Kelsey yelped as she put down her hands to prevent herself from falling.
He exposed her rear, and before she was ready, he brought his hand down on her buttocks, setting her skin on fire.
When he did it a second time, she screamed. Even as she protested, heat seeped into her pussy.
“For the record, Ms. Lane, a scream is not a safe word.”
He gave her a few more spanks, leaving her desperate and needy.
“Don’t be late,” he told her, helping her to stand. He straightened her robe and handed her the coffee.
“What was that for?”
“Kelsey, if you think you can sit your squirmy little ass in my lap without me noticing, you’re wrong. Tease the wolf, you’re going to get eaten.”
“Is that supposed to scare me?”
“I don’t know. Do you want to get eaten?”
She pressed her legs together, trying to ignore the heat in her pussy.
“Half an hour, Kelsey. Be ready to go. Or else.”
Chapter Thirteen
Kelsey flirted with his words while she dressed. The or else part of his order was making it impossible to think about anything other than him taking her back to bed.
And the look in his eyes when she came out of the closet wearing a form-fitting black dress almost made her melt.
Today he wore a blue pinstriped suit with an equally dark necktie. As always, he was scrumptious. Right now, she didn’t care whether they went to work or not.
“You managed to get ready in twenty-six minutes,” he said after glancing at his watch.
“Could we pretend it was thirty-one?” She licked her lower lip.
“Get on the counter.”
An unholy thrill zinged through her.
He removed his suit coat and hung it from the doorknob.
While she was still trying to figure out the best way to climb onto the chilly granite, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her from the floor.
She did some fancy moves to get the dress up past her hips. But her underwear was still in the way. Obviously impatient, he grabbed a pair of scissors from a drawer and snipped her thong from her. “Nathan!”
“You were warned.”
“I didn’t know or else meant you were going to destroy my underwear.” Even though she was protesting, she was breathless from the forbidden thrill.
“You took the risk.”
He spread her thighs with his large hands. She was caught a little off balance, and she arched back, putting her hands behind her, both of which gave him greater access to her already-damp pussy.
“You’re wet and ready for me, aren’t you?” he asked, pressing a finger into her.
She cried out from the pleasure.
He removed his finger and placed it against her lip. “Lick it.”
Gaze locked with his, she did as he instructed, tasting her juices, knowing he’d aroused her.
“Tell me to eat you.”
“Please,” she begged, wishing she could grab hold of his face and drag it toward her pussy.
He took his time lowering his head. Then he flicked his tongue rapidly across her engorged clit. She tilted her pelvis toward him, asking for more.
Nathan parted her labia and pulled back the hood as he’d made her do the night he’d dripped hot wax on her. Maybe it was her imagination, but she still felt sensitized from that, and it took less time than usual for her to teeter on the precipice of an orgasm.
“Nathan!” She tightened her muscles, suddenly worried he wouldn’t let her come.
Instead, he used juices from her pussy to insert a finger into her ass.
She groaned and scooted even closer to him.
“I’ll give you thirty seconds,” he said against her cunt. “Or you’ll wait until I’m feeling generous again.”
The ticking time element sharpened her response, and Kelsey pressed weight onto her hands and lifted her hips from the counter, shamelessly grinding her shaved pussy against his face. She was certain the sensations were more heightened than ever.
He jiggled the finger that was in her ass and plunged his tongue into her heated depths before returning to suck her clit. Him changing what he was doing, coupled with the pressure on her clit, made an orgasm knife through her.
Pumping her hips, humping his face, she cried out.
He continued to lave his attentions on her until the last ripple shook her.
Then, only then, did he move away from her and draw out his finger.
She liked his version of or else.
He washed his hands and face then helped her from the countertop, holding her waist while she slipped back into a shoe she hadn’t realized she’d lost.
“I need another couple of minutes to put myself back together. Well, and find a new pair of panties.” Which she’d already packed in her bag.
“We’re late. Skip them.”
“I don’t go without underwear, Mr. Donovan,” she protested.
“You do now. Part of the or else.”
“Hold on,” she said, looking up at him. “How many things am I going to have to do?”
“As many as I say.”
His hands were still on her, imprisoning her and simultaneously making her feel cherished. Since his tie was askew from their early-morning face-fuck, she straightened it for him.
Slowly he released her then scooped up her ruined thong and dumped the remnants in the trash.
He carried her bag downstairs, and she hurried through smoothing her hair and adjusting her dress.
She felt awkward without underwear. Though she knew it was ridiculous, she was sure every person she saw would know.
“Ready?” he asked when she stepped off the bottom stair.
For a moment, she wondered what the hell she was doing.
Nathan Donovan wasn’t her lover. He was her boss. The lines were blurring for her, and she couldn’t allow that to happen.
Surely she could manage for another couple of days.
But as he opened the back door and she breezed past him, inhaling the subtle scent of his spicy soap and remembering the taste of his dick, she suddenly doubted her own determination.
“I’m planning to take you shopping after work,” he said once they were on the road.
“To replace my underwear?”
“That, as well as getting you an outfit that will look great when I have you strapped to the Punishment Pole.”
Kelsey glanced across the vehicle’s interior at Nathan. Since it was still before sunrise, his face was in shadows, making it difficult to read his expression.
“For the outfit you’ll wear on Saturday,” he reminded her. “We discussed it earlier in the week.”
She remembered scribbling notes as he’d been talking, and she recalled circling the word Thursday.
“If we don’t find anything tonight, we’ll have tomorrow as a backup. Unless you have something in mind already?”
“I have some shoes that might work, and I was thinking of wearing a skirt and a long-sleeved shirt.”
“We can swing by your house before we go, have a look at your closet.” He glanced across at her. “I have an idea of what I’d like to see you in.”
“And I’m thinking it’s not something I might wear to the office.”
The background music cut out and the screen in front of them showed an incoming call from Lawrence.
“That’s your call,” he told her.
She’d forgotten Nathan had added her number into the Bluetooth system when she’d borrowed his car.
It was well before the time she would have expected to hear from the HR department.
“Push the green phone icon,” Nathan told her. “Unless you want to take it in private.”
She answered the call, and Lawrence got straight to the point. “Seward’s boss called in sick.”
Understanding dawned. “It’s Seward’s first duty day,” she said. The day they’d been intending to terminate his employment. “Where are you?”
<
br /> “Home.”
And since he lived in Kingwood, which was north of the city, Lawrence wouldn’t be able to drive to the docks in time to be there before Seward climbed aboard his tug. “Let me figure it out.” Since she didn’t want anyone knowing she was with Nathan at this time of the morning, she added, “I’ll call you back in five minutes.”
She ended the call.
“What do you recommend?” Nathan asked.
“We have a couple of options.” She tapped her fingers on the armrest. “We can ask another field supervisor to send him home for the day.” She raced through pros and cons. “That’s not my preference. He’d suspect something was up, and we don’t know how he’ll react.”
“Or?”
“Let him work today as normal. But I think you’d find that unconscionable.”
“I would.” After signaling, he changed lanes to pass a slow-moving vehicle.
“We’ve customarily had a specific way of handling terminations. We want to give the employee time to process the whole thing, ask questions, come to terms with it and let them keep their dignity. And we want to ensure no damage is done to company property, not that I’m particularly concerned about Seward. But…” The man had a family to support. “Since he’s receiving no severance, the situation is potentially more volatile. And we have the question of what to do with the rest of the crew, calling someone in, moving people around, figuring out how to deal with the work that won’t get done.”
He nodded.
“You should fire him,” she said.
“Oh?” Eyebrows raised, he glanced at her.
Kelsey glanced at the clock. “We have enough time to get to the docks if traffic flows well and we turn around immediately.”
His jaw was set and he was silent.
“That’s the best option,” she said. “We don’t have time to get anyone else from HR out here. But I can ensure we have a security guard in place. While you’re handling it, I can update the field supervisors and get schedulers working on the logistics. Honestly, I don’t see a more workable plan.”
He nodded.
“You don’t mind?”
“It’s part of the job.”
She searched his features and found nothing except determination.
He turned the vehicle around and headed for the highway.
“Do you need me to program the GPS?”
“I’ve been to the docks a couple of times,” he reminded her.
He took a ramp that gave her a view of the sun bursting brilliantly over the horizon, showing how vast and endless the city seemed. Because of where she lived and worked, it was sometimes easy to forget that.
Kelsey phoned Lawrence and updated him, and she asked for instructions on where to find the final paycheck and termination letter.
“They’re in Jameson’s top right desk drawer. The schedulers have a key to the office. The desk is unlocked.”
Nathan was greeted cordially by the crews onsite, and she figured it was a good thing he’d already been out here to meet them. The security guard ambled over, lifted a hand in acknowledgment then continued his rounds.
Barb, one of the schedulers, looked up when they entered the small office located about two hundred feet from where the tugs were moored.
“We’ll need access to Jameson’s office,” Kelsey said after exchanging pleasantries.
Though the woman gave a puzzled frown, she went to a locked cabinet and returned with a key.
She and Nathan went into the man’s office.
Kelsey moved aside a half-empty cup of old coffee and wiped crumbs off the chair before sitting behind the desk and pulling out the paycheck and termination letter. After double-checking that everything was in order, she stood and offered the papers to Nathan. “I’ll send Seward in when he arrives.”
He nodded and took the seat she’d vacated.
Her heart pounded when Seward walked in. Kelsey hated every part of this. It was easy to be distracted with the planning. It was another to be face to face with a man whose future was going to be devastated. “Seward,” she greeted.
Around them, people had fallen quiet, except for one of the schedulers who was talking on the phone.
“Hey, Kelsey. What are you doing here?”
“Mr. Donovan would like to see you. In Jameson’s office.”
The man glanced toward the office, then he looked back at her. “What’s going on?”
She noticed Nathan standing in the doorway. “Come on in,” he said. His voice was both calm and firm.
Seward’s eyes widened. He obviously knew what was happening.
“Captain Seward,” Nathan said. “This way.”
Kelsey gave Barb a pointed glance, and the woman got back to work. Others took their cue from her.
Seward walked slowly into the office, and once he was seated, Nathan closed the door.
“He’s getting fired, isn’t he?” Barb asked Kelsey when the security guard walked in.
“Mr. Donovan has had to make a difficult decision. We’ve got work to do. We have a tug with no skipper. Presumably we now also have an idle crew?”
The office fell silent again.
“Barb? Show me the schedule and give me some suggestions on what we need to do.” She had no intention of making the decisions, but she needed people to get back to work, and she didn’t want anyone overhearing the conversation in the office. The more dignity Seward could maintain, the better.
Barb sighed. “I hate this.”
“Me too,” Kelsey agreed. But she owed it to the company and Nathan not to let this turn melancholy. Everyone in the room was aware of Seward’s accident and the circumstances. “The schedule?”
With a nod, Barb turned her computer screen for Kelsey to see.
Because she wasn’t fully concentrating, the words appeared jumbled. She shook her head to focus her attention. To her, logistics were a complicated chess game and the key to success was looking toward the end of the day and working backward.
One of the other field supervisors joined them and within a minute or so, suggestions began to flow.
The meeting between Nathan and Seward lasted considerably longer than she’d anticipated. Numerous times she flicked her gaze toward the office, her tension growing.
But she schooled her features so that she projected confidence.
The tugboat crew was reassigned, timing was sorted out, extra loads were assigned and everyone returned to their jobs.
She jumped when the door opened.
Nathan walked with Seward while he collected his personal belongings then he escorted him to the front door.
From there, the security guard followed Seward out.
She exhaled.
The office would have a pall over it for at least a couple of hours, maybe more, she knew. Seward was liked by most people, but she was sure there had been some who’d wanted him fired from the beginning. She doubted anyone would think that Donovan was randomly firing people just because he was the new boss. Still, any time an employee was let go, it seemed to take time for balance to be restored.
It would take some time for her to recover, as well.
Nathan spent a few minutes visiting with the staff and she went back into Jameson’s office to call Lawrence and let him know that things had been handled.
When she joined Nathan, he asked, “Ready?”
She nodded.
“How did it go?” she asked when they were on the road.
“As expected.”
Because of the way he gripped the steering wheel, his watch was exposed. She saw a 3D pulsing red heart floating just above the screen. She’d only seen pink previously, and she wondered if the thing was reacting to his mood.
“Coffee?” he asked. “I figured we could stop at Marvin’s.”
She nodded.
While he drove, she responded to email. He was quieter than usual, and that struck her as odd. Maybe the whole thing had bothered him and he wasn’t as big of a heartless hard-ass a
s she’d labeled him.
He dropped her off in front of the shop and told her he’d go and park then join her.
She ordered them each a slice of quiche, and she had his coffee and her mocha on the table when he walked through the door.
The man who entered the restaurant with a cheery hello to Marvin was different than the man she’d ridden with. Nathan’s face was more relaxed, his movements less rigid.
“You did well this morning,” he said as he slid into a seat across from her.
“So did you.”
He took a sip of the coffee then nodded appreciatively before saying, “Coming from you, that’s a compliment.”
Kelsey sighed.
“I know you disagree with my decision, but you put that aside. As I suspected, others in the company have taken their cue from your behavior. Loyalty is the hardest when you disagree with a course of action, and you showed impressive leadership ability. I appreciate your support of Donovan Logistics.”
“I like Seward and his family,” she said. “I spent some time with the Newmans on Tuesday, and Mrs. Newman let me know that the company really would have been in trouble if it hadn’t been for Donovan’s flexibility in moving up timelines. She told me you’d pulled off something close to a miracle.”
He shrugged. For the first time since she’d known him, he looked a bit uncomfortable.
“I’d prefer that we could have kept Seward.” The next bit, she had a difficult time admitting to herself, much less him. “I was thinking on a micro level, a personal one. But I understand you’re looking at the company as a whole.”
“Sometimes, Kelsey, it’s easier to come in from the outside. I wasn’t burdened by an existing relationship with Captain Seward,” he said. “Making difficult decisions, some that you wish you didn’t have to, is what separates success from failure in business. It’s about the bottom line. You don’t have to like a particular course of action, but you have to be willing to commit to it. A good CEO can’t risk the entire company for one individual.”
“Career advice?”
“Probably worth every penny you paid for it.”
“It was free.”
“My point exactly.”
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