Admit It

by Francesca Penn

  “No more quickies today, Cayla,” he said as he kneaded her ass.

  “Then stop that,” she breathed “My panties will be too wet.”

  “Then take them off. Then every time air hits your pussy, you’ll think of me.”

  Cayla mustered all her willpower and pushed off him.

  “You don’t play fair, Dex.”

  Cayla looked away from him to keep from throwing herself back into his arms. Her eyes landed on a Lake Tahoe souvenir mug. She picked it up and studied it.

  “Is this where you were trying to invite me?” she asked in a whisper.

  Dex shrugged before answering, “We can try again some other time.”

  She frowned suddenly sad. “I was sexually frustrated and overreacted.”

  “I could have fixed that Friday…” He took a step closer. “…and Saturday…” He circled his arm around her waist. “…and Sunday,” he murmured against her lips before kissing her sweetly.

  He pulled away and handed her the lunch kit. She groaned at the loss of contact.

  “Some leftovers from a simple dinner I threw together last night.” Dex tapped his wrist where a watch should rest before speaking again. “Tick tock. Twelve minutes left.”

  Cayla rolled her eyes. “You’re worried about my schedule more than I am,” she pointed out.

  Dex’s eyes were pure heat. “No. I’m just not interested in arguing later.”

  “Why?” Cayla asked, confused.

  “Because if you don’t leave now, I’m locking you in my room and fucking you until we both pass out. You’ll miss the rest of your workday,” he stated with certainty. “Then again, it might be worth the argument. If I grab you before you make it to the door, you’re staying.”

  The look in his eyes told her he wasn’t playing. Cayla picked up her keys and lunch and ran to the door like her underwear were on fire.

  Work didn’t feel like the noose it had the last few months. Cayla glowed as she settled into her cubicle. She tried to jump back into work, but she was reliving her first orgasm from intercourse and how good Dex felt.

  Dex: Come by after work. I’ll make dinner and take my time with you.

  Cayla: Now I can’t concentrate.

  Dex: Then leave and come back. I didn’t get the chance to taste you.

  Cayla sent him an angry emoji.

  Dex: LMAO. I’ll leave you alone for now.

  Cayla laughed when Dex sent her a gif of Britney Spears saying. “Now get to work, bitch!”

  The angry beast living in her belly made her open the lunch kit. She was starving and hadn’t had anything Dex cooked in a long time. The first box was a fancy chicken sandwich; the next held some type of potato salad, the last was a spinach and fruit salad. He had the dressing in a to-go sauce cup and the mason jar had some sort of lemonade. He’d also included a little baggie of brownies.

  Cayla opened the chicken sandwich and inhaled the delicious aroma. She picked up half of the sliced sandwich and bit into it. She moaned at the delicious burst of flavor on her tongue. She studied the sandwich. Cubes of chicken sprinkled with cheese rested on an herbed flatbread. It was flavored with some sort of mayo, fresh avocado slices, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and more herbs. She took another hearty bite. So good.

  Cayla: Did you make the bread, too?

  Dex: Would you expect anything else?

  Cayla: So good.

  Dex: Thanks, but I thought you were supposed to be working.

  Cayla: Right. Okay, bye.

  Cayla reached in her desk and grabbed a plastic fork out of the box she’d purchased. She’d learned after the whole Cheryl and Darrin debacle that she needed to be prepared to avoid the breakroom. She dug into the potato salad and sighed. Fuck work. The meal needed to be savored.

  Felix stood from his desk on the right side of her cubicle and peeked over. “Cayla, may I ask what has you in such a state of…bliss?” he queried with a smirk.

  “What did you have for lunch?” she asked around a bite of spinach salad. She’d covered her mouth to not appear too unladylike.

  Felix furrowed his brow. “A cup of ramen, unfortunately.”

  Cayla pulled out a plate from her desk – because she had a whole kitchen now – and put the other half of the huge chicken sandwich along with salad and potato salad on the plate. She passed it to Felix with a big smile.

  “Try the sandwich first,” Cayla urged.

  She watched as his perfect teeth sunk into the sandwich, and his thick lashes covered his pale blue eyes. His bite disappeared behind slightly full lips, his neatly trimmed brownish blond beard danced on his jaw, and his face was a mask of pure ecstasy.

  When did Felix become so attractive? He hummed when he tried the potato salad, and damn if that wasn’t sexy. She poured some of the drink from the huge mason jar into her cup to distract herself from staring at Felix. She took a sip and moaned again. Pineapple lemonade.

  Felix eyed her suspiciously and held up his mug. She laughed and poured some from the mason jar. He took a tentative sip and moaned as well.

  “So good. Where did you get this? Did you make it?”

  “That’s a negative,” Cayla laughingly denied. “Get this. He said he’d made me leftovers from a simple dinner he threw together last night.” She purposely avoided the ‘who’ because she didn’t have a title for Dex.

  “No way!” Felix’s surprise lightened up his face, giving him a boy-like charm. “Is it the same guy that sent you flowers?” Felix asked around his food. Cayla nodded. “He’s a keeper, Cayla. You need to marry him for us.”

  “Us?” Cayla teased ignoring the feelings his words caused. The idea of marrying Dex was exciting and scary as hell. If nothing else, the sex would be amazing.

  “Yes. That way I can come over for dinner weekly.” Felix grinned at her, and she felt the need to fan herself.

  Felix quirked a brow at her blank stare. “What’s wrong, Cay?”

  Cayla leaned in and whispered, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but when did you become so attractive?”

  Felix’s eyes shot up to the hairline of his perfectly styled reddish brown hair with natural blond highlights before he let out a hearty chuckle. Some of the other analysts’ heads popped up for a second before they returned to what they were doing.

  “Wow, Cayla,” he said in awe, “that means your mystery man isn’t black. You’re starting to notice the rest of us. Now, I’m really intrigued.”

  Cayla handed him a brownie and studied him intently. “So, you’re saying you’ve always been movie star gorgeous?”

  Felix blushed slightly. “If, by that, you mean my looks haven’t changed in years, then yes.”

  Cayla sat back in her chair floored. “I had no idea. Well, congratulations.”

  Felix grinned. “Well, thanks. I guess.” He took a bite of the brownie, and his eyes rolled in the back of his head. “There’s white chocolate on the inside. Hell, I’d consider dating him for these brownies, and I’m straight,” he admitted between bites. “Who is he?”

  “You know The Food Lab?” Felix nodded. “He’s one of the chefs or managers or both,” she said, not wanting to tell all Dex’s business.

  “Figures. Their food is delicious. The managers and chefs there must make really good money.”

  “Why did you think that?” Cayla asked confused.

  Felix pointed at her desk and pointed out. “I take it the kit you brought the food in belongs to him?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “Cay, that’s a Yeti lunch kit.” He smiled at her when she didn’t see the connection. “Those start at two-hundred dollars,” he supplied.

  “Wow!” Cayla said while staring at the expensive cooler on her desk. “Well, I better take care of it,” she joked. “Well, The Food Lab is on and popping right now.”

  “Yeah. Their service could be better, though.” He polished off the brownie before speaking. “We had this one girl that was more interested in flirting with me than getting our orders right.�
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  Cayla mouth fell open. “Your server was flirting with you while you were on a date?” she inquired in disbelief.

  Felix smiled before correcting her. “Not a date. My sister. Once she found that out, she was relentless.”

  “Sounds like Daniella.” Cayla rolled her eyes.

  Felix’s eyes grew. “That’s exactly who it was!” he exclaimed while pointing at Cayla.

  “She tries to get with Dex all of the time as well,” Cayla revealed before she realized she had said his name.

  Felix’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Marisol was so pissed she asked to speak with a manager. She was red and fuming, then this Greek God – her words – came out with a charming smile and immediately disarmed her. He even told her he’d personally cook her meal. When she moaned and groaned about how delicious it was, I thought it was her being wrapped up in his good looks.” He paused for effect. “And, I’ll be damned if he didn’t say his name was Dex.”

  “That sounds like him,” Cayla supplied.

  “He must be amazing to take you from, ‘I only like black guys’ to dating a blond white man with gray eyes…”

  “Cayla! If you worked as much as you liked to eat and flirt on the job, your work may be worth something,” Craig the Asshole said from behind her.

  All the tension released from her amazing orgasm and wonderful lunch returned in an instant. He was the main reason she planned to leave. Her work was meticulous and always early. Her utilization was through the roof, but it didn’t matter to him. Craig needed a reason to pick on her. Felix’s eyes flashed with anger.

  “I started talking to her. She wasn’t flirting,” Felix hissed.

  There wasn’t anything he could do. They had different supervisors, plus Craig was the nephew of the owner – somewhat untouchable.

  “If you keep slacking off. I will have to write you up or demote you,” he threatened with a snarl, completely ignoring Felix. “Back to work. I want to see your reports before you leave today.”

  Cayla felt deep anger in the pit of her belly. She hated him. She started to crawl back into herself. It was one thing to be treated like a child; it was another to have it done in front of the whole team. People who didn’t know her would believe the bullshit that came out of his mouth.

  “I hate that guy!” Felix spat. “There has to be something we could do about him. I’ve seen your work firsthand, and it’s brilliant.”

  “Thanks.” Her smile was weak and watery. She hated that she was the type that teared up when she was angry. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

  That asshole had ruined her day.

  Chapter 16

  Dex: Are you coming over?

  Cayla: No, not today.

  Dex: What happened?

  Cayla: Nothing. Stress from work has me in a fucked-up mood, and I don’t want to take it out on you.

  Dex: Are you sure?

  Cayla: Yes. Lunch was delicious, thank you.

  Dex: No problem.

  Dex: Check on you tomorrow?

  Cayla: That’s fine.

  Dex looked at the texts from two days prior. He’d talked to her since, but she still would not confide in him. He couldn’t help her if she didn’t let him. They were in a weird part of their relationship. They didn’t have a status. He couldn’t insist they talk like he was her boyfriend. The best he could do was remind her he was there for her and hope she would come around.

  Dex was sitting at one of the tables, acting like a patron. He needed to see it from the other side. Of course, he’d chosen Janice to be the server; he needed things to go smoothly. Dex knew the moment Izzie walked into The Food Lab. She waltzed in like she owned the place, and the people inside were extras. Her scarlet pencil cut dress hugged her thin, model curves. She had a patterned silk scarf wrapped around her head as if she’d driven a convertible to the meeting. Izzie was statuesque; about five feet eleven barefoot. With her stilettos, she was a little over six feet tall.

  Izzie scanned the dining area; her red lips quirked the moment she found him. She unwrapped the scarf from her head and dropped it to her shoulders like a shawl. Her ice blonde, chin-length bob parted on the side giving her a flirty bang – very Ellen Barkin. She pushed her big black shades to the top of her head as she moved toward Dex. Izzie’s light brown eyes shone with excitement.

  “Dex, darling! You look better than I could ever hope,” she gushed.

  Dex stood to welcome her, and she gave him kisses on both cheeks.

  “Nice to meet you, Izzie,” Dex greeted with a smile.

  “Look at you!” She grabbed his arms then prattled. “Oh my, you’re all muscle!” She moved to his side making comments like she was appraising art. “Strong jaw, natural blond, gray eyes, tall, smells delightful, confident, great posture, well groomed, and my god, that profile!”

  Dex tried not to squirm under her perusal. He’d been checked out by women a lot, but this was a different level. He felt like a show pony. He pulled out Izzie’s chair for her to sit.

  “You’re a gentleman, too?” Izzie braced herself to sit gracefully before continuing. “At this point, you are so attractive, I could make you a star even if you only knew how to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

  Dex laughed. “Lucky for you, I can cook. Order whatever you want. They’re all my recipes. I could prepare anything you have in mind that’s not on the menu, as well.”

  Izzie rested her Birkin Bag on the table; she dropped her shades and scarf inside. “I’m starving. I’ll order off the menu, then maybe you can cook for me later today or tomorrow, deal?”

  “Deal.”

  Cayla took a deep shuddering breath.

  That asshole had kept her late the whole week. Craig took her away from the project she was working hard to finish to complete another task. He’d wanted it done by Friday; she’d spent late nights all week collecting and analyzing data to put it into a comprehensive report. She’d completed it just after lunch on Friday and returned to her normal project.

  The bastard waited until the end of the day to call her into his office. He’d bitched about nonexistent issues with her work. When she’d pointed out the flaw in his logic and the inconsistencies in his statements, his pale skin turned as red as his hair and his light green eyes darkened with fury. He leaned his pudgy, sweaty body over his desk and yelled that she was insubordinate and lazy.

  Cayla’s hands shook with anger, but she held her ground. Her work was not the issue.

  “Get out of my face!” he’d yelled. “I don’t want to see your face until Wednesday.”

  “Wednesday?” Cayla had repeated.

  “You heard me. Don’t come back until then. Think about your future with this company.”

  Cayla had bitten her lip to keep from telling him what he could do with her job. She needed more time to pay off her car. She hated the position she was in because of his terrible leadership. He was killing her legacy. At this rate, she would not be able use the only job she’d had in the field as a point of reference. There is no way he would say anything positive about her. She would be forever marred behind his trumped up lies.

  She’d left his office, her back ramrod straight; she’d refused to let him see her cry. Felix waited nearby; she could feel the rage radiating off him. Cayla was surprised to see him waiting after everyone had left.

  “There was no way I was leaving you here alone with that asshole,” he had grumbled while glaring at the closed door as if he was mentally strangling the man on the other side of the wood. “Let me walk you to your car.”

  He’d placed a placating hand on her shoulder. A weak smile was all she had had to offer; she didn’t want to cry in front of Felix either. Cayla had schlepped to her car, the weight of her situation making her feet too heavy to move effectively. Felix had kept her pace as he raged about Craig being an impossible dick.

  Cayla had unlocked her car and threw her purse and laptop bag in the passenger seat before sliding into the driver’s seat
. Felix had waited while she locked her door and started her car. She’d rolled the window down.

  “Thank you for waiting, Felix,” she’d said, speaking for the first time since leaving Craig’s office. “I really appreciate it.” She’d stopped talking when her voice cracked.

  Felix had leaned down to see her better. “No problem, Cay. I just hate that he is so awful. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. That sonofabitch is too stupid to realize you’re his best analyst.” He’d patted her car before standing to his full height. “Be careful on your way home.”

  With that, he’d jumped in his truck and followed her out of the complex. Felix had honked and waved before turning in the opposite direction.

  Cayla sighed as an errant tear slid down her cheek. She pushed it away with a shaky hand; Craig wasn’t good enough for her tears. None of her usual stress reliefs sounded appealing. She didn’t want to go to happy hour and bash Craig with Kalilah and Natalia, and a bath wasn’t going to wash his bullshit away. She wanted to numb the disappointment of her career falling apart.

  She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to think. Cayla drove aimlessly. Her body on autopilot, Cayla found herself parking in front of a home that wasn’t hers. She blinked a few times before she realized where she’d stopped. Purse in hand, she made her way to the front door. The doorbell echoed inside the house when she pressed it.

  Cayla tried to remember a time where she’d felt so helpless; it’d never happened. She was in a new alternate universe where she was somehow an ineffective employee. At least that is what any future employer would think if they called to check on her previous position.

  The sound of the door unlocking and opening pulled her back to the present. She straightened her spine and tipped up her chin refusing to display her problems all over face. However, when the light from the foyer greeted her, her chin trembled. Then the question…those two words that anyone who’d ever tried to keep their shit together dreaded to hear hung in the air. “What’s wrong?” had felled even the biggest gangsters, and she wasn’t an exception. Bleary eyes turned into faucets as those words triggered her emotions, and the tears she’d been ignoring all week demanded release.