicolai and I had done behind closed doors afterward. I decided not to detail our finger sex in my office, but oddly enough, I didn’t even care so much anymore if Sheila—or anyone—knew. It was with someone who said he loved me. So it should be allowed in the office, right? Well, In Nicolai’s world it would be okay.
“I got The Today Show all lined up,” I said. “At least there’s that.”
“You’re a master, Allison,” she said, still chewing. “I hate to see what Sheila tries to do to you. I’m glad Nicolai stood up to her.”
“He also set her off, by sending me flowers,” I admitted. It was almost as if he was daring her to show her disdain for me. “There was something weird about it all. Do you think he wanted her to fire me?”
“I think he sees who she is and he’s trying to protect you.” She used her free hand to flip her beautiful dark hair out of her face and away from her food. “I would love a guy like that. He rode in on a white horse for you.”
True. But I couldn’t let it set in all the way.
“Do
you think it’s a little weird that he and I have gotten so, um, close in such a short amount of time?” I sighed. “I mean, how can you know for sure that someone is right if you are swimming in sex hormones—and marvelous tropical pools—and walking around turned on all the time? It’s been a whirlwind. And he’s so seductive.”
Aisha put her food down and sat back in her chair, grinning ear-to-ear.
“Like I said before, billionaire problems—they are rough.” She laughed. “But God created romantic whirlwinds to entice people into love.”
“What?” I stopped chewing my food so I could hear her loud and clear. “Where did that come from? That’s pretty much what Nicolai says.”
“It’s nature’s design to make people attracted to each other so that they want to have sex and make babies,” she said, patting her stomach. “I don’t have to tell you about the birds and the bees—do I? Man wants woman, woman wants man. Their bodies are drawn together like magnets. They want to be inside each other and under each other’s skin.”
I pushed my food away so I could focus on the conversation.
“Wait, is this from one of your romance movies?” I asked.
“No, this is how it works,” she asserted. She held her left thumb and index finger together in the form of an O and she poked her right index finger in and out. “We are designed to want this, and do this, and do it enough that it makes us fall in love. Attraction is the gateway to love and marriage.”
“Holy crap, I feel like I missed sex ed.” I rolled my eyes and stood up. “I thought this whole attraction thing was some diabolical plan to make women stop following their dreams because they focus on men.”
“Allison, I don’t mean to psychoanalyze you, but, well, I have to give it to you straight, for you own sake,” she said, commanding me to sit back down. “Your father left when you were young. Your mother never remarried, and she died in your teens. Your grandma lost your grandpa before you were born. You’ve had no role model for relationships, so of course it seems weird for a guy to profess his desire to want to build a life with you.”