Overexposed

by Amelia Oliver

  Her eyes blink slowly, and I watch as she lifts her thumb back to her lip, running it along the very path I’d just licked.

  “As for your knickers? They’re staying with me. Meeting in the den in five.”

  * * *

  Walking into the room, I find Rash sitting in one of the leather club chairs. The king of multitasking, one of his hands is tapping at the keys of the laptop balanced on his knee, the other holding his phone to his ear. I give him a nod, and watch as he indicates he won’t be long. I’m grateful to have a moment to get my racing thoughts together. Rash’s satchel is on the other single chair so I opt not to move it, secretly hoping Piper won’t either. Sitting on the matching Chesterfield two-seater across from him, I have to wrangle my dick into a more comfortable position. I’m trying to switch gears into work mode, to not over analyze what just went down with Piper, but I hope to fuck I haven’t done something that would have her terminate me as a client.

  One - I actually trust her. Not sure when that happened, but it did. I know she’s here because she not only knows how to help me, but she wants to. She’s has no hidden agenda and is not doing it to get something from me in return. Two – I like her, like being around her. Having her around has helped me cut through some of the noise and bullshit that had become so much of the life I lead. Three - Rash would slice my bloody knackers from my body.

  Yes, it was selfish to do what I did upstairs. But not only did I need to taste her, to feel her against my body, I needed to show her how bloody desirable she was. The fact that she’d thought the shite Sonny was sprouting was in anyway accurate, floored me. Women are so bloody hard on themselves, but I guess with total tossers like Sonny sprouting bullshit and feeding their insecurities, I can see how it happens. Which reminds me of something I need to do.

  “Jacks, can you do us a favour, love?” I say quietly as she walks into the den, a tray of drinks in her hand.

  “Of course, what do you need?” she replies, placing a black coffee in front of Rash, and a couple of bottles of water in the middle of the table.

  “Would you call the security company, please? Get them to come out and change the codes on all the entry points to the house? Oh, and have them change the locks, too, come to think of it. I don’t bloody know who has keys to this fucking place and who doesn’t.” The fact that I really have been letting shit slide around here is becoming bleeding obvious.

  “I sure can,” she says, with a hint of a smile. I know by the tone of her voice, coupled with the look on her face, that she not only approves but is relieved it’s finally happening. “I’m assuming then that the list of people who should have access will change, too?”

  “Bloody right it will. To a very short list - you, Rash, Piper and me.”

  “Piper and me, what?” Piper says a she walks into the den, her work shite filling her arms. Between her and Rash, it’s like bloody Staples in here.

  “Have access to the house. No one gets in from now on unless they’ve been approved by one of us in this room. No more free reign, free loaders and no more party central.”

  Piper’s eyes go soft, and I know what she’s thinking, “Seth, you don’t have to…”

  “Oh, but I bloody well do, Bubble. For a lot of reasons.” Holding her eyes, I hope she see’s that it’s not just about kicking the dickwad out, but about me taking my life more seriously.

  “Yeah, he bloody well does!” Jackie quips, in a pretty good imitation of my accent, making Piper giggle and me mock-scowl. “And not before time too,” she adds whispering to Piper, who has settled beside me. “Consider it done by the end of the day,” Jackie finishes, giving my shoulder a pat, before turning and leaving the den.

  I cross an ankle over one knee and run my arm along the back of the sofa, tempted to rest my palm against the soft skin of her neck. I settle instead on watching Piper set up her things on the coffee table. Her laptop and phone, her planner and a thick folder that has my name printed along its edge. My eyes catch a flash of something bright, and when I look down again I see that her planner is full of coloured notes, stickers and highlighter marks. Her handwriting is neat and precise, and she’s used several different coloured pens. I know instantly that all the different coloured inks represent something, because there is nothing random about what I’m seeing. I start to chuckle, which earns me a sideways glare, so I reach over and ruffle her chestnut hair.

  “Would you look at that, Bubble is a nerd. I’m reeling in shock!” I fake clutch at my chest, while she reaches out and slaps at my thigh, protesting, “I’m not a nerd, you slacker, I’m organized. There’s a difference.”

  “You keep telling yourself that, love,” I say chuckling quietly, as she rolls her eyes and does her best to ignore me. Like that’ll work. “Your planner is cool though, I’ll give you that. Well, the outside I mean, not all the OCD shite you’ve got going on inside.”

  Piper closes it and runs her fingertips lovingly across the front cover. It means something to her. “I got this when I joined ESM, a gift from my boss. All of Sawyer’s account managers have one, and each persons design is one-of-a-kind.”

  I look at the cover again and take in the folio’s design. It suits Piper perfectly, her boss not only has good taste, she also obviously knows her staff.

  I’m settled by the fact that since coming into the den, Piper seems at ease around me. Even though the banter between us is still there, it feels more intimate, and I’m not the only one who has initiated touching. The little worry I’d had earlier that she might come down and tell Rash to find someone else for me to work with disappears completely when she lifts a hand to smooth her mussed up hair - a hand that is clearly giving me the bird.

  Lost in our own little world, both of us have failed to notice that not only is Rash off the phone; he’s staring at us. We both straighten up as if we’ve been scolded by a parent and wait for him to speak. If I had to name the look on his face I would say relieved with a side of hopeful? Poor bastard, I really have put him through hell. He’s probably been shitting kittens that I’d fuck this up, too, and he’d have to wash his hands of me.

  “Morning.”

  “Morning.” We both chime, and again we’re behaving like naughty school kids. Jesus, that needs to stop.

  “You look good, Seth. Relaxed,” he observes, something else passing over his face I can’t quite catch.

  “Bloody Piper, dragged my pommy arse into shark infested waters under the guise of ‘surfing’. Between us blokes, Rash, I think she was hoping to get rid of me. No worries though, I survived.” I tell him, proudly.

  Under my breath and for Piper’s ears only I add, “It was the showering after that damn near killed me.”

  I hear Piper inhale sharply and I know if I looked over at her, I’d see her beautiful feminine blush tinge the skin of her cheeks and neck.

  “Sounds like you two have had quite the morning. Well, Seth, I’ll ask you to keep that survivor mentality when I tell you why I called this meeting,” he adds and the look that passed over his face earlier is back.

  Fuck, I was having a good morning. “Just spit it out Rash,” I tell him.

  “The network has chosen not to renew your show for next season,” he pauses. “You’ve been dropped from their line up.”

  I don’t need to ask if it’s just for the fall season or forever. I also don’t need to ask if it’s because of my downward image spiral. I’d heard the whispers at last season’s wrap party that this was a possibility. It’s rare for shows like mine - which rely on the popularity of trends at the time - to be optioned for years in advance. But hearing the show had actually cancelled was something else entirely.

  I kind of hear Rash talking, telling me everything would be ok, that something else would come up. You know, all the things you’d expect to hear from your manager’s mouth in a situation like this.

  Meanwhile, I’m just staring at the water bottle in my hands, not speaking, letting it all wash over me. Trying to process my reaction I sup
pose. The one voice I don’t hear is Piper’s.

  Looking over at her sitting next to me, I see she’s watching me. Probably has been for a while. She’s so fucking smart. I can see by her open face and her small smile that she knows exactly what I’m thinking, what I’m feeling. Why I’m quiet. She’s giving me the space to sort it out.

  “Well, thank fuck for that!” I near shout, standing up before sitting back down again, I’m like a Jack-in-the-Box. Rash looks at me like I’m out of my gourd. “Relax, mate. I’m not round the bend. This is the best fucking news I’ve had in a long time.”

  Because all I feel is an overwhelming sense of relief. Like a noose that had been tightening around my neck has just been cut and I can breathe properly again. Yeah, I’m technically unemployed and my image is in the shithouse. But to know that I don’t have to keep chipping away at pieces of my soul to do that fucking show is a massive relief.

  I reach over without thinking and take Piper’s hand from where it’s sitting, palm down on the leather next to my thigh. Smiling, I ask, “Ok, Bubble. I am now officially a jobless feck with a shite reputation. What’s next?”

  Shaking her head at me, she turns to Rash, “Have they announced yet, Ronald, or do you only know because Seth has a ‘first to inform’ clause in his contract?”

  It is not lost on me that she hasn’t taken her hand back; in fact she’s let her fingers slide between mine.

  “No, no announcement, not for another two weeks at least,” Rash answers. “And they don’t officially release their new season line up until the end of next month. Why?”

  “We need to issue a statement immediately. Announce that Seth has resigned from the show. He’s leaving them is the message. It’s our best offensive play against the announcement of the show being cancelled. If they come back at us and release that the show was cancelled first, sure it muddies the waters, but then it all comes down to who does the better spin. And that by the way…would be me.”

  Piper is so fucking beautiful when she’s in her element like this. Lit up from the inside, she’s strong, confident and all I want to do is push her down on the sofa, strip her naked and have her tell me all about how she’s planning to spin me. Because I’m sure as fuck planning to spin her.

  Does that make me an arsehole caveman? Probably.

  Do I care?

  Fuck that noise.

  * * *

  Somehow I contained myself, but barely. We hashed out the details of what I’ve named the ‘Seth has left the building’ release. Both Piper and Rash are in full-on power mode, all way out of my realm of shite. Thank fuck they’ve only intermittently asked me a question or needed a signature, but the longer it’s taking them to tie things up the antsier I’m getting.

  I want Rash out of my house, and I want Piper, any and every part of Piper, in my mouth. I’ve tortured myself for the last ninety minutes thinking about her sitting next to me, knowing that if I slid my hand into the leg of her shorts I’d get a palm full of warm, soft arse cheek. A few times when the thoughts had became too much, I’d reached over and brushed my fingers along her thigh, or along her arm or across the back of her neck. I’d needed to touch her in some way. It has to be noted that at no time did she reject these touches.

  Snapped out of my thoughts, I watch as Piper partially rises up from her perch to lean over and grab a contract from Rash’s side of the coffee table. Without thinking about it, as she lowers back down I quickly move my hand under her. As she sits she realises my open palm is now holding her intimately. Thank fuck Rash has been standing over by the window on the phone or he would’ve heard Piper squeak and then both of us groan. The feeling of her warm pussy and lush arse through the worn denim she has on makes me cup her tighter, wiggling my fingers and hand against her softest flesh.

  “Seth…stop…mmm...no…” she breathlessly tries to scold me but is betrayed as her greedy little body pushes down, grinding into my fingers a few times before she finds control and stands up. Piper’s cheeks are flushed, her pupils blown out with desire, and the candy peaks of her tits strain against her sexy fucking tank. She looks down at me, probably to tell me something her body clearly doesn’t agree with, when I lift my palm to my face and cup it over my nose. Christ, she smells divine. Watching as her breathing changes, I hold her gaze as I lower my hand to my mouth and suck three fingertips into my mouth, moaning at her delicate flavour.

  “Ok, thanks. Make the changes and we’re done. Yeah, I’m headed out now.” Rash finishes his call and comes back over. “I think that’s it for now. I’ve got another meeting, but if something comes up, Piper, Seth, just give me a call.” Rash says, collecting his things and packing them away in his satchel.

  I don’t want to sound ungrateful or anything, but thank fuck! I was starting to think he’d never leave.

  Both Piper and I thank Rash for everything, and the agent leaves the den with clear purpose in his stride. Piper moves to follow him, knowing how polite she is, she’s probably walking him out or some shite. I stand the second she moves past me, snagging the loop at the back of her shorts and pull her up hard against me. The feeling of my hot cock pressed above the curve of her arse has us both making a noise we couldn’t control if we tried.

  “Where do you think you’re running off to, Bubble?” I ask, sliding the arm not holding her shorts across the front of her body, between her tits, and cupping her shoulder. The move locks her back securely to my front, and it doesn’t escape my notice how perfectly we fit. My fingers release her shorts so they can take full advantage by teasing along the exposed skin in the gaping v of her waistband.

  “I just thought I’d see Ronald out,” she says confirming my suspicions, but has clearly changed her mind if her hips pushing back against mine are any indication.

  “Fuck Rash, he knows his way around. The way I see it, you have a client in desperate need of attention, Bubble, and that’s all you should be thinking about.”

  I feel her stiffen in my arms, and I could cut my own bloody tongue out. Calling myself her client was not a smart move, at all; mostly because I worry I’ve just made it sound like fucking me is her job. Seems I’ve unintentionally thrown a bucket of iced water on the fire we had smouldering between us for hours.

  To say I’m relieved when she relaxes somewhat and lifts her hand against my cheek, is a fucking understatement. Turning my face into it, I kiss her palm as she asks, “Seth? Please tell me why you call me, Bubble? I’d been wondering if it was maybe because you’d thought I was an airhead, but I don’t think that now. Before this goes any further, if this is going to go further, I need to know you’re not making fun of me.”

  Using my face to push her hair out of my way, I nip her earlobe with my teeth before sucking it into my mouth. Hard. It kills me that she thinks negatively about herself, and I wont have her thinking I’m making fun of her.

  “I call you that, love, because you just happen to be the owner of the most spectacular fucking arse I have ever seen in my life. Since the moment I saw you strutting around my kitchen, in those tight blue pants like you owned the bloody place, all I can think of are the filthy things I want to do to this perfect bubble.”

  I grab one of her arse cheeks, getting as much into my hand as I can, before squeezing the tantalising flesh.

  “The first of which is to drop to my knees,” so I do, “put both my hands on your hips,” so I do, “and take a giant bite before pulling it onto my face.”

  And so, I do.

  CHAPTER 9

  Piper

  I've never been talked to like this, felt like this...the way Seth's burning me up from the inside.

  "Seth?" Jackie calls and I look over my shoulder and down at him crouching, his nose running along the seam of my ass.

  "Go to my room, I'm going to send Jackie home for the rest of the day," he states, standing, his nose pressing into my skin, along with his lips as he whispers in my ear. I nearly whimper at the thoughts, the feel of him actually on me, touching me. I feel unt
amed and barely gripping the reigns of self-control.

  Then, he’s gone. I feel anxious in my aloneness, immediately wanting his warmth and the pressure of him on my back again. He likes my ass...He. Likes. My. Ass. Something inside me births and unfurls, a feeling I've never had or knew was possible. I've been wanted by guys before, I guess, I mean I'm not a virgin. But Seth, he desires me, and I yearned for him. He kept touching me through the day and it just seemed surreal. I’ve been trying to convince myself that I’m simply keeping him entertained, but that theory melted away once I saw the lust in his eyes as we teased throughout the day.

  Making my way upstairs, neither Seth nor Jackie are visible, and I assume he’s speaking to her in the kitchen. Reaching the landing at the top of the stairs, I turn down the way I haven't been to before. There’s just one room on this side of the house and I can only imagine what luxurious, ridiculous decadence awaits. But opening the two doors, I’m almost taken aback by the utter emptiness of the space. It’s so startling stark and vacant, this can’t possibly be his room. But it has to be, so I step in, looking to see a closet to the right, the door open and I can see some clothes rumpled on the floor near it. Then to the left and in another room, there’s a bed, a mattress and box spring on the floor to be exact...and that’s it. That’s all that’s in his master bedroom that takes up an entire wing of his mansion. I don't understand this, but I don’t want to linger on the unexplained ache it leaves in my chest. Then I remember why I’m up here to begin with, and everything other than lust falls away. Walking toward the bed, I strip my clothes off, leaving a trail behind me leading to the bed. The rumpled sheets are black and then I notice the pillow from my room...the one I practically fucked this morning. The sheets are all him, his scent charging through my veins and the coursing fever between my legs. The aroma springs my nipples into action, not surprisingly, and I roll onto my back as I lay there and wait.