by Kendall Ryan
Squaring my shoulders, I stepped from the elevator and made my way to his office, not bothering to knock before I opened the door and crossed my arms over my chest.
“What was so important that I had to come in on Friday night?”
He looked up at me—almost as if he was surprised I’d actually come—and then offered me half a begrudging smile.
“You look…nice.”
“Oh, I—”
Shit.
I’d forgotten that I’d loosened up a little after work, pulling my hair from its staid bun and letting it fall around my shoulders. My button-down shirt had been unbuttoned to show the slightest hint of cleavage, and I’d changed from my usual slacks into a bright-red skirt that showed off my legs.
“You’re sure you weren’t on a date?” he asked, his laser-beam eyes looking through me.
I shook my head, trying not to read anything into the question. So he was nosy. No big.
“Positive. Once more, not that it’s any of your business,” I added again for good measure.
“I’m glad to hear that. Sit down.” He motioned to one of the seats in front of him, and I took my place carefully, smoothing my skirt beneath me as I sat.
“You’ve been drinking,” he asked, though it wasn’t a question.
“As I said, yes.” I pointed to the glass on his lacquered desk. “Apparently, I’m not the only one.”
“No. I’ve had two myself.” He folded his hands on his desk and regarded me with a thoughtful look. “But I want to make sure you have your wits about you.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
“Because I have an important proposition for you.” His gaze seared my skin, and I crossed my legs, once again feeling like he could see straight through my thin layer of clothing.
“Go on,” I asked, nerves skittering through me like lightning.
“Before I tell you, you need to promise me you’re sober enough to listen.”
I gave him a single nod, not just because I was curious but because the second I’d laid eyes on him, I’d felt sober, though slightly drunk on him. He had that effect on me—of draining away all other outside forces and commanding all my attention in a way only he could.
“Good,” he said. “Now, your performance here this week has been outstanding.”
“Thank you,” I murmured.
“No, thank you. I’m very impressed with your work. So much so that I am not willing to lose you as an assistant, so please keep that in mind as you consider what I’m offering you.”
I frowned slightly. “Okay.”
“I can’t go on like this,” he said simply.
“Like what?” I asked, blinking back at him.
“I can’t work side by side with you while I have a constant erection.”
I drew back, both surprised and sort of turned on by his forthrightness. “Oh.”
“Every time I look at you, I imagine stripping off your clothes and fucking you right here on my desk. And now that I see you in that tiny red skirt…you have no idea how much I want to cross this desk and spread your legs apart so I can lick the space between your thighs.”
I swallowed hard. “Mr. Dane—”
“Jackson,” he corrected. “Ever since the first time I had you, I haven’t stopped thinking about you, and I have to think there’s a reason you’re here now. I’m not interested in relationships, Piper. I don’t have the time or the inclination. But I want you more than any other woman I’ve ever had. And the way your body fits with mine?” He shook his head. “It’s no accident you’re here, that’s all I know.”
“What are you trying to say?” I pressed, struggling to breathe as I imagined him sinking to his knees in front of me, pushing my legs apart, and having his way with me. Teasing my already aching bud again the way he did that night. Tasting him the way he’d tasted me.
“I’m trying to say that I want you. I want you as my assistant, and I want you in my bed.”
“That’s not possible.” I shook my head, trying to fight back the primal urges willing me to straddle him then and there. To forget about what was smart and do what my body was begging me to do.
“And why not? I don’t see why we can’t keep it professional during the day and enjoy ourselves at night. I’ve put a lot of thought into this, and I know we can handle it, if you’re willing.”
“We’ll be caught,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. If he only knew how willing I was. But God, would this be stupid. Foolhardy. Reckless.
“By whom? I’m the boss here.” He shrugged. “I don’t have shareholders I need to keep up appearances for. All I need to do is follow my own instincts, and all my instincts tell me this is something I can’t ignore. I’ve spent all day thinking about you, even though you’ve been wearing those awful clothes to hide yourself from me. Tell me the truth. You’ve been thinking about me too.”
I let out a shallow breath, nodding despite my better judgment.
Because, really, there was no denying it. I was sure he knew, could feel every time I’d come into his office and imagined splaying myself out in front of him. Every time I’d envisioned bending over the desk in front of me and staring out at the city skyline while he pushed into me over and over until I broke apart at his touch.
“See? So we’re in agreement. We’ll be casual sexual partners during non-work hours, and you will retain your position as my assistant during the day.”
“We can’t,” I tried again, straining to hear the voice of dissent that was growing weaker and weaker in my mind. “What happens when one of us gets tired of the other?”
What I really meant was What happens when you get tired of me? Because I couldn’t imagine ever tiring of him…
“Nothing. I think we’re both smart and mature enough to look at what happened fondly and continue working together. You’re an amazing assistant. Nothing has to change there. But this thing between us? It needs to run its course. It’s meant to be, Piper. Do you need me to prove that to you?” He stood, his height dwarfing even the dark skyline behind him.
I shivered. “I don’t know. I can’t choose right here and now.”
“Then let me give you something to help you weigh your options.”
I should have stood right then and there. Should have gotten up and marched out the door without a second thought. But instead, I uncrossed my legs and stood, waiting as he circled the corner of his desk and crowded me until all I could feel was him—the smell of him, the heat of him, his overwhelming presence.
He was everything.
And I could do nothing to deny him.
Chapter Eight
Jackson
As I stepped toward her, my pulse hammered in my wrists and my shaft ached with the memory of the last time we were together—just like it did every time I was around her. I approached, the familiar scent of her lavender and chamomile shampoo filling the air, and it was all I could do not to tell her to get on her knees in front of me right then and there.
But no, right now I had to convince her that we were meant to be lovers. It was my one and only mission. And I never failed a job.
Slowly, I pushed an errant strand of silken hair behind her ear and then twisted it around my finger.
“Don’t you remember how good it was, Piper?” I asked, my voice deep and low. “When I sank between your thighs and licked you?”
She swallowed hard, and I cupped her cheek, stroking the pad of my thumb against her tight jaw.
“You tasted so good, you know that? Every time I see you, I think of that. How good you tasted. My tongue on your pretty pink clit.”
She shivered, and my hand dropped lower, tracing the column of her throat and then the hollow of her collarbone.
“And then, when I’m thinking about you? I think about how good it would be to taste the rest of you. To kiss my way down your neck…” I trailed my thumb up and down her throat again. “And your breasts…” I rested my palm just above the swell of her chest. “And your perfect little
nipples.”
She shivered again, her pupils dilating as she met my gaze. Her breath was coming faster now, and I knew I had her under my spell just as much as I was under hers.
“Do you know what I thought when I first saw you in this tiny red skirt?”
She shook her head, eyes wide, her gaze still trained on mine.
“I thought of how nice it would be to undress you until you weren’t wearing anything but this skirt. And then you know what I’d do?”
She swallowed before shaking her head again.
“I’d grip the hem.” I did exactly that, and she made no move to stop me, which only made my heart pound harder and my blood run hotter. “And I’d hike it all the way up to your waist so that I could see all of you. You know what I’d do next?”
She took a deep breath, her warm exhale fanning against my chest.
“I’d bend you over my desk and use your skirt to pull you into me while I slid my cock into you. Long and deep, over and over again.”
I released the hem of the skirt and then made my way to the collar of her shirt, fingering the first button with a light caress. “So tell me, Piper. What do you want?”
“I want you to undress me, and I want to undress you,” she said without missing a beat.
Excellent.
It wasn’t an answer to my earlier proposal, but it was something. I’d get to be inside her one more time.
“That can be arranged.” I unfastened the top button on her shirt and then worked the rest deftly until the two sides slid apart to reveal a pretty purple bra with little lace detailing. When I was finished, she shrugged from the shirt and reached for mine, making quick work of my tie before unfastening the buttons with enviable speed.
Grabbing the hem of her skirt, I hiked it up exactly as I’d promised and glimpsed the scrap of matching purple panties beneath. At the sight of them, I wanted to sink to my knees and drag them down with my teeth, but Piper distracted me as she reached for my belt and unfastened it quickly before pulling down my fly and dropping to the floor as she lowered my pants.
Carefully, I stepped from my slacks and gripped the desk on either side of me as she guided me back, her knees spread apart ever so slightly as she settled onto the ground just as I’d imagined so many times.
My throbbing length bucked and jerked in anticipation of those soft fingers…that molten mouth.
With one delicate hand, she gripped the elastic of my boxers and pulled them down, allowing my member to jut out in front of her.
“When you think of me, do you touch yourself?” she asked, her voice breathy, needy, and even now, a bit shy.
I nodded and then gripped the base of my shaft to demonstrate. Instead, though, she pushed my hand aside and replaced it with her own, working me up and down as she stared up at me, teasing me with her tantalizing plump lips so near.
“Do you think of me when you touch yourself?” I asked, the question alone making me ache with another swell of longing.
At first, I didn’t think she was going to answer. But then she looked me dead in the eyes and nodded, wetting her lips.
“Yes.”
She gripped me harder, working me slightly faster before leaning in closer and licking my head with one long, beautiful stroke of that tongue.
Looking up at me all the while, she closed her mouth over me, bobbing up and down as she worked the rest of me with her hand, and I let out a little groan as the tip of her tongue stroked me up and down in time with her movements.
“Fuck,” I ground out, and I felt her smile around me as she let out a little moan of approval.
The vibration of her voice sizzled through me, rocking me to my core. I fisted her hair, letting her control the movements, fighting the desire to rush it. To plunge forward and feel the tender flesh at the back of her throat.
She must have sensed my need, because she increased the suction, her cheeks going concave as she drew on my stiff cock, sucking harder, deeper, until I knew I couldn’t take another moment. If I had my way, we’d be able to take it slow the next time or the next after that. Right now, I was like a wild man, desperate to be inside her.
Gripping her hair in my hand, I guided her back until she released me.
“That’s enough. Now it’s my turn.” Taking her shoulders in both hands, I pulled her back to standing and then gripped her panties and broke the delicate string with a snap. The scrap of fabric tumbled to the floor, and she looked down at it for a moment before her hungry gaze found mine again.
“Those are mine now,” I said.
She gave me another wide-eyed stare and a nod, and I bent over to pull a condom from my pocket before rolling it over my waiting shaft. Eyes locked on mine, she slid onto the desk, spread her legs apart to show me every inch of her pretty pink center.
“You coming?”
It took all my effort not to drop down in front of her and lick the space long and deep until she came, but I knew I couldn’t wait that long. I had to have her—and soon.
“No,” I growled and then pulled her from the surface of the desk and flipped her around before wrenching her skirt back up to her waist. “You had your fun. Now we do things my way.”
“And what if I want to do things my way?”
“Then you’ll have to come back for more, I guess.” Her bare ass was round and smooth, and I squeezed my eyes closed because suddenly it was all too much.
“You ready for me?” I asked, my throat so tight with need that I could barely squeeze the words out.
She nodded, and I gripped myself hard before pushing into her wet, waiting heat.
God, how I’d fantasized about this moment—having her here, bent over my desk with the whole city in front of us. I could see my reflection in the wide glass window, standing over her, entering her slow and steady. But all my fantasies and reflections couldn’t compare to the actual feel of her.
She was soft and pliable in my hands, leaning into me as I slid deep and then deeper until I was buried to the hilt. Gripping her skirt with one hand, I pulled her still deeper, and she let out a little satisfied moan.
“Say my name, Piper,” I murmured.
“Jackson,” she moaned, arching back against me.
My shaft hardened to the point of pain, and she used her inner muscles to squeeze me even tighter, encouraging me to ride her faster. But I couldn’t. The second I lost my self-control, I would be bucking into her so hard and fast that everything would skitter from my desk and she’d be gripping the mahogany edges for dear life. We’d be done before we even started.
No, I had to take my time, working her body nice and slow before I took everything she had to offer.
So, with a firm grip on her skirt, I took my other hand and smacked the tender curve of her ass, loving the little yelp she let out as much as the moan of pleasure when I soothed her, kneading the skin gently with my palm.
“Do you like it, Piper?” I asked.
Smack.
“Mmm-hmm,” she murmured, arching her back into my hand as I massaged the space again.
With every playful blow, her channel tightened still more around me, but I held back, no matter how hard it was to continue my slow, steady rhythm.
Smack.
I rubbed her reddening skin, and she whimpered her approval.
“Please, Jackson, I want everything,” she said. “I’m so close. Just please, fuck me.”
Her words pushed me over the edge, and my balls went tight as hot liquid snaked up my shaft. Gripping her hips tight, I pulled back and plunged forward.
Instantly, her walls quaked around me, and she clutched the edge of the desk as her body writhed with pleasure. And then, when her voice broke into a chorus of whimpers, it was all over.
Gripping her skirt with both hands, I thrust into her harder and faster, ignoring the sharp squeaks of the desk as I took her in the deep, dirty way I’d been imagining all week.
“Yes, Jackson,” she cried, and I gripped her hair in one hand, pulling gently as she
gasped and slapped the surface of the desk. Looking at our reflection, I could see the pure ecstasy in her eyes as I pushed deeper with every thrust until my cup of pens skittered to the floor and she knocked my papers down along with them.
“Lose control for me again, baby,” I ground out, and she did, squeezing me so tight that stars shot in front of my eyes while my balls drew up and the coil of tension low in my stomach expanded and, at last, collapsed, shooting waves of pleasure through my body with so much force that I let out a low groan as I pushed into her again and again.
Then it was over and I was shooting into her hard and fast, cursing the damn condom that separated me from her. It was so good, so hot, so intense that I knew this wouldn’t—couldn’t—be the last time.
Chapter Nine
Piper
I’d never look at mahogany the same way again.
Even now, walking home from the office, my cheeks burned with the memory of how Jackson had bent me over the desk and laid into me.
Swallowing hard, I straightened my skirt, irrationally sure that everyone who passed me on the street would be able to smell the sex on me. That they would somehow know exactly what—and who—I’d done. And if they could?
Then they would know, like I knew, that I was the biggest idiot who’d ever lived.
I fumbled for my keys as I reached my apartment complex and then made my way inside and ignored the unsteady click of my shoes on the linoleum floors as I headed toward the elevators.
What had I been thinking? Of course my natural inclination might have been to blame my alcohol-addled mind, but that was no use. The second I’d heard Jackson’s voice on the phone, I’d been stone-cold sober. And when I’d heard what he had to say…
I reached my door and made quick work of the lock before making a beeline for my bed. I needed to lie down, to sleep away what I’d done and forget it ever happened. Who knew? Maybe when I woke up tomorrow, all of this was just some bad dream.