by Ella Brooke
I was shocked. Not once during our time together had Noah confessed his feelings to me. We had never spoken about it and I had been too nervous to ask. Now that he admitted to the investors – not just anyone – I felt warm all over. I had dreamed of him saying something like this. Suddenly, everything that had gone wrong didn’t matter. Noah had fixed it.
“Well, the news certainly is a surprise,” an investor said. “But we don’t have any objection to your relationship with Miss Hayes as long as it stays professional within the workplace and doesn’t affect productivity.” I couldn’t believe my ears. It was getting better and better. “I am still worried about the media,” the investor carried on. “You may have a recipe for success, but with bad publicity, it might blow up in your face anyway.”
He was right. Everything they said to Noah made sense. But Noah didn’t look uncomfortable or unsure. He nodded, confident.
“I fully understand. That is why I intend to go public with our story and turn it into a romance that runs parallel with the success of Saturn Intelligence. If we approach it that way, I believe it will go down well with the public, turning into a fairy tale rather than a scandal. It will be right up there with my reputation as the People’s Choice, as the man who cares. Because I do care. A lot.”
The investors nodded and murmured among themselves. I looked at Noah, who was intently focused on the investors and how there were responding to the news. It had caught me completely off guard. I’d had no idea that he felt this way about me and making it public was a huge step. Not to mention a rather permanent one. When he glanced at me, catching my eye, he smiled at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back. The tension had eased out of the room. I wasn’t so stressed anymore. I felt like perhaps, this could work out after all.
Noah had promised we would figure it out, and he had delivered. In a pleasantly surprising way.
“We are happy with your approach,” they finally said to Noah. “We look forward to our meeting next week.”
And with that, the meeting was over. The investors left in twos and threes until Noah and I were the only ones remaining. I rose out of my seat and walked to him, and he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer.
“That was amazing,” I said.
He grinned. “I’m glad you liked it.”
“Were you serious?” I asked. “Do you care about me very deeply?” I was worried for a moment it was a publicity stunt of sorts, saying the right thing to save face.
Noah was suddenly serious. He nodded, looking at me with his dark eyes. “I do,” he said. It wasn’t a confession of love, but it was too early in our relationship for that. But the way he said it was more than I could ever have hoped for.
“Thank you,” I said. “For everything. For not painting me as the one that caused all of this. For making it all happen. And I feel the same about you.”
Noah smiled and dipped his head to kiss me. For a moment everything fell away, and it was only the two of us, his body pressed against mine, his kiss sending electricity through me. When he finally broke the kiss, he smiled at me again.
“Come to dinner with me tonight,” he said.
I nodded. “Okay,” I whispered.
Chapter Seventeen
Noah
Taking Elena out was way overdue. We had spent a lot of time together – whether we were having sex or spending time with Lily – but we hadn’t gone on a date yet. I wanted to change that. When I had invited her out to dinner after the investor meeting, she had agreed. I had waited until then before asking her because I had known that she would be worried about the meeting and unable to make a decision like that. I hadn’t wanted her to reject me because she wasn’t sure if I would reject her.
I had expected her to be worried that she would be fired. Getting rid of her was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I wanted to wine and dine her, to court her in the true sense of the word. I wanted to treat her the way she deserved to be treated. Taking her out for a night on the town to an expensive restaurant was exactly the way I wanted to show her how serious I was about her.
Diane was at the house even though Saturday was usually her day off. She had come to watch Lilly for me during the investors meeting, and I had asked her to stay the night in one of the guest rooms instead of going home. That way, I didn’t have to worry about what time I came home, and Lily would know where to find Diane if she needed her at night.
I put on a suit that was fancier than what I usually wore to work. It was a gray suit with silk in the weave so that it shimmered when I moved. I paired it with a wine-red shirt and a silver tie. I slicked my hair back with hair oil and looked in the mirror.
“Daddy, where are you going?” Lily asked, standing at the door to my bedroom.
I turned to her. “I’m going out to dinner was Elena.”
Lily smiled. “Can I come?”
“Unfortunately not tonight, Princess,” I said, kneeling in front of her. “But I promise we’ll do something together soon.”
Lily pouted, but Diane appeared and led her away to keep her busy with whatever they had planned together. I finished up, making sure everything was in place before I kissed Lily goodbye and left the house. I drove to Elena’s address, picking her up the way a gentleman should when he was courting a lady.
When Elena came out of the front door, I couldn’t help but stare. She wore a vintage red dress with peep toe heels, and her hair was twisted up into a chignon. Her make-up was a little more bold than usual, and silver jewelry glittered when she moved. I walked up halfway to meet her.
“You look amazing,” I said.
Elena smiled, blushing lightly. “We match.”
And it was true, we did. It was like we had planned our outing together, even though neither of us had spoken about it at all.
I took her to Boulevard Restaurant, a four-and-a-half-star place that looked out over the bay. It was tastefully decorated with delicious food, just the place to take a lady like Elena. When we stepped out of the car, camera flashes went off, and I realized the paparazzi had decided to join us. They couldn’t go into the restaurant which was a relief, but they were a nuisance. Elena ducked her head, and I put my arm around her to shield her from the paparazzi until we were inside the restaurant.
“Is it always going to be like this?” Elena asked.
I shook my head. “A new story will pop up and take attention away from us. For now, we’re going to have to deal with it.” I hadn’t thought about the paparazzi and how they might irritate us when I asked her out to dinner. With the company in the limelight, I should have expected it. At least, with my announcement pending, the attention wasn’t a bad thing. Once we were inside the restaurant, we were left alone.
The restaurant was a grand place with copper-colored pillars at intervals and intimate tables with white tablecloths scattered across the seating area. Large windows looked out onto the bay, and tasteful music floated around from hidden speakers.
“This place is stunning,” Elena said when we sat down at our table.
When the waiter arrived, I ordered champagne.
“We’re celebrating,” I said. “Everything is going so well, and I have a feeling we’re going to see a good ending.” I smiled at Elena, and she returned it. She looked relaxed and happy tonight, a great contrast to how tense and uncertain she looked this morning. Her relaxed attitude was beautiful.
We spent the evening talking about our lives, getting to know each other better. Elena had an advantage over me that she had peeked into my private life, but I knew very little about her. She told me about her life growing up, the reason for studying an MBA and why she had ended up being a secretary instead. The more I learned about her, the more I liked her. And I had liked her a whole lot already.
By the time the service was over, champagne coursed through my veins and lowered my inhibitions. When I looked at Elena, I noticed how good she looked, how hot she was. Desire washed over me, and I wanted her. I took her hand and rubbed my thumb ov
er the back of it. I looked at her, and when her eyes met mine, I knew she knew what I wanted. Her lips parted slightly, and she blushed even though I hadn’t said anything. I wanted to take her to my bed, right now. But going home was dangerous because it was in front of my own house, in my own yard, that someone had taken a photo of us kissing.
“I want you,” I said low enough that only Elena heard me. “God, the things I would do to you.”
Elena swallowed. “We can go back to my place,” she said as if she knew what I was thinking. I nodded, getting up. We left the restaurant, managing to give the paparazzi the slip, and I drove us to her apartment.
I had never been inside her home, and it was another glimpse into her private life. Her apartment was an average size as far as apartments go, and she had decorated it herself. Photos of friends and family hung on the walls, giving it a cozy, lived in feel. I felt at ease immediately.
But it wasn’t the apartment I was interested in. I turned to Elena and pulled her against me.
With her body plastered against mine, desire took over. I was already hard, and I wanted to be inside of her. I backed her up until she was against a wall, and I pinned her there with my body. I kissed her hard, mashing my lips against hers as she flung her arms around my neck. One hand was in my hair, the other down the back of my shirt, and I ground my hips against her, letting her feel how turned on I was, how hard I was for her.
“I want you so badly,” I mumbled against her lips.
“So, take me,” she replied.
I didn’t wait for her to tell me twice. I started stripping her down, getting rid of her clothes without being sexy about it. The dress came off with a zip on the side that I needed her help to find. She wore sexy black lace underwear that I only took a moment to admire before I slid it off her body.
Elena’s hands were sure as she unbuttoned my shirt, undid my buckle and helped me get out of my clothes.
In between items, I pushed her against the wall, my hands on her breasts, mouth on her neck, and I rubbed up against her. I bucked my hips against hers through our clothes, a taste of what was to come, and she gasped and moaned.
When I couldn’t take it anymore, I spun her away from the wall and picked her up so that her legs were wrapped around my waist. I carried her through the apartment, guessing where the main bedroom was and dropped her onto the bed. She squealed while she was airborne.
I got rid of my jocks and her G-string, and we were naked together. Before carrying on, I stopped to admire the view. Elena lay on the bed, naked and unafraid in a pool of moonlight that shone through an open window, and I had never seen a woman so comfortable in her own skin. She looked up at me with eyes that promised me a world of pleasure, and I crawled onto the bed. Her thighs fell open for me, and I dove between her legs, closing my lips over her pussy.
Her taste was sweet, her scent filled my nostrils, and I moaned softly against her pussy lips. She gasped and curled her fingers into my hair.
I licked her, flicking my tongue over her clit before licking a line to her entrance and fucking her with my tongue. When she writhed too much, I wrapped my arms around her thighs and held her in place, my hands on her hips.
I licked her and sucked on her until she fell apart, an orgasm rushing through her. She bucked her hips, rubbing herself up against my face, and it was so fucking hot it took everything I had not to lose control.
When she came down from her orgasm, I crawled up over her body, positioning myself at her entrance but I didn’t push into her. I kissed her so hard and so deep she didn’t know whose air she was breathing. She groped at my back, nails grazing my skin. Her legs were around my thighs, urging me to push into her, but I held back, teasing.
“Damn it, Noah. Fuck me,” she begged, and I couldn’t hold back any longer.
I pushed into her, bracing myself with my elbows on either side of her head, and I started pumping into her, moving my hips faster and faster until she cried out and moaned. I grunted with the effort, hammering into her.
Another orgasm rushed through her, and I chuckled when she squealed, her eyes squeezed shut, and her mouth open in the throes of pleasure.
After her second orgasm, I told her to hold onto me. “I’m going to roll us,” I said. “Ready?”
She nodded and I flipped us over so that she was on top of me and I was on the bottom, my cock still buried deep inside of her.
“That was good,” she said with a grin.
I smiled back at her, proud of myself. I was good in bed, I knew that much, and I wasn’t scared to admit it.
Elena started riding me, moving her hips back and forth. Her breasts jiggled as she did, and I reached up and grabbed them, squeezing them, taking a nipple each between my fingers. I tugged at her nipples until she cried out, staying this side of pain but pushing her so very close.
“You’re driving me crazy,” she said in a breathy voice.
“That’s the idea, sweetheart,” I said.
She rode me, leaning forward a little so her clit rubbed against my pubic bone, bringing herself to another orgasm.
When she came this time, I felt her walls clamp down around me, her body pulsating and contracting. She curled forward, her body collapsing on top of me, and I held her, hugging her to my chest.
She sat up when she was done, her eyes glazed, her eyelids drooping.
“Let me ride you again, babes,” I said, patting her on her hip. Shepeeled herself away from me with effort and lay down on the bed. “On your stomach,” I ordered, and she did as I asked. I admired her ass for a moment, her flawless back, before I lay on top of her, pressing the line of my body flush against hers. I pushed into her from behind, and she felt so tight and so small after her orgasms and with the position.
When I was inside of her, I moved, thrusting in and out of her again. I started slow, keeping it sensual for a while. But all it did was tease me, and I needed a release. I bucked my hips faster and faster, fucking her while I lay on top of her. Her head was turned to the side, and my cheek was almost against her. I heard her moan and gasp, and the feel of her body beneath mine, the sound of our sex in the room, pushed me over the edge.
I pushed into her as far as I could go and emptied myself out into her. I groaned as I did, and she cried out. I couldn’t tell if she was orgasming again, too.
Finally, I started going soft, and I slipped out of her. I rolled off her to let her catch her breath. She snuggled against me so that we spooned.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” Elena asked.
I only thought about it for a second.
“Of course,” I said.
Chapter Eighteen
Elena
When I woke up on Monday morning, I was happier than I had been in a long time. Noah and I were better than ever, and for the first time since we had done anything romantic together, I knew exactly where we stood. He liked me, and I liked him, and we were an exclusive couple now. It changed everything.
I climbed out of bed and stepped into the shower. When I turned on the hot water, it steamed up the bathroom, and I felt queasy and hot. I turned the water temperature down until it was only lukewarm. I never showered with water this cold, but I felt like I was burning up.
When I stepped out of the shower, I looked at myself in the mirror, combing my hair. I brushed it back from my face. The last week had been stressful with the amount of work we had to do for the product launch and the investor's meetings, the photos emerging on top of it and having to deal with rumors. I hadn’t slept a lot on Saturday night, thanks to Noah. It was normal for me to be getting sick. My body could only take so much, and it had been a challenge the last while.
After showering, I dressed and made myself breakfast. When I took a bite, nausea flared up, and I put my plate with eggs and bacon in the fridge for later. I would skip eating for now. I hated feeling nauseous.
At the office, I put down my bag and listened to the machine for voice messages that might have been left after hours. When there w
as nothing, I walked to the coffee station to make Noah his coffee before I took it to his office. Noah was already in, which was unusual for him. He came in later than I did on a normal day. I heard him talking before I reached his office. When I stepped into it, a woman stood with her back to me. She had long black hair, perfectly styled, and a body to die for.
“I don’t have time for this,” Noah said he was irritated. “Please, leave.”
“You can’t treat people like this,” the woman said, then she turned around and nearly bumped into me. She glared at me, her icy eyes spitting fire. When she stormed past me, Noah sighed.
“Who was that?” I asked.
“No one you need to worry about,” he said. He smiled at me, tension leaving his features. “How are you?”
I returned the smile. “I’m great,” I said and offered Noah his coffee.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said taking it from me.
“I’m still your secretary,” I countered, and he couldn’t argue with me. I set the cup down on his desk and headed toward the door again.
“Elena, stay a moment,” Noah said. “I want to talk to you about something.”
I swallowed. “That sounds ominous,” I said.
Noah laughed. “It isn’t.” He sat down on the edge of his desk. I sat down in one of the chairs and looked up at him.
“You did so well for the company, suggesting ideas for marketing and ways to keep the investors interested. It means a lot to me, so I want to reward you.”
I shook my head. “It was nothing,” I said.
“It wasn’t nothing. You saved the company. I want to give you a promotion, let you put that fancy degree to use for a change.”
I blinked at Noah. A promotion? This wasn’t the first time I’d heard him say it, but it still seemed surreal.
“I thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to do it now after everything had come out in the papers.” I had thought he had only said it to show the investors he was on my side, that I wasn’t to blame for it all.
“That’s true,” Noah said, nodding. “And you’re right, it’s not a good idea to do it now. But I want you to know it’s going to happen as soon as it’s possible. I want to make you the head of the subscription project so you can oversee operations. We’re at the beginning of a long road for this product, and I need someone able and qualified to handle it. Seeing that it was all your idea, why not?”