by Melody Anne
He backed her up until her legs hit the table. She stood pressed up against the hard surface. There was no escape. Her breath quickened, making her breasts rise and fall faster against his chest. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were swollen from her nervously chewing on them.
Her eyes were still rounded in fear. If it had only been fear, he may have been able to pull out of his anger but he also saw some excitement in their depths. She still wanted him but she was fighting herself, as much as she was fighting him. He needed her now!
He felt a low growl rumble from his throat. He closed the small gap between them, crushing his lips onto hers. He grabbed her neck to pull her closer, pushing his tongue against her lips, demanding entrance.
She reached her hand up to push him away but instead she ended up gripping his shirt. She couldn’t stop her own body’s betrayal. She was on fire as his lips turned from almost abusive to seductive. He accessed her mouth and then tangled his tongue with hers.
She could feel the heat pooling in her core as he deepened the kiss and pulled her so close to him she didn’t know where her body ended and his began. Her hands slipped up behind his neck and she found herself pulling him closer.
He groaned, as she tangled her tongue with his. She couldn’t get close enough. She pressed her aching core against his arousal and was surprised to find out the groan she heard was her own voice.
He suddenly grabbed her hips and sat her on the table, moving so he could fit between her thighs. Her silky skirt slid out of the way and then he was pulling her forward. The table was the perfect height, so he fit against her in the most intimate way possible. He ground his erection against her core, needing the clothing to be out of the way.
He couldn’t think beyond anything but his need. He was hungry and only she could satisfy him. He broke the kiss long enough to trail his lips down her neck. He whisked the shirt off of her in seconds and then gasped in pleasure at the scrap of lace, which was barely covering her incredibly luscious breasts. They were spilling out of the material, begging for his touch.
He didn’t disappoint her. He unlatched her bra and then cupped the glorious weight in his hands as he brought his head down to take her hardened, dusky pink nipple into his mouth. He sucked the pink bud deep inside his mouth and felt his erection jump as she groaned out her pleasure. The noises of ecstasy were quickly pushing him to completion. He couldn’t think, hell he could barely stand there.
He moved his head to lavish her other nipple and then brought his lips back up to hers, no longer being able to keep from kissing her. As he continued to kiss her with years of pent up passion he undid his pants and then ripped her scrap of panties away. She groaned as he pressed up against her moist opening.
He reached down with his hand to feel if she was ready for him. She was wet, hot and tight and he couldn’t wait one second longer. He removed his hand and with one quick thrust, pushed himself deep within her core.
He groaned in complete ecstasy, as his shaft was gripped by her tight folds. He wasn’t going to last long. He continued to kiss her, as he grabbed her hips and thrust deeply in and out. She was crying out in pleasure, as he pushed his long length deep inside her body. She was surrounding him with her tight heat and it was the most pleasurable thing he’d ever felt.
He’d never had such intense or pleasurable sex in his life. She’d been a girl before, she was all woman now. She yelled out and then he felt her tight heat start gripping him in convulsions. Her entire body started shaking and that was all it took to send him over the edge. He groaned as he shot his release deep inside her.
His body continued shaking as he kept them connected until the very last spasm ran through their bodies. He reluctantly pulled back and then stared down at her. She was flushed, sitting there on the table, with her beautiful breasts exposed and her mouth swollen from his kisses.
Her normally perfect hair was pulled free of the bun and with her flushed cheeks, she was the most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen before. She looked like she’d just been devoured, which made him want to start all over again.
He was getting ready to kiss her, already feeling at a loss without her touch. Her expression changed from one of complete satisfaction, to horror at what she’d done. He knew the moment was over and now was the time for consequences.
She reached her hand up and slapped him hard across the face before he knew what was happening. He was shocked from the sting of it. He brought his hand up to his cheek, feeling the heat. He smiled a bit at the strength she’d exhibited. He’d never had a woman give that reaction after sex. They were usually purring with their content. He knew he was a great lover.
He quickly took a step back, because smiling had been the wrong thing to do. She was furious. “Sorry about that Jasmine but you can’t blame the whole thing on me, you didn’t say anything to stop me,” he said to her, with his normally cocky voice back in play.
He was feeling anything but calm but there was no way he’d show that. If he thought one time was going to be enough to wash her from his system, he’d been very wrong. It would take being with her for a while before he was able to finally let her go. Just the thought of entering her tight heat again was raising his blood pressure, among other things.
Jasmine glared at him and then gathered up her clothing. She looked down at her torn panties with horror and then walked into his private bathroom and shut the door with a resounding click. She didn’t slam it in a fit of rage as so many women would’ve done. The click seemed to make much more of a statement. She didn’t reappear for a while. Derek was grateful for the time to gather himself together.
When Jasmine finally came out of the bathroom, her face was a mask. No one would be able to tell she’d just come apart in his arms. She was almost as good as him at wearing a mask.
“That won’t happen again,” she said to him, in the most professional voice she could muster. He looked at her words as a challenge and he never had been able to resist a challenge.
He said nothing to her. He was surprised she didn’t go stomping out of the office like so many women would’ve done, cursing him, or trying to yell sexual harassment. He was impressed. She sat down at the table and started going through the files again.
He called the secretary and had some drinks brought in and then had her leave the door open. He didn’t trust himself to be all alone, locked up in the office with her for the rest of the afternoon. He was having a hell of a time knowing she was right there, with nothing on underneath that skirt to keep him from touching her again.
They spent the rest of the day calling people into the office for interviews. He wasn’t real pleased to find she was correct about most of the people who came in. Those she’d fought to save were smart and knew how to do their jobs. The only one he was really struggling with letting go was Henry.
At five on the dot Henry poked his head in the door. “Hey, I don’t want to interrupt but I forgot to tell you Gina wanted to invite you over this weekend for some candle party thing she’s throwing,” he said to Jasmine. She laughed her first real laugh since Derek had stepped back into her life.
“Tell her I would love to come. Can I bring anything?” she asked him.
“She also told me to tell you not to bring a thing. She made sure I enforced that since you always go out of your way to make your own parties amazing. She said it’s her turn to pamper you a bit,” he added with a smile.
“Okay I get it, tell her I can’t wait and I’ll see you both this weekend,” she responded.
“No way am I staying with all you ladies. No offense but I’m taking off for the day with the guys to do some shooting,” he said. He then turned and left the room. Derek felt a little bit stupid of his jealousy now, considering the guy was obviously married.
At least he wouldn’t have to fire him. He thought he may even wrangle an invitation to go shooting with them, just so he could swing by the house and check up on Jasmine. She stood up and gathered her Jacket.
“We a
ren’t done yet,” he said automatically.
“I’m done. I have something to do tonight. It’s my normal quitting time and all the other employees are leaving. There’s nothing that will not hold over until tomorrow. Fire me if you want, I don’t even care anymore,” she said with defiance. She didn’t wait for his response; she just marched out of the room.
He sat there, a little stunned and a little turned on. He wasn’t used to being defied, ever. He was both impressed and irritated. He wasn’t sure which emotion was stronger. He decided to call it a day and gathered his stuff to head out.
It wasn’t until he reached his vehicle he realized he hadn’t used protection. He couldn’t believe how stupid that had been. He never forgot to use protection, it was just one of those rules he was emphatic about. He was sure he had nothing to worry about but he’d keep an eye on her over the next few months. He guessed her job was safe for at least that long.
Chapter Five
Derek got home and found his cousin sitting in his den with a drink in his hand and a smile on his face. He was immensely pleased to see the man. They were closer than any brothers could possibly be.
“I’m going to have to talk to the doorman again about keeping the riff raff out of here,” Derek said, not meaning one word of it.
“Yeah, I know what you mean, it seems like they will let any old bum in off the street nowadays. There’s no more home security,” Drew replied.
“At least we agree,” Derek said.
“How are you doing, Cuz?” Drew asked him.
“I’m great Drew, and you?”
“Well since I found your hundred year old scotch, I’m feeling pretty good,” Drew said, with an impish smile on his face as he held up the expensive bottle, which had considerably less liquid in it.
“Okay if you’re going to drink my best stuff, then the least you can do is pour me a glass,” Derek said, as he shed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.
“No problem. How’s the corporate take-over world treating you?” Drew asked, as he handed him the glass.
“I finally got my company,” Derek said with a genuine smile. He didn’t have to explain what that company was. Drew had grown up with him. He’d been there when Jasmine left him and he’d been there by his side as he plotted his revenge.
Drew was from the same area he was and had been just as determined to get out. It had always been him, Drew and their other cousin Ryan. Their fathers were all brothers so they shared the same last name. Ryan’s parents had died in a horrible auto accident when he was ten years old and he’d moved in with Drew, next door to Derek. The three boys had been inseparable.
They’d all left at twenty years old and made successes of their lives. They stayed in touch, as much as their work would allow and sometimes Derek really hated the distance that divided them.
“That’s beyond great Derek, how did it all happen?” Drew asked with genuine interest.
“David was a very poor business man and all I had to do was bide my time and wait him out. He finally made one too many mistakes, leaving the doors wide open for me to come in and take over. It has felt great but I thought I would somehow feel more, like some completion or something.”
“I think you’re just growing up and getting revenge isn’t as important as it once used to be for you. What are you going to do with this one?”
“I’ve decided to keep it intact. The product is actually top quality and there are over five hundred factory employees who would lose their jobs if I divided it up. I think they will do a spectacular job once they are getting paid what they really should,” Derek answered.
“Turning soft hearted on me, huh? What happened to my cold hearted snake-of-a-cousin?”
“I guess like you said, I’ve grown up and can think beyond myself once in a while,” Derek said, a bit uncomfortable with the praise.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell your secrets to the world. They can all think you're still a jackal,” he said and then punched him in the arm.
“Okay enough about me, it’s been too long since we last talked, tell me what you’ve been up to,” Derek demanded.
“I just got back from Spain. We opened up another resort. You have got to come stay there, she’s a beauty,” Drew said. He pulled out a folder and Derek looked through the pictures. It was certainly an impressive resort, with all the bells and whistles.
“It has three Olympic sized pools, a full use spa, a couple top of the line workout rooms and so much more. It’s a ladies paradise and a man’s dream. I should get an award for this place,” Drew said enthusiastically.
Derek decided he’d take a vacation there, once he finished with the employee situation. He’d seen the beginning phases of this new resort and hadn’t realized it had been so long since he’d spoken to his cousin.
Derek was used to staying in some nice spots but for the last five years he stayed at his cousin’s places whenever he could. He liked to review the service for Drew, since he wasn’t able to be in every place at once but he genuinely liked the resorts as well. They were top of the line and he got better service than he would at any regular hotel.
He’d been able to stay at them without them knowing who he was at first and get an honest review to his cousin but his name was just too big now and the employee’s knew him the moment he walked through the doors. It didn’t matter, the service was exceptional, whether they knew who he was or not.
“She’s my favorite one, so far. You know, it’s a hard life traveling to all these exotic places,” Drew sighed. He couldn’t contain the huge grin that split his face apart. The boys had never been out of the state of Washington until they hit their twenties, so the massive amount of travel they did now was almost incomprehensible.
“I seriously need to allow myself more vacations. Now that I’ve acquired Freeman Industries I can slow down a bit,” Derek said. He was only thirty years old but had experienced so much in his life he felt far older.
“Yeah, I think I see a few gray hairs in there,” Drew goaded him.
“I may be a few months older than you but I can still kick your ass,” Derek said not meaning a word off it.
“Yeah, I’m really scared. Let’s get out of here. I need a greasy burger and a beer. This scotch is okay but sometimes a cold bottle of bud is the only thing that hits the spot,” he said, before he emptied his glass.
“Sounds great to me, Drew. Work has been stressful. It will be nice to go to a grease joint,” he agreed.
Derek quickly ran up the stairs and changed into some jeans and a t-shirt. He slapped on his favorite, worn baseball cap. He smiled as he looked in the mirror. The people he dealt with in the corporate world wouldn’t even recognize him in his off time clothing. He liked it that way. It reminded him of his roots.
Luckily, he never ran into any of them in his favorite grease joint, which happened to be a country music bar that played some of the best undiscovered talent around. He’d even helped a few of the bands, without their knowledge, by sending in their music to some of his connections.
The boys jumped into Drew’s big Ford Pick-up truck and headed out. The bar was about an hour’s drive, when there wasn’t a lot of traffic. During rush hour it could take several hours. Luckily the traffic wasn’t bad and they were sitting at a table in no time at all.
They each ordered burgers, fries and beer, then sat back to listen to the band play. This was one of the few places he knew of that played live music, seven days a week and it was always good.
He felt himself relaxing. He managed to push his stress away and enjoy the conversation with his cousin. The day was turning out to be one of the best he’d had in too long to remember.
He was sitting back, digesting his food and sipping on his beer, when his cousin interrupted his semi-comatose state.
“Have you seen Jasmine yet?” Drew asked. Derek started chocking on the sip of beer he’d just taken. Drew pounded his back, while he struggled to get his breath back. “I guess that’s a yes,” Dre
w surmised.
“She works for the corporation,” Derek finally managed to get out.
“Whoa, how’s that working out? Have you fired her yet?” he asked. Drew knew Derek wanted revenge from the girl who’d broken his heart.
“No, I haven’t fired her yet. I want her to regret her decision of throwing me out, before I toss her on her butt,” he said. The thought of tossing her out was less and less appealing to him. His cousin raised his brows, as he studied Derek.
“I see,” Drew said, as he pasted a smile on his face.
“What do you see?” Derek demanded to know.
“You’re falling for the girl again, instead of the other way around,” Drew goaded him.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Derek snapped. He was angry, more with himself than Drew, because he thought there may be some truth to his words.
“Hey, it’s been ten years and people can change,” Drew said.
“I won’t forget what she did to me,” Derek said to both Drew and himself.
“All joking aside, you’re a smart guy. Go with your gut and you’ll know what to do,” Drew told him. One of the reasons Derek loved Drew so much was because even though the world saw him as one big playboy who couldn’t take anything seriously he was actually highly intelligent and the most caring man he knew. He liked to project an image of himself as the carefree guy but both Derek and Ryan knew better. They were allowed to see a side of Drew no one else got to. “Besides, Cuz, I always thought Jasmine was a real catch and the two of you were meant to be together. Maybe fate is stepping in for the two of you, finally.”
“Okay enough of this emotional crap. Let’s get out of here, head back to my place and drink way too much,” Derek said. Drew agreed with him. They paid the bill, leaving the waitress a very generous tip and then headed out to the truck for the long drive back.
If people could see the cousins in their off time, they’d have no idea how much they were worth. They liked to wear old clothes, which were about comfort verses style and they liked the dive bars far more than the five star restaurants. They’d vowed to never forget where they came from and in ten years-time they had been true to that vow.