by Mia Ford
My feet started moving before my brain could, and before I knew it, I was sitting down next to her, rubbing her back and trying to get her to calm down. She dipped her head into her hands and sobbed silently into her palms. I wasn’t sure if she was crying over us, over everything that had happened, or if something else had struck, and I was just unsure of it. Either way, she needed to calm down in order for us to even attempt to have a conversation.
I sat there feeling completely helpless, not knowing what to do. Suddenly it came to me, so I lifted my hand to her chin and turned her toward me. I leaned in and kissed her lips, tasting the salty tears on her skin. Instantly, she began to stop crying and her sobs turned into heated moans. I grabbed her waist and pulled her close to me, feeling the heat between us rising. She was so beautiful, even when she cried. And as I held her in my arms, I remembered how I had promised her father that I was going to take care of her and protect her from everything. I wondered if that meant protecting her from herself as well. In that moment, though, as our kiss grew hotter and deeper by the second, she felt like the Ava I had fallen for in the first place. She felt like the passionate woman that I lusted after long before I was able to tell myself that I had more feelings than that for her.
I reached down and rubbed my hands up her thighs, feeling the tight jeans encasing her legs. She reached her hands up and twisted her fingers through my hair like she always did. I loved feeling her playing with my hair. It was so personal, so erotic. Instantly, my pants grew tighter and tighter as we both came up for air, not caring about anything else. I moved my lips over her cheeks and down her neck, tasting her, moving her, and calming her nerves. This wasn’t her telling me the honest truth, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. As I went to move my hand further toward her crotch, she reached down and grabbed my hand, pulling her head back and breathing heavily.
“I can’t do this,” she said shaking her head. “At least not until I tell you how I feel.”
I nodded my head and scooted back, giving her some space to think. If nothing else, that show of affection had calmed her enough that I could now understand what she was saying. Her eyes were red and her lips were swollen from crying so hard. I reached over and grabbed a tissue, handing it to her. She smiled as she took it and wiped the tears off of her face. I really couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say, though I didn’t know what to expect at all. Everything had been so back and forth since we met that she could be spilling her guts, coming up with excuses, or she could be there to completely tell me off. I could feel the nerves in my stomach floating around, hoping that she was opting for candor and not anger, something that I hadn’t seen in her yet.
I quickly got up from the couch and jogged over to the fridge, pulling two bottles of water out before heading back over. I opened one and handed it to her, knowing that with the ferocity she was crying, she needed to refresh and renew herself before she could possibly start to formulate sentences. She took several big gulps of the water and sighed happily, using the tissue to wipe the last remaining tears from her cheeks. She was breathing heavily, and she looked really nervous. Just from that reaction, I wasn’t expecting anger from her, especially since when she was angry, she usually came in full speed ahead.
“I’m a mess,” she laughed through her raspy voice. “I was okay until I got into your elevator, and then I lost it.”
“You don’t need to cry,” I said softly. “I’m here. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“I love you,” she said. “I’ve loved you for a long time, but my brain just wouldn’t let me comprehend that. We have been through so much, and I know that we’re perfect for each other. You were right. I was a coward, and though I wanted to be with you, my brain was telling me to stay away. From that, I started getting angry at you for everything. I was trying to push you away in a way that made me feel okay about it. Then, I would get home and realize how much I miss you, how much I love you.”
I sat there listening to her talk, watching her face as it began to light up talking about us and our possible future. I felt like she wasn’t just saying these things to me, but she was saying them to herself as well. She had finally understood what I was trying to say and had humbled herself down enough to take the chance on coming here, not knowing if it would be something I reacted to in a good way or not.
“I know that I have been up and down and back and forth over the last few weeks,” she said blushing. “But I am being dead serious when I tell you that I love you and want to be with you. I tried to get you off my mind, especially earlier on, but no matter what I do, I think about being with you and what that really means. I want to have the career, the family, the boyfriend, and everything else life has to offer me. I don’t just want any man in my life, though. I only want you in it.”
“Even after everything we’ve put each other through?”
“Especially after everything we’ve put each other through,” she said with a smile. “My father talked to me on Sunday morning and gave me his full blessing. He gave us his full blessing, really. With the way I feel now, I didn’t have to have that blessing, but I feel a hell of a lot better knowing that my family is on board with my choices. It gave me the ability to know we could be together without any more outside issues. You could be a part of my entire world, not just the parts that were behind closed doors. I am dead serious about all of this, no going back or letting fear rule me like it tried to on a regular basis.”
“Ava,” I said with a sigh. “I love you, too. I’ve been waiting forever for you to just be open and honest with me about how you felt. I knew you were holding back and that you were scared, but I couldn’t be the one to force you to open up to me about these things. You had to make the decision to do so. You are one of the most amazing women I have ever met, and I can’t think of a better way to spend my time than working and living with you by my side. You have become my partner in crime, the woman who wanted me, not the CEO of MJ, but me, Tanner.”
“It is pretty sexy that you’re my boss.” She laughed and sent me a suggestive wink.
“You’re a mess,” I laughed, pulling her in close.
“So, you want to give this a go, be with each other completely?”
“That sounds absolutely amazing,” I said, pulling back and leaning down for her mouth.
I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in toward me, kissing her with passion. She whined softly as our lips pressed hard against each other, and our tongues tasted the salt on each other’s lips. That moment felt so perfect, so right, and I couldn’t be happier with the way things had turned out. Finally, we could be a couple, a family, without secrets and stressors holding us back. We could make love and know the other person would be there the next day. We could have an argument and not fear that it was the end of everything. We could be a normal couple, well, as normal of a couple as she and I could get. On top of all of that, she would be working alongside me to grow and push MJ to the next level.
If two people could be so completely perfect for each other, it would be us. We were like two crazy puzzle pieces that fit together but was really hard to find. She pulled back, breathing heavily from the kiss, looking me deep in my eyes. She shook her head and giggled, and I smiled curiously.
“You’re my boyfriend.” She giggled.
“That, I am,” I said, laughing. “For as long as you will have me.”
“Mmmm,” she said, leaning her head on my chest. “I can’t think of anything better than having you in my life for as far as I can think into the future.”
I hated Mondays, but this one may have not turned out so bad after all. I had the career, the best friend, and I had just gotten the girl.
Chapter 34: Ava
I grasped onto Tanners hand tightly and peered up at him with a smile as we walked into the restaurant. I looked across the floor and waved at my dad already seated and waiting for us. I had called him when I woke up, telling him all about the night before and asking him to go to lunch with us. He
seemed really happy for me, and that warmed my heart. We walked over to the table, and I kissed my dad on the cheek before sitting down in the chair Tanner had pulled out for me. He reached over and shook my father’s hand, giving him a pat on the back. I was so excited to see my dad and be free to be in public with Tanner as my boyfriend. I reached over under the table and laid my hand on Tanner’s knee, smiling at him as he wrapped his hand over it.
“How was work?”
“Crazy,” Tanner said, shaking his head.
“Yeah, the company had all the new employees in the building in the financial area for a meeting,” I said. “At first, it was like a showdown, but once they started to get to know each other, they actually started to get along really fast. Everyone seemed to be on board with the change management plan, and those who currently work in the building vowed to help the new employees get what they needed to survive.”
“Wow.” My dad nodded his head up and down. “You sound like you’ve got it all together.”
“She does.” Tanner said with a mock grimace. “She’s harder on them than me.”
“That’s like Gestapo.” My father laughed. “You know what? I really missed you as a friend, Tanner.”
“I missed you too, man,” Tanner said smiling.
“And you two look so happy,” Dad said. “You really did pick the right partner in life. Ava, I doubt I could ever be upset with you, even if I tried. You guys have my blessing and support as you go through life. You really showed me how much you have grown up. It’s refreshing but makes me feel old and washed up.”
“I’ll always need you, Daddy,” I said smiling. “And your blessing means so much to me, to both of us really. We wanted to be in a position to be together without any drama or anger, and you made that possible.”
“I will say this though, Tanner,” my dad said looking at him and shaking his finger. “You hurt my little girl, and I will take you out.”
“Understood,” Tanner laughed. “But if you are planning my demise, you might want to hit up the gym. It’s not going to work too well if you are chasing me with your electric scooter.”
“Very funny, asshole,” my dad said.
We all burst out into laughter, taking in the moment and really feeling like everything was starting to look up. I grabbed onto Tanner’s hand, feeling so close to him and wanting him even closer. He looked at me and smiled, leaning his head against mine. The rest of dinner was a blast, sharing stories of when I was a little girl, stories of Tanner getting in trouble when they were younger, and stories about my dad getting into trouble when he was younger. I loved sharing all of this, and though my mother was a pain in the ass, I was a bit disappointed that she wasn’t there as well. My father was trying to work things out with her and had gotten an apartment in the city. They were treating their relationship with kid gloves, and my father said they had started dating again. I smiled at the thought of my dad showing up to the front door with a bouquet of flowers, nerves rushing through him. It was adorable.
I was really interested when Tanner started talking about his childhood. He hadn’t told me really anything about his family, and I was so excited to learn more about him. I wanted to be his closest confidant, his best friend, and his lover. We had no problem in the lovemaking department, but the rest of it had to grow as we did. When lunch was over, my father walked us out, taking in a deep breath of the cool fall air. We said our goodbyes and promised lunch the next week at the same time before climbing into the back of Tanner’s town car.
“I need to stop by my place and pick something up, if that’s okay,” I said.
“Sure,” Tanner replied, leaning up to the driver and giving those directions.
When we got to the apartment and the door was closed behind us, it was like a fire was lit between the two of us. We didn’t jump each other, but instead, he watched me as I walked through the house, looking for the papers I had forgotten. I went back into my bedroom to turn lights off I had forgotten that morning. When I turned, Tanner had walked into the room and looked around. He took two steps toward me and pushed me down on the bed, quickly pulling my pants down and laying them on the dresser. I wasn’t expecting anything like that, but I was more than happy to oblige.
He walked forward, rubbing his hands up my thighs and hooking his fingers in the sides of my white lace thong and pulled them off. He smiled up at me as he pushed my thighs apart, pulling himself up on the bed on his stomach. He leaned his face down into my pussy and immediately started licking it with passion. I leaned my head back and moaned loudly, as he went to town, flicking his tongue against my clit, and circling through my wetness. I relaxed my body into the bed and spread my legs wide, wanting to feel his tongue, wanting to hear his groans as my body moved with the motions of his mouth.
I lifted my hips and began to grind, running my hands through his hair. He moved his hands up and pushed one finger and then two fingers inside of me, wiggling the tips of his fingers inside. I moaned again, wanting more and more as my body grew closer to explosion. He reached up and rubbed my clit with his thumb as his tongue took the place of his fingers. I gripped tighter into his hair, pushing his face into my pussy and fucking his mouth. As the moments went by, it got wilder and more animalistic. I couldn’t help but scream out, feeling his warm wet mouth massaging my mound. He groaned as he sopped up my juices, frantically running his tongue through my folds. Everything in me wanted to fuck him, but this time, I would let him pleasure me.
He reached up and pulled on my hips, smashing his face into my wet pussy. I whined as my body moved in waves against him, feeling the heat in my stomach begin to increase and boil over. He reached back down and began to finger me hard and deep as he sucked on my clit. I took my hands from his hair and grabbed the comforter beneath me, screaming his name as he tipped me over the edge. My back arched and eyes rolled back as I took a deep breath and enjoyed every single ripple of pleasure flowing through my muscles. When the breath left my lungs, a low groan that came from me. His hands slowed and his face lifted from my mound.
When the last of the orgasm had completed, he kissed my folds and stood up, looking as if he were getting ready to go. I sat up and shook my head, turning over on all fours and crawling toward him. He looked down and smiled as I unbuckled his pants and pulled his cock out of his boxers. I stroked it several times, looking up at his face as he groaned and leaned his head back. His cock was already rock solid, so I knew this wasn’t going to take forever. I tugged on his pants until they fell around his ankles, and then, I swung around, sitting up on the edge of the bed. I reached my hands around as I put my lips around the head of his cock and slid them slowly down his shaft. My hands squeezed his ass hard and then came back around, cupping his nuts.
He growled as I looked up at him, my mouth full of his dick. I swirled my tongue around his shaft, feeling every inch of it against the back of my throat. His hands were on his waist, and I grabbed them, pulling them to my hair. He put his palm on the back of my head and pushed me down slowly, making sure I didn’t stop until my mouth was touching the base of his cock. As my mouth pleasured him, I could feel his dick swelling and his neediness increase. He wrapped both hands into my hair and held on tightly, pushing and pulling as I sucked his cock just the way he wanted.
I opened my mouth and throat as he held my head still, thrusting his hips into me, fucking my mouth deep and hard. He kept watch to make sure he wasn’t too rough, but I wanted it that way. Whatever was hot to him instantly turned me on, and taking control of his blow job was, without question, on the list of erotic materials. Suddenly, his motions became stronger, and he groaned loudly as he fucked me harder and harder. I moaned with his cock in my throat, knowing that he was reaching his peak. I wanted to taste him come in my mouth so badly.
He thrust his hips forward, looking down and watching as the shaft flowed in and out of my mouth. I kept my hand firmly placed on his nuts, massaging them as his cock did the hard work. He pushed his hips forward deep and slow s
everal times, the last time, shoving it all the way down my throat and pulsing his hips against my mouth. He took in a deep breath and stepped backward, stroking his cock with his hands. I opened my mouth and hovered underneath his pulsing cock. I could feel it as the stream of his hot seed exploded from the head, streaming over my mouth and chin. I moaned as I licked and sucked on the head, getting every last bit as he shouted out his pleasure above me, his legs beginning to quiver.
When he was done, he walked into my bathroom and grabbed a towel, walking back in and cleaning off any remaining come from my face and neck. He leaned down and kissed my lips. With a smile, he tossed the towel in the dirty clothes hamper and pulled his boxers and pants back on. I reached out and took the clothes he was handing me and got myself dressed again. I sat on the edge pulling on my heels before taking his hand and heading out of the apartment. There was a silence between us, but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. It was complete and showed the level of ease between us.
When we reached work, I went inside and sat down at my desk, glancing up at Tanner sitting at his desk across the hall. He looked up and caught my glaze, flashing his big charming smile at me. I was so in love with that man, and though a week ago, I thought I would never be with him, today was the beginning of the rest of our lives together. We were perfectly in sync with each other in a way I hadn’t ever seen before. We were best friends, partners, and lovers, exactly what I always wanted from him. MJ may be the merger on everyone’s mind, but in my head, the merger between the two of us was the single biggest life changing event I had ever experienced. I was desperately in love with that man, and he was finally all mine.