Men in Control: Special pack: The Smith Brothers Series

by Brenda Ford

  “I don’t know what you have said to Tami,” I spit out, my sheer rage shining through. I’m usually a very contained and controlled person, but not now. “But I do not tolerate work place bullying…”

  “And we don’t tolerate unfairness,” Hayley snaps back, her arms folding defiantly across her chest like she isn’t totally in the wrong here, speaking to her boss like a piece of shit in front of everyone else. “Tami is getting a promotion because she’s sucking the bosses dick. How can we not be pissed off about that?”

  Of course, that creates more laughter which makes my blood boil with sheer rage. I ball my fists up angrily by my side “Tami has been offered a promotion because she’s very capable…”

  “Yeah, I bet she is.”

  “Hayley, I’m warning you, you should not speak to me that way. I’m your boss. If you have an issue, then please come and speak to me privately about it.”

  “We all have an issue with this. None of us are happy.”

  “That doesn’t give you the right to make someone else’s life miserable,” I insist. “Just because you disagree with what’s happened, even if it wasn’t right, it doesn’t make it right to hurt someone else.”

  “Pfft,” Hayley snaps. “It also isn’t right to create these office issues.”

  I glance around at everyone, suddenly freaking the fuck out about all of this. I hadn’t ever liked someone before, not like this. Tami was the first one. But if it was going to create this much of an issue at work, was it worth it? I’d always put my responsibilities first. This was the first time that I didn’t want to… but would it be a mistake? Angelo catches my eye and gives me a curious look. He knows that I’m battling between what I want and what I think I should do. I’m pretty sure he wants me to pick what I want.

  “Oh, fuck these lot!” he suddenly blurts out, shocking everyone. “Brad, I know that you’re telling the truth. You didn’t pick Tami to be promoted because you like her, those are two separate issues, and I think that deep down everyone else knows that too. You’re the best boss any of us could ask for, but it’s time to put yourself first. So, go after Tami. If she’s who you want, then none of this matters.”

  Some people are nodding in agreement. Maybe not Hayley or the girls in the bathroom, but enough for me to think that this might be okay after all. I nod sharply, and stare at Angelo once more.

  “But I don’t know where she is.”

  “I do.” He grabs my arm and pulls me along. “Her apartment isn’t too far from here. She’s gone there.”

  “Hey, how do you know where her apartment is?” I protest. “Please tell me that you didn’t…”

  “No! Of course not. Do you really think that I would have recommended Tami to you if I had? I just pay attention to the people who work with me. I ask them questions and learn. It might be time for you to open up a bit and start doing the same thing. Don’t even try and tell me that you have because you never really do.”

  I don’t ever ask people questions, because I don’t want them to do the same thing, but with Tami just talking about anything is as easy as breathing air. It started the moment I realized that we shared something, and it’s progressed a lot over time. Maybe I haven’t learned enough though. There are still places to go.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll try. Now take me to her. I need to see her.”

  Angelo drags me along to the apartment door and he leaves me there with some words of advice that I don’t really hear. Once I’m by myself I take in a couple of deep breaths and nod to myself while I try to get myself ready. Of all the important conversations that I have had in my life, this one feels like the most important of all.

  A warmth burns down on my shoulders, and since it isn’t the hottest day, I decide to take that as a sign that Mom and Dad are watching down over me, approving of my decision. I remember enough of them to be sure that they would like Tami, even with the age gap. They were all about love and happiness. I remember it well.

  With a shaky fist, because I’m nervous that she’s going to reject me because of the pressure coming from everyone else, I knock once. Then once more, the nerves really creeping all the way through me.

  “This better be Tami’s place,” I mutter to myself, irritated. “Or I will kill Angelo.”

  It seems to take too long for her to come to the door. I’m just about to give up and assume that she’s not home or Angelo has the wrong address, when the door swings open and there she is. In all her beauty.

  My heart really does skip a beat as I run my eyes over her. Angelo really was right. This is the woman that I could fall in love with, given half the chance. Whatever it takes, I’m going to have to make sure that I don’t lose her. This woman is the one that I need. Whether it’s forever or just right now, I don’t want to let her go.

  “Brad,” she gasps while rubbing away a few stray tears. “What are you doing here?”

  I don’t answer. Instead I grab and kiss her, using my body to answer for me. I kiss her with all the passion and emotion that I feel inside, knowing that this is it.

  “Don’t run away from me,” I whisper as we pull apart. “Give this a chance. Please.”

  “But…” she tries, but I already have an answer for this.

  “I know. There are so many ‘buts’, but we should give it a try anyway, shouldn’t we? Don’t you think we might regret it forever if we don’t? Yes, there might be issues along the way, it might be complicated, we may well face issues, but I don’t want to send forever asking ‘what if’?”

  Chapter 11 – Tami – Monday

  “But… but Brad,” I gasp out, forcing myself to step backwards. “You’ve just seen what a mess we have made by having sex just once. Now everyone thinks that you’re a play boy and I’m sleeping my way to the top.”

  “I don’t care what anyone thinks of me! Come on, you would know that by now.”

  A strange smile creeps up onto my lips. Somehow, with everyone else doing their best to bring me down, Brad still has this way of making me feel good. I don’t know how he does that, but I like it a lot.

  “I know that you might not care, but you’re the boss. People can’t say anything to you. To me, they will take the piss forever. I’m going to be the subject of office gossip for the rest of my life.”

  “I will fire them,” he snaps back instantly. “I will fire all of them, anyone who upsets you.”

  “So, you’re willing to have an office with no one in it? Huh? Because it’s everyone.”

  He shrugs and smiles. “It will be my own fault, won’t it? I’ll have to cover everyone.”

  I lean forwards and giggle. I can just imagine him running around like a headless chicken, trying to get everything done. “I don’t think I’m worth all of that, you know.”

  “Oh, to me you are.” He nods vigorously. “To me, you are worth anything and everything.”

  His words make my chest swell with happiness. This is crazy, this is real and raw. He really does seem to mean everything that he’s throwing my way. He really does feel the same about me as I do him which is wild. There was me thinking that I threw everything away for a heat of the moment one night stand, and here he is telling me that I can have it all. I can have the first man who’s ever really cared about me in my life.

  “What about work though?” I need to sort everything out before I commit to anything. “How will we make it work? I don’t just mean all the gossip and everything, I mean me and you.”

  “Well, I wasn’t planning to have sex with you in my office every single day…” he chuckles.

  “No, I know. We would obviously keep anything amorous out of the office.”

  “Right, exactly. So, what’s the issue?” He shrugs. “We take each day as it comes. There is no need to worry about issues that we haven’t even come across yet. Let’s just see how we get on.”

  “Isn’t that a bit risky? When we have to work together. To just see how it goes?”

  He rests his hands on my hips and smiles serenely. “That�
��s how relationships go. You can’t make any kind of decision based on what may or may not happen. You just need to see how it goes.”

  “The only problem is last time I saw how it went, I ended up getting cheated on.” I didn’t even mean to say that. It just kind of popped out. “I mean… sorry, that was a weird thing for me to say.”

  “No, not at all. I want to get to know you and everything about you.”

  I automatically step back basically inviting him inside. It’s probably for the best, enough of what has happened between us has been far too public. We don’t want anything else to be in the public realm.

  “So, tell me more about you.” He presses me up against the hallway wall. “Did someone hurt you?”

  With his body pressed up against mine, I feel oddly safe. Like telling him about Daniel won’t be so hard. “Yes, someone hurt me. My ex-boyfriend cheated on me and I saw it over web cam.”

  “Wow.” He brushes a stray strand of hair off my cheek. “That’s dreadful. I can’t believe someone would do that to you.” His lips graze ever so gently against mine. “You’re so freaking beautiful.”

  A heat rises up through my body and my foot automatically presses up against the wall. I spread my thighs apart and basically invite him inside, pressing against my core. Instantly, a flame builds. How can I turn my back on this when it feels so fucking good? I don’t want to make any mistakes, but I don’t want to lose him either.

  “I think he didn’t want me because I was a virgin,” I find myself admitting headily, probably a bit too candidly. When I’m looking into his dark eyes, I lose my damn mind. “That had to be an issue.”

  He pulls back, his eyes boring into me. I don’t know if he realizes what I’m actually trying to say. This is probably something that I should have told him before we ended up together last time. Before my first time so he could have made an informed decision about whether he wanted to be with me or not… but I craved him too damn badly. I couldn’t stop myself however much I wanted to. But it wasn’t just about me, was it? It was about him as well and I took away his choice to do whatever he wanted.

  “You were a virgin until when?” he practically whispers in shock.

  “I was a virgin until Friday night.” I gulp down the terror. “I’m sorry, I should have…”

  “Why did you lose your virginity to me?” He pulls me tighter instead of letting me go.

  “Because it felt right. Because I haven’t ever felt like this about anyone before.”

  Shit, I don’t know if I have said too much. If I have been too honest about my feelings. I don’t want to freak Brad out by not only being a virgin but getting too caught up in my feelings as well. Getting too heavy too quick.

  “That’s so wonderful to hear.” He scoops me up in his arms. “Because I feel the same way.”

  “You do?” I hook my hands around his neck and grin. “That’s good news.”

  That will make us stronger, if we both face this together then it won’t be so hard. At least I won’t be alone when facing all the office bullshit. We can get through it if we’re together.

  “Where is your bedroom then?” he asks with a laugh. “I wanted to do something romantic and sexy, but this is the first time that I have been to your apartment, so I don’t know where I’m going.”

  I toss my head back and laugh. “God, it feels so weird, doesn’t it? That we don’t know enough so much about one another. But in a way, it seems like we’ve known one another forever. My bedroom is down the hall.”

  Our eyes remain locked as he carries me towards my room, and I feel all the emotions stirring that were building up during our week of working together. The dislike quickly becoming lust, and then… well, I don’t really know how I feel about him now. Certainly enough to risk it all for a chance.

  Once in the bedroom, he tosses me back on the bed and immediately climbs above me. He hovers over me, allowing me to just feel the warmth of his body without actually pressing against me. This sends tingles all the way through my damn body, setting me alight. I arch my back, trying to press against him, to bring him to me.

  “Impatient, huh?” he laughs. “I thought you were the innocent good girl.”

  “I was until I met you. Now… well, now I’m trying to work out who I am now.”

  He can’t resist leaning in to me and kissing me which is perfect. Exactly what I need. His hands are all over my body, touching me everywhere, and my hungry hands eagerly explore him too. His body is thick, muscular, incredible to hold. The desire buzzes all the way through me, I want more. Every fiber inside of me screams out for him and I need him to feel that, to know it too. I want him, all of him, it really isn’t a mistake.

  “Oh shit,” he groans as his fingers edge their way in to my panties. “You’re so wet.”

  “All for you,” I gasp while holding on to his hair. “You make me feel this way.”

  He slides all the way down my body, kissing me as he goes. He edges my dress up, his lips brushing over the soft skin of my belly as he goes. As his teeth hook on to the waist band of my panties, a guttural sound flies out of my throat. It’s terrifying to have him doing something new to my body, but it sure as hell worked out okay for me last time. I glance down at him, his eyes lock on mine, and he yanks my panties off.

  “Oh wow,” I pant out, the breath evaporating from me as well. “Brad, that’s…”

  I don’t have any words. I don’t think I ever assumed that I would have a man so gorgeous in my bed. His mouth grazes all along my thighs, all the way up, until his tongue flickers over my clit. Just the once, but it’s enough to make me buck wildly and scream. Now, that was a sensation I didn’t think would be so good.

  “Mmmm,” he moves all the way up and kisses my lips. “You taste good.”

  As he hands another condom to me to roll down him, I’m glad that he always seems to have one with him. I don’t want to question what that might mean, I’d rather just enjoy the moment. This time, I enjoy it a little too much, pausing just to stroke him a few times. With him above me like this, I love watching his face crumble with bliss. I love knowing that I’m the one to make him feel like he’s in heaven.

  “Oh fuck, Tami,” he moans loudly. “You better stop it or I’m going to lose it here.”

  I yank my hand away quickly, needing to feel him deep inside of me. I don’t want to miss out on the chance to have sex with him. So, instead I grab his ass and I pull him towards me. He angles himself and thrusts, causing my head to spin. Each time he pulls back and plunges in once more, he seems to hit all the right spots. It’s phenomenal. Being in the comfort of my own home makes this so much better. I love it.

  Then, Brad changes things up again by grabbing me tight and swinging around so I’m the one on top. I squeal with excitement and push myself in to a sitting position. His eyes run all over me and I can see his face slacken with pleasure. His fingers reach forward, and he tweaks my nipples, joy surrounding him.

  I press my hands to his chest and take control, riding Brad in a way that makes me feel incredible. Actually, it’s nice to have all the power because I can make sure each thrust works for me… not that Brad needs any help in that department! It isn’t long until the butterflies in the pit of my stomach flood me and I see stars. I tilt my head back, my long blonde hair tickling my back, and I cave to the desire. It swirls through my body, filling me up, flooding me with the most gorgeous anticipation ever. I love it. This moment right before I tip over the edge. I want to stay here forever, just waiting impatiently until I fall…

  But Brad is too sexy, too good, so I can’t remain where I am. The orgasm hits me hard like a tsunami, the waves intensely washing over me again and again. As I thrash on top of Brad and I fall apart, he holds me, making sure that I feel safe with him, and I do. I really do, despite everything. I just hope that sensation doesn’t end…

  Chapter 12 – Brad – Friday

  I watch Tami across the office, noting her flirty smile as she catches my eye. Of course, my
initial instinct is to run across the room and to grab her for a kiss, but we’ve already decided that isn’t going to happen. Not in work at any rate. I will just have to be patient and wait until later on when I can get her alone.

  Another face catches my eye. Hayley chatting to Tawny in a secretive manner. I don’t think that they were ever friends before. They have clearly teamed up in their annoyance against Tami, but she doesn’t seem to mind now. I think the fact that she knows where she stands with me and also that we are out in the open has given her the thick skin that I have when it comes to gossip. It can’t bother her if she doesn’t care.

  Plus, she’s working her damn ass off to prove that she is worthwhile in her job anyway. No one can deny that she deserves to be where she is. It’s obvious. The campaigns that she’s been working on are already making progress. I couldn’t be more proud of her. She has a really bright future ahead of her.

  It honestly doesn’t matter to me if anyone accepts me and Tami or not. I know that we really do have something and that is good enough for me. Angelo accepts her anyway and Oliver seems to as well. I’m sure that Alex, Nelson, and Wesley will feel the same way when they are finally introduced to her too.

  God, the future is brighter than I ever could have hoped for. This is everything.

  “You’re being a bit obvious,” Angelo hisses while digging me in the ribs. “Admiring your girl there.”

  “Do you have to be so smug?” I tease back. “Yes, I know that I wouldn’t have found her without you, but that doesn’t mean you need to constantly rub it in my face. I’ve thanked you enough times.”

  “Oh, you’ll never be able to thank me enough times… but it is good to see you happy.”

  He gets that look on his face again and I just know that I need to be the one to tackle it. Since Angelo doesn’t seem to want to be forthcoming about what’s going on with him, I will go first.

  “Angelo, are you okay? Is everything alright with you and Mandy?”