Ten Minutes: A Short and Hot Romance

by Megan West

  It wasn’t like she would be insulted by him being hard again, but he didn’t want that little situation to arise. All it took was remembering how it felt to be inside her and his eyes were shut as more come shot out of his cock. He scurried to clean it off the side of the bed and then wiped off his hand and cock, throwing the tissue out; all before she was out of the shower. He cleared his throat and stood up, ripping the comforter off the bed and tossing to the corner of the room to be sure he washed it the following morning.

  It was perfect timing since he heard the shower head shut off and Emily walked out with a towel wrapped around her thin body. Much to his disappointment, she got dressed straight out of the shower and started collecting her stuff. She eyed her cut up thong on the floor and smiled at him.

  “You can keep those as a souvenir,” she joked before walking out toward the bedroom door. She stopped and made a funny movement with her legs before turning to look at him. “Feels odd to walk around in this dress commando,” she muttered. She bit her lower lip coyly as Sam felt his cock give a dull throb. She was still playing with him. She turned back around and walked out of the room. Sam followed behind her and noticed she was heading straight to the front door.

  “You’re leaving?” he asked. As soon as the words had left his mouth, he felt stupid. It was obvious she was leaving. She turned to look at him, eyebrow raised.

  “Yes?”

  They just stared at each other for a moment as he tried to think of something to say. He wanted her to stay or at least to give a hint she might be interested in getting together again. But she wasn’t giving him anything to work with. At that moment he felt like the biggest fool on Earth. He had never had so much trouble approaching a woman.

  Then again, he had never quite been in the situation he was in now. It had been much easier to ask her to be his date to the work event than this. It had even been a smoother time talking about the game, the wager, and claiming his prize than figuring out how to ask her if she would be interested in seeing him again now.

  “Sam?” Emily finally asked. He could tell she wasn’t annoyed or impatient. He had just taken a bit too long to say anything. He felt his face flush.

  “Oh,” he said. “I was just wondering if, uh, you might ever want to get together again?”

  She smiled. It was a toothy big grin, that charming one Sam had fallen for to begin with. He took it as a good sign and felt his body relax. Even so, he wanted to know what she had to say on the matter.

  “Sure,” she said, trying to sound casual. Then she took a few steps toward him and placed her hand on his forearm. “Get together for what, though?”

  “What do you mean?” He had an idea what she meant by that question, but he wanted to hear it directly from her to be sure. The last thing he wanted was to answer a question she had never asked and then come off as an ass. He had no idea why he was suddenly so nervous about all this. Maybe it was because he had never tried to make something more out of a one-night thing.

  Though they had flirted more than once prior to him asking her to be his date to the work event, somehow the way they got along on the date all pointed to it being a one-time thing and that was okay. But once they went through with everything and he realized how into her he was, he wanted more. He hoped she did too, but he couldn’t be sure without asking.

  So he waited on bated breath for her answer.

  “You know, do you want to get together again for another fun night or do you mean like a date? No pressure, I’m good either way. Just wanted to know what to expect.”

  Sam felt relief spread through him. She was leaving the door open to ask what he really wanted. And while he really wanted to have sex with her again, he had enjoyed her company also and wanted to get to know her better. It had gone from casual flirting, to casual sex, to wanting more of both in a less casual way.

  That was a first for him and he wasn’t about to let it slip through his fingers.

  “How about both?” he asked, sounding a bit too desperate. He felt like kicking himself. He was never this ridiculous around a woman.

  Emily smiled and nodded. “Sounds good to me.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before turning and walking out the front door.

  Sam stood there, in the hallway, for a few minutes after he heard her pull out of his driveway and saw her car zoom past outside the front window. His face lit up with a grin.

  He had definitely gotten more than he bargained for, and that was the best ‘ten minutes’ of his life.

  *First Free Bonus Novella *

  Chapter One

  Alyssa’s long blond hair flowed freely in the wind as she pedaled her bike faster and faster. She wasn’t in a rush to get anywhere or trying to get away from someone; she was on her Saturday morning bike ride and her hair tie had just snapped.

  Luckily, she was pedaling downwind so her hair whipped about behind her rather than cutting across her face. She was nearing the end of her ride around the park’s bike track so she pedaled at her fastest before slowing down gradually. A couple minutes later she casually rode out of the park toward the parking lot to secure her bike on the back of her mini-SUV.

  She hopped in her car and drove off toward her house to shower, have breakfast, and get ready for the day. She had made a long to-do list, but had shortened it in favor of having dinner and drinks with her friend Jessica. They had not actually hung out in a couple weeks due to insanely busy work schedules that were vastly different. But that was a rare occurrence. She usually saw Jessica at least a couple times a week.

  After showering and drying her hair, Alyssa walked over to her closet to pick an outfit. They were going to one of their favorite restaurants, a French Bistro in the heart of the downtown, and then heading to a chill bar for a couple drinks before calling it a night. She wasn’t much interested in getting too done up since she hoped it would be more of a low key night out with her friend.

  So she opted for a pair of tight, black skinny jeans and a red silk tank paired with some basic black wedges. The silk tank clung to her round, pert breasts enticingly, but showed little cleavage. She looked at her reflection and was pleased with her appearance so she applied some light makeup and threw on a few bracelets before walking to her living room to watch some television. Jessica would be by to pick her up soon and she wanted to relax before heading out.

  The night out was uneventful, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable. Their dinner was delicious, as expected, and they caught up with a couple old bar buddies where they went to get drinks.

  “I can’t believe we used to be regulars here,” Alyssa told Jessica over the rim of her margarita. She wasn’t looking to get wasted so she had ordered something delicious that wasn’t all that strong.

  Jessica laughed and swallowed the sip of martini in her mouth.

  “Really?” She scoffed and looked around as she took another sip. Alyssa knew just the thing she was going to say. “You used to be a lot more fun so I’m not surprised.”

  “Hey!” Alyssa blurted as she shoved Jessica on the arm.

  It was true however, she had far outgrown her party phase but it had really been just that– a phase. At 27 years old, Alyssa was a relatively calm young woman who had always been that way, except from the ages of 23 to 25 when she had let loose and have fun.

  It was like she had wanted to explore a different side of her when she first moved to the city and was reunited with Jessica but, as enjoyable as it had been, she was past it.

  “It’s not like I’m a boring person, you know.”

  Jessica laughed and drained her martini glass. She raised her arm to call the bartender for a refill before turning back to face Alyssa again.

  “I know. I’m just messing with you,” she laughed. The bartender came back with her new martini and Jessica immediately took a big gulp. Alyssa looked at her. It had been a long time since she had seen her friend drink like that.

  “Long week?” Alyssa asked.

  Alyssa believed her because
she knew what Jessica’s schedule was like and she knew how stressful her job could be. The expectations placed on her friend were rather extreme not to mention her direct supervisor was beyond rude and condescending.

  Jessica hated working for her and was just holding out until she could transfer to a different department or branch within the city. Alyssa nodded and then looked around. The crowd looked to have changed since she used to frequent the bar, but then she thought it was probably her who actually changed. Suddenly, she started to feel like she didn’t quite belong there, but then thought it was probably ridiculous. It wasn’t as if she didn’t like going out at all any more, she just wasn’t a wild party animal by any measure.

  They both finished their drinks and decided to split a cab back to Alyssa’s place. “It’s closer so I can just come back for my car in the morning,” Jessica said.

  As soon as they got back Jessica almost immediately fell asleep on the couch with the television droning on. Alyssa laid awake in bed for quite a long time. She wondered about how it was possible for her life just a few years ago to have been so drastically different from what it was now. More accurately, she wondered how it was possible she was so drastically different now from then.

  It had been a two-year fluke and it wasn’t until Jessica had set her thinking about it now that she realized just how insane it had been. She didn’t want to be a grumpy boring person and she doubted she was, but in comparison to age 23, she felt she was well on the way.

  “You’re being ridiculous,” Alyssa muttered to herself as she turned to her side and shut her eyes. She was intent on getting some sleep that night and she needed to stop thinking about such trivial things. It would do her no good in the end anyway.

  The next morning, she walked into the living room to find Jessica already gone. It was a breezy Sunday morning so she opened up her balcony door and let the breeze flow freely into her apartment as she made pancakes from scratch and listened to French music. Jessica had always joked that was cheesy of her, but Alyssa didn’t mind it.

  There was no feeling in the world quite like listening to her favorite music and cooking as she enjoyed a gentle breeze. And those types of days were rare so when they did come she took full advantage of them. It wasn’t until breakfast, which she had chosen to enjoy out on her patio as the sounds of the French music drifted out, that a realization hit her.

  And it was with that realization that panic ensued.

  “Jessica!” Alyssa was shouting into her phone’s receiver just moments later. “The gala is this week! How on earth could I forget?”

  Jessica stayed dead quite for a moment before responding, “And you still haven’t even picked your dress, have you?” Alyssa shook her head as if her friend could see.

  “I’ll be over soon,” Jessica said before promptly hanging up.

  Alyssa stared down at her cell phone screen. She wondered what exactly Jessica was going to do to help her, but she would be finding out soon so she picked up her plate and mug to wash it before Jessica arrived. After finishing cleaning up the kitchen she went to her room to throw on some printed legging and a grey sweater so she wouldn’t be slumming it in her pajamas when Jessica arrived, not that it really mattered. Shortly after that there was a knock on the door and Jessica walked in.

  “I’m here to save your ass,” Jessica told her with an air of importance as she walked straight past Alyssa to grab her laptop off the coffee table and open it up.

  “Excuse me?” Alyssa said. She walked over to drop down on the couch next to her. She didn’t really care that Jessica helped herself to her laptop. They were perfectly comfortable with each other and Alyssa knew it was in her own best interest. Not just that, she knew she could actually trust Jessica.

  It was a couple minutes later when she pushed the laptop onto Alyssa’s lap. Alyssa looked on the screen to see a web page dedicated to dress rentals. Her jaw dropped as she turned to look at her friend.

  “Really?”

  Jessica nodded enthusiastically. Alyssa couldn’t believe a website like that even existed, but Jessica had been absolutely right– she saved her ass.

  Chapter Two

  It was Wednesday afternoon, which meant Alyssa left work early so she could have plenty of time to get ready for the gala. She had hung the dress up on the hook placed on the back of her closet door and it remained there, untouched, until now.

  She pulled it out and took a look at it again before putting it on. It was splendid. It was floor length and made entirely of purple lace layered over the purple slip beneath. All the material was high quality and the design was amazing. It had a square neckline that was flattering for her breasts without revealing so much cleavage to be inappropriate for what was, essentially, a work function.

  Alyssa particularly liked the small back detail where it opened up to reveal a smooth expanse of skin. It was the perfect combination of elegant and sexy and it suited her. She styled her hair up in an elegant twist and applied her makeup with great care before finally slipping on her stilettos. She looked in the mirror and was shocked, but in a good way. She had never been done up like that before, much less wearing a designer dress.

  While Alyssa was certainly not poor or even close to it, she wasn’t really in a position to buy gowns that cost upwards of a thousand dollars. Besides, she never really attended events or went places where such a gown would be necessary. She snapped a photo of herself and sent it to Jessica. She was pleased with the positive and enthusiastic response her friend sent back.

  At precisely 7pm, Alyssa’s doorbell rang. She took hold of her clutch and walked to open it. As she suspected, it was the driver who was sent to pick her up and take her to the gala where she would meet her boss.

  The ride was comfortable and smooth. She had been in luxury passenger cars before because of work, but it felt different now that she was being taken to such a special event in one. When she first moved to the city she could have never imagined attending such a prestigious event one day in the future.

  The sedan pulled up the driveway where the attendees were being dropped off by their drivers. Alyssa felt her stomach flutter as a man opened the door for her and escorted her straight up to the man holding a guest list. As soon as she was inside she went on the hunt for the boss, even though she really wanted to look around and admire everything. But she knew it was best to find him first and then she could have a look around.

  It wasn’t long before she found him as he had been thoughtful enough to wait for her near the entrance. He was talking to a woman who looked to be about Alyssa’s age, only she seemed to be quite used to wearing the expensive gowns to prestigious galas. Alyssa walked over and her boss, Aiden, as he turned to greet her with a smile.

  “Amanda, darling, this is my associate. Her name is Alyssa McConnell.”

  Alyssa stretched her hand out to shake hers. Amanda smiled brightly at her and Alyssa was struck with how beautiful and charming the woman was. She found it intriguing how a woman, or a person in general, could ooze with so much charm even from such a simple action. Amanda was a bit taller than Alyssa and gorgeous, but it didn’t make Alyssa feel any less confident in the way she looked. As she met more and more people who seemed perfectly at home in such clothing and the event however, she started feel a bit out of place.

  Alyssa wondered why her boss had asked her to join when there were plenty of other people he could have asked. She started feeling like she had at the bar when she felt suddenly out of place. It was like she had been taken somewhere she couldn’t get a grasp of no matter what. She swallowed hard, as if she could swallow away the feeling, and then took a step in closer to her boss.

  As he walked with her toward their assigned seats he held out his arm for her to take. It was gentlemanly of him and she didn’t think there was anything strange or flirtatious about it.

  Once they were seated, Aiden leaned over to her, “I’m glad you were able to join me tonight.”

  Alyssa turned to see a strange smile on
his face she had never seen before and her stomach did a little flip. That was the first time she ever questioned one of his motives, but she smiled and nodded before turning to look toward the podium. She didn’t want to think too much on it or place any sort of emphasis on her sudden realization that, perhaps, Aiden had some sort of interest in her as a woman and not only as his co-worker.

  It wasn’t long before the host started his speech. Alyssa was grateful for that. She wanted to be saved from another awkward moment with Aiden. Although she knew it was possible to have another one, or many more for that matter, once it was time to dine and mingle at least she was safe from it for a while. Once the speeches were over and the honors had been done, Alyssa found herself excited for the three course dinner that was sure to be top of the line. Just as dessert ended and the people were beginning to mingle, her eyes locked onto a handsome man approaching their table. Right at that moment Aiden excused himself to go speak to a business partner.