by Baer, Susan
He poured their drinks and sighed. There was no reason for him to worry…was there? Warren set the glasses on the coffee table and lay back on the sofa. He pulled her on top of him and kissed her gently.
“We’re good for each other, you know. And we fit together perfectly.” He put his hands on her backside and ground his arousal against her mound.
Before she had a chance to respond he kissed her again and rolled her to her back. If she didn’t agree, he didn’t want to know. He’d show her he was right the best way he knew how.
Chapter 15
The crowd at Parillo’s was thinner than usual for a Saturday night but it was typical when a band was playing at the Long Shot Amphitheater two blocks away. The concert wouldn’t be over for another two hours so Marie figured the bar would be tolerable for Warren while they waited for Janet.
Marie was excited. It had taken a lot of pushing but she had finally convinced Janet to show her a couple of houses for rent. Janet was meeting them tonight to give her the details. Marie wanted to see them but Janet told her the landlord wasn’t ready to show them yet. She was disappointed but maybe it was for the best. Warren’s mood was raining on her parade.
“The service is kind of slow for a small crowd.” Warren drummed his fingers on the table.
“It looks like they’re short-staffed tonight. The only waitress I’ve seen is Sophia.”
“Well that’s one more than I’ve seen.”
She swatted his arm. “Stop being so lazy, Dr. Jackson, and go get another drink.”
“I can wait.” He scanned the crowd.
“He’s not here. I looked when we came in.”
“Jake is always here. We just haven’t seen him yet. I can wait.”
“Well, maybe I can’t. I’ll be fine. The crowd isn’t big enough yet. He can’t hide from you. Get me my usual when you get yours.”
He sighed. “You’re damn bossy tonight.”
“You can spank me later.”
“Don’t worry, I plan on it.” He slid out of the booth.
She watched him walk to the bar until he was out of sight. A dreamy smile spread across her face. She hugged herself and wished he was still sitting next to her holding her close. Even when he was grumpy he liked to cuddle with her.
“Your time is almost up.”
Marie flinched when Jake spoke. “Go away, Jake.”
He sat across from her and glanced in the direction of the bar. “He’s been banging you for about a month now, right?”
She looked toward the bar for Warren and wished she hadn’t sent him for a drink. She hated these little visits from Jake. No matter what she said, he always turned it around and used it to hurt her.
“He’ll be losing interest in you soon.” He licked his bottom lip.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Then I guess you’re the one, huh? He professed his love and devotion.”
Marie looked out at the crowd desperate to see someone she knew, someone to talk to so she could end this conversation with Jake.
He smiled. “I didn’t think so.” He leaned across the table and waited for her to look at him. When she did he spoke quietly. “When are you going to realize you’re just his little fuck toy?”
God, she hated him. Why was he still doing this to her? Each time he did this it got harder to ignore him. He was tearing down her confidence and just the sight of him made her want to scream. She wanted to look away but she knew if she moved the tears pooling in her eyes would fall and she’d be damned if she’d let him see her cry.
He continued to hold her gaze and slid a business card across the table. He smiled and said, “Give me a call when he dumps you and I’ll help you forget him.”
She waited until he walked away and shut her eyes. She could feel the hot tears roll down her cheeks.
‘Jake is wrong, Warren loves you. Jake is wrong, Warren loves you. Jake is wrong.’
She heard Warren sigh and set their drinks on the table. He grabbed her hand and slid around the back curve of the booth. He pulled her close until their bodies were touching. She opened her eyes when he reached under the table and pulled her legs up over his lap.
“I’m sorry, baby, I should’ve waited. I knew he had to be here somewhere.” He dried her tears with a soft handkerchief.
“I hate him,” she whispered.
“Are you saying your mantra?” He kissed her temple gently.
“Yes.”
He lifted her chin with his finger and looked at her with a smile. “Is it a happy one?”
She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Of course.”
“Just checking.” He kissed her softly and ran his hand up the inside of her thigh. “He only does this because you let him get to you. He’s trying to come between us, baby, and you can’t let him do that. Forget about him and kiss me.”
She tilted her head and he kissed her softly as he caressed the juncture between her legs. For a minute she gave in to his touch, but the buzz from the extra wine she’d already had wasn’t enough to make her lose her senses completely.
“Warren,” she whispered, “Stop it.”
“No one can see under the table and even if they could I wouldn’t care. I’m sending a message to him.” He kissed her hard and squeezed her mound.
She squealed in surprise and he swallowed the sound. She pushed at his shoulders and broke the kiss. “People still know what we’re doing.”
He moved his hand around her hips and squeezed her ass. “Jake is the only one watching us, no one else cares. And my message is getting across loud and clear.” He buried his head against her neck and whispered, “But if it will make you feel better we can just go. Janet will understand.”
Marie opened her mouth to speak and her phone rang. She checked the caller ID and answered the call.
“Hey Jan, where are you?”
“I’m on my way back to the office to meet with the Duncans. The buyer’s agent just emailed me the counteroffer and the bastard is only giving me until tomorrow morning to respond. I won’t be able to make it tonight.”
“No problem. I’m sure we can find something to do.”
“I’m sure you can too. Tell Warren not to tire you out too much. I’d like to spend some time with my best friend once in a while and I’d prefer it if she could keep her eyes open while I dish the latest gossip.”
Warren grabbed Marie’s hand and pulled her phone to his ear. “Exercise is very important, Jan, and I’m making sure she gets enough. She’ll call you sometime tomorrow.”
Marie could hear Janet laughing before Warren disconnected the call and handed her the phone.
He pulled her behind him as he slid out of the booth and dropped a couple of bills onto the table. He stopped suddenly and turned to face her. His smile made her heart skip a beat and when he gently cradled her cheek in his palm his body heat swept over her.
He kissed her softly and whispered into her mouth, “He needs to know you’re mine.”
“I’m sure Jake knows I’m not available. I’ve told him more times than I can count.”
“That’s not enough. I need him to know he’ll never have you because you belong to me. That’s the only way he’s going to stop harassing you.”
Marie felt electricity shoot through her limbs. Warren’s possessive declaration made her feel sexy and beautiful. Her doubts faded into the back of her mind. She couldn’t stop the impulse and wrapped her arms around his chest. She pressed her cheek against his shoulder and exhaled when he held her tight.
He groaned. “We need to go or I’m going to make a statement that will get us arrested for public indecency.”
She started to giggle then gasped in surprise when he grabbed her hand and nearly dragged her to the door. He didn’t speak another word, even when he practically shoved her into his car. When he squealed the tires as he sped out of the parking lot she clutched the armrests to keep from falling over.
“Warren! What the hell are you doing
? Slow down.”
“Sorry.” He took the next turn a bit slower. “I think we should go to your place. It’s closer.”
Marie smiled when she realized what he was doing. When the mood struck Warren hard, he got tunnel vision and the only thing that mattered was making love to her. She licked her lips in anticipation. He was the most dominate when he was super horny and if she played hard to get she could get him to be a little rough too.
Warren took the steps two at a time and she had to run to keep up. He followed her through the door to her apartment and slammed it behind him. He grabbed her by the arm, spun her around and pulled her tight against him. He devoured her gasp of surprise in a crushing kiss and tangled his fingers in her hair.
He broke the kiss and panted in her ear.
“Suck my dick. I need to feel your lips on me.”
Excitement raced through her. Maybe his need had spiked high enough he’d let her finish him this time. She wanted the full domination experience. She wanted him to come in her mouth. Each time she tried, he would pull away before he climaxed. But this time would be different, this time she’d be ready.
She undid the button on his waistband and pulled the zipper down on his jeans.
He groaned and backed up against the door. Their gazes locked and he watched her drop to her knees in front of him.
She lightly caressed his cock with her cheek and smiled when the muscles of his legs twitched. She pulled his pants down his thighs and ran her hands gently along his shaft.
“It’s so soft and rock hard at the same time.”
She continued to stroke him slowly and reverently kissed the head of his penis. She loved the feel of his cock.
She held his gaze and ran her tongue along the underside of the head. She was teasing him, pushing his need to the limit, making sure he wouldn’t be able to pull away from her this time.
His fingers were flexing and she knew he was trying not to grab her hair. He’d only done that one other time and he’d worried he had hurt her, but the slight pain only made her desire soar higher.
She dipped the tip of her tongue into his slit and drew the pre-cum into her mouth. She heard his sharp intake of breathe and smiled. Her devilish giggle drew a worried look on his face.
“Please don’t tease me, Marie. I don’t know how much control I have right now.”
“You won’t have any when I’m done with you.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. I need you to suck me now.”
She looked up at him with a flirty pout. “I forgot what to do next. Maybe you should show me how to do it right.”
She watched him swallow hard and when he didn’t move she flicked her tongue out and tickled the head of his cock.
Suddenly he grabbed her hair with both hands and fucked her mouth with furious but shallow strokes. When she gasped he wrapped one hand around the base of his cock and increased the speed of his thrusts.
“I told you not to tease me.”
She moaned and wrapped her arms around his thighs. The submissive position pushed her desire to new heights. She matched his thrusts and gloried in the thought that she had pushed him past his control.
With one hand she explored his backside until she found the delicate spot behind his balls. When she pressed gently she nearly choked as he instantly jerked forward and came into her mouth, his hot seed spurted to the back of her throat.
“Oh God, Marie. I’m sorry!”
He tried to pull out of her mouth but she held tight to him and rode out each wave of his orgasm. She swallowed every drop that spilled from his body.
“Baby, let go. I can’t stop.”
He jerked once more and she finally let him pull out of her mouth. He lifted her to her feet and hugged her tightly to his chest. He tucked her head under his chin and stroked her hair soothingly.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I should have…”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s what I wanted.”
“But…”
“But what? Didn’t you like it?”
“No…I mean yes, but…”
She stepped out of his embrace and paced to her couch where she dropped onto the soft cushions. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged herself tight looking at the floor in front of her.
“I know I’m not supposed to like it… Good girls aren’t supposed to like that kind of thing, but I thought you wouldn’t mind if I…”
She heard him pull his pants up and when she looked at him he was covering his face with his hands. She closed her eyes and began to regret what she’d done.
He was disgusted with her behavior. She’d acted like a whore and what doctor would want a whore for a girlfriend.
She felt the cushions dip when he sat beside her.
“Hey,” he whispered. “Look at me.” He reached over and gently turned her face toward him.
When she locked her gaze with his, a tear dropped to her cheek.
“Baby, please don’t cry. What you did was beautiful…It was amazing, actually.” He gently wiped the tear from her chin. “I’ve never done that before.” He leaned in and kissed her tenderly. “It’s a very intimate act. I wasn’t sure we were ready for that.”
Oh, God. It was worse. He felt she wanted more of a commitment from him than he was ready to give her.
“I’m sorry. I…I…wasn’t trying to rush things.” She stood up and put some space between them. “I didn’t realize I was pushing you into something you weren’t ready for.”
Warren jumped to his feet and followed her as she backed into the wall behind her. He stopped just inches away from her and grabbed her hand.
“No. Baby, listen. That’s not what I mean. I’m talking about…” He sighed. “What you did…what we did is the most intimate thing we can do together. It creates a deep connection, a bond that requires ultimate trust.”
“I do trust you.”
He smiled. “Obviously.”
She stepped into his arms and laid her cheek against his heart.
He raised her palm to his lips and kissed it softly. “I’ll never hurt you, Marie. Never.”
Chapter 16
Marie loved her job but sometimes Mondays were no fun no matter how much you liked what you did for a living. AJ had returned from a meeting with the hospital administrator mumbling and slamming every door he could get his hands on, so she knew if she wanted to survive his mood she needed to anticipate what he needed and have it waiting for him while she nimbly stayed one step ahead of him, and out of his way. She glanced up when he quietly opened his door and walked to her desk.
“I need to apologize for my behavior this morning.”
Marie put her hands on the armrests of her chair and leaned back to keep from fainting. AJ had never apologized, not that she ever felt he needed to, but his display of anger this morning was nothing new. She expected the occasional loss of control considering the tremendous amount of responsibility he had and he never unleashed his anger on her or anyone undeserving. The doors and furniture, however, were another matter.
“I also want to tell you that I appreciate everything you do for me.”
“Thank you Dr. Carr—I mean AJ.”
He smiled. “You are getting better at that.”
She smiled in return. “I’m trying.”
“You are doing excellent work, Marie. I want you to know that.”
“You said that already.”
He shifted nervously. “No. I said I appreciate everything you do then I said you are doing excellent work. Those are two different things.”
Marie instinctively got up and poured him a cup of coffee.
“I get the feeling you’re trying to tell me something I’m not going to like.” She turned toward him and offered him the cup.
AJ took it in one hand and rubbed his temples with the other. He looked at her and said, “Thank you. Maybe we should talk about this in my office.”
A knot formed in her gut and she followed him through his door. She walked to the chair
s in front of his desk and stopped. Was he going to let her go? She couldn’t think of anything else that would make him act this way. Did Dr. Jameson take her position out of the budget and now AJ had to tell her she was laid off? He just said she was doing a great job. Maybe he was going to give her a reference.
He sat on the end of his desk and set the coffee next to him. He crossed his arms over his chest.
“Please, Marie, sit down.”
She sat slowly and struggled to hide the shaking in her hands. She’d never been fired before and she felt like her world was going to end.
“I do not know if you are aware of this but apparently there are rumors going around the hospital that we are having an affair.”
Marie blinked and her thoughts came to a screeching halt. “What?”
“Douglas informed me this morning that he has launched a full investigation into my alleged abuse of power. He is convinced the rumors are true and he claims the only reason I am not on unpaid leave is the board would not approve his motion.”
“But what…who…”
She swallowed hard. Her relationship with Warren, according to AJ, was against company policy. If someone knew about her and Warren it wouldn’t take long for Dr. Jameson to find out about it and she could get fired.
“AJ—Dr. Carrington, I…”
“Marie, I am not telling you this to worry you. I will do everything I can to protect you but someone from Human Resources will be contacting you soon. I do not want you to feel uncomfortable about talking to them. Answer all their questions honestly. I will deal with any decisions they arrive at. If they misinterpret anything I have done I will deal with it.”
“But, you’re not the one who…” She fell silent.
He stood and paced to the windows. When he turned to face her he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers.
“Douglas is investigating me, not you. If they ask you anything that does not directly pertain to me or anything I may or may not have done, remind them of that. Otherwise, I want you to answer their questions honestly and concisely. Do not elaborate. Do you understand?”