I pulled halfway out and then sank in, hard. Fast. The small of her back bucked off the desk as she cried out in pleasure. Pulling her legs up over my shoulders, I rammed into her, my hip bones pounding against the backs of her thighs.
“Yes, oh God, yes,” she cried, and I found her clit with my thumb, circling over the ripe, swollen button of need.
I thrusted hard and fast, fucking her soft, slippery folds until she moaned and cried for it harder. “You’re so fucking tight,” I grunted and nipped the inner part of her knee as I completely lost myself inside of her. Nina. Perfect wet and ready Nina. Over and over, again and again, I slammed myself into her until my balls felt tight and drew closer to my body. An orgasm pulsed from my dick, shivering its way up my entire body until I was convulsing, falling over her.
I continued to thrust through each shivering throb until my climax was abated. Until I was certain that I had milked every last drop deep into her pussy before I collapsed on top of her.
I was enjoying laying there, our bodies pressed together, my fingers strumming over her back like the strings of a guitar. It felt… right. No, right wasn’t the correct word. Being in her arms felt like home. And I never wanted to leave.
Which was rare for me. I liked my sex fast, hard, rough… and anonymous. When it was over, I typically lost interest. A commitment-phobe, my ex-girlfriends had labeled me. And they weren’t wrong. I knew from the beginning with each of them that something was wrong—and not with them. We broke up as amicably as we could, I suppose. I just didn’t feel it. When I was spending time with my exes, I always found myself kind of wishing I was elsewhere… drinking with friends or my brothers instead of at dinner with a beautiful woman. I couldn’t picture myself sharing a home with them, having children with them, sinking inside of them night after night and not getting bored.
But with Nina? I could picture it. All of it. I saw our home—a beautiful two-story gated house near Runyon Canyon, where we could hike with Harley. I saw our wedding, our dinners—night after night of heart-pounding sex. And I saw children. Never in my life had I desired children. But the thought of Nina’s belly swollen with our baby made my heart thunder inside my chest. I wanted that fantasy.
And I wanted it with Nina.
Now, I just had to convince her to want the same thing.
Chapter 6
Nina
What have I done?
I had just finished telling Missy every dirty detail. Okay, well, maybe not every dirty detail… but she got the gist. I dropped my forehead to the table at Guiseppe’s as Missy stared at me, mouth agape. “I think we’re going to need another bottle of wine.”
“And a round of cannoli,” I added. Booze wasn’t my go-to feel-good option. It was Thursday night… almost a full work week since Sam and I had had sex. On my desk. On my first day at work.
Missy gestured at the server for another bottle of wine and two cannoli. Dutifully, she quickly brought them both over, and I barely waited for the wine to be poured before I grabbed my fork and dug into the flaky pastry.
“I thought you said he was a manwhore?” Missy said, opting to sip the wine rather than demolish her cannoli, like I did.
I groaned and rubbed the heels of my hands against my eyes. “He was,” I said, then quickly corrected myself. “Is.” But even that didn’t feel true any longer. Because the way he held me after we finished—the way he dragged his fingers up and down over my back and caressed me, cleaned me up after and helped me get dressed, felt intimate. It didn’t feel like a frustrated fuck to release the sexual tension between us.
Dammit. That would have been so much simpler. He was tender and sweet and he had tried checking in on me several times throughout the week. Thankfully, I was able to avoid him through Sarah and stuck my assistant on him every moment I could.
Not that I wanted to see him and Sarah together. I’d rather gouge out my eyes than watch him start a relationship with her. But for now, it was a good distraction to avoid talking about us… whatever us actually was.
Missy’s eyes lifted, moving over my shoulder. “Well, that manwhore seems to only have eyes for you.”
I bit off another chunk of cannoli and, with a mouth full of ricotta and pastry, asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Thirsty Thursdays at Guisseppe’s,” a deep voice rumbled from above me.
I froze mid-bite and turned to look at where Sam stood, still in his gray pinstripe pants, pink button-down shirt and patterned tie. Never in my life had I seen an actor dress up to go into a studio office every day like he did.
I glanced around, looking for his brothers, our producers, editors… anyone who might be here with him or catch us here together. “How did you know I’d be here?”
“Sarah,” he said, rocking back on his heels. “She’s pretty easy to get information from.”
“I bet she is,” I muttered and took a long sip from my wine glass.
Sam’s eyes narrowed at me. “I wouldn’t know any other way she was easy,” he said. “I only have eyes for one woman in our office.”
“Harley?” I asked, brows cocked and fully loaded like a semi-automatic weapon.
Missy leaned in, resting her elbows on the table. “Oh, is that his assistant.”
“My dog,” he clarified, that cocky smirk lifting the corners of his mouth. That same mouth that had been between my legs days ago, doing magical things to my body. “And sure. Maybe you’re right… I’ll always have eyes for Harley. She’s my top dog.”
“Oh,” Missy said, scrunching her nose. “I thought this was about to get juicy.” Then, reaching into her purse, Missy pulled out her wallet and tossed some cash down. “I should get going anyway,” she said. “Leave you two to talk.”
Sam smiled. “Thank you, Missy.”
I pursed my lips, shaking my head at my best friend. “You don’t need to do that. Sam was just leaving, I’m sure—”
“Actually, that cannoli looks awfully good. Maybe I’ll order one for myself.”
Missy gave me a little wave, hiking her purse onto her shoulder, and as she crossed behind Sam to leave, she pointed at me and mouthed, Talk to him.
This could not happen. I couldn’t sit here with this man I’d had sex with on my desk on the first day of my job and … what? Talk? Kiss? Let him smear cannoli cream on my body and lick it off…?
Fuck. My sex pulsed at the thought, and I shoved back in my chair, standing and tossing some twenties onto the table with Missy’s cash. “I was just leaving, too.” I’m sure I way overpaid, but I didn’t even care at the moment. I just needed to get away from Sam.
He followed me out of the restaurant. “Why are you avoiding me?”
“I’m not,” I objected.
“You are. I tried to take you to lunch on Tuesday…”
“I already had lunch plans.” A total lie. I ended up scurrying out of my office and eating my salad in the ladies’ room to avoid running into Sam somewhere.
“And Wednesday?”
“I brought my lunch and ate before you asked.”
He huffed a sigh as I impatiently hit the button to cross the street where my car was parked.
“And I attempted to schedule meetings with you all week—”
“I was busy. Honestly, Sam, it’s my first week on the job, and because I let you bend me over a desk, you think you should be my priority? Are you that threatened by my power and position over your show that you think, because I let you fuck me, your show is somehow safer than the others?”
The light turned and I started walking, intensely aware that the footsteps beside me had stopped. A few steps into the crosswalk I turned to find Sam still standing where I had left him—face pale, brows drawn together, and lips tight.
Oh, shit. I went too far. “Sam—” I retraced my steps, getting out of the crosswalk and back onto the sidewalk beside him, but he countered my few steps, retreating back.
“That’s what you think?” he growled. “That I’m some needy bastard wh
o just wants you to dote on him? That I had sex with you because I thought it would renew our show for another season?”
“No,” I said, and my voice cracked. I opened my mouth to speak. To clarify what I meant. To say something… anything… but words failed me, and I stood there entirely speechless. That wasn’t what I thought. At all. I just… I wanted to hurt him. And to a man like Sam… someone so incredibly powerful and dominant, it was probably the worst insult of all.
“I had sex with you because for days, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Ever since you poured soup all over my head, I couldn’t get you out of my mind. When I closed my eyes, it was your eyes I saw. Your voice I heard ringing in my ears. I had sex with you because I craved your body more than anything… and I think you craved mine too.”
“I did. Sam, I’m so sorry—”
“I’m not finished talking, Ms. Miller,” he snapped. “Because after the sex… I had hoped it would satiate my desire for you. But it didn’t. If anything, it was worse. After that, I didn’t just want your body… I wanted you. Because I liked you, Nina. Fuck, I—” he gave a snarl and thrusted his hands into his hair. “I think I fucking love you. But never, not once, was I using you to save my show. I give zero fucks if Silhouette Studios cancels our show. You know why? Because we’ll be just fine. We have our live shows and our tours, and I have no doubt another network will pick us up.”
Hot tears pricked the back of my eyes, and I covered my mouth, shaking my head. “I-I don’t know why I said that. I don’t think you would do that, Sam. I’m just, I don’t know… scared. I’m scared of how much I feel for you and that I screwed up so bad having sex with someone I work with on my first day.” A breath shattered in my chest, trembling, and I bit my lip to keep from crying. “The truth is, I was hired to be unbiased. And I can’t be now. Not with my feelings for you, not with our relationship. I’m going to be fired… in my first week on the job. Even if I don’t disclose our relationship to HR, it’s now a question of ethics. I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.”
Sam’s face softened and he stepped forward, cradling my cheek. “I love you. I love how smart and powerful you are and how you can run circles around any man at our studio. And I will still love you if you cancel our show because of the liabilities. So, it’s not a question of ethics. You’ve given our show changes to implement—and you’ve made it perfectly clear. Make the changes, and we get renewed. Fight the changes, we get canceled. So, the real question is a lot more simple than one of ethics… the real question is… Nina Miller, do you love me?”
I licked my lips and looked up into his deep, chocolate-brown eyes, softer than velvet. Did I love Sam Murphy? How could I answer that? We’d only known each other one week. Only had sex once—after which I avoided him like the plague. Love like that was the sort of thing college cheerleaders boasted about, not high-powered attorneys with a penchant for busting balls in the office. “I… I don’t know, Sam.”
He nodded and brushed his thumb across my bottom lip. “When you figure it out… you let me know, okay?”
He leaned down and swept his lips lightly over mine before he turned and walked away.
Chapter 7
Sam
Three days after that night on the sidewalk outside of Guiseppe’s, my brothers and I were back to filming our next episode with Nina’s various rules taped to the wall of our tent.
Dom read the list out loud. “No lewd conduct? Has she seen the show?”
I sat in my chair, sweet Harley laying at my feet, and sighed. I didn’t need to read the list, I had memorized the damn thing. “Do you want to be renewed for another season?” I asked.
Josh rolled his eyes. “That’s a dumb fucking question, of course we do.”
“Then we follow the new rules. It’s that simple.”
“And what if we can’t be funny on a leash like this?” Cal asked.
I shrugged. “Then I don’t think we’re the comedians we thought we were. Come on. It’ll be a challenge.”
Josh sighed and scrubbed his palm over his face. “Okay, so how do we make the show even more family-friendly than it was?”
That was a good question. A lot of our bits were pre-written and concocted. But a lot of what we did was improv… knowing us, the editors already had their work cut out for them, trimming out our more indecent jokes. But what Nina was asking was that we not make those jokes in the first place, thereby cutting out the potential for a lawsuit.
Beside me, Harley stood up, placing her chin in my lap. I smiled down at my rescue dog. She was getting up there in age, and the thought of losing her broke my damn heart. Nope, not going to think about that yet. We had years left.
“Well, I guess we could—” Harley shifted and whined again… she probably needed a walk.
“Could you take your dog out before she shits in the tent?” Cal said. For some reason, of the four of us, Cal never got the animal gene. My other brothers and I all had rescue animals and loved them like family members. But Cal was weird about dogs and cats.
I narrowed my eyes at my brother as an idea percolated. “Our dogs and Dom’s cat,” I said.
Josh shrugged. “What about them?”
“We use them more in our challenges.” Hope bloomed in my chest. It was a good idea. “People love animals… they especially love seeing them on TV. And our fans really love when we fuck with Cal and make him uncomfortable with them.”
Cal rolled his eyes. “Great, so now every joke will be at my expense?”
Josh put a finger to his mouth. “No, this is a good idea. We could have a bit with picking up their poop in the park.”
“And maybe come up with ridiculous names for them that we have to convince strangers are real,” Dom chimed in.
I grinned. It was a good bit. Granted, just a start, but I felt better and stronger that we could do this within Nina’s guidelines. Now, if only Nina would talk to me. Ever since I laid it all out for her, she was doing what Nina did best… avoiding me. Which was understandable. I was learning that this was how she processed her feelings. She needed time. And I was willing to give it to her. As much as she needed.
Speak of the she-devil, Nina popped her head into the tent. “Hey guys,” she said, her gaze flicking to me briefly before scanning my other brothers. “Everyone ready for today?”
Josh and Dom nodded. Cal grumbled an answer. And when she finally looked at me for confirmation, I gave a single nod. “We are.”
“Ava said she’s ready for you in the makeup chair, Sam,” Nina said.
I pushed my way up as Cal snorted. “Don’t expect me to walk that dog of yours.”
Josh rolled his eyes. “I can do it.”
“They need you for a sound check,” Nina said.
I grabbed Harley’s leash from the corner and gave a whistle. She trotted over to me and sat like the best girl ever. “I’m sure Ava can wait a few minutes.”
“Here,” Nina held out her hand. “I can do it. I’m not really doing much except supervising today, anyway.”
“You?” I asked. Her eyes looked more lavender than blue today and they flashed at my question.
“Yes me. I litigate millions of dollars in negotiations, I think I can handle a walk around the park.”
I shook my head. Shit. “That’s not how I meant it,” I said. “I’m just surprised. I didn’t think dogs were your thing.”
She tilted her chin higher in defiance, squaring her shoulders. “I had a dog growing up. Granted, she was smaller than this… but I don’t mind taking her.”
What was this? A peace offering? Was she working out her feelings for me? Or was this simply as it seemed… a company employee helping out in order to keep us on schedule? “Okay.” I handed the leash over to her, and as her fingers wrapped around the nylon strap, they brushed over mine.
Electricity jolted from her touch up my arm, and my heart beat faster at that single touch. The glossy way her eyes blinked up at me and she sank her teeth into her bottom lip cause
d my dick to stir. For the first time in days, hope sprang. This was a peace offering.
I released the leash and held the tent door open for her. “I’ll walk with you on my way to makeup,” I said.
A smile spread on her face. “That’d be great.” Her eyes shifted to my brothers before that smile tightened, and I saw her expression shift from that of my lover to my boss. “Just to make sure Harley is okay with me.”
I nodded. “Yes. For Harley’s sake.”
With a glance back at my brothers, all of their expressions were different shades of what the fuck is going on? But I completely ignored them and followed Nina out of the tent. It was completely unlike me to keep any secrets from them… especially from Josh. But this wasn’t just my secret to keep. Nina needed time, and if she wasn’t ready for anyone at the company to know, I respected that.
When we were alone… or mostly alone, because there was always crew running around doing something, Nina took a deep breath, wrapping the leash around her wrist as Harley tugged, pulling her deeper into the park. “So,” she said.
I waited for her to add to the thought… but she didn’t. “So?”
She cleared her throat. “You, um, you haven’t come by this week at all.”
I nodded, shoving my hands into my pockets to keep myself from touching her—from reaching out and stroking the back of my knuckle against her soft arm or linking my fingers with hers. “That’s right. I said I’d give you space.”
“Right, right,” Nina said, looking at the ground. Her black stilettos were even higher today, and I swear, I’d never understand how women could walk in those things… but thank God they could because Nina’s legs had never looked sexier. “I guess I, um, kind of missed seeing you around.”
I knew Nina… even though we hadn’t had much time together, I knew what she responded to. She loved being the mouse, even if she was the top dog in the office. She wanted to be chased, captured, then deliciously, slowly tortured… by me. And not having me pursuing her was the best thing I could have done to help her realize what she wanted.
Her Top Dog: An Alpha Man Workplace Romance (Rescue Me Book 2) Page 4