by Avery, Joy
A roguish smile spread across his face. “It would be my pleasure to come with you.”
On the way to the bathroom, Blake captured her around the waist and rotated her to face him. “For the record, anyone who even fixes their mouth to say one sordid thing about you will be fired on the spot.”
The stern expression on his face suggested he was dead serious. This made her want him even more.
The second they entered the polished bathroom, Blake heaved her onto the vanity and smashed his lips to hers. She could taste the lingering sweetness in his mouth from the apple juice he’d drank earlier. His kisses trailed along her jaw line, down her neck and along her collar bone.
Moans of pleasure escaped when he nibbled at her taut nipple through the sweater she wore. Beating him to the punch, she lifted the clover green fabric over her head. Blake claimed her mouth again. In a greedy manner, his tongue explored every inch of it. Damn, she was glad Tucker and Vivian had decided to stay in Norfolk a few extra days.
Planting her hands in his chest, she shoved him away. When his eyes steadied on hers, she smirked at his quizzical expression. Snatching a handful of the black button-down shirt, she yanked him back between her legs. Anxious hands explored his sculpted chest. The man was truly solid as an oak tree.
“How much was this shirt?” she asked.
“Two twenty—”
She pulled the two ends apart until the first button popped off. He didn’t flinch, appearing to harbor little regard for the expensive shirt she was destroying. They sustained gazes as she popped the next button, then the next. Buttons shot around the room like hot popcorn kernels.
When she was done, she pushed the shirt off his shoulders. “Mr. Farrington,” she said, using unnecessary formality, “remove your white tee.” He’d had his turn taking the lead. Now it was hers.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Easing her lips to his pecs, she kissed him tenderly, then ran a stiff tongue over his nipple. The bulge pressing against her thigh let her know he was ripe for the picking. Locking lips with him again, her hand traveled to the swell in his pants. The more she massaged, the harder he kissed her. Against his mouth, she said, “Take your pants and boxers off.”
Not only had he wasted no time with the request, he didn’t stop there. Taking the initiative, he undressed her as well. Just like that, he’d regained the upper hand. Oh, how this man loved being in control.
After stripping her bare, he returned to the position between her legs. His hands rested against the vanity on either side of her and he dipped close to her mouth. But instead of kissing her, he stared at her for a long, heated moment.
“What do you see?” she asked.
Instead of supplying an answer, Blake lowered his head to the crook of her neck and kissed her delicately. He planted delicate kisses along the column of her neck, then jaw, until he was at her ear. “I see a picture of the possibilities,” he whispered.
He certainly knew how to tantalize her with his words.
From somewhere, he’d gotten protection. Clearly, he’d recalled their err in judgment, too. It could have been from one of the several tiny doors inside the vanity. Her brain wasn’t processing anything but the need to have him inside her, delivering long, hard strokes.
When he yanked her to the edge of the icy surface, she gasped from the unexpected move. He inched the tip of his shaft inside but didn’t deliver the thrust she longed for. Her entire body shivered with anticipation.
Blake positioned his mouth inches from hers and dragged a finger along her cheek. “Do you want—?”
“Yes.” When he inched inside of her a little deeper, she moaned.
“Does that feel good?”
“Yes, but I want more.”
He offered her another half-inch of himself, then pecked her gently. “Have you ever made love in the air before?”
“No.”
His lips lifted into a crooked smile. “So I’m your first?”
She nodded, wanting the questions to cease and wild, hot sex to commence.
“Welcome to the Mile High Club.”
She cried out when he drove himself deep inside her. He’d been gentle with her the first time they’d made love, but clearly, he wanted her to know he had multiple settings. The powerful strokes hit all the right spots. She dug her nails into his back as the tight grip of an orgasm clutched her.
No, no. Yes… “Faster,” she whispered.
He obliged, tipping her over the edge. Her mouth dropped open, but nothing would escape. The sheer intensity of the orgasm stole her cries before she could release them. Waves of pleasure ripped through her, and she welcomed every shred of gratification it left in its wake.
Blake’s palm slapped against the mirror behind them. “Don’t cross the finish line without me.” After two or three more clumsy strokes, he released a growl powerful enough to down the aircraft.
***
The first thing Blake had done when he arrived in the office that morning was inform security that if Sasha stepped foot into the building she was to be escorted out promptly. His biggest concern was that the nut would try and come after Eunice. He wasn’t about to let that happen.
The second thing he’d done was contact the legal department to have them axe the no fraternization policy, labeling it archaic. No explanation was given and no questions were asked. Being the boss had its perks.
The third thing, a staff meeting. He’d enjoyed the time away from the office—especially the time he’d spent with his family And especially, especially the time he’d spent with Eunice. But now, it was time to get his head back in the game.
Luckily, nothing pressing needed his immediate attention. One of the good things about his staff, they were extremely capable of extinguishing fires, and typically did so before they burned a trail to his door.
After thanking everyone for their time, he dismissed them. Well, not everyone. “Eunice, I need to see you in my office.”
“I have a meeting with—”
“Now.” He exited the room before she could further object.
The second Eunice entered his office, Blake slammed the door and pinned her against it. The iPad, cell phone, and additional belongings she’d been carrying plummeted to the floor with a thunk.
“Was that convincing enough?” he asked.
“Yes, but—”
He quieted her protest with an untamed kiss. She didn’t hesitate to welcome his searching tongue. An instant erection tented his pants. A desperate need consumed him. “I want you.”
Hell, he’d wanted her from the second she’d brushed by him in the conference room wearing that fitted charcoal dress that screamed to be ripped off her beautiful body. A great deal of his time in the meeting had been spent fantasizing about making love to her in the middle of the conference table. Damn, he just couldn’t get enough of this woman.
Her hands searched his chest. Breathlessly, she said, “We can’t, Blake. We agreed to maintain a level of professionalism while at the office, remember?”
“You’re right,” he said, his body still firmly pressed against hers. He cupped her breasts and kneaded her taut nipples through the thin fabric. “But surely we can make an exception this one time. Your body seems to be in favor.”
When her breathing grew clumsy, he knew she was feeling the same rush he was experiencing. A beat later, he had confirmation.
“Ugh. Damn you, Blake Farrington,” she said, tugging his shirt from his pants, then fumbling with the button.
He captured her hands and pinned them above her head. “I’m going to take you against the door. Then again on my desk. And once more in my shower.”
“That sounds like it’s going to take a lot more time than either of us have.”
“We have all the time in the world.”
With that declaration, his office phone buzzed. Shit, shit, shit. “Yes?”
His assistant’s voice danced over the speaker. “Sorry to interrupt, sir. Mr. Kyro Reed with Reed Unlim
ited Athletics is on the line. He says you’ve been expecting his call.”
Yes, he had. “Two minutes. I have to take this,” he whispered against Eunice’s mouth, then stole a quick kiss. “Send it through, Rose.” He winked at Eunice, then moved behind his desk. “Mr. Reed.”
Although Blake had a good ten years on the young buck, he showed the man the respect he was entitled. Kyro Reed was a titan in sportswear. His North Carolina-based company had started in his parents’ garage, but had grown into a multi-million dollar empire. He was in negotiation with Reed to sign two of his clients as spokesmen for Reed Unlimited’s new line of compression wear.
Blake listened to Kyro Reed, but Eunice captured his attention. Her hips swayed to an imaginary melody. She grabbed the hem of her dress and slowly inched it higher and higher.
“Yes,” he said, biting his bottom lip.
“I thought that sounded like a good plan also,” Kyro Reed said.
Kyro’s voice drew Blake back to the conversation, but only for a moment.
Eunice glided toward him like a spellbinding seductress. He licked his lips in anticipation of her arrival. But a blink later, she smirked, dropped her hem, wiggled her fingers in a wave, turned, and left his office. Oh, she would pay for that.
“Things tend to get hard,” Kyro said on the opposite end.
Blake fell back against his chair and eyed his crotch. “Yes, they do. Things get hard. Really, really hard.”
Chapter 16
Eunice had expected to be the topic of discussion by now, but one week had passed and no one had given her as much as a sideways glance. She’d half-expected Sasha to storm through the office screaming to anyone who would listen, that Eunice and Blake were sleeping together. Luckily, it hadn’t happened. Yet, at least.
Brushing the thoughts of the woman away, she glanced up at the flowers Blake had “anonymously” sent her and smiled. Even though she and Blake had had a few cut-close moments, they’d done a good job at keeping up the persona of boss and employee. It didn’t help that every time she eyed him, her body instantly reacted.
When there was a tap at her office door, her first thought went to Blake but faded quickly. The fact that he chose to summon her to his office hadn’t changed since they’d been dating.
“Come in.” Trevor strolled in looking dapper as usual in a black tailor-made suit he wore better than any runway model she’d ever seen. Dang, she missed him and was glad he was back from vacation. “Hey.”
“Hey. Ready for lunch?”
She glanced at her watch. “Dang. It’s twelve already?”
“Yep.”
“Give me two minutes.” She finished up the memo she’d been typing, hit save, then logged off her computer. “Let’s blow this joint.”
They lounged inside a corner bistro in walking distance of the office. Eunice gave him blow-by-blow of her trip to Norfolk—leaving out a few intimate details—while Trevor provided a vivid description of the Mediterranean and Greek Isles.
In the middle of Trevor describing the unique cuisine he’d eaten in Greece, Eunice blurted, “I slept with Blake. A few times. We’re dating.” God, that felt so good. She’d planned to not reveal this to Trevor right away, but she had to tell her best friend. “Say something.”
With a stern expression, Trevor shrugged. “What do you want me to say?”
She chuckled. “That you’re happy for me. Or at least, pretend to be.”
“Of course—”
The waitress strolled to their table to take their orders of grilled cheese sandwiches and potato soup. When she moved away, Trevor continued.
“Of course I’m happy you got some. I’m just not sure I’m happy about who you got it with.”
“I know this is risky, Trevor. I’ve never allowed any man to get too close. You know that.”
He nodded.
“Fear, selfishness, I don’t know. But with Blake, it’s different. When I’m with him… When we…” She studied her hands, unable to find the words she needed.
Trevor reached across the table and placed his hand over hers.
Her gaze rose to Trevor’s. “I’ve never felt this way about another man. No man has ever made me feel like I’m dreaming, like this couldn’t possibly be my life. Blake’s that one, Trevor. The one I can see growing old with.”
“Eu—”
Eunice flashed her palm before Trevor could finish his thought. “I know what you’re going to say. That it’s ridiculous to say he’s the one after only a few weeks with him. And maybe it is, but…I just know.”
“How?”
“The same way you knew when you glanced across the room and locked eyes with Roger. I believe your exact words were: ‘He’s the one I’m going to spend my life with’. Look at you two now.”
A slow grin came to Trevor’s concerned face. “You got me there.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “I just don’t want you to get hurt. I would hate to have to gut our boss.”
She imagined what he wasn’t saying was that he didn’t want to be guilty by association if her and Blake went down in flames. She understood his concern—on both accounts. “Instead of committing a violent felony, just be happy for me.”
Trevor captured her hand. “I am happy for you.”
“Really?
“Really. And for the record, Blake Farrington would be a fool to let you get away.”
“Yeah, he would be, wouldn’t he? Did I tell you I talked him into taking a yoga class?”
She smiled, but Trevor didn’t return the gesture. Did the fact that yoga was usually their thing, and now she was taking Blake, bother him? No.
Trevor eyed her in the way he eyed her when there was something he wanted to say, but was unsure about saying it. On second thought, maybe he was bothered. But why? Roger occasionally ventured to class with him. “I know that look, Trevor. What is it?”
“Blake’s on a blood hunt to find out who’s leaking info to Palmer. I really think you need to tell him about Caleb. You don’t want to get caught in the crosshairs.”
Eunice fell back against the booth. Yeah, she’d contemplated telling Blake. “Caleb and I severed sexual ties a while ago,” she said.
“Yeah, but you’re still in contact with him.”
“Every now and again.” Actually, more recently lately in her quest for answers. “The man has diarrhea of the mouth. Eventually, he’s going to let something slip. If someone in the office is leaking information, Caleb knows who it is. It’s just a matter of time before he tells me.”
“So you’re not going to tell Blake what you’re doing?”
Eunice sighed, contemplating the question. Finally, she said, “No. Blake has enough going on. Plus, just because he’s my boyfriend…” she said in a playful tone, “…doesn’t mean he needs to know my every move.”
The untold truth was she dreaded the conversation she would eventually have to have with Blake about Caleb.
“All Blake needs to know is I have Farrington Sports Management’s best interest at heart.”
***
On his back, Blake pondered how in the hell had he allowed Eunice to talk him into coming with her to a yoga class. Though he would never tell her this, he’d hated every second of the last forty-five minutes. But, honestly, this moment right here made up for all of the insane positions he’d had to pretzel himself into. The instructor had called it savasana. “A pose of total relaxation,” she’d said as she placed a small, narrow pillow—scented with Jasmine—over his eyes.
This would be the perfect time—if the woman had wanted—to rob everyone in there blind. His father’s words played in his head. Trust issues. Maybe his dad had a point. Nah. It never hurt to be cautious.
Refocusing, he attempted to shift into the total relaxation mode. The woman—Mandy, Margaret, something like that—had said savasana was one of the most challenging states, because many lacked the discipline it took to let go completely and allow their minds to escape.
Blake h
ated to admit it, but she’d been right.
Instead of entering a state of relaxation, he’d scribbled a to-do list in his head, thought about the things he would have loved to do to Eunice when she was in the positions the instructor called downward dog and happy baby, and of course, the Fredrick Bass situation.
Who in the hell in the office was stupid enough to betray him? He thought about it a moment. No one was that stupid. Maybe he was being paranoid about this whole rat-in-the-office thing. Maybe Palmer had come across the information in the same manner he had. Nah. Something wasn’t right, and he vowed to find the culprit responsible. They’d regret ever crossing him.
He laughed to himself—or what he thought had been to himself until Eunice popped him on the shoulder. In a whisper, he said, “Sorry.”
“Focus,” she said, in an equally muted tone.
He was focused, as much as he could be. There were far more important things he could be doing at this moment other than lying flat on his back with a pillow over his eyes. Like making deliciously sinful love to his lady. Now that could command all of his focus.
“Find your breath,” the lanky woman teaching the class said.
He was trying to find his breath—whatever the hell that meant; it must have been something important to the process, because the woman kept repeating it.
Ms. M—as he chose to call her—took a deep inhale, then performed a slow exhale. “Relaxation is good for your body.” He heard her suck in another breath, then released it in the same manner as before. “Your mind.” Another inhale, exhale combination. “And your spirit.”
When he found himself holding his breath, he exhaled heavily. This yoga shit is dangerous. Someone could suffocate. He nearly laughed again, but he’d been warned. The room was so quiet that Eunice could probably hear the screams sounding in his head.
“Unwind,” the instructor continued. “Relax your brain. Your forehead. Your eyes. Your mouth. Your tongue.”
Focus, he willed.
He must have accomplished the focus part, because Eunice nudged him and said, “Time to go, Sleeping Beauty.”