Cautious (Sequel to Disastrous)

by Montes, E. L.

  Fuck. I had transferred Stephanie to another department after she texted an inappropriate photo to my phone that Mia had found a couple of months back.

  “Is Stephanie in today?” I had no idea what I was doing, but I was desperate. Still, with the research for relevant case law and the legal memorandum that was due tomorrow, I was at a loss. I needed someone to work on the trial binders, as well as contact all of the witnesses and schedule them to be prepped before trial. Stephanie was the only person I could rely on to resolve this mess.

  I had to call Mia and give her a heads-up. I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable. I was also trying to do the honesty and trust thing. It meant a lot to her and the success of our relationship.

  “She is in. Would you like me to send her to your office?” Stacy stabbed through my thoughts.

  “Yes, please.”

  As I entered my office, I felt awkwardly nervous at the thought of Mia being angry over the situation. We’d been doing very well, especially over the past weekend. It was as if everything was going perfectly. I knew Mia loved me, but the feelings she expressed a couple of nights ago sealed it for me. So being the fucking wimp I was when it came to my girlfriend, I sank in my chair behind my desk and dialed her number.

  “Hello.” Mia answered in a sleepy tone after the third ring.

  “Good morning, beautiful, did I wake you?”

  “Yes, you did.” She laughed. “But I have to get up anyway. I have to study for an exam that’s scheduled for tomorrow and meet your mother for lunch at noon. After lunch, I’m meeting my mother and Megan for some shopping.”

  “Sounds like a productive day.”

  “Yes, it is. What are you up to?”

  Unbuttoning my suit jacket, I leaned back into the chair. “I’m at the office. It’s going to be a busy week with the Di Angele trial coming up next week.”

  “I thought that trial was scheduled for last summer?”

  “Yes, it was, but it got continued as most trials do.”

  “Right, I remember now hearing that on the news. Well, I know you’ll be brilliant.”

  I laughed once while my eyes glanced toward the door. Stephanie popped her head in. Whispering, she said, “Stacy said you needed me?”

  I covered the phone with my hand and responded to her, “Yes, can you give me a minute on the phone?”

  “Sure.” She shut the door, making her way back into the hallway.

  “Marcus?” Mia’s voice pricked through the phone.

  “Sorry, babe. I need to tell you something.” Fuck, I had no idea why I was fucking sweating and nervous.

  The squeak from the bed led me to believe that she shifted—probably sitting up. “Okay, what is it?” She sounded concerned.

  Letting out a deep breath, I pressed my lips together. Here goes nothing. “Do you remember when I mentioned that Ms. Grant had surgery a week ago?”

  “Yes, is she okay? Did something happen?”

  “Oh no, well, she needs another week or two. She’s not ready to come back to work.” Hesitating for a few seconds, I continued, “With her being out, I need an assistant. With witness preparation, trial binders, case law research, and so much more, there’s no way I can do it all on my own. There is only one person that’s familiar with the case and . . .” I trailed off knowing that I was rambling, but couldn’t find the fucking nerves to just flat out and say it.

  “You need Stephanie to help.” She completed for me.

  “Yes. I wanted to let you know first, Mia. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable or keep it from you. I promise it’s nothing more than a professional relationship.”

  “Marcus, that’s fine. I trust you, and I appreciate that you’re being honest. That means a lot to me. Seriously, you have a firm that you need to successfully run and a trial to prep. If she’s the only person who can help, then you have no other choice.” Hesitating, she sighed and then added, “But if she touches you or tries any crap, I will go right down to your office and cause some mayhem. Make sure you let her know that.”

  I laughed at her attempts to sound intimidating, and my breathing became steady. “I’ll be sure to tell her, but I’m positive I can handle myself.”

  “I’m sure you can, but it would make me happier to handle it instead.” The sound of her hopping off the bed and landing on the wood floors came through. I could hear her padding around her room. “Well, I’m going to shower. Are we meeting up tonight? I missed you last night.”

  “I missed you too, but I can’t. I have something to do tonight. I wish I were there to shower with you.”

  “Yeah? Well as you sit for the next few hours with Stephanie, I want you to picture me standing in a hot steamy shower with my hands slowly lathering every inch of me. The entire time my thoughts will be of you, Marcus: the way you touch me, the way your hands feel against my skin, my breasts, and every single inch of my body. Oh, and Marcus?”

  “Yeah?” Sucking in a sharp breath, images of her naked body glistening with soap suds were running through my mind.

  “Only four days until you can have me any way you want.”

  “You do know you’re a tease, right?” My pants felt uncomfortable with the fucking hard on I had. She had been teasing me for fucking days, counting each day down. I swore when I got my hands on her I’d make sure she’d have no choice but to break this stupid fucking bet early.

  “I love you, baby,” she whispered then blew me a kiss and ended the call.

  I waited five minutes to calm down before I opened the door and let Stephanie in.

  ***

  For the next couple of hours, Stephanie and I worked together on the case. At first it was awkward. Neither one of us mentioned the incident that had occurred. Instead, we dived right into the work that needed to be done. With piles of files and documents scattered everywhere, we continued to work persistently. I sat behind my desk, keeping my distance as she lounged on a chair by the coffee table with a laptop on her lap.

  I could tell at first that she was nervous. Every time I was close by to hand her documents, she would fidget with her fingers, shift uneasily, and be sure not to make direct eye contact. I felt bad that my presence was uncomfortable for her. When it was dead silent in the room and all you could hear was the sound of papers shifting or the sound of our fingers typing along the keyboards, I had the urge to start a conversation, but I managed to stop myself. I didn’t want to mislead her in any way, shape, or form.

  I was in the midst of deep concentration on the legal memo I was preparing, when the sound of my office door opening forced me out of it. I turned my head to see who it was and was both shocked and pleased to see Mia walking through the doorway. Her trench coat hung over her arm as her perfect hips swayed with her confident stride. She was wearing the tightest and shortest black long sleeved dress with fuck-me knee boots. I could also tell she took her time to make sure her hair and makeup was at its best. My smile broadened as her lips twitched into a slightly playful smirk. I also wanted to burst out laughing because I knew exactly why she was here and I found it beyond amusing.

  “Hi, baby,” she chirped, leaning in as she planted a long kiss on my lips. She jerked back to a straight posture, and her eyes turned toward Stephanie. Mia’s lips slightly trembled in place and then formed a huge smile. “Oh, hi, Stephanie, how are you?”

  Not taking my eyes off of Mia, I could hear that Stephanie had shifted and made her way across the room. “Hi, Mia, wow you look great. Better than great, you look awesome.”

  Mia’s face slightly slanted as she studied Stephanie. Mia waited a few seconds before responding as if she were biting her tongue. “So do you, Steph.”

  “Thank you. Marcus, it’s only eleven. Would you like me to come back after lunch hour? Say one o’clock?”

  “That sounds great. Thanks, Stephanie.”

  “No problem. It was nice seeing you again, Mia.”

  “Same here, Steph. Take care.”

  I waited until I could hear the so
und of the door close behind Stephanie before fully giving Mia my attention. I angled my head and studied her. She laid her jacket down as her fingers trailed along my desk. She hummed to a tune, attempting to avoid eye contact. My eyes trailed down the V-neck of her dress that enhanced her cleavage. The scent of her perfume heightened my senses. My mind drifted to the thought of forcing her across my desk and fucking her senseless. The thought of being inside of her caused my pants to tighten against my hard on.

  This two-weeks-without-sex bullshit was killing me.

  My eyes continued to trace the flawless curves of her body. My stare-down froze at the end of her dress, which landed at mid-thigh. Wetting my lips, I leaned forward in my chair and ran my hand up her inner thigh. “This is a nice dress. It’s kind of short, though. You usually wear dresses like this when you meet my mother for lunch?”

  “Actually, I do. I dress like this all the time, minus my low-down days. I’m surprised you’re just noticing.” She said sarcastically. Turning her head, she looked down at me, and then her eyes lightened upon realizing something. “You got a haircut.”

  “Yes I did. You don’t like?” I continued to trace small circles on her inner thigh.

  Her lips curled into a smile as she reached for my hair and ran her finger tips through it. “I love it. It’s short but still long enough for me to play with.”

  That small gesture of her fingers caressing my hair caused a burning sensation that shot through me. I dragged my hand higher and cupped her sex as I ran my finger along the seam of the panties. Looking up, I caught that she took in a sharp breath. Standing from my chair, I firmly pressed my body against hers. Out of balance, she sank down on top of the desk. Her breathing became heavier as my palm rubbed against her clit and two of my fingers slipped between her sleek walls. I could feel that she desperately wanted me. She was ready for me in every way: the unsteadiness of her breathing, the quickening of her heartbeat, and fuck, most importantly, how fucking wet she was for me as I worked my fingers in and out of her.

  Desire poured into her eyes as she stared into mine. “Marcus, what are you doing?”

  “Why did you come here?” I demanded in a low tone.

  Her brows kneaded together as her face washed over with frustration. Lifting her hands, she tried to push me away, “Can I not visit my boyfriend at his place of work? Or was I interrupting you?”

  “Stop it!” I grunted as I shoved both of my fingers deeper inside her. Her lips slightly parted as she panted heavily. “Why did you come here?” I asked again, this time my tone harsher. Without answering, she wet her lips and gave me the you-should-know look.

  Leaning in, I brought my face toward the side of hers, my lips brushing her soft cheek along the way. The fresh scent of her hair drove me insane. She let out a slight cry as I removed my fingers from inside of her and ran my hand up the side of her body to cup her breast. She arched into me as she sucked in air between her clenched teeth. With my other hand, I very gently wrapped it around her throat. Her breathing hitched. I felt her heartbeat quicken as my arm lay against her chest. “You came here for a reason, Mia. Tell me. What do you want?” I blew out in a harsh whisper as I caught her earlobe between my teeth and ran my tongue along her flesh.

  “I came here for you.” Her voice was a low whimper.

  “You came to tease me again?”

  Slightly spreading her legs wider, she leaned back on the desk. Her lashes fluttered. “No.” She gripped my hand and brought it back down between her legs. I wanted her to ache and suffer as I had. I gripped her thigh and yanked my hand from her grasp as I brought it up to lie on her waist.

  Frustrated, she huffed out, “Now who’s the tease?”

  Laughing once, I brought my face around to hers so that we were a mere inch away from one another. “What do you want from me?” I caught her bottom lip between my teeth and sucked against her flesh. The cherry scented lip gloss she wore tasted just as good as it smelled. “What do you want me to do?”

  With the sweet warmth of her breath against my face, I couldn’t take it anymore. Gripping her ass, I shoved her against me. I wanted her to feel the effect she had on me, the desperate need to relieve the sexual tension. Lifting a hand, I balled a fist full of her hair and tugged her head back, forcing her to stare at me. I could see it deep within her eyes: the fuck-me look. She didn’t give two fucks about that bet anymore. She wanted me right then and there.

  “You know what I want, Marcus.” She whimpered.

  Tightening the grip in her hair, I brought my lips against hers as I said, “Do you want me to fuck you hard, Mia, or make love to you?”

  Her mouth opened with anticipation as her breathing became evidently needy. “I want you to fuck me hard then make long sweet love to me.”

  I flashed a crooked smile and whispered, “That’s my girl.”

  She melted in my arms the moment my lips crushed against hers: deep, passionate, hungry kisses that were fucking amazing. God, I wanted her more than anything. I longed to touch her, to feel her, to enjoy the way she felt in my arms as her body quivered after her orgasm, the panting and screams as I slammed my cock inside of her. I wanted that feeling right then and right there.

  It was the perfect time, until there was a knock at the door that ruined the whole fucking moment. Mia jerked back as her hand came up to a halt. Cursing a storm, I backed away from her and watched my beautiful, hot-as-hell girlfriend jump off my desk and adjust herself.

  Fuck.

  Fuck.

  Fuck.

  I wanted to kill whoever was behind that door. Cold-blooded fucking murder.

  My head whipped toward the entry the moment it opened. As soon as I saw it was Jimmie, I flipped him the fucking bird. “My bad, Bro, should I come back?” He asked with a mockingly raised brow.

  “No, no, no.” Mia blurted. “I was just leaving.” Catching her breath, she grabbed her jacket and turned to face me. “Sorry,” she mouthed. When she leaned in to kiss me good-bye, I grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear, “You have got to be fuckin’ kidding, Mia?”

  “I’m sorry, Marcus. It’s only four days. A bet is a bet.”

  I pulled her into me again and harshly blurted, “You weren’t fuckin’ saying that a minute ago.”

  “Please don’t be mad, okay?” she whispered back.

  Fuck, I didn’t want to be mad, but my dick was on the verge of exploding. That’s how horny I was. Her eyes pleaded with mine, and I couldn’t be pissed anymore. I let out a deep breath and nodded. “Fine, have a good time at lunch.” I planted a kiss on her lips.

  She gave me one last slight smile, turned, and made her way toward the door. Jimmie gawked at her. “Whoa, you have a hot date, Mia?”

  She smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Yes, with your mother.”

  Nodding, Jimmie smiled, “Ah, well the two of you will be the hottest chicks in the place that’s for sure. Have fun.”

  “Thank you, Jimmie. Catch you guys later!” And just like that, she was out of my sight. My body heated with the adrenaline.

  Jimmie turned his head my way pointed at me and burst out laughing.

  “Fuck you, Jimmie, you fuckin’ cock-blocker.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  MIA

  With wobbly legs, I exited Marcus’ office and treaded toward the elevators. I needed to get out of there fast. Once the elevator doors opened, I entered, pressed a button, and sank against the cool metal barrier. Breathing heavily, I stared at my reflection along the silver-plated wall opposite me. Emerald eyes narrowed back at me with the I-want-to-fuck-and-fuck-now look. The red smeared lipstick was not pleasing. I reached in my purse to grab a tissue and my lipstick. Wiping my lips clean, I gave myself a fresh coat of red. Giving myself one last look, I straightened my dress, teased my hair with my fingertips, and walked out of the elevators and into the lobby to meet up with Theresa.

  If Jimmie had never entered Marcus’ office, there would have been no stopping me. Marcus would’ve had
me, right then and there. I was angry with myself, not for letting myself cave in but rather for thinking that I was being childish with the stupid bet. I just wanted something different for us. Before our separation, we never talked. Everything was resolved with sex. Now Marcus confided in me. He trusted me enough to pour out his feelings and secrets. I didn’t want to lose that. However, deep down, I knew I had to please my man, because I felt that if I didn’t I might lose him to someone else who was more than willing.

  Someone like Stephanie.

  That brought me to the reason why I showed up at his office unexpectedly, overly dressed, with my best pair of four-inch boots, along with my hair and makeup done as if I were scheduled for a photo shoot.

  What was wrong with me?

  Hearing her name over the phone left an unsettled burning deep within my stomach, and as much as I wanted to brush it off, I couldn’t. I did trust him with every inch of my being, but what woman would have just let it slide? Again, was I being childish, or it could just have been me reminding him what he had.

  No, I guess it was juvenile. I was frustrated that I allowed myself to stoop so low. There was no turning back now. What was done was done, and I couldn’t change anything about it. Though, I had to admit seeing the look on his face when I entered his office unannounced was priceless. The way he gawked at my appearance forced me to laugh at the memory.

  I spotted Theresa the moment I entered the Japanese restaurant. Waving her hand, she stood at my approach. “Hello, Theresa.” I leaned in hugging her.

  “Whoa, Mia, you look amazing.” She pulled away from our embrace and settled back in her seat.

  “Thank you. So do you.” She surely did. Theresa was in her early fifties but could easily pass as Marcus and Jimmie’s older sister. With smooth, long, brown hair and bright green eyes that brightened with her smile, she stood at four feet eleven inches. Even with heels, she was tiny. Theresa was also fashionable as she dressed in a classy but sexy way with her cream fitted dress, royal blue peep-toe pumps, and gold accessories. I aspired to be just as chic at her age.