by Ramona Gray
“It was driving me insane thinking that he might be doing this to you.” Edward reached out and slowly circled one hardened nipple with his thumb, forcing another low moan from her throat.
“Or this.” He slid his hand to her shoulder to tug gently at the thin strap of her dress before lightly running his hand down her arm.
“Did he touch you like this, Katie-did?” He whispered as he lowered his hand and traced her navel through her dress with his finger. Her legs trembled violently and she leaned back against the dryer as he studied her closely. “Did you invite him into your bed?”
“That’s none of your business.” She tried to speak forcefully but it came out in a breathless squeak.
“Probably not,” he agreed before sliding his hand inside both her dress and her bra to caress her breast. At the feel of his warm, rough fingers trailing across her sensitive nipple, her knees buckled and she braced her hands against the dryer, trying to stand straight.
“Did he enjoy the warmth of my Katie’s bed?” He asked again.
“No,” she said shakily.
“Good girl,” he murmured possessively.
He bent his dark head toward her and took her mouth in his. She sighed into his mouth and when he placed one hand on the nape of her neck and deepened the kiss, she surrendered willingly. Small moans and whimpers escaped her mouth as he slid his arms around her body to cup her ass. He pulled her roughly against him and tore his mouth from hers.
“Do you feel what you do to me, Katie-did?” He whispered into her ear.
She shuddered violently when he ground his hips against hers and moaned when he slid one hand under the silky material of her dress and grasped her knee in his hand. He pulled her leg up around his hip, forcing her to widen her stance so he could fit himself comfortably in the juncture of her thighs. He dipped his head and ran his tongue over the sensitive skin of her throat while his rough hand caressed the smoothness of her thigh and calf.
“Edward” she sighed as he kissed the delicate column of her throat. She groaned when he slid his hand up her leg and under the edge of her panties to squeeze her bare ass. She reached down and tugged his shirt free from his jeans. She traced across his abs, liking the way he shuddered under her touch before she ran her fingers through the dark hair on his chest. Her nails grazed one flat nipple and he groaned loudly, his body twitching against hers.
“Are you wet, Katie?” He asked quietly.
Before she could react he anchored an arm firmly around her waist and slid his hand into the front of her panties, the palm of his hand flat against her lower abdomen, his fingers gliding through the soft curls between her thighs. She twisted in surprise and clamped her thighs together but he had shoved his leg between hers and her thighs closed uselessly around his, leaving plenty of room for his hand to touch and caress.
“Edward,” she gasped and tugged frantically at his arm.
He kissed her roughly, sliding his tongue into her mouth as he pushed one finger into her damp heat.
“You’re so wet, Katie,” he groaned against her mouth. “You have no idea how much I want to fuck you.”
She trembled and clung to him as he thrust his finger back and forth before rubbing her clit with his thumb. He swallowed her loud cry of pleasure with his mouth and kissed her fiercely, their tongues tangling together as he rubbed her clit in slow, steady circles. She thrust her hips against him frantically and when her pussy clenched around his finger, he flicked her clit lightly with his thumb. She shuddered all over and shoved her face into his neck, muffling her cries of pleasure as she came against him, her body shaking madly. He slipped his finger free of her tight pussy and kneaded her ass roughly as she shuddered and trembled against him.
“Oh boy,” she muttered shakily and leaned back to look at him. He smiled at her and brushed away a stray strand of hair that clung to her cheek. She stared at him for a moment, her eyes hazy and unfocused, before kissing him hungrily. She sucked on his lower lip, making him groan with pleasure and thrust his erection against her.
“Your turn,” she whispered into his ear and reached for his belt buckle.
The door to the laundry room swung open and Olivia poked her head in “God, Kate, did you get lost?”
Her eyes widened as she stared at Edward and Kate locked together against the dryer.
“Sorry!” She said cheerfully and slammed the door shut.
“Shit!” Kate muttered as the sound of Olivia’s footsteps faded down the hallway. “Shit, shit, shit!”
She pushed Edward away from her and frantically straightened her dress.
“It’s okay, Katie, relax,” Edward said. “It was only Olivia.”
“Thank God!” She hissed at him. “What if it had been Rose? Or Melissa?”
She paced back and forth in the small room, her hair streaming behind her and her face flushed. “I’ve gone mad. Completely mad.”
“Katie, it’s okay. Just calm down.”
She turned on him. “One - you need to stop calling me Katie. Calling me Katie suggests we are more familiar with each other than we are and two – “
“That’s not fair. Olivia calls you Katie and unless she’s given you an orgasm in her laundry room, then I’d say you and I are more familiar with each other than you and Olivia are,” Edward protested with a hint of laughter in his voice.
She blushed furiously but ignored his comment “And two – it’s your fault I’ve gone mad. Your fault completely.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “You and your stupid blue eyes and hard body and your ‘Katie, just kiss me once’.”
“Can I help it if I’m irresistible?” Edward said. “I’m naturally charming.”
He ignored her sigh of exasperation. “The real question is - do you want to finish what we started now or wait until later? I’m willing to wait until later when we can enjoy the privacy of your bed, but since you find me so hard to resist….”
He trailed off, giving her a flirty little smile that sent a flash of heat through her body.
“Gah!” Kate yelled and pushed her way past him. She stopped at the door of the laundry room and turned to face him. “You’re too arrogant for your own good. There is no ‘we’ in my bed, Edward.”
“Right – your ‘no boinking the boss’ rule,” Edward said solemnly. “Say listen, is that a rule set in stone or more of a guideline? What if we didn’t actually ‘boink’ but just made each other come repeatedly? Is that allowable?”
Kate stared wide-eyed at him. “What is wrong with you? Are you deliberately trying to get me fired?”
“Of course not,” he said quickly. “I want you, Katie and you want me too. We’ll be discreet and no one at the office will find out. Give me one night - that’s all I’m asking.”
She hesitated, biting at her bottom lip with indecision, and a ridiculous surge of hope went through him. “No one will find out, I promise.”
Kate hesitated a moment longer before shaking her head. “We were just caught by Olivia. People will find out, Edward. They always do. I’m starting to think I’m not the one who has gone mad. What we just did, what we – we almost were about to do was a mistake. You know it was.”
She stalked from the room and headed for the upstairs bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her face was flushed and she was wide-eyed and a little crazed looking. She splashed cold water on her face and then sat on the edge of the tub, willing her heart to stop racing. There was a soft knock on the door and she looked up as Olivia poked her head into the room.
“You okay?” She asked.
“Oh, fan-fucking-tastic.” Kate grimaced and buried her face in her hands as Olivia shut the door and perched on the tub beside her.
“So Edward just strolled into the backyard looking like the cat that swallowed the canary.”
“Jerk,” Kate muttered.
Olivia laughed. “Listen, not to be too personal, but should I be disinfecting the top of my dryer for Edward and Katie cooties?”
/> “No!” Kate lifted her head from her hands and stared at Olivia. “I’ve gone mad. The old sane Kate would never make out with her boss in your laundry room.”
“That’s true, honey, but Gerald wasn’t much in the looks department.”
“What am I going to do, Olivia? I can’t even get near him without my insides turning to mush. All he has to do is look at me and I want to drag him to the nearest bed. It’s like I completely forget that my job is on the fucking line.”
Olivia sighed before draping her arm across Kate’s shoulders. “I don’t know what to tell you, Katie-pie.”
“I just need to forget how damn hot he is and remember that I have bills to pay. I just have to get through this week and then Edward’s in New York for a week,” Kate said. “We’ll have a break from each other and this stupid sexual tension will end. Right?”
“Sure,” Olivia said doubtfully.
Kate closed her eyes for a moment. “How do I look?”
“You look fine - a little flushed, but fine,” Olivia said. “Let’s get back to the party before Jon comes looking for us.”
Kate clutched Olivia’s shoulder. “Listen, as my best friend it’s your duty to make sure that I am not alone with Edward. Do you understand and accept your mission?”
Olivia gave her a thumbs up. “Absolutely - I’m here for you. Let’s go have a beer. You look like you could use one.”
* * *
“Kate?”
Kate glanced up from the photocopier. Edward was standing in the small room and he gave her a look that loosened her thighs and made her panties wet.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she muttered before shoving more paper into the copier.
It was Wednesday and she was feeling the strain of trying to ignore her attraction to Edward and working closely with him and Melissa. The work on the Johnson case was coming to an end and it felt frantic and chaotic as she, Melissa and Edward worked long hours to ensure that Alfred’s purchase of his new company went smoothly. Edward had made no mention of what had happened in the laundry room between them but that hadn’t stopped her from replaying it over and over in her head.
Edward just grinned at her and she took a step back when he moved toward her. “Relax, Katie,” he said in a low voice. “I’m not going to try and fuck you in the copy room. Unless,” he gave her a hopeful look that almost made her grin, “you’re into that type of thing?”
“I’m not into getting fired from my job.”
“Discretion,” he said. “I’m all about the discretion, Katie-did.”
“Having sex in the copy room is about as far from discretion as you can get, Mr. Turner,” she said.
He laughed quietly. “Good point. How about drinks at my place tonight?”
“I have plans,” she said.
“With Josh?”
Before she could reply, Melissa had joined them in the copy room. “Edward? Alfred’s on the phone and would like to speak to you.”
“Thanks,” Edward replied. He left the room and Melissa gave Kate an appraising look.
“I see the way you look at Edward,” she said. “It’s inappropriate.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Like I care what you think, Melissa.”
“You’ll care when I go to Arthur and get you fired for sleeping with your boss.”
“You’re losing it, Melissa. I barely know Edward and I’m certainly not sleeping with him,” Kate snapped. “And until you have proof that I am, you can take your empty threats and get lost.”
Melissa made a snort of disgust before walking away and Kate took a deep breath. She needed to be extremely careful how she behaved around Edward, Melissa hated her and would gleefully get her ass fired, so why was she still thinking about Edward’s suggestion of one night only? She sighed quietly and grabbed the stack of papers before heading to her desk. She had a date with Josh tonight and that was what she needed to concentrate on – not what it would be like to sleep with her damn boss.
* * *
“I had a really good time tonight, Kate,” Josh said as he walked her to her door.
“I did too, Josh. Thanks for inviting me.” Kate opened her front door and there was an awkward pause as Josh smiled at her.
“Um, would you like to come in for a drink?” Kate asked.
“I’d love to.”
He followed her into the house and she fumbled for the hallway light. As she flicked the switch, she stumbled over the running shoes she had left in the hallway. Josh reached out and caught her before turning her toward him. He gave her a slow and thorough kiss and she hesitated before putting her arms around his shoulders and returning his kiss.
See, this is nice. It’s a perfectly nice kiss that you’re enjoying and it doesn’t matter if there aren’t sparks flying or if doesn’t make you breathless like stupid Edward’s kisses do.
As Josh rubbed her back there was a low growl behind them. He broke the kiss and stared at her. “Did you hear that?”
There was another growl and Kate pulled away from Josh before turning around. He peered over her shoulder at the fat grey cat staring balefully at them.
“Chicken, go on!” She muttered, stamping her foot at the cat. Chicken refused to move. Her tail twitched menacingly and she gave Josh a murderous look before hissing loudly.
“That’s some attack cat you have there,” Josh said. “Should I try and make friends with it?”
“Oh God, no,” Kate said. “If you want to keep all of your limbs, it’s best to stay away from her. In fact, try not to look her in the eye – it makes her even angrier.”
She shooed Chicken down the hallway toward the guest bedroom. With another growl, a swat at Kate’s hand and a few irritated hisses, Chicken flounced into the room. Kate quickly shut the door behind her.
“The living room is to the right,” she said as Josh took off his suit jacket and hung it on the hook. “Make yourself comfortable while I grab the wine and some glasses.”
She disappeared into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses.
“White, okay?”
“Sounds good,” Josh said. “So, your cat’s name is Chicken?”
Kate nodded as she opened the bottle of wine.
“And why did you name her Chicken?” Josh said with a grin.
“That’s the name she came with. I adopted her from the humane society a few years ago,” Kate said. She poured wine into both their glasses and handed one to Josh. “I was going to change it but then I thought – how would I like it if someone just started calling me a different name – so I kept it. Truthfully, it doesn’t really suit her. She’s the angriest cat I’ve ever met.”
Josh laughed. “Did the humane society have an explanation for why she was so angry?”
“Nope. They just said she was dropped off because her family was moving. I guess her owner said she was a lovely cat and very friendly. Then she tore a big chunk out of the hand of the first volunteer who tried to touch her and that’s when they realized she wasn’t exactly as friendly as her previous owner said.”
“So why did you adopt her?” Josh asked curiously.
“I went there to pick out a kitten and there was Chicken sitting in the back of her cage, all puffed up and angry at the world, with a bright yellow tag stuck to the front of her kennel. I asked a volunteer what the tag meant and when I found out it meant she was scheduled to be euthanized that day, I adopted her. I took her home and tried to make friends which she wasn’t having any part in. She did eventually warm up to me – mostly – but she really doesn’t like strangers.”
“It was nice of you to adopt her,” Josh said.
Kate laughed. “I’m a glutton for punishment, apparently.”
Josh grinned at her before picking up a framed photo of her and her sister from the bookshelf beside him. “Who’s this?”
“That’s my baby sister, Lina.”
“Are you close?”
“Yes. She doesn’t live in Califo
rnia though so we don’t get to spend as much time together as I’d like. She was just out for a visit not that long ago. Would you like more wine?”
Josh set the picture and his wineglass on the bookshelf. “Honestly? I’m not all that interested in wine.”
He took her wineglass and set it beside his before tugging her into his arms.
“You’re so gorgeous, Kate,” he whispered before bending his head and kissing her full lips. When he cupped one full breast she tried to push away the immediate image of Edward and his rough fingers caressing her breast but it stubbornly remained. Frustrated and tense, she gave Josh an apologetic look when he broke the kiss. He stared down at her for a moment and then stepped back, putting some distance between them.
“I think I should go,” he said softly.
“I’m sorry, Josh, I just…”
She trailed off, trying to think of a way to explain without hurting his feelings.
He smiled ruefully at her. “You don’t need to explain, Kate. You’re obviously not feeling for me what I am for you. No hard feelings - we tried, right?”
She followed him to the front door and at the look of misery on her face he gave her a gentle squeeze and kiss on the cheek. “It’s fine, really. If there’s no chemistry for you, there’s no chemistry. I’ll see you around, okay?”
“I really am sorry, Josh. I wish it could have been different.”
“I know,” he said. “Take care, Kate.”
She watched him back his car out of the driveway before closing the front door. She released Chicken from her imprisonment in the spare room before pouring herself more wine and sitting at the kitchen table. She rested her head on the table, letting the wood cool her heated cheek as Chicken jumped up on the table and batted at her hair.
“Chicken, what’s wrong with me?” Kate said. “Why can’t I get Edward out of my head?”
She lifted her head and stared morosely at the cat. “I really have gone mad, haven’t I?”
Chicken purred loudly and butted her head against Kate’s chin. Kate scratched the side of Chicken’s face and stared at her thoughtfully for a moment.