by Ivy Layne
The scent of sweet peas wreathed her damp skin, going straight to my head and I almost forgot why I had her here. I was lost in her lush body, and her moans, and the rock of her hips against me. She wanted more and she was too overwhelmed to know how to ask.
Reluctant, I pulled my mouth away and slid down the couch, turning her so she half reclined in the corner, her upper body supported by the cushions, her legs splayed wide.
Dropping to my knees, I reached up to hook my fingers in her white lace panties. I was going to have to take her lingerie shopping because this pair had to go. It was in my way. The fragile lace didn’t put up much resistance as I tore the side and pushed it down the other leg.
Finally.
Fucking finally, I had what I wanted.
Violet’s sweet, wet pussy only inches from my mouth. At the sound of tearing fabric, Violet’s head cleared enough for her to realize where she was, and where I was.
As I’d guessed she would, as soon as she understood what I was about to do, her body went stiff. Her hands went to my head, ready to push me away. I didn’t give her the chance. I’d tease her later. I didn’t have time now. Her clit was swollen, peeking out from beneath its hood, begging for my attention.
I closed my lips around it and sucked.
She tasted of salt and woman. At the hard pull of my mouth, she half-shrieked, half-moaned, the stiffness draining from her body. Her fingers sank into my hair, not pushing me away, not pulling me deeper, just holding on. Anchoring herself as the unexpected pleasure pulled her under.
I feasted on her, as I had at her breasts, but more. I wanted her taste on my tongue forever. I sucked and kissed and licked. I drove my tongue into the heart of her, scalded by her heat, filling her with one finger, then two.
I fucked her with my hand and my mouth, sucking her clit hard and deep until she went stiff again, every muscle pulled tight as I drove her to the peak and pushed her over.
Once wasn’t enough. She shuddered through her orgasm, her body shaking with fine trembles as she whispered my name in halting sounds and tried to pull herself back together. I rested my cheek on her thigh and watched.
The jerking rise and fall of her ribs, the way her rough breaths shook her round breasts. The goosebumps that rose on her skin, the flex of her gently rounded stomach, the ease that took her as the orgasm faded.
She was just coming back around when my wet fingers stroked down her pussy in a light, teasing touch. If she hadn’t been so aroused, so sensitive, she would have barely felt it. As it was, she shivered and whispered, “Aiden, what are you—you can’t—”
“Shhh,” I said, my face so close the rush of air blew across her clit, and she shivered again.
“I haven’t—for you and—I can’t again. I’ve never—”
“You can,” I promised. “And you’re going to.”
I lifted my head from her thigh, catching her eyes with mine. Disbelief and arousal and a hint of greedy desire swirled in her twilight gaze. I stroked my fingers lightly down her pussy again and she strained into them.
I couldn’t tear my eyes from hers as I dipped my fingers inside until they were slick and slid them up to circle her clit. She gasped and rocked up into the teasing pressure.
“How? How can you—?” she begged, her breath ragged.
One long lick that ended with my tongue pressed hard into her clit and she fell silent. I teased her entrance with my fingertips, almost losing it as she rocked into them, drawing me inside.
Fuck.
I was going to fucking come in my boxers like a teenager.
Getting my mouth on Violet was better than the best wet dream I’d ever imagined back then. And she thought she was bad at sex? I’d never had a woman I wanted as much as I wanted Violet. I wanted to make her come all day. I wanted to come with her, fucking her so hard and deep she’d feel me for weeks.
Not yet. Not fucking yet. I poured all of that need and desire into eating her pussy, reveling in every gasp and moan. Her head rolled back into the leather, eyes squeezed shut. Working her with my fingers and my mouth, I pushed her higher, harder, until she shattered, her legs closing around me, fingers knotted in my hair.
She was fierce in her pleasure, like a goddess demanding worship, and I gave it willingly. I gave it fucking happily. I’d worship her pussy all day and all night if she let me.
Every muscle in her body went limp as bliss faded into contentment. Drying my slick mouth against her leg, I moved up the couch and resettled her, pulling her into my arms, cradling her head against my shoulder. Her hand rested on my chest, fingers absently stroking as she breathed slowly, in and out, every so often letting out a deep sigh.
Her hand moved down, lower, and lower. When her fingers grazed my belt buckle, I caught them, drawing them back up to my chest. She shifted. I tightened my arm, holding her in place.
“Not now,” I said. “Not this time.”
“You don’t want me to—?” Her question faded away in uncertainty.
I hated seeing Violet uncertain. Even when she had no idea what the fuck she was doing, she always held together her façade of unerring confidence. I wouldn’t be the one to pull it apart.
Pressing a kiss to the top of her head I said, “I do. I really fucking do. But not now. This was for you. And for me. You have no idea how long I’ve been thinking about getting my mouth between your legs.”
Her body hitched, and I wasn’t sure if I’d shocked her or she was choking back a laugh. Maybe both.
“When I get you naked and alone, when I have you all to myself in a nice big bed, I want you to do everything you want to me,” I promised. “But we’re going to need more room, more time, and more privacy than we have right here.”
Violet melted into me, letting out another of those deep sighs. She toyed with the buttons of my shirt, the silk of my tie, winding the fabric around her fingers and tugging it straight, over and over.
Her hair had come loose, and I worked my fingers through the long strands, stroking and petting, not ready to let her go. I was half-asleep, and Violet’s eyelids had long since slid closed, when the faint murmur of voices filtered through my office door.
The office door I’d closed, but not locked.
Fuck.
Just as I was convincing myself it was only a security check, I heard Gage’s voice, followed by Sophie’s softer tones.
Fucking, fucking, fuck.
Violet heard them a second after I did. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone move that fast. She sat bolt upright, eyes flying wide in shocked panic. They flashed across the room at the door, then scanned wildly for some escape. She was off the couch and scrambling for her shoes a second later.
“Bathroom,” I said, nodding in the direction of my private washroom. With a jolt, she was gone, her bared breasts half covered by her jacket, shoes in her hand. Her torn underwear taunted me from the carpet and I shoved them in my pocket, standing as if I was in no rush and packing up the containers from dinner. Only the faintest of rustling sounds reached me from behind the closed bathroom door.
I was behind my desk, tie straightened, pulling on my suit jacket, when the door to my office swung open.
“You almost done?” Gage asked.
“Just about. What are you two doing here?” I knew Gage had been home because he wore a T-shirt and jeans instead of a suit.
“We’re on our way out to dinner, but I realized I forgot my wallet in my desk. I took it out to look for a business card and then shoved it in a drawer and forgot about it.”
“It’s a little late for dinner,” I commented.
Sophie, tucked into Gage’s side, bit her lower lip and stared at the carpet with an expression so guilty I had to stop myself from laughing. I’d walked in on them often enough to guess why they were running late.
In a grave voice, I said, “I see.”
She bit her lip harder and Gage gave her a tight squeeze. “We’ll walk you out.”
Fuck. I couldn’t think of a good
reason to say no. I’d been putting my jacket on, so they knew I’d been about to leave, and Violet was trapped unless I could get Gage and Sophie out of my office.
“Sure,” I agreed as if I didn’t have a woman stashed in my washroom. “Go ahead and grab your wallet, I just need to take a last look at these papers and then I’ll be ready. One minute.”
Gage gave me a suspicious look, but let Sophie pull him from my office. The moment they were gone I crossed the room and rapped softly at the washroom door. Violet had managed to restore herself to order. Under her breath she said, “My purse is in my desk drawer. Keep an eye out while I get it and I’ll go down the stairs.”
I didn’t like the idea of Violet creeping away like we had something to hide, but I said, “I’ve got you.”
She had her purse in her hands and was disappearing through the stairwell door before Gage and Sophie got back to the elevators. We’d beat her down to the garage, but that wouldn’t matter since her car was two levels below the executive spaces. She might technically have been part of the executive team, but that didn’t rate a parking space near the CEO and owner.
I caught the scent of sweet peas and Violet and leaned against the opposite wall of the elevator from Gage and Sophie. Gage eyed my rumpled shirt and messy hair and said, “You look like you slept at your desk.”
I wasn’t going to admit I didn’t have bed head—I had sex hair. “I’m tired.”
With the gentle look that was vintage Sophie, Gage’s wife said, “You need to get more sleep. You can’t run on all cylinders all the time. Eventually, the stress will catch up to you.”
“She’s not wrong,” Gage said.
“Of course, I’m not,” Sophie agreed, “I’m a nurse. I know what I’m talking about.”
“I know you do,” I said. “And you’re right. This weekend should be relaxing once I get business out of the way.”
Gage gave me another of those suspicious looks. “And you’re going by yourself, right?”
Shooting him a grin I said, “No, I’m not.”
Chapter Fourteen
Violet
There was no way I was going into work. I couldn’t do it. I got up when my alarm went off and dragged myself into the shower, still half asleep. I’d tossed and turned for half the night trying to decide what to do.
I’d thought what happened in the limo was the most mind-blowing experience of my life, but that was nothing next to what had happened on Aiden’s couch.
I’d read about oral sex in books. I’d had two boyfriends I’d done it with—me giving, never receiving. They’d both said returning the favor was gross and a little weird. It was clear Aiden didn’t share their opinion.
My body tingled in memory. Enthusiasm didn’t quite cover it. Aiden had put his mouth on me like it was the only thing he’d ever wanted, like kissing me there, licking me there was more important to him than anything on this earth.
And he’d made me orgasm twice. Twice. I didn’t think that was possible. Another thing I’d read about and written off as exaggeration.
I was vaguely sore between my legs and had beard burn on my breasts. I wanted to go back to the night before when we were alone, and this time I wanted to do everything. I wanted to strip off my clothes and then his. Wanted to touch him. I wanted to feel him inside me, get my hands and my mouth on that hard cock I’d only felt through his clothes.
Another mystery. What kind of guy didn’t want to get his back? He’d made me come three times and hadn’t even let me touch him.
Aiden Winters was so far beyond my understanding of men, I didn’t even know where to start trying to figure him out. I reminded myself that there was no point in trying to figure Aiden out. All of this was temporary.
No, not temporary.
It was over.
I couldn’t walk into that office and face him. There was no way I was going back there.
It wasn’t just what had happened in his office. And the limo. It was more than that. Somewhere in between Aiden feeding me cannoli and racing down the stairs, my heels so loud against the concrete I was sure I’d be caught, sure at every landing the door would pop open and Gage would be there with his accusing glare—somewhere in there I’d realized that I couldn’t do it anymore.
I’d started this stupid plan thinking I’d be at Winters, Inc. a few days, I’d find some dirt on Aiden Winters, I’d threaten to expose it if he didn’t give Chase his company back, and that would be that.
In retrospect, I’d been an idiot. Anger didn’t bring out my best reasoning skills. When I was furious, bone-deep enraged, I acted like a moron. My temper lost me my first job. My temper got me kicked out of my parents’ house. And my temper had convinced me I could best Aiden Winters.
The truth was, there wasn’t any dirt to find. Aiden Winters was a good man. Not an angel or he wouldn’t have scammed Chase out of his company, but everything else I’d seen had convinced me he was essentially a good person. He loved his family. He looked out for his employees. He ran a charitable foundation for heaven’s sake.
My heart twisted in my chest at the weak words. Aiden was more than a good man. He was sweet and thoughtful. He was bossy as hell and brilliant. He carried so much on his shoulders—his family, the company—and he never faltered.
He took care of everyone in his life and no one was taking care of him.
Not your job, I told myself, firmly. So very much not your job.
It wasn’t. This was over. Not just because I’d realized there wasn’t any dirt to find on Aiden. No, it was over because, as I’d raced down the stairwell to hide from Gage, I’d realized that if I found any dirt, it would break my heart.
That was really the end.
I couldn’t talk myself into looking for something I didn’t want to find. I’d failed my brother, and I’d made an utter fool of myself.
Things couldn’t go any further with Aiden. The whole idea was absurd. Even if you put aside the fact that we’d met because I’d lied, and worse had been trying to manipulate him to my own ends, he was still way out of my league. My life was nowhere close to the world Aiden Winters lived in.
If I hadn’t scammed my way into his company, we never would have met. That’s the way it should have been. I knew how Gage felt about me, and I’d seen Jacob’s reserved reaction to meeting me. I wouldn’t come between Aiden and his family, even if he wanted me to.
Standing in the kitchen, staring at the coffee maker and wrapped up in a thick terrycloth robe, I made a decision. Before I could change my mind, I picked up my phone and pulled up my email. It didn’t take long to type up my resignation.
Yes, I’m a coward.
A better woman than me would have quit over the phone, especially after everything that had happened the night before. A braver woman would quit in person. That was the right thing to do, and I cringed at the thought.
Aiden had said I couldn’t leave until he was ready to get rid of me. I didn’t have to ask if he was ready. If nothing else, I owed him three orgasms. Aiden wasn’t the kind of man who’d let that go unanswered.
My thumb hovered over the Send button as I thought about what might happen when Aiden read my email. Maybe I should go out of town for the weekend. Maybe I should move to Alaska. I thought about the Winters’s connection to Sinclair Security and I realized Alaska wasn’t nearly far enough. He’d threatened to hunt me down if I ran.
There was a very good chance that when I quit, Aiden would shrug his shoulders and move on. He was drowning in gorgeous women. He didn’t need me.
But if he didn’t…
If he didn’t shrug and move on, there was nowhere I could hide that he wouldn’t find me. I squeezed my eyes shut and lowered my thumb to hit send.
The phone rang in my hand. Between the sudden vibration and the eruption of sound, I screeched and dropped the phone. Staring in horror, I read Aiden’s name on the display.
Moving in slow motion, I leaned down and picked the phone up off the kitchen floor. The call wen
t to voicemail, but before I had the chance to be relieved, it began to ring again.
Nauseous, I tapped the green answer button and lifted the phone to my ear.
“Have you left yet?” Aiden said quickly. He sounded like he was moving. From a distance, as if he’d moved the phone away from his mouth, I heard him say, “Yep, love you too. See you Sunday.”
“Violet. Are you there?”
“Uh, Yeah, I’m here. I mean, yes. Yes, and I need to talk to you—”
“We can talk on the plane. I’ll be there in twenty-five minutes. We’re going away for the weekend. Meetings in Vegas today, maybe tomorrow if we don’t get things wrapped up. We fly back on Sunday. Pack for business and casual.”
“Excuse me?” That was all I could get out.
“I know you heard me, Violet. You have twenty-five minutes.”
“You can’t just order me to go away with you for the weekend,” I said, feeling my spine go poker straight.
“As your boss, yes I can. But if it would make you feel better—Violet. Sweetheart. Darling. Would you please pack so we can go to Vegas for the weekend?”
My knees went a little weak and I sagged against the counter.
Sweetheart? Darling? What was going on?
I dropped my head, my wet hair falling in my face, and said in a low voice, “Aiden, hasn’t this gone far enough?”
Calmly, Aiden said, “I’ll decide when it’s gone far enough. Pack your things. It’s a four-and-a-half-hour flight, so you can dress comfortably for the plane and change right before we land. I’m leaving now. Twenty-five minutes.”
He hung up.
I stared at the home screen on my phone in disbelief. Maybe I could reason with him when he got here. Or, a sneaky little thought crept in, I could pack and go to Las Vegas with him for the weekend. I could balance the scales before I quit and I never saw him again.
I knew what Vegas meant.
Vegas meant a bed.
Sex.
I had a quick, vivid flash of the night before, his mouth, his fingers, the thick bar of his erection through his suit pants.