Yours Book 1: Losing My Innocence

by Blue Saffire

  He reaches out for my waist and pulls me between his legs. His stony expression is unreadable. He closes his thighs in on my sides effectively trapping me in place. Despite feeling like I’d done something wrong, heat starts low in my belly from his nearness.

  Placing his fingertips under my chin he lifts my head to meet his eyes. “Tell me my little butterfly, why is it you have not talked to your mother or Luke about me as of yet,” he says shortly.

  “Oh,” is all my brain filter can come up with at first. I wanted to wait to have that conversation with my mother. As far as Luke is concerned, I have been too busy to return his calls. I’ve been sending him text messages that I will call him back when I have time. “I was going to talk to Mother, umm, later.”

  Too bad I don’t even believe my words. My mother can be difficult and I do not need her telling me how wrong I am for Nick and how he can do so much better. I don’t know how to make him understand this.

  “Well repercussions have come with your actions. Get your things, we are both going to lunch with your mother so you can see what your actions have caused,” he demands.

  “But I have a meeting,” I look at my wrist watch.

  “Regina has rearranged your schedule. Bring your laptop and things. As well as anything you may need over the next couple of days,” he says curtly.

  “Wait, the next couple of days?” I ask feeling confused.

  “Yes,” his eyes soften a little as his hand knead my back. “We’ll be working from home for the next few days.”

  “Oh?”

  He nuzzles my neck. “Get your things. We need to go so we aren’t late for lunch. We wouldn’t want to keep your mother waiting.”

  Trying to pull my thoughts together, I reluctantly pull out of his arms and gather my things. My mind is spinning from his warm breath ticking my neck and his large hands soothing my back, not to mention I am trying to think of what not telling Luke and mother about us could have caused.

  Nick stands holding my office door open for me once I have my things. As we step out of my office, he places his warm palm to the small of my back. I nervously scan the office to see if anyone is watching. Nick’s possessive gesture is just that and anyone seeing would read it for what it is. We are half way to the elevator when Norman rushes up to us.

  “Miss. Emilsson,” Norman looks nervously between me and Nick. Nick moves his hand to my waist and pulls me into his side. Norman clears his throat to continue as I try not to show that I am flustered. “Regina asked me to sit in on your two o’clock. I’m familiar with the project. I just wanted to know if you had any notes for me that you wanted addressed.”

  “Oh yes, sure. I have them on my tablet, I will shoot them to you as soon as I get in the car,” I nod.

  “Okay, thanks,” Norman then turns to hurry away.

  I looked up at Nick, then search the office with my eyes warily. “What are you doing?” I murmur.

  “You gave up the right to privacy when you failed to tell your family that you belong to me,” Nick says before bending to take my lips in a kiss too passionate for midday in the middle of the office. He leaves me breathless.

  I am completely stunned as he pulls away and places a kiss to the top of my head. The blush I had been fighting is in full attack. I look up into his face trying to see if he has lost his mind. He just gives me a warm smile and leads me to the elevator. As we wait for the elevator’s arrival, I go from stunned to pissed.

  We step into the elevator and Nick pushes for the main floor. He reaches for my bag, taking it in his hands and then places his other hand on the small of my back again. I can’t hold this in. I thought he understood how much it meant for me to have my coworkers respect me for my hard work, not because I am sleeping with the boss.

  I spin out of his hold to turn on him. “How could you do that to me? I don’t want people to think I got this job because I slept with you. Everyone already knows how hard you pursued me to take the position, what will they think now?” I hiss.

  Nick closes the space between us, pushing my back into the elevator wall. “What they will think is that I hired you as a business decision. What they know is that you have been here less than a week Sephora and your team has the top production rate of any department.

  “Your teams’ financial contribution numbers have tripled and we are only midweek. Forty percent of your teams’ projects are completed or ahead of schedule. You have out ranked all of my execs and I am sure you will continue to do so. So I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks.

  “They all work for me and your performance shows why I hired you. I won’t hide what belongs to me any longer. Following that plan has not worked for either of us and I will not continue with it,” and once again his mouth is taking possession of mine.

  It is the mark of the end of the discussion and his seal on a promise. He meant to let everyone know I belong to him. I lose all my fight and melt into his chest. The elevator bell chimes and he nips my neck just before the doors open.

  I am a bit giddy as his words start to sink in. I know my team is doing great, but I didn’t know we were functioning above everyone else. I have to fight against a fist pump as we climb into the back of the SUV.

  The ride to the restaurant is quiet as we are both lost in our own thoughts. Nick is mostly focused on his phone sending text messages and answering emails. Once I forward my notes to Norman, I try to focus on some work on my tablet, but I am too nervous as my thoughts travel back to my office. Nick mentioned consequences of my actions. I can’t for the life of me figure out what that could mean. Whatever my actions had caused had him pretty pissed off.

  I turn my attention to Nick as he loosens his tie, removing it and loosening the top three buttons of his crisp violet shirt. It doesn’t escape me that he has been matching his wardrobe to mine the last few days. The tie he removed had been a deep purple like my shoes.

  I lick my lips as his tanned skin peeks through the gap in his now open shirt. I am so distracted by his body that I don’t notice when Winston pulls in front of the restaurant. When I hear Winston’s door open and close I snap out of my ogling and release my seat belt that I always wear now upon Nick’s insistence.

  Just as I move to slide out of the car Nick’s snakes his arm around my waist pulling me flush against him. With his fingertips he turns and lifts my face to his taking my lips in a ravishing kiss. “Mine,” he breathes when our lips part.

  I leaned into him nipping his lower lip, then drawing it into my mouth. “Mine,” I gave him his word back as I look up at him through my lashes.

  “That, my little butterfly, is what you are here to prove,” he replies tersely.

  I furrow my brows in confusion as Nick gently nudges me to get out of the car. As I step out, I notice Luke pacing in front of the restaurant with a twisted expression on his face. I am surprised. I wasn’t expecting to see him here.

  Upon seeing us he stops pacing and comes over to me to plant a kiss on my cheek. “Lilla du,” he murmurs, then turns tensely toward Nick. “Lincoln,” he says with a curt nod at Nick.

  Nick chuckles and shakes his head, but reaches out his hand to shake Luke’s anyway. “Lucian.”

  I sigh at Luke’s behavior. I’m not a baby and it is my decision who I choose to date. This is ridiculous, this is his best friend. Why can’t he see that we are happy together and just get over it.

  “Let’s get this over with shall we,” Luke says before a look passes between him and Nick. I am sure that I am missing something here.

  We enter the restaurant and the hostess leads us right to our table right away. As we approach the table I notice a few things right away. One, the hostess has a bust boy rush an extra setting to the table. Second, I notice Nina, Ettie, and Andrew. Lastly, I notice the extremely pretty white woman standing next to my mother. She is tall and thin with light brown hair that frames her beautiful face. She looks to be between Luke and Ettie’s age and she is staring at Nick like he is on the menu.

&nbs
p; All at once things began to click into place. I understand what has Nick so pissed off. It is clear that my whole family has been invited to this lunch, excluding me, had Nick not taken the liberty.

  I round the table to greet my mother kissing her on both cheeks. “Hello mother,” I force out as cheery as I can manage.

  “Sephora, I had no idea you would be joining us. What a delightful surprise. You look lovely, dear. Clarice, I don’t know if you remember her, but this is my youngest, Sephora,” My mother introduces me to the woman that is still ogling my man.

  “Hello, so good to see you again,” Clarice responds in a breathily voice.

  Oh great, she sounds as beautiful as she looks. I narrow my eyes at Nick, whose eyes are locked on me. A smug smirk tugs at the side of his lips. He is enjoying this.

  Before I can respond to Clarice, my mother moves on to finish her introductions. “Nicholas, sweetheart,” my mother purrs as he moves to kiss her on both cheeks. “You look as handsome as ever. I want you to meet Clarice. She is the daughter of a close friend of mine. Clarice has just returned from Paris. She has been modeling over there for the past four years.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Nick says nodding at Clarice, who looks as if she is ready to drool all over him.

  “The pleasure is mine. I have heard so much about you. From Faraz of course, but your business reputation is quite notable as well,” Clarice purrs as she reaches out eagerly for Nick to take her hand.

  Nick shakes her hand briskly, then leads me around the table. Nina and Luke are to the left of my mother, Andrew and Ettie are to the left of them, leaving two vacant seats between Ettie and Clarice, who are on mother’s right. Nick pulls the chair next to Clarice for me to sit in and I sit as gracefully as I can.

  “Oh, Nicholas,” mother frowns so quickly I may have missed it if I were not watching her face. “I thought it would be best if you sat next to Clarice.”

  Nick sits smoothly in the seat beside me. “I’ll be just fine here,” Nick says giving my mother one of his heart stopping smiles that no woman is immune to.

  I flip my hair over my shoulder, drawing Clarice’s attention away from devouring Nick. For a moment, I thought she was actually going to ask me to switch seats with her. She gives me a friendly smile like we are old friends, but truth be told I can’t remember her from anywhere. I start to wonder if she is really the daughter of a close friend.

  “Oh, Sephora, that necklace is just divine,” Clarice says with a sparkle in her eyes.

  My hand automatically rises to my throat to rest on the butterfly pendant. “Oh, thank you, it was a gift.”

  “That would look lovely on a slender neck like yours,” my mother says to Clarice.

  Nick reaches under the table and squeezes my knee as his jaw works under his skin. My brother is wearing a similar look on his face, but I am sure that if I don’t say something soon it is Nick that is going to erupt.

  “That was really sweet of Kimberly Ann. She and Sephora have been roommates since their freshman year in college.” My mother says to Clarice.

  “Actually, it was a graduation gift from my boyfriend,” I say into my lap. Nick pushes his hand further up my thigh under my dress and squeezes again. I look out of the corner of my eye to see his smirk back in place.

  “Your boyfriend,” my mother spatters with her wine glass now frozen midair, on its way to her lips.

  “Oh mother, Sephora is a woman you know,” Ettie rolls her eyes at our mother. “How is work going, Sephora?”

  “Oh, it’s great. I love it,” I say with a genuine smile.

  “Yes, something else you didn’t think to tell me about,” my mother says dryly. “Sephora works for Nicholas at FLI.”

  “Oh wow, it must be a real treat to work for such an amazing man,” Clarice beams as she looks lustily at Nick.

  Nick chuckles. “Sephora is the treat to work with. She has everyone on their toes,” Nick speaks while looking at me with a warm smile.

  “Well, I hope this boyfriend doesn’t distract her from keeping up to your expectations,” my mother says pointedly to me.

  Andrew snickers next to Ettie, but it is quickly cutoff by what I assume is Ettie’s elbow to his side. Nick’s hand flexes against my thigh again. I lift my head and push my shoulders back. Nick is right, I am an executive with my own team. I command the attention of my team and coworkers. I can stand up to my mother.

  Luckily, I don’t have to reply as the waiter arrives to take our order. As everyone places their orders, I honed in on the couples at the table. Luke and Nina seem to be at odds, but they are still being amicable. I notice that Luke orders for Nina and Andrew does the same for Ettie without blinking an eye.

  What surprises me is Nick naturally doing the same for me. “I’ll have the fresh salad and she will have the basil soup,” he starts, placing his hand on the nape of my neck absentmindedly, rubbing the tension out. “We’ll both have the herbed salmon and wild peach rice. Thank you,” Nick finishes handing the waiter both our menus. He turns to me with his eyes sparkling. “They make an amazing herbed salmon. You’ll love it.”

  Oh yes, Nick is making a point and if said point was not already made he leans in and kisses me chastely on the lips. I heard my mother’s gasp of air and I beam inside. I turn to find her with her mouth flapping and Clarice absolutely failing to try to keep her smile intact.

  “I…Nicholas, you can’t possibly be seeing Sephora. She still so rough around the edges. Clarice is much more suitable for you,” my mother stammers.

  I stiffen at her words as they strike me right in the heart. Nick’s hand flexes around my neck, then slides down my back and around my waist drawing me toward him. You would think my own mother would be happy for me. Now Nick knows firsthand why I didn’t want to tell her.

  “Sephora is made for me. She is unbelievably, undeniably gorgeous, positively brilliant and I don’t think I have laughed in my entire life as much as I have since we have been seeing each other,” Nick says all while staring into my eyes.

  “Well, I wish someone would have told me. This makes this terribly awkward and embarrassing,” my mother snaps.

  “Oh, as if you would have listened,” Luke snaps. “I told you that Nina and I are not together and yet here she is for lunch. I also told you, numerous times, that Nick was not interested in dating, yet here is…” Luke waves his hand in the air clearly frustrated and not able to recall Clarice’s name.

  “I just thought that if we found the right one. Someone suitable for him, he would change his mind,” my mother says defensively.

  “I found the one most suitable for me a long time ago. I was just waiting for the perfect timing,” Nick bends to plant a kiss on my shoulder, then another to my temple.

  “You’re a very lovely couple,” Clarice finally shakes herself out of her shock to say.

  “Sephora is the loveliest part of us.” Nick traces his fingers against my cheek, then tucks a strain of hair behind my ear.

  “Yes, well Clarice will be in town indefinitely if you wish to know Nicholas,” my mother speaks with the straightest face ever.

  Nick cocks his head to the side. “In case you would like to know Faraz, I belong to Sephora indefinitely.”

  Laughs around the table are stifled behind hands and coughs, but I am sure Nick has made his point. I for one like the idea of his words, even if I know they are just to shut my mother’s trap.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The Playroom

  The rest of lunch goes by pretty smoothly despite my mother. Clarice even manages to keep her lusty looks to a minimum. Ettie saved the day by pulling the focus to her and the wedding.

  I was comforted by Nick’s PDA throughout lunch. A kiss to the temple here, a kiss to the back my hand every now and then, his hand to my nape or on my back. It all made this relationship sink in and become so real. I hadn’t realized how much of a fairy tale I had been living in until sitting in the restaurant with others actually knowing that I am with Nick. />
  Nick seemed more than pleased with himself throughout lunch and the ride home. Even after a stony faced Luke pulled him aside for a private chat before we left the restaurant. We rode back to the house in a relaxed silence as I curled as close to his side as the seatbelt would let me.

  “Thank you,” I purr as we reach the top of the stairs in the house. I stand up on my toes to kiss his lips.

  “What exactly are you thanking me for?” Him and that sexy grin are my world. He raises his brow at me with those sparkling eyes.

  “For giving me the confidence to stand up to my mother and for being such a sweet boyfriend,” I grin back as I lock my fingers in his hair pulling him in for another kiss.

  “Umm, well, I plan to reward you for such confidence, but you may want to hold the other judgment for after what I have plan for your punishment for putting us both in that situation to begin with,” he says with a sinister smirk playing on his lips.

  I gasp and take a step back. Just as he promised he has been taking his time with me. My mind is racing because I can tell by his words and expression that things are getting ready to change. My belly floods with warmth at the thought and anticipation of what he has in mind.

  “Go to our room and take a bath. Use the bath oils I placed on the counter this morning. I’ll come for you when I am ready,” Nick orders and watches me for my compliance.

  I gulp down a breath and nod my head before turning for the master bedroom. Nick goes in the other direction leading me to wonder where he is going and what he is going to do. He won’t hurt me, he won’t hurt me, I repeated this mantra as I undress and start the bath water.

  I look in the mirror as I pile my hair on the top of my head. I really don’t recognize the woman standing before me, with her glowing skin and lust glazed eyes. Am I really so ready for Nick to introduce me to his world? My nipples are already pebbled and wanting, wanting Nick’s attention and skilled mouth.