by Sage, D. S.
“I got that,” Lily said. “So what is… what is Mr. Bingham doing to keep an eye on that?”
“Not letting anyone get too close.”
Lily cocked her head to the side as Nora pushed away from her desk, one red lock curling over her neck as she perched on the edge of the red pine and peered into Lily’s eyes.
“Word of advice, honey?” she said. “Get up and keep moving. Don’t turn around. If you’re as smart as you sound, you’d do well not to get mixed up with this.”
“With what?” Lily asked. “Is he… is Mr. Bingham in some kind of danger?”
“Mr. Bingham?” Nora said. “Powell’s not fool enough to smash right down on his toes. But he can find other ways to get his point across.”
Lily’s mind spun around what that might mean, and she recalled Powell saying that he couldn’t wait to see history repeat itself. Did that mean that he had played this card before? Imagining some poor soul stepping into the breach without the benefit of Nora’s warning, a part of Lily was ready to step away from the office and save Michael from even one more moment of worry.
And yet…
“So can I,” Lily said. “I can take care of myself. And I am the right girl for the gig.”
Nora chuckled as she tapped her fingers to her chin.
“And you are just so sure.”
She was far from it. Walters’ words echoed in her brain, and Lily realized all too well that there was rage in Powell’s soul and things that he would do to get his particular point across. Even as the mustachioed man’s actions were still steeped in shadows, Lily smelled trouble. Should she heed Nora’s words and just go? Walters could always put in another good word elsewhere. But where would that leave Michael Bingham?
“At least let me talk to him,” Lily said. “If he… if he sends me off again, I give you my word I won’t come back.”
“Seriously?” Nora asked. “Somehow you don’t strike me as the type to just curl up and crawl away.”
“Now who’s the smart cookie?”
The women stayed locked in a heavy moment, and Lily fought hard not to blink as Nora tapped her nails against the edge of her desk. She held her breath and waited until Nora sighed.
“He might have my head if I just let you in his office,” she said. “No thought for me?”
“I’ll keep you out of it,” Lily promised. “Say that you liked ducked out for a cup of coffee or something and I sneaked in.”
“That’ll do wonders for my next review,” Nora said.
Walters always said that when push came to shove, it was always about more than just the bottom line. Tick off who was hired in one column, record the profit margin in a separate space. And something told her that Michael Bingham would push the former aside and see the actual person in front of him if she only got the chance to…
“Nora, if it goes south, it’s on me,” Lily said. “But I just want a chance to look him in the eye. Just one more time.”
Even as she hesitated, Nora slipped towards Michael’s closed door and clutched the brass knob in her hand.
“You better make this fly,” Nora said. “Because I have access to your details.”
Lily leapt to her feet with a smile and started to enter Michael’s empty domain when Nora gripped her arm and turned her back to face her.
“I’m serious, honey,” she said. “I can find your apartment and make you pay if this turns any kind of bad.”
Knowing that she meant it, Lily’s eyes lifted towards the office that was more windows than wall, and she cast Nora a sly wink as she took hold of her hand.
“Not that I don’t believe you,” she started. “But somehow I don’t think it’s going to come to that.”
“We can both hope,” Nora said.
Lily was nearly hidden behind a closed door when Nora’s head darted across the frame, and she whistled through her teeth.
“Try to make it work,” Nora said. “I need this job.”
Lily nodded her head and tenderly grabbed Nora’s hand.
“I get that,” Lily said. “I’m in the same boat.”
Nora scanned her carefully, and Lily watched as the receptionist’s face morphed from frustration to fear. Lily didn’t want her to change her mind and suddenly throw her out, and she was ready to stand her ground when Nora backed off and shook her head.
“We all had to cut our bones somewhere,” Nora said. “And maybe you might even be good for him.”
Lily’s mouth curled towards her eyes, and she wanted nothing more than to fold Nora into a quick embrace and kiss the woman’s cheeks when she held off and lowered her head.
“Thank you, Nora,” she said. “I’m good to wait.”
Chapter 5
Lily grazed her fingers at the edge of his desk and paused before his console. She pictured him typing and warding off the likes of Lucas Powell as he fought to keep his namesake close to the vest. Couldn’t be easy with the likes of the mustachioed man lying in wait, and she was ready to tell him that she could be trusted when the door suddenly flung open, and she started where she stood.
“What the hell are you doing back here?”
Even as he bellowed, Lily stayed strong and lightly pressed her hands to her hips.
“Didn’t like the way we left things,” she said. “And I am the right girl for the job, Mr. Bingham.”
“So you say.”
Michael scoffed as he headed towards his stocked bar and reached underneath the hardwood. Revealing a fresh bottle of scotch, he poured the amber liquid into a glass, drinking fast as he just glanced over his shoulder.
“Called Walters,” he said. “Swore there were no hard feelings. But---”
“Don’t do that.”
Moving carefully, Lily plucked the glass from his hand. She thought about polishing off what was left of the drink when she simply set it aside and stared hard into his eyes.
“If you called Walters,” she said. “Then you already know that he clued me in to what’s what. And I’m not running scared.”
“Maybe you should---”
“Michael?”
Savoring the feel of his name coating her lips, Lily leaned in and felt his breath running around her cheeks. Michael touched her lips, and Lily longed to lick his nails when Michael suddenly pulled back and furiously shook his head.
“I’ll have Nora’s head for this breach,” he said.
As Michael seized her arm, she let him lead her towards the door, but before he could push her out and lay the blame on the redhead’s back, Lily whipped back into the room, bunching his silk shirt between her fingers as she spoke.
“Don’t be mad at Nora,” she said. “I go where I want to.”
Michael’s chuckle was dark as he fingered her arms and brought his touch to her flushed face.
“I get that about you,” he said. “Walters said you were fearless.”
“Absolutely,” Lily assured him. “So you have nothing to worry--”
“But I do,” he said. “I have.”
Michael’s lips moved close to hers, and she was ready to accept his kiss when he pulled back and hung his head.
“Miss Vasquez…”
“Lily,” she whispered. “I want us to be friends.”
“Just friends?” he asked as he caressed her face and breathed into her eyes. Lily moaned at the feel of his warm breath wafting into her eyes, and she blinked past any fear as she wrapped her nervous arms around his neck.
“Or more,” she said. “I can take care of myself. And you.”
Lily held her tongue as she watched his eyes dart in every direction. His gaze finally came to rest around her eyes, and Lily waited for him to speak when he fell into her body and drew her closer.
“Prove it,” he said in a flat voice. Lily felt the power surging through her veins like a sweet shock, and she pushed him to the floor and stood panting around his thighs.
“I can,” she assured him. “Nothing I ever showed Walters, but…”
Lily’s
voice fell off as he reached for her hand and pulled her to his heaving chest. Moaning into his breath bouncing against her breasts, Lily savored the sensation and sighed as she found his hand and dragged it close to her face.
“You could still leave,” he said.
“Is that what you really want?” Lily asked.
Michael stayed silent as he fingered her flesh, and Lily moaned as she clutched his face. Mr. Bingham tried to turn away, but Lily wouldn’t let him go as she leaned down and nearly met his lips.
“Is that what you want?” she repeated.
“No,” he said. “And I usually get what I want, Lily.”
Her soul buzzed around the sound of her name leaving his lips, and she started to kiss him when Michael pulled back and shook his head.
“But I don’t want you in the middle of---”
“And I want to be here,” she said. “With you. I can make everything alright.”
Her lips slowly parted around his, and Lily leaned in to the feel of his tongue mingling with hers. The taste of scotch tinged with mint raced down her throat, and she moved closer to his mouth when he pressed her to the ground and lightly gripped her arms.
“You’re making this hard for me,” he said. “I can’t help but want---”
“Good,” Lily said. “Keep doing that. I want you, too.”
Lily accepted his kiss, adoring the feel of how soft he felt against her mouth. She reached around his back and started to press him close when he stunned her with a quick push of his arms against hers as he lingered above her lips.
“This is a risk,” he said. “If Walters told you anything---”
“So what if he did?” she asked. “Talk is just that. This is the real thing.”
Michael sighed into her skin and stopped fighting when she pushed her palm down the front of his pants. Finding him hard, Lily stroked his tight flesh and delighted in his smile when he lowered his head to her neck and kissed her cheek.
“Don’t know if that’s good or bad,” he said.
“Good,” she said as she cradled his face in her hand and pressed her lips to his brow. She felt Michael’s smile as his free hand went for the buttons of his shirt, and she nearly had his skin under her fingers when he took hold of her wrists.
“But anything could happen to you,” he said. “And I can’t live with…”
Lily watched his face contort, and for a second she thought of taking off. Not because she didn’t want him. But if it hurt him this much, then maybe it made more sense to---
“Lily?”
Michael stretched up and steadied her to his chest, his hands just grazing the edge of his belt as he kissed her again and folded her face in his hands.
“If you stay… Lily…”
He lowered his pants, and she felt him hard and wanting against her thighs as he took her him in her arms and lifted her to the wall. He pressed her against the smooth surface, and Lily spread her legs, her want melting into his. She sighed as he filled her and touched her ruffled hair.
‘Tell me you won’t do anything foolish,” he said. “If we do this… then I have to---”
“Whatever you need, Mr. Bingham,” she said. “Come here.”
Lily held him tighter as she rested against the wall and felt him slipping under her skirt. Michael kissed her hair as his hands ran up her sides, and she dug her nails into his broad back as his pulse throbbed inside her. With each thrust, her body burned, and Lily started to turn her head to the side, her eyes fluttering shut as she savored his feel when he suddenly paused in his pursuit and eased her face back to his.
“I want you to look at me,” he panted as brushed his warm finger against her watering mouth. Suckling on his skin, Lily fixed her eyes on his bright blue stare, and a tremulous sigh left her lips as his touch moved down her chin, her chest, and he wrapped his strong arm around her waist as he pulled her closer.
“Better,” he said in a low whisper. “Stay like that.”
Not wanting to look anywhere or at anyone else, Lily remained in his gaze as Michael resumed rocking against her hips. Her palms flattened against his heaving back, and Lily bit down on her lip when he slowed inside her. Staying in his eyes, she savored his soft kiss on her flushed cheek and screamed her pleasure when he finally released inside her. Suddenly the effort to hold his gaze became too much to bear, and she clung to his neck as his arms enveloped her, his hold tender and firm as he trailed kisses through her hair.
“Let’s… let’s stay like this,” Lily said, her head falling to his chest as she pressed her ear to the pounding of his heart. Michael laughed lightly as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the sofa just beyond his desk. Smiling in his embrace, Lily said nothing as he stroked her back and his breath calmed against her cheek.
“Jesus,” he muttered under his breath as he pressed his fingers under her chin and titled her face to his again. Even as the corners of his lips lifted into a slight smile, Lily took note of the worry still brimming in his eyes.
“So does this mean I landed the internship?” she teased as she patted his cheek.
Lowering his eyes with a light laugh, Michael nodded his head and sank deeper into the cushions taking her contented body with him.
“Probably open myself to all kinds of retribution if I turned you way now,” he said.
“Do I look like the type of girl that would drag your good name through the mud?” Lily asked. Michael appeared to ponder the question before cupping her face in his hands.
“No,” he said. “You look like the type of girl that I want in my corner.”
“Glad to see you came around to my way of thinking,” Lily said as she fell into his mouth, his kiss gentle and in complete contrast to the power wielded by the rest of his taut body. When their lips parted, he eased her to the edge of the sofa ran his finger across her wrist.
“But you need to keep your eyes open,” he said. “Watch your step. Especially when it comes to Powell.”
“What exactly do you mean by that?” Lily asked.
“Come on. You met the man. Do I really need to say anymore?”
“No, but…I mean, there has to be more to the story, right?”
A dark shadow seemed to wash over his face, and Lily saw him wrestling with something he’d rather forget when he just clutched her hand tighter gritted his teeth.
“Just take my word for it,” he said. “But…”
His speech came to a halt and his face softened as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it reverently.
“But know this, I’ll do whatever I have to do to see that nothing happens to you.”
“Nothing?” Lily asked as she brushed her free hand against his thigh and gave him a quick wink.
“Well nothing bad, Miss Vasquez. As for the rest of it…”
He leaned into kiss her again when she pressed her finger to his lips.
“And you are going to teach me something about the inner-workings of your private realm,” she said. “Wouldn’t want Walters to think this was just---”
“Far from it,” he said. “But let’s have a little more pleasure before getting down to brass tacks.”
Lily offered no argument as she fell into his arms and laughed against his lips.
Chapter 6
“And that’s all you know?”
“Not like he’s got a line of girls stretching around the back of the building or whatever,” Nora said. “But you are far from the first to want to learn the ropes.”
“And… and one day she was just gone?” Lily asked. As Nora nodded, Lily carefully glanced over her shoulder and moved to Nora’s side as she lowered her voice.
“Had something to do with Mr. Powell, right?”
“Rumor has it,” Nora said. “But no proof.”
“But Michael’s the boss,” she said.
“So it’s Michael now,” Nora quipped as she tapped her nails under her chin. “You didn’t waste any time did you?”
“Told you I was the right girl,”
Lily said. “Why not… I mean, he could just go through his files or whatever.”
“Something tells me that Mr. Powell isn’t just going to leave a full confession or whatever lying around.”
On that, Nora had a point, and Lily held her tongue as she saw the man of the hour sauntering from the elevator bank and marching down the hallway to his office. Would he have an admission of guilt blazing across his monitor like some kind of a perverse screen saver? Not likely. But the idea of him without some kind of a trophy seemed next to impossible.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Lily said as she left Nora’s desk and headed down the hall.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Nora called after her.
Not exactly knowing what that was, Lily squared her shoulders and stepped carefully towards Powell’s closed door. Reading the name on the plate, she felt a bit of bile building in the back of her throat. The thought of having to talk to the man at all let alone play nice turned her stomach, and if Michael knew what she up to, a smile would be the last thing on his face.
But if she could bring him some kind of prize and pull Lucas Powell from his hair, she felt sure that there were ways that the man would show his gratitude.
Steeling her strength, Lily knocked lightly, and as soon as she heard a grunt from the other end of the door, Lily sucked in a deep breath and turned the brass knob in her hand.
“Well look who’s here,” Powell said as pushed out of his chair and narrowed his eyes in her direction. The man and his mustache circled his desk, and Lily forced a simple smile and tried not to tremble as she tossed her hair over her shoulders.
“Nice to see you again, too,” Lily said. Her heart pounded in her ears as Powell took a small step closer, and even as she cringed at the feel of him pressing a lock of her hair between his fingers, not even close to how Michael made the same move, she stood her ground and didn’t flinch when he flung her hair aside with a sharp smirk.
“Mikey’s new girl,” he sneered. “Little man send you here to do his dirty work?”
“Why would you say that?” Lily asked. “Is that his style?”
“Kid can fill in those blanks for you,” Powell said. He stayed staring down at her as he licked his lips. “But I’d rather do all kinds of other things to…”